The green is so bright it hurts my spleen And makes my eyes feel like their gonna bleed Green is the color of the aliens the FBI freed

Me and John stuck like a deer in headlights Flight or Fight but we choose standing in fright

What do we do? Who do we call? My legs buckling from under me causing me to fall Because this is just like one of my acid trips

We can’t leave the park till we beat them John we gotta swiss cheese em’

"Shall we explore further?" Damian nodded and they started walking around again.

Again, it was nothing special; park benches here, lampposts there, a few small playgrounds for children, everything they knew to be in a typical park. Just like Devon, though, they noticed the grey tint of everything. The benches were a dark grey. The lights shined bright white, even though it was still midday. Even the grass, trees, and leaves had a monochrome tint to them, as if the color still needed to be added. There were several scratch marks on some trees, but Damian explained them away as the tree’s natural bark just to put Bethany’s mind at ease. Though he spoke confidently, he couldn’t put his own mind at ease. He knew those scratches weren’t naturally occurring. He took several pictures of the marks, noticing their inconsistencies with length, depth, and direction. Something had done this, but he didn’t want to find out what.

As soon as they started walking again, Damian pulled a granola bar out of his bag. He offered one to Bethany, but she declined. Ever since they arrived here, she'd been uneasy, and she knew he felt just as skittish. A part of her wanted to address the past so they could move on with their lives, but she didn't know if he felt the same way. Every time she looked at him, she swore the muscles in his neck locked his head in place so he wouldn't have to look back at her.

She figured he clearly didn't want to talk about anything going on between them.

From Damian's perspective, nothing could be farther from the truth. He supported Bethany in her time of need, but knew he couldn't say anything for fear of seeming insensitive or antagonistic about it. When he tried to do the right thing, he felt ashamed that he'd only made things worse. He also knew that he'd eventually have to face this issue whether he liked it or not. With Devon and Lexi beginning their relationship and Damian and Bethany being their respective best friends, he knew an encounter with her was inevitable. He'd just wished it could've been more on his own terms and not when Devon springs a sudden bike trip on him.

The silence between them was becoming more and more palpable and uncomfortable. Both knew if something, anything didn't happen soon, they'd do better work trying to kill the other. After enough walking, Bethany had had enough. She seized Damian by the arm and planned to confront him. However, as Damian was turning his head to acknowledge her, the radios clipped their pockets screamed to life.

*EVERYONE! GET BACK TO THE BIKES! *

Tammy’s voice screamed over their radios. *Tammy? Tammy! What’s going on? What happened? * Devon responded.

*WHAT DO YOU THINK’S HAPPENING? WE’RE CHASING A SPEEDING ICE CREAM TRUCK! *

*SOMETHING’S CHASING US! * Paul’s wisecrack almost undermined the situation, but Tammy sealed the deal that they were, in fact, in danger. Then, Damian called in. "Damian to convoy. We’re on our way!" *Copy that. * Devon responded. *Guys! Hang in there and keep going! * Lexi assured them.

When the exchanges were over, they ran as fast as they could back to the bikes.

“I told you that we should have listened to the park ranger,” Ethan yelled at his friend, Dan. “He said that we needed two gallons of water.” “Shut up,” Dan yelled back. “I used the regular amount of water I have used for my five years of hiking. Besides, forests aren’t supposed to be this hot.

“This place is a desert.” Both Ethan and Dan wore their hiking gear as they traveled the forest. The leaves, while bright green, barely covered the sun above. Both men were bright red, with sweat on their brows. Ethan and Dan could only breathe heavily as they walked for miles.

They had both thought about what had happened in the morning of this day. It was like any other morning. Ethan and Dan were packing up in their cabin. Dan was looking at his packages of water, remembering the ranger’s advice.

“You need ten gallons of water,” the ranger said. Unfortunately for Dan, he looked down at his map and backpack. “I’ve been on tougher hikes,” he laughed to himself. That moment kept haunting Dan, even if he didn’t want to admit it. In the present, Ethan had a scorched look on his face.

“Do you think we should continue?” Dan nervously asked. “We’ve been walking for hours now.” “I don’t think we should,” Ethan replied. “It’s getting late, and I’m worried that we’re only getting further away the more we go. We should set up camp.”

“But it isn’t getting dark. How about a few more hours? We can even try to signal for help.” “Fine then, but we have to set up a way that we can track our steps. Can’t use any of our materials we are already carrying.

“I can gather some rocks to lay out.” After that, Dan and Ethan continued in the forest. The scenery had changed to less trees and more hard ground. By the time the sun was setting, both Dan and Ethan were pouncing. Dan in particular started to complain about a sour leg, making him slowly limp.

Meanwhile, Ethan, while quite tired himself, managed to throw all his supplies on the ground. He began to unpack his bags, strapping out everything he could to get in order to make a tent. “You ok,” Ethan asked, looking at Dan massaging his leg on a rock. “I make the shelter on my own.

“But I would rather have your help.” “Yeah sure,” Dan responded. “I’m just worried.” “About what? You think that we won’t find our way out?” “At least not before something bad happens to us.

“You can never predict the woods.” “Hey Dan, don’t worry too hard about it. There aren’t any animals out here.” “It’s not the animals I’m worried about. It’s the weather.”

Ethan didn’t even looked annoyed with Dan. His face lowered in acknowledgment of his concerns. “Let’s just get some sleep,” Ethan said as he went inside his makeshift tent. Dan hesitated for a moment, before entering as well. “Hopefully someone will find us,” Dan responded.

They both fell asleep shortly after, with a few dreams haunting them both. Ethan and Dan were rocking back and forth in their bed, with a little bit of sweat coming out. For Ethan, he imagined himself back at his home. He was in his kitchen, which almost shined in how ideal it looked. However, just outside of his window was Dan, who was looking dead straight at him.

Meanwhile, Dan found himself in ironically a snowstorm. He was being stalked by an unknown beast, seemingly a monstrous hybrid of a deer and bear. It admitted a loud scream, sounding more like a car passing by. That was when Dan realized it.

Ripping himself out of bed, he breathed heavily as he looked back at Ethan. “Ethan!” He yelled, startling Ethan in his deep sleep. “What is it dude?” Ethan moaned. “Please tell me you realized something that could help us. Otherwise, I’m out.”

It was then that Ethan had his question answered without a single word from Dan. The sound of cars passing through filled their ears. “Holy crap,” Ethan muttered. “Do you think what I’m thinking?” “Yep,” Dan asked.

“Let’s just leave our stuff and go.” Bursting out of their tents, Ethan and Dan ran out. Sure enough, there was still a little bit of light through the trees. Eventually, they found a dirty road. Unfortunately, there were no cars in sight.

“You jackass!” Ethan screamed. “You led us out into the middle of nowhere!” “I’m sorry Ethan,” Dan cried out, his voice cracking. “I just thought..” “Of what?

“We just abandoned all our stuff. All for some lights.” “Look, we can just run back. We go back to sleep, and maybe come back here.” “Fine, you’re right. This looks to be a road anyway.”

Ethan and Dan turned around to face their makeshift camp once more. The crunches of leaves beneath their feet echoed through the woods as they made their way back. The only relief they had was that it was a bit colder than in the daytime. Ethan himself became a little more sickly the more he walked. His face became paler and paler, and his eyes grew darker and darker.

Dan was slightly better. He simply breathed heavily as he walked alongside his friend. At most, he shivered a little. “Hey Ethan,” Dan suddenly stated, narrowing his eyes like a preying hawk at the darkness. “Do you see that?

“Looks like a bunch of eyes.” “Are you sure?” Ethan responded. “I can only see what my phone can project. Maybe it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.” “Are you entirely sure?

I think I saw the eyes blink.” “Yeah, your mind must be playing tricks on you. Come on, you need sleep. Otherwise, this will be even more difficult than before.” “No, I’m serious. Look in front of you.

“They are right there.” “Maybe you saw a deer. Again, you need to stop seeing things that aren’t there. It’s getting dangerous.” That was when both Dan and Ethan heard a branch crack in the distance. It was a rather slow crunch, almost like whatever made the sound wanted it to go unnoticed.

That was when the forest became colder than it was before. Ethan was starting to feel extremely ill. Not just from exhaustion, but from something more unnatural. He started to become more pale and cold, to the point that standing was painful for him. Dan didn’t notice however.

He looked frantically around to see what could have caused the noise. “Daniel,” Ethan weakly muttered, becoming more disoriented. “What’s happening to me?” “What do you mean by that?” Dan nervously asked back. “Oh Daniel, do you understand what is happening to me?”

Dan nervously turned around, fearful of what he would see. Much to his horror, it was exactly what he feared. Ethan was a completely different person now. His eyes turned pitch black, his body became frail as a skeleton, and his hair began to fall out. Even worse, Ethan had a smile that was wider than humanly possible. “Oh come on Daniel,” Ethan’s voice said echoing.

“Aren’t you starving right now? I know I sure am.” “Ethan!” Dan exclaimed. “What the hell happened to you?!” He stuttered as he walked away from his old friend

“Haven’t you seen, I have achieved a greater form,” Ethan muttered. “No no,” Dan repeated. As soon as he did, he turned around and ran as fast as he could. “Daniel!” Ethan shouted as he lunged at Dan on all fours. “Listen, I’m not sick.”

Dan wasn’t listening to Ethan’s speech though. Instead, he shoved away as many branches as he could to get away from him. Unfortunately for him, Dan became more disoriented as he ran. Eventually, he coughed up as he decided to slow down to catch his breath. Of course, Dan looked over his shoulder, hoping that Ethan wasn’t behind him.

Ethan thankfully wasn’t, and Dan could peacefully collapse close to a tree. “This can’t be real,” he cried to himself. “This has to be a dream. I’ll wake up eventually.” “Try pinching yourself,” Ethan joked.

Dan immediately looked up and screamed at the sight of his former friend, who had completely lost his human face and was grinning with too many teeth. Screaming, Dan tried to joint away as soon as possible. Unfortunately for him, Ethan dragged onto him. He dragged him across the leaves on the ground, caving his elongated nails into his thighs. All Dan could do is scream in pain.

Ethan’s jaw then inlongated large enough to swallow Dan’s long. Dan clawed as hard as he could away from Ethan, crying as his nails chipped. Fortunately for Dan, he noticed a big enough branch to grab a hit Ethan with. Ethan screamed in pain , allowing for Dan to slowly wiggle away. He started to cry inhumanly, making Dan think that his old friend was back.

“Ethan,” Dan called out as he got closer. “Are you okay now?” Unfortunately for him, Ethan was far from okay. He began to laugh before launching onto Dan once more. Ethan’s hand grew to overcome Dan’s face, with Dan only making muffled screams.

“Join me,” Ethan screeched. Dan’s hand once again frantically grabbed onto whatever he could find. He then found a rock, sharp enough to hit Ethan with. Striking him in the head, Ethan let out a scream. However, he didn’t let go of Dan.

Dan kept hitting and hitting, hoping that eventually Ethan would let go. It was almost an eternity as he kept hitting his old friend. Dan could even hear bone cracking against weak flesh. Eventually, Ethan’s hand slid off Dan’s face, only to reveal a worse image. Dan nearly screamed as he saw Ethan, half-dead.

His face returned to a more human form, but was split in half. Ethan’s eyes were more hallow as he stared blankly. Regardless, there was no signs he was once a monster. “Oh,” Dan cried out, shell shocked. “What have I done.”

He reached over his friend’s body. Before he could start to cry, he was startled by a dying breath. “Thank you,” Ethan cried out. “For saving me.” Those were his last words, looking at Dan as his vision became blurry.

Dan could see the exact moment that Ethan had died, letting out a scream in response. “Come back!” He anguished. Dan clenched onto Ethan’s body in what almost felt like an eternity. The sun apathetically rose in the distance, with it being colder than usual. Eventually, Dan became delirious from his fear and tears.

He didn’t notice the screams of a woman nearby, who noticed the crime and had called the police. Not even a park ranger demanded to come, frozen with Ethan. Dan was shortly afterwards arrested. The police tried to understand why he would murder his best friend.

Unfortunately for them and Dan, Dan didn’t have an answer. He claimed it was a mercy kill, that Ethan thanked him in death. That wasn’t enough to keep Dan out of prison. He did get released twenty years later, but was still haunted by his actions. Especially when Dan could still hear the creature, constantly whispering to him through his bedroom window as he tried to sleep

“this was fun,” I tell him, smiling wide as I gaze in those big brown eyes I’ve known for years, leaning into a railing bordering the trail. he’s my bestie—we’re not necessarily that close but we’re chill, you know?

he agrees, “yes it was. we should do this more often.”

we had gone for a walk in the park since finals were coming up and we both needed a break from studying. it was a nice vacation from all the work.

I look away from him and out into the blue instead. for some reason, I can never hold eye contact with him for too long. I just feel compelled to look away. but right now I can feel his eyes still lingering on my face. as I realize this, my smile fades away—it makee no sense. why would he do that? I mean, he’s met me. come on. haha. I’m just crazy.

I notice him open his mouth, but no words come out. okay then. I look back out into the trees, looking at nothing in particular but taking in everything at the same time. my mind starts to wander. I’m hungry. I should get food after this. should I ask him if he wants some, too? not like a date though. obviously. I’m way too young and too unpretty for that. he would never. no one would, haha. I laugh to myself, but it comes out almost like a cross between a scoff and a sigh.

he notices. “what?” he asks, looking at me again. I can feel it. I fight the urge to turn back to him too fast. one. two. now you can.

“nothing, just thinking,” I say, shaking my head. dang, his eyelashes are long. wait, what?

“about what?”

“y—food,” I correct myself. haha, don’t know what I was going to say before. obviously the answer was food.

“you maybe want to go get some? He asks me almost shyly, but that can’t be—he’s anything but shy.

“umm…yeah. yeah, I’d like that. I’m starved,” I reply with a nod.

“cool.”

“cool.”

“when? now?”

“two more minutes,” I answer. I want to take in the nature for one more moment. I want to take in this peaceful moment, the calm before the storm. before the math test and the politics paper and everything else.

I hear a bird and watch as it flitters over the two of us. “look!” I turn to him, but he’s not watching the bird. he’s watching me. what? haha. I’m crazy, right? and now I’m smiling too hard, stop it, I think to myself.

“come, let’s go.” he reaches out a hand.

I loom at him for a second, puzzled. what? he’s never done that before. we don’t do that. right? or maybe…or maybe it doesn’t mean anything. it can’t mean anything. what would it mean?

I contemplate it, and ever so gently place my hand in his, our fingers gently intertwined. his palm feels warm against my cold, iron-deficient skin. I feel a sensation through my veins. it’s the warmth, right?

we start to head back, my hand in his. that’s still weird to me. we keep walking and come up to a crowd of people. it looks like a large family. we try to get through, but they’re blocking the path. he looks at me, wondering what to do.

“excuse me,” I politely ask a lady, “could we get through?”

she turns to me and replies in a warm, husky voice, “only if you kiss!”

“huh?” I’m lost. I glance at him and see that he’s turned red. haha, wait, what? kiss? kiss him? I can’t do that. he’s…no, no way! right?

“oh, we’re not—“

“kiss, kiss, kiss!” she chants as the rest of the crowd joins in. wait, she can’t be serious…right?

he pulls me closer. so we can hear each other better, since it’s loud, right?

“hey,” he says to me softly.

“hey,” I whisper back. he’s looking at me so intensely I feel like he’s staring at my soul. everything else fades away. haha, what? wait, what’s happening?

“do you…” he starts, but doesn’t finish the thought. what?

“yes?”

he tries again, but cuts himself off once more, his eyes darting away. “d-do…do you w—“

“yes?”

he takes a breath before he looks at me with those brown eyes one last time. he takes my other hand, and holds on tighter to the one he was already holding. I shiver. wait. is this what I think it is?

kiss, kiss, kiss!! they’re still chanting in the background. it can’t be…

“hey.” he says. “do you w-want to, uh, maybe, uh…”

“yes.”

“huh?”

“I said, yes.”

“but-“

“just kiss me already,” I grin uncontrollably, feeling a funny feeling in my tummy, but the good kind. the crazy kind. “kiss me, and then we can get out of here and then you can take me out to get food, and maybe, maybe kiss me again, and…” I trail off.

his mouth’s hanging open, his eyes wide. he can’t believe it. it’s adorable. he’s adorable. and crazy. but it’s okay, I’m crazy, too. this is all so crazy.

Maria and Emma walk into the park, the wind eerily quiet, despite the park being filled with voices of children, the sounds of parents getting onto said children, the barking of dogs, and the chirping of birds, to them, none of it is there, it's like they can't hear anything. why is that? they continue walking until they find a secluded area in the park, its empty, perfect. Maria sits down, wanting to have the conversation Emma's been avoiding once and for all, Though Emma looks hesitant, she sits down, avoiding eye contact. "why haven't you been speaking to me?" Maria asks. Emma doesn't respond, staring off into space at a nearby note on a tree. "Emma, can you not hear me, or are you just ignoring me" Maria scoffs, annoyed that Emma agreed to have the conversation, yet is avoiding it, once again, that is, until Maria herself, notices the note, and stands up to grab it. "find forgiveness, and you may leave" "what?" Maria mutters. "who wrote this" Her mind shifts to the argument the two girls previously had a few weeks ago, and she knows what this is about, she knows what she has to do. she turns to Emma, forcing her to listen to what she has to say. "Listen Emma, I'm sorry, I was having a bad day, you were just trying to help me, and I lashed out at you" Maria says, hoping, praying, that the sensitive Emma would take her apology, finally, Emma speaks. "Maria, I'm not sure if forgiveness Is something I can provide, but I'm not going to ignore you anymore either" Maria is somber, Emma had always forgave her easily, but now that a small argument shifted that, she wonders "forgiveness, is it real" of course, she's overthinking, but leave it to her to find the most crazy explanation for things. The two girls go to the gate of the park, trying to open it. it stay's locked. they look at each other, sharing an understanding look. They sigh, sitting back down and talk, sharing frustrations, feelings and laughs, determined to leave the park and return to the friendship they once shared.

— “You’re insane!” I said, “we can leave whenever we want!” — He gave me a look, the same look I’d give my parents when telling them that Mr. Jones tried to get to close, “Mar… We can’t.” — “tch,” I stood up and walked to the entrance of the park. I tried pushing open the gate, but I whipped my hand back, it was hot as a stove, “The hell?” — “Yeah. Hey maybe we could finish our game of truth or dare while we’re waiting?” He fiddled with his hair. — “Sure! Truth or dare Manny?” — “Truth.” — “Who did Gabby sleep with?” Why did it sound like an accusation? It wasn’t. — “Fancil.” He muttered. — “Mr. Jones?! Damn!” I paused… Mr. Jones…. Shit. — “Truth or-“ a voice cut him off, it was deep and gravelly. — “Truth or dare?” — “What? … Um… Truth?” — “What’s your real name?” The voice asked. — I was silent and mumbled out, “Marany Daniels…” — “Wrong answer.” Then I fell forward and caught myself before the spike hit. — “Dare, tell Manny what you did to him today.” — “Mar? What’s he mean?” — “… I…. I didn’t mean to! I swear! Some kids overheard me talking to Sam-“ — He cut me off, “Mar, what did you do?” — “… I was planning this trip for you after you came out and some jerk overheard and… that’s why you got beat up today… I am so sorry…” — “You planned a trip?” He asks with a smile. — “Yeah…” he hugged me. — “Manny, truth or dare?” The voice asked. — “Truth!” He yelled. — “Do you know where Gabriel is?” Gabriel was my older brother. He’d been missing. I knew Manny must’ve known where he was. — “Uh… Yeah… New York. Mar look I wanted to tell you-“ — “I know Manny. Don’t worry.” I grabbed at the gate and it was still hot. So i shoulder rammed it open and we ran.

We can’t leave Until the sun sets On the rest Due to the test Of time That’s mine Be kind Never mind In time You’ll see That e can Leave

Trapped, stuck, locked in. No way to escape this park. We are trapped here forever. There’s nothing left to try. My best friend and I were stuck in a park like sitting ducks.

We thought we were going to be there forever, until we saw something in the distance. It didn’t look human so we started to panic. It was coming right for us…

Two friends leave the park just until dusk linger footsteps fade to night.

Esmeralda, Christine, Selena, Yingying, and May Lin were dressed in outfits inspired by the popular K-pop girl group Gfriend, were having a animated interaction in the literary department at the prestigious university of Moscow Russia, Selena began recount to her friends, upon discovering a manuscript in the library a few days ago hidden behind a book self, the manuscript reveals a encounter with a ghostly figure by grand duchesses Maria and Anastasia in the hallways of the Alexander Palace while under the care of their nanny Helene Eager. They saw a strange a shadowy figure of a man, Eugene entering the bedroom of their cousin Ella, who was terribly ill and sick at that time.

Maria, and Anastasia’s reactions were of fear by the appearance of the strange man. Esmeralda, Christine, Yingying and May Lin, were sitting at their desks listening intently to the story Selena was recounting to them, in connection to the young grand duchesses Maria, and Anastasia. Then Christine replies shortly after the appearance of the shadowy figure, sadly Ella passed away from her illness, Esmeralda replied this occurred over a century ago and during the nighttime after everyone was already asleep in their beds, while the entire palace was quiet and still.

Yingying said, the story sounds so hauntingly eerie it reminds them, of the abandoned palace they visited in the Chinese mountains over a year ago, it was resided by Emperor Xiao Zhang, and his beloved beautiful wife Queen Ningning reigned over the ethereal magical Kingdom of Yuan Sing centuries ago.

While exploring the magnificent ancient palace of Moon Ming, the girls began searching for a hidden study, Ningning used to read and study manuscripts, while her husband was discussing serious topics with his advisers in the imperial throne room. While the girls were searching through the dusty bookshelves in the secret study, going through the manuscripts, eventually discovering the truth about Ningning wasn’t known for her exquisite beauty, be she’s a intelligent, witty, wise, strong woman, had the strength determination and resilience to assist her husband the emperor with his daily tasks and responsibilities with dealing with his advisers and offering her advice and guidance to help him achieve and accomplish the happiness peace prosperity and tranquility of the entire country and kingdom.