The Four Friends

The four friends, Rooney Mack, Grace Wright, Tara Carson and Sarah Jones were special sleuths appointed by Detective Mann. Sarah has the special ability to see things that others can't see...

'I can't believe it!' Rooney exclaimed. 

'But we don't have any case to solve.' Grace sighed.

'It's OK.' Sarah consoled her. 

'I can't believe that we are invited to Scarlett's party.' Tara said.

'To be honest, I don't want to go there.' Grace frowned.

'Me too.' Rooney agreed.

'Me three.' Tara chimed in.

'Please, guys.' Sarah protested. 'She invited us. Let's go na!'

She stared at them with puppy dog eyes. Rooney, Tania and Grace sighed. They had to go.

*At Scarlett's party*

Scarlett's garden looked like a fairy place. It was decorated very nicely.

'Welcome!' Scarlett said in a fake British accent. She shot looks to Rooney and Grace. She hated them. The party was a blast. Sarah was enjoying, talking to everyone. Tara was at the food counter. She is a real foodie!

Rooney and Grace stood in a corner, eyeing the others.

'Do you think they are gossiping about us?' Rooney whispered.

Grace nodded. 'I can't stand it anymore. Let's explore.'

They went upstairs, on the balcony. They were talking about Nancy Drew when they heard an earsplitting scream. Rooney and Grace froze.

'Did you hear that?' Grace asked.

Rooney nodded. 'Let's go!'

They went downstairs, towards the starting of a bridge. It was pitch dark.

'Should we go?' Rooney asked.

They heard the scream again, which sent chills down their spines.

'Roon, you go and tell Sarah and Tara.' Grace said quickly. 'I am waiting here for you.'

'OK!' Rooney said and rushed to Scarlett's garden.

'SARAH!' She shouted at the top of her voice, but that mad Scarlett had put the music on FULL volume. Finally, Tara turned towards her.

'WHAT?' She asked.

Rooney simply pointed towards her handbag and rushed to Grace's help.

'I have got a flashlight.' Grace said. 'Come on, let's go.'

Grace rushed in the pitch dark way without hesitation.

'Hey, wait up!' Rooney gulped. Thankfully, there was a handrail there, which she used to grope her way.

'Any idea where we are headed?' Grace hissed.

'Cythaea walk, I believe.' Rooney said, quite confident.

They moved on towards the reservoir itself. Something else moved in the shadows near the stream. Grace focused her beam onto it. A man lay under the bridge, a few feet below them.

'Hey, mister! Are you okay?' There was no answer.

Grace reached for her phone to call Police Detective Mann. Just as she got through and heard Detective Mann's voice, someone came rushing up behind them.

'Help! Reservoir. Cythaea walk!' She screamed into the phone, before it was hit out by the hand of their attacker. She heard her phone hit the side of the bridge and tumble in the darkness below.

'Grace! Watch out!' Rooney cried.

The man lunged at her. She ducked. A shiny silver blade glinted and slashed through the air. Grace's right hand shot up to meet her attacker's wrist. She managed to knock the blade from his hand. Rooney tried to push the man from behind. The man staggered forwards, then swung around and grabbed Rooney's arm, twisting it. He pulled Rooney past him and pushed her over the rail of the bridge walkway.

'Rooney!' Grace screamed. Rooney tumbled into the darkness of the forest below. As she watched in horror, she didn't see the fist flying towards her face, knocking her to the floor as blackness enveloped her.

When Rooney opened her eyes, she found herself lying beside the stream. It took a few seconds to realize where she was. She held up her head, but saw only darkness. A man grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

'Shh. He'll hear us.' The man said.

Rooney turned to look at the man. Thankfully, the clouds no longer hid the light of the full moon. She noticed a dark stain spreading across the right thigh of the man's jeans.

'Who are you?'

'Charles. You?'

'Rooney. What happened?' You know him, the other man?' The man nodded.

'That's George.'

Rooney suddenly remembered Grace. She looked around frantically for her.

'He has taken your friend.'

'We have to get help!' Rooney said in a panicked voice.

Charles looked at his wound and shook his head. 'You have to yourself. I can't move.'

Rooney tried to get up. As soon as she put pressure on her left ankle, she let out a sharp yelp of pain and tumbled to the ground.

'Shhhh!'

'Sorry, it hurts! I think I broke something.' She breathed short, sharp gasps.

'You too huh? We are dead!' Charles said.

'No, we're not. We are still alive. Why did George attack you?'

'Long story.'

'I got time.'

Charles looked at Rooney and sighed. 'You won't believe it.'

'Try me.' Rooney smiled despite her pain.

'George and I used to come here all the time. About eleven days ago we trekked a little deeper in the forest to explore and came across a shrine. George made fun of it. I told him to shut up but he didn't care. Never make fun of a shrine. It's suicide. The next day, he had a high fever and was very ill. From that day, he was never the same and didn't want to talk to anyone, not even me. His mum said that he lost his temper over small things. Then, two days back he asked if I'd want to go fishing. I thought he had recovered, and I agreed. When we got here, he started acting strange. It all happened so fast.' Charles said. 

A shrine (Latin: scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: escrin "box or case") is a sacred or holy site dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they are venerated or worshipped.

'He is probably schizophrenic.' Rooney said.

Schizophrenic: A person with a mental condition where he is unable to think logically or behave normally. 

Charles looked at Rooney. 'Huh? How do you know? Are you a kid doctor?'

'No. I just read a lot.'

'Whatever. He is dangerous.'

'Don't worry.' Rooney assured him. 'We called the police before he attacked us. They should be here any minute.' Rooney craned her neck in the direction of the walkway. She crossed her fingers.

Tara was at the buffet table when Sarah came looking for her. 'Do you know where Grace and Rooney are?'

'No. Why?' Tara remembered Rooney pointing to her bag. She opened it and fished out a crumpled piece of paper.

'She left a note for us. They heard a scream in the forest and went to investigate.' She looked at her watch. 'We'd better hurry.'

As the friends stepped out of the front gate into the night, Sarah surveyed the surroundings.

'How are we going to find them? We don't even know which way they went!'

'They might be in trouble.'

Sarah gasped. She had caught sight of shadow hounds at the edge of the forest. These were spirit-like creatures that Sarah only saw when people were in danger.

'I think something happened to them, Tara. I saw shadow hounds.'

Tara frowned. Just then, a police car drove towards them, and an officer got out.

'Detective Mann! We are glad to see you! But what are you doing here?'

Detective Mann explained about the phone call he received from Grace.

'You'd better stay here. I'll go in.' He signalled to his assistant to follow him.

'Wait, sir. Sarah can track them down.'

'How?'

The friends looked at each other. They could not tell him about Sarah's supernatural gift of sight. Just then, Sarah saw the form again. It slinked into the trees.

'Quick! This way!' She hissed. They followed her through the entrance of the walk. It didn't take long for Sarah to find Rooney and Charles. The shadow hounds had been attracted by Charles' bleeding wound. Detective Mann was surprised but took charge immediately. Rooney and Charles filled him in on what happened. He turned to his assistant. 'Call the paramedical. He is bleeding.'

'The man who did this took Grace deeper into the forest!'

'Where?'

Rooney shook her head. 'Didn't see. But be careful!'

'I think I heard George take her deeper into the forest, that way.' Charles pointed to the right.

'Thanks! Charles, I want you to go to the entrance. When the paramedics arrive, show them the way here, okay? Now I have to go look for Grace and George.'

'I know where they went.' Sarah said suddenly. 'Follow me.' The shadow hounds were weaving in between the trees, some distance away. A few meters in, they came to a stone shrine in the middle of a small clearing. George was there. So was Grace. She lay unconscious on the ground. George seemed to be trying to carve something into the stone. When he saw them, he brandished his knife and chanted, as if in a trance.

Detective Mann's hand was on his holster as he approached George slowly. He spoke to George in a calm voice because he was clearly mad.

'Evil spirits go away, evil spirits go away!' He repeated and started chanting louder. Sarah stepped backwards. She accidentally stepped on a branch, cracking it. George turned to look at her. In that split second, the detective lunged forward, knocking him to the ground. He took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the struggling man.

*time skip*

'Are you both feeling okay?' Sarah asked Rooney and Grace, once all of them had returned home safely.

'I am feeling OK.' Rooney said.

'I am feeling sad that the case is over.' Grace said.

'Seriously?' Sarah said. Everyone laughed.

'We are the fantastic four!' Tara cheered.