Jill could see her own fear reflected in the three faces staring back at her. Her heartbeat thumped and she could hear the others’ rapid breathing. Overhead, the pocket of sky carved out by the trees was a dull grey. The wind shook the branches, sending a shower of water down on the group below. No-one flinched. Behind them, the rotten wood of the cabin groaned and settled as another gust blew through.
‘We have to get out of here,’ Jill said. ‘Now.’
On her left, the twins nodded immediately, united for once by their panic. Bree was clutching her arm, Beth supporting her. Their eyes were wide and dark. On her right, Lauren shifted, the briefest hesitation, then nodded. She took a breath.
‘What about –’
‘What about what?’ Jill had lost patience.
‘. . . What about Alice?’
An awful hush. The only sound was the creak and rustle as the trees gazed down on their tight circle of four.
‘Alice brought this on herself.’
A silence. Then Lauren pointed.
‘North is that way.’
They walked and they didn’t look back, leaving the trees to swallow up all that they left behind.