Chapter 4

His father's body dissipated right in front of them. Bree was naked in crying on the bed. Chase turned around with his head in his hands. His father had just done that to her. Chase hated him.

Chase looked back at Adam. He was comforting Bree. This put Chase a little on edge. It was a strange feeling, a confusing one. He then spoke up, "Adam. Let's go. Leave her. I want to talk to you"

Adam nodded, and stood up. He walked out the door, lightly closing it behind him. Then he looked at Chase.

"Let's go outside" Chase said, and he began walking down the stairs. Adam followed him. Chase opened the front door, and a cold burst of night air hit him the face. He sat down on the steps, and Adam next to him. The two sat in silence until Adam spoke up.

"You know, your father's body is going to be in the tree tomorrow"

"Why?" Chase asked, "he didn't die in the forest"

"Yes, but anyone who dies on Calder Lane appears in that tree at exactly five am. Even if they died at 5:01 am. It would be another twenty four hours. Then the body is moved to the other side of the road, and it's gone the next day"

"Wow" there was a pause between them,"Adam. Do you think it would be...safe for Bree in the woods?"

"Absolutely not" Adam replied, "but there's no way in hell she's letting us go without her"

"I figured" Chase replied. He glanced up at the full moon. It was just rising, and it had a bit of an orange tint to it. Kind of like his eyes. When he was little, he would always try to make his eyes brown, like everyone elses. One time, when he was two years old he tried coloring his eyes brown. It didn't work.

Then there was a large crash. Adam and Chase looked up. Adam's house was completely gone. He shot up, and began running toward the hole.

"DAD?! TASHA?! LEO?!" Adam shouted down the hole. There was no response. Just a slight hissing. Adam searched around, looking for his family members, but they were gone. Adam sank down next to the hole, and began to cry.

"This isn't fair!" he screamed. Chase bent down next to him, and put his arm around him. The two heard a door open behind them, only Chase looked up. It was Bree. She was dressed, and standing in his doorway. Chase stood up to meet Bree who had already run down the hill.

"What happened?" she asked.

"There was a sinkhole under Adam's house. His entire family was inside. I think that was meant for Adam"

"Oh my god" Bree exhaled, and ran down next to Adam. She gave him a hug, then stared into the hole. Chase bent down on the other side.

"We have to stop this" Bree said.

"And we are. Don't worry" Chase reassured her, "Adam. You can stay with me tonight"

"Thanks, but I think I'll stay here" he replied

"Adam you can't" Bree said sternly, "I know you're upset, but suicide isn't the answer. Stay with Chase"

"Ok. Take care of yourself." Adam said, standing up.

"And try to find anything gold. Pure gold." Chase told her

"Ok" she ran toward her house. Chase and Adam went into the house. Inside there was a screaming coming from the attic. Chase went to go after it, but Adam shook his head, explaining it was a normal thing. Chase nodded, then went into Douglas' room. He laid down on the bed, and easily fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was bright outside. He got up, and ran out of the room. He ran down the stairs, and out the door, neglecting to put on a shirt or shoes. He looked into the tree. He gasped and ran back inside.

"Adam! Adam get up!" He ran into Marcus' room. Adam was already up. It was easy to tell he'd been crying all night, "you've gotta come see this"

Chase ran out of the room. Adam followed him. The two ran outside, and looked at the tree. Only Chase's father's body was in the tree.

"Where are they?" Adam asked.

"They're not here. They're still alive!" Chase exclaimed. Adam looked over to his house, which had rebuilt itself overnight, then ran towards it as a crowd began gathering around the tree to see who was dead this time. Chase ran after him. Adam burst through the door, only to find a completely empty house. Everything was gone.

"We're going into the woods" Chase said in the doorway,"tonight"

Bree came over an hour later. She had a small bag of gold items.

"I don't know how much of this is real" she dumped it out on the table. There was a watch, two sets of earrings, and a necklace. Chase picked up the necklace, and held the pendent in his hand. After a moment of examination he bit down on it.

"Chase what the hell are you doing?" Bree asked. Chase took the piece out of his mouth, and looked at it.

"This is fake" he dropped it on the table, "it's the bite test. Bite into something gold. If it leaves an indent, its pure."

He picked up the watch and put into the strap. It left an indent. He put it on his wrist.

"This is real" he said. Adam and Bree had each bitten into a pair of earrings.

"Mine's real" Adam said.

"Mine's not" Bree threw them down next to the necklace.

"Ok. Bree wear one, and Adam. Do you mind if we pierce your ear?"

"I already have a piercing" he put the earring in his ear. Chase nodded.

"Ok. Meet me back here at dinner. We'll eat, then go into the woods after sunset. Bree, make sure your discreet when taking things you need. Bring your phones"

After packing for ten minutes, Chase spent the rest of the afternoon reading the book. It was just the origin of the curse, and the record of every weird thing that happened. Chase added a few events. Mr. Bolton's death, his brothers' capture, the sinkhole at the Simmons house, and he added an event that hadn't happened yet. The disappearance of Adam, Bree, and Chase.

He closed the book, and left it on the desk in the attic. Then he went downstairs, and into the kitchen. He searched for something to feed his friends. There was nothing good. He had packed all the canned soup, and other non-perishables he could. He took out a box of mac n cheese and began making it.

When Adam and Bree arrived, they each had a backpack. They put theirs next to Chase's, whose was by the basement door. The two travelled into the kitchen, where Chase was dishing out food.

"Chase are you sure you're ok to do this?" Bree took a bowl from the counter

"As long as I have the watch" Chase said, handing Adam a bowl. The three sat down, and began eating in silence. The sun began going down.

"Did you say goodbye to your parents, Bree?" Chase asked.

"No. I couldn't. I just left" Bree said, there was a silence in the room. Nobody talked for the rest of the meal. The sun began to set. It got lower and lower until it was gone.

"What happens if we're outside during sunrise or sunset in the woods?" Adam asked.

"The gold should protect us" Chase replied. He cleaned the dishes and put them away. He saw Adam and Bree giving him weird looks, "what? I want the house clean for them when they come back,"

The three grabbed their backpacks as the moon, still full, was rising. They walked out of the house. Adam was the first to turn towards the woods. Then Chase, and finally, Bree turned as well. The three began walking towards the woods. They walked over the boundary between the yard and the woods. Immediately, the hissing began.