The Disastrous (Revised)| ✔️

Chapter 13

Noah

I jumped out of the hole and stretched my limbs. I walked to a tree and sat down against the rough bark. The sun kissed my face and I took a deep breath. The words that Chris said still rang through my mind. Why after all this years would he say he wanted to be good? Of course I wouldn't believe a word he said but he hasn't done anything wrong yet. Though I had nothing that I could prove that he wasn't his same old self.

A rustle came from the bushes and I stumbled up, "Pepper?" A black nose peeked out along with a pink tongue. His body emerged before jumping up to lick my face. He barked at the bushes again before a Shetland Sheepdog emerged behind him.

Kneeling I reached out and stroked the dog's fur. "Hey sweetie." The dog's fur was slightly matted from the lack of grooming. I plucked out a few leaves and twigs just as grunting came from the hole.

"Noah! Ashley. We found her and she is about to come out! She-" Ethan looked back and panicked. "Courtney hasn't came out yet! Ashley might have killed her!" He pulled his hair and paced back and forth.

"Whoa... slow down," I stood and made him face me. His eyes were filled with fear and I tried to calm him down. "Ashley isn't going to kill Courtney. Courtney is fine, she's probably doing... Courtney things."

"Courtney things? Really? You weren't there Noah. You know nothing." Ethan turned away frustrated and looked at the hole. Taking a deep breath he continued in a softer tone. "How do you do it Noah? How can you stand in the face of fear and not be afraid?" He mumbled something else but I was too far away to hear.

"I am afraid but on the inside. I distract myself by telling myself that if I don't do something then we are all going to get hurt. I don't let fear get the best of me." I reached him and shoved my hands in my pockets. "It's not easy at first. Being afraid is easier then being brave. Can you tell me what exactly happened?"

"I can tell you what happened if you give me a hand," Courtney's voice said from the hole as she lifted her hands up in the air. Scorch marks lined her body and a part of her hair was burned off. Her hair was soaked in something along with her clothes. Lifting her up we placed her on the ground and she brushed herself off.

Ethan grimaced at her, "You look like crap."

"I was fighting an angry fireball, what do you expect?"

I stared at them confused. Placing my hands on my temples I stared at both of them. "Start from the beginning."

"Short version. Eve drugged Ashley then did some crazy stuff to her, which caused her to have powers and a bad attitude, she attacked us and now she coming to finish us and you off. Also she like really pissed so we better leave," Courtney said quickly and started off towards the woods. She turned around looking me dead in the eye, "Don't be the hero, Noah!"

Considering that Courtney was being serious for once and both her and Ethan looked frightened, I weighed my options: save Ashley from this unexpected event or die from this unexpected event? Either way I'm losing Ashley. Ashley emerged from the hole looking her usual self, expect the burned stained clothes. Maybe Courtney was lying after all.

"Ashley, you're alright! Courtney told me what had happened, you feeling alright?" I rushed over to her and examined for any sort of cuts or bruises.

She smirked, her beautiful green eyes showed no hint of light and her pupils dilated unnaturally. "Oh it was so horrible! Eve took me and..." she grinned and grabbed my arms tightly, "now I feel so powerful!"

I squirmed away and stumbled back, "Ashley?"

She growled loudly that the dog from earlier growled back, "I'm going to kill you, Noah Crescent!"

Seeing her act so aggressively pained me, they really did do something to her. Sadness filled me and I took off. I can't save her from this... or at least not by myself. "I'll be back soon, Ashley. I'll find a way to fix this!"

"Don't leave me, Noah!" Ashley yelled, fire formed in her hands as I glanced back at her. Chris emerged from the lair and caused her to calm down. It isn't Ashley, I tell myself. They are controlling her somehow. Pepper appeared in front of me and I fell forward trying to stop myself. I placed my hands out expecting to hit the hard ground but sand formed instead.

Coughing I faced the disaster that Trunko created. The tsunami had destroyed the everything that stepped foot on the beach. Beach houses laid demolished waiting to be fixed while debris littered the beach. What was once a beautiful landmark is now just like another place. I had to find Ashley before Chris makes her do something much worse than this.