Chapter 52

Shakily, I made my way towards the grill and turned off the gas as to not cause a fire, Mia having figured out the sound system in the meantime. Once the music had been disconnected, the silence was almost worse as it was one of the heaviest I'd ever experienced. Not an animal or a bird could be heard from the dense forest, and even the breeze that had been gently blowing through the garden all afternoon had all but disappeared; leaving everything unnaturally still for several seconds at a time. We both returned to the middle of the yard to where Gianna was stood, my new acquaintance having obviously decided to stay behind and not join the crowd. She anxiously chewed her nails but watched the tree line diligently; Mia and I coming to a stop and joining her. "I babysat Michael for years... What do you think happened?" She asked quietly, as shaken from the screams as we were. "I don't know..." I trailed off, the forest looking much darker and gloomi