36 - Near Death Experience

                                    

                                          
Blake went running toward the place where the forest was secluded off the road. She notices two bikes on the side and immediately knew that it was Claire and Toby's bikes. She sees them walking down the hill.

                          
"Hey, guys!" Blake greeted as she began to walk down the hill.
                          
Claire and Toby looked at her, "hey, Blake--" they both gasp when they saw her and continued to stare at her appearance. She was pale - pale-er than her normal appearance and her veins can be seen easily on the surface of her skin.
                          
"What?" Blake questioned.
                          
"The colour in your skin is pale-er than your normal pale, it doesn't look too good," Claire points out as she looked up and down Blake.
                          
Blake's posture was slouched and she was walking slower than her normal pace before Jim went into the Darklands. The natural blush in her cheeks was gone and it seemed like someone sucked the colour right out of Blake.
                          
"I'm fine," Blake reassures them with a small smile. They believed it and kept walking into the forest. Blake follows them slowly.
                          
Toby puts his head into the fetch while walking. Claire wondered if Toby had seen Jim anywhere but no sign of him for two weeks. Toby had not seen anything but the empty Darklands of dark rocks and glowing minerals within those rocks, but he kept throwing the nougat nummies inside of the fetch.
                          
They all stop far into the forest where it was secluded enough, "This far out, we could hide a few dead bodies," Toby jokes. He bumps into Claire and they both gasp. He nervously chuckles.
                          
"All right, let's do this quick. Making portals is exhausting, and I don't know how many I've got in me," Claire states. She throws a portal open. The other two were impressed that Claire was able to open portals now with ease.
                          
"You've been improving, Claire," Blake compliments with a grin.
                          
Claire smiled and took the compliment. Toby was going to jump in the portal with Claire until she stopped him before they started to run, "what are you doing?" she asked.
                          
"What's it look like? Helping," Toby answers.
                          
"I have no idea where we are. I need you here, to be my emotional anchor," Claire states, "Blake is coming with me to help me get the crates,"
                          
"Me?!" Blake questioned loudly as she pointed at herself.
                          
"Yeah, we need all the strength we need from you!"
                          
"Ok, I guess I'll come," Blake declares as she stood straight up. Claire nods.
                          
"What am I supposed to do?" Toby questions.
                          
Blake and Claire started running toward the portal, "get ready to catch," Claires states. Toby accepts it and got himself ready to catch the crates from the portal.
                          
The girls entered the portal. Claire ran into one of the crates and Blake followed by bumping into her. Blake grunts, her body felt a little weak but she hoped that she had the strength to move all of the pieces of the bridge into the portal.
                          
One of the boxes opened up slowly which made the girls gasp. It was NotEnrique in one of the crates.
                          
"Took you long enough!" he shouts angrily.
                          
"What are you doing in there?" Claire questioned.
                          
"I - uh, Suzy's a little scared of the dark. And, with all the freaky noises, this place is giving her the heebie-jeebies,"
                          
Claire chuckles, "all right, come on,"
                          
"He's a scared-y changeling, he scared of the dark," Blake mumbled under her breath. NotEnrique glared at Blake, "I didn't say anything,"