by Amy Cross
I lower the gun and hold it behind my back, while still fumbling to find the catch. At the same time, I swear the dark figures have started whispering to each other, keeping their voices low so I can't hear what they're saying. They're all facing this way, though, so it's not hard to guess who or what they're talking about.
“This is too much!” I say firmly, starting to realize that they're surrounding me. “I can take a joke, like anyone else! But you're pushing this too far, okay? You need to stop! You -”
Before I can finish, I spot one of the figures edging closer on my left side. I turn just in time to catch a glimpse of his face in the re-emerging moonlight, and I see two wide, slit-like eyes staring back at me, perched above a long, snoutish nose.
“Oh no, that's too...”
I take a step back, spotting what look like gleaming white whiskers protruding from the figure's chin and neck. I can't see him properly now, with the moon having once again been hidden by cloud cover, but I'm starting to think that maybe I lost my mind or accidentally ingested some kinda hallucinogen. Maybe there were spores in that cabin, or maybe I caught something from that Tony guy. Either way, I need to get out of here.
“I'm not gonna bother you folks anymore,” I tell them, turning and looking at the gathered silhouettes until I spot a gap in their ranks. I can run. “You're free get on with your activities, and I'll get on with mine. Is that a deal?”
I swallow hard.
I wait.
Oh heck, I don't even know if they're real. They almost certainly aren't.
And then suddenly one of the figures gets down onto its hands and knees, pauses for a moment, and finally starts crawling toward me.
I take another step back, but now the other figures are all doing the same thing. I watch as, one by one, they each start crawling through the snow. A light breeze is causing their jackets to flap slightly, but their hats are all staying put on the tops of their heads.
“Oh heck, no,” I stammer. “That's too much. That's really way too much.”
So I run.
Letting out an involuntary, startled yelp, I stumble twice in the snow as I hurry past the silhouettes. There's so much snow, I can barely move much faster than walking pace, but I figure that's okay since they'll have the same problem if they try to chase me. Gasping and struggling for breath, I stumble every three or four paces, and I bump against several trees, but pure adrenaline is keeping me going. I can see my breath in the air, and after a moment I stop and look around.
Where are the footprints from earlier?
Trying not to panic, I realize that although I think I ran the right way at first, now I've lost track of my path through the forest.
“Oh no, come on,” I whisper, looking back the way I just came. I don't see any footprints at all, other than my own. “Instincts,” I stammer, trying to find something that'll show me which way to go.
I wait, but no magical instincts kick in.
I'm lost.
“Right,” I say firmly, trying to stay calm even though I can feel myself starting to shake with fear. “You can do this. You're smart. What would Buddy do? Buddy'd just keep on going.”
I look around, but the forest looks the same in every direction. Snow is still falling, perhaps a little more heavily than before, and a moment later I realize I can hear a faint rustling sound in the distance. I look over my shoulder, and sure enough I spot several silhouetted figures calmly crawling this way, as if they're in no hurry at all as they follow me between the trees.
“Oh come on!” I stammer, taking a step back. “This is not happening!”
Turning, I start stumbling onward, pushing my way through the vast piles of snow as I try to get further and further away from those people. I keep telling myself that they're just a bunch of hippie weirdos, or some cosplayers who really don't know when to get out of character, but somehow I don't wanna hang around and make sure. I wait a moment longer, watching as the line of silhouettes approaches between the trees, and then I turn again, hurrying away through the snow.
Suddenly I let out a cry as I feel a razor-sharp flash slice across my face.
I fall, landing hard in the snow, but I can already hear something dripping down from my cheek. Reaching up, I feel blood running from a deep cut that runs all the way up the left side of my face, almost to the eye. When I look over my shoulder, I see no sign of anyone, but a moment later I spot a low-hanging branch with rich red blood glistening on one of its broken ends.
I look down and see drops of blood already soaking into the snow.
Getting to my feet, I stare in horror at the branch. How did I not see that? It's almost as if it lowered itself into my path at the last moment, although -
Suddenly I hear a loud creaking sound over my shoulder. I turn, and sure enough another branch has come down, as if the trees are starting to unfurl and reach for me.
I have to get out of here.
I can figure it all out later, I can come up with a rational explanation for everything that's happening, but right right now I just have to run.
I hurry between the trees, keeping my arms in front of my face in case another branch decides to make an attack. Although I'm breathless and desperately out of shape, I force myself to keep going despite the panic that's filling my chest. I know that if I turn and look back, I'll see those silhouettes still crawling behind me, so I stumble onward into the darkness that stretches out before me. My legs are starting to burn with fatigue, and I feel like they might buckle at any moment, but somehow I manage to keep going for several meters until finally I drop to my knees.
I can barely even breathe.
Fumbling for my gun, I turn and point it back the way I just came. Gasping for air, I wait a moment, and sure enough I spot the advancing figures after just a couple of seconds.
“Keep back or I'll fire!” I yell.
They don't react.
They don't stop crawling toward me.
“I don't wanna do this,” I whimper, with tears in my eyes.
My hands are trembling, but finally I aim high and pull the trigger. To my shock, the gun fires, and I fall back into the snow as I hear the sound of a bullet striking a tree in the distance.
As I get back up, I look back through the trees and see that the figures are still coming.
“Oh, give me a break!” I mutter under my breath.
They want me.
They want to take me away and keep me forever.
I don't know how I know that, but I can almost feel their blood-lust reaching out to me. It's almost as if their thoughts are curling between the trees and their whispers are filling the air.
“Leave me alone!” I shout, although my voice sounds terrified and wobbly. And weak. “Go away!”
I get to my feet, but I immediately feel dizzy. Falling back, I land hard, but I get up again and turn, stumbling through the forest.
Somehow their appetite is rising in the air all around me, along with something new.
Anticipation.
They think they're about to feast. I don't know how I know, but I know.
“Help,” I whimper, stumbling forward but slowly with every step. “Somebody help me...”
I feel dizzier than ever, and I have to reach out and use the trees to support my progress. The tingling sensation has moved to the backs of my arms and legs, and my chest too, as if my blood is responding to the call from the approaching silhouettes. I think maybe my body is shutting down, maybe due to hypothermia or shock, but I can barely even walk now and I feel like the crawling creatures must be catching me.
“I don't wanna die,” I stammer. “I don't -”
And then I see the lights.
Not close, but not too far off either. Flashing white and blue and red lights are moving silently through the darkness up ahead. I stop and stare for a moment, but my dizzy mind takes a few seconds to actually realize what I'm seeing.
“Buddy,” I whisper, finally understanding that he's returning. Feeling a flood of hop
e in my chest, I start running, finding a renewed burst of energy from somewhere. “Buddy!” I scream, louder than I ever thought I could scream. “Buddy, help me! Wait! Buddy! Buddy, I'm over here!”
Suddenly I hear a loud creaking sound directly above me. Stopping and looking up, I see that the branches of several trees are coming together and reaching down, as if they want to grab me.
The lights have stopped in the distance now. I start running again, but a moment later I feel something thudding against my back with enough force to send me crashing to the ground. Gasping for air, I turn and raise my gun, firing several times into the void until the trigger starts clicking impotently. I get to my feet and start running again, dropping the gun in the process, but the lights ahead are enough to keep me going and finally I spot two sets of prints in the snow. I've found my way back to the route I took earlier when I was on my way to the cabin, and tears of relief start streaming down my face as I bump against several trees and spot the overturned car in the distance.
“Buddy!” I shout. “Help! I'm right here!”
As I get closer to the car, I see a figure coming down the snowy incline with a flashlight in his hand.
“Buddy!” I gasp, finally reaching the car and dropping to my knees. “Help me!”
“Molly?”
Too exhausted to get up, I try to catch my breath. A moment later, I feel Buddy's gloved hand on my shoulder, and I look up to see his concerned face.
“What's going on here?” he asks, looking around for a few seconds before turning back to me. “What happened? Molly, you're bleeding!”
I turn and look back through the forest, but to my relief there's no sign of the silhouettes. I wait, half-expecting them to suddenly appear in the distance, still crawling after me, but slowly I start to wonder if they might truly be gone.
“Jesus Christ, I was only gone an hour,” Buddy continues as he helps me up. “I got to the relay station and took a truck from there. I called the station and arranged for some back-up, and they should be here in, I don't know, another hour. But what the hell happened to you?”
Still struggling to get my breath back, I look over at the wrecked car. The body of Charlotte Stewart is still frozen inside, and my flashlight is still propped against the mangled door, shining its beam toward her face.
“Molly,” Buddy says after a moment, “did you stay with the car while I was gone, like I told you to?”
“Footprints,” I stammer.
“Excuse me?”
I turn and point at the shallow prints that lead away into the forest.
“Someone else was in the car with her,” I explain, as I step back and lean against a nearby tree. “A man. I found him. It's too late to help him, but I found him.”
“What do you mean, you found him?”
“I followed his footprints and I found him. And there was a girl, too. Esther or something like that, I heard her sobbing but I couldn't see where she was, but we have to help her. I think she's real. The man has her.”
I wait for a reply. After a moment, I turn to Buddy and see that the concern in his eyes has become a kind of fear.
“You didn't wait with the car?” he asks.
“I wanted to show you that I've got initiative,” I reply. “That I'm smart.”
“I told you to wait by the car.”
“I know, but -”
“I was very clear about that, Molly.”
“Sure, but then I saw -”
“And I told you to listen to me,” he adds, with a hint of anger in his voice. “What was the first goddamn thing I told you when we met? The very first thing?”
“I -”
“What was it?”
I hesitate for a moment, shocked by his anger. “To listen to you,” I say finally. “To listen to your experience, especially when it comes to the forest.”
“Because I know the forest,” he continues. “Did you think I was just saying those things because I liked the sound of my own voice, Molly? Did you think it didn't really matter?”
“No, of course not,” I reply, finally able to breathe normally. He seems angry, way angrier than I ever expected. I thought I'd done a good job. “Absolutely not. I just wanted you to see that I've got a brain, that's all. That you can trust me to get things done. I mean, I've got initiative. That's good, isn't it?”
He stares at me for a moment, before suddenly starting to remove his gloves. As soon as he's able, he throws them to the ground and then starts slipping out of his jacket.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I got your scent on me.”
“What?”
“I got your goddamn scent on me, Molly!”
He throws the jacket down and then takes a step back, eyeing me with concern.
“I warned you,” he continues. “I explicitly told you to stay with the car. You'd have been fine if you'd just stayed with the car, they wouldn't have come this far out from the heart of the forest. But now they've got your scent, and you damn near wiped it on me too. There's no coming back from that. They'll come for you, no matter where you run.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask. “Buddy, you're kinda freaking me out here.”
“I'm so sorry,” he continues, taking a couple more steps back. “I told you, Molly. I said you had to stay with the car and not go wandering into the forest, but you just had to ignore my orders, didn't you?”
“I was showing initiative!”
“This was not the time to show initiative!” he hisses. “This was the time to shut up, follow orders, and learn!”
“I'm sorry,” I stammer, with tears in my eyes. I feel like I'm being told off here, like I'm a schoolkid. “I won't do it again, I promise. Next time, I'll just -”
“There won't be a next time!” he says firmly. “You have no idea what you've done, do you? You must have seen them, but you still don't understand.”
“Seen them?” I ask. “Seen who?”
He looks past me for a moment, toward the forest.
I turn and look back, but there's no sign of the silhouettes.
“They're coming for you, Molly,” Buddy says suddenly. “I blame myself. I shouldn't have left you here, I should have stayed and made you go back for the truck, but I honestly believed I could trust you.”
I turn and start stumbling toward him through the snow.
“You can trust me,” I tell him. “Honest! Look, I made a mistake tonight but -”
“Stay back!”
“Buddy, I -”
Suddenly I gasp as he takes his gun from its holster and aims it directly at my face.
“I swear to God, Molly,” he stammers, his voice trembling with fear, “you will stay away from me. I am not getting your scent on me, not for anything in the world. I consider myself to be a brave man, and a good man, but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw my life away. I'm sorry, Molly, I honestly thought you and I were going to spend a long time working together. But you screwed up.”
With that, he turns and starts clambering back up the incline, heading toward the truck's flashing lights.
“Wait!” I shout, hurrying after him. “This is a joke, right? I saw things out there, Buddy! Things that looked really real!”
Getting closer, I reach out to grab his arm, but suddenly he turns and aims the gun right in my face again.
“Move away from me!” he says firmly. “Now!”
I instinctively step back, almost slipping in the process.
“Don't make me do this,” he continues, with the gun still pointed at my left eye. “For the love of God, Molly, get back down there. It's where you belong now.”
“What are you talking about? Buddy, I saw something in the forest. I'm not quite sure what happened, but there was a cabin and -”
“And you went inside?”
“Yeah, I did, and -”
“Step back, Molly,” he continues, interrupting me. “If I have to shoot you, I'll never be able to forgive myself. But I will do it, because pa
rt of my job around here means ensuring that those things never have any reason to leave the forest. They usually stay well back from the road, but you gave them your scent and now they're gonna do whatever it takes to claim you.”
“What?” I stammer, shocked by how seriously he's taking this. “I hallucinated, Buddy! I imagined stuff, I don't know why but -”
“Get back,” he says firmly. “Back down the incline. Go!”
“But -”
“Move!”
I hesitate for a moment, before taking a couple of steps back until I'm at the bottom of the slope.
“You know what?” he continues with a sigh. “I was wrong. I'm not going to blame myself for this. The car crash wasn't close enough to heart of the forest for it to be caused by these things. They'd never reach out this close to the road, not normally.”
“Tony said it felt like something dragged the car off the road,” I tell him.
“Then Tony, whoever he is, must be mistaken. They wouldn't do that. And that's why I thought it was safe to leave you with the car. I thought you'd obey orders. It's not my fault if you ignored my very specific instructions and went wandering off into a world you didn't understand. I told you repeatedly to be careful, Molly. Remember? I warned you that you didn't understand the forest.”
“I thought you were talking about bears,” I stammer. “Badgers, foxes, that kinda thing! Critters!”
“There's more than one kind of life in this forest,” he replies, keeping the gun trained on me as he backs up to the side of the road. With the flashing lights directly behind him, he watches me for a moment before finally lowering the gun. “I learned a long time ago that it's best to leave the forest alone. I'm sorry, Molly. Next time I get a new recruit on my team, I'll know not to trust them. I just wish I'd figured that out before tonight. I thought you'd respect the forest more. I thought you'd respect me more.”
He pauses, before tossing the gun down to me.
“It won't do you much good,” he explains, “but I wouldn't feel right leaving you completely defenseless.”
