Horror Thriller Box Set 1

by Amy Cross

  As the afternoon wore on, Eva's boredom became more and more intolerable, until finally she decided that she'd had enough. She tried to go and tell her mother that she wanted to go outside, but the house was so full of guests that it was impossible to even get to the front room, so Eva figured she'd just go out to the woods for a while. Opening the back door, she made her way to the gate and then out toward the trees. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she felt something change deep inside. It was as if being out here made everything better, almost as if the trees themselves were able to take away all of Eva's doubts and fears. She glanced back at the house and found herself wondering why everyone else didn't come out with her. Then again, she didn't particularly want them to interrupt her private world, so she decided not to go back and invite them.

  Walking between the trees, she found that her mind was getting emptier. This, she felt, was a good thing, since it prevented her from thinking too much about her father. Because her mother had cried so much, Eva had barely cried at all. She figured her mother had borrowed all her tears, so she had none left. She felt that her mother should share the tears, but for now there was nothing to be done about all of that.

  Unfortunately, thoughts soon came tumbling back to fill the void. What she wanted, really, was to just forget about everything. She knew that her mother was going to be a mess for quite a long time, and she was dreading the whole thing. The funeral would be over in an hour or two, but life without her father would last forever. Sure, he hadn't been around much lately, but there'd always been the idea that he'd eventually come home. Now, however, Eva knew that he was gone for good, and that his final moments had been spent bleeding to death on the other side of the world. Although she didn't really like thinking about it too much, she couldn't help imagining what it must have been like for him as he died. She hoped it hadn't been too painful, and that he'd thought of his family.

  While the trees made her feel much better, it was the old oak tree that really calmed her nerves. She had no idea why, but this twisted old tree seemed to understand her. In fact, it seemed to understand the whole forest, as if it was the heart of all the other trees. As soon as she reached the trunk and put her hand on the bark, she felt like she was reunited with an old friend. It occurred to her that, now her father was gone, this might be a good time to climb up the tree and start a new life, but she knew deep down that she still wasn't ready. There was a great deal of planning and preparation to undertake, and the last thing she wanted was to rush things and end up having to come back down. No, the whole idea was to go up the tree and stay there, which in turn necessitated a more thoughtful and guided approach. Still, it was nice to think that one day she'd be able to leave the ground behind and live alone among the branches.

  As she stood with her hand on the tree, she suddenly realized that there was a noise nearby. Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned. She was used to hearing little noises out here, but this seemed different. It was almost as if someone was breathing, and Eva was filled with the sense that she was being watched from somewhere. Looking in every direction, she tried to work out who or what could have snuck up on her, but there was nothing to see. Still, the sensation persisted, and although she kept her hand firmly planted on the tree, she craned her neck to look around the other side of the trunk. She was absolutely certain that someone was out here with her, and she was pretty certain it wasn't another deer.

  And that's when she felt it.

  Something wet and warm on her hand.

  Slowly, she turned and saw that a single, dark red line of blood had dribbled down the side of the tree, picking its way over the rough bark, between two of Eva's fingers, and onto the flesh of her hand. There was a now a small bloody bead making its way slowly down toward her wrist.

  For a moment, all Eva could do was stare at the blood. It wasn't hers, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Eva knew that blood had to come from somewhere, and trees couldn't bleed, so...

  She knew she should look up.

  She knew should look straight up and see what or who was bleeding. Whatever it was, it must be up in the tree. Still, she was nervous, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what was happening. There was a part of her that wanted to turn and run, but at the same time she also felt as if she had to be brave. Wouldn't her father want her to be brave? Then again, it was being brave that had got her father into trouble in the first place.

  She took a deep breath.

  She watched as the bead of blood trickled all the way down to the cuff of her shirt.

  She took another deep breath.

  Her heart was pounding.

  Slowly, she looked up into the tree.

  There was nothing.

  Squinting, she tried to peer into the darkness, but she couldn't see a thing. Her first thought was that somehow there was a mistake. Perhaps a tiny bird was the source of the blood, or maybe it was just some kind of weird red sap, or the juice from a berry. After a moment, however, she realized that there was a more likely explanation. Whatever was up there, it must simply be higher in the branches, out of sight.

  Hiding.

  "Hello?" she called out. Immediately, she realized she might have made a mistake. After all, she wasn't sure if she wanted to draw attention to herself.

  Silence. In fact, the only sound came from the wind, gently rustling the nearby leaves.

  "Is someone up there?" Eva continued. "Are you hurt?"

  She waited.

  No reply.

  Looking at the blood on her hand, she realized that there was no blood anywhere else. She couldn't help wondering if this was a coincidence, or if whatever was in the tree had chosen very specifically to bleed onto her.

  "Is anyone up there?" she called out again as she took her hand away from the tree. "If you're there, just say something, just so I know."

  Again, she waited.

  Again, there was nothing.

  "If you don't say anything," she continued, "I'll assume there's not..." Her voice trailed off as she suddenly found herself wondering whether she'd lost her mind. After all, the death of her father had left her feeling strangely blank and unemotional, and now she was starting to think that the stress might be coming out in other ways. Then again, the blood on her hand was real. She could see it and she could feel it. To test herself, she forced herself to lick the blood, and its taste immediately filled her mouth. She was certain she couldn't have imagined such a strong sensation, so the blood had to be real, which in turn meant that it had to have come from somewhere.

  "One drop of blood isn't much," she said, looking up at the tree. "If that's all you've lost, you must be okay. I mean, no-one ever bled to death from..."

  Again, her voice trailed off. This time, she found herself suddenly thinking about her father. Hadn't he, out in Afghanistan, ended up bleeding to death after he was injured by a bomb? Staring up at the tree, Eva briefly allowed herself to think that perhaps her father was trying to send her some kind of message; after a few seconds, however, she realized that there was a more likely explanation. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.

  "Are you a soldier?" she asked, staring up into the dark branches.

  Silence.

  "Are you hurt? Did you get hurt by a bomb, or a gun or something like that?"

  Silence, and then a low groan, almost like a growl. It was brief, and barely audible, but it was definitely there.

  Eva took a deep breath. She was fairly sure she knew now what was happening. It was a little unlikely, especially since she thought all the wars happened on the other side of the world, but it was the only idea she could come up with. Somehow, an injured soldier from far away had found his way to the woods, and he'd climbed the tree. Obviously it was quite a big coincidence that this had happened just after her father's death, but Eva knew that coincidences did happen from time to time. Just because something was unlikely, she knew it couldn't be ruled out if it was the only logical explanation.

  There was a soldier in the tree. It
was the only thing that made sense.

  She couldn't help thinking about the poor, injured man hiding up there. He was probably scared and in pain. Although Eva hoped that his injuries were minor, she knew that war could be nasty and that there was a strong chance the soldier was badly hurt. He probably didn't really know where he was, and he was probably scared of Eva. She wanted to help him, but she knew she'd have to win his trust first.

  "My name's Eva Wilson," she said, trying to sound calm and friendly. "I live nearby. I play in these woods a lot. This is my favorite tree, but it's okay, you can use it and I won't tell anyone."

  She waited for a reply. Staring up into the branches, she desperately tried to see some indication of who or what was watching her. She knew it could be an animal up there, but she had a strong feeling in her gut that she was being watched by something more intelligent, something that understood her words. Perhaps, she reasoned, the injured soldier was still scared of her, or maybe he couldn't speak properly.

  Either way, she felt that she had a duty to help him, especially since no-one had been able to help her father on the other side of the world. This soldier probably had a daughter of his own, and Eva didn't like to think of that other little girl having to go to a funeral. The horrible phone call, the crying, the pain, the constant dreams and thoughts about death, the family gathered at the church... Eva had been through it all, and she wanted to make sure that this soldier's daughter didn't have to do the same.

  "Do you want some food and water?" Eva asked. "I can bring you things. You don't have to thank me if you don't want to, but at least I can bring it out to you. Would you like that?"

  Silence.

  "I might not be able to come back for a few hours," she continued. "I don't think my mother would understand, so I'm not going to tell her. She'd tell me to stay away, and she'd probably call the police and an ambulance, but they probably wouldn't be able to help you. I'll try to come out when it gets dark. Is that okay? Can you wait that long?"

  Silence.

  "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'll be back, I promise. Don't worry, you're going to be okay. I swear, you can stay up in that tree as long as you need. I'll make sure you have something to eat. I can even keep you company. There's no need to be scared."

  With that, she turned and started running home. For the first time in her life, she finally felt as if she had something important to do. No-one had been there to help her father when he was dying in Afghanistan, but now she'd been given the chance to help another soldier, and she wasn't going to let him down. He'd be her secret, and he'd be a chance for her to prove to herself that she could do things without her mother's help. By the time she reached the back gate and ran through into her garden, she was already planning what to take out to her soldier later.

  Chapter Three

  As quietly as possible, Eva pushed the back door open, disturbing the fine mist that had spread from the forest to the house. It was close to midnight, and she couldn't be certain that her mother was sleeping. After all, for the past few hours she'd been able to hear her mother sobbing in the main bedroom, and the sobbing had only ended a few minutes earlier. Eva knew she should probably wait a little longer, but she lacked the patience. Besides, she was worried about the soldier in the tree, and she felt that even a minor delay could prove fatal.

  Once she was certain that she hadn't been heard, she hurried out across the grass. She'd decided not to wear shoes, since she didn't want to make too much noise. It was a cold night and the grass was damp, but Eva figured wet feet were a small price to pay. As she reached the garden gate, she climbed over rather than risking the squeaky latch. Stopping for a moment, she glanced back one final time and saw that there were still no lights in the house. Her mother was clearly asleep, at least for now. If she woke up and found Eva's empty bed, there'd be hell to pay, but Eva figured it wouldn't take too long to just go and deliver her little food parcel to the soldier. Her mother would never have to find out.

  Eva had never been out in the forest at night before. The further she got from the house, the wetter the grass seemed to get. She'd often dreamed of doing such a thing, of course, and she'd even managed to convince herself that there were probably all manner of strange creatures out here. Strangely, though, she wasn't scared. If she'd headed the other way and into town, toward all the people and cars, she'd have been terrified, but out here among the trees she felt as if she was among friends. At the same time, she knew that she had to stay calm, and she was fully aware that there was still a danger of getting hurt. She was taking a risk, but it was a calculated risk that she felt was necessary. After all, a soldier's life was at stake.

  As soon as she reached the old oak tree, Eva slowed down. The clearing seemed so calm, as if the buzz of insect life had completely died away. She was always so aware of the sounds around her, and now she felt that all the bugs had moved away from the tree, leaving it in the middle of a kind of dead zone. With every step closer to the tree, she could feel the grass getting less wet, until eventually it felt dry and crispy between her toes. The mist seemed stronger and thicker in this part of the forest, as if the soldier was pulling it around the tree like a shroud, in order to keep himself hidden. Eva couldn't help but think that the entire scene seemed a little unusual, as if this part of the forest had been drained of all its life. She understood why the soldier might be hiding from his enemies, but was he also hiding from every living creature?

  "Hello?" she called out, immediately noticing that her voice sounded thinner in the night air. "I brought you some food!"

  She waited for a reply, hoping against hope that the soldier would recognize her kindness and start to trust her.

  "Hello?"

  Nothing.

  "I'm not going to hurt you," she continued, as her bare feet crunched cautiously through the dry grass. "I'm just worried about you. I don't know..." She turned and looked over her shoulder. Mist was drifting in the moonlight between the trees, but there was no sign of anyone else nearby. In fact, it was hard to believe that the rest of the world existed at all. "I don't know who you're running from," Eva continued, turning back to look up into the tree again. All she could see was darkness, but she was certain that he was up there somewhere, watching her. He was probably terrified. "There aren't any wars around here. Not that I know about, anyway. And there's no-one here with me. If you're running away from an army, I think you've lost them. I haven't seen any armies nearby. Don't worry, it's safe to come down."

  Again she waited, and again she was disappointed. Still, she was certain there was a soldier up there. She could feel his presence, as if his mind was reaching out toward her. She imagined his thoughts as a series of thick dark tentacles reaching down from the tree, poking their way into her brain and finding out as much as possible about her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused on happy, friendly thoughts, with the aim of making him feel more comfortable. The most important thing was to make sure that he recognized her as a friend, or at least as someone who cared. Slowly, however, she felt those imagined tentacles slipping back out of her brain and retracting back up into the tree. Finally, she opened her eyes again.

  "It's not much," she said after a moment, unwrapping the small parcel to reveal some cucumber sandwiches and a bottle of water. "It's from the funeral lunch. Normally we have nicer food, but today..." She stared at the pieces of cucumber that poked out from between the fluffy white bread. Somehow, the sandwiches represented everything she'd hated about the funeral. "I know no-one likes this kind of stuff, but I had to be careful and only take food my mother wouldn't miss. Maybe tomorrow it'll be steak or something. She normally makes really nice food, but today was a bit unusual. My father -" She paused, realizing that the soldier might get upset if he knew about her father's death. "Would you like meat tomorrow?" she asked eventually.

  For a moment, she heard nothing but silence, but finally there was the faintest hint of something moving up in the branches. It was a subtle, quick sound, as if t
he bark of the tree was being slowly scratched. Although she still couldn't see him, Eva was convinced that she'd attracted the soldier's attention, and she was determined to get him to at least acknowledge her presence. He was clearly scared, but that was no reason for him to be alone. She wished that her father had been visited by someone with cucumber sandwiches while he was dying. No-one should ever have to die alone.

  "Here," she said, holding one of the sandwiches up, hoping that the soldier might reach down and take it.

  No response.

  "It's good for you," she continued, still holding the sandwich up. She stood on tip-toes, keeping the sandwich wobbling high above her head for as long as possible. "Just eat it tonight, and I promise there'll be something nicer tomorrow. This is just to keep you going."

  No response.

  "What's wrong?" she asked after a moment. "Don't you like cucumbers? I don't either, but I didn't have any choice. Can you please just maybe think about eating them, just this once?" She paused. "I'm sorry," she muttered eventually, balancing the cucumber sandwich on one of the lower branches. "I did my best. There just wasn't anything else in the house."

  There was a faint creaking sound from high up in the tree. Eva didn't know if this sound was caused by a slight breeze, or by the soldier moving through the branches.

  "I hope you're not mad at me," she continued. "I did my best, even if it wasn't the best food in the world." Kneeling in front of the tree, she set the rest of the sandwiches down, and then she loosened the top on the bottle of water, just in case the soldier's hands were hurting. Finally, once the meal was laid out, she stood up and stepped back.

  "No-one knows about you," she said. "I swear to God, I didn't tell anyone, and I made sure I wasn't followed. I'm the only person who knows you're here, and I'll make sure it stays that way. You can trust me, I promise."

  More than anything in the world, she wanted to see the soldier and to watch as he ate the food, but at the same time she knew that she shouldn't be too pushy. There were probably lots of reasons why the soldier might not want to be seen. He might be badly hurt, or he might just be shy. After peering up into the darkness of the tree one final time, she took a deep breath and turned to walk away.