The Forest of Forever (The Soren Chase Series, Book One)

by Rob Blackwell

  “I’m still pretty creepy,” Soren said.

  Kael laughed quietly.

  “We’re almost there,” Kael said.

  The shoreline looked mostly the same as when they had launched. There were no houses or lights on either side of the river. Soren could make out the shoreline but had no idea how Kael could be confident of where they were.

  The two paddled faster, turning to the left. Soren could make out a steep hillside in front of them, a bluff maybe twenty feet high. They came to shore just beyond it, at a beach in a curve of the river. The beachhead looked like the only landing area nearby. The rest of the shore was populated by tree roots that stuck out of the water. Soren knew the name for them—cypress knees—but in the dark they looked like large spiders amassing on the shore.

  Soren jumped out as the canoe touched the beach and pulled it up onto the sand. At the same moment the moon crept out from behind a cloud and showed the three Chickahominy nearby taking their bows and arrows out of their boats. Annika stood watching the forest, her hands in her jacket pockets. Soren saw Mingan sling his quiver onto his back.

  Kael gave a soft whistle, and the six of them grouped up.

  “We’ll go in single file,” Kael said. “I’ll take the lead; Mingan brings up the rear. We’ll fan out when we get to the warehouse and take up positions. We only get one chance at a surprise attack. We don’t know how many guys—or whatever the hell those things are—they have, so the plan is simple. Attack any guards nearby and try not to make a lot of noise. Soren goes in, gets the book, and gets out. Then we retreat back here. Everybody clear?”

  They all nodded. Kael didn’t pause but headed up the beach. One of the Chickahominy headed behind him, while Annika and Soren followed. The other two Indians took up the rear. Soren paused briefly as he passed the first tree. He felt a chill run up his spine.

  For the second time, Soren and Annika entered Reapoke Forest.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Soren could hear nothing in the forest except the sounds of the six of them cautiously marching through it.

  Though they were as quiet as possible, he still felt like they were making too much noise. At any moment he worried gaunts would burst through the trees and attack.

  When they didn’t, he almost felt worse, not better. Soren had the overwhelming sense of being watched. The farther they traveled into the forest, the more intense the feeling became. Try as he might, he couldn’t shake it.

  He anxiously scanned the trees around him, waiting for something to pounce in the darkness. But nothing came.

  Soren began to suspect that there really were creatures lurking just beyond his vision but that they were waiting for something. He feared they were walking into a trap.

  Moments later Kael halted their line with a hand gesture.

  “We’re almost there,” he whispered.

  Soren had no idea how Kael was navigating in the dark, but his footsteps never wavered. He remembered that he’d chosen the one guide who knew Reapoke Forest intimately. Kael had been haunting it nearly all his life.

  “I’m going to scout ahead and see what we’re dealing with,” Kael said. “Wait here.”

  He disappeared into the forest before Soren could object. If Kael never returned, the entire enterprise could be over before it began. Without him there was no one to lead them to the Association’s warehouse—or find their way home. He had a vision of the remaining five of them stumbling fruitlessly around in the forest, unable to locate the path back.

  The wind stirred, sounding an eerie wail in the darkness. The awful part was that although Soren could hear the wind, he didn’t see the trees actually blowing. It was as if the sound and the movement were disconnected.

  The branches nearby were completely still and yet the noise grew louder. It sounded almost like a gale-force wind, but the trees around them remained unmoved. Soren didn’t even feel a puff of air on his cheek.

  “Are you hearing this?” he whispered to Annika.

  She never had a chance to respond. Kael came quietly running back, and the others crowded together to hear his report.

  “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said. “The good news is that I don’t see a single guard near the place. The lights are on, but I scouted the perimeter and there was no one there.”

  Soren didn’t have to ask what the bad news was—he already knew.

  “The bad news is that I don’t see a single guard,” Kael finished. “But I know they must be there. The Association would never leave this place exposed.”

  “They could have all the guards on the perimeter,” Annika whispered.

  Kael shook his head.

  “No chance,” he replied. “I can’t see anything, but my instincts are screaming at me that they’re out there hiding in the forest somewhere. Which leads me to more bad news.”

  “Someone’s going to have to draw them out,” Soren said.

  Kael nodded.

  “I’ll do it,” Annika and Soren said at the same time.

  Soren gave her a disbelieving look.

  “No,” he said.

  “Come on,” Annika said. “This is my op. Stop treating me like a shrinking violet. I’m a pretty damn good shot, but I also make great bait.”

  “No,” Kael said. “It’ll be Soren.”

  “Because I’m a girl?” Annika asked.

  “Because I’ve seen how fast Soren can move,” Kael replied. “He ran me down in the forest, remember? Not many people can do that. The dude’s quick, and we’re going to need someone fast. Whatever is out there is going to bear down on him in a hurry. It’ll be our job to keep them away.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Annika said.

  “You worried about me?” Soren asked, smiling.

  “Yes, actually,” Annika said. “You nearly died when one gaunt attacked you. How are you going to handle more?”

  “That’s why I have you, Kael, and his friends to protect me. Look at it this way—you saved me before. Surely you can do it again.”

  In the darkness it was impossible to see Annika’s expression, but she reached out and took his hand.

  “Don’t die, okay?” she said.

  “Surviving is what I’m best at.”

  “If you two are done, can we get a move on here?” Kael asked. “We don’t have all night.”

  Soren nodded at him.

  “Come up to the ridge with me,” Kael said.

  They followed him for a couple hundred feet, and Soren realized they must have been winding their way uphill from the beach. They now stood on the top of a bluff, looking down on the warehouse below. The lights were on, but the structure appeared completely deserted. Kael was right: it felt like something was waiting for them to approach.

  “‘Will you step into my parlor?’ said the spider to the fly,” Soren said.

  “I thought the same thing, dude,” Kael said. “There are two ways down. Mingan and Brian will head off to the right; me and Danny will go left. I suggest you come with me while Annika goes with them.”

  “I’m staying with Soren,” Annika said.

  Kael shrugged.

  “Fine by me,” he said. “I just thought even numbers made sense. Once Soren has the book, we meet back at this spot before heading out. I want to make sure we’re all accounted for.”

  Kael nodded at his brother, who headed down the ridge to the right, his companion close behind him. Within a few feet they vanished among the trees, almost as if they’d disappeared.

  The remaining four of them walked down on the left-hand side of the bluff. Soren was hyperalert for any movement in the forest, but he saw nothing. The only thing he heard was the wind, which still didn’t seem to be affecting anything around it. The sound only added to his anxiety.

  When they reached the bottom of the hill, they stood kitty-corner to the warehouse. Soren could see two video cameras up along the roofline, both scanning the woods. He pointed them out to Kael, who nodded.

  “There’s no
way to avoid them,” Kael said quietly. “I don’t even know how much it matters. I don’t think computer security is the threat we need to fear.”

  Soren peered into the trees but saw no trace of movement. Whatever was waiting for them was staying still and silent.

  “So I’m the bait,” he said. “I guess I can live with that.”

  “Give me a couple minutes before you run,” Kael said. “Danny and I are going to spread out; we want to find good angles to intercept these fuckers. But listen: just get in there and get the book. That’s the whole point of this. Don’t stop until you have it.”

  Kael grabbed Danny’s arm, and the two faded into the forest. Once again it was as if Reapoke Forest ate them whole.

  The only one standing next to Soren was Annika. He looked at her and started to say something, but she leaned in and kissed him. It was quick but passionate. Unfortunately, it caught Soren off guard and was over before he had a chance to realize it had started.

  “Wow,” Soren said. “What was that for?”

  “Come on, Chase,” she said. “Fortune favors the bold.”

  Soren chuckled.

  “Funny,” he said. “I had a friend who used to say that all the time.”

  “Be careful,” she replied. “I’m here with my gun just in case.”

  Soren gave her one last look and then turned away. He was tempted to kiss her again, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He burst out from the cover of the forest, running toward the warehouse.

  Soren made it halfway there before he heard a large thump—the sound of something big hitting the ground behind him. He made it only a few more steps before he heard the same noise several times all around him.

  He didn’t bother to look but knew there were multiple creatures now in pursuit. He concentrated on running fast, hoping that Kael and his friends were good shots. He heard a loud screech behind him, the sound of something in pain, and took it as a good sign.

  He had almost reached the steps to the office when something crashed into his back. He hit the ground hard, feeling the thing still on top of him. Soren waited to feel the claws dig into his back, but nothing came. He struggled to free himself, crawling forward and pushing it off him. When he turned over, he saw a gaunt considerably larger than the one that had attacked him earlier with an arrow sticking through its head. The arrow must have caught the gaunt just as he was leaping toward Soren.

  He paused to take in the scene in front of him. There were four other dead gaunts in the parking lot and at least two who seemed sidelined with painful injuries. One teetered around, trying to rip the arrow out of its neck, while the other lay on the ground with two arrows through its legs.

  But just as he thought they were winning the battle, Soren saw three more gaunts hit the ground with substantial force. Only one began running toward him, while the other two headed off to the trees where the arrows were coming from. At least Soren now understood where they had been hiding. The gaunts had been lurking in the trees, presumably using their claws to climb to the top. He heard more thumps, many from gaunts he couldn’t see who landed inside the line of trees.

  The gaunt in front of him grinned hideously and began loping toward him. Soren didn’t hesitate. He pulled the revolver from his jacket, cocked the hammer, and shot it directly between the eyes. It fell dead a few feet in front of him.

  He stood up as he heard more gaunts landing nearby. Only then did he wonder exactly how many gaunts the Association had managed to create. Annika and he had assumed perhaps a dozen, but there appeared to be more—many more.

  Soren ran up the stairs and reached the office door when he heard another screech behind him. He turned and ducked just as a gaunt tried to rip his face off. He shot it in the head and kicked it, sending it falling back down the steps. There were two more gaunts approaching from the parking lot in front of him, and Soren waited to see arrows take them out, too. None came.

  Soren heard a clearly human scream come from the forest.

  “Shit,” he said.

  He couldn’t tell where the scream had originated, but it sounded male. Or maybe he just hoped it was. An image of Annika being torn apart by gaunts flashed through his mind, but he shoved it away. He couldn’t let himself be distracted.

  Two more gaunts leapt down in front of him, joining the two already stalking forward. Soren knew his revolver only had six shots—and he’d already used two of them.

  “That’s okay, boys,” Soren said. “I’ve still got enough bullets for all of you.”

  The words were no sooner out of his mouth than four more gaunts jumped from the trees, landing in the clearing. The gaunts looked up at him and over at each other. One of them started laughing in the same eerie way the gaunt at Soren’s apartment had.

  “I just had to open my big mouth, didn’t I?” Soren said.

  There were no more arrows flying and no sounds from the forest.

  Soren backed up against the office door, using his left hand to feel the handle. It was locked. Of course it was locked. He hadn’t thought it was going to be easy.

  He could pick the lock, a skill he’d learned several years ago. He even had a pick in his jacket for just such an occasion. The problem was he needed at least several seconds to open the door, and he doubted he had them.

  The gaunts fanned out around the bottom of the stairs. Soren held the revolver out in front of him.

  “Come on, fellas, why are you holding back?” Soren asked. “I’m on a strictly first-come, first-killed policy here. Get a bullet in your head while it’s hot.”

  The gaunt on the far left made a sound between a hiss and a growl. Its white eyes shone brightly in the security lights of the warehouse.

  Soren watched the gaunts hesitate.

  He worried about what had happened to his allies. He’d only heard one scream. Had they all been attacked? Had they retreated? Or were they all dead? Was he—once again—the sole survivor of a doomed trip? The sole comfort that came from that thought was that he was unlikely to be a survivor for very much longer.

  He pulled his eyes away from the approaching gaunts and paid closer attention to the dead creatures already lying on the ground. He immediately noticed something peculiar. It was hard to tell for sure, but the arrows looked like they had all come from the same direction.

  “Kael, you brilliant son of a bitch,” Soren said.

  The gaunt on the left jumped at the same time that two more raced up the steps. Soren shot the one closest to him but couldn’t bring his gun around to the others in time. They leapt at him, but a single arrow flew through the air, piercing one gaunt’s head before exiting to hit the other. Both gaunts hit the ground dead at the top of the steps.

  “Hot damn,” Soren said.

  Soren saw the other gaunts react almost immediately, turning to where the arrow had come from. Kael had played the situation perfectly. Mingan and Brian must have been the ones to kill the other gaunts on the ground. The creatures had mistakenly believed they were the only two firing at them. When they chased those two away—or worse, killed them—the gaunts had thought they were safe. But Kael had just been waiting for the remaining gaunts to come out of hiding.

  Two of the gaunts peeled off in the direction Kael was lurking, while the others stormed the stairs. Soren stopped thinking and started reacting. He shot one gaunt in the face as it jumped toward him and punched another, swinging his left arm out and hitting it as it leapt over the nearby railing. The gaunt tumbled back, falling off the steps. Beyond him he saw the two gaunts running toward the forest go down one by one with arrows embedded in their skulls.

  The last gaunt came directly at him but it never had a chance to get close to him. Soren heard another gunshot ring out and the creature slumped over, dead. He couldn’t see Annika but knew that kill was hers.

  Soren looked across the parking lot and saw more than a dozen gaunts lying still on the ground.

  But he didn’t have time to savor the moment. He turned his attention back to the do
or, putting his gun back in his pocket and pulling the lock pick out.

  It took only a few moments before he heard the satisfying click inside the lock, and he turned the handle. The door opened, and Soren rushed inside, slamming it shut behind him in case more gaunts lurked in the parking lot.

  It wasn’t until he turned on the light, his hand finding the switch on the wall, that he noticed there was a figure already in the office. When the light came on, Soren saw Randolph Chastain calmly sitting behind his desk and pointing a gun at him.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Soren looked from the gun to Chastain.

  “Do you live in this office?” Soren asked.

  Chastain let out an amused chuckle.

  “Not exactly,” he said.

  “Seriously, it’s late,” Soren said. “Why the fuck are you in here?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  “Are you psychic or something?” Soren asked.

  “No, but you’re predictable,” Chastain replied. “I have eyes and ears everywhere, Soren. It’s best you remember that.”

  “Well, assuming you’re going to shoot me, I don’t have to remember it for long.”

  Chastain looked bemused and laughed again. Soren realized he was still holding the pick in his hand and put it back in his pocket.

  “Excellent point,” Chastain said. “Keep your hands where I can see them, please. You wouldn’t want me to get the wrong idea.”

  Soren edged his hand away from the pocket with the gun inside it. He had two bullets left, but he would only need one for what he wanted to do. He held his hands in the air.

  “I don’t suppose you want to tell me your master plan, do you?” Soren asked. “I haven’t seen a movie in a long while, but my understanding is that’s the tradition.”

  “Is it? I wouldn’t know.”

  “Why do you want the gem, Chastain?” Soren asked. “Why haven’t you found it already? What’s with this warehouse? What are you hiding inside?”