Through the Woods

by Rowan Thalia

  “I’m sorry, it must have been catsup or something. We’re all just a little on edge with our friends being gone,” Alex steps in to save the day.

  “Why don’t you all go up and get some sleep, I’m sure they’ll show up soon,” the officer opens his palms.

  “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” I chirp and grab the nearest guy.

  They follow me up the stairs without a word. I slam the door behind us and quickly pull the dresser in front of it with Dexter’s help. My hands are trembling and my heart is racing. He’s got Maria now too.

  “We’ve got to find a way out of here!” I gasp.

  “If we disappear, they will hunt us down. Both the demon and the police,” Asher warns. “So, until they let us go - we stay together, and as far away from the girls as we can.”

  “What about Jackson? Shouldn’t we warn him?” I ask.

  “Shit, yes we should. Alex and I will go. We can grab food while we’re down there. Stay here with Dex and Specs. Don’t let anyone in,” he and Alex move the dresser enough to shimmy out, and they disappear

  Dexter moves the dresser back, while Sterling and I curl up on one of the beds together. Maybe I should think of becoming a nun, maybe living on hallowed ground would stop shit from following me around. Nah, I couldn’t bear the celibacy - or leaving my guys. I shrug inwardly and snuggle into Sterling’s side.

  “Maybe I’ll change my major to parapsychology,” I blow my bangs out of my eyes. “At least I’d learn how to overcome all this darkness that seems to cling to me.”

  “Juniper, we’re starting our senior year this fall, you want to start a new major now?” Sterling looks down at me with a frown.

  I just shake my head and smile. I forget how literal Sterling is from time to time. Dexter barkes out a laugh and plops down beside us, leaving Sterling looking dazed. I sneak a kiss from both of them, then cross my legs underneath me. Dex grabs his iPod and starts shuffling through music, which is a good time waster.

  “Hey, it’s me Purple. Open up!” Alex bangs on the door.

  Dexter jumps up, moves the dresser, and opens the door. Alex, Asher, and Jackson come barreling in. I looked up with a frown. I mean, we don’t know if he’s been infected or not. Alex motions for me to be patient, so I bite my tongue.

  “Jackson has been with the police the entire day, so he hasn’t been with the girls. Also, he’s just as freaked out as we are. I couldn’t leave him back there,” Alex shrugs.

  “I swear I haven’t turned psycho. Plus, I brought food!” Jackson holds up two grocery sacks full of food. I’m pretty sure I smell baked goods, so I nod, even though I’m still not convinced.

  “Okay, but one weirdo move, and I throw your ass out the window,” I fold my arms. Jackson laughs in agreement as I side eye him. With nothing more to say on that front, I turn to Sterling. “Too bad we can’t block off the entire floor, it’s going to be a pain to go to the bathroom.”

  “Well, maybe we can. There are hinges at the top of the stairs as if there was once a door there, what if we can move this door?” Jackson starts sizing up the door.

  “With what tools?” I stand up and peer out the window. “And won’t the cops get all weird?”

  “True. We’d be better off taking shifts as a lookout and making sure the creeps don’t come up while anyone is in there,” Alex states.

  After that, we all find spots to sit. Jackson pulls some blankets down from the closet, and makes himself a pallet on the floor. I watch him with suspicion, but he seems to be acting normal, so I grab the food and rummage. After scoring a peanut butter sandwich and a muffin, I reclaim my spot on the bed and dig in. Night falls completely outside and a fog rolls in, masking the view from the window, and adding another layer of creep to the situation.

  “So, can I ask you guys a question?” Jackson says through a bite of food.

  “Sure,” Alex answers, placing a hand on my knee. I stick my tongue at him. I know I’m being a turd, but I can’t help it. I was hoping to work my way into an orgy tonight with my guys, and that’s not happening now that we have a guest.

  “Have you guys been … hearing things around here?” his voice shakes a bit.

  “Like what?” I sit up.

  “Uh. Drums, whispering. Weird shit like that,” his face turns red. Aww, this kid is a newbie to the darkness, how sweet.

  “Yeah, more than that. You better buckle up, if that’s all you’ve witnessed so far,” I announce. Alex frowns and elbows me. “What? You don’t think seeing Maria and Wendy go black eyed is all he’s going to see do you? You let him in, now he’s as good as cursed. HE won’t care if Jackson is part of the group or not!”

  “He?” Jackson’s eyebrows rise.

  “The less you know the better. For now, just know that there is something dark lurking just through the woods. We’ve encountered it, and we think the entity is the reason the others are missing,” Asher warns. “Whatever you do, try not to cut yourself, and don’t go anywhere alone.”

  “Okay. So like a ghost? My mom works at the Myrtles. I’ve seen plenty of ghosts there,” Jackson declares.

  “No way! I’ve always wanted to visit that haunted plantation!” Dexter exclaims, now it’s my turn to elbow someone.

  “Yeah, like a ghost … only an evil one,” I answer.

  “Shit. Okay. Thanks for letting me hang with you guys. I promise not to be an asshole,” he settles into his blanket and yawns.

  “No problem. I think we should all get some rest. Here, you can take the top bunk up here, I can sleep with Dexter,” Sterling gets up and points to the top of my bed.

  Dexter nods, he and Sterling fuss with the blankets, and then climb in together. Good thing for us the two bottom bunks have full sized mattresses. Jackson cocks his head to the side, then grabs his blankets and climbs up to the top bunk. Asher and Alex play rock, paper, scissors for who gets to sleep with me. Asher wins, so Alex begrudgingly takes the other top bunk after giving me a scorching kiss.

  “Goodnight everyone,” Asher says as he flicks off the light. We all exchange a round of replies, and then silence falls in the room. Asher gets into the bed, scooting me toward the wall and curling around my body. I throw a leg over his hip, and an arm around his neck. The faint light streaming through the window is just enough for me to make out his sideways smile before his lips cover mine in a soft kiss. I moan, and push my body closer to his.

  “Uh, guys?” Jackson calls from the top bunk.

  “We won’t fuck, don’t worry,” I growl.

  “Thanks, but that’s not what I was calling for,” his voice trembles. “Look out the window, and please tell me I’m seeing things…”

  There's a shuffle of covers and bodies as we all bend to look toward the window. When we do, I scream. Red eyes blink back at us, and a low laughter vibrates the glass. An awful scratch of nails on the glass pierces my ears, and I dig my nails into my palms.

  “Sterling, please tell me you salted the windows,” I whisper.

  “Yeah, I did,” he piles into the bed beside me.

  The scrape of a lighter calls my attention, and I look over at Dexter who is burning a sage bundle. He walks lightly toward the window and fans the smoke over the square of glass. The demon hisses, scratches the window once more, and disappears.

  “Welp, guess we aren’t getting any sleep tonight,” I squeak. “Jackson, you sure you’re not into watching a good sex show?” I say jokingly.

  “Uhh.. I mean…” he answers, and the guys burst out in laughter.

  “Don’t worry, she’s kidding,” Dexter says with a bit of a bite on the last word. I guess I was, kinda.

  19

  Jun

  Sometime in the night, I wake up and have to pee. Gently crawling over the guys piled around me, I start for the door. Weird, someone must have moved the dresser from the door. Looking around I do a headcount, everyone but Dexter seems to be here. He must have run for the bathroom. I try to convince myself that nothing is up, but I should know bet
ter.

  My fingers tighten around my protective necklace, as I slowly step down the hall to the bathroom. It’s quiet up here… eerily quiet. I can't even hear the snores of my guys or anything. Am I dreaming?

  By the time I reach the bathroom, I’m a trembling mess. I’m not one to be easily scared of ghosts, but the idea of knife wielding psychos has me freaking out. Footsteps creep up behind me, rushing, almost too quick to be human. Instinctively my fist forms, and I punch the air behind me, my fist connecting with a solid jaw. I should probably have questioned the lack of pain, but I was too focused on the fact that I almost knocked Dex out.

  “Oh my god, Dex! I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else sneaking up!” I explain, as I grab his face. Something cold and wet squishes into my skin, and I let out a horrified scream as a black stickiness pours between my fingers. “Dexter?!” I yell as I click on the light next to me, my heart pounding so furiously in my chest that I feel lightheaded. When the light spills over the hallway it illuminates my boyfriend. His eyes, mouth, and nose are all running with streams of black liquid.

  Knowing there’s nothing I can do yet, I run to the bathroom, praying this is just a dream. The moment the door is locked, I splash water on my face, hoping it will wake me up, but the cool water does nothing to calm my frazzled nerves. I glance into the mirror, half expecting something to be behind me. Instead I'm met with my own haunted face, black goo streaming from my eyes and mouth. I reach for my face, but I don't feel anything. What the fuck is going on?

  A cold, bony hand wraps around my neck, a strangled scream bursting out of me before I have to fight for air. A glimpse in the mirror as I'm pulled back has my blood running cold. The black demon with red eyes is behind me, pulling me with him.

  "Juniper!" My name is screamed over and over, my guys yelling for me as the demon shakes me. Why is he shaking me? My vision slowly goes dark before refocusing, my guys surrounding me as I stand in the middle of our room, clutching my throat. How the fuck did I end up back here?

  "Jun?" Dexter's voice is full of alarm, and has me whipping my body around to face him. His face is clean, his features only show his concern. Behind him I can see the dresser still in place. Exhaustion hits me like a ton of bricks, and I fold to my knees, completely frazzled now.

  "Uh, what the hell?" Jackson asks, his voice sounds light, like he's trying not to panic.

  "Nightmare," I squeak out, not wanting to go into detail just yet. "Let's try and get some more sleep." I know very well that it's not about to happen, but I can't stand everyone's eyes on me.

  "Let's go," Asher says, pulling me back to bed. This time Alex scoots in behind me, sandwiching me in warmth. Despite my nerves, exhaustion and warmth win, sending me into a dreamless sleep.

  By the time we wake up again, the sun is streaming through the window. We all look like zombies, but I have a feeling that's just how we are going to look until we aren't trapped here any more.

  Dexter moves the dresser from in front of the door, and Alex steps into the hall, looking both ways while holding a fireplace poker in his hands. I didn't even see him bring it up last night, but it was a smart move.

  When Alex relaxes, he motions us forward, and we all move toward the bathroom, taking our turns one by one. It takes forever, but not a single one of us was willing to leave the group. Instead we wait in the hall, our eyes roaming over the hall and listening for noises downstairs. Asher steps out of the bathroom, his eyes wide and face pale. I don't even have to ask to know that the mirror woman is taunting him again. Now that it's my turn, I step in and side eye the mirror. Instead of its reflective surface, it's almost like a window, a dark smoke swirling inside. I do my business and brush my teeth in record time and run out, refusing to linger.

  We file down the stairs, my shoulders tensing as we round the corner to the living room. Wendy, Karen, and Maria are all on the couch, whispering back and forth. Alex and Dexter both push me behind them as Sterling, Jackson, and Asher head to the kitchen for food and drinks.

  "Pack it to go," Alex yells, holding the poker in front of him, as he side eyes the evil three musketeers.

  "Done, let's go," Asher says, urging Jackson outside. He looks torn to leave his girlfriend, but it's for the best right now.

  "We'll get her back," I promise, hoping it's one I can keep. "Wait!" I screech as an idea hits me. "Someone keep an eye on the first two. Jackson, you need to go show Maria your love. I know it sounds crazy, but the guys pulled his hold out of me." Jackson nods, a look of determination and relief on his face. Alex walks to the fireplace and hands out the other cast iron tools, before Jackson and I physically pull Maria away.

  "Maria, baby? I know you're in there. Remember all those plans we made? I want to keep them. This has to stop," he pleads. Tears form in his eyes, and he angrily rubs them away. My heart breaks, knowing how hard it has to be, and feeling even worse that my guys have to keep witnessing this.

  "Touch her, kiss her, she needs to feel it too," I coax him, stepping back to give him room. He gives me a determined nod and pulls her close, her eyes still unfocused. He kisses her, his hand cupping her cheek, while the other keeps her upright. Her hands slowly move up his back, finally back in the game. He pulls back when she starts gagging, and I let out a sob of relief at the sound, knowing she's back. He talks soothingly to her, holding her hair and rubbing her back, as she folds in on herself. A lighter clicking has me turning, Alex lighting the fireplace while Sterling has the ash shovel ready. Realizing they intend to scoop up the mass when it leaves her, I move out of the way. With one last whimper, the demon's hold falls out of her, hitting the rough wood floor with a wet thud. I pull Jackson and Maria away as Sterling moves in, scooping it up before it can slither after her and tossing it into the now roaring fire. The flames turn an opaque, blood red for a moment, as a loud hiss and sizzle fills the room.

  "What the hell?" Maria sobs out as Jackson rocks her back and forth.

  "We're getting the fuck out of here," Jackson hisses out, giving us a hard look like we'd challenge him.

  "I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately until the others are back... we're suspects." Jackson's face falls at my answer.

  "Let's go get some air," Asher coaxes gently, as the others move away from Wendy and Karen. The cop puts his hand on his holster as soon as he sees us walk out, hands full of potential weapons.

  "Drop them," he warns, and the guys immediately toss their makeshift clubs in a pile, before going down the stairs.

  "People are missing, man. I'm not going to be next," Alex says, his voice hard. "Shouldn't you guys let us go soon? If you haven't found them, then how is that our fault?!" Alex's voice becomes more unhinged as he yells, Jackson joining in.

  "Something fucking weird is going on, and I'm not staying on these grounds any fucking longer," Jackson growls out, holding Maria closer.

  "Unfortunately, son, you don't get that choice," the cop bites out, clearly done with our 'whining', as they've been calling it. "I don't want to be here any more than you, but we've got a victim with the paramedics, and missing people on the loose. They'll be back." His voice has a finality to it, but we know better than that. They won't be let go yet, and the cops will keep us here until they give up. Which isn't looking like it will be anytime soon.

  "You can't detain us here this long," Sterling says in a challenging tone that surprises me, his arms crossing in front of his chest.

  "You're right, kid. We can't hold you for that long, but do you really want us to have to put a detail on you?" he challenges, voice full of fury. He clearly thinks of us as petulant children.

  "You have forty-eight hours to find them. After that, we're gone," Alex adds in, quirking an eyebrow at the cop, who simply mumbles to himself and waves us off. I don't know if he means it, but I feel relieved to know that we have an exit plan.

  "I don't want to go back in the woods, can we just do something else?" I ask as we walk down the path towards the kids side of camp. The further from them, the
better.

  "Well the lake is out, none of us need to get pulled under," Alex mumbles.

  "I need food," Dexter grumbles, snatching a bag from Asher and leading us to the picnic tables outside of the camper dining hall.

  "How are you holding up, Maria?" I ask gently, sitting down next to her, while Jackson takes the other side. She looks up at me with watery eyes, and guilt flooded me again. I'm the reason they're dealing with this.

  "I've been better. Thanks for helping," she mumbles, a tear finally tracking down her face. I take her hand, and give it a gentle squeeze, before turning to face my guys.

  "What are we doing for the next two days, then?" I ask, hoping someone has a better plan. I mean, I'm fine with holing up in a room and fucking for two days, but I have a feeling the cops would think that even more suspicious.

  "I'm going inside to see if there's any supplies, it would be better than having to hang out in that farmhouse any longer than we have to," I say, needing to find something to do. My stomach is rolling far too much to be able to eat right now.

  "Jessica was supposed to stock," Maria says quietly. I give a nod and a small smile, before heading inside. Dexter follows me in, taking my hand as soon as we walk through the door. My eyes scan the room before I take a step forward. You can't be too careful with demons around.

  When the room seems safe enough, we stalk forward, heading straight for the refrigerators and pantry. It seems like Jessica had a chance to stock before she disappeared, the shelves full of dry goods, and the fridge stocked to bursting. At least that was one less worry we'd have to deal with. Now if we could just get the damn cops to take us seriously.

  Grabbing a box of candy bars off the shelf in the pantry, I start walking back to the door. Dripping red paint has me stopping in my tracks. The entire ceiling of the cafeteria is covered in scrawling red words.

  ‘They are mine and you will never get them back. You will be mine too.’