THE EVIL FOREST

EPISODE 7

The ogrism tail was the only mechanism to kill the king. The king was using magical powers, in order to nail him, you need to get ogrism tail.

Getting ogrism tail wasn't easy, you have to trick the ogrism using magical powers from the calabash, just as Abednego. The second thing was to cut the tail, which wasn't easy, the ogrism have to be fed for a good period in order for them to fall asleep. There you have to use a magical sword given by the old woman, Matendechere. The training was to be conducted by the spirit men.

About a moment into Abednego's training, Crasher finally broke it to him,

“I am worried about you," he said.

“Why?”

“This ogrism, from time memorial are known to be too dangerous, a smell of mortal being can't cause them to sleep, no matter how much you feed them."

“I have prepared myself for that,” Abednego said defiantly.

“No, I don’t think you have.”

Crasher's voice had taken on a stern quality that Abednego hadn’t heard before.

Abednego stood there, not moving. He took a swig of something that was in his hands, looking at Abednego in the eye as his head came down.

“Ah pulled a knife on a man once. Ah was high in the spirit. Ah cut him across the arm. Thankfully, he lived. Ah I could have tested that meat. Lucky ah got straightened out. Listen, ah don’t think that king will again kill people, now we are immortal, we can't rest until we drink his blood. You should do this. Yes, you should do it, do it for us to rest eternally," he said it to Abednego.

All Abednego wanted was to rescue his family from that cruel king, he was determined to bring his cruel reign to an end. The king has killed so many people, he was ruthless. Killing innocent people.

"This has to come to an end," he said it thoughtfully. He knew that the day Namamali will be liberated, then the land will be at peace. He assured his wife Nina that he will protect her, he will see into it that their child Kipili is not taken away from her. The big issue is that Imboko was using magical powers, he had a guardian spirit that protected him anywhere he went.

To get him you first have to kill the spirit and the only way is to get the ogrism tail as he was instructed by Matendechere. Crasher, the immortal man knew it was a hard task, despite the fact the ogrism were in a cage, Abednego had a big challenge awaiting him. He was supposed to feed the ogrism so that the meal they shall feed on, it will cause them to fall into a deep sleep, and the tail will come out bulging; thus making it soft. Now when the tail is soft the magical sword will be able to go through.

The look Crasher gave Abednego was possibly the saddest that he had seen cross over his face in the short time he had meet him. He felt sorry that he had put it that way, but he wasn’t going to be swayed. Crasher also knew that ogrism, the normally stay awake most of the time. They will absolutely be bothered with Abednego. They may end up eating him alive.

Crasher the immortal man nodded his head solemnly.

“When are you supposed to have the tail?”

“Any monent,” Abednego said.

"Any delay and my child will be taken away from my wife," he responded sadly.

Abednego told them what had happened for him to come in the evil forest.

"I won't rest until freedom is secured. I am determined," he courageously told the immortal man.

Crasher remained silent for a second.

"Ah, belt up mortal man and avenge for the spirits, take up all the instructions from Matendechere and avenge,” he said.

Matendechere sent them off to accomplish each and every mission.

"Don't fear, all powers have now been conferred to you by the gods of Igodo forest, don't fear, I have summoned Crasher from the spirit world, he will be of help to you, now arise and go," Matendechere came and told him.

Abednego arrived at the place where he was told he will get food. They have to be feed on a certain type of food for them to fall into a deep sleep. It was still dark out. He had a backpack with him that held a loaded with some concoctions, a calabash, some extra herbs to rub on the wound in case he is wounded, a bit of food got from Matendechere, a magic knife, and a sword In his hand.

He held a gallon jug that he had filled with water. He wore his usual heavy skin boots, supportive boots covered with a dead buffalo skin. He was covered in layers despite the heat and humidity. Once they started moving, the wind would be freezing.

“Are you sure about this?” Crasher asked.

He nodded.

He directed Abednego to the place where there was some shanty deserted house. It was completely empty, and the doors were open.

“Hide in the back. You have a rock?”

He leaned down and picked up a large weathered stone. He could wedge it between the doors in the event he had to close them, since they didn’t open from the inside. He entered into the dark corner of the empty room. Crasher would sometimes lean against the wall and talk to him, but most of the time he was getting things set up. It came time for them to take off since there was nothing.

“You know about the next stop? It’s a miles away.”

“Yeah, Crasher, you’ve told me,” Abednego smiled.

"You stay safe and don’t let any invisible spirit cross you over.”

“I won’t.”

They therefore started moving. Abednego waved to Crasher as he gained speed. They stared at each other until Crasher's image was obscured by trees. Abednego was completely alone now. He slowly slowed down, went back and sat in the corner of the deserted house contemplating his situation. He was scared, more scared than he ever had been. And he loved it. He was free.

No one, except for him, knew where he was going or where he would end up. Food was going to be a bit of an obstacle, but he figured he could just go back and skin the ogrism and try to scoop its tail out. But that couldn't be easy, the only way to get its tail was by giving it a specific food that will cause them to sleep, deeper sleep that will make the tail to bulge out, soft; thus easy for the magic knife and sword to go through.

While there were challenges inherent with this assignment, there were also a myriad of possibilities. He was ready to take hold of them.

The first couple of hours in the deserted house, he kept to the back. Time was probably running faster, and he hadn’t yet gained the courage to move to the open area. He secured the gallon jug behind his backpack and slowly rose. He held to the sides of the house and sat at the opening. What met his eyes was astounding. A dark gray creature sat in the midst of green trees. Its vastness filled the land, as a fierce wind howled through the trees, exposing the silver underside of the leaves. It was like an island fortress in an ocean of undulating greens and silver's, daring anyone to swim to its shores. This scene was horrible, but it also terrified him.

The sound of untold things smashing broke her minds, the sounds of glass shattering, the ferocity of eerie screams, and the fading wail of unknown people cries.Nina stared at the woman with blank cold eyes, so cold, and slowly numbing the pain, waiting for the signs of a new day to scatter the stars back to the planets from whence they came. She couldn’t believe how the unbelievable it is, so unclear to her, indeed she was brought up by unknown neighbour's who were later killed ruthlessly by king Imboko. Though, as years went by before she got married to Abednego she knew vividly that one day she will meet her parents.

"Abednego will be mesmerized," she wondered. She felt something slide out her eye, pushing away crusted blood, as she thought, she would have liked to have gazed at the woman again. A clumsy breath escaped her lungs, bits of her foggy soul escaping along with it, and she couldn’t hold back a whimper as she inhaled painfully, tasting her own blood, and shivering uncontrollably. her teeth shattered, taking little sharp bites at her tongue, and a sound started from within her chest and travelled to her mouth, whistling out like an old funeral tune. She was getting tired, her eyelids drooping without her permission. She thought, she would have liked to have watched the stars outside with her.

“Nina?”

The vague circumstances were speaking to me.

It sounded like her. Excruciating pain exploded in her side and she gasped as her eyes popped open coming face to face with rough skin over a knee and sprinkles of dry blood over the floor. Her eyes closed once again.

“What, all those years."

It is her voice in her ear, and she said her name again, but only garbled wheezing came forth. It feels like she is aging in decades with every shaky breath she took, and a heaviness started to settle onto her chest, causing her to quiver in both anxiety and fear.

“Ugh…” she tried to speak but a groan was all she could manage. Everything seemed to hurt worse than before. What is this? Why can’t I stop crying? Can she see me crying? Matendechere, please, don't say so. It hurts so much.

“Don’t worry," the woman seemed to be reading her mind.

She felt the warmth of human skin on her face, giving her a brief reprieve from all of the hurt, but it was gone like dew in the sun. She didn’t want it to leave. She wishes she could open her eyes. She wished she hadn’t been so full of habit, searching into the woods before dawn, and just had stayed as she was warned, and with her. She wish…oh no. She just filled with wishes today. She tried to laugh but her chest caved in, and something wet and serious dribbled from her lips. A little sleep. She just need a little sleep to forget the pain for a moment. Just a little…

A quick frigid numbness enveloped her body, shaking her from a dreamers sleep. She timidly open her eyes only to encounter a blackness so unnatural that it gripped her in terror and she shut her eyes once again, this time not wanting them to open. She couldn’t move, her body was heavy like stone, and she shivered as she could feel the blackness wrapping around her. It was making small sound. What are those sounds?

It doesn’t sound like Abednego.

No.

That isn’t Abednego.

Oh gosh! that’s not Abednego God! What is that?

She could breathe easier now, but the heaviness was still there, and the pain. The pain wouldn’t leave. Those sounds. Oh God those sounds were getting closer. Abednego, Please Abednego, where are you?

"Nina!"

She stopped breathing and she could feel a force trying to pry her eyes open, but she didn’t want them to. Don’t. Stop, please. Please. The darkness in her eyes was safe, but if she opened them now, it wouldn’t leave. Those sounds. That voice that her name slithered out from, would be there, waiting for her in greedy glee.

"Nina my dear. Open your eyes. Let us see you.”

The force was becoming stronger; the chill invading her bones cracking them and spreading twinge of pain throughout her body, and her eyelids were being controlled by something that smelled of some rotten eggs that her mind couldn’t put a word too. Like something dead, and kicking.

"We want you to see us.”

Scream. She wanted to scream, but if she open her mouth it would get inside. It would crawl in like ants and stick to her bones, her heart, her veins, clogging her up with black spikes, their appendages prick her like needles as they rushed inside, and their mouths eating and starving, eating and starving, and never stopping.

Her eyelids slowly widened, a blizzard breeze crashing into them, blowing away all of the moisture and tears.

“Nina my dear,” her eyes opened wide,

“we can see you.”

“Nina!”

She screamed as her eyes opened and she struggled as hands, it’s hands pushed her down.

“Off! Off! Off!” her voice was croak, throat on fire and chest squeezing for air, and then in her line of sight, warm hands grabbed her face, and Matendechere's eyes came into view, she was still there looking into her eyes frantically.

Matendechere?

"Nina," she said, a relieved smile coming onto her worn face. She looked like she will vanish, vanish into the unknown world.

"So sad," she said but her voice sounded inhuman, and she looked around waiting to see it lurking in the crevices of the small room, but there was nothing but white dusty walls and a woman, a believed sorcerer, gazing down at her in relief.

“Mom?”

"Baby,” my mom stroked her arm that she realized was in a dilemma and she looked at Matendechere, her eyes bright and wet.

"I saw it.” she whispered and she furrowed her brows.

“What? Saw what Nina?" She was warned, never dare go outside, it is still there, it will eat you, don't go out into the woods.

She didn’t feel her stroke her face as his words processed in her head. The pain was there, hazy, but there, and so was the sense of reality; the smell of dead rotting creature, the sound of an erratic heart beating uncoordinated, the darkness, and their cold breeze. Tears escaped from her eyes and she gripped the woman, she got hold of her.

“I’m alive, hope you will spare me," she said and she nodded along with her, and she could feel reality taking a firm grip in her head.

"It cannot see you.”

She snapped her head to the side.

“But you can see it.”

The concoction was now working on her, no fear of going into the woods.

Abednego rolled through the forest before midnight and made his way to the outskirts. Abednego's assignment is to get food for the ogrism held in the cage before it is too late. The kind of food Abednego is supposed to take to the ogrism in the cage is a certain creature, though he will have to use the magic calabash given to him by Matendechere the sorcerer.

It is found in the cave; thus its diet is human brain. It is in form of a crawling man, it is a being, also it has some feminine appearance, who looks like a man with extremely long, big arms and big toes. It is believed it can smell a smell of human being from as far as ten kilometres away. It feeds on fresh human brain and drinks blood most of the time. That is a meal that Abednego is supposed to go and feed it to the ogrism.

The figure appears to have five to nine long, black tentacles that protrude from its back.

He stood up now, glanced at it but it vanished into a thin layer of smoke. A horrible scene he has never seen. He took off his skin clothe and threw it in the corner with his backpack. His body pulsed with this unfettered freedom. For the first time in his life, he was happy to note that the figure didn't see him. He must have stood there for what felt like hours, his skin growing taut with the cold. He drank in every image that nature had to offer. As ecstatic as he was, he was growing exhausted.

Crasher had told him that the whipping wind would suck the life out of him. He now fully believed him. He carefully moved to the corner again with his backpack. He drank heavily from the jug and put his skin court on. He closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.

The positivity of his experience while he was awake hadn’t translated to his slumber. His dreams were plagued by all the horrors he had he had encountered in that Igodo forest, toothless men with jaundiced eyes veered at him through the jungles on the side of the trees, stalking him every move. Indescribable creatures hiding behind trees, moving here and there without seeing him. He remembered how some creepy creatures inform of men, he remembered how some held knives to his neck as they tried to pull him inside the dark bush, only to be rescued by Matendechere's magic. A times a woman with stringy hair howled at him as she lunged at his body, trying to bite him.

He woke up in a cold sweat. He thrashed as he looked around the house. Night had fallen by this point, but Crasher was nowhere to be seen, he has vanished. He hadn’t made any move since the disappearance of Crasher. He pulled the sword and the magic knife given to him by Matendechere. He had limited time to get the prescribed food for the ogrism. Nothing was seen again, nothing, no spirit.

No one but him. He took a deep breath and finished the contents of his jug. He would have to get more water, it gave him strength and a sigh of relief. A couple more hours went by. He had shaken off his terrible dreams, dismissing them as his subconscious response to stress. He studied about the ogrism in the cage exhaustively. All he want is the tail, the issue of soothing them with specific food was stealing breath from him.

Crasher was to lead him to where the prescribed food is, he did not know the kind of food it was. So he felt sorry about this dissipated. Matendechere had told him to get hold of the calabash whenever he was attacked, with that confidence he set out, he went ahead and saw some marks on the ground, he knell down took a closer look.

'Crasher hasn't left you,' it read.

He had earlier on heard Matendechere telling them to look out for a huge tower with a blinking red light near the edge of the forest, he saw it in the distance. This was going to be the most challenging moment for Abednego. He could either get off at this place, leave the challenging mission, go back home, get his family and find somewhere to stay, or he could wait, risk his life and save his village. He sat behind the back of those thoughts, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

His heart was throbbing between his chest, he took the sword and the knife, slowly he put them back into my backpack and made sure his skin coat was well tied. He slowly entered in a certain area, stayed in the corner as he felt the need to go back to Matendechere. He was thrown forward, so he was glad that he had at least held tight to the walls. He grabbed all of his things and peeked out the open door of the place. He needed to stretch his legs desperately, but he didn’t want to encounter the bull.

All he saw were some spirits of some looking men coming from far, they were meandering in between the trees, staggering here and there. Abednego's horrible adventures and meeting that old woman Matendechere, made him learn much more about spirits in the unseen world of evil forest. He hid under a place where there was total shadow, he slowly, made his way there without making any noise.

He positioned himself in a place where he could take a clear view of this kind of creatures. One of them was biting something, Abednego couldn't make up what it could have been. As they almost near, not far away from where he was, he could see vividly. The one eating something was having blood on the mouth. In the hand it was holding a hand of what looked like a hand of a little child. Abednego was really frightened. He looked behind to check if something or if anything was watching him, there was nothing, when he looked back the spirits were nowhere to be seen, they have vanished. He hopped off and breathed in the air. Thunder rumbled overhead, and dark clouds obscured the velvety, dark blue sky. Fat raindrops hit the top of his head, startling him. He didn’t feel comfortable walking in the rain in a place he didn’t know. Back in the same house he found.

The rain was so heavy, it has started raining so heavily, thunderstorms could be heard, followed by lightning. There was really a heavy downpour, him alone in the deserted room. He propped his backpack in the corner. He was worried about not being able to get any water. Maybe he could hold the jug outside of the house and catch water that way, risky as it was. For the time being, he felt fine. He was relaxed, warm, and he felt safe, somehow disturbed. He snarled up in a corner and waited patiently. Feeling dizzy, he opted to sleep.

Despite his long sleep just a few minutes before, he had the urge to doze off again. The rain was falling heavily at this point, hitting the top of the of the house and the tree,branches outside like little torpedoes. The thunder would boom at random intervals, making him jump out of his skin every time it did so. He hadn’t seen any lightning yet though. As if his recent connection with nature had grown to be psychic, a burst of white light due lightening illuminated the place he was. That’s when he saw it.

There was someone in the opposite corner from him. He had roughly been able to make out a body with a face. No, no, there couldn’t be someone in here with me. He had only been out of the that house for a few seconds to tap some water, and he hadn’t left it. He would have seen someone get in the house, or felt their presence near. If someone had gotten in, they had to have been fast. And quiet.

"Had I hallucinated? I… didn’t feel like I had," he pondered.

The rain pelted the top of the house with a frightening intensity, and the wind howled. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see that he hadn’t just imagined something. A dark shape was huddled in the corner. He could see its head shaking as if it were having a seizure. He heard gurgling noises coming from it as its body quaked. It made this sound for a while – until it started laughing. It was a breathy laugh, the laugh of someone who was trying to conceal a joke. The laughter gradually became louder, morphing into a cackle, with the choked gurgles coming up in intervals.

Abednego felt like his bones had separated from his muscles. He was paralyzed as he watched the thing heave up and down, and his throat had run dry. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what he could do. If he jumped out of this house, he would die for wasn't aware of what could befall him. He was scared to even move, fearing that this thing would attack him. The person in the corner stopped laughing. It inched its head forward, as if it were trying to look at him. One arm extended in front of it, bones cracking as it did. A long, skeletal hand splayed on the floor in front of it. The thing’s shoulders were hunched like it was about to pounce. His fight or flight response kicked in, and he shoved his arm behind him to grab the sword out of his skin bag. He managed to pull it out and point it at the thing that loomed just a few feet away. Shoving the sword, tightly fixing his eyes on it. He shook even as his fingers were shoving the sword, panting like a panther.

However, the figure never moved away. Instead, it c****d its head as if it were amused by his action. In his hurry to grab the sword, the flashlight from the lightening flashed. The calabash had fallen out of his backpack. He saw it out of the corner of his eye. He don’t know why, but he felt he had to see what was crouched in front of him. It was prepared to kill this person, but he guess the human side of him had to fully recognize it before a sword penetrated through its head. He grabbed the sword tightly and shove swiftly at the thing. This was an action that he will regret for as long as he lives.

Pale, translucent skin stretched across its skull, and greasy, stringy brown hair hung off of it in patches. One of its eyes was a pale corpse-colored blue, its pupil merely a quivering pinprick. The opposite eyelid was plastered into a deformed crevice, revealing the cavernous insides where an eye had once made its home. It growled through a clenched mouth, revealing jagged yellow and black teeth, some of them looking like they had been sharpened down to a point. Its body was grimy and severely emaciated, the outlines of bones looking like they had been carved into its flesh. Red, raised scars covered this thing from its arms to it skeletal face. It appeared to be covered in oily brown rags, one small, wrinkled breast exposed. This was the woman in his dream. This was the demon living invisibly among the drifter, the death goddess willing his destruction. Tears welled in Abednego's eyes as he heaved and growled. When the light hit her face, she let out a shrill, high-pitched wail.

Before he could shove and strike, she lunged at him, pinning him into the corner of the house. Her long, jagged fingernails ripped into his face as inhuman screams emanated from her mouth. Abednego fought her, kicking and flailing, trying to push her off of himself. She was stronger than he thought. She was able to wrestle him to the ground, her long fingers grasping around his neck. Her face was millimeters from Abednego. Her one eye, the hue of decomposition, bored a hole into his. Her sour breath felt hot on Abednego's face, and her cracked lips spread into a wide leer. In a low, gravelly voice, she spoke to him.

“Eeeeeat you… send you to hell… make my house with your bones,” she screamed.