By The Light of a Darkened Forest

Chapter 2 – Shadow of Insects-1

Chapter 2 – Shadow of InsectsEvelyn woke up damp from sweat and cold from tearing apart the sleeping bag. Tears soaked her cheeks and her body trembled from the fear. Those nightmares have haunted her since the night her parents died. It was so long ago, she couldn't remember them. All she had was the terror. Every time would be a reminder of the emotions and pain. She curled into a ball, holding onto her pillow. It was only a nightmare; it wasn't real. That was a mantra a psychologist suggested. It didn't always work but it was better than nothing.

As always, it took too long to settle down. The tent was glowing pale yellow from the morning rays. It was always a welcomed sight when panic had settled in. She sighed tiredly as she rolled over. Her body and mind had no rest from the night; it was if she had never gone to sleep. She wiped the sweat from her face. It was if she had been swimming all night instead of sleeping. Paige slept soundly. Her terror had thankfully not woken her.

It wasn't long for the soft boot prints to be obvious. She grumbled and rolled her eyes. They were fresh as snow was heavy in the air that morning. It was so thick that their trail had disappeared. Obviously her threat didn't mean anything to whomever followed them. It was strange as usually people were threatened by sharp knives.

She followed the prints past the tree line. Their presence made her burn with fury. Out in the trees, nothing was found. It was like every other time. She had had enough of it. “Alright, stalker, kindly show yourself or else the cops will be called,” she warned. No answer. The woods remained silent. She growled menacingly. A break from her boring reality was what she wanted, but she never wanted danger. She only wished for a change of pace. “Fine, be that way.”

The rest of the vegetables, potatoes and stewing beef out of her pack would be their breakfast. It would be a quick stew and the flavors wouldn't meld but it was better than nothing. While it cooked, she organized her pack and enjoyed the silence. The sounds of the forest always sung to her soul. There was a deep connection she couldn't deny, but she hid it from others. No one understood the song that was silently sung. The woods crumbled from their conquest, their music gone forever.

A rattle came from the tent. She quickly spun around as red hair flared from the opening. Paige seemed groggy. Evelyn was thankful that she would have her company. She needed a better distraction after her terror. A friendly face with bright smiles made everything better. It was the light in the world.

Paige slowly made her way over and slouched on the stump.

“You looked tired this morning,” Evelyn observed cheerily.

Pagie snorted, keeping her attention on the fire. “I should be considering all of your screaming last night. Something about bugs.”

So she had disturbed her friend. “Sorry about that. I thought I had a handle on them.”

Paige shook her head and yawned. “You have a handle on those things, yeah right. I've known you since we were kids, Eve, and those nightmares don't change. I should learn to sleep with earplugs.”

The mood became very grim. It was the last day. After they returned to her grandparents, they would split ways. They wouldn't see each other for a long time, and it would only be for coffee, if they were lucky. She knew that her friend, who she considered a sister, would go back to her life and she would to hers. They may pass each other on the street, but that was nothing compared to the quality time they used to spend together. Whatever time that they had, it would be short.

They started hiking again. There was no point delaying the inevitable. They pushed through the usual break as the snow became more and more in the sky. The clouds darkened to black as they emptied their loads. There were no forecasts of storms; it was supposed to be nice. It wasn't long when they lost sight of the path. She should have stopped and waited it out, quickly set up the tent for some shelter. Paige urged them forward. She expressed that the storm brought bad feelings of despair and she wanted to be home. Evelyn shook her head, knowing they couldn't separate.

The blizzard raged on. Evelyn yelled out to stop. They needed shelter; to travel any farther wasn't safe. The other turned around, looking defiant. She motioned around them. The glare she received chilled her. Her friend wanted to press forward and make it home. Evelyn wanted the same, but there was no point in risking their lives for it. It was difficult to see past the closest tree. It was hard to make out the difference between tree and rock.

She began to close the gap between them when a shadowy figure landed, interrupting her. All she saw was a blur of green and brown as it hit Paige and then dashed into the forest. This ignited her rage and her instincts to protect her friend. She recognized the shape of the person and took off after it without hesitation. How dare that stalker hurt her.

“No, Eve!” she faintly heard Paige call out. “You'll get lost in the darkness.”

Her friend's cries were lost as she sped on faster. That intruder needed to be caught. There were not supposed to be people in the forest. No one had permission to enter the woods behind the highway. It was all her grandparent's land and most was untamable forest. There had been rumors about how the forest would protect animals from hunters, how they were grabbed by roots or stabbed by branches. There were stories how the land would protect the family in the farm house in the same way. The shadow's presence caused her a great deal of grief and fear. How did a person make it so far without injury?

Her voice echoed through her mind as she slowed. The storm had worsened considerably since her flight. There wasn't anything but snow, even then it was bright enough to nearly blind her. Any sight of trees or rocks was gone. She was in the middle of a whiteout with no direction to head into. Her gut sank as the realization came over her. She was lost during the middle of the worst storm she had ever seen with no shelter for protection. Chances of survival had just plummeted to most likely not.

She felt panic creep in and settle where her instincts used to be. She was going to freeze. If she wouldn't freeze she would starve. If neither of those, she would be eaten by a hungry bear that she would probably disturb. That was her luck lately. She fell to her buttocks and stared blankly at the snow. She had been stupid. She had done the one thing her grandfather forbade her to do. She ran off the trail.

Even through the howling wind, she heard a sound that chilled her to her bones. Click. Click. Click. Her eyes widened as she looked around franticly. She was not sleeping. She was sure she wasn't sleeping. There was no transition from alertness to sleep. There could be no way that her nightmares were real. They were creations of her sleeping mind and nothing more. They could never be real. Nothing so horrible could be real. It just couldn't be.

Click. Click. Click. Once again rang out the sound of them coming. Fear reared its ugly head as the sound shattered any courage she had left. The feelings of her nightmares flooded back to her. The helplessness of fighting the lethal unknown. A small sensation from the back of her mind told her that the creatures attached were terrifying. She should be running and defending herself, it warned. She remained in the snow, knowing that nothing she'd do would stop them. Not even the knife she carried would be enough.

Click. Click. Click. The sound grew louder as they approached. She hoped to find something or someone to save her. There was nothing but white space, she should have known better. The world was made up of nothing but snow. As she stared at the white fluff she felt a calm drowning her soul. Whatever would happen would come in an instant and her pain would be over. No more nightmare. No more repetition and ignorant people. No more fighting.

Click. Click. Click. She curled into a ball against the snow drift that was forming. Just as in the dreams, the next set would be her last. It had always been so. It was the one constant thing she could depend on in her nightmares. The clicking always signaled the end. She would have never imagined it was foreshadowing hers.

Click. She breathed in deeply and prepared for the coming pain. She closed her eyes as she didn't want to see what was going to kill her. The sounds were enough. Click. At least Paige would make it out alright and go on with her life. She wouldn't go on the dangerous adventures anymore. She would be safe and happy at home.

She waited for what felt like eternity for the final screech. After a while, a small glimmer of curiosity bubbled. She opened her eyes slowly. The storm had died down to just a light flurry. It had changed quickly, which was strange. She had never heard of such a thing. There was nothing there except trees and boulders. The forest was back to its winter calm again.

It was strange and out of place that the storm had just stopped. It was as if someone had turned off the weather. What was worse was the disappearance of the clicking. They never left their prey behind. That's what her dreams ensured. They always went for the kill. They never stopped. They swallowed everything they could find. Then another thought occurred.

“Is anyone out there?” She stood from the snow and looked around. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone, which made a tangled ball of worry gag her. Only a skilled soldier would have a chance at killing the monsters. It was what the nightmares have shown. Perhaps it was the stalker, perhaps they were lost in the woods and were afraid to approach a civilian. Then again most from the Redgate army would not hide in the shadows if that were the case. They were a proud bunch and liked to be seen doing their heroics.

“Hello? I know there has to be at least one other person out here. I don't chase just anything,” she called out again. The whistling wind responded, but it was not what she was expecting. She frowned. It made no sense why there was no response. There should have been crunching snow from someone walking or running away. Out there was nothing but the sounds she made.

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her shoulder causing her to shriek. She spun around and pushed the person hard. A green shirt stumbled backwards only to fall next to a tree. She recognized the colour instantly as well as the build. It was their stalker, and she would set them straight. She lunged at them and wrestled them face-first in the snow. They didn't fight back once buried under her.

Long, light brown hair spilled on the snow while free strands blew with the wind. A long green scarf was wrapped around their neck twice and tucked into the shirt. The prominent, old green tunic felt thick in her mitts and must have been as effective as a winter coat. The thick brown pants were the same. Leather gloves covered their hands as they struggled to get free of her grasp. A white cloak made out of a dense cotton waved lazily in the strong wind. Their feet were covered by leather boots that were a bit larger than her own and left smooth tracks in the snow.

“What are you doing out here? This is private property and I have all rights to turn you over to the authorities,” Evelyn raged. The person beneath her tried to answer, but the snow muffled the mid-tone grunts. The stalker was definitely male from what was observed, which made her more suspicious. She pulled on his hair to lift his face from the snow. “Try that again.”

He spat and coughed before breathing in deeply. “I am no stalker. Is this any way to treat your savior,” he questioned angrily.

His voice was heavy with an unrecognizable accent. Its sound made her heart flutter, which was not needed. It was strange but she loved the sound of his voice, though the one attached infuriated her. “You say following us this whole time is not stalker qualification?”