Chapter 1
“Gwen!” Nathan shouted from half way down the hill, “Can you wait up?”
Thanks to her athletics background, Gwen was already nearing the top. Her hands were glued onto a rock and a branch respectively. A moment’s lapse in concentration would mean a restart, with an injury or two to boot, but this was never a concern.
She twisted her body, “It’s not that bad, Nate.”
“Easy for you to say,” He grunted, “Not everyone’s an Olympic mountain climber.”
“That’s not a thing!” she yelled back down through a laugh.
“I’ve definitely seen them climb shit.”
“Yeah, but not...” she pulled herself to the top, revealing the lush vista in front of her, “Wow...”
“What’s up?”
“Get up here!”
The view made her eyes water. Not in an emotional sense, but in a way that signified she was experiencing something special. The forest canopy opened into a mist kissed clearing. There was a large pond in the middle, acting as an aggregate for water streaming down from a waterfall visible right above the tree line. It appeared as if the waterfall peeked at her through colossal trees, creating a mist of its own, but with a rainbow inside of it. Surrounding trees decorated the clearing like it was a spa built around a hot spring. Though the weather was gloomy, the sight brought her nothing but happiness.
Nate stopped next to her and rested on his haunches. He was out of breath when he spoke, “Whoa.”
“Worth it.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
She snapped out of her hypnotized state and bumped his shoulder with her hip, “Shut up!”
“How’d you find this place anyway?” he stood himself up, grasping at his backpack straps.
“My dad had a picture of it on his desk when I was younger. I was drawn to it and... I would just stare at it whenever I was in his office. He eventually told me it was off a trail in this very forest. And now I finally get to see it.”
“Why not come here with him?”
“Oh, he wouldn’t even consider it. Apparently he’s too old for this type of thing.”
“I guess he was quite the daredevil back then?”
She glared at him, “It wasn’t that bad.”
When Gwen’s laugh subsided, she found herself staring down at the forest floor. Memories of her youth flooded into her mind; all those before her father’s arrest. Their camping trips, his smile when she brought her first report card home from high school... She eventually managed to respond with a, “Yeah,” but her mind wasn’t entirely present.
Nathan clicked his fingers in front of her face, “You okay over there?”
She smiled at him with a sigh, “I’m fine.”
“You’re excited to see him again, huh?”
“More than you know.”
He hooked his arm over to her opposite shoulder, “I’m sure it’s mutual, Gwen. He’s gonna be super proud of who you’ve become.”
She chuckled, “I hope so.”
They stood for a while longer, taking in the environment. Sounds of rushing water dominated every other sonic source, but the birds and bugs would burst through on occasion, singing like it was karaoke night. Gwen broke free from Nathan’s hug and ran into the clearing.
She spun around and gestured for him to follow her, “Come on! I gotta take pictures of this waterfall, so I can stare at it every night.”
Nate smiled and jogged in after her.
They were used to the rush of water. After all the trial and error that came with capturing the perfect photo, they had to be. The waterfall itself was hugged by trees all the way up the mountain and the sky was only clear right above the waters; the rest of the area was covered with a canopy of the same beautiful indigenous trees, and their low-hanging leaves dripping with droplets of water.
“...And I said,” Nathan chuckled to himself, “I told him to not post that shit online.”
“Wait. You’re kidding?!”
“No, I’m not. And then he went and posted it on the company’s page.”
Gwen coughed up the water she took a sip of and fell to her back in laughter.
He scrubbed his face, “That’s the last thing corporate wanted to see, y’know?”
She snorted again, “That guy... What the hell?”
“That’s why I double check everything I put out these days.”
Her laugh came to an end, but her smile persisted, “He would’ve loved this.”
“You reckon?”
“Definitely,” she sat up and unzipped her backpack.
Nathan looked over at what she was doing. Her hands were digging deep into the bowels of her backpack and every time it looked like she couldn’t reach any deeper, she did.
“What could you possibly be looking for that deep?” he chuckled.
“You’ll see,” she paused, “Since his parents were too selfish to give us his ashes-”
“Gwen-”
“Uh-uh-uh. I have something better.”
Gwen pulled out a photo of the three of them standing on a butte they climbed the previous summer. She remembered the sweltering heat and their complaints while making their way up there. But once the climb was done, the complaints faded. Her mouth stretched into a frown and smile simultaneously. She knew her eyes would become glassy and decided to get ahead of it with as many blinks as possible.
Nathan tilted his head to get a better perspective of her face, “That was a good day.”
She looked at him briefly and smiled, before shifting her gaze away again. Without missing a beat, she grabbed a lighter that she carried as part of her gear. A couple of clicks later, a flame stood out from the device.
“Goodbye, Danny,” she moved the picture onto the flame, “You were gone too soon. I’m sorry you felt so lost in your own body... And I’m sorry we couldn’t save you.”
The picture’s edge caught the flame and soon, it had spread to where Danny stood in the picture, then to where Nathan stood and then to her on the far side. Ashes split themselves from the photograph and flew away through the misty air with smoke joining them in their travels. A single tear escaped from her lachrymal ducts prompting Nathan to place his hand on her shoulder. She reached over to blanket his hand with hers. They spent a few moments like this, in silence.
That was until a rustle broke through the crashing waters. Both of them turned to look at the surrounding brush. Gwen tilted her ear to the trees as if she wanted to hear the environment better.
She heard another rustle.
“Quick,” she was quiet as possible, when she stood up and dusted off her lap. Her speed was such that the tear flew off her face entirely.
“It’s probably just an animal.”
“Exactly!” she gestured to his backpack, “Get the camera, and maybe we’ll catch something cool.”
“We should-”
“Come on, Nate...! I need to get my mind off this somehow.”
He exhaled sharply, “Fine. Did you get a direction?”
She stood and looked around for a couple of seconds.
“You have no idea, do-”
“This way!” Gwen took off, leaving Nathan behind. She could hear him sigh again, making her smile for a moment.
“Hey, wait!” Nathan shouted behind her.
But she was gone. Into the brush with only the sound of crashing water left as guidance – the foliage was so thick that visual cues would be nonexistent. She stopped her run with a crack sounding from the floor. Her eyes darted around and, in so doing, so did her ears, helping her listen for another rustle. But there was nothing.
“Gwen?” Nathan’s faint voice crept into her ear.
“Over here!”
Then, there was movement behind her, but more than that, she could hear taps. Like something running over wet leaves. Her body corkscrewed, almost separating from her legs. It wasn’t until a distant howl-like sound pierced the atmosphere, that her fear radar went off. Something wasn’t quite right. It didn’t sound like a wolf, but like something imitating one. The hairs on her arm stood at attention and the cold breath of dread ran along her spine. Her chest heaves increased in pace.
“Nate! Over here!” her voice was marred with both impatience and fear.
“Where the fuck is ‘over here’?! Keep-” there was another rustle, but a more aggressive one, “What the-! Shit!”
A thud followed, and then the sound of something being dragged through sticks. Now panic reared its grotesque face. Her mind went through the worst case scenario, deliberating on whether she should run away, or if she should go back to try and help him. The smart thing would be to run if the situation was dire, but just in case, she had to make sure. Surely she would’ve heard screams or something.
“Nate!”
More taps and more rustles of varying degrees of aggressiveness echoed past the trees, but Nathan didn’t say anything. She tried to listen for jostling camping equipment or anything that would indicate he was okay, but there was only silence.
“Screw it!” she grabbed the straps of her backpack and turned on her heels...
...Only to run into something warm and thick. A yelp escaped her mouth. Out of instinct, her hands clenched onto whatever it was she ran into. She froze completely, refusing to even look at what was in front of her. If it was a bear, she was dead. If it somehow was a tall wolf, she was dead. If it was-
Her thought process halted. Again something felt off. She focused and heard... whatever was in front of her... Sighing and then suppressing laughter. She followed up with a sigh of her own, out of both relief and frustration. When her eyes opened, Nathan was looking back at her with a fist in front of his mouth. Her heart still thumped in her ears, but calm swept over her. She took both her palms and slammed it into his chest.
“What the fuck, Nate?!” she rested her hands on her knees.
“This was your own fault.”
“No! It was literally yours.”
“Nope, think about it... How come you take a hiking partner with you on a dangerous trail?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed again, “Safety?”
“Exactly. Don’t run off on your own.”
Her back straightened. There was still an abundance of tapping and movement from the plants around them. More than anyone would be comfortable with.
Nathan placed his hand on her shoulder, “There are tons of animals in here. They’re probably agitated becaus-”
No one had ever disappeared from view quicker than Nathan did then. There was a whoosh or a propeller-like noise, and then he was gone. A sharp sound, like stabbing a knife into a cutting board followed, then a thud, and then an unearthly scream boomed above everything else...
Gwen looked to her left and saw Nathan pinned to a tree by the knee. He was pulling at something that looked like a circular shaped shuriken – two blades, completely white, as if made of bone, were pointing outward. It was likely that two others were attached to the tree.
Nathan’s screams continued, “Help! Gwen! Shit! Fuck!”
By the time she snapped out of her confusion and ran over, his entire lower leg was soaked in warm, steaming blood. The blade he pulled at cut his fingers each time he touched it, leaving lacerations only a doctor would be able to stitch up.
“Nate, stop!”
“What do you want me to fuckin’ do?!”
“Just let me-” she pulled at his pant leg below the knee.
He winced and slammed his fist on the forest floor.
“-I’m gonna try to cut it loose!”
She pulled a pocket knife from the side of her backpack. While doing so, she focused her hearing, listening to the continued movement coming from the bushes. Their time was running short.
“What was that?” he panted.
“It’s not important! We’ll figure out what attacked you after I get you loose.”
She cut down the side of his pants, tearing open the fabric, to expose to wound to the elements. Nathan tried his best to remain quiet during this, but the pain was pushing. His only remaining resource was to shift his nervous system response by punching the floor. Gwen looked under the shuriken. It was definitely made of bone, because it looked the same as Nathan’s two broken bones that it was pinning to the tree. The ligaments were torn to shreds, basically leaving one ligament (stretching to the femur) and part of the calf muscle to hold the leg together. Blood kept oozing from the muscles and veins severed in the cut.
“Shit,” Gwen’s voice was shaky.
A howl shot through the area, coming from trees just off to the side. Both their heads snapped in that direction.
“Wolves...? It can’t be,” his voice carried the air of resignation. Both sadness and fear were fighting for control of his face.
“No, no, no, no, no. I can get you loose,” she cut off a piece of fabric from her sleeve and rolled it up, “Bite down.”
She readied the pocket knife, right below the blade, fully ready to cut through the remaining vestiges of his leg. He stopped her just short of starting.
“Even if you cut me loose, it would be over for me. I’ll hold you back.”
“Nate, no-”
“No, run!”
“I’m not losing another friend-”
“Run! Gwen!” he paused and took her hand in his, “One of us can make it. That has to be worth it!”
“No...” she clutched onto his jacket.
Another howl. And another. And another. The bushes shook with fury. Her gaze flew in every direction, looking for signs of anything approaching, but all she saw was green. She closed her eyes, still clutching onto his jacket as tears streamed down her face.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have...” she started.
He winced, “You didn’t know this was gonna happen, okay?! Pull yourself together and run!”
With glassy eyes she looked up at him, looking into his ocean eyes for what could be the last time.
This wasn’t the only view her eyes captured. There was something else. An image that shook her spine to the core. Right behind where Nathan was pinned, a face revealed itself from the darkness. Its eyes were on different planes, one higher than the other. Its nose was bulbous; its upper lip cleft and it had a terrible underbite that showed off sharpened teeth. Still, it looked strangely human. It had massive arms and was hunched over ever so slightly.
The thing grunted, and in an instant, swung an axe it was holding just out of her view. Gwen was paralyzed as she watched the following event unfold. Almost in slow motion, the axe connected with Nathan’s cheek bone, crushing it as a result. The skin around the area tore, leaving more red than white. His eyes turned smokey. Lifeless. Blood spew forward from his head and splattered onto her face. But still, she couldn’t avert her eyes from watching her friend’s face being bifurcated horizontally. Like watching a car crash, it was difficult to not witness. The chrome blade smashed into the tree, while the upper part of Nathan’s head flew up into the air. Gwen’s eyes started to burn. Everything in her being wanted her to panic and cower in fear, but she had to make a run for it if she wanted a shot at life.
She stood up and moved backward with her steps spaced at least a second apart each. Her eyes remained trained on the thing. It snarled and growled at her, with visible froth at the mouth. The thing turned its head upward, and shrieked like a crow that was being tortured. And as soon as this happened, all other sounds subsided, save for that of crashing water. This meant that was time to go.
With one quick breath, Gwen turned on her heels and ran. She pushed through thick brush, twigs and thorns, not paying mind to the direction she went; it was all about distance and avoiding as many noticeable sounds as possible. Growls surrounded her again, so did howls, and thuds of varying weights and rhythms. She shifted her focus lower, to avoid tripping on tree roots or uneven forest flooring. This worked. Nothing deterred her, not even her own hysteria. The thuds, howls, and foliage rustling were behind her, fading the more her legs stretched forward. Her eyes and lungs were on fire. Her legs pulsed while blood fed muscle, but all she was focused on was forward.
Gwen ran into a clearing; a big, green space surrounded with the same trees she regarded with awe earlier. One tree in particular stood out from the rest. It was somewhat inward from the opposite edge, covered in thick green leaves that looked different from the others. It had to be ages old, judging by its ludicrous size. She found herself getting close to this tree, when a sharp whistle rang out from somewhere.
Gwen spun around to observe the tree line. Her chest was heaving and her mouth dry as if she ate cotton. She finally blinked, somewhat cleansing the burning sensation in her eyes. With her forearm, she wiped the blood from her face and took a moment to catch her breath. Through all the pain her heart felt, she could only think of one plan. She reached for her phone and started typing a message to her father. There wasn’t much time, and she knew that, so she decided to be as concise as possible: ’Dad help! Attacked! Old trail... Our Picture. HELP!’
As Gwen clicked send, she felt a breath folding around her neck. It forced her to almost jump around and find a human standing opposite her. His face was the dictionary definition of stoic; his hair was pitch black, slicked back and he looked dirty, purposefully so. Red and white paint stretched from his collar bone, all the way down his athletic, muscular body. He was only clad in a loincloth and his ankles were wrapped in another cloth of some sort. His right eye had a vertical cut across it, which painted the iris white as clouds. There was something in his hand, clutched between his thumb and knuckle. It looked like the same bone type weapon that pinned Nathan to the tree. She wanted to run, but the brief stop had made her keenly aware of her pained thighs.
Other’s laughs arose as they revealed themselves from nature. They were yelling at her, screaming, howling. Some were splattered with blood. Gwen displayed her palms with shaken hands towards the man while treading backwards with wobbled knees. She stumbled to the floor while the group circled her and her assailant, either taunting her or egging him on to finish the job.
“P-Please...,” Gwen was on the floor, balancing on one elbow while glancing around at everyone, “Please, I-... I need to see my family.”
The man remained stoic. The only moment it might not have been the case was his slight smirk after she reacted to his choking breath. He extended his arm and gestured her to her feet with his fingers. Gwen obliged, pushing herself up and making sure to take a glance at all of the others. When her eyes met his again, it was still lifeless, glaring at her from under his brow. She noticed the weapon twitching in his hand. Her only natural response was to recoil and step back one or two more steps. This movement made the hunters behind her more agitated, like they were dogs being held from feeding. The only thing holding them back, was this man.
She extended her palm again, “I won’t tell anyone. J-Just let me go... Please.”
His gaze didn’t shake. Not until the very end. He scanned over the surrounding people, watching their agitation grow. Then he looked back to her, dropping his chin as he did. She visibly recoiled and, for a second, a smirk crossed his face.
“C-Can I go?” she spoke.
“What is your name?” his voice was cold steel.
“Um... I don’t- Why?”
“Tell me.”
“Gwen,” she paused, “It’s Gw-”
She saw him tilting his body sideways and shifting all his weight onto his back leg. And then, in one swing of his torso, she saw a blur slung toward her. In mere seconds a pressure in her throat formed, complete with sharp pain. Her eyes widened as she realized what happened. She could feel her breath becoming strained as blood flooded into her trachea. She clutched at the weapon, and tried to yank it out, lacerating her neck even further. The blade cut through her fingers too, so deep that the bone had become visible under the waterfall of blood.
Gwen fell to the ground, her blood staining the moss below in darkness. One or two hunters in particular became more agitated and threatened to pounce with every passing second. Her breaths turned to gurgles and her irises turned thin as the hairs on her eyelids. He approached her. Gwen fought to squirm away from him with the last of her energy. The man stopped at her feet, sat on his haunches and watched as life drained from her eyes. Soon, she was nothing. A corpse.
