by AJ Eversley
“We’re going to be gone for a bit. Into the forest—” I said.
“Yes, I know,” she said, interrupting me. “I have Carbon hearing, Sawyer. I don’t have to be inside that room to hear your whole conversation if I choose to, especially when you guys are nearly shouting at each other.”
“Right,” I replied, taking a seat at the end of her bed. “We’ll be back in a few days, but that’s not really why I came to talk to you.”
She closed her book and looked up politely at me. Lena hadn’t been herself since she lost Anthony. It was like a piece of her had died along with him and I was careful to give her the space she needed to grieve. But I’d let her sit idly by for too long now.
“We both know that this plan of Murray’s isn’t going to work. Coleman has an army that’ll wipe out every one of us in a split second, before they even have a chance to use that bomb of theirs. I need you to help us, Lena. I need you to help them.”
She sighed and put down her book. She took my hand in hers. “I will always fight for you, and I will always fight for them. But both of you need to realize that sometimes wars can be fought not just on the battlefield.” She gave my hand a squeeze. “Your job right now is to keep training and keep learning how to use your powers. So focus on that, and I will focus on what I need to do to help you.”
My shoulders dropped as I realized what she was implying. Before I could say anything, she put her hand up to stop me. “Go find whatever it is you are searching for. I will be here when you get back; I won’t leave. You can trust me here alone, as I trust you, my friend.”
I gave her a nod and was ready to stand, but she pulled me in for a hug. Though I was surprised at first, I softened into her warm touch and hugged her back. My friend—she had truly become my friend.
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing her one last time before I stood and left.
Chapter 42
The sun was peaking over from the edge of the forest as we set out. The weight from the pack across my shoulders was nearly my own weight. Inside the bag, I carried an extra coat, food, water, blankets, and a small tent that Max promised would survive the colder weather we were traveling into.
Tenason walked ahead of us with his bow and arrows strapped across his shoulder while a bag hung at his side. He too would spend the week in the forest, but Max was careful to direct him to the safest spot inside the limits. He knew the Dred Wulfs’ territory and was confident they wouldn’t venture too close to the boundaries. Still, Tenason had to be sharp as he always was, and I reminded him of this a few too many times it seemed.
“Yes, I know, Mom,” said Tenason. “I’ll be sure not to make too much noise or cut myself by accident so they smell my blood,” he joked.
“Hey, don’t blame me for being thorough. My track record isn’t that great as you well know.” I nudged him, but he stopped mid-stride, and I stumbled over my own feet.
His expression changed as he turned to me. “None of us blame you. You know that, right? You’re not at fault for any of them. Kyle, Byron…or Ethan.” His voice caught at his brother’s name. “Everyone here is still alive because of you and the sacrifices you made. Don’t think we don’t appreciate it.”
He waited for my acknowledgement that he got his point across. He had.
“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. Tenason had grown so much, but he was still a reminder of the past I’d left and the future I could become. Despite everything he’d been through, he managed to have a smile on his face and still managed to live on. I envied him.
We had finally reached the edge of the invisible boundaries, and as we said goodbye one last time, I gave Tenason another cautious warning to which he gave me the middle finger. I couldn’t help laughing.
As we entered the dark forest, I felt the change immediately. My energy dampened, which was unusual since I was getting used to feeling it move through my entire body like another limb. It was almost like someone had turned off a switch inside of me, and I was now left in the dark. I tried to call to the energy to see if it was still there, and it was. But it was almost as if my powers were hiding from something. My energy felt constantly on edge, and there was a little buzzing in my ears. The rest of my senses were still there, and I felt the energy from the animals and things living in the forest, but my powers wouldn’t go near them. My heart raced a little faster as I realized there was much more to this forest than just the beasts I’d been warned about.
“I don’t think my powers are going to be much help in here.” I gave Max a quick side-glance. I kept searching the shadowed areas.
“That doesn’t surprise me. They call this the Muted Forest. I’d always assumed it was named for the way the forest went silent when the Dred Wulfs were near, but it seems it can ‘mute’ other things as well,” Max murmured. “Just keep an eye out. Daytime isn’t when we need to be worried; it’s when the sun sets.”
We walked as fast as the thick brush allowed us, often having to reroute when we came across a steep cliff or a rapidly flowing river. All the while, I scanned the forest. The soft crunching of leaves was the only sound I heard.
When the sun was at its peak, we stopped for a short rest near a small flowing creek.
“What was Aelish like?” I asked Max, passing him a canteen of water.
“She was the fiercest warrior I’ve ever met. Better than you, and even better than Anthony,” Max said. “She was simple and patient, always one to watch first and teach second. She taught me everything I know.” He smiled before his head dropped. “The rush of memories is a bit confusing.”
His brows furrowed and then released. He passed the canteen, and his gaze fell on the smooth ripples of the water moving by. “Now that I remember it all, I feel so stupid for not remembering it earlier. Like I just woke up one day to discover I had this whole other life that I’d lived. Like I was a different person.” He looked to me and the corner of his mouth twisted into a frown. “I feel different. Does that make sense?”
I knew better than anyone what it felt like to find out who or what you were wasn’t what you’d thought. “You’re a different person,” I said. “A huge part of your identity was the boy who survived the Dred Wulfs and that nightmare. But in reality, you didn’t just survive it, you conquered it. You thrived under Aelish’s guidance, and it’s no wonder you feel different now.”
“Yeah,” Max said, watching the creek flow. “I’m not…that different…” He gave me a cocky grin as his eyes followed his hand where he pushed back a strand of my hair. A smile spread across my lips. He leaned in, and I felt his breath on my neck. “I’m still crazy about you.” He kissed the soft part under my ear, and my stomach did a flip.
I leaned into him. “You’re still crazy; you got that right.” I chuckled softly, but he pulled away and gazed up at me.
“I go where the stars will me, and right now, they’ve willed me here with you. So I’d better oblige them.” He gave me another smooth, crooked grin and leaned in a little closer. His eyes darted to my lips and then back to my eyes again. I couldn’t help moving in closer to him too. His nose bumped mine gently, and his hand tilted my chin upward where his lips met mine, so softly like a whisper on my lips. I pulled him in for more when he swiftly moved just out of reach. “But, first we’d better keep going.”
I groaned.
He lifted me to my feet. “Last thing we need is to be out in the open at nighttime,” he said with a little wink.
I agreed. That was the last thing I wanted.
Chapter 43
Night fell faster in the dense forest. Max assured me about the safety of our hiding place, but I couldn’t help scanning everywhere around us. We’d set up camp in a cave under a small cliff next to a river with a rushing waterfall a few feet away.
We didn’t risk lighting a fire, but we huddled together with a blanket wrapped around us. I tried not to shiver since our tent was open to the exterior.
“So, what do they look like?” I whispered. We kept our voices do
wn since Max told me the Dred Wulfs had an excellent sense of sound. We also covered our tent in pine tree sap to mask our smells as best we could since they were guided by a strong sense of smell as well. The rushing waters nearby helped to push our scent away from the cave.
“They’re hideous,” Max said. “Huge and covered in thick fur. They have three rows of razor-sharp teeth that could tear a small tree in half with a single bite. Their muscles cover their bodies in misshapen haunches. The nuclear waste that once covered the forest did it to them, Aelish told me. They smell terrible…like death and rotten corpses. There are other animals that were affected, but none like the Dred Wulf—none that terrifying.” He shivered. Even if he’d conquered this forest, that didn’t mean he was comfortable. That thought set me on edge as I looked around us and curled in closer to Max’s warmth and the blankets.
He wrapped an arm around me, and I yawned.
“You should rest,” Max said.
“No, I’m fine. I can last one night without sleep.” I stifled another yawn.
“Your Carbon body is fighting against whatever is in this forest—the unseen force that has muted it. You’ll need your rest,” he said.
I tried to roll my eyes, but my eyelids grew too heavy. The powers inside of me had been on edge all day, which meant the current of energy inside me had been going most of the day too. I did feel drained, not just from the long hike but also from the constant pulse of energy moving inside of me.
Reluctantly, I leaned into his shoulder and closed my eyes.
As I drifted off to sleep, the flowing water and gentle crashes of rapids against the rocks filled my dreams. The sound of the water moved through my mind, filling up my soul with its soothing and calm energy. I felt my body moving with the river, floating over the gentle sway of the rapids.
Just as the river seemed to take a turn and the rapids became wild and untamed, I jolted upright. My heart raced.
Max steadied me as I squinted at the bright morning sun. I must’ve slept longer than I’d thought.
“Bad dream?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I looked to his red-rimmed eyes. “Did you sleep at all?”
“No, I couldn’t. It’s fine. I’ll rest tonight.”
He had a look of concern on his face that made me want to question him.
“We should go,” he said. “We can’t waste any more daylight.” He folded up our small tent, stuffed it into my pack, and passed it to me.
I slung it over my shoulder and followed him out of the cave, wondering what nightmares had kept him awake.
~
As we walked deeper into the forest over the next few days, the terrain became harder to navigate. The brush was thick with vines and branches, tripping me up when I didn’t see them. It was the quiet that set me on edge. The Muted Forest was just that…silent. Within a day, we had reached the snow. It was colder than I’d imagined, and the snowfall grew deeper the farther we went. My teeth chattered as I wrapped another layer around me in hopes of keeping warm.
“The faster we move, the less time we have to spend in this snow. And the warmer we’ll get,” Max assured me. He too was shivering from the cold.
“I don’t think I can feel my toes,” I complained.
A low chuckle rumbled through his chest. “It’s not like your body wouldn’t heal itself and grow another toe or something,” he joked.
I glared. “I don’t think it works like that.”
Max just shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle.
I picked up a handful of snow, forming it into a ball, and then launched it at his head.
“Ow!” He cried, swirling on me fast.
I smiled innocently and gave a shrug as if to say, “Weird, where did that come from?” But he knew. He grabbed a snowball and flung it my way. I hid behind a tree laughing.
He was quick onto me, tackling me from the side. I sank into the knee-deep snow as he tried to shove the ice-cold snow down my jacket. I screamed as the freezing ice slid down my shirt.
I went to reach for a handful of snow when he went rigid.
Max paused and looked around us, surveying the area. I wasn’t sure what he had sensed until it hit me.
A pungent, gruesome smell that could only be described as…death.
He placed a finger to his lips, standing to his feet and offering a hand. The sun was still out, but it’d sunk quicker than either of us had realized. I was too focused on how cold I was to notice how much time had passed. And now, the sun was nearly gone, and the Dred Wulfs were already out.
We tiptoed through the crunching snow, listening for any sign of where they were or how many were out there, but only silence surrounded us.
My energy sparked in all directions, but it couldn’t pinpoint where the source of that awful smell was coming from, as if there were too many to choose just one. I took out my knife and followed behind Max.
And then, he stopped.
He glanced to his right and then behind us. To our left were so many dense trees that we couldn’t possibly make our way through in an escape.
The forest went silent.
Max hissed, “Run!”
I took off, not daring to look behind at the beasts I heard coming.
Max was ahead of me, and the thick snow was hard to navigate even with my Carbon abilities. They were muted in this forest so I was as much of a human as Max was.
Low hanging branches swiped at my face. I weaved through the trees, keeping in step with Max. There was a flicker of snow to my right, and I saw a flash of black and gray before it disappeared. Then again on my left was the sound of crashing trees, and bright yellow eyes shone in the darkness.
I couldn’t count how many there were, but even one would be too many.
The snow grew deeper, and my feet stumbled with each step. The sunlight had disappeared all around us, and the forest was growing darker by the second. I felt the Dred Wulfs’ energy growing as night fell upon us. The Wulfs let out a feral roar.
There was a small clearing in the distance, and my heart sank. We had reached the end of a cliff, and we were already surrounded.
Max glanced over his shoulder to me, and the look of sheer terror on his face had my heart racing with fear.
“We have to jump,” he said.
I nodded, unable to form a response.
We pushed onward to the edge. I saw the shadow of a Dred Wulf so close beside me. It was huge, bigger than even my nightmares had imagined. The Wulf’s eyes glared at me while it bared its teeth with a low growl.
I snapped my attention back to the cliff. Max reached for my hand. And without giving either of us a chance to second-guess our decision, we jumped off the cliff.
Chapter 44
The ice-cold water stung my body when we plunged into the river below. When I reached the surface, I had only seconds to gasp for air before my heavy pack hauled me under. The current dragged me deeper.
A hand gripped onto the collar of my jacket and pulled me up. Max was at the surface, pushing against the fast-moving waters toward the shore. I kicked my feet, trying to ignore my body’s protest against the cold water. Max grabbed onto a sharp rock on the edge of the shore and held on to me. He braced against the strong current, and I kicked to help him pull me onto the shore.
We collapsed on the edge, still half in the water. My body shook uncontrollably as the frigid winter air fell upon the wetness of my body. Max gasped for air as he shivered violently.
I looked up the cliff where four Dred Wulfs sneered downward, licking their chops before they snarled and left.
“We have to g-go,” Max stuttered through his chattering teeth. “They’ll b-be back.”
I nodded and pushed my body up. I tried to stand on my frozen limbs. Frost already covered my pants. They crinkled as I moved.
I reached to help Max up, but my hands didn’t work. I couldn’t close them or feel anything. He managed to get himself standing, and we moved deeper into the forest.
My body ached, and the
snow was like ice against my freezing skin. I couldn’t feel my toes or my fingers. My legs were like bricks. I tried to move though the waist-deep snow without much success, but Max didn’t stop so I didn’t either.
His lips were blue, and mine probably looked the same. We trembled uncontrollably.
“Where are w-we going?” I asked, stuttering as well.
He pushed through the bushes, no time to go around. “T-there.” Max pointed with a shaky hand to a small clearing ahead. The trees parted barely so you could see a blank patch in the middle where the moon poked through the leaves.
As we moved closer, I noticed knife-like pointed ends on the thick thornbushes surrounding the clearing. We trudged closer as an ominous howl sounded in the distance. A different kind of shiver ran through me.
Max pushed his way through the sharp thorns, opening a small passageway so I could squeeze through. I winced at the pain from the thorns that scraped my cheeks. Once we were on the other side, he pushed the bushes back into place. In front of us, a hut sat alone in the middle of the clearing, just as Max had described it.
It was a small and round hut with branches and thick tree bark covering the exterior. A small chimney stood at the top of its leaf-covered roof.
Max pushed his way inside the hut, and I nearly collapsed at the warmth. With shaky, still frozen hands, he grabbed a small box of matches on the edge of a fireplace inside the hut and lit a fire.
I stripped off my clothes. My thick wool leggings clung to my legs in frozen chunks. I struggled to pull them off while I shivered uncontrollably. Max did the same, removing all of his wet clothing. He found two blankets for us in the adjoining rooms.
Warmth had never felt so inviting. I curled up as close to the fire as I could without actually being in the fire. Every ice-covered part of my body began to melt.
Max sighed. His lips slowly returned to their usual red color, no longer blue. “Geez…that was close. Too close.” He loosened a breath.