Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Where are we going? You only told us the plan for getting Sophie out of jail.” Jackson crossed his arms.

  It was then Sophie noticed the jagged cut on his forearm. “Jackson, you’re bleeding.”

  He glanced down, dismissed it, repeated his question to Demetri.

  Demetri eyes cut briefly into the rear view mirror and then back to the road. “We’re taking you to where Akeldama can’t follow.”

  Jackson frowned at his evasive answer.

  Sophie wanted to know where it was that the Demoness couldn’t go.

  The van turned onto a road and Sophie heard Ruth sigh.

  “We’re getting closer. Maybe we can make it before they—“

  Something slammed into the van. It rocked to the side on two wheels, still speeding down the pavement.

  “Find us.” Ruth finished.

  A shriek sliced through the air.

  “You opened your mouth too soon, Sis.” Rory watched a claw tear through the wall beside his head. He blinked as it ripped back out, taking a piece of the wall with it. Sophie peeked out the back window to see they ‘d left the city behind and now drove on a highway through a forest, surrounded by trees and zero street lights. In this empty area she could feel the oppression in the air. “I hate to say this, but there are hundreds of those things out there.” Unending hunger sharpened in her mind.

  Another hit and then scratching and a thump over head. Like the creature had landed on the roof.

  Demetri bit out a curse and swung the wheel, sending the van into a turn. Sophie braced her palms on the wall beside her and closed her eyes. Her stomach flipped and then flipped again. She’d always hated carnival rides, and this was beginning to feel like one from hell.

  When the van finally stopped she breathed deeply through her nose and then out of her mouth. The others looked the same, except for Aidan, who had a wild light in his eyes.

  “You like carnival rides, Aidan?”

  He grinned at Sophie. “I’m the first one on them.”

  She nodded until the demon’s minds crushed in on her again. It was unrelenting pressure, all focused on one thing.

  Ripping them to bite size pieces.

  Tristan noticed her pale face and rubbed a hand down her arm. His eyes met hers, still yellowish, and she felt safer. He was there, solid and close, and she knew he wouldn’t let the demons get her if he could help it.

  “Hang on.” Demetri gunned the engine again. The van shot forward.

  A small scream slipped through Sophie’s lips when the demons hammered at the vehicle. It wasn’t that they were desperate, they liked feed on fear.

  How she understood this, she didn’t know. The emotions from the demons poured into her mind. She got the distinct impression they forced the van where they wanted it to go. “Demetri!”

  “I know.” He fought to keep the van level.

  Morgan locked her fingers in both Aidan’s and Jackson’s, her mouth set. Each time a demon plowed into the van, she flinched.

  “We’re being attacked full force.” Ruth spoke into a radio. “It looks like hundreds. Forgo the rendezvous point and head to our coordinates.”

  The demons shrieked and screamed.

  “We’re going to be on foot. In the forest.”

  Someone on the radio answered their assent.

  “On foot?” Aidan asked. “Isn’t that exactly where they want us?”

  “We have no choice, Aidan.” Jackson held Morgan’s hand limply. “They are going to destroy this van. We don’t need to be in it when that happens.”

  Aidan cocked his head when another hit almost put the van on two wheels again. “Yeah, probably not.”

  The next hit succeeded. The van tilted up on its side.

  Tristan grabbed Sophie and held her to his chest.

  The van rolled. The windshield shattered and glass flew.

  Sophie couldn’t focus on anything as the carnival ride from hell made her want to throw up. She wrapped her arms tight around Tristan and prayed for it to end.

  The van skidded upside down into a ditch and jarred to a stop.

  She and Tristan landed on their sides and she blinked against the raw pain that burst in her ribs. It took her a few moments to be able to focus through the agony.

  Morgan leaned against Aidan, who wiped a cut above his right eye. Jackson unfolded himself from a corner of the van.

  “That wasn’t so bad.” Rory shook his head and glass shards fell out.

  Another demon hit. The van rocked up and then slammed back down.

  Aidan cursed. “Enough, already.”

  It grew quiet outside. Everyone stilled and the tension stretched.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Is everyone okay?” Ruth hung upside down by her seat belt. She undid the clasp and landed in a crouch.

  They nodded weakly.

  Sophie wanted to shout that no, they weren’t okay and most likely never would be. Hundreds of hungry, man-eating demons surrounded them. Instead, she bit her lip and tried not to cry.

  Demetri undid his belt. He crawled to the back and stood. Ruth pulled a sliver of glass out of his shoulder and the wound immediately started to gush. She grabbed an old rag from the ceiling and wrapped it around his shoulder and arm pit before cinching it tight.

  “I’m going to need my bow.” Rory nodded to Ruth. “It’s under your seat.”

  Ruth turned and reached above her. From under the seat she pulled a metal box and tossed it to Rory.

  He placed the box over his knees and undid the locks, his eyes gleaming. Sophie peeked over his shoulder. The bow was made out of polished oak. He pulled it out with reverence and unfolded it to its original size, which was the length of his head, neck, and torso.

  Aidan whistled. “That is awesome, man.”

  “Yes, it is.” Rory’s eyes trailed the symbols along the long bow. “This is an original from the First Island. It’s been fighting demons for a long, long time.”

  Sophie was breathless. It gave her some comfort, in an odd sort of way, that this piece of weaponry had survived that long. Maybe they could, too.

  Demetri pulled out some more weapons; two guns and a few machetes. He passed the guns to Jackson and Aidan and the machetes to the rest.

  “We have to make it to the tree line. The demons after us are wraith demons. They have to become incorporeal to follow us through the forest. They can only solidify in open spaces.” Demetri explained. “Ruth and I will go first. Rory, you follow the others and head up the back.”

  Rory nodded and didn’t give them any time to think about what they were about to rush into. He reached over and unlocked the back doors.

  “Now!” Demetri shouted.

  Rory kicked open the doors and fired off a few arrows. He nocked each arrow rapidly, so fluid Sophie had a hard time following his motions.

  Demetri and Ruth leaped out of the van. They kept the demons in their ghostly forms with constant gunfire.

  Jackson went next. He formed a mental shield around the group. Sophie could feel all of his power pouring into it.

  The demons seemed to sense it was there. They hovered just above it, never wavering in their intensity.

  Sophie had never been so scared. She looked up at the many demonic forms above, leathery and cruel. All they wanted to do was taste the humans. There was no soul. No conscious to hold them back.

  That was the scariest part.

  The shield rippled.

  One of the demons slid down the outer wall and shuddered. The red eyes in its rat-like face narrowed. The body undulated in the dark and then it was shadow, thin and misty.

  Sophie clutched the handle of the machete she carried, her hands sweating.

  It wormed its way inside the shield, the black mass wriggling.

  “Aidan!” Demetri bellowed.

  When the demon solidified, just a few feet in front of Sophie and Morgan, Aidan let the flames loose. His jaw locked, amber eyes fierce, while he kept it hot. The demon screamed, th
e sound eerily matching a wounded baby.

  Sophie clamped her hands over her ears and tried to block it out.

  It gave one last squeal of rage before it turned transparent and wiggled back out of the shield.

  “Oh my God.” Morgan whimpered. “We are never going to make it out of here.”

  “We are.” Sophie put a hand on her arm. “We have to.”

  “Go!” Demetri shouted.

  Several of the demons hit the wall at once and Jackson grunted. The shield flickered.

  If the shield failed now...Sophie didn’t want to contemplate how that would end. Horror was a permanent ache in her chest, a hitch in her breathing.

  “Faster!” Rory called from the back.

  The demons battered at the wall with no thought to the damage they did themselves. Sophie heard wings snap and bones crunch, but it didn’t slow them down. She felt the shield weaken the more they hit it. Jackson could only keep it up for so long.

  Pain swept over Sophie. It took her a minute to realize it was Jackson’s. The shield wavered and then blanked out right when they reached the forest.

  The trees blocked out most of the moonlight and darkness enveloped them. The tree branches hung low, gnarled fingers trying to catch the Guardians for the demons.

  “Keep running. Don’t stop for anything!” Ruth led the way over fallen trees and twisted paths.

  Tristan shifted back into the panther to use the cat’s senses while running. He focused on the horde that weaved their way through the trees.

  Sophie tried to block out the whispers of the demons while she stayed on Morgan and Aidan’s heels. Her rib cage throbbed, she breathed harshly to keep up.

  Tasty. Treat. The demons swerved closer to her and the whispers continued to flit in and out. The pressure strengthened in her mind.

  Morgan shimmered in and out of visibility in front of her. Aidan looked over every few moments to make sure she was still next to him.

  Behind her she could hear Rory and Jackson’s rapid footsteps. Rory cursed at the demons when they came too close. She wasn’t sure how long they ran but knew that if they had to keep it up much longer, someone was going to have to carry her. Each breath she took stabbed through her chest.

  Ahead of her Demetri skidded to a halt as they entered a clearing. Thin blades of grass separated them from the rest of the woods. It was beautiful, moonlight casting a silver glow to the flowers. A fairy oasis in the middle of hell’s forest.

  Except that several demons would have enough room to form and attack.

  “Rory!”

  Rory rushed to Demetri’s side. He, Ruth, and Rory concentrated on the shadows surrounding them.

  “This is crazy.” Morgan reached for Sophie’s hand. “Why is she toying with us?”

  “I don’t know.” Sophie shook her head. “She could kill us instantly. Maybe she likes to watch us run. Like it’s a game to her.”

  “I don’t like this game.” Aidan had a warm glow on his arms that reminded Sophie of a stove burner.

  Tristan rubbed his head on Sophie’s leg to reassure her. He chuffed twice. She won’t get to you again.

  While she was confident in her friend’s abilities, she knew Akeldama wasn’t going to let them go that easily. The only question was why she was letting them get this far?

  The whispers from the demons spiked. Space. Become solid. Flesh to eat. Huuungry. They slithered over her skin like spider webs with a chill and into her mind, making her numb. All she could sense was hunger and darkness. The thoughts whirled around and around in her head and she sank to her knees. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

  The others looked back at her.

  “What’s happening?” Ruth asked.

  Sophie gave a small jerk of her head and moaned.

  Tristan roared, making Morgan jump, when a demon solidified and dove at them. He leaped up and collided with the demon in mid air. It carried him several feet into the clearing before dropping him toward the grass. The panther twisted and landed on its paws, snarling.

  The demon pinned him to the ground with its claws and locked its jaws around his throat.

  The panther stilled, barely breathing.

  Several more demons solidified in the air above the clearing.

  Sophie felt each and every one become flesh and bone like a heartbeat. The dull spark of their minds melded with hers more firmly with each transformation.

  “What do we do?” Aidan watched the demon clench its jaw tighter around the panther’s throat. “It’s going to kill him!”

  Demetri eyed the situation, his face grim. “Sneak around to the demon’s tail.”

  Aidan nodded once and snuck around the edge of the clearing. The other demons dove at him.

  Rory lifted his bow and aimed. The arrows sliced through the air with a scream and hit their targets, allowing Aidan to get behind the one holding Tristan.

  The whispers grew louder in a wave of despair and craving. Sophie gagged. Cobwebs of misery swept over her skin.

  Now, Aidan. Morgan pushed.

  Aidan caught the demon’s tail in his hands and held onto the scales.

  The flames swept over and the demon screeched. It swiveled its head, releasing Tristan. Aidan took a step back when it screeched again. Oh crap.

  Aidan! Morgan flickered in and out of sight. Get out of there, you idiot!

  What do you think I’m trying— Aidan jumped out of the way as the demon ran at him. The panther cut it off, paying it back by locking his strong jaws around its throat. Tristan didn’t hesitate. The teeth tore through the sensitive skin and straight to the main artery in the neck.

  “Look out!” Jackson yelled when more demons appeared.

  Oh my God. What are we going to do? Morgan closed her eyes. There are so many of them.

  Another wave of despair rolled over Sophie and she gasped, grabbing Morgan’s attention. Morgan pulled Sophie up by her arms and looked her in the eyes.

  The violet had disappeared behind the black of Sophie’s pupils. Morgan shook Sophie. “Snap out of it!”

  The demand in Morgan’s voice buffered the despair and Sophie focused. She blinked.

  Aidan sent a wall of fire careening at two of the demons that hovered near the girls.

  Some of the other demons snarled and howled when rocks barraged them, a la Jackson.

  “There’s too many!” Ruth fired three more shots. She dropped to one knee and reloaded. “We have to get them out of here!”

  A demon eyed her hungrily and then swung down at her. It pinned her to the ground before she had a chance to raise her gun.

  Sound exploded, like a cannon had been shot. The demon exploded into leathery pieces and scales. Half a wing landed on her and Ruth covered her head. With jerky movements she fought her way out from under it. She smiled. “Casey.”

  Casey stood at six feet-four. His shaved head and mocha skin was covered in tattoos. When he smiled back at her, the moonlight glinted off of a silver tooth. He shouldered his gun and offered her a hand. When she accepted, he pulled her to her feet.

  “It’s about time you showed up!” Rory fired three more arrows, nailed a demon to a tree. Its lips twisted in a grimace and snapped at him. From the scabbard on his belt, Rory pulled a machete and cut the head off. The rest of the body wilted.

  “Where is the rest of the team?” Demetri asked.

  “On their way.” Casey aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun thundered to life and knocked two more demons out of the sky.

  Sophie hugged herself when the demons’ anger spiked at being hunted. The machete slipped from her fingers and stuck in the dirt.

  Morgan looked down at her.

  Sophie’s skin glowed softly.

  Guys, something’s going on with Sophie.

  Tristan responded first. He leaped off of a demon carcass and landed next to Sophie. His yellow eyes watched her as he nudged her with his leopard’s nose. Sophie.

  She jerked. The sound of his voice shifted through the dark
ness in her mind. Her eyes lightened a little.

  He repeated her name after he shifted back to his human form. His hand came up to caress her face.

  “There are more!” Aidan called back. He pushed more flames to keep up a constant wall of fire.

  A petite, strawberry blonde entered the clearing from Casey’s left. She carried a black backpack on her shoulder. Her aquamarine eyes scanned the group, then rested on Sophie’s glowing form.

  “Allison!” Demetri barked.

  The woman stopped. “Sir?”

  “Get them out of here!”

  The demons multiplied and the sound on the other side of the wall of fire amplified.

  Allison nodded and gestured for the Guardians to follow her.

  “If I go now, the wall of fire goes too. I can’t keep it up.” Aidan told Demetri.

  “Jackson, keep us shielded for as long as you can. We’ll hold them long enough for you to gain a head start.” Demetri nodded toward Allison. “Go!”

  Allison took off into the woods.

  Sophie didn’t struggle when Tristan took her hand and led her back into the tree line, close on Allison’s heels.

  The demons fought against Jackson’s shield as the wall of fire dissipated.

  Aidan grabbed Morgan’s hand and pulled her along behind him.

  “Jackson. Go.” Demetri repeated.

  Jackson hesitated before saying, “I can probably hold it for a minute after I leave.”

  “It’ll be long enough.” Casey cocked his gun and watched Jackson slip into the tree line after the others.

  A minute later the shield crashed.

  Sophie could feel the shadows race through the trees. She concentrated on the feel of Tristan’s hand rather than the darkness hunting them.

  “Allison. This way!” Someone called from the right.

  Allison veered that way instantly.

  They ran past a tall woman with flaming red hair. She aimed a crossbow above their heads but didn’t fire. Her cold eyes scanned the forest.

  Crashing sounds permeated behind them. She jerked her crossbow at the rustling. Ruth, Demetri, Rory, and Casey burst through the foliage and ran at the group. Each one looked like they’d been dragged through the mud and splattered in blood. How much of it was their own, Sophie didn’t know.