by Blake Vanier
Korbin pokes the air with his finger. “Right there, in those bushes. It was like a glint of light or something. I just saw a flash of it.”
“Come on Korbin, you’re being dramatic. We need to stay quiet,” Iona says.
Ryder nods. “Yeah, man. I bet it was something that just caught Illi’s light at an odd angle.”
“What light, Ryder?” Korbin throws up his hands. “Everything is dark here. There’s hardly any light to shine off anything!”
“I don’t know, Korbin, maybe there was a quick break in the clouds or something. We’re all scared but we need to keep going. The faster we go, the faster we get this over with. Now be quiet.”
Ryder moves along without waiting for a response. The rest jump in line to follow. Other than the sounds they are making; the forest is completely silent. Iona glances at the bushes but sees nothing. She takes a couple slow, deep breaths, forcing herself to stop looking. It’s probably just a squirrel or something, no big deal.
“Look there!” Korbin yells, throwing his other rock into the forest.
Iona nearly jumps out of her skin.
Ryder again looks in the direction of Korbin’s throw. “Where, Korb? I don’t see anything.”
“Over there, by the big tree with the moss and the broken branch.” Korbin moves his head around, looking at different angles.
Ryder shakes his head. “It must’ve been another glint or something.”
Korbin looks at Ryder with wide eyes, face pale. “No, man, I saw two eyes! They were glowing gold and they disappeared when I looked at them.”
Ryder walks up to Korbin, putting his hand on his back. “It’s probably just some little critter that’s interested in us.”
Korbin shrugs Ryder’s hand off. “Interested in a snack.”
Ryder sighs. “Come on, Korb.”
Thea jumps with one hand on her chest, the other pointing into the forest. “Eyes!”
They all look at her shaking finger, following it to the forest. Nothing is there.
Korbin spins to Ryder. “See? I’m not making it up! We need to get out of here!”
“Dang it, Korbin, you’re freaking everyone out. Just chill,” Ryder says.
Iona throws up her arms. “Seriously, Korbin, I thought you wanted to fight some monsters? This is ridiculous. There’s nothing out there.”
Ryder begins to walk. “Alright, we need to g―Oooh I just saw something.”
Okay, everyone’s lost their minds. Iona looks quickly in the trees. There’s nothing there; everyone’s just panicking.
Thea jumps again, pointing. “There. I saw eyes and they were looking right at me.”
Iona looks at the others. “Come on, what’s going on here? We all just need to take a couple deep breaths.” A clicking sound that quickly accelerates rings through the forest. The children freeze. “What was that?”
Korbin puts his hands on his head. “I think we should head back. Nero’s gone.” He glances at the others. “I mean, come on, how would he survive something like that? It’s Nero. He couldn’t survive his room in the dark if there wasn’t a night light.”
Ryder pushes forward. “It’s going to be okay. We just need to keep moving.”
Thea runs to Ryder, grabbing his arm. “I’m really scared, please make it go away.”
Another set of clicks comes from the forest. The children spin around, trying to see the source. Suddenly, Iona sees a set of golden eyes blink in and out of existence, taking her breath away with them. Eyes!
“Come on, let’s move.” Ryder trudges through the forest at a brisk pace, pulling Thea along by her hand. The clicking rings throughout the forest and multiple sets of glowing eyes are visible at any one time.
Pressure begins to build in Iona’s body. We need to go! They’re all around us. Just run! She can barely keep herself from surrendering to the fear.
Thea starts to pull ahead of Ryder, dragging him along. “Come on! We need to go faster. They’re coming!” She tugs on Ryder’s arm. “Come on!”
Ryder stumbles along. “Stay calm, Thea!” He says in a high-pitched voice.
“No! We need to run. Can’t you see? They’re coming for us!” She rips her hand free and runs.
Iona can hear rustling in the forest all around her. “Run!”
The children sprint as fast as they can through the thick forest. The clicking is now short and is coming from every direction. Iona glances back. Eyes appear and disappear from every angle. Her legs start to burn again, her breathing becomes frantic, but she urges herself on.
“Hey, wait up!” She hears from behind her.
Iona looks back and to her surprise there are no golden eyes. Instead… Nero? She looks back again. He is running desperately, waving his hands. But how? “Hurry, Nero,” she says, pausing to let him catch up.
He is running with two dull pieces of fruit in each hand. “What―are―we―running from?”
As soon as he is within reach, she grabs his wrist, pulling him on. “We need to keep going!”
Nero stumbles while Iona drags. They finally come upon the other children, bent over and sucking air.
“Iona!” Ryder says, looking at Nero. “Where’d you find him?”
Nero instantly collapses.
Iona shakes her head and shrugs, unable to speak.
“Why are we running so much!” Korbin says in between breaths as he kicks some vines.
Ryder turns his attention back to the forest, which is now quiet. He wipes his forehead clean of sweat. “I think we’re safe.”
Thea pulls Nero halfway up, locking him in a tight embrace. “We thought you got eaten by the monster.” She lets go and looks at him. “How’d you escape?”
“What?” Nero picks himself up.
“What do you mean ‘what’?” Ryder asks. “There was a huge monster that was about to eat you. How’d you get away?”
“Um… well, actually, I, ah… just kinda woke up and it―I mean, this tree was there. With this fruit!” He holds up the fruit like a prize.
“That’s it? You just woke up? What happened to the monster?” Korbin asks.
“The monster?” Nero looks at his feet. “It… wasn’t there. It must have wandered off or something.”
“But why didn’t it eat you?” Korbin asks.
Nero shrugs. “Maybe it didn’t want to. I don’t know.” Nero looks at the others for a moment then fidgets with the fruit. “This fruit is really good. Do you want to split it with me?” He struggles to peel back a hard rind, exposing a grey, juicy pulp. He holds it up to Iona’s nose.
The fruit smells harsh with an acidic edged. It burns Iona’s nose, forcing her to pull back her head. “Oh, that’s disgusting. I can’t believe you’re eating that.”
“Really? I like it! It tingles in your mouth like that fizzing candy. Anyone else?” They shake their heads. Nero shrugs, eating. “So, why were you running?”
“We were coming back to look for you when these things with golden eyes and no bodies started hunting us,” Thea says, her eyebrows raised. “They were all around us, making this clicking sound like they were talking about how tasty we all would be.”
Nero smiles. “You were coming after me?”
Thea relaxes, smiling. “Of course.”
Suddenly he takes a breath, looking around. “But what happened to the eyes. Are they still around?”
Thea’s eyes widen. She looks at Ryder.
Ryder shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess we got away from them. I don’t see or hear them anymore.”
Nero lets out his breath. “Thank goodness. Well, shouldn’t we get moving?”
Iona studies Nero, a tinge of guilt poking her chest. He must have thought we’d just leave him…
Ryder smacks Nero on the back and pulls out his compass. He visibly relaxes when he opens it. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’m really glad we’re all back together.”
As they walk, life slowly returns to the forest. The birds are sparse at first, but soon they ar
e back in the same numbers as earlier. The clouds start to break up and Illi’s light pours through, washing away the dull haze and cleansing the children of their fears. Soon, they are joking with each other.
After several hours of walking, the thickness of the forest abates, allowing them to move with ease. A peachy glow from Illi as it sets, alights the few clouds remaining in the sky.
Ryder finally stops at a nice flat section with soft ground cover. “I think we can safely say we are out of that mess. Let’s call it a day and try to get a jump start tomorrow morning so that we can reach Blue Horin by midday.”
They unpack their sleeping gear, scrounge together some food, and fall victim to their extreme exhaustion.
8
Blue Horin Bay
Iona
A figure shrouded in shadows holds his arms out, gently calling to her, like a father would call his child. She desperately wants to go to him, but she is unable to close the distance no matter how hard she tries. The figure slowly fades away.
Iona blinks the grogginess from her eyes. She sees treetops swaying gently with a light blue sky behind them. She hears a rustle and sits up. A well-rested Nero is bending over the backpacks, collecting food.
Ryder pushes himself up, rubbing his head. “Hey, Nero, what’cha doin?”
Nero pauses to look at Ryder. “Just looking to see what’s for breakfast.”
Ryder yawns. “Jeez, you’re up and moving quick this morning.” His face is dirty and his hair is a mess.
Nero looks at Ryder seriously. “Wish I could say the same about you all.”
Ryder smiles. “I like it, Nero, let’s get these lazy bums moving. Barrel Roll!” He whips the blankets off and rolls back and forth over the other children, occasionally stopping to tickle and terrorize.
“Alright, we’re up,” Thea says. “What’s for breakfast then?”
They put together a sorry-looking breakfast, which they eat in no time. On sore feet and tired legs, they continue their journey. Nero leads the way, tossing and catching the piece of fruit he found from the forest.
Iona marvels at the strange lightness in her chest. She tries to shake the feeling with little success. I need to be on my guard. There could still be danger.
Ryder snaps his compass shut, looking at Nero. “So, why are you in such a good mood?”
Nero shrugs. “I don’t know. I just like it here. It’s peaceful.”
Ryder raises one eyebrow. “Yeah? I guess so, if you don’t include all the monsters trying to eat us. What really happened with the thing back there?”
“Nothing exciting… It’s not a big deal. You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
Ryder gives Nero a playful shove. “Oh, whatever, just tell us.”
Nero takes a deep breath. “Okay. So, after Korbin shoved me and the animal roared… I just kinda blacked out, I think.”
Korbin hurries alongside them. “Ha! I can believe that.”
“Come on, Korb, let him finish,” Ryder says.
Nero hesitates for a moment. “So, I woke up under the tree―like I said―and the yellow and red striped animal was lying near me―”
“What?” Korbin looks at Nero. “What yellow and red striped animal?”
“The big animal that roared,” Nero says. “The one you were poking with the stick.”
“It didn’t have red and yellow stripes.” Korbin turns to Ryder and shakes his head. “Can you believe this? He’s already making stuff up.” He turns back to Nero, contemptuous. “I bet next you’re going to tell us you fought it with your bare hands and scared it away.”
“What?” Nero says. “No! I’m not making this up. It’s the truth.”
“Oh right, I believe you. I bet the real reason it didn’t eat you is because it was afraid you’d upset its stomach.”
“You’re such a butt!” Nero runs ahead, hanging his head.
“That was super mean, Korb,” Thea says. “You don’t always have to be a jerk.”
“Yeah, but you heard him. The creature wasn’t yellow and red. It was grey.”
Thea shakes her head and jogs up to Nero, who is pulling his rusty-brown colored bracelet from his pocket with his free hand.
“Korb, you’ve got to be more gentle,” Ryder says. “Maybe he was just really scared. Sometimes your memory gets a bit twisted when you’re scared. I bet it was a horrible experience for him.”
“It’s just so annoying when he’s so scared of everything and now he’s making stuff up!”
“Cut him some slack, Korb. You were being just as big of a wuss, so you have no right to be so hard on him.”
“Woo!” Iona smacks Ryder in the chest, pointing with her other hand. “Look!”
Someone covered in rags and filth is walking toward Thea and Nero, who have frozen in their tracks. Suddenly, the figure launches at Nero, grabbing his wrist and yanking his arm into the air. Thea jumps on its arm but the figure shrugs her off with little effort. Iona, Ryder, and Korbin run to help, but are tossed away.
The figure wrenches the fruit out of Nero’s hand. “Where did you get this?” From the depths of the rags, a woman’s voice crackles as if it had not been used for months.
Nero reaches up with his hand and tries to pry his wrist free from the iron grip; tears are streaming down his face. “Let me go!”
The woman shakes his arm, scowling. “Do you have mo―” Her eyes fall on his bracelet and she freezes. The wildness she possessed just a moment ago vanishes and she slowly looks at the other children who are circling her for another attack. “Where are your parents?”
“We don’t have parents,” Korbin blurts out.
Iona glares at Korbin fiercely. “Shhhh!”
“Orphans?” She says quietly to herself. She looks once more at the bracelet in his hand and her scowl vaporizes, leaving behind sudden shock and horror. She pulls her hand away from Nero’s wrist as if it had burnt her. The fruit falls from her hand and she stumbles back in a complete daze, tripping over her feet and landing on her butt. She stays there, her pale, blank face frozen.
The children hesitate for just a moment before they run. This time Ryder stays with Nero. They run as far and as long as they can, before Nero can go no further. Nero falls over and lies on his back, gasping for air. The others stand in a circle, doubled over, taking deep breaths.
Finally, Iona stands up straight. “What the heck was that?”
Ryder shakes his head. “No idea.”
“I’m so tired of running!” Korbin starts to kick the dirt and leaves gathered about the ground. “The whole world is crazy!”
Thea nods her head. “Yeah, that was really weird. As soon as Korbin said we didn’t have parents she changed…”
“Maybe she’s an orphan too?” Iona says. “And couldn’t bring herself to steal from us when she found out.”
“I guess that would make sense.” Ryder shrugs. “Maybe she’s just wacko. The important thing is, we all got away this time.”
Iona turns to Korbin. “But seriously, Korb, don’t go telling everyone we don’t have parents.”
Korbin looks at Iona, holding a stick that he was about to break over his knee. “What do you mean? I just saved us,” he says.
“We got lucky, for all we know it could have just as easily gone the other way. What if she decided to kidnap us because we weren’t with anyone?”
“Fine. Whatever. Just don’t make me run.”
Nero is just starting to catch his breath.
Ryder pulls him up. “Alright, let’s keep going.”
*****
The children reach a gentle slope before the trees start to thin rapidly. Off in the distance, they can see the crest of a hill. There are several tall watch towers spread out along the top.
Thea jumps up and down. “Civilization!”
Ryder smiles, looking at Iona. “What do you think we should do? I’m guessing those are guard towers. Think they’ll have a problem with us passing?”
Iona clenches her teeth. “
I don’t think we have a choice.” She points up the hill. Two small four-wheelers are racing toward them.
Several tense breaths later, two Human soldiers dressed in Erohsian military uniforms come skidding to a halt, spraying up dirt and plants. The two soldiers jump off the four-wheelers. The shorter of the two swings his gun around from his back.
“Come on, Walter, they’re just kids,” the taller soldier says.
“Yeah?” Walter’s steel gaze is heavy on the children. “What are you kids doing out here?” The children cannot take their eyes from the weapon. “Speak up!” he says, jerking the gun.
The taller soldier steps forward, pushing the barrel of Walter’s gun away. “Hey, dip stick! What’s wrong with you? They’re just kids, you dim witted entity.”
Walter’s face turns red and Korbin muffles a laugh with his hands. Walter shoots him a deathly glare that shuts him up.
The taller soldier steps in front of Walter. “There’s no reason to be scared of us. We might be dressed in Erohsian uniforms but it’s only because they supply the equipment to guard the city.” He smiles at the children. “So, what are you kids doing out here so early and all by yourselves?”
“Oh, we aren’t alone!” Iona says. “Well, actually, I mean our parents live in Blue Horin.”
The tall soldier raises his eyebrow. “Well, what are you doing in the Forest? You know it’s very dangerous, right? You shouldn’t be out here by yourselves. What are your parents thinking?”
“Uh, well we really weren’t, except for this last part. We’re coming from visiting our aunt.” Iona looks at the soldier, then at the ground. “She’s a hobo in the forest and our parents wanted us to try to convince her to come home.”
“You mean that creepy old goat that wanders the area? She’s your aunt? Well she’s as sweet as a mouth full of dirt. I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Iona shakes her head. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. She doesn’t deserve kids as nice as you, but excuse me, it’s none of my business. So how are you kids getting back to the city?”
“Just walking,” Iona says.
“Walking? That’ll take hours. There’s no one to come get you?” Pete looks at the dirty, disheveled children and his face relaxes. “Oh. Well, if you were looking for something to do, I’d recommend the open market around piers fifteen through twenty. The people are friendly. They’re more likely to be looking for help if you were interested in working. I also heard there’s some decent cheap lodging in the area. Anyway, my name’s Pete and the cranky one’s Walter.” He signals at Walter with his thumb. “We can carry a few of you to the hill, at least, if you’d like a ride?”