As they came out of the bus, they all gathered around Ms. Grace, their tour guide. They were standing at the outer side of a vast ground and they could see some other people around too. There were some couples who passed by them in their cars on their way in and out and some little teams. None of them were as big a team as them.
"Alright, guys, this is the last point where our bus could bring us. Starting tomorrow, the real fun starts. We're going to stay in the ground tonight and tomorrow will be our first day to walk inside the jungle. We've maps prepared for all of you and there are marked destinations that we'll cover in the next 4 days. On the fifth day, we'll start heading back to the ground and meet here on the ninth day. Mr. Baqi is getting our team registered and we can then head inside. Is that clear?"
"Yes." Everyone nodded. Suddenly Hannele felt a chill run down her spine. As if some cold eyes were looking at her from the back. She instantly turned back. They were standing at an elevated cliff and starting here, the elevation only goes higher since the forest thickens from here onwards. Behind them were some mountains and a road they had climbed up. Both the places were as serene as if no one had been there for ages. Perhaps it was all in her head. She turned back to listen to Ms. Grace only to realize no one around.
She suddenly felt afraid. 'Where did everyone go? Why isn't anyone here?'
"Hanny", she jumped on the voice only to look back and see Brylee coming towards her in annoyance. "What are you doing here? Everyone already went in. I thought you were coming with me."
Hannele looked at her in confusion. "Everyone went in already? "
"Yeah, now c'mon." Brylee dragged her inside. Their group was walking towards the right side with different things. After reaching a clearing which was separated from the rest of the ground with a thin outline of trees, ms. Grace stopped.
"Ok, as we discussed, minimum stuff and max fun, there are only 10 tents. Every four members shall be sharing a tent. I've divided the rest of the duties among you people too."
She then proceeded to announce the duties of food, setting up tents, and other tasks. They'd opted for stainless steel dishes instead of plastics because that'll be a lot of garbage in the jungle. Moreover, they can be used again. Hannele, Brylee, and a young man called Sam were asked to gather fuel from the neighboring areas. As they proceeded towards the jungle, she again felt those chilling eyes at her back but got nothing.
After entering the forest, Sam turned towards them before smiling and spoke in a suggestive tone. "I think it'll be best if we split and come back in half an hour. That way, we'll be able to pick more wood in less time." They both agreed. "Please don't go too far. Stay in the area where you can see the way back to here. And preferably pick the branches that are thin." After the trio split up, Hannele decided to go straight.
They had specific tank like gadgets worn like a bag where they'd store the wood. After almost thirty minutes, when she saw that her trunk was full she decided to go back and meet Brylee the Sam.
"But first, let's take some rest." She removed the bag from her back and took the water bottle hanging on her waist. As she drank from the bottle, she suddenly felt the eerie silence around her. The atmosphere scared her a little as she gulped discreetly and decided to go back as soon as possible.
She froze again as she felt the chilling eyes on her back again. Someone was looking at her and the feeling wasn't a guess anymore. She heard some rustling and her feet refused to move. She wanted to turn back and run or at least look back with confidence but her fear was getting the best of her. Fear clawed her heart as she stood there like a statue, not moving at all. The rustling of leaves was causing her heart to beat crazily as the sound came nearer. Out of fear, she closed her eyes and clutched on the pendant hanging from her neck hard. However, after some time, when she didn't hear any voice her heart started to calm down. Perhaps it was some stray animal. She slowly opened her eyes but her heart almost exploded as she looked in her front. Her eyes widened with fear, as she placed her hand on her chest to take deep breaths and compose herself.
The person in front of her was looking at her with deep eyes before she finally opened her mouth and screamed. " Leeee, how dare you?" Saying so, she pounced on her to give a beating but Brylee started laughing crazily while defending herself from Hannele's attacks.
"I didn't know you'll get so scared. I just came to check on you after I was done picking my portion. Oh God, you're such a cat Hanny." She laughed again.
"Shut up." Hannele blushed as she picked her basket and started moving ahead. By the time they went back, the tents were already set up and some members were getting started with the preparation for dinner. Both Hannele and Brylee joined them.
After dinner, they decided to take a stroll along the fence of the ground. On the other side of the fence was the footing of the jungle and there onwards it only got thicker and higher. If looked upon in the dark of the night, the scenery may scare anyone but fortunately for them, it was a full moon tonight. Brylee was talking about some secret plan she had come up with when she felt a slight shiver on her back again. The hair on her back stood up in alarm, the feeling was getting more real.
She had ignored it the first time and then it was Brylee who pranked her, but this time, they were together and still she felt a dark chilling gaze on her back. It was as if the person looking at her was scanning her every move intently. She suddenly clutched on Brylee's arm strongly and turned back to catch someone suspicious. There was no one. Brylee, who had stopped talking was now looking at her with concern. "What happened babe? what's wrong?"
"Ah nothing, I'm just not feeling well I guess." Hannele looked back at her and said in a pitiful voice. She was actually starting to feel scared now. She's been going through this since she arrived here and it's only been a few hours. The uneasiness was playing with her nerves. 'I guess I'm being too jumpy', she thought to herself.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Here, have a seat." Brylee dragged her to the nearest bench and sat down beside her. "What's wrong? Is something bothering you? Did someone tried to bully you? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Brylee's questions made her giggle lightly.
"Ms. Lee I'm alright. I'm wearing lenses and a jacket that covers my back, remember? How can someone bully me when they didn't even see anything? Besides, I'll be the one to bully them after they get scared by looking at my purple eyes or my snake mark." she chuckled again at Brylee's face.
After looking at Hannele for a good minute, she finally crossed her arms around her chest and asked. "What's the problem then?"
"Nothing, I'm just thirsty. Can you bring me something to drink?"
Her questions were making her nervous since Hannele herself didn't know why she was feeling this way. "Is that all?" Brylee eyed her suspiciously before giving in.
"Stay here, I'll be right back."
"Sure," she smiled at her sweetly and relaxed on the bench, giving Brylee the message that she won't move from her place at all.
Brylee went towards the tents where everyone else was sitting around the bonfire. They were probably planning a good night with music. Hannele looked at her from her position, watching her walk swiftly until she disappeared behind a tent. She then looked around herself and realized she was sitting at the last bench on the ground. Few meters away from her on the right side, was the fence and behind it wasn't the forest like on her back. She couldn't even see the ground there and in her curiosity, she stood up and walked to the edge of the ground. Few feet after the fence, the ground disappears and turns into a steep cliff. If someone happened to walk past the fence, chances are, they'll fall straight thousands of meters down the fosse.
Scared by the view, she instantly stepped back and turned to go sit on the bench. However, the moment she turned back, she felt her heart sink deep down in the pit of her stomach. Standing in front of her, was the fear of her life.
A giant snake was looking at her with its eerie eyes. The gaze was chilling her bones as the serpent flared its hood and Hannele felt that it wasn't because it felt alarmed, rather, the snake was trying to show its power to her. Her legs started to shake slightly as she licked her lips in fear.