"What's your status?" Miss Wade asked
Neil, Sandy, Freda and Delia had just returned to meet the rest of the team who were already inside the jungle, Miss Wade looked at them for a while expecting answers from them.
"There's something wrong about this region." Rory spoke out. "It's so full of dark energy. It's repelling my energy, like it resides here."
"What do you mean?" Miss Wade turned towards Rory. "What do you mean 'resides here'?"
Rory opened his eyes and looked at Miss Wade for few seconds.
"There's a dark specter at the heart of the woods." Neil said. "And the worse part... The driver was taken towards the heart of this God damned maze."
Silence.
There was sudden tension in the atmosphere as Miss Wade began to observe the trees and the entire zone, she lost herself in a serious thinking of what they should do next and how to escape the woods without losing anyone.
"Why don't we just leave then." Sandy whispered. "Why try rescue a driver?"
"Can you drive a car?" Ned asked.
"Can't you?" Sandy asked.
"No.." Ned adjust his specks.
"What..." Sandy laughed. "That's so lame of you... With all of your matrix ability, it turned out that you're useless."
"How old are you?" Ned asked.
"None of your concern..!" Sandy roared.
"Fine... But when you grow up...." He adjust his specks. "We can talk."
Sandy became silent for a while as the word echoed in his head continuously, his eyes suddenly went wide with rage.. He hopped into the air just to pounce on Ned...
"Huh... Why am I mid air?" Sandy asked no one.
He looked down only to see Zoe's aura armor with it's outstretched arm that caught him mid air.
"Let me down.... Now...." Sandy struggled to go free.
" Calm down would you..." Zoe sighed.
"Never.. I won't." He cried. "He insulted me."
Miss Wade payed less attention on them as she looked deep into the forest, she frowned as she peered more into the forest.
"Enough all of you." She finally yelled.
Silence....
She turned around and looked at her students as they waited for her to tell them what is to be done, she turned around again and stared at the jungle.
"Delia... Neil... Jayden.... Freda and Reece..." She began. "You are coming with me into the heart of this forest..."
"What about us ma'am..." Lyn asked.
"Head back to the bus..." Miss Wade.
"Why is that ma'am..?" Sandy groaned. "Why am I not going when Reece is going... Am I not strong enough.?"
Silence
Sandy was about to say more when he felt a grip on his shoulder, he turned to see Rory shaking his head in disagreement. Practically telling him not to say more but to remain silent, he groaned again clenching his teeth with his eyes closed as he bowed his head.
"Dude..." Clint held his shoulders. "Let it go.... We need to head back."
The ones whose name weren't mentioned turned to leave, Chiyo ran towards Neil and gave him her necklace. Neil refused it but was urge to take it by Zoe for Chiyo's sake.
"Fine... I will return it back to you." Neil smiled.
"You better..." She smiled.
"Sandy... Take care of them." Neil telepaths. "That's why you've been left behind... Because if things go crazy, you alone can lead them out of this place alive...."
Sandy grumbled and left without looking back to see if they were following him, he just kept walking with his eyes shut in rage.
"Be back in one piece... All of you." Jade begged.
"Sure.." Jayden laughed.
Miss Wade went ahead of them as they followed her almost immediately, Lyn's group departed too as both teams took their different route.
"Freda... You lead the way.." Miss Wade suggested. "Besides you still have his scent... Don't you?"
"I do..." Freda said.
"And Reece...." Miss Wade called out.
Reece turned to meet miss Wade's face and saw how serious she was, he swallowed heavily.
"The time has come." She began. "Don't be scared to use it."
Freda went ahead of them in order to catch the drivers scent again, the rest of them followed her closely behind.
They ran through and never bothered to slow down a little to catch their breath, they kept following Freda as she went even faster than she was before.. They knew she had located the scent, not long after they approached the vague shadow again.
It gave out an eerie roar which sent out a massive gale that shook the trees around it, Miss Wade observed it for few seconds before frowning.
The shadow expanded fast in attack as the students hopped back leaving Miss Wade at the front, the shadow was close to hitting her on the face... She dodged it by bending her body slightly as the shadow zoomed past her. It diverted again towards Miss Wade as she walked towards it, she sensed it coming behind her and squatted... Letting it zoom past again, it struck at her again when she squatted and she smiled. She hopped back again and stood, the students watched as their teacher dodged the shadows so well.
"That's our teacher for you." Jayden hyped. "You don't mess with her."
Delia observed for a while before charging in, the shadow stroke out towards Delia as she approached it. She slid underneath the attack before bouncing to her feet again to continue the rush. Jayden began to jog uncontrollably like he's been fired up, his smile was one of excitement.
"See you guys inside." He howled and dashed down the hill.
"Am so fired up." Freda hopped away.
"Why are you guys are in such a rush?" Reece called out. "Are you going in too.?.... Neil."
He turned and saw Neil watching the shadows intensely with his face calm... More calm than before.
His iris danced around the environment with so much focus that one can't tell what's on his mind, he later turned towards Reece and looked him deep in the eyes.. He smelled fear and smiled to make Reece feel at ease, But he felt even worse watching Neil smile at him like that because he knew Neil has something up his sleeves.... Again.
"I've got a plan" Neil telepaths.
"I knew it..." Reece cried.
"Wanna listen.?" Neil asked.
"Do I have the choice to decline?" Reece protested.
"No..."
"Just great.." Reece placed his palm to his face in frustration.
.
.
.
"Not again.." Ned lamented.
"What is it?" Lyn asked.
"I can't find the way..." Ned said. " It's like the whole route has suddenly changed."
"What...?" Everyone yelled.
"Why is that so?" Zoe asked Ned as he scratch his head in thoughts
Commotion broke out amongst them as they quarried amongst themselves, Sandy walked down the path still sad and mad at not being chosen to join the clique that had to fight the enemy... Everything began to fade around him as he kept walking, his mood never seemed to change but became worse as he recalled all that had happened to him... His rejection on everything, mockery by everyone and hatred he endured.. all this came in a rush that he felt left alone in his dark world...
A bright light appeared ahead of him that made him flinch as he looked at the light.
"Sandy..." He heard from the light.
He covered his face to deflect the light when a hand came out of it and grabbed him on his shoulder.
"Take care of them..." The voice said. "Because you alone can lead them out of this place alive."
"Neil...." Sandy whispered.
The light illuminated his darkness and Neil came into view, he had a smile on his face that made Sandy's heart revive from his sadness.
"That's right." He said. "I will lead them."
His vision came back to reality as he turned towards his friends as they complained amongst themselves, his mood and nerve has become bright and calm.
"Hey..." He called out.
Silence.
"Why are we fighting anyways?" He began. "Let's figure out way outta here together.."
"How...?" Lyn asked.
"Well.." He rubbed his chin as he contemplated before looking at Zoe. "You.."
"Me..?" Zoe asked with suspicion.
" Yeah.." Sandy smiled. "Take specks upward so he could scan the entire horizon and our location too."
"Don't call me specks.." Ned quarried.
Sandy turned around and observed around him with his arm folded to his back, he was feeling like he could do anything.... Anytime.
"Don't ignore me, you..." Ned yelled
He growled as he was approaching Sandy only to be gripped by Zoe's amor as they take off into the air.
"Let me down.." Ned complained.
"Hold still or I'll drop you." Zoe threatened.
Everyone watch Zoe and Ned make their way to the top of the jungle, Sandy suddenly turned towards his friends with his hand still fixed on his jaw.
"Chiyo..." He called out.
"Yeah." Chiyo answered anxiously.
"Send out spectres to survey the area..." He finished. "For caution's sake.."
"Okay..." Chiyo saluted.
She closed her eyes in concentration as golden mist evaporated from her body and they formed shapeless shades, each of them sprang into various directions of the jungle... Lyn walked towards Sandy as he hummed and marched around like a commander of an army.
"What else do you have in mind.." she asked.
"Patience..." Sandy smiled. " One at a time."
Lyn watched him with wonder as he walked past her with his arm still on his chin, she began to wonder what it was that had suddenly changed the rough Sandy into a fast thinker.
"What happens next if all these failed..?" Sandy questioned himself. "Okay... Think like Neil... What would Neil do if he was here..?"
.
.
.
" Hold on tight..." Zoe called out.
"Yeah... Great..." Ned complained.. " You're squeezing me with this gigantic eagle armor. And after passing through all this pain... You're wanting me to endure? That's absurd..."
" Mind your language..." Zoe looked at him. " I studied English too.."
"What if you did.?" He adjust his specks.
" Guess dropping you won't be a problem for me after all." Zoe winked.
Ned looked down as his matrix did some calculations for him, he knew if she did drop him off... He would definitely fall into coma before even touching the ground. He looked at her again as she looked upward, then decided to keep his mouth shut about the pain he's receiving.
They finally approached the top of the jungle after few minutes of dodging and spinning in the air to avoid contacts with the tree branches and leaves, Ned looked around and spotted their vehicle few meters away.
He calculated the distance between them and their vehicle, before spotting the route out of the jungle. He turned to Zoe who steadied her amor from going upward or downward.
"Are you done?" Zoe asked.
"Yes... Hold up." Ned called out.
"What..?" She asked.
" I think I see something strange..." He adjust his specks.
" What's that..?" She asked again.
"I knew it...." Ned said.
"Huh...."
"Let's head down..." Ned yelled.
"Fine then.." Zoe dropped downward.
.
.
.
" Anything?" Sandy asked.
"Nothing yet.." Chiyo answered.
Sandy sat down on the ground with his arm resting on his knees as he tossed stones into the air, Chiyo gasped drawing the attention of everyone towards her... Jade grabbed her as she shivered while everyone gathered round her, Sandy remained stationed at his sitting position still tossing the stones.
CRACKS....
Zoe and Ned landed on the ground.
"Sandy..." Ned began. "Something is happening in this forest."
" It's changing.." Sandy smiled. " Isn't it?"
Everyone gasped in Surprise as he kept tossing the stones without stopping.