A few had already gathered in the ship and as always there are new faces. Danny and Hazel stood watch on the deck waiting for Roy to arrive. Strangely, the weather in the forest seemed off.
"I've noticed this since you came, you're really a calm person," Danny said.
He leaned on the railing. His gaze moved from the forest to Hazel. Her eyes behind the glasses surveyed the forest.
"So, I've been told," Hazel answered lightly.
She crouched down and checked her things inside her backpack. On this third day, she came a bit prepared.
Danny watched as she buried her head in her backpack. She was petite like a 15-year-old but her mature actions made him reconsider her actual age.
"Everyone usually freaks out on the first day."
"Are you referring to the two that arrived today?" Hazel said looking up then turned to the young men that had just arrived some time ago.
Two young men had arrived confused, and after learning their situation they caused a raucous. Danny and two other others had to hold them down before they could cause an accident. Causing a commotion could alert the monster bird.
Hazel who came prepared had ropes on her backpack. Thus, the two men were tied up and shoved under a bench. They were still causing a ruckus, so Danny had to shove handkerchiefs on their mouths to shut them up. Although they were handled roughly, it was better than having them cause a commotion.
A few minutes ago, they were untied from their bounds as long as they stay quiet. They complied but were still restless.
"Ah, they're just...anxious I guess," Hazel said as she glanced at the two men.
"Well, somehow I get the feeling you're too indifferent," Danny carefully said. He examined her face to see her reaction. "Kinda like.... you're not afraid of dying."
"Honestly, I really am not afraid of dying," she said meekly, "but that monster truly scares me."
Hazel could tell he was worried. Any normal person would have an anxiety attack in this situation but I was calm since the first day.
"I get it," he said. "Looks like Roy is here."
Hazel turned to see Roy come out from the forest. They watched him come closer to the ship while also keeping alert in case the monster bird suddenly appears.
"I'm the late one today," Roy said as he ascended the ladder.
"Leader there are two new people that arrived a while ago," Hazel reported. She was crouching down at the edge of the ladder, watching Roy climb up.
"Two? How many are still not here?" Roy asked.
Landing on the deck, he patted his trousers before scanning the area.
"There should be three more left…oh another one just arrived," Danny said as he kept a lookout.
"Leader," Hazel called, "What happens if you locked eyes with the monster bird?"
Roy didn't answer. He had no knowledge of anyone ever staring eye to eye with the monster. Or it could be no one had lived to tell the tale. He scratched his chin in contemplation.
"I supposed the monster would have killed you on the spot if that happened," he answered after careful thought.
"Also is there any other monster around?" Hazel continued asking.
Roy looked at the forest surrounding them. "Now that you mention it no one has ever gone further than half a mile from the ship. My old leader did say once there was a time a group tried to venture further ahead but they were never heard from again."
Hazel fell silent, pondering.
"What do you think?"
"I was thinking that maybe the monster bird is territorial. It only goes hunting on its territory and just beyond is another territory and another monster lurking there. There could be other monsters more dangerous out there."
"You can think up pretty scary things, Zel," Danny interjected with an amused expression.
"I tend to overthink things. It's a bad habit," she admitted meekly. "Don't you find it strange one moment you were talking with some friends you blink and you suddenly find yourself in a forest? Were we chosen or just randomly picked? Are we here just waiting to die at the hands of a monster or do we have a mission to kill the bird?"
"Were you with your friends when you suddenly appeared here?"
"That's not the point here, Dan," Roy said with an exasperated face.
By now the last person had already arrived and was still a few meters away from the ship. Hazel had noticed a figure among the trees. Staring at it she gasped.
"The monster has appeared," she exclaimed.
But it was too late for them to reach the door. The bird was already close to the ship without them noticing. The last one to arrive was still below the ship with nowhere to hide. They could already guess the outcome of the poor soul.
Hazel's mind moved fast as she grabbed the two men and took them to the other side of the wall. Hastily, she took out a large piece of cloth from her backpack and used it to cover herself and the two men. They had no choice but to hide and let the latecomer be taken away. His scream echoed throughout the quiet forest then it slowly faded as he was taken away.
"It's quiet," Danny mumbled then shuffled within the cloth.
Currently, they were in awkward positions under the cloth. Roy was sprawled on the floor while on top of him was Danny facing upward. Beside them was Hazel, her upper body on the floor while her legs were Danny's stomach. While spreading the cloth, in her haste, she tripped on Roy and Danny who were lying behind her causing her to fall with a loud thud that shock all three of them. They tacitly decided to stay in position when they heard the scream.
Roy lifted a part of the cloth to peek. He was about to announce it was safe when...
THUD
The familiar loud thump shook them. The monster bird had silently returned. This was the first time they had a close distance from the monster. They could clearly hear the thumping of each step along with the scratching from the talons. The three froze in place with cold sweat on their backs. Their breathing gradually became heavy that they had to cover their mouths. The heavy footsteps walked closer to them until eventually, it passed by them.
The monster finally left flapping its wings that almost blew away the cloth covering the trio. The cloth had now partially covered them and the three watched as the bird disappeared into the trees. Sighs of relief were let out as the trio narrowly escaped death.
Feeling exhausted, they lay on the floor while the people inside had started to come out. They all took glances at the trio laying down as they walked towards the ladder.
"What are you three doing?" said a familiar face poking from the other side of the wall.
"Al, have you ever thought what's the meaning of life?" Danny blankly said.
"What are you being sentimental for? Let's go," Al urged them. In fact, he saw what transpired outside the cabin from where he was hiding, but he decided not to talk about it.
The three on the floor smiled wryly and got up. Danny helped Hazel fold the cloth and place it inside her backpack. Roy checked inside before leaving with Al, Danny, and Hazel. Just like that they left the forest and returned to their normal lives.