ALEX
I opened my eyes to find myself standing in a red forest?... Oh wait - just the leaves were red. But the forest looked awfully creepy.
I looked around over to my side where the portal was but Tyler wasn't there.
'I thought we came in together? I thought but I couldn't find him anywhere.
"Tyson?" I called out but no one replied me.
"Where'd he go?"
I looked back at the pathway and waited for him to come in. He was taking quite a while. I looked around once again as I waited and then it hit me.
I'm on a trip with Tyler.
"Ohmygod!" I let out as it never actually really dawned on me. My heart rate picked up as I looked back at the portal. He could be here any minute now, any second now, what do I do?!
Whoop!
Eh?
I stared confusedly at the empty space right in front of me. The portal was gone and there was no Tyler. 'What the-', I swung my arm around the spot where the portal was but my arm swung around openly. Not sure what exactly I was expecting.
I looked around and I finally realized Tyson who had come in before me was nowhere around either. I stared confusedly for a minute.
"No way!" I looked back at the portal space and my eyes widened. Were we separated?.
Tyson didn't mention anything about being separated!
This was a bummer situation in a lot of ways. First was the fact that my excitement of being with Tyler has been drained. Next to that I had no idea what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go. And I totally have no idea where the others are or how exactly I was to find them.
I suddenly flinched at the slightest sound as my awareness picked up. I knew so many worse case scenario could happen but not me ending up lost alone in a forest... especially not the forbidden forest .
"Okay Alex, let's stay calm" I muttered to myself as I moved on to take out my phone which I had in my front pocket. "No signal. How convenient"
I couldn't think of anything else, so I went with the only and last thing I could think of.
To Wait.
Erica was super against my leaving. She didn't seem to sit well with the whole having no idea what could happen to me thing. She had tried to change my mind with all sort of scary thoughts but my mind stood firm for different reasons. I hadn't said anything when we were at Tyler's house but when Tyson had shown me the map, aside from me being able to see it clearly something else caught my eyes.
At the right end of the map was a drawing I recognised. I was sure I had seen it somewhere and when I thought a little deeper, my mom's ring flashed through my mind. It was so similar that it totally matched my memory of it. I had gone home to confirm it and I was right. I would be lying if I said I wasn't taken over by the excitement of me ending up on the trip with Tyler, but the ring mark simply added a push at me. I also didn't give the monster talk much thought, 'cause if I had I would've been more anxious about the fact that I was standing alone in a forest I knew nothing about.
Though now I would say all that was a waste as I'd been standing alone for an hour now with no one in sight and still no idea how to find Tyler and his brother.
I couldn't wait any longer, if I was going to find them I had to make a move, and so, I took the first step in a direction where I had no clue would take me.
*************************
I slumped against a tree as my loud breath hit me while I gasped for air. I hadn't realized how hard I was breathing until now. Never in my life have I walked so much. I'm sure even the track team in school never did this much.
I flashed my torch around in the dark forest as my breathing slowly got back it's rhythm. I looked up to the sky and stared in total awe.
'Heck no'
How does the sky not have even a single star? Even a tiny one could steal my heart at the moment, but there wasn't. It felt like nothing but the presence of a void, just like the forest. As much as I didn't want to come across anything creepy, I also didn't want to be anywhere as silent as this. I stared at my torch as it occured to me how I need to be careful of the power. I switched it off.
....
On second thought, I decided to let it stay on. I have an extra in my bag.
"Ahh" I sighed as I suddenly thought of Erica. I missed her already. I wondered how and what she was doing at the moment. If Erica was here with me, rather than this being my first stop it would have been the area we have a long way to get to. I smiled at the thought and let out another sigh. I flashed the torch around at nothing but trees.
I miss Tyler already.
I knew aunt Beatrice is gonna be so mad when she finds out I'm out to a place called the forbidden forest and that there's no way to contact me. It actually just dawned on me that I might have left Erica with a crazy task.
I closed my eyes 'let's not think too much about it'. My mind drifted off back to Tyler and Tyson and I got curious as to how their side of the journey was.
*********************
I groggily opened my eyes.
"When did I fall asleep?"
I rubbed my face open but stopped Midway as I felt a really cold and weirdly gooey stuff on my face.
"Ewww!" I dragged as I drew back my hand. "What the–" I reached for my torch and pointed it at my hand to see it smeared with a transparent liquid.
'Saliva?'
No way it was mine. I pointed my torch up at the tree I was rested on. Nothing was in sight. I looked back at my wet hand with a grimace as I wondered how that had gotten on my face. I started to wipe it off on my clothes when I heard it. I paused as the scratching sound was gone. My eyes widened up as I realized what was happening.
I wasn't here alone.
My torch in hand, slowly, I scanned the area as far as the torch could lighten up. Moving my hand in circles a tree after the other after the other after the...
...
I blinked as my hand was in denial but my head wasn't. Even slowly than before, I moved the torch back a tree and focused the light there. It was for a slight moment but I knew I saw it. I tried to stay calm, saying it was probably just the leaves...
No way anyone could mistake that foot for a leave!.
The foot stuck out like a sore thumb. It suddenly wiggled and I froze.
'it moved!' I screamed in my head.
Slowly, the second feet peered out. Then the hand slowly gripped the end of the tree with it's claws. When it finally came into view I thought I lost my heart for real.
It was a four feet tall animal? No, what I was staring at was nothing like an animal. It was a monster. It stood on it's hind legs as the hand stuck out in front. It had bumps all over it's body and it's long hair that needed to visit the salon slightly covered it's face but the gooey eyes could still be seen and then it gave my heart the finishing kick.
A smile.
"AHH!" I screamed as it launched at me and I flew up as I found myself breathing so hard.
"A dream?... It was a dream?" I flashed around and focused on the tree that it had shown up from. Nothing was there. I've never been so happy to have a dream in my life.
Shakily, I packed up my bag and scanned the area one more time as I knew, I had to move.
Faster than I'd ever walked, I continued down the path and silently prayed I could meet up with Tyler or Tyson immediately.
The image of the monster came back into my mind and I wondered if I was going to meet more monsters like that. I felt my body shiver.
"Okay Alex. Good thoughts, let's think good thoughts. Good thoughts" The monster's smile that showed of it's scattered fangs flashed through my mind and I unconsciously screamed out loud. I fastened my pace and before I knew it I was on the run.
This can't continue like this!.