UnderCept

1 - The Tale of Humans and Monsters

            Gripping her friend's hand tightly, she ran quickly through the forest. Not daring to look back, the two kids ran as fast as their legs could take them. Footsteps could be heard throughout the forest, as the adults behind them began to close in on them. Ignoring the shouting of the adults, the boy gripped the girl's hand tighter as he pulled her through the forest. The boy began to take sharp turns around the trees and under branches, attempting to lose the people following them. It only grew darker as they ran deeper into the forest. He quickly hid in a bush, bringing his friend with him.

            The boy gave the girl a look of reassurance as he raised his finger to his mouth, shushing her. The girl held her breath as the footsteps came closer. The boy began pushing bits of the bush apart, trying his best to not seem noticeable. He watched intently as their pursuers looked all around the dark forest. Angry mumbling came from the group as they shined dim phone lights around the forest. The girl, now watching the group alongside the boy, stood completely still as the lights shined their way. Neither child moved a muscle, afraid of being discovered. The boy's heart dropped as the group of adults began to walk closer to the bush. "They couldn't have gone far," one adult said. The other adults simply grumbled in response, some angry and others worried. The group went quiet as they frantically searched the forest in hopes of finding even a trace of the two children. They looked and looked as far as their eyes could see, slowly inching toward the spot of where the boy and girl hid.

            A man suddenly looked towards the bush, and the boy only stared. Convinced the man was looking right into his eyes, he quickly racked his brain for a plan. He needed to find a way to get away quickly, without getting his friend caught, even if it meant getting himself caught in the process. The boy's thought process was interrupted as the group decided against pursuing the kids any longer. "We'll leave this up to the police. Hopefully, they are found. If not, then it'll be quite unfortunate...no one ever comes back from that mountain," a voice said. The other members of the group quietly agreed as they began walking towards the entrance of the forest.

            A sense of relief washed over the boy as the man looking at the bush quickly followed after his peers. The girl listened briefly as the group of adults began to talk to one another about their lives, their voices slowly fading away with their footsteps. Relieved, she began to rise to her feet before gently being pulled back down by her friend. "Let's wait a little longer," the boy said to her. She simply nodded her head and sat down on the ground. The two orphans sat and waited in silence for a few minutes. Neither of them wanted to take the chance of being caught by the adults, so they waited, even after the footsteps and voices of their pursuers were long gone. The girl began to grow uneasy. She was not very fond of the dark, and her friend knew this. Upon seeing his friend's worried face, the boy decided there was no need to wait any longer.

            Getting on his feet, the boy said, "They should be gone, now." Pushing his dark brown hair out of his face, he quickly looked around after standing on his feet, wanting to make sure he and the girl were absolutely safe. Deciding he and the girl were safe, he looked at his friend and flashed a smile. Paying close attention to their surroundings, he was inspired to continue toward his goal. He was filled with determination. He was sure they would make it to the mountain without any issues, now that they were no longer being chased. Dusting the dirt off his pink shirt and fixing his dark brown pants, the boy looked to his side and watched as the girl followed suit. She single-handedly removed the dirt and grass from her bright green sweater and straightened out her light grey skirt. She then attempted to straighten out her messy blonde and long hair. Taking the hair ties out of her hair, she redid the ponytail on each side of her head and sighed when satisfied.

            The boy confidently walked towards the side path of the forest and peered around the trees. Beckoning the girl to him as he walked, he slowly crept towards the main path of the forest, following the light of the sky. He stood in the middle of the path, making sure he was close enough to see the entrance of the forest, but also far enough to not be noticed by anyone possibly walking by. The girl followed and stood behind him, looking in the direction of the deep parts of the forest they had come from. Smiling from ear to ear, the boy looked back to her, and spoke with an excited expression, "We're free!" Confusion found its way onto her face as she stared at her friend, not yet aware of what he had planned. "They'll never find us here!" he said to her, still excited. Without hesitation, he walked along the path, farther into the forest, the girl following right behind him. Picking up her speed, she spoke to him as they walked. "You know we can't go back, right?" she said to him. The boy gave a short nod in response. "Then why are we out here, Ethan?" she asked. Ethan pondered for a moment, trying to decide how to respond to his companion's question. Looking up into the blue sky, Ethan responded with a question, a small smile on his face. "Amber...have you ever heard the folktale of humans and monsters?"