SHORT STORIES & ONE SHOTS

BIZARRELY TAKEN (A BL Short Story)

The forest was dense. Trees, moss, and herbs invaded every nook and cranny. The soil was damped and the air was moist.

I reclined my neck to see what was above me. The trees were as tall as a skyscraper! And they were huge as well! It seemed like I was in a whole new world and was the only one living in it.

"Well, that's because I'm the only one here," I retorted. I let out a breath and started trekking again.

It had been two hours since I entered the forest, but my breath was already at its limit. It was my first time doing this, so maybe that was why. But the fact that I was an athlete who should have great skill in controlling my breathing was kind of disappointing.

An hour had passed, marking my three-hour trek in the wilderness. The sun was at its peak but the temperature was still refreshing.

I decided to have a break after my stomach grumbled. I grabbed a sandwich from my backpack and started munching it.

The forest was filled with silence and only my masticating mouth could be heard. It was weird to think that this forest kinda sounded like it lacked life — animal life. I could hear faint noises but they were indistinct.

Upon realizing it, my hair suddenly stood up prompting my entire body about my reaction. Yes, I was scared and I didn't even know why.

I immediately turned my head to the left when I heard a giggle from a child. I heard it so clearly that it stuck in my head, trying to process if it was real or just audible hallucinations. Hallucinations such as hearing things that supposedly shouldn't be heard were normal in a situation like this.

But I didn't think it was just a hallucination. The laugh was so vivid that I could replicate it on my own. Brought by the thought that maybe I was being toyed by a ghost, I quickly finished my sandwich and left, hoping to find a safer place.

But as I kept walking, I was hearing more. Sometimes it was a laugh. Sometimes running footsteps. And the scariest part was when someone called me by my name. It was a woman, probably around my mom's age.

My anxiety intensified forcing my breathing to become more irregular than before. My throat was drying up and my hands were ice cold. I'm aware that I'm freaking scared. So scared that I could run back to my car in just 30 minutes.

But... no. I worked hard for this day to happen. I spent most of my days working non-stop just to reach this place. There was no way I was going to back out and waste all my efforts. Besides, there's no such thing as a ghost.

"But we're not ghosts."

I went to a full halt as my ear caught the words. My eyes were gaping wide and my body worsened. I was just staring at the ground, too scared to lift my head only to see a monstrous face. I just stood immobilized, as if Medusa put a curse on me.

"What brings you here, young man?" asked a voice in a very demonic manner. He sounded like those demons in horror movies. I could even imagine his face, smiling mischievously at me while playing with his tongue to savor the food that was in front of him.

"Don't you get it, Rona! He's here to become our food," pointed out another voice. Wait, that manly and demonic voice was Rona? It's a girl?

"I know, Paula, so can you shut up because I'm talking with our guest here," Rona grunted, receiving a wuss from her companion.

I couldn't see them and I didn't have plans to look for them, either. My peripheral vision wasn't picking up any movements. There must be hiding.

"Close your eyes," whispered a voice. But it was a different voice. It didn't have this demonic tone in it but quite the opposite. And I'm pretty sure he's a man because of his deep-manly voice. "I said, close your eyes," he ordered for the second time.