Creatures in the Dark

Chapter Eleven

It was early in the morning when Stephan awoke to muffled chatter. He groggily sat up and glanced around the room. A small smile crossed his face as he glanced down at Nightmare, who was still curled up against his side sleep. He gently ran his fingers through her hair lovingly. Sure his life was chaotic, but moments like this helped Stephan keep his sanity.

Nightmare groaned softly and slowly awoke. She sleepily glanced up at Stephan and gave him a tired grin. "Good morning, Stephan." Nightmare mumbled, her voice low and smooth. Stephan smiled back at her. "Good morning." He said as he leaned down and softly kissed her. 

The two lay there for a little longer, just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. They were determined to enjoy the few calm moments they were given. After all, there was someone actively coming after all of them. Nothing nice ever lasted long. 

Once the duo got motivated and made their way out of the bedroom, they were met with the others sitting and talking. From the looks of it, it was something serious. Ace looked up and made eye contact with Nightmare before turning her attention back to the group. 

"Now that everyone is up, we can talk about planning our next moves." She said, motioning for Nightmare and Stephan to sit down. The two complied and waited for further instructions. "We know Griffin is searching for us. If we stay here, it won't be long before he finds us. What we need to do is keep moving, plus we need to keep our trail covered. If he figures out even the slightest information about where we are going, he will find us." Ace's voice was void of any emotions as she spoke in an authoritative tone. "This is where our issues start getting worse. If it was anyone else coming after us, we wouldn't have as many problems, but Griffen knows us. He knows how we think and move. If we aren't careful, it could cost one of us our life."

Stephan shivered at the thought. It seemed as if every day became more dangerous for them. He looked down at his lap and tried to think. He wanted to help. He was tired of being the one that needed help. Stephan chewed on his lip as a frustrated expression crossed his face. He hated this feeling of worthlessness that crept up on him in situations like this.  An odd feeling invaded his mind as he lifted his head up to look at the group. "What if we threw him off our tracks?"

Now all the attention was directed at him. "Explain." Ace said, crossing her arms across her chest. Stephan took a deep breath before he began. "What if I and one or two others make a slight appearance in town to draw them away. We can then loop back, using the forest to our advantage, and reconnect."  Stephan couldn't maintain eye contact with anyone. All their stares felt so intense. 

UnKnown broke the silence. "That could work. If Stephan, Silver, and Nightmare made an appearance in town, headed north, then looped back through the forest, we could head south after that to give us a little more time to plan our next plan of action." She said, adding on to Stephan's original idea. 

"Why send those three? I understand Nightmare, but I don't believe the unit has much interest in two humans." Yael questioned. 

"Stephan was Jack's son and is known to have a strong connection with Nightmare. Silver is always with Stephan. So, both of them could be valuable for getting information on us. Sending Nightmare with them simply adds security. Besides, neither of them can navigate this forest without Nightmare's help." Ace explained. She then turned her attention over to the three that would be sent out. "Are you three okay with this idea? If not, say so. We can shift the plan around since nothing is set in stone."

Nightmare nodded. "I'm good with it. I say we meet at the southern cave. It's well hidden, but all of us know where it is."  

Ace gave a nod in agreement. "Alright, that works." Her gaze landed on the two boys. "And what about you two? Are you two fine with the idea?"