Distorted Lands | Book 1 of the Telepath Cycle

{6.8} Night With The Boys {HORROR TW}

TRIGGER WARNING: HORROR. IMPLICATIONS OF POSSIBLE HALLUCINATIONS/INSANITY

There were so many trees.

Vines tangled around trees like wires, clinging so tightly as though practicing their grip for choking. They danced and dangled in the gaps between trees, waiting for something stupid enough to run into them. To feed them. But Gene wouldn't be that person.

He was in a forest. There was nature everywhere—where there weren't trees or vines, there was moss, grasses, or stone. Anything could come alive at any moment. He couldn't stop running.

His legs hurt, his lungs hurt. Every step and every breath burned. But he couldn't stop running.

It would catch him.

He didn't know why he was there. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know what "it" was or why it was chasing him. But he knew he couldn't let it catch him.

It would kill him.

So Gene ran. Something soared past him, hitting a tree to the side of the path. The tree CRACKED and roared as it wooshed to the ground, but Gene just ducked to the side, sliding below it before stumbling back to his feet and taking off at a run again. Lightning-hot pain shot up his left leg as he forced it to hold his weight, but he ignored it.

He had to run.

Gene didn't know if the tree held it up. He didn't know if it had done that on purpose, or if the tree's fall had sabotaged its chase. But he couldn't look to check.

Trees rushed past Gene as he stumbled and ran, tears blurring his vision. But even through the blur, he saw them—the shadowy figures that danced and swayed between the trees around him.

'C̴o̵m̴e̷ ̵h̶e̷r̴e̵,' they sang beautifully. 'We're safe here. They'll take care of you, too.'

The siren's singing beckoned him closer again. It would be safe there.

'W̷e̴'̶l̴l̵ p̴͎̑r̷̟̆o̵̩͐t̵̯͑ȩ̷͠c̶̫͋ţ̴̞̃̚ y̴͍̏͆̿o̶̧͇͓̪̔̋͝͝ų̸̞̝̦̂̐͘.'

They'll protect—NO!

Heart racing, Gene shook his head rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut. He quickly ripped them open, though, upon remembering that he had to see. His eyes darted across the forest around him, scanning between the trees, the vines, the figures, and everything that could possibly come alive to haunt him.

'Liii̷̙͋iii̸͎̱̒͠ttl̷̪̙͗͐̈̚ee̸e̸̬̠͈͗̓̕e̵̢̢̫̤̪͗́̓̌͘͝ͅ b̴̧̢̤̄̇̅̊ơ̷̲̖̺͊̃̔͒̕ý̵̧͓̺̑̑̆̃̚ỵ̵̡̫̗͒̈̃̀̄͠y̷̳͂̉̓͑̿̚y̸̢̛̱̳̜͋̔͛͋͆̈y̴̨̜̌̅͐̀̀͑̕,' the voices sang.

Gene didn't listen. He couldn't listen. They were lying, it was all lies.

Nothing here was real. He just had to run until he made it out—

'C̵̛̳̜͑͒͗́Ǫ̶̨̡̱̦̤̇̄͋͝M̶̙̟͓̗͈͑̒̏E̵̱̤͈̫̜̓̈́̔̃ Ḩ̴̙̺̻͙̬̯̩̌̌̑́̒͋̈́͜Ę̸̬͔̩̯͉͎͕̻͓̩̆̇͐͐̈̉̑͋̓̄͘R̶̞̦̯̬̻͇̭͋̽̎̍͊̈́̓͘̕͘E̷͍̳̖͍̞͎͕̿̌̏̈̽͘!!̸̤̮͇͙̋̊̔!' the voices shrieked.

Gene's heart dropped.

Then, something snaked itself around his leg.

NO, Gene thought, panicked, and eyes dropping to his leg—

But it was too late. The vine that'd grabbed him yanked him back, pulling him to the ground. NO!!!! But the vines didn't hesitate. They immediately started dragging him back, down through the rough stones and dirt of the forest's floor.

Nononono!!! Gene thought, squeezing his eyes shut. I'm not here, I'm not here! This isn't real!

He ripped his eyes open only to see that he was still there.

A fresh wave of adrenaline flooding through him, Gene struggled to get a foothold, but—winced, as "they'd" been smart enough to grab his good leg.

Yelling in frustration, Gene forced himself to catch his left foot on a tree root, anchoring himself there so the vines couldn't pull him further into the treeline.

'N̷̙͓̈̎̆O̴̻͇̽! G̶̢̛̩̙͈̋̓͋É̵̡̧͙͑̂T̸̼̯̍͋ ̷̠̲̪̳̅H̴͇͔̅̓Î̸̪͕̏M̷̨̤̘̏̈́́͝,' the voices shrieked behind him.

The vine pulled harder, but Gene just squeezed his eyes shut and focused all his energy on grabbing the tree branch and tearing his leg out of the vine's grip.

White-hot, lightning pain shot throughout his entire body—

Gasping, Gene tore his eyes open, fighting to get free, but—

He couldn't move. Something was wrapped all the way around him.

A weight suddenly settled over his mouth as Gene struggled to break free. Desperate, Gene fought to escape, but as he lifted his head—

He saw a pair of bright, hazel-green eyes staring down at him. Mislav was watching him, face twisted in worry, an arm wrapped around him, and a hand over Gene's mouth.