The Thing in the Woods [Phayu x Rain] (Love in the Air)

Chapter 5

“Are you sure we have to go along here?”

“Yes?”

Som didn’t think that Ple sounded very confident at all.

“Are we lost?” he worried.

“Of course not.”

They continued to walk, but when they repeatedly passed the same tree trunk, Som started to worry.

“Oh no! What are we going to do?”

Som looked so scared.

“Don’t be a baby,” Ple told him firmly. “There should be a hut somewhere around here. Pa told me to go there in the unlikely case that we should ever get lost in the woods. I didn’t think we would ever need to use it. Make sure you leave enough marks on the trees so we don’t get lost further.”

Som nodded. He took out the chalk he had carried with him in case they ever needed it and drew an arrow on the tree, pointing in the direction they were walking. He looked around himself in worry. The forest felt darker than usual. And was there something following them?

He looked around, but he could only see trees and roots.

He shuddered. Their walk had started innocently enough. He and Ple often went on hikes through the woods. They had been born around these parts and knew the forest like the back of their hands.

At least, he thought they did because something wasn’t right. Som didn’t know how to explain it, but it was like the trees were moving. What had once been a place they knew inside out had suddenly turned into a trap, keeping them walking in circles.

He looked back the way they had come and froze, “Ple! The arrows I made have disappeared. How can that be possible? I just made them!”

Ple frowned, “That’s weird. But don’t worry. I have Pa’s compass. It will show us the way.”

She took it out of her backpack and opened it. What was that? The needle didn’t show a direction. It turned and turned in circles, never stopping.

“What is wrong with this stupid thing?” she shouted, shaking it.

Ple was usually the one keeping a cool head in situations like these. Seeing her lose her composure scared Som more than he liked to admit.

“Ple, what do we do?”

She shrugged, trying to get herself back under control. “Check your phone.”

Good idea. Som scrambled to get it out of his pocket. But to his horror, the screen remained black.

“Ple, I am scared.”

“We are going to be fine,” she said, trying to sound confident. But her bravado was just for show. She was just as scared as her brother.

They continued to walk through the woods. Vaguely, Som remembered that they should stay where they were so that people could find them if they searched, but fear drove them on.

Eventually, they reached a clearing. No, not a clearing. It almost looked like a fire had raged in the treeless space before them long ago. In the middle of the blackened ground stood a cabin.

“Thank goodness. Som, I think this is the place Pa talked about. I can see light coming through the window.”

“Ple, stop. I don’t like this. Look at this place.”

Ple looked at the cabin but didn’t see anything other than salvation.

“Ple, look closer. The walls are made of gingerbread.”