The Woods Are Dark At Night - Countryhumans Canada

Chapter Nine - Glint

No sleep was had that night. Ame stared at the ceiling, imagining the old stars that used to hang from it. It was now bare and empty. 'Empty.' Canada's eyes flashed in his mind. 'He seemed so... empty.' He thought. 'What's wrong with him?' Maybe his parents were right. 'No! Canada is not that kind of person.'

Ame sat up in his bed, gazing around. The moonlight pooled on the floor next to his bed. It turned the grass a silvery white in the empty yard. No balls lingered around, the play set was deconstructed and thrown out, and the patio with no furniture. Everything was just eerily 'empty'. He couldn't stand it anymore. So many unanswered questions that Ame had. He needed to talk to Canada again.

Ame slipped on his shoes and crept downstairs, careful not to wake Aussie. He unlocked the backdoor and shut it behind him. The woods stood dimly and unmoving. A dark shadow spread through his body at the sight of his childhood safe space being so... not safe looking.

Shaking his head, he began to walk into the woods. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and used it as a flashlight. As Ame walked deeper and deeper into the woods, his confidence began to drain. He searched his mind to remember where the shed was. He had never been this far into the woods at night, everything looked distorted.

In the distance, he could hear the sound of rushing water. He picked up his pace, realizing he was closer than he thought. 'I'm really far out, aren't I?' He turned around, his breath catching in his throat. The house was nowhere to be seen. 'Don't get lost.' Ame deeply inhaled and turned back toward the river. It grew louder and eventually came into sight. The stepping stones were exactly in the same spot as he expected. He carefully stepped over the rocks, they were still slimy and slippery.

Safely across, he continued into the woods. He froze as suddenly his phone light went out. He tried to turn his phone back on, but the dead battery symbol was plastered across his screen instead. 'Dammit!' He was far too deep into the woods to go back. He knew that he was close to the shed at that point. He continued walking more slowly, trying to avoid tripping. Eventually, a large silhouette against the trees came into sight.

'Thank god.' Ame thought, but he wasn't as relieved as he wanted to be. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach as he approached the front door. He lifted up his fist, ready to knock, but a sound from behind the shed caught his attention.

Now distracted, he walked around the corner of the shed until he got to the back. His feet were glued to the ground when he heard a heavy thump from ahead. He strained his eyes ahead and could make out a figure bent over something. A wet gurgling noise emitted from the shadow. It reeled back. The moonlight barely shone through the trees to be able to view the scene, but America could see the glint of a shiny item reflecting off of the metal. An axe.

It swung down, but Ame was already sprinting through the woods again. His heart was pounding painfully against his chest. 'Did I just witness a murder?' Then he skidded in his tracks. 'Was Canada being murdered?' He felt torn between running back to see if he was okay or running back home to safety. He felt like a mouse trapped in a maze with no exit. He swiveled his head back toward the stream and to the shed. 'Think, think, think. You'll never forgive yourself if Nada dies but what if you see something-' He forced himself to stop thinking. Before he could make a decision, a loud metallic 'bang' smashed against his head. Everything was black.

America awoke to the sun shining through the window and birds loudly chirping. His head throbbed as he regained consciousness. He blinked the fuzziness away and gazed around his room. The memories from last night flooded through his head. Terror washed over him all over again. 'Was it a dream?' He thought. No, it couldn't have been a dream. He knew what he saw, and the pain from being whacked with 'something' was incredibly persistent, and it seemed as if it planned on staying for a while.

Ame stumbled out of bed, barely keeping his balance. He saw his shoes neatly placed on the floor next to the bed instead of near his door. 'Did I even make it home last night?' He thought. More importantly – 'What did I just witness?!' He debated on whether or not he should tell Aussie what he saw, but he knew he would make a fool of himself.

"No way Canada would ever hurt someone! We have to call the police to make sure he's ok!" Aussie would say. No, maybe more like, "No way Canada would ever hurt someone! Have you met him? Do we make sure he's okay?" No, Aussie seems more reckless than that. Would he want to go back out there? The thought of Ame walking back to that shed after probably witnessing a murder made his blood run cold. 'I can't, I can't do that but I need to make sure he's ok.'

He never made a decision. Instead, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen. His stomach rumbled but he couldn't bring himself to eat. Aussie was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he was still sleeping. A loud laugh outside tossed that idea away. Ame looked out the back door window and saw a head of blue hair bobbing around. He approached the door and went outside. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Nada sitting next to Aussie.

"Hey!" Aussie said. "I heard you took quite a fall. Luckily Nada brought you home safe, right?"

Canada's empty stare shot daggers through Ame's chest. He couldn't help but be nervous around him. 'No, he's your brother, stop being so scared.' He thought. 'He won't hurt you... I hope.'

"Uh, what?" Ame finally spoke.

"He brought you home saying that you slipped and hit your head on a rock near the stream," Aussie explained.

"Yes," Canada's voice felt cold. "I know you like your late-night walks, but you probably shouldn't go that far."

"Uh-huh." Ame slightly nodded, rubbing the bump on the back of his head.

"You look shaken, Amey, what's wrong? Looks like you saw a ghost." Aussie's face frowned with concern. Ame noticed a slight twitch in Nada's eyebrows as his gaze flicked down to Aussie.

"M-my head hurts," He studdered. "I think it might be a concussion." The ground began to sway under him. "I need to go get... ice, or water. Something. Have fun." America rushed back inside. He found his way into the living room, expecting the couch. He had forgotten they took it to the new house, so instead he sat on the floor under the window. He pulled his knees to his chin, one arm around his legs and the other still holding his injury. His head swirled, but not with thoughts. The pain was unbearable. The confusion was worse.