Woods of Madness

III

The following day was just like any other day, monotonous and repetitive. It felt like moving things around aimlessly, similar to a dog. However, I preferred this mundane activity over being back on the battlefield. Therefore, I had no complaints. The day seemed shorter, as darkness fell more quickly each day. Once again, I found myself patrolling with Charles.

"Why are we staying in this village for such a long time?"

"In the morning meeting, the captain mentioned that we received orders to remain here for the time being. Weren't you listening?"  I rolled my eyes, knowing that  with Charles anything he hears goes in one ear and out the other.

"Sorry," he giggled, and I did my best to ignore him.

The night was unusually calm, almost too calm. We had been stationed here for hours without any significant incidents. With so much time to spare, my mind wandered back to that strange occurrence from the previous night. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was real, despite the possibility of having had too much to drink.

"Hellooooo, earth to Shaun!" Charles interrupted my train of thought. Surprisingly, I was grateful for the interruption, as remebering that strange creature gave me a sense of unease with the hair on my neck standing up.

"I see you've taken my advice," I smirked, appreciating that Charles chose to talk instead of resorting to cliché horror story tactics. It felt good knowing that I was being heard, even if it was a trivial matter.

"People say I don't listen, but I do...sometimes," he chuckled mischievously. It was refreshing to have someone like Charles bring some levity into our miserable world. I relaxed a bit, but my tension quickly returned upon hearing a loud noise coming from the deep woods north of our location. It was the sound of many wolves howling. Surprisingly, I welcomed the sound, as we hadn't seen or heard any animals, not even small birds though still it wouldve been better if we  heard from animals that weren't such dangerous predators. I sighed in a little bit of disappointment, while Charles had a completely different reaction.

"Woah, Shaun! Wolves, man! What majestic creatures they are! Thinking about them reminds me of my dog, Layla. I miss her so much," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

"So, you're a dog person?" I commented, already having assumed as much. "Well, too bad I don't share your enthusiasm. I'm more of a cat person."

"Pussy," he burst into laughter, unable to hold it in despise trying very hard. "Sorry, man, I couldn't resist," I found myself laughing along. The joke was amusing to me.

"So, I assume you like animals. Why wolves in particular?" I asked, genuinely curious. I had always overlooked Charles, but now that I discovered his love for animals, I was interested in hearing more.

"Both my dad and grandad are hunters, and they have numerous pets. I guess I inherited their interest in wolves because they're so amazing. Once you've witnessed them hunting, you'll be absolutely mesmerized, especially if you have a Saarloos Wolfdog as a pet," he explained, leaving me stunned.

"Wait, you have a Wolfdog as a pet? Man, your family is hardcore," I said, impressed.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not a big deal. Layla is very loyal," he proudly declared.

"I could never go hunting. I simply don't have the patience for it," I admitted, sharing my truth. Although I had always wanted to go hunting, I simply couldn't. With no parents or role models and being stuck in the orphanage which truly was hellish place.

"Damn, I feel for you. Maybe after the war, if we make it through with our heads intact, I'll take you on a trip with my old man," Charles offered with a plesant and warm smile I was astonished that he would even consider it. No one had ever suggested something like that to me before. After a long time, I  finally felt happiness. I opened my mouth to thank him, but our joyful conversation abruptly ended as we heard the wolves aggressively bark and growl. The noise was incredibly loud, comparable to the sound of bombs.

"Damn, they must've gotten a big one, most likely an elk," Charles muttered, putting his index finger on his chin and analyzing the situation based on what he could hear. The aggressive growling and barking continued, intensifying with each passing second.I had to cover my ears as the noise was almost unberable. However suddenly the  wolves went from the ear piercing aggresive growls and barks to  cries and whimpers in what felt like a split second.They began to cry out for help, as if they were being violently slaughtered without mercy. Suddenly, just as abruptly as it started, everything went silent. It was as if nothing had happened.This is such a strange and unsettling occurrence. I took out my binoculars and looked around, but in the darkness , I couldn't possibly find anything.

"What the hell was that?" I exclaimed nervously, looking over at Charles.

"I have no idea," he replied, frozen in place, his face filled with pure terror.