Days Are Numbered

17: A night in the woods

Noah had never experienced such intense fear before in his life. It gripped his body like a vice, sending adrenaline coursing through his veins as he sprinted like a lunatic. Behind him, he could hear the heavy thud of paws pounding against the ground, a relentless pursuit propelled by four feet.

In his panicked state, he recalled the scratching he had heard at the door just the other day when he newly arrived, the ominous sound that the boys had refused to acknowledge, and Avgustin's return with a dead wolf. The pieces of the puzzle clicked together in his mind, painting a terrifying picture of what might be chasing behind him.

"Wolf! Bloody Mary! A wolf!"

Noah's heart pounded against his bruised ribs as he quickened his steps, feeling the presence of the pursuing animal growing closer with every passing moment. He found himself grateful for the punishing exercises Avgustin had subjected him to; they had inadvertently prepared him for this desperate flight.

Running blindly under the moonlight, Noah plunged deeper into the woods, the skeletal branches clawing at his arms and face in a desperate attempt to restrain him. His breath came in ragged gasps, the exertion sapping his strength with every passing second.

"Help!" he screamed into the darkness, the sound echoing through the trees, a futile plea born of panic. With each step, Noah felt the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him, his body burning with exertion as sweat cascaded down his face in rivulets.

Noah's heart raced as he stumbled over a hidden branch, crashing to the ground with a painful thud. The air was filled with the terrifying sound of snapping jaws and beastly groans. Instinct took over as he scrambled back onto his feet, desperation urging him to seek refuge in the nearest tree.

With a surge of adrenaline-fueled strength, Noah kicked his feet and pulled himself upward, feeling the rough bark beneath his fingertips. He ascended the tree with a pearl of newfound wisdom and instinct, guided by the primal need to escape the unseen creature below. As he climbed, a roar echoed through the night, accompanied by the frenzied scratches of the pursuing beast on the trunk.

Reaching a secured branch, Noah finally allowed himself to look down, almost tipping over if not for his grip on the body of the tree. Nothing... no sign of the beast.

Noah tried to listen out but his ears were filled by his own breathing, rough and heavy. Desperately trying to fill his bag of air. Where did it go?

Noah's hands trembled as he fumbled for the journal in his pocket, his fingers tracing the familiar edges in search of an explanation. With a sense of urgency, he flipped through the pages, the moonlight casting eerie shadows over the worn paper.

His heart pounded in his chest, a relentless drumbeat drowning out all other sounds save for his own ragged breaths. Panic threatened to consume him as he struggled to steady his hands and focus on the journal's contents. Where was that passage he had read earlier? The one about the mysterious presence on the island?

Finally, his eyes landed on the familiar words, illuminated by the faint glow of the moon. With trembling anticipation, Noah began to read, the words blurring together in his anxious haste. Each sentence seemed to hold a clue, a piece of the puzzle that might explain the chilling events unfolding around him. "But I did and it cost me two fingers. It was like never seen. These things are not..."

Noah hissed at the damaged section eaten by mice. He cussed under his breath as he moved to the next page in such a hurry.

"I just realized that early bedtimes are made to hide it all from us. The real secrets lie at night when all Dreaders are asleep. Six of us, one after the other disappeared into the woods never to be seen. I told the boys about my escape plan, we could get out of the island. I heard the instructor speaking of a submarine. I believe there should be a hideout in the hilltops. Fortunately, I copied the map, behind the book—"