The Knight Club: Part I - The Foggy Forest

The Prologue

1800's

In the South Surrey wilderness, a young farmhand has vanished without a trace. The woods were filled with the shouts of men as they looked for the boy, but the forest seemed to stretch forever, and their calls felt muted.

To cover more ground, the search party brought hounds, but none of them were able to capture a single one; it was as if the forest itself had completely engulfed the poor child.

As the party dug deeper into the woods, the dogs would lose their minds and begin to growl and bark, as though they were being startled by an invisible force. They were startled by something that the men could not see themselves.

But very quickly, their ferocious growls would turn to soft whines, and their tails would be between their legs, which is an indication of fear in canines. The dogs would scattered and flee towards the other direction, along with their owners scared out of their minds. Most of them are season hunters or outdoorsmen.

Only a few stayed behind and continued searching. One man who was also hunter, made his way further into the woodland than the others.

The further he ventured, the more he felt like he was entering uncharted territory. But it's more than that. It was like he was invading someone else's personal space. It was an eerie feeling, which got him looking over his shoulder and imagining things popping up in the corner of his eyes.

He couldn't see anyone else or hear their footsteps breaking the quietude of the forest. The forest was quiet... Too quiet.

The man was so caught up in finding the missing boy that he didn't realize at first how the forest drowned into an uncanny silence.

No birds were singing, no crickets chirping, and no cicadas worrying. Nothing. It was so utterly quiet that he could hear a single acorn drop onto the forest floor a few kilometers away.

Thinking that a large predator may be nearby, he walked across to a suitable tall tree and sat down on the ground with his back propped up against the trunk. In this way, he would be able to keep an eye out for any large animals without having to worry about anything creeping up on him from behind.

He cocks his head to the canopy far above him and can barely see the blue sky above, beyond the branches and leaves with vines that slithered between them like long, thin snakes.

There was the faint rustle of leaves and the whine of the wind, whispering secrets. In the ominous silence, he hears a branch snap several meters before him, which makes him flinch. Resonating through the forest like a gunshot in the dead quietude.

He aims his rifle in the direction where the sound came from; he expected a bear, or perhaps a person, to show itself, since they are clumsy enough to step on branches.

But nothing happened, and the man was growing more unworried by the second. He heard nothing else other than the sudden twig snap, and everything just went into another eternal silence.

Before him, there were bushes, ferns, and fallen trees covered in green moss, which gave this forest its signature look. A place smeared with different shades of lime everywhere. Only a few flowers and tiny mushrooms were the unique colors in this otherwise green and alien world.

Then, while analyzing the vegetation before him, a spine-chilling cackle fills the forest! It didn't sound human or animal, but somewhere in between. He couldn't see anything due to the dense fog, thick bushes, and old fallen branches. But it wasn't long until he saw a dark, blurry figure in the bog, moving toward him!

Without hesitation, he shoots a round, picks himself up, and makes a run for it. He didn't look back, but he could hear it crashing through the foliage and emitting this strange sound he had never heard before.

He's stumbling over roots between the trees and clawing his way past moss-covered branches! He took on dangerous games like wolves and bears, but this is the first time he has ever felt like prey!

While in pursuit, the creature speaks; "The boy is ours now," it spoke in a voice that sounded kinda musical, but ominous at the same time.

The hunter, drenched in fear continues to run as fast as he can, trying to escape but the creature is right behind him. Getting closer and shrieking.

But suddenly, the sound of whatever was chasing him completely ceased. Perhaps the bullet he fired finally reached an internal organ? He can't be sure. He slowly but cautiously turns around, but he can't see anything, or so he thought.

As he lowered his rifle, a pair of glowing white eyes rose from the ferns, followed by a clicking sound. These sharp white eyes pierced right through the dense fog that drifted ominously like ghostly apparitions! These eyes were staring daggers into his mortal soul!

"Soil my britches," he whispered.

He raises his weapon, shoots another round runs again!

As he soars and snakes his way through the trees, he accidentally bumps into something and falls to the moss-covered ground! He aims his weapon upwards, the gun shaking incessantly in his hands. He was so filled with fear that it took him a minute to realize that it was just a member of the search party.

He usually prefers to hunt or investigate the woods alone, but he never felt so relieved to see another person.

The man he bumped into knew something was wrong as he judged the shocked impression on the hunter's face and his heavy breathing. This is the first time he has ever seen this man with fear in his eyes.

"Are you alright, mate?" The other man said as he gave the hunter a hand. "I heard a rifle go off."

But the hunter didn't reply. He looks back, expecting the creature to be there, but whatever was out there was gone...