Veil of the Woods

Prologue: I Just Want Your Embrace

A dragonfly flitted lazily across a puddle, sending small waves across the surface with each beat of its small wings--before being crushed by a cherry-red rain boot, its mangled body mixing with the refuse. A small girl laughed as she ran through the wall of early morning humidity. Circling her stood the forest, whose old pines were lined and packed like bowling pins symmetrical to the rough-hewn trail she followed.

The girl's bright yellow raincoat stood in stark contrast to the verdant green of the vegetation around her. Her legs carried her quickly through the overgrowth that continually seeped into her way. It was like the forest was closing in, growing thicker and stronger the deeper she went. The meeting spot was close now, the trail markers were growing increasingly familiar as she passed each one.

No one normally came this deep, other than the wardens and some occasional campers. Though that added to the secrecy and excitement of the imagination of the little girl and the little boy who had fallen madly in love. They had grown up exploring the vastness of this forest, from its creeks to its meadows, rolling hills, and mountains. The children had learned to love it and each other and now that they were older, that fire continued to burn.

Now, one could hardly imagine who would let their children go this deep in the woods alone. But the children of Blooms Creek had a long history of neglect by their parents. Most people around those parts had grown tough in the wood mills and coal mines that dotted its rural landscape. Occasionally, an accident would happen but people had learned to move quickly; the children had learned to age quickly, and all would be as normal as it got within the week.

Nel was already at the meeting spot, scarcely a year older than her, his face haloed in light from the rising sun spilling out from over the edge of the cliff. Squinting, she saw his features: messy, chocolate brown hair, green eyes, and a kind face. His legs dangled precariously out into the open sky. He hadn't seen her yet though she could already hear him announcing her name. He was talking to himself, it seemed, but turned quickly to face her. "Claire!" he chirped, "you're late!"

He turned again, facing into the sun, clearly expecting her to follow suit. She did. He pointed then, his finger tracing a small meadow. "Do you see it?" Claire squinted then, somehow out of all the forest Nel had spotted a small deer prancing. "Who were you talking to just a minute ago?" Claire questioned. Nel gave her a wry smile, something that she still remembered to this day as being odd given the circumstances.

"A friend," he said.

"What kind of friend?" she replied.

"One that I found in the forest. He tells me all sorts of things," he continued, "Things about this town, the forest, and the people in it."

His face was handsome in that early morning light, his green eyes sparkling. Before she could continue questioning him, he leaned in close and Claire could feel her cheeks grow hot. "Do you wanna kiss me?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity, his face close.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Then why don't you?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes for an answer.

She hesitated, her breath catching. "Because I'm scared," she admitted, her voice quiet.

"Scared of what?" he asked gently, his tone kind and understanding.

She looked down, not being able to bear being that close. "I dunno," she mumbled. "What if it's weird? Or what if you don't like it?" He smiled, a warm, reassuring smile. "It won't be weird," he said softly. "And I'll like it because it's with you."

She took a deep breath, feeling a little braver. "Okay," she said, her voice steadying.

He leaned in a bit closer, his face so close she could feel his breath. She closed her eyes, and with a small, nervous giggle, she leaned in too. Their lips met in a quick, gentle kiss that made them both smile. When they pulled away, they both started giggling, the nervousness melting away.

"See?" he said with a grin. "That wasn't so bad."

"No," she agreed, still smiling. "It was kinda nice."

She could stare into his eyes for days but the moment was broken with Nel when he turned around again. "Come, I want to show you a place I found but was too scared to explore alone. It has some super old stuff."

If Claire could go back to that day, she wouldn't have followed the boy. Wouldn't have

The creaking was the first noise Claire heard. It was an eerie sound, like thousands of pieces of metal bending and groaning under an invisible weight. The place itself looked like a scrapyard, a graveyard of forgotten relics and discarded items. Rusty old car parts, broken appliances, and twisted metal beams were scattered haphazardly, creating a chaotic landscape of decay. The air was thick with the smell of rust and dampness, and the ground was uneven, covered in a mixture of dirt, debris, and overgrown weeds. It was as if time had forgotten this place, leaving it to deteriorate in solitude.

Nel gestured ahead of her, he had paused for some unexplained reason. Claire followed and stopped in her tracks, among the rubble and debris lay an old doll, its porcelain face cracked and worn. One of its eyes was missing though Claire could swear the other followed her gaze. Its once-beautiful dress was now tattered and dirty, and its hair, once neatly styled, was now a tangled mess.

Claire stalked forward her curiosity getting the better of herself. Reaching down she plucked the doll off the ground, feeling a faint chill as she did so. She flipped it around, written in red ink on the back of its head was the word "RUN."

Claire's breath caught in her throat. The word, scrawled in red ink, seemed almost alive, pulsating with an urgency. The chill she'd felt upon touching the doll intensified, sending shivers down her spine. She glanced at Nel, who was watching her with a mix of concern and curiosity.

The doll's cracked face, now even more unsettling, seemed to hold some hidden meaning, a warning perhaps. Claire felt a growing sense of dread. She wondered who had left the doll and why. The message was clear, though: whatever was happening here, it was dangerous, and it was time to move.

Claire gently set the doll back down, feeling its cold gaze on her as she turned to Nel. "We need to get out of here," she said, her voice trembling. He didn't respond at first though, his eyes were locked on something past her. Claire turned to follow Nel's gaze and saw a shadowy figure emerging from between the piles of metal. The figure was barely visible, obscured by the dim light and the surrounding debris. It seemed to be watching them, its presence both menacing and inscrutable. The sense of danger intensified, and Claire's heart pounded in her chest.

"N—Nel?" Claire whispered urgently, her voice barely audible. She felt a strong pull to flee, but her legs felt rooted to the spot as if the fear itself was holding her in place.

There was no reply from Nel. Just a bubbly gurgle. Claire's words seemed to echo into empty space. The shadows in front of her seemed to twist into shapes that defied logic, shifting and writhing as though alive. The shadowy figure moved closer, its form becoming slightly more defined but still shrouded in darkness. The gurgling noise from behind her grew louder, mingling with an eerie, rhythmic thumping that seemed to come from all around them. Though Claire didn't dare take her eyes off the figure in front of her.

Claire's breath quickened as she tried to make sense of the scene before her. The figure's outline was now clear enough to make out a vaguely humanoid shape, but it was as if the shadows themselves were part of its being, constantly in motion. Its lips moved and Claire knew at that moment that she was already dead.