WHERE TO NOW? (M/M) 18+

Chapter 34

Hold your breath.

We slowly trudged through the mud, moving cautiously to avoid making noise. Rain poured down on us, chilling my skin.

When we made it to the treeline, my heart struggled to beat correctly, pounding and thumping with an erratic rhythm. I wondered if it could hear it. Did it have super hearing or any kind of superpower? Because that would suck.

Stepping over the threshold, everything became quiet and loud all at once. The trees swayed with heavy gusts of wind, the leaves slammed against each other bellowing a chorus of sharp flapping, and the howling wind weaved through the tree trunks like a wailing widow. The rain caught on branches and the leaves dulled the deafening cacophony. It was like time itself had slowed, and my breath caught in my lungs as the dread washed over me.

It was so dark here, darker than in the field. My mind screamed at me not to walk any further, to turn around and go back, but I couldn't. My mind was made up and apparently it evaporated my ability to think rationally.

We moved so quietly, so slowly. Every crunch of wet leaf and every snap of fallen twig, sending my anxiety skyrocketing through the proverbial roof as our sinking feet kept us planted like live bait.

My eyes darted around in a panic, trying frantically to look for the thing in the sea of darkness.

How far were Damien and I? Did we even walk this way?

Kieran stepped in front of me, his hand snapping out to block me, forcing me to stop.

My eyes bounced between the trunks, looking for the black mass I'd seen recently hiding there, until my chest constricted. My eyes slowly tilted up, scanning along the high branches.

That's when I saw the long, jagged talon marks ripped down the tree trunks.

We were on the right track.

Kieran looked back at me, his eyes dancing with a question. Do you want to continue?

I could see the worry in his face, the unease and I realised in that moment that he didn't know it could climb, that it was new information to him.

I nodded my head, gently running my hand down his arm to reassure him.

We made our way forward, our feet moving so slow we barely made progress. My eyes darted around, scanning the trees and damp forest floor hoping to locate my bow. Kieran did the same, until he turned back to look at me.

His eyes went wide. He stopped dead in his tracks and he gripped onto my shoulders.

My heart plummeted. My skin crawled with fear as the blood drained from my body. Anxiety ripped down my spine and all I could do was watch his terrified expression. Paralyzed.

The sound of its feet stepping quietly through the brush electrified my bones with panic. It was so faint, so predatory, I imagined its lanky movements as it searched. Like a spider waiting patiently for its prey.

He lowered me down with him. I followed his movements, crouching down as quietly as I could. I winced with every movement, desperate to stay hidden in the sea of damp leaves and fallen branches. My heart hammered, my mind flooded with death.

Following his lead, I laid flat on my stomach. The breaking of crisp leaves and the creak of bendy wood filled my ears, echoing out from under me.

A click erupted from behind me. An almost alien, demented awareness.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I imagined its face snapping towards us with that one high pitched click. It sounded like a combination of a metallic snap and a guttural screech. A click that told me it knew something was here, that it was alert and listening.