Trines

Trines (11)

Chapter 11

"Why are we going in here?" Ava complained. 

They were walking through the forest. Only a little sunlight escaped through the trees. The ground was slightly muddy, and the green treetops were long gone. They had only walked for ten minutes, but the heat of the afternoon was replaced by a chilling cold.    

"If you don't like it, then just leave," Jennifer snapped.

The good mood she had had in the field had vanished only minutes after they had entered the dark part of the forest. With mud up to her ankles and Ava's repetitive complaints she had grown tires quickly. Combined with the fact that night had begun to fall just as they walked in, Jennifer only wanted to lie down and sleep. 

Ava crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the blonde girl. 

They continued to walk through the forest in silence. They were all exhausted tired and hungry. They all wanted nothing more than to relax for just a few moments.

But the forest was dark, the ground muddy, and the trees rotten. 

"Does anyone have any idea where we're going?" Ava snapped half an hour later.

Jennifer at the front of the group turned around to look at her.

"I have ---" but she was interrupted as her feet got stuck in something on the ground and she fell over. 

Jennifer let out a small scream and landed on a lump on the ground.

They were all silent for a second before they all burst out laughing. It was a mug needed moment of humor in the dreaded forest. Jennifer scowled at them.

"Gee, thanks for the support," she snapped.

She brushed her hands together to get rid of the dirt and then began pushing her way up. The others were still laughing at her.

Jennifer placed her hand on an oddly shaped circle. The shape was obviously round, but the top sported a small triangle mountain two hollow sunk ovals and one soft line. The feel of it were weirdly... Fleshy.

Jenifer glanced down at what she had placed her hand on and another scream escaped her lips. 

Under her palm was a pale grayish face. The woman had obviously been dead for a while. Her eyed were closed, but her mouth was wide open. She had a big, open wound covering half of her shoulder and neck, and flies were surrounding it.

Rebecca was he first to react. She walked over to Jennifer to drag her up when she spotted the form of the lump Jennifer was sitting on.

"Is that a... A body?" She asked her moth opening in shock.

Jennifer nodded mutely. Her body was frozen in the position she was in. He butts on the woman's stomach, her hand in her face.

Rebecca was quick to drag Jennifer up after that. The others had fallen quiet, staring at horror at the dead woman at their feet.

"What... The... Hell?" Rebecca asked quietly.

They all took in the gruesome sight before them. It seemed she had been lying there for quite some time. The flies surrounding her wound was bigger than usual, buzzing louder. 

Neither of them answered her. They could make any more from this any more than she could. 

Ava was the first of them to speak.

"She's a witch," she said tentatively.

"How can you tell?" Drew asked her softly. 

No one wanted to speak loud. It wasn't exactly a grave, but it was where the woman was lying. They didn't want to disrespect the final rest place for her.