Body in the Woods

Chapter One

The heat beat down on my back, making unwanted sticky sweat clue my shirt to my body. Definitely not going on my list of pleasant experiences. And the worst part was my friend Julyet and I were walking right next to a very shady looking forest. “Tell me again why we’re not walking through the forest. We can get to our houses faster if we cut through. Plus it’s very hot out here in the open.”

                “Because we could get lost, Feight.” Julyet said sheepishly.

                We walked in silence after that, trying to cool ourselves down with our dripping towels. Not working. Not at all. Eventually I spoke. “Okay, I can’t be cooked by the sun anymore. I’m going in the forest.” I said, walking into the forest. I immediately felt the difference. I sighed happily. Trees were such wonderful things.

                “Feight, what are you doing?” Julyet asked, concerned. She’d stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, clutching her towel nervously. She made no move to join me in the cool shade of the trees.

                “Going home. You coming?” I asked, backing slowly into the forest. I was nervous about what I was doing, but I was determined to make it through without running out screaming. And I couldn’t stand the heat for another second to save my life. I eventually halted when I felt I was getting to far away from civilization. I didn’t want to lose Julyet before she decided whether she wanted to join me or not.

                “No that’s okay. I’ll meet you at your house.” Julyet said. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, trying to decide if she should just leave or not.

                I made that decision for her. “Okay. Meet you there, Julyet.” I said and waved. Then I turned my back to her and walked away. Deeper into the blissful shade. The forest was dark, slightly, and very green. It was so beautiful that I just wanted to stop and stare and never leave. But I knew I wouldn’t survive a life without my books, the ones I was reading and the ones I was writing.

                Eventually I got to a place that seemed darker, colder than everywhere else. I didn’t understand why. The trees weren’t denser there. The sun was still too high in the sky for it to be dark or cold. But it was.

                I edged forward cautiously. I could never be too careful. It could turn out that Slenderman actually did come out in the day. And it wasn’t just that made me a little scared, it was also that this part of the forest was completely silent. No birds sang. No random chirps from some kind of bug. Not even a breeze to rustle the leaves. Nothing. I gazed around me. Everything still was green, if not a little darker. I peered into the distance and could just make out something white.

                I walked forward. It wasn’t the original plan, but in the battle between curiosity and reason, curiosity won. I could swear it got at least two degrees colder the closer I got. As I walked forward I was able to make out more and more of the shape. It leaning against a tree was the first thing I noticed. I could make out brown hair, enough to assume that there’s a face, and weird clothes. Definitely a dude. A sleeping homeless dude? No. as I made my way nearer, I could clearly see that he was much too gorgeous to be homeless.

                “Hello?” I asked shyly. There was no response. “Hello?” I asked louder, a little more confident. Still nothing. I walked slightly faster until I stood right over him and found myself shivering. “Hello!” I said, waving my arms in front of his face. Not so much as a twitch. Annoyed that I was being ignored, I decided to shake him awake. As my hand got closer to him, though, the temperature got five degrees colder with every inch I gained. When my hand finally touched his bare shoulder, I found it colder than ice. I gasped in shock and attempted to jerk my hand away, but was pulled away from reality before I could.