There Is No Never Ever [MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 3: S is for Scream [EDITED]

  I couldn’t stop thinking about work and my brain kept nagging me to check the time so I could make sure I wasn’t late. But the overwhelming feeling that I needed to find these four guys was enough to distract me from giving up this task entirely. So, for now, I just pushed my thoughts aside about work. I was in town walking down the street that lead to the part of the forest where my dream had taken place. At least, I hoped I was headed to the right place. The woods were really thick here, but I managed to push through the brush and into a clearing. There, what I saw was surprising.

  Nothing.

  No sleeping bags or even a fire pit. Where I expected the fire pit would have been was soft dirt and a few scattered rocks. It was late in my dream and these are the woods. The group would have had to have been camping.

  Was I in the wrong place? No, everything looked the same, just untouched. Whoever these guys were, they were going to eventually drive me mad. Maybe it was just a dream. I mean, perhaps my head made it all up because it’s twisted that way. I had no other plans, so instead of heading off to work, I sat down in the middle of the clearing. Slowly my mind drifted over the many questions I had yet to answer.

  What did the dream mean? Was I obsessed with these guys to the point that I was creating a fantasy that something was wrong with them? No. The feeling about them was strong. Even Destin had said he felt something. What was it Taedyn had been saying? Something about danger? It hurt to try to remember.

  The trees and the quiet. What could they possibly mean? Did my first dream before work on Saturday have something to do with them too? Maybe they were terrorists with a mission, but then why would they be targeting a small town?

  Whitewater wasn’t that special of a town and it had been around for awhile, but we didn’t get many tourists. The group stuck out like a sore thumb. How did I even recognize that the place in my dream was a real place here in town?  

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but God, if you’re there, I need your help. I know I haven’t spoken to you in awhile, but I need some sign that I’m not going crazy or that I’m just imagining things.”

  I stared at the sky for a moment, hoping that maybe there would be a flash of light or a comet or something. There was nothing. Figures. I sighed. So much for that idea.

  “Grrrrr…rrr.”  

  The sound came from behind me and it sounded like a warning. I turned my head slowly and saw a pair of dark brown eyes staring through the brush around the clearing, right at me. I knew it was an animal because the eyes were glowing. I started to blame myself in my panic.  I never should have come out here, especially alone and without telling anyone. This part of the woods was too far from town and no one would hear me.

  “Grrrrr…rrr.”

  Without too many sudden movements, I tried to stand up. The creature’s eyes never left me and the growl seemed to get worse and worse. My breathing became shallow and I knew the fear as it slid down my spine. What was worse was I think the creature could smell my fear and enjoyed it.

  I took a small step back and tensed waiting for something to happen. The creature stopped growling for a moment, then moved forward out of the brush. I gasped. It was a wolf; beautiful gray fur and sharp teeth. There weren’t supposed to be wolves around here. It appeared to be studying me with those brown eyes.

  He didn’t seem as threatening now, but I still didn’t want to pet him, so I tried to take another step back. That was a mistake. The wolf flinched, running at me, and pounced. I screamed in terror and turned to run at the last second. A pair of claws raked down my back and I cried out in pain. I stumbled a little, but I pushed my legs and tried to keep running. I could hear the paws pounding behind me and my head throbbed. Hot red blood dripped down my back and a sob escaped my throat.