The Ghost Forest

Chapter 5: Finding Who?

"May, wait!"
"No Aunt E. I've got to find Logen."
She went back to the house and and picked what she needed to the journey, she put food and some clothes into her tiny bag. She still wore Gray's wife's armor. The more the wore it, the more she wished she could meet her.
"I'll go with you." a voice behind her said.
She turned around. Gray walked with a limp towards her. Like if one of his legs was wounded.
"No Gray, I have to do this on my own. And by the way, I don't think you'll like my teammate anyway."
"Witch teammate?" He asked.
"It's okay, you can show you self. Don't be afraid."
To Gray she said: "Don't skrue it up."
A blond, beautiful, little girl walked from her hiding place. She wore a pink dress that reached her feet, and the dress' arms was longer than her own.
"Hi, beautiful." Aunt E said.
"Hi ma'am." Sarah replied, shy.
"Who are you?" Aunt E. said, she saw that Sarah seemed insecure.
"Why won't she come out?"
"Sarah!"
The blood froze to ice in Aunt E's veins.
Sarah who immediately recognized her voice, jumped right through the tree she was standing behind. The shy little girl was gone (forever, incense you wonder). I'm sure they wished she'd never said Sarah's name.
"Sarah, I need your help."
"Ghost to service." she laughed.
Even Though it was laughter in her voice, she could still se the pain in her eyes. She guessed she misses the feeling of someone tuching her. As a ghost you can't do much. You'll last forever, and see the people you love die. When you die, you can't decide to be a ghost or not. Sarah didn't have much of a choice. She needed to warn the people of Darrwell about The Beast, luckily she made it just in time.

The two friends ran into the dark and dangerous forest. An owl made a crazy sound, witch made her blood freeze in her veins.
They ran and ran, and suddenly, a cute, little creature, pressed it's nose out of it's hiding place.
"Hello there!"
A little creature of a bunny looked stupid on her and jumped away. The funny thing is that the bunnies of Darrwell are different than a regular bunny. It cannot speak human language, but it can understand it. That's why they and the human still live in peace with each other.
"Hey, I think I've found something!" Sarah yelled.
She ran towards a big, black hole in the ground, and found Sarah bend down over it. It was as big as a cave, maybe even bigger since the size of The Beast was enormous.
She was totally overwhelmed by it's gap. It was like if it wanted to swallow her whole. She felt it's dark power inside of her.

A stick broke of the weight of someone.
"What was that?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know." she replied.
"I'm scared." Sarah whispered.
"You're a ghost, they can't destroy you." she said annoyed, and wanted to puch her away.
"Yes, they can. But it's complicated."
She didn't have time to think before Sarah flew inside of her and and used her as a hiding place.
"Sarah, you make me shake!"
"Sorry, I'll try not to."
"Get out!"
And again she stood, alone, in the forest, like the first time when she came to Darrwell.
And there! Inside the thick fog, behind a tree, stood a creature. It was tall and messy. Without a next sound, it came slowly towards her. She couldn't move, she was frozen to the ground. She couldn't speak, her tongue was stuck in her palate. Still it went with quiet steps towards her. The closer it got, the closer she could hear it's breath. Suddenly, like if it changed it's mind, it stopped and just looked at her. After a while looking, it turned around and walked into the fog again.
Many thoughts flowed through her heard. The stranger probably knew where the monster were going.
"Hey! Wait!"
She ran to where she saw it walk away. Of course it was gone. Crap, what now? She thought.
Perfect! A creepy noise made her heart jump.
"Sarah?"
How was it possible to lose a ghost? Well, she did. Lucky her. She had sweat in her hands and the pulse was on top. She breathed hard and fast. The stranger showed up again. This time it went closer.
"Eh, hi. Have you see a little girl..."
She tripped over her own legs and luckily fell in soft moss bog.
"You mean that girl you just fell through?" The stranger said.
He stood bend over her. His hair was a total mess. It was in all directions. Not to mention his breath. His voice was dark and slowly.
"Heh, that's right." she said with a happy but anxiety at the same time.
"Hey." she said to Sarah.
Sarah was suspicioned. To say it straight out, she was just a child, they speak their mind.
"You work for the security?" She asked.
"No." the stranger said.
"You work to catch ghosts?"
"No! Why should I do that?"
"I don't know, your weapon maybe?"
He looked at his weapon, then he looked terrified at Sarah.
"I see, you mean I have no rights to defend myself?" He nodded.
"I'm just sayin'.'" Sarah mumbled with her hands in the air as if someone pointed a gun to her head.
"Maybe you'll just stop fighting and be a little helpful instead?" She said.
She hoped she would brake in. They stopped with their mouths open like if they were statues. It was hilarious to watch.
"The Beast stole someone from me this full moon." she explained to the stranger.
"Her type to be precisely." Sarah joked.
The sound of chains ringed every single time he moved, maybe because the chains was a part of his outfit.
"If The Beast has taken him, he might be dead by now." he said at last.
"Dead?"
"It kills it's victims by sunrise. You might hurry up."
"But we don't know where to search."
"Have you've tried that giant hole over there?" he nooded to the place where they first met the stranger.
She looked at Sarah.
"You're smarter that you look, we have no time to wait. It captured Logen."
She started to walk back to the hole they had seen before the stranger showed up, but Sarah didn't move.
"Sarah, what's wrong? We've gotta hurry. Didn't you hear what...eh, this guy said? He might be dead by now."
"I don't wanna go. I have already been there, and I am scared."
"Why? Don't you care about Logen?"
"Miss, if the young lady don't wanna go down she can alway stay here with me." the stranger proposed.
She seemed skeptical to the stranger's suggestion.
"How do we know we can trust this guy?" She asked Sarah.
"I do." Sarah replied relieved , maybe she didn' have to go inside that cave again.
"Okay, don't blame me if I find you inside that creepy thing." She nodded towards the weapon.
She loved to make new friends, but at some time she had to leave.

She was all alone as she walked down the giant hole. It looked like a tunnel. I wonder if I'll get to walk to it's end, she thought as she stepped into this black hole. That was a good question. I'm not even sure myself, all I can tell is that it's really far. Maybe she never saw the sunlight again? Maybe that's how far it went?
She looked back one last time and saw the kind face of the stranger. It helped against the nerves.
"Take good care, my friend!" She shouted. "By the way, that's your name?"
"Henry!" The stranger replied.
"Well, good bye Henry. Thanks for your help and kindness."
She had no words left. Was this the way to leave her friends?
"And Sarah, If I never get back, tell Gray thanks for letting me stay in his house. And tell Aunt E. I'm grateful for her company in the darkest nights when I couldn't sleep."
"Sure." Sarah mumbled.

She was on her own now. The forest seemed scarier than ever. It was still dark, and it was creepy noises all around her. It was totally dark inside the tunnel as well. Roots made her stumble and fall. She had to do the only thing she could. She got back up on her feet, and removed dust from the armor.

So there she was, stumbling ahead to find Logen. When her eyes got used to the dark, she got totally shocked. The tunnel was filled with people! Some of them were tall, others were short, and others wasn't even human. They was tall and hairy, their arms was so long that they reached faar below they're knees.

She ran over to the first person she saw. It was a woman with golden hair. Her face told her she used to be pretty at some point of her life. Somethin was off about her. The eyes seemed to distant. Then she ran over to another woman. This time it was a younger one. She saw the same in her eyes as well. Distant and lost.
"Excuse me, have you seen a young boy with brown hair and blue eyes? Or at least a big giant beast?"
"Who?"
"He wore an armor like me."
"Who?"
Then ahead to the next one. No matter who she bumped into, they all were distan. Then she ran over anther one. She was at her own age, long blond hair and big eyes.
"Excuse me, have you seen a boy with brown hair and blue eyes? He wore an armor like me. Please tell me you've seen him. Or this big beast?"
"Who?" The young girl said with sleepy voice.
"Forget about them, they suffer from both short and long term memory loss." she heard from behind. She quickly turned around. It was a man in Gray's age. He looked pretty much like him too, but without the scar, his hair was darker, and the eyes was blue just like Gray's.
"You're okay?" He asked.
She realized she stared at him.
"Oh, sorry. You reminded me of someone I know."
"Anyway, I'm Grill Romy, I protect these people from danger. These is the original people who used to live in Darrwell."
"Hi, I'm May, how fascinating. Is it the same who lived at King Henry XI time?"
"That's right young lady."
She couldn't believe her own eyes, these people was ancient. Maybe they knew anything about Kind Henry XI, and how he vanished? But Grill just said the people suffered from memory loss.
"Oh, I forgot. Have you seen a beast running this way? I need to find my lover, he was taken from me."
Grill's smile faded.
"What? The Beast took your lover? Well, well then you're lucky, I just saw it, but without your precious boy. It went that way."He pointed his finger deep inside the tunnel. "If you go far enough you might find it's nest."
"Thank you so much!" She cried.
"By the way." she stopped. "Do you know a guy named Gray Ross?"
"His my brother" Grill said.
She stood with eyes wide open.
"It changes everything then." she laughed nervously.
"Why, you know my brother, what's the difference?"
"It's a long story. But I have to go, Logen is in danger."
"Wait!"
This time, it was Grill who stopped her.
"You mean, The Beast has taken my nephew? There's no way I'm gonna stay and wait for something to happen. I'll go with you."
"You can't. Right now, your brother needs you more than I do."
She looked at him with expectation. Gray's reaction on his son's kidnapping was not good at all. If she didn't miscalculate, he was good at medical help. The more she waited, the more restless she got. And after saying good bye to Grill, she ran as fast she was able to, and hoped she hadn't wasted too much time.