Legends of Adanes Book I - The Darkness Rises

Chapter I {Jake}

ADANES

JAKE FELT LIKE HE HAD swam a mile through concrete.
     Everything was sore; he could hardly stand to breathe, much less move. However, his limbs felt so heavy that he doubted that he could move, even if he wanted to.
What happened...? Jake wondered. His mind was groggy. He had no idea what happened. The last thing he could remember was jumping into the lake with Ben.
     b-ben...Ben...BEN!
     Jake's eyes flew open as he sat up quickly, looking around frantically for his friend. He instantly regretted it, feeling the pain shoot through his body. He let out an audible groan, falling back onto the cold, hard ground he was lying on. Big mistake... he thought.
     After the pain had subsided, Jake decided to inspect his surroundings. Moving his head as much as it allowed him to, Jake scanned the area around him. His vision was blurred; he suspected his glasses were gone. However, if he focused hard enough, he could make out some of the scenery around him. He seemed to be in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. Abnormally tall, towering pine trees circled the clearing, stretching outward as far as Jake could see. Their branches seemed to point towards the ground instead of the sky, bent downward by heavy loads of snow. A fresh blanket of the white stuff covered the ground. It seemed to be at least a foot deep, maybe even deeper; he couldn't tell how much there really was. There wasn't much else Jake could see from his vantage point. He then decided to take stock of himself.
     Jake started by checking to see if anything was broken. He made slow, tentative movements, checking each arm and leg. So far, so good. Slowly, he sat up. His ribs didn't feel like they were broken. Jake then looked down at himself. His black t-shirt and skinny jeans were wet, and he seemed to be missing a sneaker. His short, rat-brown hair was soaked; it was probably curled and sticking out in different places, as it usually had whenever it was wet. He rose a hand to his face, suspecting that he lost his glasses. Sure enough, they were gone. They were probably knocked off somehow.
     As Jake continued to look around, he noticed a large shape lying in the snow a few feet away from him. His vision may have been subpar, but he quickly recognized the red t-shirt the shape was wearing.
     "Ben!" Jake called out feebly as he slowly stood, with some difficulty, and staggered his way over to his best friend. "Ben, wake up!" He grabbed Ben by the shoulder and began to shake him. "Come on, get up!"
     Jake was starting to suspect that Ben had been seriously hurt when a loud whine was emitted from the boy. Jake sighed with relief. "Thank god. I was starting to worry. Come on, get up."
Ben sat up, with some difficulty. Nothing appeared to be broken on him either. His clothing was in tact and, unlike Jake, he had both shoes. He appeared to be soaked through as well. His shaggy, mid-length black hair was wet too, clinging to his forehead. "Dude, I feel like I got trampled by an elephant at the circus. What happened?"
"I don't know," Jake said. He was starting to panic. Neither of them knew what had happened, and they certainly weren't in Fullbrook anymore. "I was hoping you knew."
Ben shook his head. "Nope. I got squat. The last thing I remember is jumping in the lake with you. After that, nothing."
Jake rubbed his face, trying to contain his fear. "Okay." He took another look around at the snowy forest. "First things first, we need to get out of here." There was no telling how long they had been out there, and a deep chill had begun to set in Jake's bones. "If we don't find shelter or a person or something soon, we're going to freeze to death."
Ben nodded, a little reluctantly. "You're right. Are you gonna be able to walk?"
Jake nodded. He was still very sore, and he had begun to shiver badly, but he could still move. "I think so. You?"
Ben held his hand out. Jake took it, helping him to his feet. "Yeah, I should be okay. Besides, we can't stay here much longer. Freezing's not the only thing we have to worry about."
As if on cue, a strange, distant cry rang through the forest. It might have been a wolf's cry, but it didn't sound quite right. At that moment, it didn't matter whether or not it was a wolf. Jake had no interest in meeting the creature. "Which way?"
Ben paused for a moment, judging which direction they should start walking in. Then, he pointed to a break in the trees, where a small creek could be seen winding through the forest. "Where there's a creek, there's bound to be people." He then set off towards the creek. Jake followed.
"Yeah, but what kind of people?" Jake muttered under his breath.

•••

The two boys walked alongside the small creek as it wound its way through the pines. A layer of ice coated the surface, but Jake could see it running underneath. Occasionally it bent here or wound its way around this tree; other than that, there was almost no change. There was also no sign of anyone, or anything. The cold was beginning to take its effect. Whenever Jake looked over at Ben, he could see where tiny water droplets in his hair have hardened into little crystals. Jake could feel it, too. His joints grew more stiff as they pressed onward, and the shivering was almost unbearable. His entire body shook.
They had been walking in silence for some time. Neither of them had said a word since they started walking. Ben was the first to say something. "Jake?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are we?" he asked, looking up at the towering pine trees.
Jake had no clue what to say. All he knew for sure is that they weren't home anymore. Fullbrook did have a pine forest skirting the town border, and pine trees were all over Montana. If these were normal pine trees, Jake could almost believe that he and Ben were still there. These weren't normal pines, however. They were massive- almost too massive. They loomed above the two teenagers like giant monsters watching their every move. Plus, it was June. Fullbrook wouldn't be covered in snow if it was June.
To put it simply, Ben and Jake were stranded somewhere, and neither had a clue where.
Finally, Jake sighed. "God, I don't know Ben. I don't know. I just..."
"Just?" Ben questioned. "Well, out with it."
"I just know that we aren't home anymore."

•••