Caught In The Forest

Ready, Fight

"Penny, look."

     I opened my eyes to see us sitting in front of the school that I watched earlier, but the sky was darker. I couldn't remember how we had gotten there, but I was thankful none the less.

     Leaning against a fence as support, I lifted myself up. I examined BEN and smiled, he responded with confusion in his expression.

     "I never knew you could turn into a human."

     He smiled, "Me neither." I looked around, the two of us were alone in front of the school, as promised since it was the weekend and after school hours anyway. I still scanned the area, a slight hope to see a familiar face. "What are you doing?" BEN asked, having noticed.

     "I met some people who were nice to me. I was just wondering if they'd be around."

     He laughed. "Standing around isn't going to find anyone. Your freedom is temporary, so show me around."

     "You've never come to this town? You guys legitimately live next to it."

     "It's never safe to go in nearby towns. After all, our primary motive is to hunt, and this town is considerably small. It wouldn't take long before people began to venture around, trying to find the source."

     I nodded, it made sense to me. "Aright, let's go explore shall we?"

     He grinned, "Ready when you are."

     I knew exactly where to go. "Come on!" I began to run, "Don't be slow!" I shouted.

     He laughed and then I heard his footsteps begin to fall behind my own. I scanned my memory and was able to find the route to travel. Like children we giggled as we winded down the chipped sidewalk, and then I saw it, a yellow slide. It was the park. "There it is!" I squealed.

     We stopped at the entrance, BEN raised his eyebrow. "Isn't this stuff for kids?"

     "No, it's for humans of all ages. You have no excuse. Now shut up and come on!"

     I ran to the swings, sloshing through mulch. I jumped onto the crescent seat and patted the one next to me. I kicked myself off the ground and immediately began to swing. However, BEN just sat, confused. I stopped myself and looked at him quizzically.

     "Don't you know how to swing?"

     He looked embarrassed, "Not really."

     I scratched my head."It's okay, just watch what I do." Then repeating what I did the first time, BEN mimicked. He then began to smile, and soon laugh. "Hm for children, right?"

    We took turns on everything the playground, BEN was surprised to know he was quite good at climbing the monkey bars. "This might even be greater than breaking pots!"

     In the midst of our fun, I saw a group of people arrive. That could be Adam and his friends! "BEN I think that's them!" I climbed down from my perch on the jungle gym and slowly approached with a smile, BEN watched. But I felt my smile fade as I noticed it was not Adam and his friends at all. They were a group of kids with eyes of angst and cold grins.

    "Hey there," one of them, a boy with shaggy brown hair, spoke. "New girl, having fun? You and your buddy," he gestured to BEN.

    I could hear a  sort of deviousness in his voice, but I still responded politely. "Indeed I am. It's nice to meet you, I'm Penny."

     "Well, Penny," he grinned. "My name is not important. Yours wasn't either, but I'll now be able to directly tell you you have to leave."

     "Excuse me?"

     The boy's friends chuckled, "You heard me," he said. "I'm afraid this property is ours for the time being." I looked over at BEN behind me, leaning against a beam, he shrugged.

     "You're funny. Last I remember, parks were a public thing and ratty gangs like yours last owned them in the 50's. This isn't your park, hate to tell you." I smiled widely in a sarcastic notion.

     The boy frowned and took a step towards me, he was younger than me but taller. "Get your ass out of here before someone gets hurt." He pushed me back by my shoulders. "Honey, I'd listen if I were you." His friends giggled again. I heard BEN shift but I looked to him quickly and mouthed that it was okay. He looked uncomfortable. "Hah, you're boyfriend a pussy?"

    Raising my fist, I punched the jerk straight in the nose. While he held his bleeding nose, and his buddies held their breathes I said, "He's not my boyfriend and he is passive aggressive." I could hear BEN laughing, either at the injured guy or my comment. But I was not prepared to be hit across the face, in the same spot Slenderman hit me. The sting returned.

    He then kicked my knee, making me cry out and hit the ground. As I held myself in pain, I heard BEN rush over to me and felt him drag me to a bench. The group still laughed. "Penny, Penny, are you okay?" I looked at him, feeling tears of pain fill my eyes.

    "Yeah, yeah, just hurts," I said. I watched his face harden, and his head turned to the rowdy teenagers. "No, no BEN, don't get mad. They're just stupid kids."

    BEN's fists began to clench and unclench. "Fine," he hissed. He turned completely away from me. Facing the group he spoke, "You're just a bunch of brats who think they're tough shit, huh? Hurting people who won't do what you say?" But BEN you kill people because you can. "You're idiots, that's what you are, injuring a poor girl."

    The boy with a bloody nose faced us. "She's not defenseless, besides she had to get violent. I didn't ask much, just get yourself and that bitch out of here." BEN breathed in deeply. BEN control yourself. "It's funny though, your girl got hurt while you just watched. Weak ass bitch is what you are."

    BEN smiled. "You're pitiful trash. A waste of oxygen. You and all your dumb following friends. Taking refuge in a park? Weak." BEN helped me up, I leaned on him. "We're obviously in a sewer, Penny. Because I am seeing a lot of shit."

    We walked directly past the boys, but not before one of them tripped me. Oh no. In a flash, BEN leaped on the kid and I heard a horrible crack as he broke his leg. The kid cried out and the others began to try and attack BEN, but all I heard was horrible snapping noises, the sounds of bones breaking. A few kids gave up and ran away in terror, others crawled with broken arms, legs, probably fractures. Even the leader kid was on the ground. I looked up to see BEN in the middle, unharmed, his red eyes had returned although he was in a human form.

     He breathed in deeply. The leader tried to crawl away, but BEN firmly placed his foot on his back making the kid release a squeal of pain. "Game over," he whispered. He picked the kid up my his shirt and looked him directly in the eyes. The boy squirmed in terror looking at BEN's eyes. "This is passive aggression, as far as I'm concerned, no one is dead." He picked the kid up a little more off his feet. "Tell your buddies if they tell anyone," he shifted into his normal virtual looking appearance, "I will kill them, and I will not hesitate." Shifting back into a human he dropped the kid.

    He picked me up. "I don't want the adventure to end," I said with as much humor I could apply to the situation.

    He smiled. "Don't worry, we're going to travel to the next town over and then the next one and then the next one through the circuits. It won't end for a while."