Martin the Last Necron

Chapter 23 (Fear)

Martin had studied the Art of Focusing scroll for a while. Reading and re-reading it until he felt he understood the concept of the knowledge inside. Even though he thought the information was not that difficult to understand, he was pretty sure it would be more complicated than it seemed. He memorized a few things written in the scroll he deemed crucial information.

Focus, without sight. Focus, without touch. Focus, without fear. Focus, without thought. To focus without mind, body or soul, you must clear your mind completely of all things.

After reading through the scroll Martin decided he would go for a walk to clear his mind. It would be a good way to practice the new knowledge he had learned. Even though it was late and dark outside, he needed the break. Besides, the fresh, cool air of night would do him some good he thought. When Martin stepped outside, he headed for the apple tree to grab a few apples to take with him in case he got hungry. The moonlight gave off just enough light that he could see the apples hanging from the tree. Reaching up to pick an apple he swore he saw it vanish just for a second, as if it were there and then it wasn't. Deciding it was just his imagination and the light from the moon, he picked the apple and a few more and headed on his way. 

Once he reached the edge of the forest he thought of what the scroll had said. Clear his mind completely of all things. Try not to see, feel, fear or think of anything he told himself. He tried really hard to focus on nothing but the sounds of the night were distracting. The soft touch of the night air gently brushing against his skin was hard to ignore. He tried closing his eyes to see if that would make it any easier not being able to see the moonlight or shadows of the night. But once he closed his eyes the sounds all around him seemed louder and more difficult to ignore. Martin sighed. As he had thought, this was going to be harder than it seemed. 

Martin opened his eyes and again, he swore he saw something strange. Some of the trees next to him looked as if they were slightly vanishing. What is going on he wondered. Maybe it's the effects of him trying to focus. Or, maybe he is delusional from exhaustion. He did feel a bit tired and sleepy. He thought it would be best if he headed back to the cabin and got some rest. Hopefully his friends will have returned by morning and explain how he had gotten here. 

The next morning Martin had awoken feeling refreshed. He jumped up and looked around hoping to see his friends had returned. Not seeing any of them, he headed outside in hopes they would be out there. Still, no one was anywhere to be seen. Martin's heart sunk. 

Martin headed down to the small lake to fill his water skin while wondering where his friends could be. Once there he scooped up some water to wash his hands and face. Then he filled his water skin took a guzzle and then refilled it. As he was refilling it, he spotted his reflection in the water. 

"What the hell?" He mumbled. 

He had facial hair. How in the hell did he get facial hair he wondered. Facial hair doesn't just grow instantly he thought. He began to panic a bit as he felt his face. 

"What the....?" He cursed

As he felt his face there was no feel of any facial hair at all. It still felt as smooth as it was yesterday. He glanced back to the water and saw his face was clean cut and normal. At that point Martin didn't know what to think.  He corked his water skin and backed away from the lake. Heading back towards the cabin his mind was racing in thought. Something strange was happening yet he had no idea what it could be. First the apples, then the forest and now the lake. Not to mention he can't remember how he had gotten here or where his friends might be.

On his way back to the cabin Martin remembered the path leading into the forest. He decided he would follow the path to see where it lead. Maybe he would find answers there. Obviously he wasn't going to find any here. Besides, he had a feeling his friend's didn't know where he was and probably wouldn't ever come here. Martin gathered some apples from the apple tree and stored them in his satchel. He then went into the house and snatched the flint and tinder just in case he might need them. He took one last look around the place an then ventured down the path leading into the forest. 

Following the trail Martin wasn't sure what to expect. The further he walked, the more he felt alone. Covered by a blanket of trees in all directions would normally feel comforting to Martin. But for some reason he felt very small and frightened. His mind was in a constant battle as he wandered deeper into the unknown. 

Be afraid, don't panic. What was that? It's your imagination. Your friends are hurt or dead. You don't know that. You're losing your mind. No you're not. Your friends abandoned you. No, they didn't. I am probably lost. I doubt that. Where are we going. Looking for answers. What's happening to you. I don't know. I am definitely lost. Stop that, you are not. You're losing your mind. No you're not. Who's following you? No one is. What was that? Probably an animal. Go back. Keep going. Yep, you're losing your mind. Not yet, calm down.

Martin shook his head. "Snap out of it! "Get a hold of yourself!" He cursed.

Once he finally calmed himself down, Martin noticed a split in the path further up the trail. When he arrived at the split he looked both ways. One way looked to descend deeper into the forest and mountain ranges. The other way showed a path leading up to a small tunnel of sorts in the side of the mountain. As uneasy as he felt he didn't think it would be a good idea to head deeper into the darkness of the forest. So he decided he would head for the cave in the mountain. It looked more alive and shone more light. Just as Martin was about to head towards the cave he heard something not far away in the other direction. He spun around just in time to see what looked like a woman had crossed the path a few hundred feet away from him.

"Who's there?" He hollered. No one answered.

Against his better judgement he headed towards the direction he saw her. 

Again he yelled. "Show yourself!" Still, there was silence.

Walking slowly, Martin spotted the figure even further down the trail cross the path again. His heart began to pound. 

"Who are you?" He yelled. Again, no answer.

Martin kept walking until he finally reached the spot he saw the woman the second time. He scanned the area from both sides of the path through the trees. He then scanned down the trail to see if he might spot her again. He looked in every direction, but saw no one. 

"Hello!" He yelled. "Where are you?"

After not hearing any reply or seeing anyone or anything, Martin began to notice how dark it was all the sudden. The trees were like umbrellas for the path, blocking the sunlight from reaching the trail. As if it were banished or forbidden from entering the sacred forest floor and its inhabitants. It made Martin feel uneasy. Back in his world he would of been a bit afraid, but nothing like the way he felt now. Here, there were many things unknown to him that could be very dangerous. Plus, he was alone and didn't have the faintest idea where he was. Although afraid, Martin forced himself to go onwards. He pulled his knife from its sheath and gripped it in his hand just in case.

Deeper he descended down the trail, looking in every direction in hopes to spot the woman again. It wasn't very long till he did. The woman had appeared a few hundred yards in front of him standing in the middle of the trail. He stopped suddenly when he noticed her and from what he could tell she was staring right at him. Martin gasped. He didn't know what to do. He felt like saying something but was afraid if he did, she would vanish again. So he just stood there waiting to see if she would do something or say something herself. For awhile they both stood still. Neither one of them moved or made a sound. As he stared Martin felt the air began to get thicker and colder. He heard small howls of wind whistle through the trees giving off an eerie sound as it rustled the dry leaves on the forest floor. It made Martin's hair stand on end. For a split second he took his eyes off the woman. When his eyes made contact with the woman again, she was not more than a foot away. 

Martin gasped!

Thank you for stopping in and I hope you enjoyed what you read in this chapter. If you feel the need to comment, please do so, no matter good or bad. I would greatly appreciate your feedback on my works. Still learning and anything you can point out that needs attention is a plus. Oh, and if you think it deserves to be rated, that too. :)

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