Lances and Daggers

19. Hope and Decay

We headed north as Wilhelm told us, seeking none but the legendary Zeke Yuchi. No words could've described my surprise when I heard that name. The man who was mentioned only in legends became a reality within my reach. What did he know about this world? What could he tell us about the demons? Did he know how to alter our dismal future? I couldn't wait to bombard him with questions.

The path we followed was barren and desolate. To pass the time, I talked with Erica or Alex but never with Erica and Alex. We expressed our worries, marveled at the strange landmarks that appeared around us (my favorite being a rock that resembled Rick's face), and tried to calculate our position relative to the camp.

After a few hours, Alex's initial enthusiasm began to spiral down, and a pessimistic aura radiated from him: "We might not make it; this wasteland will be our end. And the demons can be lurking anywhere. And there are no mountains around us. And we lost sight of the camp."

"Quit whining!" Erica said when she could no longer tolerate him. "You can go back if you're scared. Or do you want mommy to walk you?"

"How about you go back?" he scoffed. "You're a dead weight."

"No one's going back," I said before another fight started. "I don't know what's worse, the afterlife or you two. Why don't you kiss and make up?"

They looked away.

"Ugh, kill me," I sighed.

After another hour of walking and bickering, we spotted tall silhouettes in the distance. They didn't look like anything we had seen before, so we stayed alert for a while. And we didn't drop our guard until we realized that they were bare trunks. A forest covered the horizon. The trees towered over the landscape—some rivaling a seven-story building in height and a cottage in girth—and the boughs and branches formed an intricate web that no spider could weave.

We stopped at the fringe of this wooden maze.

"There seems to be no way around it," Alex said.

"We'll have to go through," I said. "Stay close. It's the perfect place for an ambush."

"It's the perfect place to get lost." Erica corrected me, and she had a point.

"We can leave marks on the trees as we go," Alex suggested. "This way, we'll know if we're going in circles."

"Good thinking," I said. "I can also use my compass if we need it. I hope it still works."

With his spear, Alex carved a mark on the first tree, and we entered the forest. Our footsteps remained loud no matter what we did, and I felt that it was a matter of time before crimson eyes appeared in the shadows around us. My obsessive fears, however, turned out to be exaggerated and unfounded. No demons inhabited the treetops or dangled from the branches. None popped out of the ground like moles. None broke out of the trunks like mummies from sarcophagi. The forest was an inanimate realm.

"I don't like this place," Alex said. "There's a lot of decaying wood, but something keeps it standing."

"You're afraid of trees now?" Erica laughed. "Do you think they'll stab you in the back? Are they working for Lord Faust?"

"I think it's time for a truce." I interrupted their fruitful conversation. "Why don't you apologize, Alex?"

"I acted in everyone's interests," he said. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"You attacked me!" Erica retorted.

"Well... yes, that was my only mistake... I'm sorry. I wasn't in my right mind."

"You'll find a dagger at your throat next time."

"May I remind you that I knocked you down? You don't stand a chance against me."