Down in the Forest

Chapter 2

Jordan appeared to be the leader of the group, pointing everyone to the outskirts of town: a place that didn't seem like it'd been touched for years. Liam noticed Nicole walking alone at the back of the group, so he decided to join her whilst Jason and the others continued to talk about the town.

    "Hey, you looked a bit lonely back here, you don't like these guys or something?" Liam asked her. "It's not that I don't like them, I just dislike being over here. My brother always drags me here to freak me out." "Your brother?" Liam asked, surprised. "Yeah, Jordan's my brother. He brings me along to these places with him and our friends so he can keep an eye on me. He doesn't like me being home by myself." she said quietly. "By yourself? Where are your parents?" Liam questioned quietly. "They died last year, or at least that's what the police said. They were out really late one night and didn't come home. Jordan and I waited for a few hours the night after since our parents usually never came home until the next morning, but once it hit about 3:00 p.m, we realized something was wrong. So Jordan called the police and they began to say they were just missing. They searched for months and never found them." She looked down at her shoes again. Liam wasn't sure what to say to her "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked". She looked up at him again "It's alright, you didn't know. Plus, I'm not really phased by it anymore. I mean, yes, I miss them, but they were never really around much to begin with, so I never got the time to really think of them as parents. Jordan was mostly the one taking care of the both of us".

Liam understood what she meant, he'd lost his dad when he was younger, and his mom was hardly ever around other than at night "I get it". The silence grew amongst the group as they continued walking.

After another ten minutes or so, in front of them appeared vast ruins. It seemed clear that there had not been civilization in this part of the town for decades. By the looks of it, Nicole was uncomfortable here; she was constantly staring down at her feet. Liam tried his best to leave her alone. He felt as though if he were to get too close, Jordan would become angry. From what Nicole had told him, he seemed like the overprotective type, but Liam could not help but stare at her. She was like a work of art, one of the most admirable pieces made.

    There was a small broken down house, enclosed in hundreds of leaves, vines, and moss. It was barely possible to see the bright sunlight through the nature covered "roof" of the forest. The house that was located in a circular field surrounded by a wall of trees, had the sunlight shining over it in the field, distracting from the absence of trees.

"Welcome to the finest spot in Edgefield"

Jordan turned to the two boys to witness their reactions to his favorite place. Liam and Jason stared at the sight with wide eyes and smiles on their faces.

"This is incredible," Jason said, "It's like something out of a movie". Madison looked at him and smiled, glad that he liked the place. Liam glanced at Nicole, then to Jordan "Not bad".

Jordan began walking towards the hardly existent door of the small house, "Might as well show you the inside of our getaway". The group followed a few steps behind Jordan when Tyler began to speak. "This place has been abandoned since the war between the Reapers and our town". Liam looked at him with a puzzled expression "The Reapers?".

Tyler glanced back at him amazed "You guys must really not be from around here if you don't know what the Reapers are. To answer your confusion, the Reapers are an elite rebel group that once used to be a part of our society, when a select group of them tried to overthrow our King, they began a war that didn't end for over 50 years. Their leader, Adenoid West, disliked the way the King was carrying out his duties and treating our society, leading him and his group of 'Reapers' towards an attempt on the King's life."

"Wow, all of that because people disliked the King's ways? Seems like a bit excessive".

"Exactly, I mean, the King isn't necessarily the best, but he isn't awful," Tyler said. He looked around the group waiting for someone else to chime in with an opinion or something to break the silence. Madison opened her mouth as if to say something but immediately backed down.

With nothing being said, Jordan walked into the house that seemed to be bigger on the inside, with enough room to hold 10 more people if needed. The inside was in perfect condition, it was clear that someone had been taking care of it. "The four of us sort of moved in here to keep away from the drama and rebellion happening in town, hence why it appears to be so clean," Jordan stated.

"Our actual house felt too dull and depressing, so when we all found this place, it seemed obvious that we should stay here," Madison added. The two boys examined the house. It consisted of two bathrooms and 3 bedrooms, with one including two twin beds, and the so-called 'living area' dedicated to a full-sized bed.

"Lucky for the two of you, we happen to have two extra beds, meaning that for the time being, I suppose this could be your new home."

Looking at each other, boyish grins on their faces, Liam and Jason had gotten themselves into something they never could've imagined.