The Woods

Chapter 18

(Day 6, Madeline)
"What do you mean this has happened before?"
"Someone went missing in the woods. So much happened after as well."
"What? What happened? When? Where?"
"Rose Road. A young girl about how old you are now went missing in the woods. Back on Rose Road people were thought to be going crazy, commiting suicide after reporting some kind of monster stalking their house. It was insane."
"People are commiting suicide back home?"
"No, not yet. But I have a feeling it will start soon."
"You said that you wouldn't let anyone die again. What did you mean?"
"I went out looking for her. Found her. But I messed up, failed to keep her alive."
"What happened?"
"I tried so hard to keep her from being murdered I ignored her actual health. She died of sickness."
"Did they ever find the murderer?"
"Well no, but almost everyone on Rose Road committed suicide the only survivors being me and about three other people."
"Did anyone figure out what the monster was?"
"No, never."
"That's so strange, when did this happen?"
"A few years ago."
"I would have lived here."
"You were just a child. I was a few years older than you."
"Why didn't my mom say anything?"
"It was the darkest point in Everport's history. No one wants to remember it."
     I stopped and looked at the ground. The green, red, yellow, and orange leaves covered with flecks of snow. Thoughts ran rampant in my head. Why? How? I wasn't sure about anything anymore. Nothing seemed to make sense to me.
     Janet suddenly stood, obvious aches in her joints. I joined her in standing, bones popped and joints creaked. How long have we been sitting? I brushed off the back of my pants before turning to Janet who remained still.
     Then I noticed it too. A rhythmic tapping sound. Like a woodpecker against a tree except slower and much more menacing. It would have driven me crazy had I listened to it any longer, only able to drown out the sound with humming.
     Birds flew off in the distance and all sound left the woods except for my humming and the tapping. I looked at Janet for any kind of reaction. Any form of gesture to signal what to do, but she only stood still.
     I could only faintly hear the tapping noise over my humming. I was humming a tune my mother always sang to me before bed, but she stopped when I turned fifteen. Janet seemed extremely bothered by the sound
     Twigs cracked in rapid succession. Leaves rustling around us as something sped past. Something's not right! This can't be reality, is this something supernatural? A giant black blur ran past me and I managed to get one glimpse of it.
     It was the giant mass when I first came into the woods. On the side of the clearing right before Parker stabbed me. I was intrigued but terrified. Why was it here? What did it want? I fell to the ground as it passed, stepping on my toes. I let out a scream as my eyes opened to Janet's horrified face.
     She stared at me intensely, trying to find some reason as to my screaming and finally concluded it was a dream. Why? What's going on with my dreams? I realized that I hadn't been sleeping properly and blamed my terrible dreams on that.
"We should get moving, we can't stay here too long. They'll be looking for us."
     She said as she helped me stand, my legs trembling as I shivered in the cold. My hair fell into my face as I glared at the ground. I pushed it out of my face only for it to fall back into place.
"Do you even know how to get out of here?"
"Hey, Madeline. Now isn't the time to give up hope. I know it seems hopeless now, but we'll get through this. We just can't give up hope."
"But…"
"What was that tune you were humming?"
     She asked, cutting me off but changing my thoughts as she began to pull me in a direction. Her question made me think about my mom and how much I missed her. I wanted to feel her loving arms around me, listen to the fireplace crackle in the dim light of the evening as soft, uplifting music played.
     Then I thought about the tune and how my mom had hummed it to me. I remembered asking her about where she heard it and the tears that welled up in her eyes as she explained.
"It was a tune my father hummed to my mom when she would be upset about something and he wanted her to relax. Then she hummed it to me when I was going to bed to help me relax."
"I-I'm truly sorry for what happened to your dad."
"I guess he died to protect me. Us. My mom and I and it would be in vain if I died now."
     Janet's hand grabbed my arm, turning me to her. A smile on her face as she stared into my eyes. Her face was a mess as well as her clothes and she looked tired and exhausted.
"You're absolutely right, so let's get out of here."
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(Night 6-Day 6, Diane)
"Who are you?"
     I asked worriedly as well as slightly nervously. Is she a ghost, like Vivian? Does she know where Madeline is? I looked at the young woman. Her eyes were a dull brown and her hair was matted with blood and mud and leaves. Her skin was pale and ghostly. She wore a pink dress that had rips and tears up and down the sides.
"I'm one of many victims of them."
     She spoke with a hoarse voice, like she had been strangled. How many people has Parker killed? I wanted to hurt him even more, each passing moment of new knowledge building up rage inside me.
     I heard ghostly voices behind me and turned to see that the clearing had turned into a circle of floating ghosts, each one as broken and worn out as the other. There were all different kinds of people.
     Woman, men, formal, informal, and everything in between. My mouth hung open in amazement and sadness. I wanted to mourn for these murdered people, wanting to avenge their deaths.
"As much as I want to avenge all of you. My sister is still in danger. She has been almost murdered by the same person who killed all of you," I started before noticing a very young girl about the age of five, "and I will avenge you all after I save her. I promise. Your murderer will meet his end as well."
     They cheered and clapped, excited to see the end of their murderer's life. A hand fell on my shoulder and I turned to face the woman. She pointed into a direction and spoke strongly and quickly.
"Your sister, she ran that way. Be careful there is a cliff and there are cannibals in these woods."
"Thank you, don't worry. I'll find her and avenge you."
     I said before leaving, waving goodbye to the victims. The path looked as though there had been a scuffle and faint hints of blood dotted the ground. I stopped at a small root snaking across the path, carefully stepping over it and almost right of the cliff.
"Jeez, close call."
     I said relieved that I had caught myself. At the bottom leaves were matted together by a pool of blood. How do I get down? I sat on the edge of the cliff and slid closer to the edge, angling my body sideways, trying to grab onto something to lower myself a bit further to climb down.
     Gravity took control and suddenly I was sliding down the cliff at a very steep incline until I collided with the ground, falling over on my side. I shook the leaves from my hair as I stood, brushing off my clothes. My arm hurt, so I rolled it around in its socket.
"Good as new."
     I winced at the pain brought on, but remembered I had a mission to stay focused on. Leaning over I examined the dried blood puddle. The blood was less, but still enough to be concerning as it trailed off in little drops.
"How much blood did you lose Madeline?"
     I said to myself as I followed the blood droplets a few steps away. A larger pool was right beside a tree and I followed the tree upwards until at about face level, at which a bloody handprint was visible. I stepped away and noticed something purple on the ground near the tree.
     Upon investigation I discovered that it was a phone, broken way beyond repair. Must have been from the fall. I concluded as I tossed it back aside, assuming it was Madeline's. She had to have gone this way. The ground still had blood droplets on it.
"Madeline. As much as it is helping me find you why didn't you bandage your wound?"
      I followed the tracks for awhile, the sun still moving higher into the sky, passing the horizon. Suddenly the sight of dry blood was everywhere. On the hill, the ground, the tree. Then as I looked up the hill I saw a house. Maybe that's where she is? Maybe Parker is still in there and I still have a chance to save Madeline! I charged at the hill, attempting to climb.
     My arms ached from the strain and my jeans kept getting caught on roots and thorns, but I made it up and rolled onto my back as I got to the top of the hill. I took a moment to breathe before sitting up as incomprehensible screams and yells filled my ears. My senses were on high alert and I gasped as I saw Madeline and Janet leave the house, limping away quickly.
"Madeline? Janet?"
     I questioned myself as I watched them leave, failing to notice the young man charging from the house. Before I knew it he was running towards me. I backed away from him and felt the ground start to give way behind me. He was charging at me with something in his hand, then I noticed it was a machete.
     He brought his hand up to swing down on me, but I rolled out of the way and his eyes went wide as he began to fall. I reached out and grabbed the sides of the machete, wrapping my fingers around it. The sliding motion cut my fingers, but it stuck and he was hanging from it.
     I brought my foot up and kicked him, his hands flailing outwards as he fell to the ground below with a sickening crack. I readjusted the machete so that I was holding the handle and turned back towards the house. Who are these people? And why are they trying to kill Madeline and Janet?
     I wanted to follow Madeline, but I wanted to know who was in the house as well. I approached the house and stepped into the porch before sliding into the open door. After I walked in I saw blood on the ground, mostly in the kitchen.
"You better leave."
"Why?"
"Just leave, and no harm will come to you."
"Show yourself. You people were trying to kill someone."
"So you saw."
     They started trailing off and I felt off, like I needed to move. I jumped backwards and fell to my back on the porch, staring into the house as an axe lodged itself into the floor. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran in the direction of Madeline and Janet, hoping to catch up to them. The sun was still rising and my head started hurting.
     The pain was soon unbearable and my vision blurred the path ahead of me. Soon I had no idea of where I was anymore and I fell to the ground. What's wrong with me? I wanted to keep moving, but the pain and blurriness.
"I'm sorry Diane, you can't keep going on. Not now, you need rest."
"But my sister, she was so close."
"Diane, rest now."