The Book of the Quiet

Chapter 4

Maya and David rode their bikes in the dark. The closer they were to the forest, the more nervous they were. It was cold outside and neither of them was wearing enough clothes. They parked their bikes and locked them before walking into the forest. It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing. When they did, David stopped walking. Maya turned to face him. She was a little worried about him.

"What now?" she asked.

"I'm just not so sure about this," David said.

"What can you not be sure of?" Maya asked confused. "You want to get rid of the singing in your head, don't you? You want to live in peace again. That means we have to find whatever is plaguing you."

David stared at Maya. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I don't know why for a moment there I hesitated."

"I know why. It's the sounds in your head. They are changing you."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I know so. You haven't been yourself today."

Maya was worried that the singing might get the better of David before they could destroy the source of it. She was also worried that there might not be a source for the singing, and David was just slowly going insane. She had been in the same forest he had, and she didn't hear any of the singing David kept talking about. The only weird thing that ha happened to her was the strange stuff in the library. And she still had no explanation for it, and it was the only thing that made her think there could've been something in the woods that affected them. And all the missing people who turned up dead? She didn't have an explanation for that either, but it easily could've been a serial killer or just several cases of bear attacks or something. She had no idea what to think about any of this. She just knew that to make David normal again, they had to at least try this. They had to at least see if the woods had an explanation to all of this.

They continued walking deeper into the woods. They stopped again when they saw the yellow tape. It isolated such a small area there was nothing to find there. Nothing of interest. They looked at each other and continued on their way. They passed the spot where they had been the last time when David had gotten that terrible sharp pain in his head.

"I think we're getting closer," David said. "I think this is their domain."

Maya didn't want to ask who "they" David talked about were. She was too afraid to even think about that, and she hoped David was just spouting nonsense. Then she remembered something else weird David had said earlier that night. "So, uh, what's the Book of the Quiet?"

David looked at Maya. "I'm not sure," he said. "I know it's a powerful book with explanations to everything, but I don't know any more than that. I just know it's something... But I don't think I should read it. I don't think it would be good for my mental health. I'm already on edge because of the singing – which is getting louder the closer we are, by the way. I think the book would finally push me over the edge."

"Maybe it's good I had no clue I should look for it," Maya thought out loud. "Maybe it's better we didn't find it."

"And I doubt they'd have a book like that in the library," David pointed out. "It's a powerful book. Having it be somewhere where everyone can read it would not be wise."

"So the singing is about the book?"

"Among other things. But the parts about the book I can understand."

"What is the singing telling you to do?"

"I should find the book and become... Something. Something better. I think if I'd find the book I would be chosen by the gods. I find that more terrifying than flattering, so I don't want to find the book, but it's hard."