Fear Among The Shadows

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The man knew the Forest hated him, but he didn't have time to ponder over that.

He made his way, moving silently between the trees, hoping no one - and nothing - caught sight of him. Every now and again, he glanced at the map in his hand which she'd crudely drawn. It wasn't very elaborate but it was clear enough.

Cross the Forest. Follow the river. Find the cave. Kill the beast.

Sounded simple enough, no?

He cursed as a tree root seemed to come out of nowhere causing him to stumble. He looked back, and he could have sworn that he saw the root slither back into the ground. No, he shook his head, that can't be. I'm just seeing things.

But he knew that 'seeing things' didn't mean that they weren't real.

He readjusted the scarf tied around his face. Others were probably able to go through the Forest without it, strong enough to fight off the tempting fragrances of the flowers, but he'd been among these trees enough times to know that he was not one of them. Even through the wool of his scarf, he could detect the sweet tang of their scent, and he could feel the pull there, to pull down the scarf and take a long whiff.

What do you have to lose? Eternal bliss does have a nice ring to it.

All of a sudden, he shook himself vigorously, noticing that he'd begun to sit down at the base of a tree. This wasn't good. The Forest's power over him was getting stronger. Almost as though it knew what he was about to do.

And it didn't approve.

The man forced himself to keep going, wanting to be out of this place. But more tree roots appeared in his path. He heard countless rustles in the underbrush, but nothing came out to get him. The tree branches groaned, swaying slightly, and he stopped in horror when he realized there was no wind. The leaves seemingly blotted out the sunlight, drenching the forest floor in eternal twilight.

He tried to force his breathing to calm down, lest he passes out, which was the very last thing he needed. His heartbeat was erratic, and he could almost hear the blood roaring in his ears. But then he noticed that he definitely could hear his heartbeat. Reluctantly, he placed his hand on the tree trunk nearest to him and quickly recoiled when he felt the pulsing of his heart inside. The entire forest was beating with the rhythm of his heartbeat, and where some might have found it reassuring, he understood it for the threat it was.

We know your heart. And we can crush it.

Screw caution, and screw the map. He ran. The groaning of the trees seemed to grow louder and louder until he pressed his hands to his ears to try and block it out. But it reverberated through the floor and into his body. There was no escaping it.

He pulled himself to a stop when he reached the lake. His eyes widened in even more terror than before, and the only thoughts in his mind were no no no no no.

But it was too late. There standing before, as though appearing out of thin air, was the Witch. And she was grinning at him in a way that made him wish to return to the mercy of the Forest. At least it was known to be fair.

"What do you want from me?" His voice quivered, but he forced himself to look into her horrible, unnatural white eyes.

She laughed in her mocking way. "I think the question is: what do you want from me?"