That Dark Forest

Chapter 5

She closed her eyes as if to relive the memory.

They were out for dinner. When the waitress approached their table with her usual warm smile, the waitress and Mark had a brief eye contact. Right at that moment, his eye's showed a strange golden glow. Like fire. When Meira noticed the glow, Mark immediately excused himself to use the restroom before she could question. Then the food came in and she forgot about it.

It surely was a strange incident.

But now? Now Meira knew exactly what needed to be done. She did not feel scared anymore.

She waited patiently for the night to come. This time she had the senses to wear her most comfortable pants and her warmest jacket. With as much confidence as she could muster, she left her house when the clock struck eleven p.m.

Mark's car was still here, she had half-expected him to drive it back to his house (when he probably came with the letter) with his other spare set of keys. She drove the car to his house, herself. As she walked up the steps to his front door, she noticed his bedroom lights were on.

She rang the doorbell and he answered it in no time, almost as if expecting a visitor. His expression made her realise that she wasn't the one who was expected.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, it's been a while since I saw you, you know. I was missing my boyfriend." With that, she reached to cup his cheeks in her hands as a warm display of affection, only to see him stumble backwards and away from her.

"What the hell do you have on your hands?" He spoke angrily as red rashes spread across his face from her touch.

"Iron powder." She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Meira, you're really testing my patience." He said in a low, cold voice.

She brushed him away and entered his house. Glancing around the house casually to double check if they were alone, she said, "You stop testing my patience and tell me the truth."

"I told you, I can't. I am watched and heard and-"

"I refuse to believe it. You are obsessed with your privacy. You started hating those girls in school who dared to ask you about your parents' profession. You are not on any social media. You hate people who poke into your business. You, of all people, would never let anyone watch you or hear you or invade your personal space; at least in this house. So you better start talking now or I'm gonna start throwing iron blocks on your beautiful face. Don't doubt me, my pockets are really stuffed."

He stood there, clearly amazed. He spoke after a long while, "I always knew you're smarter than all others. No wonder I never-"

"I did not give a speech, Mark! Cut out the compliments and realisations. I want the truth and you know I am not very patient."

"My ancestors are a mix breed of vampires and werewolves and ghosts and faeries. That does not make me someone specific but rather a different being with certain powers of all these creatures. I am sixty percent human. I am not immortal but my life expectancy is as long as five hundred years. I will stop ageing at twenty one and my self-healing powers are beyond excellent. That dark forest is like my own inventory of potions which I have to brew and keep consuming. Also, no one except me can enter the forest because no one else can see it. Only I can."

"But I entered it. I saw it. I dreamed about it. Don't tell me I'm one of your kind."

"No, you're not. Every single time we've kissed, it's like our minds and certain memories clashed. They entered your sub-conscious mind and let you dream. The connection we have is strong enough that the forest in a way.. trusted you. And not only let itself be visible; it let you in."

"Such a convincing story, Mark. You've got it all prepared."

"I want to keep you safe and informed. Why would I lie?"

"Who are you waiting for right now?"

"I knew you were gonna come. Just you. I even have the coffee prepared."

She smiled to herself. And without any more hesitation, she took out her iron rod and thrust it straight into his heart.

He whined in pain and cursed out loud. He knew he was breathing his last, his face changed colour, blackening slowly. Amidst the pain, he spoke, "How did you..how did you know?"

"That you're not Mark? I hate coffee. No, not all girls are coffee fans. Some of us are happy with lemonade. And secondly, Mark loves his car a lot. He never lets me drive it; it'd be unusual for him to come to my house, stick a letter on my window and not take back his precious car."

The so called Mark shut his eyes as his entire body went black and still. Then suddenly, it cracked open, revealing someone inside. She saw Mark- her Mark, lying inside the shell with closed eyes. Was he dead?

He smiled warmly as his eyes slowly opened. A surge of relief shot through her veins. She had just killed the monster who possessed him. The boy she loved was still alive.

His hand reached out towards her.

He sighed and looked at her for a long time. She was afraid to touch him but walked closer. She reluctantly held his hand. His eyes softened and so did hers. 

A lot of things needed to be explained. A lot of questions demanded answers. But what mattered in the end was that she grew out of her fears. It was a difficult choice but she made sure it was the right one.