The Forgotten Ones

Chapter 17: Cornered

  The lone ant stepped tentatively across his skin; it's tiny antennae tapping along. Creeping up his hand, over his knuckle and down to his finger, it's little legs sent a tickling sensation as it made it's way towards his nail. The wandering insect was blown off by one of Eli's quick, sharp breaths of panic as his head laid deep into the dirt. His heart pounded in his chest, making his ears go numb; his eyes wide and still as they stared at the fixated point in the trees. He hadn't been laying there long, it had only been a few seconds, but to him it felt like hours.

  He had always meant to move, and in his head, he'd been inching out, but in reality, he hadn't moved a muscle since he saw the two disappear. Sweat began collecting in beads against his forehead, one eventually large enough to slide down the side of his nose and into the corner of his eye. It was at this moment, when the burning irritation entered, he was forced to shut his eyes, snatching the blankness of his mind away.

  He swallowed hard, looking around at the stillness of the forest before him. Eli couldn't deny it. He could feel it coursing through every inch of his body. He was paralyzed with fear. He grew more and more disgusted with himself the longer he wrestled with the ideas of self-preservation and loyalty.

  Bawling his fists, he slammed it against the dirt, again and again until his hand ached. He refused to justify his hesitation--he wouldn't allow himself to get comfortable in the thought of safety. All he could think about was Sunshine. It was Eli's idea after all. He was the reason they were out there in the first place, and now he was running for his life as Elias laid hidden doing absolutely nothing. He remembered his first time being trapped in this feeling. It was with Cush; suddenly unable to move at the sight of danger.

"Come on." He whispered to himself, his brows furrowing as he continued to repeated it, gritting his teeth. "Move, damnit."

  Finally, his hand reached out from under the trailer, gripping the dirt as he pulled himself more and more. Once he was completely exposed, he pushed himself up, hopping until he could stand balanced. If it weren't for his will and adrenaline, Elias would have crumbled from the pain of his leg, but instead he stood, limping towards the trees.

He didn't exactly have a plan, but he couldn't waste anymore time. If he did nothing for much longer, it could cost Sunshine his life. That is, if it hasn't already.

  He wasn't moving as fast as he would've liked, but he kept pushing nonetheless. He had no idea where they had gone, and without the aid of the light from the trailer, it was too dark to make out disturbed ground or footprints. The darkness became overwhelming; the faintest shape of trees only visible once he was close enough to touch them.

The quick flash of a tail--the brisk shot of noise--the overlapping sound of bugs; Elias never had a moment of ease. He couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing that he couldn't hear either Sunshine nor Jade. He hated wandering around cluelessly with the possibility that they could have been going in an entirely different direction. Stopping in his tracks, he looked into the blackness in front of him. He'd wanted to catch a glimpse of a figure, hear a voice--anything other than being completely oblivious to everything happening around him.

See, to him, everything seemed still, but he knew his eyes deceived him. He knew everything was moving. Insects and furry creatures scurrying beneath his feet, owls perched on branches twirling their neck as they stalked him from above. Even the trees seemed motionless, though he could hear the whistle of the wind twist and bend around each shaking leaf. Funny how even when surrounded by a never ending cycle of racket, it still felt horrifyingly quiet.