It Lives In The Woods

Chapter Five

The darkness swallowed up the two adults as they ventured out into the woods, the woods no one dared enter after the sun abandoned them, the woods where things lurked in every shadow. "Do you think this is a good idea?" Bee whispered, her voice bouncing off the trees. Noah looked back at her, fear reflecting on his face from the fluorescent beam of the flashlight. "No, but we have to try, Jamie's always been the weakest of us, he needs us looking out for him." She laughed slightly. "Just like old times. Jamie and mouse, always needing someone to come to the rescue. Do you even remember where the clearing is?" Noah nodded, looking out ahead of them as their footsteps fell gently, like soft thuds in the dead of night. Silence settled between them as they trekked on, till a small sound resembling a giggle escaped Noah's lips. "What ?" Bee asked, hiding a smirk in the darkness. "Nothing, nothing I was just thinking, this is the first time we've been alone since, well since the day you left." Bee frowned and looked away from him, holding her breath. Remembering that painful day, only a week after her best friend's funeral, how hard she'd cried on the car ride out of town, Noah's breath mixing with her own, the pain and confusion, all red hot emotion. "You never called like you said you would you know. And I waited, everyday, for a good year, after we all drifted apart, I waited for just one phone call." Shame ran through her like a hot knife as she stared down at the ground. "I-I'm sorry Noah, I wanted to call, I really did. I just thought it'd be easier." He glared over at her, "For who, me, or you?" She opened her mouth to respond but was stopped by a sound slicing through the air. "Did you hear that?" She whispered, edging closer to him. Noah swallowed roughly, looking around them for the culprit. "Bee.." He lifted a shaking finger, as her eyes followed his pale finger, she saw an old monster, a boogeyman from her nightmares, snarling it's jaws in the pale moonlight. It was a beast, made of vines and sticks, and rocks, with glowing blue eyes as hot as burning coals, it snarled it's mouth dripping with green slobber, gnashing it's jagged rock teeth at them. "What do we do?" He whispered, remembering the burning pain of their teeth in his arm. "We know Blue only sends out his guard dogs when he doesn't want us to reach him. We must be getting close to Jamie. So we run." At her own words Bee took off sprinting, bat swinging as not just one, but three beasts raced after them, snapping at their heels. She felt sixteen again, how amazed she had been when he first showed them his animals.

-2008-

"I swear it was him, he- he did something to her!" Lily insisted as the group trampled through the woods. Tanner nodded in agreement, "I saw him too, right after school, like he was waiting for us." Norah shook her head in disbelief. "Come on mouse, the nurse said Fiona suffered from an epileptic seizure, Blue can't cause one of those, it's impossible."

"We don't know that Norah, we don't know anything about Blue." Bee snapped, Andy wrapped a comforting arm around her. "Bee, you're all just rattled from Fiona's seizure, maybe you and mouse are just overreacting." Bee shoved Andy off of her, blue eyes glowing fiercely. "What about Tanner?! He saw Blue too!" Tanner nodded, swallowing nervously, so far Bee had kept his dirty little secret, but would she continue, especially from her boyfriend? Ava shrugged nonchalantly. "So what? He was waiting for us. Why is that so bad?" Noah grabbed his twins wrist, "Norah we're just saying it's creepy." They all stopped, there was a rustling in the underbrush, and the air around them became charged with electricity. "Blue?" Ava called with a grin as Jamie shrunk back against Stacy who rolled her eyes at him in disgust. "Friendssss, I have a surpriseeee" came his hiss of a voice. Norah grinned in excitement as she looked around at the others. "What is it? Are you going to reveal your true self to us?!" She asked in a rush of voice. "Nooo, more friendsss" out of the underbrush came a beast of thick green vine, and rough brown bark, teeth of grey stone, a dog of Blue's very own creation. Andy stepped in front of Bee who grabbed Lily by her shoulders, pulling her back from the creature. Norah was the only one who stepped forwards, eyes glowing like she'd seen the sun. "It's beautiful." She whispered. "Norah stop!" Noah snapped, slapping his sisters outstretched hand away from the beast. Norah shoved her twin backwards into Andy, "I'm fine! Blue wouldn't hurt me? Would you Blue?" She purred, slowing reaching out and running her fingers across the back of the beast. She could feel the life pulsating inside of it, feel it's warmth through the thickness and roughness of it's skin. "It's beautiful, Bee, Bee come here!" Bee peeked out from behind Andy, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Little oneeee, donttt be scared" Blue sang in her ear, the wind picking up pieces of her hair like an affectionate lover. "Bee, don't." Noah said quietly, the pleading clear in his voice. But she stepped forwards, the beast calling to her with the fire that burned in its eyes. Her fate was sealed when she bent down, and let her hand trail along the creatures back, the rest followed suit.