It Lives In The Woods

Chapter Nine

Tanner pulled into the small parking lot of the pizza parlour where they had all met up, just a few days before, unsuspecting of the dangers to come. "So what now?" Tanner asked warily. Bee unbuckled and turned in her seat to face him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Tanner nodded. "Alright, give me everything you've got on you, I don't want you to find a single pill ever again, it's too tempting." Tanner sighed, sweat beading across his tan body as he slowly reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the large bag of pills. "Jesus christ Tanner, I don't know how you haven't already relapsed having this thing beside you every time you go to drive." She criticized, taking the bag from his shaking hand, stuffing it up her shirt as she opened the door, and climbed out. Tanner scrambled to follow her, eager to see what she was going to do, always so sporadic and impulsive, none of them ever knew what was coming with Bee Pierce, she was a force from hell at times, a force to be reckoned with. "What are you going to do?" He asked, nervous jitters making him shake. Bee grinned wickedly back at him, her black curls framing her oval face, "Something you should've done a long time ago, come along." Bee led him to the alley behind the parlour which stunk of rotting vegetables and tomato paste. "Consider this a send off, a funeral for your addiction. The end of a thirteen year old bad habit started by the golden boy himself to juggle all his responsibilities at a new school." Tanner thought back to his life then, the panic attacks, the stress hives and piercing stomach pains from all the stress he was faced with in life, all to get into a top college, and even with the drugs, he had failed, he had attended a community college a few towns over, and became a professor before he was twenty-five, when all he had grown up wanting to do was politics. "That was a different time Tanner, a different boy, you're a man now. It's time to start acting like it." She grabbed his clammy hand, and led him to one of the large, green dumpsters. "I know this won't cure you, but at least it'll get you in the right mindset." Bee offered the bag to Tanner, who stared down at it, fighting the every nerve in his body that said to take it, and replace it safely in his car, where it belonged. But then he looked up into Bee's piercing blue eyes, eyes that had watched over him for years whenever he needed her, and he knew she was right, it was time. With a heavy heart, Tanner took the bag from her hand, and grasped it within his own, feeling the imprint of the pills against his palm. "A funeral for my addiction huh?" He said slowly. Bee nodded, "It's symbolic." Tanner sighed, stepping forwards, the muscles underneath his shirt tensing. "In that case, I hope it burns in hell." Tanner tossed the bag over the edge of the dumpster, feeling the weight on his heart lift for the first time in years, a release from the torment, a release from addiction. Bee smiled, and hugged him tightly, her black curls tickling his chin, his scratchy beard nipping at her face, the two cheek to cheek, because if they could stand against Blue together, they could stand against addiction together. "I'm proud of you new kid, now come on, let's get those pizzas and coffees back to Stacy and Ava before they starve."

On the way back to the library, the air between them shifted, feeling more comfortable, as Bee chatted away about the two discoveries the women had made that night. Tanner absorbed it all with a pinched face, "So occultists what, summoned Blue here?" Bee shrugged, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of pizza. "We think so. I'm thinking maybe the mass suicide in the woods was a way to stop him, like closing a portal perhaps." Tanner frowned, imaging all of the dead bodies, slain in those godforsaken woods. "Well it's not like we can do that." Bee nodded in agreement, "Obviously, but if we can figure out why, and how Blue came back, maybe we could come up with another solution." The conversation stopped short as they came around to the library, and saw the others cars parked in front. "What's everyone doing here?" Bee asked, but she knew, whatever the reason it wasn't a good one. The two brought the food and drinks inside and found Andy, Noah and Lily crowded around Stacy and Ava, all craning their necks to get a look at the book they had on the table. "What's going on ?! Is everyone okay?!" Bee asked, setting the pizza's down. They all looked up, "Come look at this kids book." Bee and Tanner exchanged confused glances as he gave Stacy and Ava their coffees.

"Beware The Woods, a cautionary tale for children." Bee read outloud, looking up with a frown at the others. "Keep going." Ava urged with a stiff nod of encouragement. So Bee leaned over and began to read.

In the big bad woods, monsters creep, waiting for something yummy to eat.

Bee's stomach churned as the haunting painting of glowing blue eyes amongst some black trees stared back up at her. "This is morbid for a kids book." she thought.

The monster will slither into your head, telling little boys and girls to get out of their beds. The beast wishes to play a most dangerous game, and mommy and daddy are asleep, so it's all the same, and you can swear you hear the darkness calling your name. Across the pages of the book was the next illustration, of a little girl climbing out her bed, through her window, her eyes glowing with blue fire. There lives in the woods demons made of clay, who gnaw on your flesh and use your bones to play. They do as their master says, even if that means ripping you to shreds. Bee took a sharp intake of breath, her heart dropping into her stomach, as an exact replica of the beastly dogs Blue could make stared up at them from the page.

The trees watch you, and the flowers too. Don't go into the woods little one, trust me, or it will be the end of you. No one tells little ones about the beasts in the dark, the nasty ones, who want to steal your heart. If you don't believe me, just ask the ones who know, the ones who are gone, the ones who couldn't say no. There's a girl with shiny red hair, and an old man who curses the world for being unfair. They fell prey to the woods I do say, and now they haunt the ones who can't stay away. "That's the ice palace, Ava, what the hell is this?!" Tanner cried, pointing to the next picture which was a painting of the large house in the woods, all decay and darkness. "Was the book talking about Norah?" Bee asked quietly, feeling as if she was being watched. "Keep reading." Stacy ordered with a frown, so Bee moved onto the last page. So don't listen to the voices at night, because if the beasts steals your soul, it'll be your turn to give little ones a fright. The monster could be you or me, so don't go into the woods little ones, for it lives in the trees. Blue's figure was outlined on the page, a black swirling mass of evil, and they finally knew for sure, this book was written about their monster, their nightmare. "Who wrote this?! And how would they know all of this ?!" Andy cried, goosebumps popping up on his almond colored skin. Ava had her phone in her hand, shaking her head in disbelief. "Writer and illustrator Fiona Maskings, told our journalists that she wrote the book as a cautionary tale for children against wandering off alone into the woods. She said the monster in the book was inspired by the myths and legends surrounding the woods in her hometown, where she still remains, a small town of the name Crescent Point." The realization of what Ava had just read to them sunk in slowly as they all fell silent. "Where does she live here?" Noah asked, a steel resolve settling into his brown eyes, this could be the answer they all needed, a light in the darkness Blue had shrouded over their lives. Ava did some more research, digging through website upon website criticizing the older woman, until she found a website where you could pay twenty dollars even for her address and phone number. Ava's eyes lit up, "I got it! She lives in the villas at the edge of town!" Noah stood up, "Well what are we waiting for ? We've got a book to get signed." Noah snapped, picking the book up from the table, laying down a few dollars to pay the library for it as the group swiftly exited the library, leaving their uneaten pizza behind.