Part 1: Denial - Episode 1

Loss is a feeling many experience, the cold, empty feeling while you extend your hand towards something no longer there….

William sat back in the creaking chair. The cabin was warm, but felt somewhat lonely. With just him and Lloyd it didn’t have the same feeling as a few months ago.

“William,” Lloyd called, an acute tone of annoyance was audible in his voice, “Do me a favour and kick the hunk of metal outside,” In turn, William groaned, “The generator? Yes, alright,” he responded, in an exasperated voice.

William’s shirt tightly hugged his figure, as he rose, he straightened his black, leather belt. William wasn’t entirely sure if it was even real leather, for he had never bothered to check. He reached for the door after taking a few steps, the brass door knob was freezing, it hadn’t been used in at least 2 days, the forest was far too dangerous for unplanned or random outings.

With one hand on the door knob, William snatched a dagger from the end of his bed, the bottom bunk. The dagger was about 17 centimetres long, the blade shone, but the opal precariously tied onto cross-guard was radiating its brilliance, shiny enough for William to make out his features. William tucked the dagger into his waistband.

“I’m leaving, Lloyd,” William announced, twisting the door knob and gently shutting the thick, wooden door behind him.
The forest was dark and unfriendly. It was extremely dangerous to wander alone, due to the density of it. One couldn’t look more than 50 metres in front of them if it was dark enough. A light whistle ran through the evergreen while the wind gently shook the branches of the trees. A purple-like tint was present when it was this late. William breathed in, adding one more whistle to the plethora of others making their ways through the Whistling Woods. 

William kept his piercing, hazel eyes down, the wind ruffled his black, wavy hair. As a child, William has yearned for long hair, yet his father had always denied the request. William supposed that simply stuck with him until adulthood, as his hair was still as short as his teenage self, even his childhood self. 

William followed the sizeable, yellow cord connected to the cabin. The journey to the generator was rather lengthy, but nothing compared to the journey to Fool’s Cove, although Fool’s Cove was safer. In this forest, even 2 minutes outside could be fatal… William had learnt that.

The forest thickened as William grew nearer to the generator. His grip on the dagger was tight, his knuckles were whiter by the minute. William looked up, recognising he was close, by the rocks and pebbles in chaotic disarray at his feet. In the distance, about 30 or 40 metres from him was the bulky silhouette of the large, metal generator.

William’s heart dropped as he heard a low buzzing sound, followed by shuffling. If the shuffling wasn’t there, William would have assumed the buzz was from the generator.

But the generator was off.

William’s eyes widened, he felt his breath start to quiver. He hastened his step, careful to limit the amount of sound his footsteps emitted. By now, William had his hands on the generator, they were trembling. Ahead of him, a large, cat-like figure, akin to the size of a Bengal tiger stood. The thing, a thing that should not inhabit the mortal world, its edges were sharp, almost geometric. Its face normally had a single eye, the pupil a harsh black, but instead its face had a mouth, the teeth stained with a scarlet red. William studied the creature carefully, his breath hushed. 

The creature stumbled haphazardly, almost as if it was blind. William realised, without its eye, it cannot see. A smile crept onto William’s face, but not one of joy. He raised his dagger, and launched towards the creature, slashing at it with his dagger, yet only leaving tiny scrapes near its tail. At the sharp sting of pain, the creature spun around, facing William, although slightly turned away from him. 

The creature’s claw was long and pointed, caked in mud as it swung in William’s direction. William was knocked back against a tree, sharp spines of the bark poking at his arms. A dull ache came from William’s abdomen, followed by dizziness. The creature, unsure of where he was, prowled the area, the buzzing was louder now.

William was out of breath, he slid down the tree, slumping against it while sitting on the ground. He brought himself to look up, as he glanced around himself, a movement caught his eye. His neck was painful, he restrained a groan as he turned it, his jaw was clenched.

Before him was a person, his age, possibly. They beckoned for him to come, fear in their eyes. The boy crawled slightly closer, often looking at the creature to ensure it hadn’t noticed them, but the creature was closer. The surface of its skin didn’t appear to have any shadows, it did not look natural in the dark environment.

It neared, the creature’s claws dug into the soft ground. The boy was visibly panicked, as he turned, gathering rocks in his hands. He stood up, circling around the tree, his hair, very likely bleached blond, shining in the small bursts of silvery moonlight that could make their way through the bulky canopy. 

The boy lifted the first rock high, pegging it as far, and as hard as he possibly could into a nearby clearing. Then the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth. With each rock the creature flinched. After what William supposed was the ninth rock, the creature took off in the direction of the sound the rocks made, its legs moved in a blur, the creature was evidently unaffected by the minor injuries William caused.

William diverted his gaze to the boy who was crouched, hastily making his way to William.

“We’ve no time,” The boy spat, “Get up, can you walk?” William nodded, letting the boy loop his arms around William, helping him up.

The journey was a mere five minutes to the generator, but with William’s added limp, the journey was at least 15 minutes. William groaned, he applied pressure to the wound on his stomach, his dark purple shirt was soaked. The other boy, William recalled his name to be Elias. He was significantly shorter than William, at least, in his eyes. In reality the height difference was no more than 10 centimetres.

Elias and William could now see the cabin.

“That’s your cabin?” Elias spoke softly, gesturing at Lloyd’s cabin. By now, Williams' dizziness was prominent, and his eyelids were heavy. “Come on,” Elias whispered, pulling William along slightly faster.

William reached out to the same brass door knob, weakly pushing open the door. Hearing the door open, Lloyd made his way to the room with the beds and front door, mumbling. “William, you didn’t kick it hard enough…” Lloyd trailed off as he stared at Elias and William. “Who are you? What’s happened to William,” He stepped closer to the pair, visibly worried. “Was it Bad Habits?” Lloyd pointed to the bottom bunk bed, “Put him there, we need to make sure the wound can’t get worse.” 

Lloyd slowly inched William’s shirt off, revealing the wound. It was deep, most definitely an inconvenience. “Stay here with him,” Lloyd said, audibly alarmed. As Lloyd returned with a first-aid kit, William turned to look at Elias, who looked back at him. “You’re hurt, Will, stay still,” Elias spoke as William attempted to move. “Don’t call me that,” William spat. “Shut up, both of you,” Lloyd said sternly. 

The bandages were wrapped around William’s torso, already soaked decently in a deep red. Elias was speaking to Lloyd, “Alright, stay on that top bunk, do what you want, but you’re going to need to go back out there tomorrow,” Lloyd nodded his head at the door. “Why?”

“I need you to go here,” Lloyd put his finger over a circle on the map, Elias stepped closer, “That’s Hope Windward’s cabin. She’ll get you everything you need: food, clothes, medicine, what ever the fuck it is, she can get it.” Elias nodded, “What do I need to get?” Lloyd turned to the small table next to the bunks, scribbling down a list of various medicines onto a dotted piece of paper. “These.”

"One more thing," Elias queried, "What's Bad Habits?"