Chapter 3: Into the Woods.

Sprinting wildly into the dense woods I was specifically warned to avoid especially this week was admittedly not a great idea, but I think taking that calculated risk is slightly better than being trapped inside a house waiting for my dad to arrive home only to get mauled by the demon deer impersonating him.

Leaves lashed at our arms and branches clawed at our clothes as we tore deeper into Sparrow Creek’s woods. The air thickened with dry leaves and moss, scents I used to savor this time of year. My chest hammered, each breath was fast and shallow, hot in my throat but freezing the moment it hit the air, it felt like someone was raking the inside of my lungs. Breathing was never this painful before. Behind me, Lukas stumbled.

“This is so not how I pictured today would go,” He sputtered, throwing his head around to keep his hair from his eyes.  I felt bad for dragging him into this, both of them, actually, even though I’d probably be dead already if it weren’t for the Takodas. I slowed down a little so both of them could catch up and we could push forward together. We were almost shoulder to shoulder when we reached the dirt road that cut through the forest. Anybody could navigate their way back from here. Familiar, it promised safety to some degree. A single path that led to the inside of town,

Only… it wasn’t

I stopped dead in my tracks. Instead of a single well-worn trail, the road splintered off– five, six, maybe more. The forest was playing tricks on us.

“What the heck?” Lukas whispered, taking time to stare down every murky path. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me back a few steps the second we heard footsteps that weren’t our own.  A man, mid thirties emerged from one of the paths in hiking gear, backpack slung over one shoulder. His face was pale and sweaty.

“Mr. Wilkinson?” I blurted out before I could stop myself, the middle and highschool chem- teacher. The one who helped us with our solar oven projects last year, who always volunteered to chaperone the halloween events.

“Aven? Lukas?” The man met our eyes, as if unsure it was really us. “Are you kids alright?” 

I didn’t quite nod my head, and lifted a weak thumbs up. Lukas let out a breath dangerously sounding like a sob. 

“I’ve been trying to get back to the road,” Mr. Wilkinson said, running a hand through his owl-feather hair. “There’s been strange things going on in these woods,” 

“So you noticed too, huh?” I say with the intention of sarcasm, but fear shakes up every word. He nodded, his face grim but not panicked. 

“Come on, kiddos. We can figure this out together,” 

Rowan didn’t move at first, shy as always. Chipmunk. 

“Oh yeah, Rowan,” I hold his hand and pull him forward, “This is Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Wilkinson, Rowan. He's new,” Lukas stepped forward too,

“We’re heading to Rowan’s house. His mum can fix this,” The golden haired boy tells him. The edges of Mr. Wilkinson’s mustache climbed up with his warm smile,

“Then let’s all get there together.”