Chapter 3

"His condition is getting worse. It is possible that he will not last another night. I am helpless ..."

"I never thought it would end this way."

"Have you heard that yet? Jaspar mentioned that it is getting worse with her boy."

"Ha! He deserved this fate."

"Mom...! It is not proper to say such things about Lartons."

"Inhale! One, two, three ... and exhale! "

"He certainly will be an amazing warrior!"

In his mind, it wasn't a minute yet, when in reality ... the sun was slowly setting. An orange glow covered the horizon, stunning nearby Hilldawn. The gloomy shadows grew their slimy tentacles deeper toward the Meridian. Half the time lost never returns. Despite the possibility of fixing errors, there is no permanent solution. There will always be an element of warping in the soul of a living object, which, despite its vagueness, can initiate the growth of "something" inside. Like a malicious virus, it spreads at an alarming rate. People are afraid of it, they try to annihilate the evil born of their own whims. Nobody really understands that there is no possibility of a final break with corruption.

I am created to spread the scourge... we are a scourge. Why should we, therefore, engage in our own lives, even if reality can be so fictitious.

'Stand up please ... the ground is cold. You will still catch a cold.' ,

'Ahhhhhh! ...what?!', the roar of a terrified animal wakes up the whole forest. The poor beast is shot, it tries to get up of the ground with its last strength. His head, full of alcohol, and his soul hurt. 'Yhm... Grisha... where is he?', his vague thoughts spread in all directions. It took a good ten minutes for Zack to recover. He stood like a pole, staring into the dark forest. A replay of his torn memories played in his head. "Where exactly am I?", "What was I supposed to do?" Slowly, he was able to assemble the puzzle into a full picture.

'Oh my god... Grisha! He went home?', Zack started to look around. 'Would he leave me? No... Impossible. Here is his basket. He entered the forest... alone?! It's so late. Fuck!'

It's already night. The time was late, around midnight. Fortunately for Zack, the starry sky lit the way back. Like a lunar compass, indicating the safest option to get out of a troublesome situation.

"I have to go home ... I'll deal with this little bastard!"

Already thinking better, he sat on the stone to breathe a little after a long sleep. He stretched his arms and legs, relaxed his neck and brushed the residue from the litter that had previously served as bedding. He began looking around the sky. The image of stars forming different patterns soothed his jagged nerves. Zack looked around the area. He saw marks on a sand path that led straight into the woods.

"Someone was passing by and didn't dare to wake me up ... what people!"

However, the sight of small prints put him in a state of elevated pressure. It was a single string that didn't turn back. Besides, the size of these reflections would match that of Grisha's feet.

"He wouldn't be so stupid to go to the forest alone ... it's impossible! Ugh! I have to stop thinking about it. "

However, gloomy thoughts never left him. With every second he considered moving into the forest more and more in search of his younger brother. However, he did not want to do this. He knew the dangers of the forest. The more he thought about it, the more paradoxical his understanding of reality became. If he were to return home, where Grisha could be found safe and sound, which could not have happened because Zack's resting place had fruit baskets. Grisha could never have abandoned them without a reason.

"The bins are empty ... if he was to go there, why didn't he take them with him?"

Zack jumped in horror. Chills ran down his neck and cold sweat appeared on his face. He felt like his heart was pierced with a cold shard of glass. Pain spreading all over the body. Like dirt, he merged it with the ground.

'Would you like to know if he went there alone? I guess you already realized his little trip?'

'What?! Who is this? Where are you?', chilling voice came from behind. It had a strange accent reminiscent of french.

'This is not the time, not the place for useless chatting. You are looking for something, an object. The correct behaviour would be to initiate a new plan. I advise you against it! Don't enter this forest.'

Scattered strands of red hair fluttered in the wind, like a damn fire brushing an impregnable dimension. The pale complexion and slight plumpness... the only features Zack managed to notice before the woman dissolved in the air. He still managed to follow the smoke path that accompanied the departure of the mysterious figure.

"La mort attend..."

'Fucking excuse me? I do not understand! Where are you, bitch...?' Zack had a sudden panic attack, that would announce the action Zack will have to take to be able to find his brother and get his rightful rest.

He took a few steps forward towards the forest. His heartbeat accelerated with each passing moment. Boy's breathing became uneven. Almost like a faulty steam engine, driven by an inexperienced employee. Every single cell in his body passed on fear, scattering it all over his body like a plague.

Zack found himself near the very edge of the meadow with the forest. The confusion in his head grew with each passing moment. His whole body suffered severe convulsions. Because of the gloomy situation, he found himself in and the terrible panic attack, the boy's body stopped responding to commands given to him. Also, defence mechanisms forced his lower body to "relieve stress" strengthened by the strong influence of alcohol.

He stood petrified, awaiting the development of the situation. He subconsciously begged all the Gods he knew for help. A small yellowed puddle slowly began to condense under him. Dirty slates of sand from the lane merged with the liquid, creating a smelly image of something that in the past could have come under the image of sadness and despair. Now, however, it turned out to be a completely mild muddy sleep. A memory of something that was long gone.

Zack was slowly losing his sense of presence as if his senses had changed places. The sounds began to take real shapes, smelling of warm urine. The colours have faded, leaving the card blank and white. The smell was humming an old forgotten melody and the taste became black. The larger the entrance to the forest dragged, the more the forest began to spoil its natural order. It was so hard to dare to take the next step as if the life of the entire Hilldawn depended on his choice.

"I have to do it ... everything will be fine, just ... I am begging you, take this one step."

Zack began to sob. He fell to his knees and his tears mixed with the puddle caused by the previous panic attack. He was sitting there, smeared in his own secretions, dirty and smelly. He started screaming with all his strength, nothing and nobody could help him. The worst humiliation... a complete loss.

"I love my son!"

A memory of the past hit him. A vision of history that he could not change in any way. Childhood nightmare. When he was still in the orphanage, nothing could happen to him. Only being adopted by Holt and Teresa Lartons awakened a hidden sin in him. It brought him to light, which slowly began to burn his skin. The water in the nearby pool consumed his guts, like malicious acid. Warm words pierced Zack's head like icicles falling on someone's head, revealing a bloody brain.

"I love my son, Grisha."

"Sir ... this young man's name is Zack."

"... who's Zack ?!"

Suffering and pain were forgotten. Stress and fear turned into rampant anger. Zack got to his feet. His eyes sparkled with clarity of mind. His body was again under his control. He headed straight into the woods. He took him every step confidently and without any thought.

Truly... how wonderful this place was. The glow of the moon penetrated through the cracks in the dense crowns of trees, illuminating the palace of nature. Huge oaks guarded the secrets of this sacred bunker. The grass seemed to take on new colours. A suspension of pollen and a nap formed in the air, covering each being with glitter.

Zack has been wandering around the forest for over an hour. He absorbed his beauty, dived in the richness of the environment. Slowly before his eyes, a forest's glade emerged. A huge space with a massive granite bulge in the centre. Zack approached the strange monument. The shape resembled a bowl with a deeply carved bottom. The boy slowly leaned over the formation to better observe the carving. There were a lot of difficult to decipher runes and symbols.

"Good evening, boy."

A cold shiver flowed across Zack's neck. A loud squeak sounded in his head, stunning him. Then, the boy felt someone hit him in the back of the head.

"Yes, indeed... the ship is almost ready to sail !"

Chapter 3 of "Pirates Forest"