~Chapter One Dark Forest.~

~Germany 1991~

Thomas Schlankwald stands outside his house, enjoying the fresh spring air and the

smell of the pine trees. Diana comes up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Tom, dinner is ready." Tom turns around and kisses her. Annie, his only daughter, ran up and hugged him as he bent down to embrace her. "Alright, everyone, it's time to eat," she smiles.

Later that night, Diana collects the dishes off the table as Tom helps Annie get ready for bed.

He carries the sleepy child to her bedroom, kisses her forehead, wishes her sweet dreams, and turns off the light. He heads to his bedroom to change into his pajamas.

Meanwhile, Diana finishes the dishes, her hands are super wrinkly from being in the sink too long. She wipes her hands. Glancing out the window, she happens to notice it is still open. As she reaches to close it, the middle aged women sees a dark figure at the edge of the forest a short distance from the house. It jerks its head towards her to reveal no features. She rubs her eyes in disbelief. She opens her eyes, blinks, and discovers the figure has vanished, as though it was never there. "Honey! you coming?"

Diana jumps at his voice "I'll be right there!" She closes the window before going into the

bedroom. Diana sits next to Tom on the bed. "Hmm?" she says out loud, but unsure.

"What is it, Diana?"asks Thomas. A shadow plays across his face, hiding his look of

concern.

"I saw something strange in the kitchen when I looked out the window." The memory gives Diana shivers, and she lays down covering up with her comforter.

"Hmm....let me go take a look." Tom gets up from the bed, grabs his gun, and heads to look around the yard, checking for anything unusual. He walks downstairs and out the front door.

He checks for tracks of any sort; by touching the ground. He listens, and even smells the ground for any unknown scents. He was a natural hunter when it came to tracking animals, just like his father taught him. However, while looking around he finds...nothing.

However, Tom has the distinct feeling he is being watched. Tom didn't know what to think of that, maybe it was just the area, maybe he was just tired. In the end, nothing was found.

Diana began to worry, was what she saw really there, or was it a figment of her

imagination. "Did you find anything?" asked Diana worried. Tom touching her face in

reassurance.

"No, it's alright. It was probably just animals, let's go to sleep" He turning off the lamp falling into deep sleep.

"it's cold...." Diana rubs her arms for warmth. A pitch dark area was seen with nothing, but a small lit area. There was a rustling noise coming from all directions.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Diana approached the noise, cautiously, looked around to

see.....nothing, just a forest.

"How did I get into a forest?" She continued to walk till she ran into this strange tree. It's

branches garneled. All of a sudden, the scene fell into darkness, but this one tree. Her heart race for what she feared might happen next. Diana reached for the tree, and as she went to reach for it. She was grabbed by thousand of shadowed hands, they made a malevolent sound.. There grip strong, powerful. She fought with all her might, as she was slowly was being dragged into the tree. It pulled her deep into the roots with great force. Diana screamed in panic from her dream. "Ah!!!" she threw her fist furiously fighting to get away. "Diana!!" Tom grabbed a hold of her trying to wake her up from her nightmare. "Diana wake up!!" she opened her eyes to realize she was awake as tears ran down her face. "Oh Tom!" she held him tight still in terror, crying. "It's okay....it was only a dream" he held her in reassurance.

~The next morning~

Diana sickly leans over the toilet throwing up, she moves her hair back. She wiped her

mouth of the penny taste realizing there was blood. "Honey are you alright?" yells Tom.

"Yea....I'm fine..."

"Maybe you should go see a doctor"

"Yea, I'll do that"

Diana drove to the doctors office, her Oldsmobile looked more old fashion today, since it was cloudy outside. Diana didn't know what to think about what was going on, but something was off, her health was usually pretty good; she never got sick often at all, it wasn't like her to be sick out of no where, especially since it wasn't flu season. She found it kind of strange but not as strange as what she saw last night outside her kitchen window. Is what she saw a figment of her imagination?....she didn't know, Diana looked up to what looked like a human standing out in front of her car as she drove on, she twisted her wheel, trying to avoid hitting the person, the car screeched and skit to the side not causing any harm to her or the vehicle.

She got out of the car to see if the man was alright, just to see that there was no one there, not even a body. Was she losing her mind? She headed to the car back to the doctors office.

Something was definitely off.

Once she arrived at the doctors office, she got her paperwork done and was sent in to see the doctor. "What can I do for you Diana?"

"Oh, hello Doctor, I am here because I got sick this morning, throwing up out of no where"

"Hmm....and did you feel I'll yesterday?"

"Yesterday?" Diana thought for a moment and the only thing that she remembered was

seeing that thing, outside her window and right after nightmares and getting sick the next morning"

"Diana?"

"Yes?"

"Lets check your health" after a bit of tests the doctor re-entered the room.

"Well Diana, it seems like you are healthy as a horse"

"What?! But what about the throwing up?"

"Perhaps stress, I would take it easy. Here I will prescribe some medicines that will help with that" he handed her a paper and signed it for her to pick up.

Later that day, Diana drove back from seeing the doctor, and opening the door to a very

eager Tom welcoming her home. "What did the doctor say?" She looks down in thought, what would she tell him? "Diana?"

"Huh? Yea uh, he said it was the flu, I just need some rest" she explained. Tom looked at her in worry.

Later that night, a loud banging awoke Tom from his sleep. He removed his blanket to see that Diana was not next to him, he quietly walked downstairs into the living room to see Diana. "Honey?" he slowly reaching his arm towards her, when suddenly Annie came up

behind him, tired. "Daddy?" Tom looked back at Annie.

"What's mommy doing?"

"Shhh!.....I don't know...." he continued to reach for once more.

"Diana?" he took a breath at the thought that something horrible was going to happen.

She mumbles gibberish "he's coming...." Tom put his hand on her shoulder to turning her around. "Diana?" his heart began to race. She floats into the air, tilting her head back in an unnatural way. Moving it back and forth in a rapid speed, she starts to chant:

Hush, thy Childe, do not stray far from the path,

Or the faceless one shall steal you away to faireland.

He prays on the sinful and diant souls and works within the woods.

He has hands and ebony branches and a touch as soft as silk.

Fear the faceless one thy Childe,

For he shall take you to a dark place

And should become of thou?

No one knows? So be good thy little Childe

Alas! He is here to take thou away.

"Daddy!" yells Annie holding onto her father tightly. The front door swings open with great

force as darkness spread throughout the room, shadowed hands everywhere. They slowly crept up grabbing a hold of Diana's leg, quickly pulling her towards the door with great force.

Tom panicked and ran towards the door after Diana. "Diana!"

"Stay Here Annie!"Annie panics, but listens to her father. Tom runs outside trying to save Diana, he rushed to grab onto her hands and getting tossed around like a rag doll while still holding on tightly. "Don't let go!" cries Diana. Tom's hand slowly slipping, his grip weak. He falls into the mud face first, he looks up to see Diana dragged into the forest. "Noooo!" yells

Tom tears running down his face. He hits the ground in defeat. Tom stands up to see the

shadowed humanoid creature that invaded his home.