Ep.35 Strangers in the Dark Part 2

The forest pressed in around us, a living darkness that seemed to pulse with each breath we took. Maya, Rowan, and I stood back-to-back in a tight triangle, our shoulders touching as we strained our eyes against the gloom. My heart thundered in my chest, but I forced my breathing to remain slow and steady, knowing that panic would only dull our senses when we needed them most.

More leaves rustled in the darkness, closer now than before. The sound had changed though – there was something different about it, something that made me tilt my head slightly as I listened. Through the soft whisper of disturbed foliage came something else: voices.

Fragments of conversation drifted through the trees, punctuated by occasional laughter. The casual nature of it threw me off balance. After everything we'd been through in the past few days, normal human interaction felt almost foreign.

Questions raced through my mind, each one carrying its own weight of dread and hope. Were they members of the Order, hunting us even now? Just innocent travelers passing through the woods? My training screamed at me to run, to melt into the shadows and leave no trace. But another part of me, the part that ached from the thought of days of running and hiding, wondered if these might be people who could help us.

The decision was ripped from my hands as torchlight began to pierce the darkness. Five figures emerged from the trees, their shadows dancing grotesquely against the trunks behind them. Before I could signal to the others to retreat, a male voice called out:

"Hey, who's there?"

I froze, feeling Maya and Rowan's eyes boring into me. They were looking to me for guidance, as they had been since this whole nightmare began. My mind raced through our options, but before I could settle on a course of action, the voice came again:

"Hello?"

They were less than twenty feet away now, their torchlight creeping closer. Running would only draw pursuit, and in these woods, with unknown terrain ahead of us... I made my choice.

"W-we don't want any trouble," I called back, deliberately pitching my voice higher, letting a tremor of fear seep into it. It wasn't entirely an act – I was afraid, just not in the way I wanted them to think.

The torchlight finally reached us, illuminating our faces. I heard several sharp intakes of breath from the group, and a woman's voice spoke from behind the others, thick with surprise: "T-they're just kids?"

The man who had been calling out stepped forward. His face, now visible in the torchlight, was weather-beaten but not unkind. His voice, when he spoke again, had lost its edge, though a note of authority remained.

"What the hell are you three doing out here? It's dangerous."

I weighed our options carefully. The truth – about the Order, about what we'd seen, about what we could do – would sound absurd coming from kids in the middle of the woods. More likely, it would raise dangerous questions. I kept my eyes wide and innocent, leaning into the persona I'd created.

"W-we're lost," I whispered, letting my voice crack slightly.

The man's expression softened further, and he extended his hand toward me. "Well, we're heading back into town, so for now you kids come with us, and then we'll figure this out, okay?"

I studied his face carefully, looking for any sign of deception. After what we'd been through, kindness alone wasn't enough to earn my trust. But we needed information – where we were, how far we'd come, what direction to head next. For now, that meant playing along.

I caught Maya and Rowan's eyes, giving them a subtle nod. They understood the unspoken message: stay alert, play along, be ready for anything. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and took the offered hand.

As we fell in with the group, heading toward what they called "town," I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking into either salvation or a trap. Only time would tell which – and I prayed we'd be ready either way.