Whispers in the Forest (Part 1)

Kael staggered across the tree line, drenched in rainwater. 

After the cacophony of the wasteland, this forest seemed…quiet.

The cover of the trees offered relief from the pouring rain, yet Kael found no comfort here. 

The beast he'd met on his first day came to mind. A ravenous thing that had only wanted a full belly. 

In this thick jungle, what could possibly be hiding?

But the forest seemed to quell those fears. Nothing rustled in the underbrush. No animals stirred as they walked past. Not even the hum of insects. 

The only sound that could be heard was the distant thunder above.

He turned to the others. Elysia was wringing water from her hair, her expression unreadable, though exhaustion was plain in her posture

Lucian was bent over, his back rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.

Ryker still stood by the edge of the forest, clenching and unclenching his fists as he watched the storm.

"I think I'm not only speaking for myself when I say we should get some rest," Lucian said between breaths. 

"No," Elysia snapped, hauling up her supply bag again. "I don't trust this place. We keep moving for now."

Kael scanned their surroundings again, looking for some sign of life. Though he couldn't see anything, the chills creeping up the back of his neck told him otherwise.

Something was out there. Watching them. 

*******

The forest god let out a breath as his skin began to merge with the bark of the tree he sat on. 

He studied the leader below, the one with dark hair and fire behind his eyes. This one carried something inside him, something untamed. The god tilted his head, curiosity warring with instinct.

These intruders were different from the ones before, that he was sure of.

The others had been brash, ignorant to the laws of nature. They had stolen and burned his domain. 

That was something he could never forgive, even if these weren't the same humans.

He could never trust one of them again with his domain.

Whispers continued to slither out from his mouth, and the forest listened. 

He would watch them a little longer.

Then the hunt would begin.

*******

Elysia rubbed her arms, the dampness of her clothes clinging to her skin. Something was wrong. She had known it the moment they stepped beneath the trees. There was no life here. 

The unnatural stillness made her teeth clench.

She turned to Ryker. "Do you hear that?"

Ryker frowned. "Hear what?"

Elysia opened her mouth, but the sound was gone. 

A whisper—so faint, she wasn't sure she had heard it at all. But for that brief second, it had been there, just at the edge of her hearing. 

A voice woven into the wind.

I see you.

She glanced at Kael, who's fingers brushed the blade of the pickaxe on his back. He sensed it too.

"Should we stay here, or keep moving?" He asked, not looking away from the trees.

"Keep moving," she said almost immediately. "Our only path is forward."

*******

The group began to move deeper into the forest, Kael leading them. He swung his pickaxe back and forth cutting away the thick foliage in their path.

Ryker stayed in the back, keeping his eyes out for anyone following them.

Since they'd left the mines, he had been on the lookout for more officials. They would be hunting them down by now, seeking revenge for the death of Kreel. 

Maybe the storm would slow them down? Erase the miner's tracks in the dirt?

The deeper they moved into the forest, the denser the foliage became, the twisted roots and sprawling branches forming a natural labyrinth. 

It seemed like for every vine Kael cut away, two more took its place. 

Follow them. 

"Huh?" Ryker spun around, looking for the voice. The rest of the miners faced straight ahead, focused on their path through the forest.

Ryker rubbed his head. "I'm going insane," he muttered. 

They are strong together. We must separate them.

A crack sounded through the forest, and Ryker watched as a tree began to lean over the miners. 

"MOVE!" He screamed, pointing frantically at the tree. 

Splinters of wood rained down upon them as the wood cracked and shattered. 

Within the span of a few seconds, the tree came crashing down toward them, ripping through the thick branches above. 

Ryker grabbed one of the injured Soulless and pulled her to the side as the tree slammed into the ground where she'd been standing. 

He exhaled shakily, staring at the fallen tree. That wasn't a coincidence. Something had done that. Something had tried to kill them.

Kael had stopped in his path and was making his way toward the fallen tree. 

"Try to climb over," he was saying, hefting his pickaxe. 

Ryker moved to take a step forward, but his foot seemed to be caught on something. He looked down and panicked. 

A vine had wrapped itself around his ankle, tightening until the circulation was cut off to his foot. 

He turned to see that the Soulless girl he'd saved was gone. Disappeared out of thin air. 

Ryker bent to try and unravel the vine, but it pulled taught, taking his leg out from under him. He lost balance, slamming his face into the ground. 

"Ryker?" He heard Kael call out.

"This vine's got me!" He screamed. 

But it was too late. He was already being pulled away. 

The last thing Ryker saw was Kael hurtling over the fallen tree as he felt himself consumed by darkness.