1 Woods

Druwood is a quite town in Northern California and although nothing seams to ever happen in this town, it has it's own stories too - one in particular.

The wind whispered in the woods of Druwood, rustling the dry leaves on the ground and flitting through the heavy white heavy fog obscuring the view of what lays beyond, the woods were truly a creepy place at night. There was a tales around town, about predatory creatures roaming around in the fog at night. Creatures with pointy ears and transparent wings. Of course no one believed in those stories, but still, no one ever dare to go near the fog for fear of what lies inside. At least not those who have the slightest common sense.

A few deaths have occurred in those woods before. Those who thought they could prove the town's people superstition wrong went in and were found dead the next day - or a few days after. The report have always been the same. It had always been an animal attack of some sort but no one know what kind of animal. Over the years, people began to forget the tales and fewer people went into the fog in the woods.

Everything was silent after midnight.

The perfect silence in the woods was suddenly disrupted by an ear deafening roar. A flock of birds took off in fright and animals run and hid. A man dressed in a black cloak leapt out of the fog, clutching a small bundle in a white blanket of what seams to be a baby.

"GIVE ME THE CHILD" a monsterous creature rumbled. Shadows writhed as it crashed through the fog, suddenly slamming onto an invisible barrier unable to get out.

Save at the other side, the man made a gesture with his hand. A small basket appeared at his feet where he carefully placed the baby. He took a silver chain from his pocket, clasped it around the baby's neck and gently placed a note onto the blanket.

There was a snuffling, and the man looked up. A small puppies head was sticking out from behind a tree. The pup approach the man slowly and cautiously, fur white as snow from a mountain top. The man took out a golden volar from the folds of his cloak and put it around the pup's neck, tying the other end to the basket.

"Go. Make sure my son reaches safety" the man said.

As if it had understood the man's words, the dog barked once and began running in the other direction, away from the fog, the basket trailing behind him. Their small figure went further and further away and once they were out of sight completely, the man turned back to the fog, to the creature inside it.

Jumping back into the fog, he grabbed the still-howling monster and with great strength, threw it deeper into the woods, away from the outstanding world.

[Sixteen Years Later]

The light from the full moon shone down on Druwood illuminating the streets of the town.

A huge building stood majestically at the end of the street, at the edge of the woods. It put all the other buildings on the street to shame.

Past the front door, down the hallway, a woman rush up a flight of marble stairs frantically fixing her long black hair and nurse uniform as she went almost tripping but catching herself quickly.

"Alex!!" She shouted hopping on a spot as she tugged on her shoes. Shoes on, she walked down the corridor, stopping at a plain white door

"Alex" she called again, hitting the door.

The door flew open and a boy with long white hair stood there, expression alert and puzzled.

"Oh Alex" the woman gushed.

"Mom" Alex said "Why are you yelling?"

"There's a hell lot of emergencies at the hospital and I've got to go"

"It's your day off" Alex stated leaning on the door firm with his hands crossrd

His mom gave him a defeated look

"I know Hon but the hospital called" A ringing sound promptly filled the air. She fumbled around in her purse, drawing out a phone. Sighing, she accepted the call, exclaiming

"I'm on my way already!" to no one in particular.

She looked back to her son again

"I have to go now" she said standing on her tiptoe placing a kiss on his cheek "Bye, hon. See you in a few, don't do anything stupid and don't leave the house"

With that, she rushed down the corridor and down the stairs

"And happy birthday again!"

Alex stood by his door till he heard the front door slam shut and the sound of her car roar to life before turning back to his room and closing the door.

Walking to the bedroom bench in front of his bed, he picked up his notebook computer and dropped into the black chair under his reading desk.

He opened the computer and continued what he had been doing.

"Tony Brown" he muttered the name and clicked on the message one of his friend had sent. After reading, he  typed back a 'thank you' reply, his blue-green eyes reflecting the light from the screen.

Today was his birthday and his mom had taken the day off to celebrate his sweet sixteen. It was a small dinner as per usual, the only people present being himself, his mom, his friend and his friend's dad.

Alex haven't even gone half way through opening all the birthday presents and cards sent from his friends and extended families (from his mom's side) and it was already late evening.

His dad wasn't in the picture anymore and haven't although Alex doesn't really know why, he figured it was along the line of drinking.

Coming from a multi-billion (and more) family has it's advantages, however, and growing up, Alex didn't remember ever lacking anything (except for sleep) so the missing fatherly figure didn't come to his mind much especially not when he had his friend's father around.

Speaking of said friend, a knock on the sliding patio door to his balcony startled him making him pause.

He turned to the balcony and saw Daniel standing there in the setting darkness, waving desperately.

Alex contemplated leaving him outside but he knew he wouldn't ever be able to do that to his best friend and besides, Daniel would just break the door - so to safe himself from cleaning up broken glass pieces for the rest of the night, Alex dropped his phone on the desk and got up.

He made his way past the sitting area and slide the glass door open.

Daniel walked straight in, planting himself belly-first on the plush bed, and let out a content sigh.

"What are you doing here? You just left a few hours ago and no offense but there only so much time I can spend around you without losing my mind" Alex said as walk back to his desk.

Daniel let's out a huff

"You'd beg to be around me and Dad kicked me out of the house" he stated, rolling on the his bag.

"I wonder why" He said, rolling his eyes before picking his phone.

"He said something along the line of he needing a quiet place to work in, and that he didn't want me disturbing him with my every move. Can you believe that?"

"No, it's totally unbelievable that you'd cause any distraction." Alex said and looked up from the screen "I mean, it's not like you're distracting me from reading my thousand and one birthday texts" His voice grew exasperated towards the end.

"Still replying?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Yes! I think my fingers will fall off soon"

Daniel stood up abruptly and walked to his friend

"Give me that" and without waiting for a reply, he swiped the phone off Alex and began typing. "Thanks for the wishes, means a lot" he read out as he typed "and...send"

"Who did you send that to?" Alex asked

"Everyone that sent a message" Daniel replied simply handing the phone back.

"Oh-okey" Alex dropped the phone on the desk and went to sit next to Daniel on the bed.

They both look at the pic of unopened birthday present.

"You should start unwrapping those" Daniel said

"Yeah" Alex said drawing out the word. "Help me?"

They both groaned at same time and drop backwards on the bed

"I can't believe school is starts tomorrow" Daniel moaned, starling at the wall.

"I totally can" Alex said, a ring of excitement in his voice

Daniel to his eyes

"Of course you're excited. You've been homeschooled since forever. It'll be your first day ever at a normal school"

Alex hums in reply

"There's a football selection practice tomorrow right?" He asked

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing. Just that I'm going to make the first line"

Daniel snort out a laugh

"Great. It's nice to have goals even if they're totally unrealistic" he said and Alex punched his shoulder.

Daniel laughed and rolled onto his stomach

"I'm actually pretty good at football" Alex said

"And I'm an abominable snowman" Daniel said. Alex punch him again. Daniel chuckled.

"Besides, you'd probably have to cut your hair if you want to play"

"Not happening!"

The two lay quietly, enjoying the silence. The peace is suddenly interrupted by a static noice and then a crackly voice

'Hello? Sheriff Perry?"

Daniel and Alex looked at each other before Daniel quickly fish out the comm in his front pocket and held it between them

'Yes, Sheriff Perry speaking"

'We've got a call. Two joggers reported a strange screaming in the woods"

"Round up the search party and meet me at the edge of the woods in ten"

The call was terminated.

Daniel shot up from the bed faster than the flash himself looking all excited

"Forget it" Alex said before Daniel could say anything "I'm not going to the woods with you by this time of the night"

"But Alex, I want to see who was screaming" Daniel said

"You mean you want to see the dead body of who was screaming" Alex remarked finally sitting up. He cut his friend a serious look "Have you forgotten that someone or something must have attacked whoever that was"

Daniel's eyes seems to lit up even more

"Even better, we could find whatever is killing people in the woods!" He exclaimed

Alex facepalm.

"Where did I go wrong?" He muttered to himself

Daniel glared at his friend

"Fine. If you're not coming, I'll just go by myself!" He said,

"Are you serious right now?" Alex asked incredulously

"Totally, completely, one hundred percent serious" Daniel said, beginning to walk back to the balcony door

"Fine! I'm coming" Alex sighed "But we're coming back in thirty minutes"

Daniel turned

"Deal"

With a scowl, Alex got up from the bed. He disappear into the walk-in wardrobe and reappeared a few minutes later with black lather jacket and joggers.

It took another few minute to put them on, tie his waist length hair in  ponytail and grab a flashlight. Alex finally turned to his friend

"Let's go"

Daniel grinned and began walking towards the balcony only to have a hand grab his wrist and dragged him to the door

"We're taking the stairs" Alex said

"What?! No!" Daniel exclaimed "I'm not climbing down over a hundred steps to get out of the house. The tree is much easier!"

But it was already too late as Alex hsd tugged him outside into the corridor.

"Get climbing" Alex said

"Are you serious right now?" Daniel asked, appalled.

"Totally, completely, one hundred percent serious" Alex said with a smirk

"Those are my words!" Daniel accussed.

The two began climbing down the stairs, Daniel complaining the whole way.

***********

Police dogs are barking, all five running in the same direction and the officers running behind them.

It was an unpleasant combination of yells, barks and sounds of heavy feet stomping on the ground in the woods

The dogs finally came to an abrupt stop barking loudly as if the tell the officers to hurry the hell up

One after the other, each officer got to the place where the dogs had stopped and quicker than they had looked to see what the dogs had found, they look away, one even going as far as throwing up his dinner

"Oh hell" Sheriff Perry said disgustedly. Lying there were two dead bodies. One a young woman with deep cuts all over her cold body and the other, let's just say there wasn't much of a body left.

***********

Way on the other side of the wood, Alex and Daniel make their way through the path leading into the woods from Alex's house with Daniel holding the flash light and Alex hands stuffed in his pocket as he followed behind his friend

The sound of crickets chirping filled the cold night air. Between the two friends, Daniel was the most excited on their little adventure.

"Think about what could be out here." Daniel said "A three eyes slug. A two mouth bear. Seven legged dragon. A four arms beastman?!"

Alex rolled his eyes

"All of which would kill us without even trying"

"Have a little positivity in your life Alex. All that negative energy won't get you anywhere" was Daniel's replied causing Alex to roll his eyes once more.

They trudged on for a moment, Daniel pointing the light at the tree tops to see if anything was up there.

Alex decided to break the silence with an important question.

"What's the time?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"I don't know, by check your damn phone?!"

"Oh. Why do you want to know?"

"So I can know how long we've been out here!"

"I'm not telling you then!"

"Fuck you Daniel!"

"You wish"

They fall into another round of silence as they headed deeper into the woods. Minutes later, a sudden snap of a wood caught the two's attention making them halt on their track

"Was that you?" Daniel asked

"No" Alex said.

Another branch snapped and Daniel pointing the flash light in the direction it sounded from. They didn't move, in fact they were hardly even breathing and time seam to slow until another snapped shattered the air and Daniel blotted after it.

Alex stood there in a moment of daze thinking of how stupid his friend had to be to go running off like that only to shake out of his dazed state realizing Daniel had actually ran off.

"Shit" Alex swore, running in the direction Daniel disappeared

"Daniel!"

Running alone in the woods at night without a phone and the possibility of being killed by an unknown being is no fun especially when you're trying to find someone.

Alex slowed down running when he realized he wasn't going to find Daniel like that.

Cursing himself for leaving his phone at home, he looked around his environment, brows furrowing.

It white. Why was it white? And cold. Even with his jacket, the air had suddenly gone colder than it was a few minutes ago.

Another realisation dawn to Alex sending cold shivers down his spine. He is in the fog

"Well fuck"

************

[Writer's Note]

Thanks for making out time to read this. If you enjoyed it, do leave a vote and a comment to support me.

With buckets of love and plenty of kisses

Beauty

3:04PM

Sat, Apirl, 2022