Monsters and Maidens

It was with labored breaths and hurried steps that Mark and the others ran as best they could given the uneven terrain. The midday light shone down on them through foliage and heavy branches, filtered through the gargantuan trees that surrounded them. The shadows left the forest floor in a light gloom that left their steps unsteady. Shadows played tricks in their desperate push forward.

“How long?” Barry panted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a fistful of crumpled sandwich to drop on the ground.

“Three more minutes,” Veronica intoned, glancing at her mobile phone as she kept the light jog. She was sure to keep her pace next to their own. “Are we sure this will work?”

“Do we have any better fucking alternatives besides fighting?” Mark growled. “Because I don’t trust we can win in a fight.”

The proclamation was harsh, but close to what they all had quietly thought. The look on the older sibling was enough to cut off any response. Not that there was much of a desire to turn this into an argument. Their breath was precious and they could not waste any of it.

Barry’s phone dinged in alarm, the timer having run off and reached the limit.

The three stopped and pulled in heavy breaths. They needed a moment to glance around, recover their bearings, and calm themselves. The forest remained in its eerie darkness all around them. If not because of the sunlight that broke through from time to time, it would’ve been impossible to move this fast or at all.

Mark nodded. “Ok, time to change.”

Letting go as his sibling dropped another clump of sandwich, Mark began to undress, using his shirt to dry his sweat. While the younger used the moment to stop wheezing. Another handful of seconds and he also began to strip, his clothes becoming the rags with which he’d dry his sweat.

Mark was already done. He approached the nearest tree and shoved his clothes under the exposed roots. His pants would follow soon after.

“I hope this w-”

Barry’s words came to a halt as his eyes turned to Veronica. The young woman had taken off her shirt, exposing her pale skin and black bra. The sight caused Barry’s breath to get caught in his throat as every thought in his head ground to a standstill for a split second. He could only watch the litheness of her figure and bluster. And she noticed. Veronica’s lips pursed, her brows furrowed. The young woman shot him a quiet icy glare. Barry whipped around to stare in the other direction instantly, cheeks flushed, while he struggled to pull out the change of clothes from the backpack.

“Don’t forget the phone,” Mark warned. He noticed the odd hurried look his brother had, and though the words to ask what was going on came to his lips, he stopped when he noticed Veronica’s scowl. As she turned towards him, the glare fell down into a flat, humorless look.

Something had happened?

“An alarm every fifteen minutes,” Barry’s words interrupted the flow of thoughts. He fiddled with the phone and dropped it next to his bundle of sweaty clothes. “Let’s go back, we don’t have the time.”

“Remember we have to trace our steps.”

“I left bits of bread. If we don’t see them, we’re on the wrong track.” Barry nodded hastily, pocketing the remainder of the meal he’d been reducing to crumbs.

“Are we really sure we should head back?” Veronica frowned, looking over her shoulder at the route they’d come from. “They could be closer than we thought.”

“If they’re fast enough, then we’ll get killed, anyway.” Leaning to help Barry, Mark moved.

She said nothing to that statement, though it was clear she had a thought or two to share about it. “I’ll wait for you at the tree. If you hear me scream, then that means things are fucked.” Without another word, she moved faster, increasing her distance from them.

Within only minutes, she was out of sight. The two of them were left on their own, eyes flickering at the shadows, ears strained and trying to ignore the sound of their hearts. Quick breaths turned the world into a rhythm of ins and outs, their throats parched and dry.

“You really think she moved ahead to give us a warning if the wolves got to the tree before us?”

“Fuck no.” Mark shook his head. “But if things get ugly, I’ll make sure to deal with them.”

Barry let out a laugh. “You have a plan? Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I have something better,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “But I’d rather save it for an emergency, but-”

AWWWOOOOOOOO

The sound was like a shudder down their spine. “That was closer.”

“That was too fucking close. How much longer until we reach the tree at this pace?” They shared a look. Mark turned his attention downwards at Barry’s ankle. “We need to run.”

The younger brother paled, but nodded. “Get the shirts.”

“What?”

“The shirts.” He signaled at his backpack. “Had another spare, we’re going to be drenched when we get there. We need to dry off and drop it on the trail.”

“Fuck that, just run.”

A shared nod, and then they pushed themselves harder. The younger redhead grimaced and limped in his half-run. The older one kept himself close and helped where he could. Both had their focus strained towards the way the howl had come from. Was that movement? Was that shadow a monster? It was made all the worse because they were almost heading in that exact direction.

They had to reach the fallen tree before the wolves did.

Mark weaved his steps through the roots, spotting the breadcrumbs his brother had dropped every handful of meters or so. They were easy to see, specks of white in a dark brown and green mossy background. Still, his focus kept bouncing from the ground and to the darkness on the horizon. How long had they been walking away from the tree? It felt like an eternity ago. His lungs burned.

A yelp made him turn around. Barry had stumbled. He didn’t hesitate as helped him back up. “Move it dammit.”

Barry complied wordlessly, returning to his half limping run. His face was contorted in agony as he ran, and he muffled cries as he clenched his jaw shut. “TREE!” he practically gasped the word out, hand stretched out and pointing at their destination. It was so close.

A flicker of light above the trunk drew their attention. Veronica was flashing her phone in their direction. They redoubled their efforts even as their lungs burned for air and their legs cried for rest. It took a minute that felt like forever before they got close enough to hear her as she pointed at one of the larger branches that touched the ground.

“Over there!”

Following her directions, they hurried along towards it. Mark ran his way up, only needing to weave his way through some of the smaller branches that remained on it. Even as tired as he was, he felt a sense of awe as he moved. This lone branch on the tree was thicker than any tree he’d seen before. It was as if some playful God had taken it upon himself to make a tree big enough to stick smaller trees along its trunk.

“There are some thicker parts over there we can hide in.” She pointed to the side. “It stinks of tree, it should help.”

“Shirt!” Barry called out, stopping as he pulled out a piece of cloth, moving it to dry his face and neck as best he could. With heavy pained breaths, he tossed the damp piece and moved up the same path Mark took.

AWWWOOOOOOOO

Veronica’s head snapped to the side. “Shit, they’re here!” Her voice came out in a harsh glower, barely a whisper. Her arms moved to gesture at them to hurry. “Move!”

She turned towards the younger sibling as he moved up the branch. Her hand stretched out, offering support. Her cold black eyes met his own as he reached out to take her grasp. She looked over her shoulder at Mark. The older sibling too preoccupied dodging the branches on his way up to look back.

Veronica turned back to look at Barry, her lips parted ever so slightly into a sneer.

And with a shove, she sent him falling down.