The Second Trial (3)

"Nothing good can last..."

"Nothing..."

The young boy sat with his arms wrapped around his legs, huddled against a tree. It was cold, a biting cold. The kind of chill that sleeps through your clothes and your skin..

That didn't bother him though. He had experienced it since waking upon the world.. No... Something else kept him there.. Something else put the frown upon his face and the tears in his eyes:

He was alone... again...

"Nothing good can last"

...

Ward had a smile on his face as the three returned to their hideout. The chase Dane had given him quieted down after a while.. Not because they wanted to stop the game, but because a spirit came into view ahead.

The white ghastly appearance of it made the boys halt in their tracks, turn, and sprint back to Liza.. She quickly produced her lantern and banished the creature before they continued on their way.

"I think you guys should leave the floor guardian to me... I can get it with a one-two on the jaw!" Dane said. He meant it too...

Ward and Liza simply rolled their eyes. No use trying to persuade the 11 year old kid otherwise.. It wasn't worth the headache. Especially not when They were tired and hungry.. and Ward had already sprinted half a mile because of a quip earlier.

"Right, I'm sure you can.." Liza said. She put away her lantern then, realizing it was still out and shining.

"Whoops..." she said as she tucked it away.

Ward was in deep thought as they moved. He was happy they were going to help him.. Happy that they trusted his instincts and were willing to go along with his plan.. They were true friends.. as true as he could get..

*Thud* a loud sound made all of them stop. Looking around Dane spotted it first and shouted, "arrow!"..

Sure enough, buried in the side of a grey tree was the shaft of an arrow, the stone head buried in the hard wood.. Liza was the first to act as she snatched both of the boys by the collar and threw them into a run, "move!" She shouted, "zig zag between the trees!"

Ward's heart beat fast as he obeyed. Looking back he saw Dane was doing the same, and Liza wasn't far behind either.

*thud... thud..* the arrows came quicker, and much closer. Some hit trees, others the ground nearby.

"Ow!" Liza Called out. Ward and Dane bother stopped and turned and saw Liza kneeling in pain. They both moved to help her but she gave them a pained, serious expression before saying, "run! What are you doing?!"

Ward turned to run but Dane didn't, and he had to physically drag him away, "come on Dane! She said to run!"

"No! I don't want to leave her!" He struggled. But Ward hit him and said sternly, "if she dies here she will kill you in the afterlife if you die too... Come on..."

The boy was shaken, tears forming in his eyes but he nodded. Dane shouted back as he began to run, "Don't die Liza! Meet us as the hideout! We will have some nice rabbit stew tonight!"

"I look forward to it.." they both heard as they ran. The arrows didn't stop coming, and one even grazed Ward's shoulder. It stung, but it wasn't nearly enough to quiet his stride.

Neither of the boys looked back.. Neither wanted to confirm whether their friend, their mentor, their older sister had died... So they ground their teeth together and booked it...

Surviving was all they could do for her...

"Come on. Faster!" Ward yelled at Dane.

"You don't have to tell me" he replied.

Minutes seemed like hours then as they moved. They both were exhausted, and they weren't sure how far they had run... But they definitely weren't ready to stop.

The arrows stopped coming though, and they didn't hear Liza or anyone behind them..

All of a sudden, out from the trees ahead two guys in brown robes popped out. They had hoods pulled over so that their faces were hidden beneath.

"You get the one on the left.." one of the hooded men said. Ward and Dane looked at each other then glanced behind. There were two more to their rear, and no sign of Liza.

They all held weapons. from knives to bow and arrows one even had a large wooden club..

The boys nodded in understanding as they took off in opposite directions.. There was nothing else they could do. It was separate or die..

They met eyes for just a moment as they took off and Ward understood, "meet at the hideout when you shake them..."

"Follow the red haired kid, I've got this one.. J, come with me!" Ward heard...

Sure enough, two of the hooded figures were chasing him, and the other two were chasing Dane.

"Don't die Dane..." he thought as he ran.

..

The chase lasted the better part of half an hour. Every time the two would get close he would use the trees and his smaller, more agile legs to turn directions and gain some more distance..

They were faster though..

And before long they were right on his tail.

"Uh!" His eyes grew wide and he ducked and rolled along the ground.

*whoosh!* something swung he'd right where he had been.. something massive and green.

"Aaah!" He heard one of them scream. Turning, he looked from where he lay in the dirt to see a massive plant with two legs dangling out of it's flowerlike mouth.

"What is that?" He thought momentarily before he realized it, "wait.. this is my chance..."

Without another thought he took off, away from the plant and the people chasing him.. into the dark wood..

"I must be the luckiest person alive.." he laughed as he dropped to his knees, panting. He relished in the triumph, at having shaken the two followers... But only for a moment...

The darkness was omnipresent, and it wasn't long before it returned, "Wait.. is Dane okay... and Liza.. where am I?"

He looked around. The wood was unfamiliar.. Though everywhere it looked the same, he knew his part of the wood near the hideout.. His memory was decent and he could tell apart this tree and that.. How that bush was slightly taller.. How that bend in the wood meant he was only ten minutes away...

But no... The forest around him was foreign, and as such, he was lost.. completely lost..

In the flight he had forgotten to keep track of where he was. The fear of being caught had distracted him from keeping an eye on his surroundings..

"Shit!" He said, gritting his teeth. "Okay.. survive.. if I survive I can make it back to them.." he told himself.

He calmed his breathing and took a look at his surroundings. The trees were thick, and the underbrush tall, but it was quiet.. There wasn't any signs of monster or person alike.. yet that is...

"I can't stay here.. I need to move.."

Ward decided he would start to try and find his way back slowly. He picked up a nearby rock and marked a nearby tree. He would use this area as the center point for his search for the hideout. If he was unsure he was heading in the right direction he could return there and restart his search..

At least, that was the idea...

In reality, the wood was dark, and full of terror.. He was underestimating how challenging and dangerous it was.. He would soon come to learn that...

His feet fell loudly on the dry grass and twigs below. As much as he tried to keep quiet it still rang out through the silence of the forest.. It didn't help the forest at this part was dense, so that little light reached the ground.

All around the shadows played with his mind. Were they people waiting to jump him?? A zombie or ghost coming to kill him? The worst part was that he couldn't tell. No matter how many times he confirmed that it was only a branch or a tree in the distance.. There were many other shadows he couldn't verify...

Before long the hunger and thirst came. It had been many hours since his last meal, and there was no sign of any wildlife or streams. He kept an ear out for a river or sign of water.. He would need to stay hydrated for the trip. He knew that.

The worst part though.. the absolute worst part of the whole thing was his friends, were they okay? Were they dead?? He couldn't do anything for them... anything at all.. it ate away at him as he moved.

As much as he tried to stay calm he still bit down hard and furrowed his brow, "please be okay.. please be okay.. don't leave me alone.." he said over and over. It became almost a mantra that kept him going.

After a while he had to stop and rest. He hugged his knees and shuddered from the cold and the hunger. His eyes were heavy, and as much as he didn't want to he closed them..

"Nothing good can last.." he uttered as his thoughts faded away, and he slipped into a restless sleep.