Untraceable traces
Deep within the expanse of Arcadia's Greanshead Forest, a group of high school students were embarking on an adventure. Seven in number, the group consisted of four males and three females: Dash, Carter, Aiden, Neil, Michelle, Gloria, and Wanda.
They were out to have fun, take photos, explore the famous Greanshead Forest and tell the tale to the rest of their peers. Nothing more.
The holidays had arrived in Auroria, and everyone was eager to make the most of their time — including the group of teenagers who had a unique approach to their break.
Everyone left the house fully equipped for their adventure. They packed food, water, phones, cameras, scrapbooks, notepads, maps, and ink, wore green blend-in outfits, among other essentials. In addition, Dash, the eldest of the group, brought enough weapons for all seven of them to ensure their safety, in case of necessity.
The group of friends were fully prepared for the adventure. Or so they thought…
Presently, they had their feet approaching the very middle of the Greanshead Forest, which was pretty much the goal.
As they journeyed deeper into the forest, an eerie silence descended upon the area as if the very trees themselves were holding their breath. The stillness was unsettling, a stark contrast to the vibrant and lively forest they had read about in tales of Greanshead.
Dash, Michelle, and Wanda exchanged worried glances, their footsteps growing slower and more hesitant with each passing moment. The lack of any animal sounds was deeply troubling, and it felt as if they were being watched by some unseen force.
As they drew closer to the fabled centre of the Arcadia forest, Wanda's confusion deepened. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were being led into an unknowingness, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
The Seventeen year old who had cornrows beautifully weaved on her head, with a tea frame coloured myopia glass hanging on the bridge of her nose, occasionally muttered words of regret under her breath.
Dash and Wanda, who were behind the rest of their friends, were seemingly discussing their common observation when Neil, who was in the middle of the group abruptly came to a halt.
"What is it?" Aiden, who was next to Neil, asked.
But he kept mute.
In a split second, Neil turned by his right and started walking towards a tree.
"Where are you going?" Wanda inquired, while the rest of her peers came to a halt.
"Neil." Dash called out. But Neil seemed to pay no attention to them.
Sighing, Dash took a step forward in an attempt to stop Neil, but Wanda held his arm and tugged him slightly towards her, when he didn't budge.
"Don't go." She said to him.
"But he's_"
"Just let him be." She countered immediately. "Let him be." She added as she returned her gaze to Neil who didn't stop walking.
"Why should I? Can't you see he has lost it?" Dash complained.
"Not lost. He has been possessed." Wanda stated, while Dash looked at her in confusion.
"Where's he going?" Gloria asked Carter who was next to her.
"I don't know Glo." Carter replied.
"Neil?" Michelle called out as well. But of course, she received no response.
"What the heck is this?! What are you doing? This shit is starting to get scary!" Carter complained.
As Wanda watched Neil intently, she noticed that his steps were not following a straight path. Upon closer inspection, she realised that the prints he left behind resembled the shape of a Doffidius DNA.
The Doffidius DNA is an exceptionally rare genetic material that was first discovered 460 years ago by a scientist named Frost Santos.
According to Frost, he received a vision in a dream that led him to find the DNA sample, which he believed to be a relic from the ancient past.
His theory was that the DNA was carried by a being who lived during the Great Ancient War, a time of great conflict and turmoil. The historical time which was literally forbidden to be discussed.
Only audacious people like Wanda, dared to inquire further. But whenever it seemed like she was close to unraveling a tiny bit of it, she was pulled back.
A perfect instance for it was like attempting to empty a river into a hole dug nearby, which is pretty much a futile effort, as the water will simply flow back into its source.
"What are you doing?" Michelle scolded Neil, bringing Wanda back.
"Let him be." Wanda stated, as her gaze left the ground. Raising her head she saw that Neil, who had his back facing them was digging into the ground with his bare hand.
"What is the meaning of this?" Aiden murmured, as his brows were already deepened in confusion.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Gloria exclaimed, as she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Just let me go Wanny." Dash pleaded.
"It is for your own safety Dash. Do you think Neil is acting by himself?" Wanda asked, even as her eyes were lazer fixed on Neil. "Just stand back." She added.
"Fine." Dash said in surrender.
Neil, who was on his knees, dug into the ground with his hands, despite the fact that he was bleeding already.
Ten seconds later, he raised an object to his eye level, and held it with his thumb and index finger.
It looked like a rope - a brown coloured rope which he started pulling. As he pulled, it became clear that the rope was buried in a circular pattern. On his knees, Neil pulled it, till he had to get to his feet. An action he was not even aware of.
The more he pulled, the easier it became to do so. In circular motion, it looked like unrolling a thread from it's stand.
With a confused look, everyone, including Wanda anticipated the end. They were eager to see where the rope would end, till it started retracing Neil's footprint, reconfirming Wanda's assumption.
But what she was unaware of, was that the rope would stop right in front of her!
When Neil came to a halt in front of her, Wanda's eyes widened, while gasps and whispers were heard behind her.
Raising his head, Neil smiled at her before dumping the rope in front of her.
''Don't be scared, girl. Don't." He said.
"It's a flick of the wrist to you, Wanda. Just open your eyes." Neil added before turning around.
Dash, who was confused, looked from Wanda to Neil with a furrowed brow. A few steps away from where he dug, Neil turned his head, as his gaze flickered from Aiden to Dash before he turned around again.
"See you soon." Neil announced before stepping forward. With his eyes closed, Neil, who was seemingly possessed, stepped on two objects no one could identify.
His body began vibrating, and soon, he roared, before disappearing!
"Oh my God!" The girls, except for Wanda, screamed.
"Was…was he talking to me?" Aiden asked Dash, as he began to panic.
With his eyes widened in shock, Dash whispered words that sounded like "I don't know."
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over the group as they realised that something inexplicable had occurred. Neil had vanished without a trace, leaving them with a feeling of danger and uncertainty.
Little did they know, his disappearance was linked to the capsule that lay hidden in the forest, waiting to reveal its secrets.