Into The Fog

Only five hours into the Ponfail Forest, Zac gazes in front of him with the emptiness he adopted for two years after consistently taking the drug Ether.

The Bandits torment Zac for their entertainment as they are bored easily with nothing to do for miles.

They would insult or even push him to the ground to get a reaction out of him; the only thing they and Katrina have in common is to get any reaction out of someone who seems never to have any reaction, which makes him a challenge that they can enjoy for their time in the forest.

The Bandits do not go any further than light torment, as they were given orders from Lawrence not to impede Zac's physical abilities, for he may be an asset for this journey beyond Ponfail.

To them, Zac is only a hindrance which they so arrogantly claim they can succeed on their own.

After all, it's just getting a plant; what could possibly go wrong?

It takes a week or week and a half to reach their destination if they are quick enough and do not stop for breaks often, yet, they do.

Men with muscles that bulk to an intimidating degree seem only for aesthetics as their stamina constantly reaches its limits after only a few hours of walking into the forest.

Their supplies seem endless to them, and not knowing how to conserve food or water, they believe this to be their vacation while they waste away what is meant for two weeks tops for the trip and back if they conserved it well and did not do what they are doing now.

The Bandits often forget that Zac is a mindless zombie awaiting his orders at every second.

Having lost Zac a couple of times while they stopped and Zac did not, they put a rope around his neck to substitute a leash.

They drink alcohol and complain about their boss, Lawrence, for working them to the bone, that they stay unguarded without worry.

They then proceed to tell only rumors that Lawrence has been abusing his authority by ordering them to carry out his whims; they claim he wants to create a private army of loyal men at arms who will be responsible only to him and not to the king.

The rest of the group stayed silent only for a moment before they all burst out laughing as if they heard a fairy tale was real.

The leader looked back at them, his brows furrowed in annoyance, and then he turned away with an irritated wave.

Night fell, and the group entered their comfortable and warm tents as they left Zac outside, tied to a post.

He had not been given food, water, or blankets, and he was simply left out in the dead of night, cold, where anything could happen without warning.

Six hours later, It was barely dawn.

The leader of the bandits came out with only four men and approached the post where Zac was bound.

The leader whispered something in Zac's ear.

The few men giggled in the background as he spoke to Zac.

As soon as his mouth pulled away from his ear, with a taunting smile, he pulled Zac away into his tent, where the other four men followed.

*Zip*

It was what they did next that brought a gut-churning moment upon Zac. Without being able to react, with his body unable to take action due to the sadistic drug flowing through him. The sound of grunting filled the night silence.

*Yawn*

Three hours passed until everyone else woke up.

Everyone was tired and hungry, but they had already eaten almost all the breakfast foods that would have lasted them two weeks.

Now regretting their mistake and not conserving the food, they pack up, hit the trail, and wait until lunch.

They also had no idea what had happened in the last few hours.

The only thing that occupied their mind was their hunger.

Moving forward, the group seemed angrier and bothered; some people would get into a quick scuffle, and some would argue for minutes, leaving everyone else annoyed, leading to many more problems.

The leader of the group was still shouting at the others, trying to keep them all in line.

Finally, he turned around with an angry look on his face. "The next person to whine, fight, argue, or anything that annoys me, will die!"

Everyone couldn't be helped but frightened, which made them focus on other things which could end up troubling the leader.

"Kane is more furious than he usually is, which is weird. Wasn't he and that boy the only ones to eat this morning while we were stuck packing up all of our and his things? One of the minions whispers to another.

"Shhh, keep your mouth shut! He's going to hear you and freak out." Minion two whispers back, putting his finger to his mouth.

Their goal for the location does not seem to be getting any shorter, in fact, it seems longer as everyone's mentality just can't keep up when there is no action.

Their so-called "vacation" turns into a stress-induced journey, knowing that they are without breakfast every morning for the rest of the trip and must eat sparingly, which is only a tiny bit for their large bodies.

They don't have to worry about finding food in the jungle because it's everywhere, but they know they can't afford to waste any.

They eat every scrap of fruit that falls from the trees or drops from the vines overhead; even when they're full, they keep going until there is nothing left to not eat what they have brought. It doesn't take long for them to learn which plants are edible, and how best to prepare them without getting sick.

The days pass quickly as they travel deeper into the forest, and soon the sun begins its slow descent toward evening. The air grows cooler as the sunlight fades, but it is not cold enough to make them uncomfortable.

They have been traveling for so long that their bodies are used to the change in temperature, and even though it is getting dark, they still feel warm inside.

The wind blows through their hair as they walk along a road lined with tall trees on both sides.

Their feet crunch over the dead leaves scattered across the ground, but there's no sound besides their footsteps.

The only thing that breaks up the monotony of this peaceful forest is the occasional rustling in one of the trees or the faint sound of something moving somewhere off to the side. It could be an animal, it could be a person, and it could even be a monster.

There are so many things that can go wrong out here. They're not sure what to do if anything happens.

Though, they aren't worried; instead, they are hyped to get some action if it comes down to fighting.

It has only been a few days, and they finally arrive, where the fog starts.

"This is where it gets difficult, boys. Stay close and stay guard at all times!" Kane orders as he clenches Zac's rope more tightly, venturing into the fog where nothing can be seen.

They could hardly even see the people closest to them.

It was as if they had been swallowed up by the fog, leaving only a faint impression in the air where their bodies were standing.

But the sound made by the others allowed everyone to stick to each other and not get lost.

One of them even suggested holding hands so that it would be impossible for them to lose each other; everyone avoided him as soon as he mentioned it, leaving him to get left behind.

Without warning, a hill appeared, and the ones in front, including Kane, tripped flat on their stomachs, thinking it was just a flat surface throughout the forest.

In order to hide the fact that Kane tripped, he hid the thumping sound by immediately warning everyone else about the hill, yelling it to grab their attention and to save his embarrassment.

Everyone proceeded upwards towards the hill, and there were more complaints about how dangerous climbing up a hill was when they couldn't see anything, but Kane didn't heed their complaints.

His arrogance as a leader blinded him to danger. He only cared for himself, not his group, but the same could be said about everyone else.

They were only there for the money they received from Lawrence, which is a considerable amount to their standards when they always go broke from buying alcohol and renting prostitutes.

Not learning from their terrible way of handling money, they laugh, joke, and talk about how much fun they will have once they arrive back.

Some talked about going back home or actually quitting; those who did were severely beaten half to death at the hands of Kane or the others.

This group shows no mercy to anyone and is loyal to no one.

If they were paid enough, they would attempt to kill Lawrence if offered.

These men had no pride, only greed for what they found important.

Minutes later, they arrive at the top of the hill, not knowing if it keeps going forward or drops down; they are more cautious with every footstep.

As silent as an empty mountain should be, the birds and animals that break branches and hit the ground off in the distance actually frighten these men, who seemed like nothing could scare them, and the unknown brings out their fear that they had supposedly forgotten years ago.

But the thing lurking near them that they could not even acknowledge with their puny senses will bring out a terror they've never experienced in their life.