Chapter 13

There is a tribe... Deep in the forest... And a dead family... There is a tribe... Deep in the forest... And a dead family...

Tribe. Forest. Dead. Family

—Isabella, are you okay?

The voice of her mother released her from the state she had plunged into, staring at the car window throughout the journey.

—Ah? Yes, mom. I was just looking at the scenery.

She blinked and frowned, but no one noticed that gesture. The subconscious of the middle daughter reprimanded her for her severe insincerity. However, What was she supposed to say? Maybe something like this?:

—Hey, mom, I suspect Kevin is so weird that he could be a possible danger to the whole family.

If her mother heard that coming out of her mouth, she would not believe her and would surely punish her for lying so blatantly about Lía's new couple. —Don't judge a book by its cover. —She would say. And it would be the end of the conversation.

Anyway, now they were on their way to a circus that was a bit far from the lush forest. The discomfort was palpable in the environment as well as notorious at the moment and Isabella knew the reason for that annoying feeling. Kevin.

He had been watching her the entire time!

He was chatting in a pleasant way with Lía and they hugged each other whenever they could, but he did not take off his gaze from the silhouette of the youngest. Isabella tried to forget about that for a moment and enjoy the recent vacation, but she just could not.

He was still looking at her.

It happened, then. The interior of her was filled with courage and she decided to connect both glances so that that mysterious boy would know that she was not keeping one pinch of fear from him. However, when they made eye contact, Kevin gazed at her in an unusual way, her eyes were darker, and... he licked his lips.

The young woman would have thought that this action was due to his lips being dry, it could have been a very good reason. But, he ran his tongue at a slow speed, too slow, over his lips that stunned her. Then Kevin smirked at Isabella.

—We arrived! —The older woman, her mother, warned inside the car —Isn't it beautiful?

Of course, it was beautiful, the circus was worth admiring. It looked like something out of a movie, with its marquee decorated in white and a very striking red, with the colored lights that not only decorated it, but also around it, with the characteristic aroma of popcorn and hot dogs, but above all with its acrobats, clowns, dancers, and even animals, although few. The clothes they wore were colorful and their smiles showed how happy they were to make their audience laugh.

For a brief moment, Isabella had disconnected from the troubles that haunted her and had completely forgotten the fact that there was a dangerous tribe in the forest where she lived, the horrible nightmare where she lost her family, and the intense gaze that the new couple of her sister gave her

Until the show ended.

It had gotten dark and to be honest, she preferred a thousand times to stay the night in that circus than to go back to the cabin. Though she knew in advance that she could not. Submerged, lost in the totality of her thoughts, trying to find her sisters, she was surprised to visualize a well-known person in the surroundings of the circus.

—Isabella! I did not think I would find you around here. —It was Josh, her best friend.

They hugged and smiled.

—Josh! I am very glad to see you, you don't know what happened to me yesterday, I have a lot to tell you, I...

—Isabella. —It was Kevin. Again. —We are leaving now. Hurry up.

—Okay. In a while, I will. —She murmured, rolling her eyes.

Then, Kevin left that part of the circus, leaving the guys alone.

—Who was he? —Josh asked, frowning slightly.

—I will explain it to you later. Now help me get my mother to let me sleep at your house.

Josh and Isabella had known each other since they started going to school. From the first moment they hit it off perfectly, so the friendship did not take long to emerge. They were very fond of and trusted each other quite a bit.

—Mom! Look, I found Josh.

—Oh, hi, Josh.

—Good night, Ma'am. I wanted to ask you if, please, Isabella could sleep at my house.

—Yes, mom? Please, I have not seen him since last week.

However, when her mother's lips formed a straight line, they knew instantly that they must do something if they wanted to get what they longed for. —Isabella, what happens is that... —Both young guys shot each other knowing glances before exclaiming. —Please! —And the woman sighed.

—Aish, okay. But tomorrow I want to see you at the cabin before lunch.

—Okay, Mom. Thank you! —She said goodbye to her giving her a kiss on the cheek.

They ran to Josh's mom's car and during the drive, Isabella was telling him about what she had discovered.

—So, are you telling me that you saw a strange book about a dangerous tribe that lives in the forest where your home is and that this with the nightmare you had and the look of your sister's boyfriend is related to your thinking that Kevin is a possible danger?

Okay, now that she heard it, Isabella thought it sounded ridiculous.

—Yes. —She answered, flushed with embarrassment.

—It could be. —Josh mentioned. —Or maybe he is a pedophile. Either way, you have to investigate. What was the name of the book you found?

—It was "The incessant and mysterious deaths deep in the forest".

After a few hours, they found a web page that displayed some information and images taken from the original book. It was surprising and at the same time disturbing since other pages were similar, but this was the most successful.

And the only one.

It seemed that someone wanted to erase that book from the face of the Earth because the one that Isabella saw in the museum was the last copy that was saved from the fire caused in the author's cabin, in which his name was still unknown.

—This tribe was called Animalus which means animals in Latin. —Josh explained. —This was because they —the tribe's members— were wearing masks made from the skin of animals that lived in the forest.

—The most chilling thing, —The young woman continued. —is that during the nights of a full moon they carried the bodies of lifeless beings in sacks. They carried out a procession and then a ritual, in which the corpses were posed around a fire. Later, they poured their blood into glasses, and... they drank them.

Her face turned pale.

—Do not think about things we don't know yet. We do not have enough evidence against him. —Josh said. —Let's keep reading.

«I saw them one day, —a witness tells the author—. I was coming back to my house after work. It was very late and I thought there was no one in the forest until I heard a scream and I went into nature. It was then that I had to stifle a scream: A group of people wearing animal masks were murdering a girl. After that, they put her in a sack and I lost sight of them. I reported this to the police, but they did not believe me. Later, I found you. So, I came and told this.»

—Let's see the images. —The girl suggested. —They will show us something, I guess.

—We will, —Josh said. —but you have to promise me something. I know that many thoughts are going on inside your head. I know you are scared, but you must remember this: we can do nothing without proof. People will not believe us and think we are crazy, Do you understand?

Isabella just nodded, while she hugged him. Josh was right, she had to keep her cool and not allow her emotions to take over her body.

—Can we see the images now?

—Yes, they are here.

More than photos, they were hand-painted portraits. —Below all the boxes you can see the date on which they were made.

They stopped at the fifth image. The peculiar thing about that portrait was that one of the members of the tribe was captured without his mask. Sadly, only his eyes were drawn.

However, that boy's gaze, so intense and dark, sent shivers down Isabella's spine. She slammed the notebook shut and suddenly pulled away, but Josh already knew the reason for her sudden behavior.

—For your peace of mind, tomorrow I will accompany you to your family's lunch and I will not get away from you.

—Thanks, Josh. —She answered. —You are a very good friend, thanks for helping me. I love you so much.

Afterward, Isabella wrapped herself up and slept on the couch in Josh's room. Falling into the arms of Morpheus, she completely ignored the look of love that her best friend gave her.

—I love you too, Isabella.