The Girl Who Ran, The Forest That Waits

XIX

"THE ABANDONED"

SOPHIE'S POV

Two years have passed since I found myself out of the nightmarish forest, the doctors informed me. During that time, Joyce has remained a constant presence by my side, as the doctors themselves acknowledged. The sterile air of the hospital room grew thick with a bizarre heat, even though two air conditioners hummed valiantly against the rising tide. It was as if the very walls themselves absorbed the inferno of rage consuming me, struggling to contain the storm brewing within.

Joyce's voice trembled as she spoke. "Grace tricked me," she began, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"She told me that after you left me in that hellish forest, you'd completely forgotten about me. She spun a narrative of betrayal, convincing me you'd chosen to abandon me and build a life where I never existed."

The weight of her words sank into me, stirring a potent cocktail of anger and disappointment within me. The image Grace painted, though demonstrably false, resonated with the raw emotions of the past, leaving me grappling with a storm of conflicting feelings.

"That just proves you never trusted me," I started, my voice rising in frustration. "If you had, we wouldn't be standing here now, would we? We would have left that forest together. But instead, you chose to abandon—"

My words were cut short by Joyce's anguished cry. "Abandoned?" she echoed, her voice laced with disbelief. "You abandoned me first! Do you have any idea how terrifying it was? Every rustle of leaves, every shadow seemed to hold that creature. Can you even begin to imagine the horror I endured for that entire week?"

"Do you really believe the terror of that week after escaping the forest didn't cling to me like a malevolent shroud? You were the one who dragged me into that infernal place to begin with! Since barely escaping with my life, I haven't known a single night of restful sleep, Joyce. Every waking hour, every moment of darkness, I've been forced to stand guard against the monstrous entity lurking just beyond sight, a constant tormentor that warped my mind, trapping me in a nightmarish dimension and leaving me forever scarred. Lucas was the only beacon of hope in this suffocating darkness, and now that light has been extinguished by your blind obedience to Grace's machinations. Our vigilance must be redoubled, for the malevolent force that seeks to claim Lucas's body has finally manifested. Your actions have jeopardized not only our own lives, but the fate of all humanity. We stand defenseless, with no known means to combat this growing threat." I finished, my voice shaking with barely suppressed anger.

Consuming rage pulsed through my veins, and I surged forward, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. My vision narrowed, focusing solely on Joyce. The words tumbled out, each syllable laced with the bitter taste of betrayal, fear, and an overwhelming urge to lash out. But somewhere beneath the inferno of emotions, a sliver of reason remained, holding me back from unleashing the full force of my fury on the person I once cared for deeply.

"This is entirely your fault," I said, my voice thick with anger.

"If you'd simply trusted me more, we wouldn't be in this predicament. We have the book, the knowledge, everything we need," I stressed, my voice rising in desperation.

"Yet, your misplaced doubt has brought us face-to-face with an even greater threat. The forest wasn't the only hellish place, it seems. Now, this potential danger may engulf not just our country, but the entire world." I murmured, my voice filled with dread.

"This can't be fixed, Joyce. You can't fix this," I choked out, tears blurring my vision.

Joyce's eyes, brimming with unshed tears, met mine for a fleeting moment before she turned and walked away, leaving a trail of silence heavier than any words could express.