Beyond The Lost

11

As we continued onward into the forest, daylight followed close behind us, seemingly immobile since I'd reunited with Victor. Birds can be heard above me, insects buzzing around my ears. I actually began to sweat.

Victor pushes through vines and trips over thick tree roots. "I'm getting tired."

"It's strange isn't it? We hold no weight and yet I can barely walk anymore. I think I'm even getting hungry."

"Maybe it's a good sign."

"Or maybe it's not. I don't know how long we've been here." I stopped when I saw a small river in our way. It didn't seem very deep, but the water ran fast, leaving me anxious to cross. "Are you okay with getting your legs wet?"

"I'd rather not but the only way to go is forward."

I pulled up the skirt of my torn dress and stepped into the water, sinking down to my hips. The water's moving fast, but flowing straight through me with no resistance against my skin.

It quickly began to pour down rain as I swiftly made it across the river and climbed back up into the mossy ground. After wringing out my dress, I noticed that Victor wasn't behind me. "Victor?"

I turned to see him standing on the opposite side of the river, staring at the water. "I don't trust it."

"We have to go! Now isn't the time."

"No." He took a step back and shook his head. "I can barely even swim as it is!"

"Can you jump across?" I asked him.

"I'll catch up, just keep going." He began searching for a way around the river.

"I don't want to go-" he ran off toward the water source, leaving me to sigh and face the path ahead of me. "Alone."

I suddenly felt less at ease, moving one foot in front of the other. Everything seemed okay for a good few minutes until I stumbled upon something I don't think I was meant to see. A clear path in the center of the way, the trees were parted in two perfect lines. Women in long cloaks hung from them, swinging ever so slightly back and forth as their hair blew in the wind.

There's thousands of them, and it seems to go on for miles. As I walked, their bodies faced me, following my every move without even lifting their heads.

"Stop it." I looked up to them, slowing my pace. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to stare?"

A small chuckle rang through the forest, each of them laughing at once. I watched their shoulders bounce,
not a single head lifting. "It is rude to ignore, is it not?" They even spoke all together.

"I guess so. Do you need any help?"

They laughed again, louder this time. In the distance, I could hear them holler like hyenas, leaving me untrusting. "Not from you."

"Can you tell me how to get out of here? This place just goes on and on..."

"Only because you believe it does." They hissed back at me.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?." They began laughing again, filling my ears with dread as I continued walking. They didn't stop this time, kicking their legs and running out of breath, it almost felt like they were trying to kick me. "It's not that funny..." I muttered to myself.

They only grew louder as I walked, more and more of them showing up within the trees. They began to swing closer to me, attempting to reach down to my head with their hands. "Hey! Get off of me!" I ducked down, large tar covered palms reaching down to me.

One of them snatched me up by my collar, lifting me up to face them. My feet separated from the ground, one hand clasping my face. "What is it that you want?" I came eye to eye with a blank faced woman. She's pale, no color to her eyes or lips.