The Forest

Chapter 25

    He tricked us. He manipulated us into thinking that Sammy was in this room, but he wasn't. I should have known, but I could not help myself. My voice of clear reason was gone. I didn't know where Caroline had went, she seemed to have vanished. That worried me, but I need not press my thoughts on it too much. Instead, I weeped for my brother. I was so stupid, how could this have happened?

    "He's gone..he's really gone" Suzanne said, her voice cracking with tears rolling down her face. "I ...couldn't stop it. I thought that I would be useful, but I wasn't"

    "Dont say that..." I repied to her, almost sitting in a fetal position rocking back in forth to calm myself. "If it weren't for you I would have never been able to put all the pieces together..you're not useless"

    My mother stayed quiet with a blank stare on her face, she didn't move from the spot since we got in here. I could hear her mumbling, "It'll be okay Sammy hunny..everything is fine now...mommy's got you". She shakes and I know that her denial is a strong thing about her that causes her to be blind from the truth. Her tears fell to the floor that left stains.

    "I have to go after him" I pronounce.

    "..No. That's what he wants. You'll get killed!" Suzanne yells at me

    "I have no choice"

    "Yes, you do. You'll die. No one ever makes it out of the forest alive" she pleads to me, but her words aren't working.

    "I know that, but I will not sit here and accept that my brother is gone. He can be alive. How is Jasper supposed to regain the life he lost if he's in the forest? He can't kill him, he won't. He knows I'll follow. I have to get rid of him for good if that means my brother can have his life back"

    "Matthew, you're outnumbered. You don't know what else is in there. There could be far worse things than Japser inside that forest."

    "I know that, I'm willing to take on a challenge"

    "With death?" she questioned with anger in her voice 

    "Yes, yes I am"

    "I don't want something to happen to you. You think your mother can afford losing two children?" she asks, and I glanced over at my mother who was still sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. She looked as if she had died and went to hell.

    "No. I don't, but I don't plan on dying"

    "Death comes to everyone at times where it is unexpected. When it is your time, you will die. You can't cheat death"

    "I'm not changing my mind" I tell her persistently.

    "I can't let you" she says, and as I try to pull my weight off the floor she puts her hand on my chest. I grab hold of it and squeeze it tightly.

    "Matthew, if you don't want to change your mind..I'm coming with you"

    I let go of her hand and shake my head, "No. You're not. He's my brother"

    "Yeah? Well Jasper is mine and part of this is my fault and  feel a responsiblity to help. So, regardless of whether you like it or not I'm following you"

    I did like her attitude, even if I didn't want her to come. She didn't take no for an answer. She was very strong, even if she didn't feel like she was.

    I stay quiet for a moment thinking to myself, and I say "alright, but we need to leave soon"

    She just simply nods in agreement, more than likely knowing that she would do whatever she wants no matter how much I insisted she stay.

    "Mother...Mother.." I said, trying my hardest to lean over and snap my mother out of her trance. "Wake up.." I said, pulling her face inbetween my hands. "Reality is just as dark as our thought now, it'll only consume you if you let it"

    She stopped shaking and made eye contact with me, "I need my son"

    "Don't worry, we're going to do something about it"

    "If you're doing what I think you're doing I can't let you.." she says worrily.

    "It's my only option if I want a chance at saving him. You need to trust and believe in me this time around"

    She closed her eyes and tears rolled down her face again, she nodded and I knew she has understood.

    "How do we prepare for something like this?" Suzanne asks me, with a confused look on her face.

    "You don't"

    I could tell it would soon be morning because the sun seemed to peak out from underneath the clouds. From the view we had it looked like the sun would never fully reveal itself to us. It was like the rest of the light shun on the world, but not here. Here it was dark and here the darkness remained. It forced it's sad faces on us, that if we were to smile it would be unfitting. It would be uncharacteristic.

    "Do we always have to suffer, or does it just run in our families veins?" my mother asked, but wasn't looking for an answer.

    "She should get some help..she can't be here alone while we're gone. Plus, her wrist is still broken" Suzanne whsipered to me and I knew she was right.

    "We can't call anyone..no one can know anything about any of this. We have to take her to the hospital...but how?"

    "..My mother!" Suzanne yells with an idea

    "Your mother?"

    "Yes, she can drive her to the hospital. She'll take good care of her, and no one will see us or ask us questions. My mother can fight off the suspicions, no one usually gives her a hard time" Suzanne tells me, and I get a weird feeling. I didn't have that many choices.

    "Call her, we don't have much time" I say, but something strange happened seconds later. I hear a car coming up the rode. I didn't recongize it. I thought it could be just someone passing by, but they stopped right in front of our house. I didn't know what was happening, or why we'd have any visitors. However, when I saw who came out of the vehicle I felt my face burning.

    It was sheriff and Suzanne looked like she had seen a ghost.