Her Last Words

Solitude and Silence

The vast Pennsylvanian forest was just as deep, cold and lonely as it had been three days ago, with nothing but the eerie trees, boulders and lakes, just a few ravens flying above sometimes and without any campers that would venture so far into the woods.

It was Tuesday already, William and Anna had not returned home as scheduled and now a crying Ethel Coulthard, already fearing the worst outcome, found herself gasping, dashing and jumping her way between the trees under a cold and soft twilight sky...

"Fast, Lachlan!" Ethel cried out, looking back just for a moment while she caught a bit of very needed breath just beside a great hemlock tree- "We have to find them!"

"Where exactly are we going?!"

"Your father told me he would take them all to that place by the great oak, not far from Feli Lake! We are near already!" Ethel continued, now forcing herself to keep running so that they would arrive at the campsite as soon as possible- "Something bad happened... Lachlan, hurry!"

"Wait, mother!"

Ethel had left her casual street clothing and white chemist coat at home, now wearing a long, dark blue camping jacket, a light gray shirt, black jeans and dark blue Jeep footwear which were perfect for dashing and storming through the forest at great speed.

Lachlan Mad Bear Coulthard was trying his best to follow the agile Ethel in this desperate journey through the woods, and yet he would simply not catch up at all, since the sheer height and weight of this young man meant that it was not exactly easy for him to advance with speed in that environment.

William had been quite a tall man indeed, and yet Lachlan was huge...

Anna's monstrous, six foot eight brother was truly a beast, with hands the size of a large dining plate and arms that looked like he would just go and lift a boulder with ease. Lachlan was handsome, like his father, and yet those cold, sharp features were more fearsome than friendly, something scary like a predator that would catch and crush you at any moment.

Lachlan's hair was quite messy, strawberry blond and long to his shoulders, his feet were so enormous that he needed to get footwear made especially for him and those cold, ghastly eyes were a deep shade of blue...

"The great oak is right ahead!"

"What on Earth did you tell the parents of the other kids?!"

"That's not important!"

"All of this is about those Agents that Dad keeps talking about, right?" Lachlan screamed, and his voice was deep, cold and just as mighty as everything else that was a part of him- "Admit it, mother! You and Dad work in something dangerous!"

"We have to find Anna and your father first!"

That day Lachlan had been just chilling at his Harrisburg apartment when Ethel had called with precise instructions to follow, everything had happened in a hurry and so Anna's brother was still wearing just his usual deep blue jeans, huge black leather boots, a plain gray shirt and this old and quite worn out denim jacket that had once belonged to his grandfather.

Lachlan was still quite angry and resentful at the fact that Grandpa Lyall had always showered Anna with expensive presents, and yet all that he got from the old man were the worn out garments that he would not be needing anymore...

"What just happened here, mother?"

"We are almost there!"

It was just twenty seven seconds later when Ethel and Lachlan dashed together into the cold and sad ghost of William's campsite at last. There was nothing there, just the abandoned remains of a once happy campfire, the crushed, broken camping tents here and there and the wild, great oak standing right ahead.

"Oh no, no, no... William! Anna! William, my love! Anna! Anna!"

"Dad! Dad, come out, you coward! Anna! Anna!"

Lachlan then discovered a strange, triangular and metallic instrument installed at a high branch of the great oak, something like the thing that you would use to hang clothing in your closet, it was such a strange, mysterious finding and yet Ethel had already found something a lot worse...

"No, William! William! William!"

Indeed the remains of William Coulthard were right there, all bloody, already decomposing, bullet-ridden and smelling terrible as Ethel just collapsed on her knees, covered her face with both of her hands and began to wail in despair as she cried her eyes out...

There was nothing else, just solitude and silence, Ethel mourned her beloved husband with wild cries and screams and a tearful, shaking Lachlan swore in a frozen whisper that he would murder with his very own hands every single Agent that would be responsible of this.