OBLIVIOUS

CHAPTER 25 - The Vile Forest

As we slink into the dark recesses of the forest, our path remains predator free, but I know the vile wolves lurk in the shadows. Ahead of us, Jinx hovers, his wavy blue lines replaced with the infrared beam that searches for danger. He gives no hint of what's out there, but I trust him since he's gotten us this far.

The undergrowth on the forest floor feels flat beneath our feet, not poking up and scratching us like yesterday. I ponder this and conclude the wolves have beaten it down under paw. There are no flowers dotting the ground like we saw when we escaped the habitat for the first time. Everything looks dreary and dead, except for the green tree canopy over our heads.

A slash of movement catches my peripheral vision. I whip my head around to see a dark wraith weaving through the stand of trees. Every once in a while, an animal growls and whimpers before dashing off and growing quiet. I wonder how Jinx is keeping the vile wolves away, and I turn to Eve as her chin shifts in my direction.

"I saw it too." Her eyes linger on mine in a heightened state of awareness. "And heard it."

Hearing her voice makes me want to touch her. When I observe her slender neckline and the smooth contour of her cheek and jaw, her hazel eyes, pale green with splotches of earthen brown, even her wavy scarlet hair bound up in a ponytail, I just want everything to go back to the way it used to be, before the knowledge of good and evil. I know now Abraham wasn't trying to plant false memories in our brains; he was trying to protect us from the wounds of our past, at least until we reached the planet's surface and our work began in the habitat. He knew our family troubles would present a problem with establishing a presence for humanity on Earth, and he wanted to wait till the last second before he did the final memory drop.

As dusk sets in, we're forced to make camp for the night, which doesn't sit well with Eve and me. We opt not to start a fire. We don't want any chance of Cain and Jezebel locking onto our heat source or spotting smoke from the treetops. It's not as cold now, and the sky is clear with a few stars peeking through the highest branches, so it seems like the best choice for night five of our stay on Earth.

I turn to Jinx. "How are you protecting us?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Eve cuts her eyes to me and then looks at the drone sitting on the ground next to her. The sphere is between us. "I have an idea, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Quite simple," Jinx says. "I'm emitting a high-frequency noise that only canines can hear. It keeps them at bay. They can't stand it."

I chuckle despite our circumstances. "That's ingenious."

"And effective." Eve nods. "It's what I suspected. I only worry about the constant strain on Jinx's battery."

"For that reason, I'm shutting down all other applications, so I'll be silent till morning. Only the dog whistle will remain active. In three, two, one, goodnight."

That was abrupt.

Eve huffs. Glances at me, and without a word, lies down on the ground with her back turned to me. I decide that's the best thing for me too.

It takes a while to go to sleep with my thoughts running wild like the wolves circling us in the distance, but eventually I drift off. When I wake up in the morning, the sun peeks through the treetops, sending mild rays of light to my cheek. I'm the first to rise and so I wander off behind some trees to relieve my bladder. When I finish, I realize I must have walked off too far because a dead branch snaps on the forest floor somewhere in the shadowy gaps between the trees.

I lean to one side, and then the other, peering into the shadows. That's when two eyes, glinting from the morning sun, stare back from a dark patch of woods. The animal emits a low growl that sends chills down the back of my neck. In the hazy green underworld of the forest, I see the outline of an enormous creature. Its head dips in line with its back as its fur bristles, paws locked in the underbrush. I'm six feet tall, and this vile wolf wouldn't have to leap to bite my head off. I estimate it at about four feet in height, from the bottom of its paws to the top of its back.

My heart drums in my chest and my breath grows shallow and weak. I want to move but find myself frozen, rooted in the earth, like vines wrapped around my ankles.

"Slowly." Eve's voice trembles from behind me. "Edge your way back to me."

I want to look back at her, to tell her to run, but I can't take my eyes off the predator in front of me, only thirty feet away.

It shifts to the side, trying to slip through a gap in the trees, or a weakness in Jinx's defensive perimeter. The long profile of its body presents itself to me, and I make a hasty judgment, estimating it at six feet long. This wolf is freakishly large, and it terrifies me that there are more of them in the forest.

"I think it's a male. An alpha," she says. "He's probing for weaknesses. With the way his ears lay flat back and with his head hung low, he's trying to force himself against the barrier, trying to break in." Her voice trails off... "I don't think he can get to you, but don't turn your back on him. Pace back toward me with careful steps."

With my head turned to her as much as I dare, I offer her a jittery nod. And I inch toward her. I creep backwards, my heel catching on the undergrowth. I raise my foot and continue until I'm standing in front of her, her hands gripping my elbows, her breath on the back of my neck.

"Jinx," she says. "A little help here."

In a whirl of compressed air, he zooms toward us and drives the alpha back into the depths of the forest. Not sure what he was waiting on, but I'm glad for the help. The wolf growls and whimpers as the high-pitched whistle rattles its ear drums and pushes it out of sight.

In the moments that follow, I can't breathe, and I feel vulnerable. I know we don't stand a chance in this forest without Jinx. Neither of us. But fortunately, air returns to me soon, and we embark again on our journey through the trees. By mid afternoon, Jinx announces that we're nearing the end of this stretch of the Yellowstone Forest, and at the news, I exhale a tremendous sigh of relief. We haven't seen anymore vile wolves and I don't want to. Neither does Eve, by the way she relaxes, knowing we're drawing close to our destination.

Speaking of that, I finally ask Jinx where we're going. I'd been so entranced with the threat of the wolves and my relationship issues with Eve to give it much thought. I assumed he had our best interests in mind, so I trusted him with our lives. It's worked so far.

"We're almost there," he says.

A few more paces and the tree line opens up to reveal a vast canyon back lit by the setting sun. Hues of brown, red, and beige streak the deep depression in the earth where geologic forces scraped the rock and sediment bare, leaving behind a ginormous hole that looms for miles on end.

"Is this the Grand Canyon?" I ask.

"No. That canyon is further south in the restricted zone," Jinx says. "The receding waters of the global flood formed this one. The powerful forces washed away the earth and scoured the rock layers, essentially creating a second Grand Canyon. This one is much bigger, reaching almost to the Pacific Ocean."

"So, where are we going?" Eve says.

"See that glint of light reflecting in the very bottom of the canyon?"

I hold my hand over my brow to get a better look. "It's another habitat."

"The first one ever sent," Jinx replies. "It's why Abraham classified the North American continent as a restricted zone. As you can see, you're not the only ones who landed in a precarious location."

"If we're going to reach it before nightfall, we need to get started," Eve says. "It's a long way to the bottom, and it looks treacherous to boot. Also, I'm worried about your battery reserves, Jinx."

He doesn't reply.

I can't argue with her logic, and with the day waning, we begin our descent into the canyon below.