The Silence (GxG)

Chapter 14 - The Imposter

The act alone calmed the rage that I felt as the memories of being trapped in my own body began to flash through my mind. I shook my head lightly with a sigh before standing up.

"It's alright. I really do understand what you're saying, but I think we're just grabbing at straws out of desperation right now. Let's just wait to see if we hear back from the Doctors community before we jump to the crazy conclusions"

"You're right. I shouldn't have brought it up" She responded as she copied my actions and took my empty tray, placing it on the nearby table along with her own before grabbing her usual trench coat "I was waiting on it getting dark before I went out to check the traps and stuff... I only did a few of them yesterday. Wanna come?"

My mood immediately perked up at the offer, especially since it means that I'll finally get to leave this little shack for a while and get some air now that it's dark.

"Fuck, Yeah! I need out for a bit, Finally!" I replied eagerly and followed her out of the front door.

The sky was clear enough that the vibrant moon was able to bathe the forest in it's bright silver beams of light. It illuminated all of the areas that we needed to see but failed to penetrate into the deeper parts of the forest, creating a barrier of darkness where brush begins to thicken. It resembled a black curtain the way it surrounded the perimeter of the clearance. Thankfully we don't need to venture that far, especially since the thought of doing so brings an unusual chill to my bone.

Although it was only the dull rays of the moon beaming on us, I could still feel the beginning of a migraine tugging behind my left eye as we ventured toward the first set of traps. Kenzi kneeled down by the first piece of barbed wire with a large padded glove and gave it a strong yank to ensure it was still firmly in place.

"Nothing usually gets this far into the woods but occasionally you'll find the odd straggler that's wandered off and gotten lost. I just like having some of this shit around in case that happens" She randomly explained to fill the heavy silence before standing back up and handing me her large padded glove "Give that piece by the tree a wiggle to see if it's loose"

I did as she instructed, placing the glove across the palm of my hand rather than putting it on, and firmly pulled at the sharp wire. Confident that it was strong enough, I stood back with a nod and we continued our way along the perimeter taking turns at tugging on the defence line as we talked away to one another.

"You know, my dad hated this shit..." She chuckled whilst unraveling a piece of the barbed wire that has came loose from the bottom of a tree "He used to tell me he was a trouble maker as a kid. He actually had a huge scar on his leg from getting tangled up in this stuff whilst he was trying to get away from the cops"

I laughed with her and used my foot to hold one side of the piece in place as she wrapped the now untangled piece of wire tightly back around the tree. Since opening up about her parents last night she's mentioned them a lot. It's as if she's been waiting for someone to share the fond memories with, so I've gladly been listening to her stories whenever she feels the need to share them. I'm learning a lot too.

"It sounds like he was a cool dude" I mused in response.

"He was... My mom was cooler though, I won't lie" Kenzi replied as she stood, fully satisfied with the job that she's done "I think that's the last of 'em on this side"

We moved to the opposite side of the perimeter and repeated our actions, slowly and tediously inspecting each trap or alarm that she has set up in the trees and bushes, looking carefully for any signs of wear or damage.
After a few minutes I began to hear a strange cracking noise in the distance that brought me to a standstill. I could've sworn it sounded like footsteps, or maybe a stick snapping, but I couldn't place the exact location as the sound bounced through the dark and eerie forest.