The Vampire's Shadow

Chapter 3: Journey Through Demon Woods

A cold fog covered the only trail from the edge of the Demon Woods to Mount Roserye seeming to glow blue. Malcolm shivered, his eyes looking back and forth between the trees at the edge of the woods and the little houses situated in the dead tangled branches of almost every tree that he could see.

He adjusted the abnormally large pack on his back and with a quiet glance back at the cozy wooden houses with the warm orange lantern light shining from the windows he set off on his way through the Demon Woods.

***

Hours later the fog still hadn't seemed to fade. Instead it seemed to have grown thicker, hiding even the trees from view. A quiet whispering sound began to echo through the woods.

Malcolm wiped the nervous sweat from his brow and consulted the map held in his tightly clenched right hand. In the eerie glowing fog the hastily scrawled writing on the hand drawn map was barely visible.

" Damn it! From what I remember during my studies, there's supposed to be a fork in the road up ahead. ' One path leads deeper into the woods. The other leads to Mount Roserye. ' I know I marked which one leads to the mountain on the map. But I can't read it! "

Malcolm shook out the map as if that would make the words visible. And that's when he heard the ominous creaking of a door.

The fog magically parted from the trees leaving the path as the only thing coated in the fog. The color drained from Malcolm's face as he looked at the trees.

Standing in front of every visible tree house was a red eyed demon. Although they varied in size and shape, each one looked terrifying and cloaked in the same blue glow as the foggy path.

One of the demons roared, extending a long unnaturally bent clawed hand forward. The same glowing fog shot out from small holes in the palm of its hand. It covered the trees and wrapped around Malcolm, fully prepared to suffocate him.

He heard the sound of the demons dropping from the trees to the path. His left hand reached for the long serrated dagger tied to his belt. The fog cleared completely from the path just as a demon with a shadowy immaterial hand reached towards his chest.

Malcolm swung the shiny silver blade at the demon's hand causing it to scatter into several black particles. The demon screamed in pain as the particles began to coalesce and reform into a hand.

Malcolm wasn't taking any chances. The minute he slashed the demon's hand, he ran down the path as fast as he could.

The demons were well behind him by the time he reached the fork in the road. Breathing heavily, he consulted the map still in his right hand. Despite the darkness created by the gnarled trees he managed to make out the words labeling the path to the right as the one that led to Mount Roserye.

He sighed, still trying to catch his breath and headed down the new path.