The Vampire Queen.

Chapter 9: The Dark Forest.

Early update, yay!

Chapter 9 – THE DARK FOREST

Shavannah.

I let out a breath of air as I climbed up the dirt hill. It had been an hour since I started walking, and it was safe to say that I had walked over five miles from Newhollow. I hoisted the straps of my bag and turned my head back to where I could see the obscure outlines of the faraway town. I stared at it for a moment before looking forward once again.

I continued walking until I spotted a large tree to lean on. I pressed my bag against the bark and let my head rest on the tree. I sighed again before I pulled the paper that had been poking my ribs for the past 20 minutes or so. I rolled out the map and stared at it a moment. The map in my hands was the one I took from my father's office. I had walked from one section of the woods, past train tracks, and now I was in front of a bunch of large trees. According to the map I was in the Opacus Forest, however the heck you pronounced that. Who names a forest Opacus anyway?

I looked up from the map and frowned once I realized how dark the sky was getting. I then glanced at my watch to see that it was only four.

I furrowed my eyebrows, we'll ain't that strange...

It didn't usually get dark this early. I shrugged off the strange vibe I was feeling and decided to keep walking while I still could before the night covered the sky completely. But strangely, the faster I walked through the forest, the faster the darkness came. I tripped over a couple tree roots but didn't let the obstacles slow me down.

"Oh c'mon!" I breathed once I realized it had to be another half an hour before I reached civilization. Looking at the map I could say I was now in the middle of the Opacus Forest. And I could also say I was not enjoying the eerie feeling of this forest. It felt as if something was watching me, watching my every move... and waiting. A moment or so passed before I decided it was better I tried to make it through the forest in the half an hour I had, rather than end up sleeping in this forest. This forest gave me the heebie jeebies!

With a newfound ambition I bounced on my feet and speedily marched through the forest. I was going to make it through this forest, even if I was currently having trouble seeing as the skies continued to darken as I trudged through.

A crunch in the leaves behind me had my ears perking in alertness. The first time, I assumed it was my imagination but the third and fourth time I was sure as hell it wasn't. My head snapped to the source, but I saw nothing except for the rows of trees and darkness. I narrowed my eyes and continued walking anyway, faster this time. I needed to get out of Opacus and I needed to get out, like, yesterday. I may or may not have been shitting my pants.

My heart jumped when I suddenly heard a rustle in the bushes. I turned my head over to the low shrub in fright. Another rustling of leaves brought my attention to my left, making my heart jump two times as much as it did before.

A low growl rumbled underneath the ground and I stumbled backwards dropping the map in the process. Another low growl and a snarl emitted from the branches behind me. I turned around and my mouth hung open in shock. In front of me were two glowing eyes. Eyes that could have never belong to a human, they were slanted and brightly colored.

The beast growled and pawed a step closer and I took it as my cue to sprint for my life. But damn, the thing came running after me with just as much speed. I knew I couldn't out run the beast, so I opted to outsmart the beast—even confuse it a little. The trees that stood as obstacles earlier were now my friend as I weaved around them. I prayed that this was enough to confuse the animal. I mean, if I moved quick enough then the beast wouldn't be able to keep a good eye on me, right?