Whispers in the Dark

Into the Woods

Kol dragged Luke and Eve off toward the forest less than ten minutes later. "Couldn't it have been a regular dog?" offered Luke, to which Eve rolled her eyes.

"He wouldn't be wrong about something like that."

Luke gestured toward Kol. "He couldn't sense anything when we first got here. What if his powers are on vacation again? Remember the Albania disaster?"

Both Kol and Eve grimaced. Albania was not to be talked about - the greatest of taboos.

"I'm certain it's a ghost," Kol assured them. "When my powers were off, I never once felt a thing. I did last night, however. For whatever reason, this spirit is a particularly malevolent one. It gave me that eerie feeling you get when you need to pass a dark corner. I kept waiting for something to attack. The ghost started barking, then everything became normal, and it ran away."

Luke and Eve exchanged a worried look. "You sure it wasn't a dream?" Luke asked. "It might be a dream spirit."

They reached a small diner just outside the forest. It wasn't open yet.

"I'm certain," Kol answered. "This was a new feel for me. It felt...."

Luke and Eve exchanged another look as their friend struggled to find the right words.

"It felt personal."

"Personal? echoed Eve.

"It felt like the ghost was after me directly."

"So, naturally, we should go look for it," Eve stated, then shivered. "This job keeps getting worse. Couldn't we have gotten something to eat first?"

"The dog didn't show up until nighttime. If it turns out to be a night spirit, we wouldn't be able to find it after the sun goes up."

"We wouldn't be able to find a ghostly dog that's after you? How terrible."

Luke chuckled, but Kol remained stoic. They were entering the forest at the only part where there was a pathway, and not a single one of them was eager to be there when it was so dark.

One of the lights of the diner's parking lot flickered for a moment, reminding Kol of a necessary tool.

"Flashlights," he said and held out his hand.

"Aye aye, sergeant," Eve groaned in response, then pulled three out of her backpack. Once each of them had one, they entered the forest.

The pressure Kol felt as soon as he set his foot on the pathway was strong. "Yeah," he said. "Definitely here."

Eve wanted to complain, but Kol kept walking, and she hurried to keep up. Being in the forest was bad. Being left behind in the forest was worse.

"Shouldn't we talk to the people first?" suggested Luke. "There might be safer places to start."

"Safer means slower," Kol stated. "If we wait too long, the ghost might become strong enough to start hurting people. There's also the case of the Shadow Man. If it turns out to be two ghosts with a wandering range wide enough encompass a whole town, we're gonna have our hands full. Best to strike first."

They continued following the pathway. Kol illuminated the way in front, while Eve and Luke took their right and left sides, respectively. For a while, they walked as though aimless, finding nothing of significance. Kol insisted that was only the surface, because his feeling kept getting stronger.

"Did you hear that?" Eve suddenly asked, and the three of them stopped and listened. Crickets chirped from all around them, and the occasional owl could be heard. The branches of the trees rustled, as did the bushes.

Then they heard the footsteps. They were coming from somewhere off to the right side of the path. Kol aimed his flashlight at the area that seemed to be the source, but the greenery was much too thick to see anything.

"Were those-" Luke started, but Kol silenced him by raising his hand.

The footsteps came again, this time from a different direction, and were a little bit louder. The three turned toward the place, but found nothing again.

"I-I'm not so sure about this anymore," Even confessed, shaking like a leaf. "Why's it so cold?"

"Luke," Kol said simply, "do it."

The big guy nodded, then started walking forward. He used the very gift that brought him to Kol's attention in the first place. A very faint glow surrounded him as he approached the place from where the footsteps had come. Slowly, he reached for the bushes, then moved them aside.

No one was there.

"It's safe," Luke said, and Kol approached him. When he did, he could see glowing green marks all over the ground. They were shaped like dog paws.

"Yeah, ectoplasm's here," Kol told them. "The dog's ghost is definitely stronger here. I couldn't find any back on the street.

"K-Kol," Eve stuttered from behind them. The boys kept inspecting the area.

"He seems to have gone that way," Kol concluded, gesturing with his flashlight.

"Kol," Eve repeated, just as meek as before.

"They lead back into the bushes," Luke said. "Then all the way back there..."

"Kol, Luke," Eve said once more, voice clearly full of fear.

"What is it-" Kol started as the two turned around, then fell back on his ass. All three of them became frozen with fear in that very instant.

A massive black dog was standing in front of them, baring its teeth. Its eyes glowed red. Releasing a guttural growl, it pounced.

Luke reacted in time, reached toward it with his hand, which was now glowing again. The dog yelped at the light, and staggered backwards. It took off into the darkness of the forest, leaving the three there.

Kol gathered his thoughts, then ran after it. He wouldn't lose it when they were that close. The ghost was already powerful and smart enough to sneak up on them, and it would only get stronger from then on. He wouldn't let that happen. Not again.

Following its green footprints, Kol managed to keep the ghost in his line of sight. It tried to bounce from side to side, but he wasn't going to lose it. The dog ran into a bush, and then the first ray of sun pierced the darkness. Fully aware it might already be too late, Kol pushed through the bush, and came face to face with a man.