Almost Cursed || Completed

Chapter Twenty-eight: Trails to Nowhere

It was only another two hours until we drove into the town. There were only a few small gas stations in the town center, and a few residential houses. The place was eerily quiet. Tree's seemed to breathe with the wind, and the forest was as dark as night.

We parked the car on the edge of a forest trail. There was a walking loop in the forest that led to a waterfall. I'm sure it was beautiful, but our destination wouldn't take us there. After half a mile, we had to go off trail for another twenty minutes until we could find the sight of the murder.

Evander had researched the murder in depth over the weeks. He made calls to the original search party, claiming to be a reporter for an out of state newspaper doing an article on the occult. I was surprised with how well he was able to convey authority with his voice. Everyone he called was more than willing to help, and he had written special instructions on our map that would lead us through the woods.

Evander grabbed a hiking bag filled with a few necessities; water, snacks, first aid, and a hunting knife. As we made our way down the trail, the thickness of the forest enveloped us. The woods were alive with life; rabbits hopped through brush and insects crawled through the dirt.

I grabbed Evander's hand, taking support from him as we walked in silence. I was unnerved by the change in his demeanor over the course of the morning. I was certain that last night was the best of my life, but now I wondered if he felt the same way. Maybe after being with me his feelings had changed.

"It's not what you think." He said, as if reading my thoughts.

I nodded, but didn't comment. I wasn't sure if I knew what to say. It wasn't the time for such a conversation anyway, because at that moment Evander led us into the forest.

We walked for a few more minutes, and every other step Evander had to catch me from falling over a tree or into a hidden gopher hole.

"We're getting close." He finally said.

We had reached a huge boulder. It stood about three stories high, an was covered in spots of moss. The sunlight peaked through the trees and glimmered against the rock.

"Wow." i said, marveling up at the stone.

"Look, this validates my directions." Evander pointed at something around the curve of the stone, and I stepped closer to get a better look.

Carved into the massive rock was a rune unknown to me, and I hadn't seen it on any of the pages of the Coven's book. I traced my fingers along the edges of the carvings, and shivered. Darkness seeped through my hand, and I tried to wipe it away on my shirt. When I pulled my hand back to examine it, nothing was there.

"We're close." I said, stepping in front of Evander to lead the way. A small deer trail had appeared in front of us, and I quickened my pace.

A curve in the trail led to a clearing. I pictured my father lying on the ground, bloodied and dismembered. I grabbed a bottle of water and took a large gulp to stifle my urge to gag.

"This is it." Evander said, tossing the bag onto the ground.

The clearing was surprisingly beautiful. The dirt was covered in moss and pine cones, and I could hear the bubbling of a brook in the distance. Butterflies fluttered through the air, making the space look like a picture out of a fairy tale.

Evander stood in the middle of the field, looking over to me with unease on his face. I was here, I was finally doing the thing I had been preparing for for over a month. The same thing I had dreamed of doing for four years.

I was about to unmask the murderer.

Resolve settled in my heart. No matter what I had to watch, I was ready. Maybe my answers would be revealed. And no matter the terror I would have to go through, I would get to see my father one last time.

I crossed the space in between Evander and myself, and grabbed both of his hands with my own. Holding our hands up to my heart, I looked into Evander's eyes with tears almost spilling over my own.

"I'm ready."