Chapter 17. Into the Forest.
"Who the hell are you?" Callie demanded again of the mysterious stranger, much more aggressively this time. She was crouched down near Kalen's unresponsive body. Laila tenderly cradled his head in her lap and Addison was opposite Callie, staring up at the tall, rugged man inquisitively.
"The name's Declan, and that's all you need to know right now," he said through a cloud of smoke. He shifted his long, dark hair out of his vision as he carelessly discarded the finished cigarette butt.
"We have to keep moving, it won't be long until the next attack," he urged authoritatively. The others just looked up expectantly, but he didn't offer any follow up to his words.
"This was an attack on us?" Laila asked, utterly baffled. "Who would do this? Why? How?"
"I can explain everything later, but for now we are in danger. We need to get to a safe place." Callie eyed him skeptically as he frustratingly lit up another smoke.
"And why should we trust you, exactly?" She arched an eyebrow.
"How about because I just saved your lives?" He rubbed his temple and let out a sigh of annoyance, trying to calm his nerves. "Fucking teenagers," he muttered under his breath.
Kalen began to stir, but his eyes remained closed. That's a good sign, at least, Callie thought dejectedly as she glanced towards the boy. His hair was partially matted to the sides of his pale face with fresh blood, it was a hard sight to take in. Laila methodically stroked the top of his head as a means of comfort. Callie turned back to the man, Addison appearing silently at her side in solidarity.
"Okay, that's a fair point." She crossed her arms, still very hesitant to trust the stranger before her. "Say we do trust you. Where do you suggest we go?"
"I have a cabin we can take shelter in, just outside of city limits. It'll keep us safe--for the time being, at least." He took one last long drag and then flicked the spent cigarette away haphazardly. "Then I will tell you everything you need to know. You have my word." Declan nodded his head solemnly, his expression impossible to read.
Addison squeezed Callie's hand tightly. She peered down at him and she couldn't explain why, but the expression on his face made her think that he trusted Declan. She gave his hand a light squeeze in reply and looked over her shoulder to Laila. She still hovered protectively over Kalen, her blonde curls hanging above his face.
"Well, we have to do something. At least for his sake," Laila chimed in hesitantly. Callie cast her gaze down at Kalen's still body. She watched as his chest rose and fell slowly, systematically. It made her inwardly wince.
She gave her full attention back to Declan. "Okay, we'll come with you," she spoke for the group. "But we will need answers, I don't want anymore of your obsure bullshit."
Declan cocked an eyebrow, the look of annoyance almost turning to one of momentary admiration. The look was quickly replaced by his usual grimace as he adjusted the pack he had slung around his right shoulder. He made his way back towards the unconscious Kalen.
"I'll carry the boy. If we leave now then we'll make it there before dark," Declan huffed as he carefully tossed Kalen over his left shoulder.
Laila cautiously stood, wrapping her arm tightly around Addison's shoulders as they followed Callie's lead behind Declan. Callie took note of Declan's dirty, tattered leather jacket and dark faded jeans. His scruffy appearance suggested that he had been wandering for quite some time. She had so many questions for the man, but decided to save her interrogation for when they arrived at the safe haven. This place was clearly no longer a viable option for the rag-tag group of misfits.
After walking for nearly an hour in an uncomfortable silence, Callie slowed her pace to join Laila and Addison's sides as they walked, never letting Declan out of her line of vision.
"What do you make of this, Callie?" Laila whispered, keeping her eyes on the man's retreating figure.
"I don't know, but we don't really have many options right now," she replied as she matched their strides.
"Do you trust him?"
Callie was thoughtful, choosing her words carefully before speaking next. "He saved our lives. I'm willing to hear him out but, no, I don't trust him yet."
Callie had always thought of herself as a decent judge of character. Something about this man seemed very genuine, but at the same time it was all too coincidental for her liking. How did he even know who they were in the first place? How could he have known that the earthquake was going to happen, and where to go to save them? Her bullshit detector was working in overdrive, and after everything they've already been through she had a hard time accepting Declan at face value.
Laila nodded her head in agreement, trusting Callie's judgement. "We need to stick together, keep our guards up."
"Keep up back there," Declan called behind his shoulder without turning. Callie narrowed her eyes, quickening her pace and materializing by his side.
"Where are we even going, anyway?"
He grunted, rolling his eyes at the girl. "I've already told you, I have a cabin outside the town's city limits. It's secluded, and it should buy us some time."
"What do we need to buy time for? What's going to happen?" She quickly became out of breath as she tried to keep the brisk pace. Kalen stirred suddenly, his eyes fluttering rapidly under his heavy lids.
"This is not the appropriate place for this conversation. We're not safe out in the open like this." He shifted the injured boy in his grasp to a more comfortable position and surveyed their surroundings. Kalen's breathing slowed again and his eyes stopped moving. "We have to keep moving," he said finally, effectively ending the short conversation.
Callie huffed, but didn't argue. She allowed him to brush past her again, taking the lead as they trudged onward. The gruelling journey took hours, and it especially took its toll on the young tired teens. They weren't allotted any time to stop and rest, and they persisted until the sun began to fall out of the sky.
They were in the last few miles of their long expedition, stopping at the entrance of a very sinister wooded area. Declan turned to his three followers, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours.
"This is the Forest of the Damned."
His eyes took in the sight of them, acknowledging their hesitance. "It's not far from this point. Just stay close, and don't wander off the path. It's easy to get lost out here."
Callie and Laila exchanged nervous glances, but followed closely behind Declan nonetheless. They had already come so far, they weren't giving up now.
"Oh," he stopped again before entering the eerily named forrest. His face was deadly serious. "And don't listen to anything you might hear. A person's mind has been known to play tricks on them upon entering the forest. Not everyone makes it to the other side."
Laila gulped, pulling Addison closely to her as they pushed forward into the pitch black unknown. Callie crossed her arms, trying to keep her wits about her, refusing to let some old folklore scare her. She held her breath as they walked, the moonlight unable to illuminate their path any longer through the dense trees.
The only sound that could be heard was their heavy breathing and soft footfalls on the damp soil. Callie peered around, the tiny hairs on her neck standing tall as she could only describe the sensation of a hundred pairs of eyes watching her every move. The shadows danced around them menacingly, a creepy reminder that they were not alone. Callie closed her eyes, and in a flash those red eyes from the previous night reappeared, and Death was there for her again. He was an unwelcome guest in her brain, and she didn't know how to make the intruder vanish.
Callie stopped to rub her eyes with her palms, forcefully pushing the disturbing image out of her thoughts--at least, for the time being. The low chanting of a thousand haunted voices still lingered in the back of her mind, completely overpowering her. Laila, with Addison in tow, had managed to knowingly pass the struggling girl. Callie made sure not to fall too far behind the pack, hastily composing herself in the all encompassing darkness before anyone had time to notice her absence.
Before she knew what was happening, a strong hand reached out and took a hold of her. Callie let out a shrill scream, her body not reacting quickly enough to fight the monster back. Thankfully she was able to come back to her senses long enough to manage to rock back on her heels as she raised her free hand to swing. She wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Before she even had the chance to counter the attack, the full force of the being pulled her swiftly forward, nearly knocking her clear off her feet. Through the dim strands of moonlight that shone through breaks in the dead trees, Callie came face to face with Declan's enraged face.
"What did I say?" He bellowed, disturbing the unholy silence of the night. Their faces were inches apart, and Callie's normally quick mind was unable to form sentences in that moment. She blinked rapidly, in a daze, unsure of what had just happened. It was almost as if she were in a trance.
"I said don't wander off!" He held her wrist tightly and pulled the girl forward, effectively breaking her out of her hypnotic state. "Jesus Christ, do none of you understand what is happening?"
"I just..." she started, finding her voice. It was useless, she didn't have the words.
"Save it," he barked. He didn't release his hold, pulling her along like a dog on a leash. She felt the pang of guilt and embarrassment creep into her cheeks. "You got lucky this time. Don't let it happen again."
He dropped her arm. It fell limply to her side. Of all the things she felt in that moment, lucky was definitely not one of them. Laila rested a hand on her shoulder as she came up quickly behind the girl. She whispered, "What the hell was that, Callie?"
"I..." she began, trailing off. She shrugged Laila's hand away. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
Before the blonde girl could interject any further, Declan's callous voice interrupted their conversation.
"We're here." They came up to a clearing, and in the distance was a dilapidated old shack. It could hardly be described as cabin, Callie thought in disbelief, but she wasn't in any position to turn down shelter now.
"Let's get inside quickly," Declan instructed, pushing forward. "We can't afford to lose any more time."
The girls looked at each other once more, and then, against their better judgment, joined hands and decided to follow behind the strange man into what could very well be certain death.