I don't know why it took me so long to upload this chapter. I've had like it done for like a month and not uploaded it. I unfortunately missed the actually hunter's moon deadline which was October 29. But don't miss this months' full moon at November 28. It's a Beaver Moon or the cooler name, Frost Moon. (Insert laughter) I crack myself up sometimes. Anyway, on we go!
Hunter's Moon By GraySideofThings
Chapter 3
Sarah almost regretted her decision to go into the forest as soon as she foot stepped on the first stick. Snap! She should go back to the car and drive away. She shouldn't be hiking a night. But the rustling was just ahead of her. As she clicked on the flashlight, the beam only light up trees and underbrush. Sarah pursed her lips. Something was making that sound.
She hiked further into the underbrush, determined to find what was making all the noise. She supposed she was also curious. The proverb 'curiosity killed the cat' popped into her mind, making her laugh nervously. Was she the cat in this situation? She hoped not. She shook her head and focused again.
But the rustling and movement in the undergrowth had ceased. Sarah stopped, wondering if maybe she lost the thing she was following. Slowly panning the beam of light around, she searched for any sign of life. Nothing.
"How strange," she sighed softly, and decided picking her way back to her car would be a good idea. She quickly panned around the flashlight, just in case, and saw them. Peaking between the weeds was a huge pair of glowing yellow eyes. As her flashlight beam hit them directly on, they shown with an iridescent gleam.
As soon as her flashlight beam hit the eyes, they disappeared. Black fur soon took the eyes place and it too disappeared into the brush. Sarah stood there for a second, watching the weeds move with the path of the animal, before setting off after it.
Sarah followed the fast little creature through the underbrush. What was it? Was that a dog? Sarah smiled. That would be one strange dog .Sarah paused, wondering if following a wild dog was a terribly smart idea.
The eyes popped out of the bush for a second and then back down. Sarah almost stopped dead in her tracks. Why would it do that? It was like it was watching and checking up on her; like it wanted her to follow it.
"That was weird," she muttered, shining her flashlight into the foliage. The dog's head popped up farther away and stared at her. Sarah stared back, clearing seeing a dog. The big black snot twitched slightly, momentary showing the sharps canines hidden behind its lips. The ears flickered under the breeze, its long fur knotting itself together. Its eyes watched her every twitch.
Watching the dog carefully, she experimentally stepped forward. The dog seemed to perk up, but remained where it was. Sarah slowly lifted the other foot in the air and placed it in front of the other. The dog's head disappeared into the long grass. Watching the grass, Sarah guessed it was moving fast. Sarah set off after it, speeding up to a quick jog. She followed it over logs and through the trees.
Sarah pushed herself to catch the dog, running faster. She was so close to catching it. Her hand reached out to the dog's long fur that was just out of reach. Just a little more, she thought. She pushed harder only to have her foot catch on a log. It seemed like it happened in slow motion. Her arms spread out to keep her balance but gravity is an impossible force. Sarah barely caught herself before she face planted the ground. She blinked rapidly as she tried to figure out what happened. Slowly, she got to her knees and looked up and gasped.
The field was beautiful. The tall grass waved in the soft breeze. The clearing was a perfect circle, all the edges covered by trees. In the middle, a tall tree stood. But the tree didn't have any leaves and was stripped of any bark. It's dead, Sarah's mind whispered softly. A few feet ahead of her, the dog sat, staring at her with its abnormally large eyes. Its mouth seemed to moved in a way Sara can only describe as a smile.
The field suddenly started moving all at once. More heads popped out, all dog looking in features. Sarah's heart stopped. The dog had led her to its pack; a giant, wild dog pack. The dogs nearest to her pulled their mouths back into a snarl, letting their sharp canines show. Fear jolted her into motion. Slowly, if not to spook the many dogs, she stood up. At her higher height, she could see the whole entire field was filled with dogs. She took a step back and all the dogs nearest to her growled. She froze, too afraid of what the dogs could do to her.
The field suddenly filled with light. The cloudy skies had moved on, leaving an almost full moon. Unfortunately, instead of making her feel better, her fear increased. All the dogs' features shifted in the moonlight, becoming more and more familiar to Sarah. The things that had haunted her nightmares were now in the fields surrounding her. Big eyes, short stubby noses, wrinkled skin and bad, yellowing teeth took place of the dog features. Sarah mind refused to admit what was happening. She closed her eyes and chanted inside of her head it's all a dream, it's all a dream, it's all a dream…
The air around her sparked with electricity, zapping her with small shocks and giving her goose bumps. She swallowed hard and tried to calm herself. She knew exactly who she was dealing with. If I can't see him, he can't be there and therefore he can't hurt me. Of course, a childish belief was going to get rid of her monsters in the closet. She was Sarah Williams who beat the labyrinth. She surely didn't back down from anything; especially childhood villain. Mustering up all of her bravery, she opened her eyes. The small creatures weren't looking at her but at a figure in the middle of the field next to the tree. She barely noticed how the tree was alive, blooming with life. Her attention was fully on the figure. His back was to her, arms spread wide and head thrown back. The feathery white blonde locks, lit by the moon light, cascaded into shadows. Sarah could barely make out his features, but could see the sharp nose protruding from his face.
Sarah didn't even think. She was running through the forest before she even knew it. She had to get away. She didn't care where, just away from here. She knew who that was without even seeing his face. She knew what the creatures were in the field, just refused to admit it. She didn't know why they were here, but was determined to stay away. She heard sounds behind her that sounded like pursuit and they were gaining fast. Sarah tried to pick up speed but her body protested. She could hear them close behind, the leaves crunching under her feet. It sounded like they were on her heels. Sarah turned around to see her pursuers and instead ran into a soft body.
"Whoa, there, sweetheart. You're running as if the devil be on your heels," A kind voice talked over her head.
If you only knew… Sarah stepped back from the body and looked up. A soft, kind, freckled face smiled down at her. The woman's brown hair was in pigtails with a cowboy hat covering the top part of her head. She looked around and saw she had came out in the same place she went in. Her car hood was open, but her car wasn't on like she left it. Behind her car, she could see a truck.
"What's happening over there, Rosy?" Another brunette came walking up from behind her car. She was beautiful, like a supermodel, not a blemish on her dark skin.
"Found her running out of these woods like her life depended on it," Rosy told the supermodel. Sarah remembered the horrible creatures in the forest and whipped around. She eyes the woods for any sign or sound of them. Nothing was there, almost like she had dreamt it. She looked back at the two women.
"Did you hear anything strange coming from the forest?" Sarah asked them.
The women looked at each other and then at her. Both shook their heads. One of them mentioned that she was shaking, but Sarah didn't hear. Her mind was going over all the possibilities. What was he playing at? Why didn't his subjects catch her? Why didn't they hear the loud pursuit in the forest? Why now? Her thoughts were interrupted by the blanket being put on her shoulders. The supermodel was adjusting the blanket on her shoulders and talking.
"…the car's battery is dead. But doesn't worry, Artie's got it. She'll come back in the morning for your car. We'll take you into town now though, so you don't freeze to death out here."
Sarah was surprised. "Wait, my car battery is dead? But I wasn't gone that long. Maybe 20 minutes most. Car battery's don't die that fast."
The supermodel smiled and pulled her along. "Come along. It's 3 am and you're cold and tired. We'll get you home."
Sarah mouth dropped. "3am? No, no, it was midnight that last time I checked. I wasn't in there for 3 hours," Sarah pulled away from the supermodel. She backed up from them and neared the edge of the forest. A sudden howl pierced the night and made Sarah yelped in fright. The woman rushed forward and pulled her towards the truck.
As they neared the truck, Sarah noticed the woman digging in the truck. The supermodel called out to her and the woman turned around. If she thought the supermodel was beautiful, this woman was indescribable. Her long, wavy blonde hair was pulled into a half pony tail. Her silvery blue eyes reminded Sarah of the moon. Her skin was pure white under the moon light. She looked supernatural. She smiled at them.
"You guys ready?" She asked in a cheery voice. She looked at Sarah. "Hey, I'm Artie. I found your car next to the road and checked it out. Sorry about the battery. Don't worry about it, though. I'll bring my tow truck around tomorrow and fix it up for you."
Sarah quickly held out her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Sarah. Thank you for helping me with my car."
Artie grasped her hand and shook it. As soon as their hands touched, a small shock ran between them. Artie let out a laugh. "Shocking," she joked.
Sarah yawned softly and smiled sleepily. "Yeah," she spoke. She yawned again. Sarah couldn't understand why she was so tired. A fog slowly crept over her mind and another yawn came over her. She was vaguely aware of the arm around her shoulders, pushing her into the truck. She curled up on the seat and yawned again. Rosy's face was in front of her, pushing Sarah's hair out of her face. Sarah's eyes slowly closed, despite her attempts to keep them open.
Rosy's voice floated into her ear, "Go to sleep. You're safe. We've got you." Sarah smiled and let her eyes closed and sleep take over.
~O^O~
Artie's smile dropped from her face as soon as Sarah was asleep. She watched with calculating eyes. "Rosy, stay with her," her command cut through the silent night. Rosy nodded her head in understanding. Artie turned her head towards the other brunette. She was watching the forest intently. "Ana?"
A slight movement of Ana's head was the only sign that she heard. Artie walked up next to her.
"I long to go back, you know," Ana's voice was quiet, and filled with emotion.
An odd emotion flickered over Artie's face and she let out a soft sigh. "They were simpler times that's for sure. But we're needed here and now."
Ana nodded her head and looked up at the moon. "It will be only a few days now," she smiled. "The full moon always messes with people."
Artie frowned and changed the subject. "Is the car locked up?"Ana nodded. "Then let's go. I'm tired."
I create the strangest ideas. Dead trees don't bloom. The especially don't bloom in fall. How silly am I? Review please. I promise I don't bite!
