Chapter Three: Something's In There

Cole tried his best to avoid human life as he shuffled about the preserve, taking in the information boards and models that were scattered around the station and outside it. The only problem was that nothing was alive. Well, besides grass, but who wants to study grass? Cole strained his eyes, looking down the path. It seemed to go on forever. How big was this preserve? And what were they protecting anyway?

Certainly not grass.

Cole strolled a bit further. Signs were everywhere, he noticed. Stay Out. Caution- DANGEROUS BEYOND THIS POINT! He recalled the ranger's warnings about not going into the woods. He hated to admit it, but, beautiful as this place was, he did not have a very good feeling about it.

There was a shuffling noise by the fence.

Cole whipped around. Maybe there was something to observe after all. He walked slowly toward the bridling fence, which stood at least three feet above him. No one had gone this far. His class was still observing next the station. He'd gone much further then he'd thought. Shadows danced upon the fence in the afternoon light, like someone motioning.

Come in, come in.

There was a sign lettered in red, stuck in the gravel before the fence. Cole ignored it- there was something in there.

He treaded carefully to the fence. It was overgrown with ivy, but there was a place where he could almost see through. He pressed his face into chain link and he gaped through the tiny holes.

A low growling noise came through the wall.

Whatever it was stared right back at Cole, a dark shadow over him.

Cole gasped. He stepped back, tried to think. There was something in there- whether it was dead he wasn't quite certain yet, but he couldn't ignore the cold feeling in his stomach. He shook his head. He had no clue what it was. It seemed huge, for an animal, that is, but it hadn't sounded like... What? Cole shook his head. He probably hadn't even heard anything. But his sixth sense had never failed him. THIS WAS NOT A PERSON!

"Hey Cole."

"Tommy. I was just going back to class-"

"Not supposed to go in there, Cole. Didn't you hear Officer Weirdo? What's the matter, are you going to have one of your freak spells?"

Cole was positioned between the beast and Tommy, with a feeling of deja vue.

"Nah," he said calmly. "I was just taking a look. But, there's nothing here, so, I'm going to go back."

"You're such a goody-goody," commented Tommy snidely, rolling his eyes. Having lost interest, he wandered back to the station to cause more havoc.

Cole breathed a sigh, though he knew times were much different. The last time there had been a situation like this one, Cole had been face-to-face with an angry spirit. He did not want a repeat of that event.

He sighed. His curiosity was too much for him. If something was in there, he could see what kind of creatures were being preserved so well. Maybe one of them was hurt, he concluded. Cole looked behind him. It seemed that both Mrs. Walds and Ranger Lupinski had their hands full; one of his classmates had gone into the medicine shack near the station, and the class was being lectured.

The coast was clear, so Cole walked down about a mile further.

Cole took a breath, and then grabbed onto the chain link, hoisting himself up. He waited. They were far enough down the path that he wasn't heard yet. He took another step. One more would allow him a peek over the fence, and then he'd been finished here. He grabbed the top of the fence and looked down.

What he saw was the forest floor. Not extremely interesting. The trees were abundant, making the inside of the sanctuary very dark. The opening was nowhere in sight from here.

Without warning, the fence shook.

Cole tried to gaze behind him. "I'm sorry! I'll get down, I just- heard someone- something in here.. But it's nothing, I'll get-"

The fence continued to shake, first softly, and then violently. Cole tried to work his way down, but he could not move. He wanted to see what was doing it, it must have been coming from the inside, and now he was falling.

Falling over the fence into the woods.

Not supposed to be here.

It was forbidden.