Chapter 3:

"Into the Unknown," Greg breathed.

The beeping went silent.

Greg felt a sudden freezing sensation all around him. His chest felt tight. His limbs felt numb. He opened his eyes, and immediately closed them tight. Then, he realized where he was. Using all the energy the six-year-old could muster, Greg swam to the surface and pulled himself onto the riverbank. He hadn't expected to arrive in the water.

"Oh, rats," Greg said, looking at his sopping wet and muddy clothes, and then at the endless dark forest. The nights in the Unknown were always terribly cold. Greg shivered as he hugged his body, looking around for any sign of life. He knew that being wet would only make make matters worse, or chilier in this case.

"Hmm, well, I won't do any good by just sitting around!" He said enthusiastically, as he got up and started walking through the trees and bushes. Greg, no matter what situation he was in, would always manage to stay motivated. Wirt was always awestruck by this.

Greg had been on the move for about a half hour, whistling to himself, when he stopped to scratch his head. His hand felt this soft, unrecognizable thing sitting on his scalp.

"Wait a minute!" Greg yelled excitedly. "My hair!" He shrieked in delight. Greg hadn't had any hair for a good six months. He continued to rapidly pet his own head, continuing to remind himself that he had his hair back.

Suddenly, Greg felt exhausted. He hadn't had been able to go for long walks since he started his treatment, and it was definitely overwhelming for someone his age. He laid himself down on a patch of moss, and looked up at the stars.

"Goodnight, Wirt," Greg smiled. He had a feeling that Wirt would be saying goodnight to him too. Greg closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

CRACK.

Greg's eyes shot open, and he frantically stood up, looking around. It was daytime. Greg wondered how long he had been sleeping.

"Oh, right. Hehe!" He laughed as he remembered he was no longer in a hospital bed.

CRACK.

The same noise again. Greg figured he should ignore it, but his curiosity got the best of him. He started to walk in the direction of the noise.

This time, it was a lot easier to walk. Now that it was day, of course, it was easier to see through the forest. It definitely gave Greg a boost of confidence too, knowing where exactly he was stepping.

The weather in the Unknown was always the same, it seemed to Greg. The sky was always overcast, and the temperature was a solid 50 degrees. It felt like everyday was an Autumn day.

Greg's once soaking clothes had seemed to dry a bit overnight, and to his surprise, Greg wasn't in a hospital gown, but in the clothes he would have worn on any given day: His white, long-sleeve shirt with green overalls.

All of this change made Greg feel invincible, and he raced through the forest determined to find the cause of the noise. His running came to a halt, however, because this time he heard voices.

CRACK.

"Jeez, Bennett, you chop wood like a four year old."

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try!"

"Bring it on. I'll show you how it's done."

CRACK.

"Haha, you barely chopped a fourth of it!"

"Oh you little-"

Greg peeked around a tree to see the two boys wrestling in a yard in front of a wooden house. He tried to get a better view, when his foot got caught in a root and he fell. The boys turned their attention to Greg and walked up to him.

"Benjamin, what is it?"

"Oh, I think it must have been some sort of animal - holy crap!"

"What, what is it?" The boy said, trying to get a better look.

"It's a kid!"

"No way!"

Greg stepped out behind the tree.

"I'm actually a stealer! I'm here to steal your… your… your everything!"

"What? No you're not."

"Yeah I am."

"Then prove it. Here, go steal that piece of wood over there," One of the boys said, pointing to the stump where they were chopping wood.

"Okie dokie," Greg said. The boys snickered.

Greg walked over to the piece of wood, looked at the boys to make sure they were watching, and attempted to pick up the piece. Greg used all of his might, but his little body couldn't get it an inch off the ground.

"Hahahaha!" The boys said, pointing and laughing. Greg laughed along too, because he figured that there was a funny joke that had been said.

The boys had the same laugh. In fact, the more Greg looked at them, the more he realized how similar they really were. They both were tall and skinny boys, with curly red hair and freckles that covered just about every inch of their faces.

"Bennett! Benjamin! Are you finished with your chores?" Called a lady from the porch of the house.

"Almost, but look, ma! We found a little boy!"

Even from the yards away the boys were from the house, they could all see the mother's face go white. Her expression immediately went from soft to stern.

"Bring him inside. Now," She almost whispered. For some reason, though, she was easy to hear.