Cries in the woods Chapter 2, a night in the woods fanfic

Chapter 2: Miles to go before I sleep

Simon awoke in a bloody hallway. The entirety of it was covered in a thin layer of blood, not all of it was crusty. For some reason, train tracks were bolted down onto the bloody floor and it seemed. In the distance, he could hear screaming, indiscernible from where he was. It was somewhat dark, only a few lam. He was a lynx in this dream, he stood up. On the floor in front of him was a glock 19 and 2 clips of ammo. He wrapped his paw around the gun and picked it up, hitting the mag release to check the ammo. 45 shots... That's all he had. He slapped the clip back into the gun and racked the slide. Standing up, he aimed the gun down the dilapidated corridor and began to walk slowly toward the screaming, watching out for anything that might manifest out of thin air. As he got closer, he was becoming easier to decipher the scream. It was definitely female. Was it Sophie? Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he began to walk to where the voice was coming from. "Simon! Help!"

Those two words were what shook him to the core, it was definitely Sophie. He began to run down the hallway, uncaring of what might get in his way. After turning some bloody corners, he saw her hand sticking out of what looked like a giant tree made out of flesh, it was slowly pulling her in. He ran to the tree, trying to get to it so he could free her. Sure he didn't have anything to cut her out with but he should at least try. Before he could get to her, the floor extended upwards separating the two. A figure on top began assault rifle a rifle at him. Bullets began to tear the floor around him as he frantically ran around, trying to dodge the attacks form the unknown hostile. He could have run back to the safety of the other hallway but he refused and continued to dodge the bullets. The figure must have ran out of bullets at some point because the hailstorm of bullets ceased and the figure looked like it was reloading. Simon aimed his pistol up at the figure and fired twice, one shot missed and the other went straight through it's head.

The figure stumbled before it threw down it's assault rifle, swapping it out for an ax. It jumped down and lifted up it's hoodie. It was him... Human him... Book Simon... The one thing that kept him sane, the knight in shinning armor, the lone soldier he depicted himself as, stood in front of him with murder in it's eyes... His creation, companion, now turned against him... That's alright, Simon didn't need him anymore, he wasn't weak. Simon raised his gun ant put two rounds into the figures chest. It stumbled back but so did he, he could feel a wetness on his chest, he felt it and saw that there were two bullet holes. It hurt like hell he trembled a bit but the figure still came at him with full force. He growled with frustration and fired again to halt the progress of the figure. It stumbled back but he fell over, a new bullet hole in his stomach. He fell backwards wracked with pain. He coughed up blood just as book Simon stood back up and began to approach him with an ax. Simon didn't want to die in such a horrible way. Getting violently bisected by an ax was a hell of a way to go. He stuffed the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

Simon woke up in a fit back in the derailed box cart. Breathing deeply and looked around with panicked eyes before he managed to calm down. The nightmares he frequently had always felt so real. He sat up and reached into his cache of food and pulled out a can of beans. He cut open the can and spooned the salty contents into his mouth. He still needed a job, he would have to go back to the town bulletin or wander around to find any postings. He tossed the can to the side and opened the box cart door.

"This is really good Simon."

The owner of the Clik Clack dinner, a Labrador named Theodore Haflax, ate the hassle back potatoes Simon prepared. While he was disabled back home, that didn't mean he couldn't cook for himself. Because his father divorced his mother, he didn't have a male figurehead to really look up to so he spent a lot of time with his mother. She taught him how to cook and he cooked for himself when he was living by himself. Simon missed her very much... Why was he sent here?

"Thank you Mr. Haflax, it was my mother's recipe."

The lab looked up from the dish and smiled. "Perfect, that's what we want here, home style family cooking. You are definitely hired."

The lab stood up and extended his paw to Simon, who took it and reciprocated a handshake.

"Come back tomorrow, I'll have your name tag ready by then."

"Thank you Mr. Haflax, I'll see you tomorrow."

Simon bid the dog farewell and exited the diner and into the street. There were a few pedestrians around and some cars on the road. It was somewhat quiet, unlike the noisy city he came from. Stupid kids, stupid parents... NO, no, Simon stop thinking that... They didn't do anything to hurt you, they don't know what it's like to live your life. He needed to buy some soap. He couldn't walk everywhere smelling like a sewer and his clothes needed to be properly washed. He needed to be clean.

Simon sat in the stream bathing himself. He had managed to purchase a soap, washing powder and a towel from a local store and he was cleaning himself. Scrubbing through fur wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. He had been there for about 30 minutes trying to scrub the grime out of his fur. The water was rather cold too, it was autumn after all. He grumbled to himself as he continued to wash himself. Suddenly, a twig snapped rather loudly. He turned around to face the sound and crouched down in the water. He was naked, the last thing he would need is to be raped by some stranger in the woods. He began to wade back to through the water to pick up his clothes. That's if he could find them. The branch he had left his clothes on no longer had his clothes, just an empty branch. "What the? HEY! Give me back my clothes you punk!"

Feeling bitter and angry, Simon climbed out of the river and grabbed a sturdy branch to beat clothing caper. A stick hit him in the back and he turned around the face the perpetrator, only to see no one was there. He growled. "Show yourself!"

He heard snickering above him. He looked up and saw Mae in the tree above him holding all his clothes and smiling at him. "Hey there Simon, whatcha doin?"

Simon blushed and immediately covered his junk with his paws. "What the fuck Mae! Why are you here."

She smiled coyly and sat in the tree scratching her ear. "Well, I was just minding my business walking through the woods when I heard some splashing in the water. Naturally, no one would be crazy enough to be in the water this time of year so I just had to see what was going on. When I turned the corner however, I saw a certain lynx bathing himself in the water."

Shit, he should have known he was too loud. "Well can you give me back my clothes and leave?"

Mae moved down the tree so she was rather close to the ground but just out of Simon's reach. "What's the magic word?"

"Mae, can we not do this right now?"

"Come on Simon."

"Please?"

"No, not the right word Simon."

Simon's right eye twitched in annoyance. "What! Come on Mae, just give me back my clothes."

"No."

"Mae, if you don't give me my clothes right fucking now, I'm going to beat the shit out of you!"

"Tsk, tsk, that mouth of yours Simon, just say the magic word."

"*Sigh*, tik."(Bitch)

"What was that Simon."

"I don't know."

"I was looking for the phrase, Mae is queen of Possum springs and I submit to her holy aura."

"Fuck off!"

"I guess that works too. Here you go Simon."

She leaped down from the trees and held the messy pile of clothes to Simon who snatched them from her paws. Simon growled at Mae and he put his underwear on. Mae giggled and looked at him with a defiantly. "You should be glad I don't have a camera."

"If you had a camera, I'd make sure you wouldn't leave this forest alive."

Mae laughed and walked back through the woods. Simon stared after her, feeling humiliated but, oddly satisfied. He stomached his emotions and walked in the direction of his home. Little did he know, Mae held her notebook in her paw. She had drawn a detailed sketch of Simon with his eyes closed scratching his back. He the water was at his waistline. His brown fur surrounded his white belly fur which was dotted with black spots. She took out a pencil and wrote at the bottom of the page, 'Cute boys aren't that bad'. Mae sighed. "Simon, why couldn't you have stood closer to shore? Oh well, at least I got some eye candy."

She put away her notebook and walked back home with a wide smile.

Simon was in his box cart. After Mae had found him bathing in the river, he had moved further down until he couldn't detect anyone. He also took the opportunity to wash his clothes. He had found a old barrel earlier in the day. It was night now, his clothes were set up in a makeshift rack to dry, he was only wearing his underwear. The water from the clothes dripped into a bucket. He sat there trying to comb his fur with his paws making himself look presentable for work. He covered himself in the cargo tarp and went to sleep.

Simon sat up in a ruined house. The wood work was falling apart and the dry plaster walls were chipped. It was dusty and musty. There was no furniture in the house. He was human in this dream. He approached the door and opened it. It was his old neighborhood, everything was where it was suppose to be. The house he was in was in the forest. Supposedly, it was used by satanic worshipers back in the day but the place was raided by the cops. Now it was just a place were kids go to shoot up on all sorts of drugs. He walked down the street, it was quiet, peaceful. The sun kissed his face as well as the summer breeze. He closed his eyes and smiled, continuing to walk down the street. This was one of the only things that calmed him down a bit. He continued to walk. He turned a corner and saw a house that was never there before. It was rather small but it towered over the rest of the single story houses. It was a two story house, plain, white with a red tiled roof with a single red star on the wall. He approached the house, not knowing what to expect. As he stepped onto the porch he could hear a bass playing from within. He rung the door bell. The music stopped and he could hear foot steps approaching the door.

The knob turned to reveal a certain black cat. Mae. Simon didn't know what to say. Mae smiled at him and giggled. "Welcome home sweety. Come on in, I'll get us something to drink."

Mae was wearing a green sweater this time with blue jeans. She looked... Older some how. She stepped back into the house. It was... Nice, rather quaint small hallway. There was a door in front of him and a door to his left. A few pictures were hung on the wall, various faces he had never seen before were captioned but there was also pictures of Gregg, Angus and Bea. What stood out to him the most were the pictures of him and Mae. There was a first date, anniversary, moving in picture and a wedding photo... It strange, but it had a comfortable feel. A kettle was screaming behind a closed door. "Simon, the water is ready!"

Simon approached the door to his left and opened it.

Instead of a peaceful dinning room he expected, it was a dark and bloody path. The sound of the screaming kettle, had become screams of terror from many mouths. The walls around the path did not exist and instead revealed an endless abyss. The hallway he was in was now barred. He walked forward into the madness for he had no other options. He continued for a while before the bath snaked right. He went right as well. The path now lead into a hall way of sorts. It was some how... Twisted. Rather hard to navigate as well, squeezing through some of the more twisted walkways was difficult but he made it through in the end. Simon the continued his journey into the unknown. However, the sound of a chainsaw revving behind him made him quickly turn around. It was him in lynx form but it resembled book Simon. He quickly turned around and ran and the figure began to chase him. He continued to run until the pathway abruptly ended. He turned around to see that the lynx chasing him had slowed down, approaching him at a slow... Agonizing pace. He faced certain death on both sides but he at least had a chance if he jumped. He hurled himself off the edge and into the darkness.

Simon slowly opened his eyes. What a terrible dream he thought. The second one now where he had to fight his alter-ego. A second time he lost. He sat up and put on his dried clothes. The fire he started last night had died and was now just smoldering embers. He dumped a bucket of water from the collection vat he set up last night into the bucket to douse the embers. He opened a packet of biscuits and ate them. It was time for work.

Simon poured another batch of perogies onto the plate and placed it onto the counter for the waiter to pick up. It had been a rather quiet day. Few people coming into the store and leaving but it was nice. It was nearing the end of the day now and it was getting dark. He had been working for about 7 hours now and his shift was just about over. His phone was charging in the break room which meant he would have an almost infinite supply of power so long as he stayed in the job. The bell rang behind him signaling the end of his shift. Mr Haflax, who was working in his office signaled for Simon to come over. Simon went over to the office and stood in front of the cheap desk Mr. Haflax was using. "Great job Simon, here's your pay, 50 dollars."

Simon accepted the paycheck. "Thank you Mr. Haflax."

"Have a good one Mr. Henrickson."

"Yeah, you too Mr. Haflax."

Simon went into the back room and grabbed his bag. He stepped out the employee exit and ran face first into a black and white tom cat with mint green eyes. "Oh sorry."

"It's alright kid."

Simon stepped out of the way and the other cat stepped inside. Mr. Haflax had mentioned a second employee who took second shift. He was told the cat's name was Danny. Simon could care less. He wasn't exactly a social person. Simon stepped out of the restaurant and walked to the street. His legs ached from standing at the grill all day. It was late out, nearly sunset. Simon decided now would be a good time to buy more adequate sleeping materials. Preferably something that would keep him warm in the coming winter.

Simon sat on the roof of an apartment building, legs dangled over the side. It was night now, he had managed to purchase a sleeping roll and a blanket from a yard sale. However, he did not want to go back into one of those horrible dreams. He had decided to go out for a stroll and eventually decided it would be a good idea to climb up onto one of the buildings. It was peaceful out.. Nice and quiet... He could really see the stars out, not like Stockholm. Look at how high up he was... Wouldn't it be great if he were to jump... It be quick... Escape from all the nightmares... Easy... Simon didn't know what to do anymore... No one to really talk to now... Simon saw a car below him pull to the curve and a figure jumped out before the vehicle drove off. Too dark to make out any distinct features. Simon laid on his back looking up at the sky and closed his eyes.

Simon could hear footsteps behind him, he quickly sat up and flicked out his switch blade. He saw someone dart behind the small shed that was on the roof. "Who's that?"

Simon slowly approached and flicked on his phone. He slowly approached the corner. Just as he was about to turn it, a figure stepped out with a bat. The features were too dark to identify but it looked like it was wearing some protective clothing. The figure swung it's bat at Simon. He used the arm that was holding his phone to block the blow but the impact made him drop his torch. Simon, reacting quickly, jabbed the individual in the stomach. The figure grunted with pain before shoving Simon back. Simon readied himself and so did the figure. His phone laid to the side, it's light casting a eerie shadows with the two figures. Then the stranger charged Simon, who side stepped the attack and stabbed the target in the side. This time, the figure screamed in pain and back handed Simon with it's gloved hand. Simon stumbled, his vision going hazy for a bit before the figure decked him in the face. Simon fell on his back, his nose was bleeding now. Simon dropped his knife and it clattered in the floor. The figure sat on his chest and began to strangle him. Simon grabbed the figure's arm and tried to pull them off his neck but the individual was too strong. Simon began to grasp around for his knife but the figure used one of it's arms to grab Simon's arm and pin it down. Was he really going to die now? Was this how it was going to end?

NO!

Simon, with renewed ferocity, unsheathed his claws and slashed his attacker's face. The figure reeled back and lifted his arms off Simon. Seizing the opportunity, Simon quickly grabbed his knife and stabbed the figure again. The figure yelped in pain and fell off Simon who gasped loudly. Simon stood up and began to stomp on the figure's head.

*Smack*

*Crunch*

Simon felt the figure's head cave in from under his shoe. He ceased his attack. The face of the individual was no longer recognizable, it was just mush. His right sneaker had become very bloody. Simon gagged but didn't throw up. "Shit! I need to call the police."

Simon ran back to his phone which still laid on the floor, he picked it up and was about to dial in a number when he hear rushed foot steps behind him. He turned around prepping for another attack but it was too late, the figure knocked him in the head with a bat. Simon stumbled backward and tripped of the edge of the building and he fell over onto the fire escape. He pocketed his phone but kept his knife out. He began to run down the flights of stairs trying to escape the figure behind him. He got about two stories down before the figure caught up to him. The figure grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him backwards. Simon stumbled backwards, side stepping to avoid the swing of the bat. He stabbed the figure in the chest and unfortunately, lodged it in the attacker's thick padded clothes. The figure picked him up by the neck and threw him over the railing.

Falling.

Crash.

He fell into a dumpster, it's contents cushioning his fall but Simon heard something crack within the trash can and a sharp pain in his arm. It was hard to open it right eye. Looking back up, he saw the figure peering over the edge before it retracted it's head. His knife was now lost to the figure. Simon slowly sat up, everything hurt now. He could feel blood trickling down his arm. He hauled himself out of the trash can and he fell onto the dirt floor. It was now when he realized he had lost his right shoe. He felt his arm and noticed several sharp, unnatural protrusions, most likely glass. He began to limp back out to the street, hoping he could receive the aid of a good Samaritan. He turned right and continued to limp. That's when he noticed the glare of head lights in the distance. Simon stepped onto the road and began to frantically wave his arms, hoping he could attract the attention of the driver. "Help! Please!"

Fate seemed to finally stop busting his balls because the car stopped in front of him. The headlights blinded him though but he could hear a raspy calling out to him. "Hurry up you moron, get in!"

Simon wasted no time limping to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door and threw himself in he was feeling tired now. He could feel that he was on the legs of two people. Keeping his eyes open was becoming harder and harder. He felt the car begin to move again. "Simon, what happened to you!"

He couldn't see her, be he knew exactly who she was. "Mae, is that you?"

Simon felt someone in the back try sit him up. He assumed this person was Mae. "I was attacked... Two people tried to kill me on the roof top... I got one of them but the other one hit me in the face and I fell off the building."

"How do you know you got him?"

"Well, if I the wet crunch I heard when I was curb stomping his face was his skull caving in, then yes, I did get him."

"Don't worry Simon, we'll get you to the hospi-"

The pain was becoming to much now. The world was fading out. He decided to close his eyes.

Look at that, another chapter of this fanfic is complete. I'm still looking for suggestions for a game for movie for my next fanfic. I'll be working on my faux fox fanfiction.