The next morning Mare when more opened her eyes she found herself alone. At some point in the night, Bobby had left. Mare pushed herself up slowly with her elbow. Sitting all the way up Mare touched her head. The world didn't spin. Did that mean she was all the way better?

Mare took a moment to think about how she was feeling. Her shoulders, back and legs still ached, but it was a good ache, a healing ache. Her mind felt clear, although her mouth was dry and still a little sandy from her near death experience. Mare kicked off her blanket, finally taking a good look of the tent she'd been sleeping in. She guessed it was about eight by five feet. A clay pitcher and cup had been left next to her blanket and rug. Mare helped herself. They'd taken her torn blanket and had rolled it into a pillow for her.

Mare grabbed it and pushed the flaps of the ten open, crawling out onto the sand. "Whoa!" Mare looked up. "Whoa, why are you doing that? Are you okay?" A redheaded girl, the same one that had been with Bobby and Jason, crouched in front of her suddenly, clapping both hands on Mare's face and inspecting it thoroughly. "You sure you don't just want to crawl right back in there, sport? It's a pretty dirty world out here."

Mare stared at the girl as she continued to squish Mare's face. "Uhh…yeah? 's no' like I can du anyfin' from in dere."

Max continued to inspect her face. "Are you sure? Personally, I think you should crawl right back into that tent."

"Na' 'm goot."

The woman tried to remain serious, but a smile crept in at the edges of her mouth and she snorted. She let go of Mare's face, snorting. "If I were you, I would have taken the excuse for one more day of hookie, but I guess you're better than I am." The redhead grabbed Mare's hand, helping her up. "I'm Max."

"Geez, Max, don't try to corrupt her as soon as she arrives." A familiar voice came from behind Max. Mare saw Jason walk up, smiling. "We all know you just wanted to be able to be the one to play nurse today and get an excuse to stop mixing potions."

Max put her hands on her hips. "I have at least eight tinctures ready to test Jason, do you want to help me with that?" She cocked her head to the side a threatening look in her eyes.

Mare's eyes started wandering beyond the two people arguing. There was a pool of brown water behind Jason, and four or so trees surrounded it, growing in sandy brown earth. Next to her tent were two other larger ones. She continued to scan the area as she heard Red talk. "You realize Jason, that not everyone's job is as fun as yours and we all need a break sometime."

Max turned back to Mare, gaining a chagrined look when she saw that Mare wasn't paying attention. "What's up?"

Mare looked back to the right, seeing empty space and sand and far in the distance, the building she'd been exploring. So…they hadn't gone that far. But where had Shaggy and everyone else come from? She looked to the left and this time she saw more trees and a vague line of black on the horizon. "And what's that?"

Both Jason and Max turned, looking in the direction she pointed. Jason slowly smiled as Max craned her head up at the sky. "No, no! Not another trip. I was out there all day yesterday."

Jason's smile widened. "Those are the woods, and that just happens to be where everyone else is right now." He glanced at Max, who gave him a resigned glare, and turned back to Mare. "Do you want to go and see it?"

Before Mare could answer, Jason frowned a little. "Actually, are you even feeling good enough to do that?"

Mare shrugged, a deep sense of curiosity rising within her. What better thing did she have to do? The weak shaky feeling that had come upon her almost all at once when she'd been saved from the cave in was gone. Also, another emotion had started to form. It was a strangely intense urge to find the other people in this group, like if she didn't find them now, they would slip through her fingers and disappear. "I'm fine."

Max gave her a curious look. "Well, you're a really quiet one. We don't have anyone else like that."

Mare looked up at her, giving a polite smile. She shrugged again. "After being alone for all those weeks, I guess I'm just not used to being around people." Mare fingered the edge of the torn blanket she'd brought with her outside the tent. "I'm pretty sure I'll be fine walking over there. Besides, I'm curious what you're so excited about."

Max folded her arms, frowning. There was a low groan from one of the tent suddenly. Max's eyes lit up. She gave a toothy grin at Jason. "Which means, if you and her are going, me and plumber boy get to stay. We don't put everyone in one spot, remember?"

What did that mean? Jason shook his head. "I suppose you're right."

Max giggled in delight. "Don't worry. I'm going to find a lizard-frogs and see what the Lavender grass tincture does to it." A moment later she ducked into the tent where Mare'd head the groan. "Come on Harry. We've got work to do!" Something close to maniacal laughter followed and there was a yelp.

Mare stared at the tent. Would…Harry? Be okay?

Leaning down, Jason picked up Mare's backpack. It's been placed next to her tent, but she hadn't seen it. He handed it to her. "You're backpack's pretty…light? I know we were all trained for this, so I was wondering if that was because you can't carry that much, or is it because…?" he trailed off, uncertain.

Mare took the backpack and swung it over her shoulders. "It was all that was left." She gave him a brief smile.

Jason blushed, looking embarrassed. He turned and picked up another backpack that had been leaning against one of the other tent and Mare thought she heard him mumble, "But then what did you eat? Maybe she lost it when she was in that building."

Mare scoffed, following him as he started walking towards the charcoal mark on the horizon. Did he not consider the moss food? Well…she hadn't considered it food either until she'd been forced to eat it because it was her only option. It wasn't exactly substantial. And she'd run out of fish the day before she'd run into Jason and his group.

Mare swung her backpack over her shoulders. Even to her, it felt woefully light. "So…what's over there?" It was slightly terrifying to realize how close to death she had been in so many ways.

Jason slowed down a little, allowing her to walk beside him as they traveled over the dirt mixed sand. "They're woods…charcoal woods?"
Mare cocked her head to the side. Charcoal woods?

Jason smiled at her and continued. "This is the border of the desert. Over there are trees, and well…The first four inches or so of each tree's bark is literally this charcoal like substance." He scratched his head. "It's the weirdest thing. We've had Jade look at different plants, and she has made a couple guesses why they grow that way, but we're not sure."

Mare stuck her hands in her pockets, looking at the ground as she walked. How would a tree get a four-inch layer of charcoal on it in the first place?

"I'm betting it has something to do with the fact that there are so many poisonous plants and animals around."
Mare jerked her head up. "What?"

Jason grinned at her reaction. "So, you can show surprise, huh?"

They were getting within clear view of the forest now. Jason stopped walking and took off his pack. He started to rummage through it.

"Shouldn't we avoid this place then?"

Jason looked up at her. He gave a sigh and shook his head. "Both the woods and the desert are stretching pretty far. Our food only lasts so long before we have to go in there. When we originally came here we were trying to find the coast, or maybe one of the great lakes, but we've had no luck, and trying to go straight through the woods is too dangerous. If we're careful though, there are a few animals we found that could be really useful."

Mare crouched next to Jason, folding her arms. Even if he said those things, wasn't it stupid to go inside a forest filled with things that could kill you? A little bit of worry started to well within her.

"What sort of animals are in there?" She looked at the trees, trying to make anything out. Other than the stupid horned frogs, there'd been nothing in the strange woods she'd woken up in. What made the difference?

Jason pulled out a torch from his bag and a small box. Opening it, he pulled out a little piece of bark. Mare frowned. Picking up a rock from the ground, the shaggy haired man scratched it hard against the rock, like it were a match. The tip of the wood caught fire and Jason quickly dropped it on the tip of the torch, which he had placed next to him on the ground.

"I have so many questions right now." Mare smiled uncertainly.

Jason gave a quiet chuckle. "There are many more things for you to learn, young padowan."

Mare laughed a little, and Jason stood up with the torch. "Well…I guess the best place to start is that most animals here don't like fire. The bark on the trees-underneath the charcoal, that is, is highly flammable. Every once in a while the bark on a tree just spontaneously catches fire for a little while. That's how the charcoal happens."

Mare blinked. Her list of strange things in this world was slowly starting to grow. Lavender grass, violent horned frogs, strange talking shadows, and now trees that spontaneously combusted…and didn't burn to the ground?

Jason saw her look and shrugged slowly. "It a low heat flame and doesn't last long?" He handed her the torch he was holding and pulled another one from his backpack, lighting it on hers. "So, there are a couple animals you need to keep an eye out for here. Some can be more aggressive than others."

The two of them started to walk again and as they got closer to the forest Mare noticed that there was a layer of black everywhere. Even the sand had been dyed a depressing gray color that seemed to reach out towards them. "My personal favorite is the electric shrew." Jason raised a finger for emphasis. "It's yellow and black and covered in spikes." His eyes were bright as he continued. "It almost looks like it's bee electrocuted, poor things. But if you touch it." Jason snapped his fingers suddenly. "You'll feel like you've been electrocuted. The poison on that thing is that bad."

Mare raised her brows, a slow smile forming on her face. He seemed to know a lot about this animal. "I take it that you have personal experience with this?"
Suddenly clearing his throat, Jason gave her a cold look. "Of course I would never be stupid enough to touch a spikey yellow and black shrew—yeah, I did." He chuckled. "We had just discovered the forest and I was hungry."

She snorted, looking at him incredulously. "You wanted to eat it?!"

Jason scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure you understand that food can get scarce at times."

Mare's face immediately hardened. Geez, she'd been so rude. Of course, if they were running out of food he'd want to eat it. She'd eaten bug ridden moss to survive. "Yeah."

Jason patted her on the back. "Don't worry so much…" Jason trailed off as they finally reached the edge of the woods. People had obviously been through recently, there were a bunch footprints in the chalky gray ash that covered the ground.

Mare squinted at the trees. Wait...There was something wrong about this. What was it? There was something missing.

Mare blinked when it finally dawned on her. There was no underbrush. Away from the edges of the trees, there were clumps of lavender colored grass, like it had been in in the jungle Mare had woken, but other than that there was only gray charcoal-ash on the ground. No flowers, no bushes...and no moss. Nothing. It made her nervous.

There were bits of ash falling from the trees, giving the place an unreal, unearthly feeling. Mare swallowed slowly, feeling the dryness in her throat.
Jason nodded at the footprints. "Looks like they're at the river then." He smiled, once again, at Mare. "They have the most interesting fish there."

Mare clicked her tongue softly. She was suddenly struck with the feeling that Jason was trying to continually reassure her, which made her feel like he was nervous. Was it the poisonous animals?

Jason looked at her expectantly and she nodded lightly in response. He'd said the fire would keep them safe, but that's didn't change the fact that if you had something poisonous bite you, you were dead...dead-dead-dead.

"So, there is this blue fish in the river. It sort of looks like it has wings, but not bee wings or anything like that. They're wavy." Jason waved his hands back and forth a little. Jason laughed a little, taking in her blank expression. He shrugged. "Anyways, in we go." He looped the fingers of his free hand underneath the straps of his backpack and started following the trail of footprints.

Keeping her torch directly in front of her awkwardly like a drippy ice cream cone, Mare followed him. Five minutes later Mare couldn't see the desert anymore. All around her was gray, and already a thin layer of ash had settled on her hair and clothes, making her skin feel dry. It had turned Jason's hair gray, and probably her own, if she could see it.

For the first time since she had met him, Jason had fallen silent, his eyes switching between scanning the treetops and the footprint on the ground that had grown more and more faded the farther they walked into the forest. The ash seemed to be falling thicker and thicker by the minute.

Ten more minutes passed in silence. "Jason." Mare gripped her torch a little tighter as she tried to gather the courage to be direct. "You made…coming here…sound like it was something we were doing for fun. Yet…nothing about this feels lighthearted. What's going on…really?"

Jason stopped walking, turning slightly back towards her. He took a deep breath and then sighed. "…Mare, is it?" Mare tensed, her heart dropping within her chest as she saw the emptiness in Jason's eyes. "I'm truly…sorry." Mare took a small step back, a strange hum running through her veins with her fear. What was he going to do?

"Fire doesn't keep the animals away." Jason looked at his torch and laughed. "At least, not fire this small."

Mare's face crumpled into confusion. "Why did you lie?"

Jason shrugged. "I had to convince you to come with me here, but I couldn't not warn you about all the poisonous animals."

Her brows went down even farther. "Get to the point." The words came out sharper than she'd meant.

Jason dropped his torch, snuffing it out with his foot. "Once you've been in this forest, if you try to leave the lizards try and kill you. They sleep just outside the forest, underneath the ash." Jason's face was hard. "It's the ash, I think."

Mare's lips dropped a little and she clenched her hands into fists. A quiet, angry flame light up inside her. She'd been right. She never should have set foot in here. She pressed her lips together, fighting the instinct to yell at Jason. There had to be a reason…right?

He folded his arms, scanning the trees again. "When we found you we'd already been running low on food. We'd made it out of here safely—once. So yesterday Bobby suggested that we go in again." Jason avoided Mare's gaze. "For your sake. Everyone but Max, Harry, Jade and I went in. They haven't come back since."

Mare glared at Jason coldly. "And what does that have to do with tricking me into coming here?"

Jason looked at her sharply. "We're here to find them. Bring them back! Jade went after them by herself when the rest of us wouldn't! It's because of you, so it's only right you help."

Mare clicked her tongue again, her teeth hurting a little as she clenched them quietly. "First rule of wilderness rescue, don't create more patients. I haven't eaten anything in days. Do you really think I'll be that helpful? Do you even have any sort of plan to find them? Help them?"

Mare paused. Wait. She hadn't eaten in days. She'd only had water. Yet…she felt fine.

Mare frowned, shaking her head. She pointed at the ground, ignoring Jason's scowl. "Look! The footprints are fading. What are you going to do when they disappear completely? You've potentially created two more fatalities in a world that has hardly any people left living!" Mare's voice finally rose to a shout and she almost dropped her torch in her anger, fumbling with it as it shifted in her hand.

Jason's eyes suddenly widened and he held up his hands. "Ma-Mare!"

Mare's head snapped towards him. "What!"

"Don't move."

Cold dread washed down Mare's spine and she stiffened. In the silence that followed she finally heard something. A quiet scratching behind her head.