"I'm looking for a guy."
She watched cautiously as July began another interrogation of another townsman. She had volunteered to go alone, leaving May and April to watch her back from around the corner. The girl had approached a man wearing a blue denim jacket that looked too light for the weather just stepping out of a pub they had been watching for the past hour in hopes of finding someone who would know something. The whole process seemed pointless once again, and this encounter was about to prove how untrustworthy these people were.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and looked July over with x-ray eyes. "Oh, are you now?"
"Yeah. A red-head."
May leaned back a bit as July began her description of Dizzy's friend. She had lost count of how many times they had described him to each stranger they came across, but there were times they had to be careful how they worded it. He had a history here. It was reason why Dizzy hadn't come with them. They were forced to leave her behind in the woods until they found something, anything, but May was more worried about her than Ky to tell the horrible truth. She already wanted to go back to the ship after spending hours of fruitless searching. If he was here, they would have known. He was someone you couldn't miss.
After July was through, the man shook his head and shrugged, just like everyone else. May then turned her head to the freckle-faced girl standing beside her. "I think we ought to move somewhere else, April."
"Yeah," April said. "Nothing's here. He probably isn't here."
"I bet you're right," May said. "We've been looking long enough. Dizzy's not going to like to hear it, though. Maybe it's time to—"
She then watched April's jaw suddenly drop and her eyes widen as she stared past the corner where July was holding her interrogation. "She decked him," she said flatly. Her eyes never left the scene nearby.
After hearing that, May quickly turned her head back to where she last saw July. She managed to see the man with the denim jacket hit the ground on his back while the girl stood over him with a bunched fist, just drawing back from the fresh blow.
"Oh no," May muttered breathlessly. She wasn't expecting July to do anything drastic and resort to her fists or sword, but she was wrong. With a place like this, May was afraid to think what they did to anyone who disturbed the peace who wasn't one of their own, let alone pirates. And she didn't want to find out. She had a feeling they would do more than throw them in jail.
She ran straight for July and grabbed her by her bandaged arm like a master pulling away her attack dog. She then looked down on the man she had punched. He was moaning in a half-conscious daze while he rolled his head. There was a bit of blood on his lip. She wouldn't be surprised if she had knocked a few teeth out of his mouth. Thankfully, she didn't see any on the ground.
May frowned at the sight of him before she turned to the girls. "Run!"
"But—" July began.
"You know the drill! We gotta run!"
She pulled her into the streets with April following in pursuit. May kept her in count at the corner of her eye while they ran blindly into the streets, away from the pub and any witnesses. They didn't stop until May lead them to an alley that welcomed the fugitive pirates. She still kept her hand wrapped around July's arm and looked at the girl with dangerous dark eyes.
"July, what's wrong with you?"
July returned the look just as dangerously with her single eye. "That guy was a perv!" she snapped. "He grabbed my ass! He was asking for it!"
May frowned. "Okay, nevermind. It's justified."
July then huffed and looked back and forth between the two girls. "Good watch-out," she said sarcastically.
"Sorry, July," April said, lowering her head a bit. "We were talking when it happened." She paused at the look July was giving her. "About the mission, that is. We think he's not here in the first place."
July placed her hands on her hips. "So we've been wasting our time?"
"Well," May said, pointing a finger up, "There is one last place to check. Dizzy told me about it before we left. We should have checked it first, but I didn't want to stir up the bee's nest if she is right. It would have been a bad idea, seeing it's just the three of us."
"Well, what is it?" April asked.
May stayed silent a few seconds before she answered, "She told me I should check where those hunters first brought her here. She said if they do have him, they would be keeping him there."
"Then why are we standing around here for?" July said. "Let's check this place and get out."
May lead them to a two-story wooden house that looked nothing out of the ordinary. She would never expected this place to be where Gear hunters had dragged Dizzy into and locked her up. Its location and appearance was the perfect deception. Why was a hunter's station smack-dab in the middle of a residential area? May was starting to understand what these people were really like.
The front yard hadn't been shoveled but she did notice footprints in the snow. There were at least five different sets. Some even tracked to the back of the house where a large shed was kept. But she soon noticed it was far too big to be a shed. It was a stable for horses. It was closed up tightly to keep the creatures inside, away from the bitter cold. Dizzy did mention the hunters had horses, so they were at the right place.
April and July trailed behind her as she walked up the steps to the porch and stopped in front of the door. She could see a glow of light behind the shades. She saw nothing suspicious, but she wasn't going to deem it safe yet. What if Dizzy was right?
She then knocked and listened. The door was eventually answered by a boy with dark blonde hair. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a pale tan jacket with sheep's skin lining and fur-trimmed brown boots. He looked no older than seventeen. She was greeted by his green eyes and, "Yes?"
May was nearly taken aback by the boy's handsome looks, but then:
No, no, no, she said to herself. He's much too young!
She reminded herself of Dizzy and how worried she was over Ky. And oh how much she had been crying—
"Did anyone bring a Gear here?" she asked him.
The boy nearly stumbled back. "Wha-what?"
"This is a hunter's station, right? Was a Gear brought here lately? Like the past few days?"
The boy stared at her in an almost bewildered way. "No. I don't know if you heard yet but this isn't a hunter's station anymore. Who are you?"
May blinked in confusion. "It isn't?"
"No. Several days ago, the International Police Force arrested the other hunters for a crime. The head of the Force condemned what they did, so it can no longer be used as a station. I've been using it as a normal house since then, but they still have me on a short leash. I would have wound up like the others if the head of the Force wasn't so nice." A nervous grin went across his face. "They let me off easy."
So, this was one of the hunters who had kidnaped Dizzy. He may be cute, but May wanted to knock him to the floor with his teeth full of iron. She fidgeted her fingers at her side, fighting the urge to get her anchor to do so.
She couldn't bring herself to talk to him anymore.
"Why are you asking about a Gear?" he asked. "Is there a problem? Hello?"
"No," April said and stepped a little closer. "Actually, we're looking for someone. Maybe you met him. A red-head. Wears a lot of black. Creepy red eyes. Young guy."
"French," July added while examining at her nails.
As they went on their simple descriptions, the boy blinked at each word with his eyes growing larger. He had the look of someone who had information.
"His name?" he asked.
All the girls exchanged glances with each other. Then April said, "Ky. Or so he calls himself."
The boy's mouth dropped. He stared at them as if he were watching their heads spin. "Ky? I met a Ky before. Two actually. What about Ky?"
July placed a hand on her hip and leaned forward a bit. "Word is he's gone missing. A friend of his said he went missing three days ago. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Hmm?" She showed him her teeth like a grinning fox.
The boy quickly shook his head. "No, no! You think I had something to do with his disappearance?"
May crossed her arms. "Well, yeah. Weren't you here when he came to rescue Dizzy from the other hunters?"
"Yes, I was," he said slowly.
"Then if you could kidnap her when she was off her guard then you could do the same to him, too."
He sighed and slapped a hand against the side of his thigh. "He's not here," he said. "I wouldn't do that sort of thing. I'm not a hunter anymore. I gave it up. No one here has anything to do with it. Just because something happened to them here doesn't mean it'll happen again. Tell Dizzy I'm sorry for what happened and that Ky's missing." He shrugged and let his hands fall. "She doesn't have to worry about this place anymore."
Just my luck, May said to herself, I think he's telling the truth.
They left the town after their talk with the boy who called himself Jonas and returned to Dizzy who was waiting patiently for them where they last left her. She was sitting on a dead tree with her arms hugging her body and her wings drawn closely around her. She was bent forward, trying her best to keep warm. Once she noticed them approach, she picked her head up and watched them. Her eyes were worried and hopeful.
As they walked towards her, April shrugged. "No luck, Diz."
The hopefulness in Dizzy's face suddenly disappeared in an instant before them, making her turn down again. A few long strands of cobalt fell loose over her shoulder. She looked like she would shed more tears.
"Sorry Dizzy," July said. "We tried. He just wasn't there."
"You looked?" Dizzy asked. Her voice cracked a little.
"We looked, we asked questions—"
"There was one guy," May then said. "You know that place you told me to check? We met someone named Jonas—"
Dizzy's eyes widened as if she had mentioned the name of an old friend. "Jonas."
"And he said all the other hunters are gone," she continued. "They've been arrested. We told him about Ky and he said he doesn't know anything about it. So the only good news is that no one there kidnaped him."
Dizzy sighed and slumped her shoulders. She stared at the ground at her feet. "Ky."
There was a long moment of silence, until April finally spoke. "So what does this mean?"
The group then looked amongst each other as if they were waiting for the right answer. But no one had the right answer, just guesses. It didn't make the situation any better. But would a simple guess give Dizzy hope?
"Someone else kidnaped him or no one kidnaped him at all," July finally said, breaking that awkward silence.
Dizzy picked her head up and turned her eyes to the girl. She mused over the suggestion briefly. "No one kidnaped him at all?"
"Yeah," July said. "What if he's out there on his own? In the woods, somewhere where no one can touch him. Sure it looks bad back there, but he probably knows what he's doing. Now that town's out of the question, I think he's eluded someone else and he's still eluding them. I don't know him, but I bet he's got better survival skills than all of us put together to tell the truth, especially around here. He's just waiting for the dust to settle. That's what I think anyway." She shrugged.
"I hope you're right July," Dizzy said, and sat up a bit more.
"But where could he be?" April asked the group.
"The woods!" May quickly answered as if it were the million dollar question. "If someone was after him they'll be crazy to go in there after him. And we haven't combed it for him yet." Her eyes moved to Dizzy. "What do you think Dizzy?"
The Gear hybrid thought over the possibilities the pirates were handing her for a moment. "Maybe. I guess he would rely on the woods if something did happen. He knows it."
"Exactly," May said. "And he knows what kind of things are in there. What do you say Dizzy? Go back and search the woods for him?"
Dizzy rubbed her chin and thought it over. It didn't take her long to come up with a conclusion. "Yes. If that's what we have to do to find him."
May then began to reconsider this plan. What? Go through those woods where those things were? Was she crazy?
What she did for her friends—
The search party was reduced to two since it would have been a bad idea to bring April and July along, no matter how badly extra hands were needed. Unlike May, they hadn't been introduced to the haunts and creatures of the woods long enough, if at all. Dizzy wasn't willing to go chasing after three screaming girls if they did get spooked. May she could deal with alone. She was improving, but she still got her freights once in a while. They could spend well up until the next morning searching for Ky. She even snagged a lantern from the ship on the way out just in case they did run into the night. May didn't like the idea of searching that long, though. She was down right against it.
Well, it was already getting dark, and darker still.
Nothing was going as planned for Dizzy, either. If it had gone her way, they would have been able to find Ky in that town and that would be the end of it, but that idea had fallen apart like an old unwinding clock. She was left with a new and more daunting task, a task that could get May or even herself lost if she wasn't careful. There were things here, things that could touch you and drive you into madness. Ky had told her enough stories and she had even seen them for herself. There were times she lied when she said she liked the Black Forest. It was only because there were things here she couldn't stand. She felt them, too. Even now she began to feel a presence.
Then, a low empty howl sounded in the trees, making May jump and suddenly stop in her tracks. Beside her, Dizzy stopped with the lantern swinging in her hand. The light and shadows around them bobbed. "It's okay May," she reassured the girl. "It's just the forest."
"I wish it wouldn't do that," May said with a shiver. "It always sounds like something's going to come out of there. Something really big." She turned her head up to the trees.
"But we're going to have to go in there eventually," Dizzy reminded her. "If July is right, he'll be in the woods, not on the trail. We're safe on the trail."
May grimaced. "I know. Y-you told me that." She looked at her then the woods beside them. "It's why I don't want to go in there."
Maybe she was right. May was safer on the trail. They both were.
She sighed and looked into the abyss of the woods. Merely walking the trial was a vain attempt in their search. She knew they had to make the brave plunge into the woods soon.
"May, can you be brave?" she asked while looking into the woods.
The girl watched her a long moment. "Listen Dizzy, I know this is important to you." Her eyes cast momentarily to the ground. "Maybe I've been a pain about this place and all, but since it's important that you find Ky—" She looked again into the woods. "I'll go in with you."
Dizzy smiled. "You will?"
"Yeah," May said. "As long as we don't get lost or nothing comes after us. Besides, it's not that scary. I guess you're good luck." She passed her a smile.
Dizzy placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. She knew she wasn't good luck but if she made May feel safer then they would make their venture.
"Thank you, May," she said. "Ready then?"
May looked at her as if she were about to say Now? but she didn't say a word. She only nodded, summoning as much bravery as she could inside of her. Dizzy could see it on her face. She looked like someone who was about to leap from a great height.
Accepting the silent response, Dizzy took May by the hand and guided her into the woods. She felt her hand tighten in a death-grip around hers. It felt as if she could break her hand or cut off the circulation, but Dizzy didn't struggle. She pretended it didn't hurt.
May kept close, nearly shoulder to shoulder with her. May's head and eyes were constantly in motion, watching every thing around them.
Thankfully for her and the both of them, the woods kept quiet and still for a long time. It gave May the confidence she needed. She even began to loosen the grip around Dizzy's hand until she let go. It brought Dizzy great relief, especially for her hand.
They kept shoulder to shoulder as they walked through the woods. Dizzy listened to the snow crunch under their feet at each step they took while she held the lantern in front of them. It created a low glow that kept the darkness at bay and allowed them to see the thickness of the woods in tame pieces. It made her feel as long as she had the lantern, nothing would come out of the woods after them. She heard light defeated darkness. Ky even said that.
It was working so far.
"Where are we going?" May asked.
Dizzy wasn't sure how to answer that. They were just poking blindly in the dark with no guide, no clues and left only to guess at what had happened in the last few days. The fact that Ky's disappearance began three days ago made the search harder, and it would turn into four. It only worried her more. His footprints would disappear, the cold would weaken him and if he were hurt—
A twig snapped. May and Dizzy quickly wheeled their heads to the side and watched the woods, waiting to see something come towards them. But nothing did. The woods fell silent and brooding again. By then, Dizzy would have turned, but that presence she felt earlier was closer. It was like a scent and the wind was blowing it her way again. This presence wasn't like the others here. It didn't frighten her. Somehow, it made her feel safe. It seemed to whisper in the air, I'm no danger to you.
Then, Ky's voice reminded her, It plays tricks on you. It can kill you.
She stared out into the woods with the lantern held up.
"What was that?" May asked nervously.
"I don't know. But I think it's safe now. It was probably just an animal walking through."
May looked at her skeptically through the corner of her eye. "Are you sure about that?"
She thought about the presence continuing to swim curiously in her mind. "Well, if something was out there we would have known by now. It's safe. We can keep going. Just stay by me." She reached her hand out and took her by the arm just above the elbow. May surprisingly didn't protest as she gave her a light tug to get her going again. The girl followed along her side and stayed just as close as before.
As they moved on, the sensation of that unseen presence never left her, either. It felt like it was following her.
And it was.
By the time she noticed there was a creature following their every move, it was too late. It rushed at them like a black storm. Dizzy barely saw it against the dark until it nearly brushed her as it lunged for May. It knocked the girl to the ground and released a long and deafening roar.
May stared in shock at the creature before her, her eyes bulging and her mouth hanging agape in a silent scream. She was sitting on the ground with her hands gripping the dirt and snow, faced off with it. Eventually, the creature closed its mouth only to wrinkle back what counted as lips and snarled at the girl. Dizzy could still see its twisted teeth even with its mouth closed.
May began to inch backwards on her hands and feet, then finally broke eye contact with the creature. She looked directly at Dizzy with Help me written all over her face.
"Di-Di-Di-Di—" she stuttered as she shivered violently, too afraid to speak rational words.
Dizzy couldn't take it anymore. How could she stand here as this creature was about to kill her friend and not do anything about it? She had to do something now!
She stepped forward and spread her arms, trying to redirect its attention. "Stop it!" she screamed. And by her surprise, it listened to her. It stopped snarling and turned its head to her. It watched her a moment before it began to approach her.
"Dizzy!" May cried out. "Watch out! It's coming for you!"
Despite May's alarm, Dizzy watched the dark creature approach her. Its head was set low, and she noticed it limping lightly on its back leg. It showed no intention of harming her. She would have refused its trick this time, but she couldn't help it. It was like it was speaking to her, sending her its apology for its undesirable behavior.
She let it approach her until it was face to face with her. It was then she saw the mark and its eyes.
Those eyes—
Slowly, she reached up and took the creature's head gently in her hands. "May, look, it's eyes. It's Ky."