Derek and the others kept moving, until…
"Guys! Stop!" Derek leaned down, staring at something on the ground. Jason and Ronny walked over to Derek, looking at what he was stepping on.
"Uh, a root?" Jason asked.
"Roots aren't black, stupid!" Ronny said, irritated.
Derek reached down, paying no attention to them. He wrapped his fingers around the 'black root'. Instead of rough wood, it was leathery. He squeezed it slightly, but then jumped back suddenly, startling Jason and Ronny.
"What?" Ronny asked, a little shaken.
"It's all…fleshy." Derek answered, disgusted.
Jason bent down beside him, "Wait, let me see." and gently grabbed it with both hands. "It almost feels alive…like…almost human like."
"Hey, what's that sound?!" Derek and Jason looked up at Ronny, who kept looking frantically from side to side.
"What sound?" a confused Derek asked.
"It sounds like…" He turned his head to the side, straining to listen. "It sounds like static."
Derek and Jason looked at each other. Even though they couldn't hear anything, they could tell he wasn't lying.
"Well, we aren't in the middle of nowhere. Maybe there's a radio station nearby. In fact, I think I saw one on the way up here." Jason lied to calm Ronny, and himself, down.
"Radio station or not, it shouldn't be in my head!" He placed his hands over his ears. "It's getting to loud!" He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"C-calm down, relax!" Jason grabbed his arms, but Ronny pulled away from him and started shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Derek looked away from them and began pulling the root. To his surprise, it lifted easily, as it wasn't in the ground, but under the dead and decaying leaves.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall shadow move between the trees.
I have no idea when this will be continued, since I don't know when I'll see my friend again, but it's not that good anyway...
