Shedding Strength pt. 5

With a thick, broken branch in hand, Darren swiped hanging vines and thigh-high blades of grass out of the way as he marched through the woods. His refusal to stop trekking probably aggravated the wound in his stomach more than he wanted, but he would not remain in this place any longer. He had to get worlds away from Zaeri.

“You d-don’t even know where you’re going,” Isobel rasped as she followed close behind. She jumped at nearly every chirp or howl but still trailed. Darren had never known Isobel to be brave, but maybe facing the forest was less frightening than staying near Zaeri. “We should head back.”

“Hell no,” he snapped. “I know I’m gettin’ away from Zaeri, and that’s all I need to know. You can go back if you wanna.” …Though that would be incredibly stupid. Whatever that girl was becoming, it was worse than every Freddy movie he’d seen. If there was one thing he’d learned from horror flicks, there was only one guaranteed way to survive. “But if you’re gonna keep followin’ me, help me figure somethin’ out. What happened before she flipped out last night?”

Trembling arms hugging her sides and eyes darting in every direction, Isobel stuttered, “Z-Za? I don’t know. K-Kaia had mentioned earlier about them going skinny dipping in the lake.”

Almost instantly, Darren zoned out… trying to picture Kaia’s slender figure naked and soaking wet. His imagination drew the image so well that he walked into a pair of vines covered in webs. Spitting and brushing them off, he ignored Isobel’s suppressed giggles. “I don’t even remember a lake,” he responded, steering the conversation and his frustrations back on track. “I barely remember the cabin when we were drivin’ up. So where is it?” He stopped and stared back at her.

Isobel shrugged as her smile faded. “Nothing looks familiar.” Her bright aqua eyes gazed skyward and glanced around more calmly. “I’d swear these aren’t even the same trees that were around the cabin. I can’t spot a single pine.”

Darren sighed heavily. Isobel’s stuttering had stopped for the moment but her voice was still slightly hoarse. Maybe she needed that giggle to calm down, but it didn’t help their situation. If she was right and they weren’t in the same woods anymore, where were they? Unnerved by the sensation of being seriously lost, he continued his pace. After a few steps, the pain in his stomach spiked. He dropped the branch and nearly doubled over into the grass when Isobel caught him. “I’m fine,” he quickly assured, even though it felt like he wanted to hurl.

“Liar. You need to rest.” Isobel draped his left arm over her shoulders and became a crutch as she helped him sluggishly place one foot in front of the other. “Over there,” she said with a nod ahead. “You can rest against that boulder.”

He wasn’t in any condition to object, but his mind didn’t want to stop. Despite not wanting to give Zaeri a chance to catch up with him, they needed a sign to figure out their location. The only clues he’d gathered so far was a forest near a large sea or ocean. Was there such a place on the eastern coast or near the gulf?

“Darren, look.” Isobel stopped as the neared the large, ashen rock. Beams of light that managed to reach the ground illuminated its rough surface. Strange symbols had been carved into it from top to bottom as if someone wanted to leave a message. “What language is that?” she asked.

Darren shook his head. “You got me.” He quickly skimmed for a familiar symbol, but nothing stood out. “It ain’t a language I’ve seen before.”

After Isobel helped him sit on the ground with his back to the boulder, she cautiously circled it. “It goes all the way ar—” Isobel shrieked.

“What is it?!” Darren tried springing to his feet but found everything below his neck paralyzed. “What the--? Bel, I can’t move!” He heard a rustle from the other side of the boulder but didn’t hear his friend respond. “Bel?” he called again, feeling worry creep into his thoughts. “Bel!”

Shedding Strength pt. 6  (13+) Soon-to-be high school graduates wake up in a strange place... #2059078 by Kadiro