Forest Of Darkness

Night had fallen on Bone Village.
This small town had a strange air at night. With the bones of creatures ten of millions of years old littering the floor, some of them larger than the tents in which the excavators slept in, the town had an eerie, almost foreboding atmosphere. The dim shadows of the monstrous skeletons, barely visible in the moonlight, would give any child nightmares. The excavators and paleontologists that lived here had grown used to the unpleasant smell, but to a newcomer, the stench would be almost overwhelming.
Not too far from the main excavation site was the entrance to the enigmatic Sleeping Forest, the gateway to the Forgotten Capital. Few people ever passed through it, and the inhabitants of the town usually stayed outside of it, rarely venturing past the opening in the trees. The monsters living inside didn't bother anyone, so no one bother them.
Bone Village was usually peaceful at night. Despite the unpleasant conditions, everyone living here dealt with it well, and slept comfortably in their tents. Rarely was a complaint heard.
But tonight, things were different.
The town was located on the Northern Continent, and the climate here was usually a little chilly, but tonight, it was downright freezing. The waterfront, which wasn't too far from the town, was turbulent, and the crashing waves were audible throughout the city. The birds had fled the trees, and the wind howled through the Sleeping Forest.
It was nearly midnight, and not a soul was asleep. They all sat around a huge campfire, the only source of warmth, discussing the abrupt change in atmosphere.
Willy Derucci was quite nervous. He had been living in Bone Village only a month, and was still not fully used to the creepy skeletons and foul smell. And now, in this freezing air, his teeth chattered, and he could not relax. "I'm tellin' you guys, somethin' ain't right. Do you hear that wind?" he said to the twenty-three men sitting around the campfire.
"Yeah, I hear it, but I don't see what the big deal is. So it's cold, it'll pass." Joe said. "It wasn't this cold two hours ago." another man, whose name Willy did not know, replied.
" %$#@ the cold, I can deal with the cold," Ricardo said loudly, "Listen to that %$#@in' wind!"
Silence fell upon the group and they turned their heads up, listening.
The sound of the wind in the Sleeping Forest filled the air, chilling the men to the bone.
"That ain't normal, man."
Willy thought a minute. "It's more than that…"
"What the %$#@ do you mean?" someone said. Willy's eyes were lowered, and he did not see who spoke.
"Don't you feel it?" Willy said, looking up and surveying the group. "Don't you feel it in the air? Somethin' ain't right. Somethin' is goin' on."
Ricardo laughed. "You superstitious %$#@, you're just bein', what's the word? Paranoid!"
"I don't think I am. Jus' sit still a minute, and don't think about it. You'll feel it."
A few men looked at Willy skeptically, and Ricardo laughed again. Silence fell upon the group again. It lasted longer this time. Willy watched their faces, and fear began to flicker in their eyes. He knew they felt it as well.
The scent of the wind carried it. The wind through the trees shouted its presence. The waves of the ocean beat furiously, as if to drive it away. No one could be sure what it was exactly, but whatever it was, it was not benevolent. It was something dark, and unknown. It was more than just a coldness, it was a presence, almost as if it were a living thing.
The men shifted uncomfortably, no doubt feeling the same foreboding presence as Willy. One of the men, who Willy knew to be named George, looked at him. "What is it, man?"
Willy shook his head. "I don't know, but it ain't right. You feel it too. There's somethin' really wrong with the air. It's causin' all this weird %*&@ around here. And whatever it is…" Willy turned and pointed to the opening which led to the Sleeping Forest. "It's in there."
As all eyes turned to the entrance, a strange feeling came over them all. "Listen!" someone shouted.
From deep within the forest, a sound came. It was like a groan, not of the wind in the trees, but an almost living, yet definitely inhuman cry. It began as a low, rumbling sound, then grew louder. It drowned out the sound of the wind, and pierced the hearts of the men around the fire. It lingered, a few seconds at most, and then died away, it's reverberations quickly following it.
Joe leapt to his feet, fear evident in his eyes. "What the %$#@ was that?!"
Ricardo grabbed his shotgun and began loading it. "It's probably just some monster getting pissed off at this %$#@in' cold."
"Is that what you think, man?" George said.
"Well, what else could it be? It's a monster, that's all. This superstitious bull#$%& don't mean nothin' Let's just go and kill it, so we can get some sleep!" Ricardo yelled as he stood, gun in hand.
A few shouts of agreement came, and about six men stood up. They armed themselves with what few guns they had, the rest taking shovels and the like.
Willy shook his head. They had closed their minds. They had lost the feeling. "You guys had better not. That's all I can tell you."
"Shut the %$#@ up, Derucci." Ricardo said contemptuously. "Let's go! The sooner we kill it, the sooner we can get back to sleep!" With that, seven men ran towards the Sleeping Forest.
Willy lowered his eyes.
They don't understand.
Willy stood, and walked toward his tent.
They don't realize…they're being…called.



Ricardo led his small group of monster hunters into the forest, each of them carrying a weapon of some sort. No materia was available to them, but they had a few potions to heal any injuries they might incur. They ran into the forest, hollering and cursing, and firing their guns into the air. They would either scare the monsters away, or lure them out and take them down.
Ricardo and his men ran a few hundred feet into the forest then he stopped them. "Be sure not to get lost in here! In this cold, we'll freeze our @$$es of by morning!"
"Don't worry, Ricardo, I know my way back!" a young kid named Darryl called.
"Just don't go too far! There's no way out the other side if the forest is sleeping!"
"Is it?"
Ricardo looked about. The wind was furious, and he had to place his feet carefully so he would not be knocked down. There were no animals around, and they had seen no monsters yet. The thick trees overhead hid the moon from sight, and except for the driving wind, everything was still.
Only then did Ricardo notice the strange air around him. In the bitter cold, he felt something settling over the forest. It made his fingers tingle, and his teeth chatter. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
"Ricardo?"
Ricardo snapped out of it. "It's…yeah, I think it is. Asleep."
The men continued to look through the forest for the monster that had made the noise. They had not heard it again since the first time. It had been about twenty minutes, and they had found nothing.
Just as they were preparing to return to Bone Village, a thick fog began to fall.
"What the hell is this &*%$?!" someone yelled.
"Fog, idiot!" someone responded. Ricardo could barely see in this sudden fog. "The exit is left from here! Just go that way and watch your step!" he shouted.
"Dammit Ricardo, I can't see three feet in front of me!"
"Deal with it, or sleep here! Let's go!"
They began to walk in the direction of Bone Village. The fog was heavy, and Ricardo squinted against it, as well as the wind. He heard his group walking around near him, in the same direction as he was, but he could not see them. He could make out the shapes of trees and branches, but could see no detail. The howling of the wind, the heavy fog, and the eerie outlines of his surroundings made Ricardo shiver.
They walked for a full half hour, and they still had not found the exit. Ricardo was beginning to get really nervous.
"You dumb %&^*, Ricardo, how do we get out of here?!" he heard Darryl shout nervously.
"We must be going the wrong way! Double back!"
"It ain't gonna make a difference, I can't see nothin'!" Darryl shouted back. "If we do find the opening, we'll never see it!"
"Then sleep here, goddamnit!" Ricardo said as he stomped off in the other direction.
He heard them begin to follow him. The sound of their feet crunching branches and leaves were barely audible over the howling of the wind. They walked for a few minutes, then began to run. Ricardo nearly tripped a few times, but he didn't care. He knew they were lost, and he just wanted to get out.
Willy was right. Somethin' is wrong.
He continued running, hoping desperately to find the exit just ahead of him, but could see nothing.
"Guys! Listen!" came a terrified shriek. Ricardo could not see who it was.
Then he heard it. The groaning sound. It came quickly, and rose to an ear splitting volume. Ricardo felt the vibrations in the ground, and throughout his body. He covered his ears and shut his eyes, and prayed it would stop. The more he heard it, the more his skin crawled and his spine tingled.
When it finally died away, after what seemed like several minutes, Ricardo opened his eyes. He may as well have had them shut, as he could see nothing.
"What the $%@# is that, man?!" someone screamed.
"I don't know!" someone shouted.
"Ricardo? Is that you man?" Ricardo heard Darryl's voice, but it was nowhere near him.
"Ricardo?"
Ricardo tried to shout something, but a sudden, huge presence permeated the air. It so terrified him he could not speak. He felt as if a million eyes were watching him in an empty room.
"Ricardo?"
"Darryl, what the hell is that?!" another voice screamed.
"What?"
A huge whooshing sound followed, and something knocked everyone to the ground. Ricardo's gun flew from his hands. Then a terrible, high-pitched scream pierced the air.
"Darryl? Darryl?! Darryl?!"
Another scream followed. Ricardo curled up in a ball on the ground, shaking in terror. He heard voices shouting, and the sound of someone being dragged, screaming through the forest. Gunshots rang out
"Ricardo?! Darryl?! Where is everyone?"
Another scream rang out, followed by a chopping noise, and the sound of something crunching.
Suddenly, there was a gigantic booming noise, and a flash of light. The wind became so hard that Ricardo was blown from his place on the ground, and crashed hard against a tree. He howled in pain as he felt his ribs shatter.
"What the ^$#@ was that?" came another terrified voice, not too far from him. "Where is everybody?! Who's in here?!"
Ricardo forced his eyes open, and could make out a figure standing a few feet from him. It looked like one of his companions. He appeared to be badly injured by the way he walked.
"Ricardo? Is that you?"
Ricardo opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a squeak.
"Ricardo, what is that? Behind you!" the figure screamed frantically as it pointed.
Ricardo whipped around, bring searing pain to his side. The fog was thick, but there was definitely something there. It was moving towards him.
He heard the man behind him scream and run.
As the thing in front of him came closer, Ricardo felt like his blood would turn to ice. Fear overwhelmed him, and he felt pains in his chest as his heart heaved.
The fog seemed to part around whatever it was in front of him.
Ricardo's eyes bulged.
The thing was only a few inches from him now, and he felt himself being lifted off the ground.
Blood shot from Ricardo's mouth as he screamed.



Author's note:
Scary, huh? If I haven't gotten you interested yet, well, I dunno...
Care to find out what's in the Sleeping Forest? Keep readin'!
Thanks,
-Chris



Chapter 5 - A Call For Help

Chapter 7 - Cosmo Canyon

Index

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