to reach a clearing. There was a tree in the middle of it, an imposing, great monument, dark and frightening. Its branches were like fingers that reached out toward them.
“We should leave,” Aaron said. “This is wrong. I need to report this. Yeah. That’s what we should’ve done in the first place.”
“You’re right,” Bill said.
“Where’s Ollie?” Aaron said. The dog was no longer with them.
“Who?” said Joel.
There was thunder somewhere inside the forest. It hadn’t come from far away and the booming footsteps that followed didn’t take long to reach them. Before any of them could react, a monster emerged from the darkness of the trees.
Bill gasped.
The beast was tall, eight feet or more, and heavy with bulging muscles. Its head was that of a bull, its nostrils flared in anger, and its eyes glowed red with fire. The creature’s horns were long and black and ended in sharp points. Its body was an exaggeration of a man, impossibly large and full of power. In place of feet, the monster’s legs had great hooves on their ends.
Aaron tried to yell the word “run,” but before he could speak, the monster was upon them. It was impossibly fast, so fast that it almost seemed like it had transported in front of them. Aaron jumped back and landed hard on the ground. He watched as Bill and Joel were snatched up like dolls. He saw the men kick and punch at the beast as they tried to escape its grasp. The monster’s hands were big enough hold Bill upside down by his thigh. There was pain on Bill’s face as he struggled.
Joel was being restrained by the elbow and he managed to swing around and kick at a giant leg. The monster twitched its wrist and Aaron heard the sound of breaking bone as Joel’s elbow shattered. Joel screamed.
Aaron struggled to his feet as the monster made his way to the tree. He saw a line of light about the height of a man split the ancient oak down the middle and open up to create a portal. The beast threw the screaming men inside the tree one by one.
Aaron turned to run. He took two steps before he slammed hard into the chest of the monster, who now barred his way. He looked up at the fury in its eyes and despair overtook him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, behind the fear, he realized that the music in the forest was still playing behind him.
The monster picked him up with both hands and Aaron felt like a small child in the arms of a strong adult. He knew that it was pointless to fight. It would be no contest.
He resigned to his fate and the demon threw him into the tree. Just before the light of the portal enveloped him, he saw a pretty woman enter the moonlight of the clearing, but he didn’t believe that she could be real.
Rebecca Robins was running.
She had left her house at precisely eight o’clock as was her routine. It was a stringent one that she rarely deviated from. Her weekdays were spent always in the same manner: she stayed after work at Briardale Middle School to do marking and lesson preparation until five o’clock; she arrived home at five thirty and made dinner, which she ate at six o’clock at her dinner table; at six thirty, she went to her living room with a cup of tea and read a novel until seven forty-five, when she changed into her running clothes. Rebecca ran for an hour every night.
There was a jogging trail that snaked through an old quarry near Rebecca’s house. For years, she had run that trail to the point that she could probably do it with her eyes closed. She was not one to deviate from routine, but tonight she was running along a dimly lit street near the woods. Rebecca wasn’t sure where she was or how she had ended up there.
Something had been nagging at the back of her mind since she’d arrived home that afternoon. She had felt as though she had forgotten something important and it was pulling at her from somewhere, but she couldn’t remember what it was no matter how hard she tried. Something told her that it might have
“We should leave,” Aaron said. “This is wrong. I need to report this. Yeah. That’s what we should’ve done in the first place.”
“You’re right,” Bill said.
“Where’s Ollie?” Aaron said. The dog was no longer with them.
“Who?” said Joel.
There was thunder somewhere inside the forest. It hadn’t come from far away and the booming footsteps that followed didn’t take long to reach them. Before any of them could react, a monster emerged from the darkness of the trees.
Bill gasped.
The beast was tall, eight feet or more, and heavy with bulging muscles. Its head was that of a bull, its nostrils flared in anger, and its eyes glowed red with fire. The creature’s horns were long and black and ended in sharp points. Its body was an exaggeration of a man, impossibly large and full of power. In place of feet, the monster’s legs had great hooves on their ends.
Aaron tried to yell the word “run,” but before he could speak, the monster was upon them. It was impossibly fast, so fast that it almost seemed like it had transported in front of them. Aaron jumped back and landed hard on the ground. He watched as Bill and Joel were snatched up like dolls. He saw the men kick and punch at the beast as they tried to escape its grasp. The monster’s hands were big enough hold Bill upside down by his thigh. There was pain on Bill’s face as he struggled.
Joel was being restrained by the elbow and he managed to swing around and kick at a giant leg. The monster twitched its wrist and Aaron heard the sound of breaking bone as Joel’s elbow shattered. Joel screamed.
Aaron struggled to his feet as the monster made his way to the tree. He saw a line of light about the height of a man split the ancient oak down the middle and open up to create a portal. The beast threw the screaming men inside the tree one by one.
Aaron turned to run. He took two steps before he slammed hard into the chest of the monster, who now barred his way. He looked up at the fury in its eyes and despair overtook him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, behind the fear, he realized that the music in the forest was still playing behind him.
The monster picked him up with both hands and Aaron felt like a small child in the arms of a strong adult. He knew that it was pointless to fight. It would be no contest.
He resigned to his fate and the demon threw him into the tree. Just before the light of the portal enveloped him, he saw a pretty woman enter the moonlight of the clearing, but he didn’t believe that she could be real.
Rebecca Robins was running.
She had left her house at precisely eight o’clock as was her routine. It was a stringent one that she rarely deviated from. Her weekdays were spent always in the same manner: she stayed after work at Briardale Middle School to do marking and lesson preparation until five o’clock; she arrived home at five thirty and made dinner, which she ate at six o’clock at her dinner table; at six thirty, she went to her living room with a cup of tea and read a novel until seven forty-five, when she changed into her running clothes. Rebecca ran for an hour every night.
There was a jogging trail that snaked through an old quarry near Rebecca’s house. For years, she had run that trail to the point that she could probably do it with her eyes closed. She was not one to deviate from routine, but tonight she was running along a dimly lit street near the woods. Rebecca wasn’t sure where she was or how she had ended up there.
Something had been nagging at the back of her mind since she’d arrived home that afternoon. She had felt as though she had forgotten something important and it was pulling at her from somewhere, but she couldn’t remember what it was no matter how hard she tried. Something told her that it might have
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