There was no sound except that of the car and Joseph's voice as he guided Jesse along the path he should take, while Nicholas slept, waiting for them to reach their destination. As for Ethan, he continued staring at the white flower he had brought from the garden. Jenny, on the other hand, simply stared at the road, lost in her thoughts with a frown on her face.
Joseph broke the atmosphere by saying, "I'd like to warn you about something, guys. I don't know if all of you have heard about this, but I have to tell you. As you know, monsters are a real danger in this world, but there's an additional danger you must be wary of."
Jesse glanced at him with surprise and a look of confusion on his face, saying, "What is it?"
Joseph took a deep breath while relaxing in the car seat and said: "Human monsters. People who have exploited this chaos and the absence of laws in this world to freely pursue their sick desires. They kill their own kind with complete brutality, without the slightest care. They enjoy torturing people just like themselves. But the biggest problem is that these human monsters have gathered under one empire — the Katuran Empire. Everyone in it is a human monster, distinguished by circular burns with a dot (☉) in the center on their right or left shoulder. They consider themselves superior to normal humans and distinguish themselves through these marks."
Jesse replied with a look of astonishment on his face: "How were they able to cooperate despite their violent nature?"
Joseph answered: "No one knows, man. All we know is that they appeared suddenly 27 years ago."
Jesse took a deep breath and said: "Alright."
They continued on their way until the features of the forest gradually began to appear. Joseph alerted them, raising his voice: "We're getting close, guys."
Nicholas slowly opened his eyes and said in a low voice: "Have we arrived?" Then he started yawning.
A short while later, they reached their destination — a dense forest filled with thin trees of a deep brown color, with multiple branches covering every inch. When looking into its horizons, all one could see were thick red leaves densely covering the sun, and green grass that seemed like an intruder within the entire forest.
Everyone remained completely silent.
Fear was visible on Jenny's face, astonishment and anxiety on Nicholas's, and amazement and curiosity on Ethan's.
Jesse retrieved his personal handgun (with "William Thornfield" written on it), ignoring the forest as if it were an ordinary sight to him.
At the same time, he suddenly threw a small bag toward Jenny without warning.
Jenny instinctively extended her hands in a frightened defensive motion and caught it with difficulty before it hit the ground. She pressed the bag tightly against her chest, her eyes wide with surprise and slight worry.
Joseph stepped forward with steady steps, and the others followed quietly, with Jesse and Nicholas raising their weapons in preparation for any potential danger.
Joseph suddenly stopped and began examining the area. After several seconds, he turned toward them with his usual smile: "Alright, we've arrived. This is the intended spot."
Nicholas replied sarcastically: "Wow, we wouldn't have known without you."
They advanced cautiously into the forest, their eyes scanning the place with curiosity and extreme caution.
Small birds stood among the branches, flying from one to another. The light fluttering of their wings echoed in the still air. Their feathers were a deep red that matched the color of the upper leaves, making them look like part of the forest itself, disappearing and appearing between the shadows with frightening speed.
They felt as if they were being watched, but there was no sign of any person or thing nearby except for the birds and the trees.
After an hour of tedious walking, all they encountered was the repetitive sight of trees. They stopped in a small clearing free of trees — just a green circle struck by sunlight from above, in contrast to the usual darkness of the place.
Joseph moved ahead of them to the center of the clearing, examining it with intense focus before turning to them and saying in a firm tone: "We're close. They told me that once we reach this point, the tree would be nearby. The problem is they didn't describe the path well, as you can see."
He then pointed his fingers toward two trees — one in front of him and one to his right. Both looked eerily similar, both covered in scratches of unknown origin, and completely devoid of any leaves.
Joseph continued: "But it's not a big problem. All we have to do is split up and search for the intended tree."
Nicholas raised his left eyebrow, then gave him a sharp look: "Split up? You're joking, right?"
Jesse nodded and said: "I agree with him. Splitting up will only cause us problems."
Joseph replied, pointing his finger at them: "Yes, but it's necessary to have one or two people stay here in case the rest get lost. The tree's location is a bit far, and it's easy to get lost in this forest even for someone familiar with it like me."
Nicholas replied in surprise: "So what are we supposed to do?"
Joseph answered: "Two people will stay right here while the rest continue toward the tree. It should take about a quarter of an hour or a little more. So if the two notice that the others are taking too long, they should shout to help guide the rest if they're lost. And if that doesn't work… then we've probably died, so they should run or try to save the rest. The choice is honestly in their hands."
Jenny whispered in a low voice: "I don't like this…"
Joseph sighed lightly, placing his hand over his eyes, and said, trying to reassure them: "I know this is your first time around here, but trust me — the forest is empty of any threats, unless you harm the trees. Other than that, you're safe."
Nicholas put his palm on his forehead in annoyance and replied with some irritation: "Fine, just let's finish this quickly."
Joseph sighed one last time, then pointed firmly with his hand toward the two directions, as if closing the door on any further discussion. "Good. Fifteen minutes only, then we return here. Don't touch any tree unless you have to. Jesse and Ethan will stay here, and the rest of you will come with me."
The team finally began to move, despite the tension that filled the air like a light mist seeping between the trees.
While Ethan and Jesse were walking, the boy tripped over a rock, causing him to fall to the ground.
Ten minutes had passed since the others left.
Jesse was lying on the ground, watching Ethan who was drawing random shapes in the dirt with his fingers.
Nothing broke the silence except the sounds of the birds and the rustling of tree leaves.
Jesse exhaled in boredom and started speaking: "The situation is a bit boring. Let me give you some advice that might help you instead of walking around uselessly." He paused for a few seconds after stumbling over a rock on the ground, but quickly regained his balance and continued: "I'll tell you how to deal with creatures that have no eyes or cannot see in some way. Dealing with these creatures may seem a bit difficult, because any sound you make, even a small one, will let them know your location. But at the same time, it's their weakness. All you have to do is pick up anything on the ground and throw it hard away from you. That will make them follow the sound. Keep doing that several times until you escape or manage to kill it somehow. But there's something you need to know: sometimes if you use this trick too much, it will make the monster even angrier, causing it to become more agitated and much more aggressive. This might lead to an unexpected increase in its strength or it starting to destroy everything around it as a way to kill you if you're nearby."
But Ethan seemed uninterested and continued playing.
Jesse let out a light laugh: "Damn you."
Then suddenly, they heard the sound of running coming from the trees. Jesse immediately pointed his gun in that direction, ready for any coming danger. The sound grew clearer and clearer until Joseph and the rest appeared, running fast as if they were fleeing from something. Jesse looked at them in confusion, but Joseph shouted at him in panic: "Run!!"
Jesse didn't understand what was happening, but he spotted something strange in the distance. He noticed the trees falling one after another. Seconds later, he realized there was something gigantic heading toward them.
Its skin blended with the trees, which is why he hadn't noticed it quickly. Before he could comprehend what was happening…
Right before his eyes, he saw a giant creature larger than the trees themselves, with a massive eye occupying the place of its head. Its body was huge and solid, its arms reaching down to its knees, and its body covered in scales and fungi.
Jesse's eyes widened in terror. His heartbeat began to race in seconds. Without warning, he ran in the opposite direction from the creature, sprinting with all the speed he had.
To be continued...