The weight of fear

The silence lingered. Dust clung to the stagnant air of the ruined hospital room, disturbed by the laboured breathing of the four shaking teens. The moss was gently swayed as the wind pushed through the many cracks and holes of the once sterile room, lending a vibrant touch to the space. In the centre of the room was a pile of black ash that lost height with every breeze. It wasn’t until Ren had composed himself that he fully comprehended the importance of the ash that seemed out of place. Running over, he fell to his knees, bright green moss protecting his knees from any serious damage. He reached his hands down and pulled out what seemed to be a book, or at least the remnants of one. It was the journal, now a burnt husk with only a small blackened chunk left and an inch of string. “His writing,” he gently and calmly said with an air of indescribable sadness, “But how?”

The others came rushing over to see for themselves, Hibiki snatching the remains away, raising it so the other two could see the damage. A tear rolled down Alice’s cheek as she reached the corner. Miyako sighed and walked away, looking out of the window and leaning on what remained of the windowsill. “It’s a shame, but I'm sorry, guys, that's not important right now.” “But it was his book!” Hibiki shouted, raising his head between Alice and Ren, who was pulling himself up off the floor. “Miyako is right, though. You’ve seen outside, and this room is definitely not the way it was before Sora…” Ren trailed off, moving his eyes to Miyako. Hibiki sighed and placed the remains of the book gently on the pile, then stood straight up and started brushing dust off himself. “Yeah, yeah, I know. It's freaky, though. I wonder what happened. It’s not like we all sleepwalked and had a nap long enough for this to happen.” “W-What if we can't get home?” a timid voice came from behind Hibiki, Alice shaking slightly with her arms crossed. Hibiki grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the window again. “C’mon, Alice, don’t say that; let’s just figure out what’s happening here first, and then we can start worrying. Look how beautiful all of those trees are; plus, it's not like you get to see all this bright moss often!” Hibiki's beaming smile and exceedingly loud voice cut through the growing nervous atmosphere. Alice let out a small smile. “Y-Yeah, O-okay.” Her sniffling and tears both stopped, replaced with a measure of optimism.

“Regardless, we can’t stay here,” Miyako muttered, her voice softer than it previously was for some reason. “Let’s have a look around and see if we can find anyone.” “We can go this way, but let’s stick together, okay?” Ren added, gesturing towards the empty doorframe.

The others followed, avoiding brambles and cracked pieces of building that littered the corridors, making their way down stairs that hadn't looked used in an extremely long time. Eventually, they arrived at what used to be the entrance lobby, the noise of nature echoing through, with a warm breeze following behind. Continuing their cautious journey through the ruins, they arrive at the edge, the noise from the broken tiles replaced with the crunching of moss and grass, a beam of sunlight piercing through and almost lighting their way.

The air felt like no forest they had ever been in, certainly nothing like the one that bordered the hideout that they were in before they found themselves at the hospital ruins. Oversized leaves rustled above, and little birds with 8 small, sharp wings darted around playfully like they had known this place their entire lives. Almost simultaneously, the four let out a gasp at the terrifying yet beautiful scenery. “It’s amazing,” gasped Alice, a vine on a tree trunk that she had been rubbing her hand against gently wrapping around her fingers as if embracing her. “Be careful, we don't know what is safe to touch.” Ren softly pulled her away from the vine. “Sorry, Ren, it doesn't look bad though,” she said, with a kind smile. “Hey guys! Stop being slow! I wanna explore.” They snapped their heads to the source of the booming voice that disturbed the quiet beauty they were enjoying. Hibiki was further away from the two trees that seemed to make a path further into the forest. “What did we say about sticking together?” snapped Miyako. Hibiki laughed, stroking his hair. “Sorry, guys!” He lowered his voice. They all sighed and followed the rustling of leaves further in.

The gaps between the trees started to widen, and the forest had started to fall quiet; there were no birds, no rustling of small creatures, and there wasn’t even so much as a gust of wind. They were quite a distance from the ruins now, with small clearings appearing on either side of the group. Hibiki stomped through the forest, the sound of moss crunching below his shoes disturbing the other three not far behind him as they approached the largest of the clearings that they had seen. Just past the clearing between the trees, Hibiki was the first to notice. “Look, it looks like a path or a road!” he cheered. The others didn't share his excitement; however, something was wrong. The emptiness just felt wrong, like the world was trying to tell them to leave. It was just silence – until a low growl rang out from behind some trees in the shadows, “HIBIKI, LOOK OUT!” Hibiki leapt back just in time as a massive shape burst from the trees. Claws tore at the ground where he’d been standing, spraying dirt and moss into the air. He hit the ground hard, tumbling. Ren rushed forward and hauled him up by the arm. Alice, backing away, tripped, falling into a bed of thick moss, her breath caught in her throat.

It was a wolf—but not like any they had ever seen. It was covered in a pure white fur, streaked with silvery-blue lines that caught the light and shimmered. Two vicious yellow eyes locked onto Ren and Hibiki, and it ignored the others completely, body low, ready to pounce.

Miyako didn’t hesitate. Hidden in its blind spot, she tore a heavy branch from a nearby trunk and swung with all her strength. The creature stumbled back from the hit but then turned its eyes onto her, its ears flattened, and a snarl resonating from its chest. The teens panicked, scrambling for a plan as the creature’s loud growls bounced off the trees. As it neared Miyako, she swung widely with her branch. Ren and Hibiki ran towards them, both readying their shoulders as they crashed into the beast, knocking it to the floor. However, its reaction wasn't as slow this time, and it leapt up and threw its weight into Hibiki, pushing him a distance away, then pounced towards Ren, pinning him against a tree. He pushed his arm against the neck of the creature to protect himself from its teeth as it snarled and bit at the air. Panic was clear across his face; it wouldn't be long until he lost the strength to resist. He made a last-ditch effort and pulled one arm away and flung it towards the beast’s eye. The pressure pinning him to the tree suddenly weakened. The beast didn’t fall back—it fell upwards. Legs flailed helplessly as it twisted in the air, eyes wide with confusion. Ren coughed, struggling for breath, but his eyes never left the impossible sight. The wolf slammed down with insane force, the impact rattling the trees and shaking the ground beneath them.

The beast lay twisted on the mossy ground, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. Its white fur bloomed with streaks of red. Hibiki moved away from the body and stared at Ren. “Dude… what did you do...?” Miyako glanced at the lifeless creature on the floor and stepped forward, putting herself between the other two and Ren. “Are you okay?” Ren’s hands shook violently, his voice cracking apart. “I…I didn’t mean to.

Alice staggered to her feet, clumps of moss falling off her as she moved. Movement in the bushes close by caught her eye – three wolf-like pups crawling out. Their fur was the same pure white, with faint blues. “Oh no… oh no… we-we’re sorry.” She reached a hand out towards them and put a step forward, but they fled as quickly as they had arrived.

Once again, the clearing was silent and broken only by the rustle of leaves where the pups had disappeared. No one moved. The weight of what had happened choked the air, heavier than the forest itself. None of the teens spoke, but they were all thinking the same thing: this wasn't normal.

Finally, after some time had passed in silence, Ren’s voice cracked and he started moving. “We… we should go.” No one argued. The body of the creature lay in the centre of the clearing, a reminder of both their survival and guilt. After they had all stared at the body for a while, they turned back towards the path they had spotted earlier. The sounds of the forest returned, however; the air was heavier, the shadows deeper. Step by step, they endured this atmosphere until the trees broke and the path widened, revealing huge green fields of grass with the path reaching downhill, giving them a view of the darkness that lies ahead.