Into The Misty Forest…

“Quickly, in here!"

"We have to wait for Rufus."

The two young boys waited for their dog to race through the long grass and ran into the forest. They hid behind two large pine trees and held their breath.

At that moment a dark figure appeared. It wandered the edge of the treeline and then left.

"That was close!"

"I know. Too close for-"

Suddenly, they turned around.

The forest had changed.

No longer was it the place they used to explore as kids. No longer was it the place for endless imagination and games of hide-and-seek.

The trees were whispering to one another. It was hard to make out at first but undeniably true. Quiet initially, but then the whispers got louder. It reached the point where it was practically ear piercing; the trees all talking at once and cackling.

And then it stopped.

They were all saying the same thing.

Something new has entered the forest.

Bradley dusted himself off. A tall boy with dark hair, Bradley was the older of the two.

"Are you okay? Let me help you up."

He held out his hand.

"I'm fine. Let's just get out of here."

Chris got up and looked around. Fiercely independent, Chris was still the more nervous of the two. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

"What do you think that was?"

"I don't know. But it's putting Rufus on edge."

Their dog, a rather large German Shepard, had it's teeth bared. It was growling and facing in the direction of the deep woods.

That was more than enough for the two brothers. But they knew in the hearts what was waiting for them outside the woods was even worse. So, begrudingly, they pushed onwards into the dark forest.

They wandered the forest for what felt like an hour. No words were exchanged between the two of them. Rufus whined occasionally but reluctantly followed them with his tail between his legs. And then they both realised something at the same time.

There hadn't been a sound for over an hour. No birds. No crickets. Nothing since the trees stopped whispering to one another.

And then they saw something up ahead. Several shapes emerging from the darkness. They felt their blood run cold.

Bradley desperately looked around for any places to hide. He tried to convince himself it was just like when they were kids. And then he saw a hollowed out oak tree.

He, his brother and his dog all squeezed inside. It was a tight squeeze but they all just managed to fit. They heard the crunch of several footsteps nearby.

From where Bradley was hidden he was able to see one of the creatures. It looked like it was wearing armour. Demonic in appearance. It held what looked like some sort of rifle that was the same pattern as it's armour. It scanned the forest around them. And then it started chittering.

Several chitters echoed through the forest. The boys were frozen with fear. There were more creatures than they thought. Suddenly, the one Bradley was watching looked at the oak tree. It's red eyes glinted in the darkness.

And then they felt the very ground shake beneath them. A deafening roar followed. The demonic creatures screeched and fled out of sight. The very foundations of the forest itself was shaking and so the boys tumbled out of their hiding spot with their dog.

The roaring finally stopped.

"What on earth was that?"

Chris was up first, looking in every direction.

"No idea."

Bradley got up and brushed himself off again.

"But it saved our skin."

They continued deeper into the forest. A thick mist began to envelop them the further they went. It was still deathly quiet so Chris broke the silence. Whether it was his own anxiousness at the situation they were in or it was something that needed to be said, he didn't know what made him speak up first.

"So are we going to talk about what happened or...?"

Bradley stopped but didn't look at him.

"Chris, I'm much more concerned about getting out of here right now. We can talk about this later. As your older brother, it's my job to keep you safe first and foremost. That's what Mom would..."

He trailed off and they both looked at each other. They had arrived at a lake. Countless fireflies illuminated the crystal clear water. Rufus went up to the edge of the lake to have a drink.

But it was a moment of beauty that was only fleeting. Because something was moving in the water.

Bradley, Chris and Rufus backed away slowly. They saw the dark shape extend to every corner of the lake. They saw the figure emerging from the water, humanoid at first and then an ugly mass of tentacles. They had no choice. They simply ran for it.

After what felt like hours, they finally stopped running. Chris collapsed to his knees and Bradley lent on a nearby tree. Rufus was panting from exhaustion but still keeping watch for any threats.

And then they felt the ground shake beneath them again.

Chris cried out in protest but Bradley shushed him. He spun around, his eyes wide, looking for anything in the darkness that could be causing the earthquakes.

Nothing. He couldn't see anything at all. And then he looked up.

"Chris, I'm going to climb this tree and see if I can get a better view of our surroundings. Stay here with Rufus and keep an eye on him."

Chris tried to argue but Bradley was already climbing the tree. It was a very large pine tree and any fall would result in serious injury. But Bradley ignored that fact and made it to the top.

There was still miles and miles of forest surrounding them. He mustn't have realised how vast the forest truly was when they were kids.

And then he saw it. Just on the horizon. He had to stifle a shriek and put his hands over his mouth.

The dark giant. The trees looked like tiny modulars compared to it. It stood sentinel on four legs and it's horns glistened in the moonlight. It's two yellow eyes stared back at him. And it was smiling.

Bradley clambered back down the tree as fast as he could. He almost fell out.

"Bradley? What's wrong."

Chris stared at him. His brother's face was completely pale.

"We have to go, Chris. We have to get out of this forest now."

They turned around and ran back the way they came with Rufus leading the charge. They had no idea where they were going but as long as it was away from the giant. But they weren't passing any of the landmarks they had before. No lake. No hollow Oak tree. Just endless, endless forest. Finally, they came to a clearing.

Chris rounded on Bradley. He asked him what he saw. He asked him why they turned around and what they were running from.

And then they heard chittering around them from all sides.

Demonic foot soldiers everywhere filled into the clearing.

One of the creatures grabbed Chris and threw him to the ground. Bradley cried out but two more descended on him. Rufus was snapping and biting anything he could reach but it was no use. One of the demons removed it's helmet and Chris screamed.

And suddenly a gigantic hoof came down upon them and crushed the demons with it's insurmountable strength. In the commotion, Chris and Bradley scrambled free and grabbed Rufus. They raced towards the edge of the clearing and watched as the hooves crushed everything in it's path. The demons finally stopped screaming and they realised it was over.

Bradley walked forward hesitantly. It was the dark giant that had saved them. It was still smiling.

"Thank you...I think? Are you here to save us or did you just want us for yourself?"

A moment of silence. And then the dark giant lowered itself down to it's haunches.

Chris walked into the clearing.

"Unbelievable. I think it wants us to climb on."

After a great deal of trouble of getting Rufus on and managing to climb on themselves, the creature stood up slowly and the whole world shook. It then slowly but surely made it's way out of the forest.

Bradley thought for a moment and then he spoke again.

"So what are you? What is this place?"

The giant spoke to him but not with it's words. It didn't move it's mouth. It was almost like it was in his own head. Chris could hear it too.

You are in the Whispering Woods. A haven where the trees talk to one another. And I am it's guardian.

"Haven? It doesn't seem like a haven. It seems like the stuff of nightmares."

A darkness has entered the woods. I have been awoken to set things right.

Bradley thought for a moment.

"And what about us? How did we end up here?"

The woods are a haven for those who are lost. Aren't all three of you lost in some way?

Rufus whined sadly. Chris and Bradley exchanged a look.

"It was our mother. He took her life. So we ran in here to escape from him."

The dark giant continued carefully navigating the trees.

So, the one who is not your father took your mother away from you and you needed an escape. But one must leave the Whispering Woods eventually and find themselves again.

They had reached the edge of the forest. Bradley put his hand on Chris's shoulder.

"It's right, Chris. We need to confront him. We can't stay in here forever."

"I know but...I don't know what we'll do to him if we see him."

"Hopefully the right thing. But we need justice. For our Mother."

The dark giant lowered them to the ground delicately. Once Rufus hopped off, it stood up again.

The Whispering Woods will be here if you ever feel lost again.

Bradley and Chris were suddenly overcome with a wave of emotion. They both started crying and Bradley hugged his younger brother. Rufus's howls echoed through the night.

The dark giant was gone. Bradley and Chris dried their eyes and began to walk back to the house. They could see police lights in the distance...