The Hole of Melton Continued

Part 2

Lauren found a branch wide enough to hold her, it was up high enough that she doubted anyone would be able to see her. The drawback of this was that she couldn’t see them either. She listened for any tell tale signs of approach. Branches snapping, leaves crunching. The vegetation around the hole was slowly dying. There had been plenty of rain, but all the plants on the edge of the hole were drying up and withering. Her professional brain wanted to figure out what was happening, to investigate the cause and create a plan to solve the environmental factors. But the part of her brain that controlled survival was far louder and far more logical.

She sat and she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The people that had been communicating must have gone elsewhere because she never heard their approach. Maybe they hadn’t been trying to attack her after all. Maybe like her, they were simply trying to survive this new world they were in.

Lauren leaned back against the tree, her legs stretched out on the limb. She would have liked to sleep here, but being so high up wasn’t the best idea. If she moved the wrong way, she would fall to her death. The sky was beginning to light up. When the sun was fully up and she could see to descend, she would do so carefully and then find somewhere to rest. She was so tired. So, so tired.

On the ground, Lauren took stock of her surroundings again, wishing she had never gone on the stupid business trip in the first place. She had never gotten a chance to go to the farm that supposedly had a rare flower growing in one of its outer fields. She never had the chance to say if yes, they were indeed going to be required to halt the use of that particular area. She had never even had a chance to meet the farmer. It was the morning of her 2nd day there that all hell broke loose. There was no point in finding the farmer or the flower now, she wondered if either were even still alive.

She felt stupid for even thinking about her job. Her mind kept flashing images of the creature that had attacked her the night before. Calling it a creature seemed harsh now, but calling it a human seemed strange as well. It had most definitely been a human, but something had happened to it. She wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to know it’s history, the torture she was sure it had endured.

She shuddered but began her morning routine, hoping that movement would drive the creature from her mind. It’s silent screaming face seemed to be on an endless loop in her brain.

The forest wasn’t completely quiet. She could hear birds chirping and insects were making themselves known. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was alone. The activity of the wildlife solidified her hopes.

She moved along, plucking berries from the bushes that weren’t yet destroyed by the gaping hall. There was a deer trail that weaved its way throughout the wood. With any luck, it would lead her to a water source and she could fill the well used bottles in her bag. Tara Wane must have skipped lunch the day the hole appeared because her lunch bag inside had still been full of snacks. Lauren had ate the sandwich since the strange events began, but the fruit snacks, chips, and cheap granola bar were still stuck safely in her bag. They were for emergencies only. She didn’t yet know what those emergencies would be, but imagined anything could happen.

Lauren was just starting to relax when she noticed a figure lying beneath a tree. She froze, thinking perhaps they were asleep and would wake if she moved any closer. She waited, watching them. Their back was to her, but she was close enough to see the relaxed position of their shoulders and the way their hand rested on the earth, palm pointed towards the sun. She waited for a sign that they were awake, but none came. She crept closer, listening for any sound of wildlife, but utter silence greeted her. Something wasn’t right.

She debated turning around, but a voice inside her compelled her to move forward. What if they were hurt? What if something was wrong?

Nothings been right since this whole thing started.

“What the hell,” Lauren hissed to herself before moving forward and standing in front of the tree.

Her breath caught in her throat. It was another one of those figures. Its lips were lined with black, stitches torn free. Around its eyes were agitated scabs. In its pale hand, it held a blonde braid.

If she had anything of substance to eat that morning, she would have heaved it all over the white sneakers the creature wore. She stumbled back, averting her eyes as quickly as she could. Had that been blood on the braid? What had killed the creature? Was it even dead.

She leaned over, her hands on her knees as she tried to balance her breathing. An arrow whizzed by. The same ‘caw’ that she had heard the night before echoed through the clearing. She had stumbled right into a trap.

She did the only thing she could do.

She ran.