Into The Woods

Chapter 15

     Tatum looked over his shoulder to see a tree falling down to him. He quickly tumbled out of the way of any injury. The needles on the top of the tree gently brushed down on his legs but that way all, thankfully.
     "Are you okay? The tree didn't hit you did it?" Charlie asked generously.
     "Yeah, just a graze" Tatum replied.
     The keeper was swinging and hitting at them but didn't have very good aim. It didn't come close to hitting them. Maybe they were just good at dodging the branch? Or maybe the keeper really did have terrible hand-eye coordination.
     Charlie charged to the keepers knees and aggressively jabbed his branch into them. The keeper let out a mighty groan and tumbled backward. It still held onto the decapitated tree and launched  it forwards to try and hit the others that stood far behind. Unsurprisingly, the tree completely missed them.
     "We need to do something" Vanessa suggested
     "You're right. I-I'm not a good fighter, nor am I good at verbal fighting" Malachi informed.
     "It's okay. Malachi you go help Vincent and bring him to safety. Uriah and Irene, you two can collect rocks to throw. Serena and I will get more branches" Vanessa instructed.
     They went their separate ways and started their tasks. Vincent still laid unconscious on the ground and appeared to have dirt in his mouth somehow. Malachi flipped him carefully onto his back and sat him upright.
     "Vincent? Wake up" Malachi requested as he gently shook Vincent by his shoulders.
     Vincent didn't wake up. He just sat there like a deflated balloon. Malachi made the decision to try and drag him to safety. He grabbed Vincent from under his armpits and started walking backwards with him to the bushes. It was awfully hard since Vincent was much taller, more muscular and obviously weighed more than Malachi.
     "Grab that one" Vanessa said to Serena while pointing to a skinny, but long, branch.
     Vanessa and Serena chose their weapons and prepared for battle. Tatum and Charlie were panting and began swinging weakly.
     "We'll take it from here" Serena suggested.
     "Go help Malachi" Vanessa insisted while making head gestures pointing towards Malachi struggling.
     "On it" Charlie panted.
     The keeper stood awfully still. Almost like a statue. It raised its hand out with its palm facing down at Serena and Vanessa.
     "W-what is it doing?" Serena questioned nervously.
     "I-I don't know" Vanessa shuddered.
     The keepers hand began to glow from the centre and an invisible force bolted out throwing Serena and Vanessa onto the ground.
     "What in the-" Serena paused.
     "Serena! To your left!" Vanessa hollered from afar.
     Serena gasped and rolled in the opposite direction. It was a large rock. The keeper now had a giant pile of rocks in all different shapes and sizes, all sitting by its feet. It began launching the rocks at all of them including Malachi and Vincent who were now in the bushes. Charlie and Tatum were faced away from the keeper trying to comfortably help place Vincent.
     The keeper shot a medium sized and pointed rock in Charlie's direction. Irene and Uriah were out of sight while Vanessa and Serena were lying unenergized on the ground. The boulder hit Charlie's leg roughly, making him collapse to the ground.
     "Ouch! Help! Ouch! Aw sh-" Charlie groaned in agony.
     "What just happened?!" Malachi posed.
     "A rock. Hit. Me. In my. LEG" Charlie replied painfully.
     "Lift up your hand" Tatum requested from Charlie.
     Charlie lifted his hand from his injured leg to reveal a large, bloody gash that was the size of a deformed golf ball which he refused to look at because of his blood phobia.
     "What does it look like? Oh, please don't tell me it's bad" Charlie moaned.
     "Um, i-it's pretty big Char" Tatum told him.
     Charlie sobbed in pain and put his head on the ground.
     "Why me! Why me! WHY ME" Charlie yelled angrily to the keeper.
     The keeper looked at him with a devilish smirk on its wrinkled and cracked face.
     "Close your eyes and you will get a terrible surprise" whispered the keeper creepily.