Into The Woods

Chapter 22

"I think I'm just fine," Phil replied surely while wiping his nose with his sleeve.
They felt relieved to hear that he was fine. Out of no where, a black liquid started dripping from Phil's right nostril. The liquid was quite viscous and moving slowing. It wasn't blood nor was it nasal mucus.
"Dad? What's coming out of your nose?" Vincent posed fearfully.
Phil used his index finger and swiped under his nose, then examined the substance on his finger.
"Phil! Keep your eyes on the road!" Charlie instructed rather aggressively.
Phil fixed his gaze back on the road almost as if he had forgotten he was the driver. The substance on his finger smeared down the side of the steering wheel and down the palm of his hand.
"Dad? Is everything okay?" Vincent asked while backing away from him and closer to the window.
Phil didn't reply. He only focused on his driving, making sure that he stayed smoothly drifting on the road. The others in the back were scared. They had that deep and painful pit evolving in their stomach. They no longer felt safe being in the same car as him. At this point, they no longer believed that Phil was who he claimed to be. Serena, who thought she could sense when an evil spirit was present, felt as if something was about to jump out at her. It was a horrifying feeling. She started feeling like something was trying to strangle her, or grasping firmly around her neck preventing her from breathing.
Serena turned to Charlie, who was to her left, and started gasping for air. Her face started changing to a purple colour and then to a creamy white. After gasping a few more breaths, she crashed onto the side window of the car. Her mouth hung open, and she appeared to not be breathing.
"Serena!" Vanessa and Charlie exclaimed.
Malachi, Tatum, and Vincent swung around to the back seat to see Serena's pale face pressed against the small window. As for Phil, he stayed as still as a statue, still with his eyes plastered on the road.
"Phil, weren't you supposed to turn that way?" Tatum questioned while he watched the hospital disappear in the distance.
"Phil, you didn't turn the right way. The hospital is back there!" Vanessa cried.
Phil didn't say a word. The mystery substance was still slowly dripping from his nose, but this time it was coming out of both nostrils.
"We need to get out of this car," Vanessa said softly into Charlie's ear.
"How?" Charlie whispered back.
Charlie anxiously fiddled with his bony fingers while looked down at his vainy and scratched hands.
     "Phil, pull over. Let me drive," Malachi insisted.
     Phil didn't listen. He didn't even acknowledge the fact that Malachi was speaking to him. He just kept driving. It had nearly been an hour since they had been going in the wrong direction, and they noticed that their surroundings had started to become significantly different. There were a lot of abandoned houses that seemed to be falling apart. Along with this, there was no wildlife to be seen. Not even a singular green blade of grass in the fields.
     "Dad, w-where are you taking us?" Vincent suspiciously posed to his father.
     Again, Phil did not answer. Vanessa rested her head tiredly on Charlie's shoulders and began to silently pout.
     "Ness, please don't cry," Charlie insisted while wiping the tear off of her rosy cheek.
     Vanessa looked up at him with those sad puppy eyes looking helpless and weak, like a starving animal. She in fact was very hungry since she had only gotten a sip of water back at the cabin. Charlie could relate since he spent all that time swinging around a branch at the keeper for a long period of time.
     Phil let out a subtle cough but kept his body facing forwards looking like he had been frozen and could not let out words, only grunts or coughs. The teens didn't know what to do at this point. They were under his supervision and had no plan that ended with them getting out unharmed.
     Phil looked in the rear-view window located on the windshield and widened his eyes savagely at Tatum and Malachi in the seats behind him. His eyes appeared to be flooded with the same substance that was coming out of his nose, making his entire eye-socket appear black. Picture it as the colour of octopi ink, only much darker if that was possible.
      Phil continued to stare at them through the mirror, leaving them stunned. Somehow, he managed to stay perfectly in the centre of the road all while looking in the mirror. The sun glared off of his black and soulless eyes leaving them speechless.