Camp 24

Chapter 3

Chapter Three
Harper walked aimlessly through the woods. Sweat drizzled down his back, he didn't want to admit it but he was scared without Enola, no he was terrified.
Harper had told Enola that he didn't care if she left. All she was doing was running away from her problems. But he needed to find a place to spend the night, the suns were getting a lot and the Taken would be out soon.

Enola wasn't doing much better. She was crying as she ran. Nobody had said something like that to her in a while.
"You're only running away from your problems, they're going to catch up with you eventually." Harper had said.
And now the voice was back. The one telling her that she was too scared, too vulnerable. She had to be strong.

Harper lifted branches from the moist ground and piled them in his arms. The light creatures had followed him off the path. But they kept trying to pull Harper back to the tunnel. He'd refused and kept walking. A few hundred had fallen back to the pathway.
As Harper walked his Guard  outfit had gotten dirty and his face already had cuts and scratches from branches.

Enola had balled up on the mossy tunnel ground, and had barely gotten to rest a second when the sun set. "Oh shit." She said she'd only heard stories about the Taken but her mom had told her they were real things. And they killed for blood. She looked around for a branch or something to keep as protection. She found a stick just in time to hear a roar that sounded more like an ancient dinosaur than a lion or tigar. Enola's legs shook. "Yeah..I don't think I can take whatever that is." She took her stick and sprinted down the tunnel. The growling continued behind the trees, it definitely saw her. And it definitely thought her blood would taste good on some tacos.

Harper lifted dead branches from the forest floor and leaned them against a thick tree trunk. He sprinkled leaves and tried to cover the branches. The light bug (Harper started calling them that) were lighting up the branch tent on the inside. Once everything was situated in his tent he chucked his guard helmet in, and crawled after it. The light bugs had started to dim and sat on the sticks hanging above him. He laid down on the wet leaves and tried to close his eyes. When he failed to fall asleep he sat and stared at the ceiling of his tent. He was worried for Enola, but he knew she could handle herself better than he could.

Enola glanced back one time, one time. And what she made eye contact with was horrific. The Taken didn't seem to have eyes, and it's mouth was filled with teeth that reminded Enola of a shark. It's nose had two holes. Enola figured that was how they could see, well, smell. It rawred one more time and leaped at her.

Harper jerked his body up. He'd heard the roar of a Taken and a scream. He still could hear the screams, like bloody murder. He grabbed his helmet and dashed out of the tent. The light bugs buzzed awake and lit up a circle of light. They followed him as he sprinted through the trees. "I swear to the suns, did Enola already get attacked?" Harper whispered to himself. He grabbed a fallen branch, and stepped back into the tunnel. More light bugs buzzed awake and collected with the large group.

Enola stabbed the Taken in the gut, but it's body seemed to consume the wood. It chewed it up and spit it away. It screeched and bared it's shark teeth. Enola could hear another person breathing behind the Taken. Enola looked past the creature and rolled her eyes. Harper finally made it to the show. "What in the suns are you doing here?" Enola screamed at Harper.
"Oh, so you aren't dead." Harper said with relief.
"Nah, I am dead, and now so are you!" She pointed an angry finger at him. "Possibly," Harper said as he stabbed the Taken in the back.
"Why do you have that? Where'd you get it?" Enola yelled at him as he dragged the knife up the Takens back.
"I can use a knife." He said, rolling his eyes like it was obvious. And yeah he was skilled with it.
"Where did you get it?" Enola yelled at him again.
"My dad, before he became one of them." He ripped the knife out of the Takens ' back.
Enolas' eyes widened, "This is what our parents turned into?" She asked quietly.
Harper nodded glumly. "Test subjects. Not sure what they are testing, but it's horrific."
"Holy hell," Enola sat down on the mossy ground. "That's what we were going to be." Harper closed his knife and nodded.
The takens body lay still on the ground. Enola looked terrified, like she'd just seen a ghost. Harper slowly walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Are you going to teach me magic?"
Enola's scared face melted slightly, "Sure." she sighed and stood up.
As they continued on the path, it was quiet. It was back to an awkward silence between two strangers. "We can stay here for tonight but we'll have to take turns standing guard." She sat down on the moss. "I can go first. Can I use your knife?"
"Uh, yeah." Harper pulled the pocket knife out of his guard outfit. He set the tool in Enola's hand.
She flipped the blade out of its contraption, and stared down at the words written on the hilt. She grunted, "Your dad really believed in you huh?"
Harper laid down on the soft ground. "Yeah, I really miss him." He rolled over on his side so his back was facing Enola, and closed his eyes.