Lands of In Between |Book 1|

Chapter 1

Ellie followed her friends deeper into the woods with a growing sense they were trespassing where they didn't belong.

Powdered treetops glittered in the sun, making it hard to see, and despite the searing daylight, the forest felt dark and ominous. Her loud footfalls broke through the snow crust with every step as she debated whether to voice her concern.

But Ellie had already said some pretty unusual things on the drive here, and unwilling to embarrass herself further, she wanted to keep it to herself that this place had a strange sense of wrongness. Especially since it could all be a figment of her imagination, grown from her hate of trees and forests in general. 

So, she merely kept her gaze pinned to the winding, treacherous slopes, which seemed to mock her with their traitorous beauty.

A bird cawed loudly, making her jump. And at that, her chest tightened with the urge to make another comment. Since escaping to hide in southern California ten years ago, she'd always vowed to speak her mind, and it had turned into a habit of wanting to tell everyone everything. She laid out her inner monsters like a haunted zoo, not minding when people listened to the menagerie of horror she spilled. It gave her a sense of control.

"It's too quiet," complained Ellie, unable to stop herself. "Are you sure we won't find him on a more traveled route?"

"We're five minutes from the parked car. We aren't in Siberia, Ell." Owen fiddled with his camera. "Besides, he'll be doing the most insane climbs. Not many people will attempt these, especially in the winter."

"I don't know why I let you two talk me into this," Ellie muttered to her friends.

"Because you haven't left the house properly in months. Look at this snow. Can't get that in L.A.," Pia replied, spreading her arms wide with an annoying enthusiasm.

"I'm going back to the car."

"Ellie Belly, if you give up now, you're buying all the drinks tonight," Pia announced in her sing-song voice.

"If you call me that again, I'll steal the keys and leave your asses here," Ellie said, shoving her hat further down her head.

Owen stopped, readjusted his equipment onto his other shoulder, and looked at the trail app on his phone. "We're close according to the GPS." He pointed to a grouping of triangle symbols. "This is the one that I heard is the most difficult. People reported seeing him here a few times this week."

"Are you sure? This place just feels like humans don't belong."

Pia and Owen both burst out laughing. Owen clapped her on the back. "I'm reasonably confident humans are allowed in a public park on the planet Earth."

Crossing her arms, Ellie gave them a sheepish smile. "Fine! Show me the trail on the app. I'll check the two we didn't get to walk yesterday."

Owen raised his brows at her. "That would be great. The paths here are really easy to stay on, and it looks like we all have cell service still, so let's split up around the bend." He turned to stare at the forest in front of them. "We should all be closer to the mountain in thirty. Don't stray from the path right here," he pointed to her screen.

Pia nodded and smiled. "Text if you need anything... Oh, and take some video for the b-roll."

Swallowing hard, Ellie simply nodded and set off to the left path on her own. Her stomach felt sick, but she had come all this way and would face her fears.

With one foot in front of the other, she stared at the ground so she didn't have to look at the trees.

The further she hiked along, the more that sense of dread grew.