Standing Still, Time Lies

Chapter 6: Strangers

I wake in the forest, with my new friend, atop her plank tree fortress. It wasn't a restful sleep, but as the sun comes through the tree boughs, I feel a little more rested, and slightly less alone.

I can hear the sounds of birds chirping and squirrels scurrying in the branches above me.

"Shall we get going?" she says to me eagerly, rubbing her eyes free of sleep dust.

"Go where? I thought you stayed here?" I question her.

"Well, I guess you didn't get chance to hear, but when the attacks began, the government issued a warning... and a promise." She explains.

"What sort of promise?" I ask, curious.

"Well... of shelter from the attacks, the warning told us they were happening, but they gave a sort of... solution, if you will. Basically, there's this place, up in the North, that refugees from the attacks can stay at! The military guards it, and if you can get to it, they'll let you in, and... and we'll be safe there apparently!" She eagerly rambles on.

"Why can't the military just attack the monsters, instead of letting them kill people?" I ask, outraged.

"Well, I don't know, I think there's too many monsters, but if we can get to the safe place they talked about, then we could be ok!" She smiled hopefully.

I nod decisively before agreeing, and then we head down the tree, packing the stuff that she had stored in her plank-base into our backpacks.

We keep our pace slow and careful and try to stay alert. As we move I begin to notice the rustle of other animals, like rabbits and mice, hidden in the brush and grass. Crispy runs off to chase them sometimes, but never gets too far away before returning to Sara, taiI thrashing in annoyance at losing the animal. Somehow, I feel safer with people by my side, even though I know we could be attacked at any moment...

As we continue to walk, the forest livens up with the afternoon sun. We pause for a moment so Sara can look at the crinkled map she had kept of the area we were headed for.

As I look around, I see some berries close by. They're ones I've had before, so I walk over to the bushes and pick a handful, eating some as I filled my hand. After a minute or so, my ears pick up the sounds of crunching leaves and twigs underfoot, and I realise I've lost sight of Sara. I freeze in my tracks and look around, trying to identify where the sound is coming from and whether it could just be Sara coming to find me.

Just then, a rustling in and amongst the bushes catches my attention and I feel a pang of fear. Last time I checked, friends didn't come out of bushes, at least not in these days...

I take a cautious step towards the sound and try to see what made it, my heart racing as I pray that it's Sara playing a dumb prank... or maybe Crispy chasing a mouse... I hope. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I try to stay as quiet and still as possible.

Suddenly, the rustling stops. I feel my muscles tighten and I hold my breath, trying to hear any sound that will help me figure out what is lurking amongst the trees. I keep my guard up and wait, my senses on high alert as my eyes scan the surroundings.

My body freezes when I see a flash of movement, but just as quickly as it appears, it disappears into the shadows. I hold my breath, not sure what it is that I saw and not knowing if it's a monster or not. I stand perfectly still and listen intently, hoping to catch another clue.

My ears prick up again when I hear that familiar crunching sound of leaves and twigs being crushed underneath someone's feet. The crunching sound grows louder and louder, as if whatever it is that's making it is getting closer and closer. My heart beats out of my chest and my body trembles, my instincts telling me to run but my fear keeping me still and trapped.