Fire & Flood

Chapter 20

Emily woke up to a darkened sky. Streaks of pink clouds and faint light alerted her to the rising sun. She was cold and every breath she took hung above her in a frozen cloud. Morgan and Sam laid beside her on either side in their animal forms. Even with their body heat, Emily felt frozen.
Specks of snow decorated Morgan's black fur. It was beautiful, but Emily wondered how much cold did Sam and Morgan feel as animals.

While the brisk morning air kept her awake, Emily was exhausted. Her night was restless. She shivered through most of it, the only small blessing was that the cold made her injured shoulder feel numb. Morgan did what he could and healed most of her injury, but her shoulder still felt stiff and achy.

Emily didn't want to move. As cold as she felt, she knew that moving around would make her colder. Sam yawned lazily beside her.

How did you sleep? His words echoed in her mind.

"Fitfully," she said and gave him a weak smile.

Are you in pain? Sam asked with concern.

"Not really, just cold," said Emily.

Sam moved in closer to her putting his large lion paw on her feet and wrapping his body as much as possible around her. Emily snuggled in closer into her chest. It felt soft and warm. A familiar scent of wildflowers made her feel at peace.

Ugh! She heard Morgan in her head as he got up, phased back into a human, and stalked away mumbling something about breakfast.

Hm, said Sam thoughtfully. It seems that our resident wolf has a crush on you. 

Emily stayed silent. In truth, she cared for Morgan too. She wanted to protect him, to see him happy. Emily felt sure that she loved Sam. There was no other word for the feeling she felt when she was around him, and now feeling safe nestled into his soft fur. However, she needed Morgan as well. He also made her feel things - safe, scared, needed, important. Her feelings for him were not all warm and fuzzy, but they were real nonetheless.

Emily was starting to warm up, when Morgan came back. Walking briskly towards them, he looked worried and scared.

"We need to go, now!" He announced and gathered up his backpack without pausing.

"What's wrong?" Asked Emily. It was strange to see the ever-confident Morgan being this scared.

"There's something in the woods and it's coming for us," he said and a tinge of panic coloured his tone.

"What is it?" Asked Sam. He phased back to his human form and stood beside Emily holding her hand.

"I don't know," said Morgan. "I've never seen anything like it... well... I didn't sees it... I felt it!"

"That makes no sense..." started Sam, but his words trailed off. Something was in the woods and it was coming for them.

Emily felt a darkness. It was not the type that you perceive visually, but one that you feel with your heart. The woods seemed to spin. The trees all around her became a kaleidoscope of shapes and shadows, and Emily heard a laughter. It was a giggle at first that grew and grew into a maniacal hysterics. It echoed in her head, surrounding her and drowning any other sound and thought.

"You are a riot, darling!" A bell-like voice exclaimed between fits of giggles. "So young and fresh. Delicious!"

"Who are you? Where are Sam and Morgan?" Emily shouted. The woods around her became flat. It was as if she stood on a stage of her school's theatre. The trees looked to be nothing more than cardboard cutouts, crudely painted and decorated with white fluff to resemble snow.

"Oh! The boys!" Said the voice. "Why, they are right here!"

As if drawing a curtain on a play, the world around Emily opened up. She could once again see the woods. Morgan and Sam stood close to each other. They looked furious. It looked like they were fighting.

"What's going on?" Asked Emily.

"Oh, just having a little fun," said the voice coyly.
"They both think that the other killed you." Once again the voice broke out into a manic laugh.

"What? No!" Emily could see the scene more clearly now. Her own body lying lifeless, blood pooling around her on the snow. Sam and Morgan now in their animal forms ready to tear each other apart.

"I am not dead!" Shouted Emily, but they didn't appear to hear her.

"Poor dears, they both really love you," said the voice with mocking pity. "But who will our cruel and fickle heroine choose? Will it be the good dryad? Or the big, bad wolf with a heart of gold?"

"Stop this!" Commented Emily. The curtains around her closed and, once again, Emily was back in the strange two-dimensional world.

"Oh, darling, not even I can stop this train... it is on rails," said the voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Emily yelled.

"I am your fear," whispered the voice and Emily felt the hair on her neck prickle. "As to what I want... why, some fun, of course! You never let me out to play. Always so composed and boring," said the voice mockingly.

"So...let's have some fun!"