The Forest

Chapter 35

I felt like I could cry. I felt like water could come rolling out of my eyes and down my face. Yet when I touched my hand to my cheek there was nothing there. It appeared to be a shield. I could feel emotions of pain and grief, but I couldn't cry. I tried blinking the tears away, but they were non existent. I truly felt dead.

"We need to keep going" Kimberly said, "You need all the time you can get"

Suzanne shook her head in disarray. I took her by the shoulder and helped her along. We followed her slowly behind. I could feel myself flinching every so often thinking someone had tapped my shoulder or whispered in my ear. Now that I think of it, they probably were.

Time seemed to roll by slowly, almost as if it were never moving at all. It was like we were walking in constant circles that never seemed to end. I wanted to stop and figure out why I could feel this strange feeling around my neck. It was tight as if I were being yanked. I tried to ignore it as the mysterious pain grew inside me.

    "Hey, where do you think you're going?" I heard a voice say.  Suzanne and I scanned our surrounding while Kimberly stopped in her tracks.

    "I knew this would happen.." I heard Kimberly say under her breath.

    "You knew what?" I ask in frustration.

    "Matthew, you didn't think I'd forget about you" I heard a voice say again. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. The voice was familiar though and made me feel worrisome. Suddenly leaves frantically fell on top of my head and around us. I swallowed hard and looked up.

    It was Sam, one of the demons Jasper sent after me. I didn't think I'd ever see him again and the sight of him made me uncomfortable. He wasn't going to take me to Jasper, I wouldn't let him.

    As I tried to look to Kimberly for help I didn't find her. She had disappeared. Why would she leave us like this? Was this a trap? I was infuriated and disappointed.

    "You look so unhappy to see me. I would've thought you'd appreciate my return" he claims with a smirk. He didn't even hold on to the branches for support. His feet simply glided on them despite how high he was in the air.

    "What do you want?" Suzanne asks

    "I think your friend doesn't know who I am, allow me to introduce myself" he says and jumps from the top of the tree. He tries to attack her, but I push her in the opposite direction so he falls to the ground.

    "Oh, see Matthew you're no fun" he claims laughing. He charges toward me and forces me to the ground.

    "Not so strong now are you?" He asks, trying to wrap his arms around my neck. While I tried to pry them away Suzanne pulls at his hands and arms for him to release me. He was stronger than before and had the element of surprise over my head this time.

    "You won't kill him" Kimberly said, "Jasper wants the pleasure of doing it..not you"

    I was surprised that she had returned. Where did she go? What did she do?

    "Kimberly..." Sam said, "I assume you're here to help"

"You're mistaken...my son is causing trouble. He is hurting and he is using innocent people to make him feel better"

"He is not innocent Kimberly, he has been nothing but trouble since he arrived" he claimed, pushing me harder to the ground.

"You are in denial. Let's not forget how you got here ...let's not forget how we all got here Jonathan"

"Who is Jonathan?" I ask, pushing harder against him as Suzanne pulled at his eye lids making him screech.

"You didn't really believe his name was Sam, did you? Jasper thought that by using that name you'd be intrigued by John. He knows that you're sensitive to the name" she continues, " Let him go"

"Or what?" He turns and yells at her and at the words I punched him in the stomach. He fell from on top of me.

"I thought you'd protest, that's why I brought you a little reminder" Kimberly says and along comes beside her Johns reminder. His face was full of color and life. He frowned at his dead self disapprovingly.

"Take a look at what you looked like before...William got to you. You were a lair and a cheat. William needed to get rid of you because of your sin. Matthew and Suzanne are going to get rid of William. I am helping them escape this place and escape my son" she continues, getting closer to his face, "What has my son done for you? He is battering you around like dogs to fulfill his needs. You will never claim happiness by being a slave...not to him and not to Jasper"

John's face fell. His attitude changed abruptly. He seemed to have gotten a reality check.

"Is this all true?" He turns and asks me

"Yes..but don't flatter yourself. I'm doing this for my brother, not you" I respond to him, kicking him in the ribs.

"If I don't come back with Matthew, I'll be locked away in one of Jasper's mind torture traps forever" he says and groans, "I can't go back there"

"Then I suggest you hide" Kimberly says in a harsh voice.

"What if the job never gets done?" John asks in worry. Jasper truly frightened him. It was almost comical to watch.

"We can't talk that into existence. It will be done and once that happens...we'll all be as good as free" she tells him

"We need to leave now...before he sends more to fetch us" I tell Suzanne and Kimberly who nod in agreement.

        "Matthew" I hear John say as we start to walk away ranging closer to be free of the forest.

    "What do you want?" I ask him, without turning around.

    "Make that bastard suffer" he says with hatred in his voice.