The Boy From The Forest {1Px2P HongIce}

Part Two

It was late morning when Leon finally woke up, remembering a very strange and vivid dream he had. A boy with the eyes of a demon, a bonfire, he remembered feeling scared out of his right mind. The very thought of the dream – well nightmare in his case – made him shudder.

He could faintly hear his father downstairs having a go at something downstairs, most likely the computer seeming that the phrase 'shitbox' came up amongst all of the cursing from the angry Brit. With a massive sigh, he got out of bed and trudged downstairs to rescue the computer from being bashed by his father (he needed that 'shitbox' for home work).

"Dad, percussive maintenance will not work no matter how many times you hit it," Leon sighed from the study doorway, watching Arthur repeatedly hit the computer monitor. He paused for a moment, considering what Leon had just said and giving the monitor one last smack with his fist, just to prove him wrong. And with that, the computer started working again.

"I stand corrected," Leon muttered with surprise.

"I am a firm believer in percussive maintenance, so don't go telling me it's not going to work," Arthur concluded in a lecture like manner.

"Whatever. I'm going for a jog," he sighed, retreating back upstairs to put on a t-shirt and shorts. It wasn't long before he was traversing his usual track out through the forest. It was an old track that he discovered, and he has worn in a more defined pathway from all of those times he had ran. As he ran, he blasted his music to set a good jogging rhythm, but this time it seemed so eerie with the memory of the nightmare still crawling through his head.

Once Leon was about three quarters of the way through, he was completely puffed and decided to stop and catch his breath. It was always a good spot to rest, there was a thick log lying on its side, perfect for either sitting on or stretching. The surroundings seemed to be missing that usual sepia glow that day and the sky was stained a pale grey, as if it was going to rain later in the day. Leon took his headphones out as he was unable to hear the music over the thumping of his heartbeat in his ears.

It was unnervingly quiet, leaving a slight ringing in Leon's ears. After stretching and now being able to fill his lungs with air, he was about to pop his earbuds back in when he heard a noise. A noise that seemed very out of place for normal noises to be hearing in the forest when you're alone. It sounded as if someone was sniffling rather close by. Leon tried to convince himself that he was just imagining it, but it didn't work seeming that the noise, not only did not stop, but it got louder.

Chills ran down Leon's spine and his breath hitched. Was someone following him? His first instinct was to run, but then when he heard whimpering, he froze where he was and decided to follow the sound. As stupid and dangerous as it may seem, someone could have been hurt. It only took a few seconds to locate where the whimpering and sniffling was coming from, and instantly, Leon regretted ignoring his instincts.

There, sitting hunched in the small clearing next to a pile of burnt out coals was the boy Leon had seen last night. It wasn't all a dream. It was real. If the dream seemed scary, reality was now terrifying.

"Oh... Shit..." Leon muttered under his breath, turning on his heels to run. But this time, he had made too much noise, causing Erikur to whip around and face Leon. He froze where he was for a second and turned back to face Erikur, realising that it was too late to run away now. Erikur's eyes were bloodshot and his face was puffy from sobbing. His expression was twisted with pain, but at the same time it was burning and clawed at Leon's insides.

"Erikur...?" Leon whispered, cocking his head to the side, attempting to inconspicuously distance himself from the boy. He only stared straight back at him, a complete portrait of betrayal.