THE CURSED FORESTS OF TAMASKAVILLE

Chapter IV - Desire, Elixir or Poison

It was dark by the time Mason and Tara understood and concurred with everything that was happening to them. All they could do then, was to close their eyes tight and wish it was just another nightmare. Sadly, it was not and they had no other choice other than to bend to reality that they have become twice their age now.

"You look way too old dad!" Tara said in a profound voice.

Mason sat there silently for a few breaths,took a deep one and said "It kind of makes sense now"

Tara's eyes started outpouring numerous questions. Mason continued in a shallow voice breaking with every breath.

" Among all the rumored stories about this forest, there was one story, that aged back more than any of the others. It was said to add a little extra fuel to the rumors and sounded too mystical to be true. It says, 20 years back a group of explorers were searching for something called a 'Reverse Catalyst'. The person who injects it...

Mason's story was interrupted by a ground breaking tremor. Though it was dark, forest was lit up by mosaics of scattered moonlight. Tara moved herself close to Mason. She started trembling as the tremors intensified out of pace. They caused Tara to slip from the boulder and drop to the floor. Tara could feel the ground breathing below her. She tried to get up the very next instance but two arms that unrooted from the ground, wrapped around her waist and starting pulling her into the ground. Tara cried out to her dad.

Mason still on the boulder hung his hand down to reach Tara. Tara quickly held his hand. Mason gripped her hand tight and tried to pull her up. Mason too weak to even bare his own weight was screaming in pain trying to set Tara free from that demonic hold. Instead of pulling Tara up Mason was pulled to the ground. Even at the peak of that moment he managed to push himself away through the fall, hard enough to make him fall away from Tara. He rolled back towards Tara and tried with all his strength to release those grips. He then searched for his pockets to find a pen, the pen that was gifted to him by Anna. He Stabbed the pen right into the demon's arms, but it seemed to have no sensation. He kept on hammering the pen into its arms and by the time Mason's rage was almost empty, the hands retracted back to the ground.

"You still have not given up on being my strength." Mason thought while sliding the pen back into his pocket.

Tara got up from the ground and helped Mason to get back on his legs. They looked at each other with perplexed emotions.

"It's pretty clear that these creatures, whatever they are, only come out in the darkness." Tara said dusting away the mud on her arms and shoulders.

"Let's look for a place where there is enough light" Mason started looking in all the directions.

They started walking towards the core of the forest, as they saw the silhouettes of the trees scattered against a light too bright for the night. Their breath got heavier with time. They were one step away from suffocation. Mason, being a old man now was barely able to walk a few steps without taking a pause. Tara started being both the mental and physical support system for Mason while he was trying his best to keep moving. Mason was totally out of energy and air. Before they could reach the bright light, they found a place where there was no much light but there was at least some light to be cautious of things to come.

One of the tree trunks had a branch obliquely rooting into the ground. Both of them took a seat on the branch.

"Think we can rest for a while" Tara solaced Mason.

"Thing I still don't understand is, why is it getting so difficult to breathe when it is dark!" Tara said taking a deep breath.

"It's Carbon-dioxide" said Mason trying to hold his breath.