The Maestro

Chapter 2 -- The Forest

The sidewalk had broken off and left me at the edge of a large forest.

I didn't know exactly how I had gotten here, because I'd been too preoccupied with my thoughts to pay attention to where I was going. Fresh chills spread throughout my body, causing goosebumps to form on my skin.

Damn this is a creepy looking forest.

I took a step on the soft moss covering the ground. Leaning forward, I peered into the trees. There was a narrow, overgrown trail that had been carved out of the woods. Past that, all that I could see was fog. I walked a little ways onto the trail, still staring into the forest.

Wait, what the hell was I doing going further into the woods? I suddenly wanted to go back to my house and call it a night. The safety bubble of my neighborhood was gone, and I didn't feel too good about being alone in a creepy forest in the middle of the night.

As I spun on my heels to go back to the sidewalk, the piercing screech of an owl sounded from the trees.

Shit, I gotta get out of here!

Out of nowhere, something with glowing yellow eyes swooped down from a dead branch that was hanging beside my head, and blocked the way out. I screamed, adrenaline pumping through my veins, as I jolted myself back into the woods and ran. The sound of wings furiously beating through the air terrified me enough to make me double my speed. But the bird of prey was faster than me, and I felt the tips of razor sharp talons beginning to dig into my back.

With a painful cry, I threw myself face-first to the ground. The owl gave an angry shriek, and let go of me before swerving up into the sky above. It circled over me a few times, and then perched on a nearby tree branch, never taking its glow-in-the-dark eyes off of me.

I was left on the ground, out of breath, and with a ripped shirt. Thankfully my back wasn't bleeding, but my knees and hands were scraped from falling on tree roots. I shakily sat up and looked around for my attacker, but the owl had disappeared. Now I began to panic.

I couldn't see the entrance to the forest anymore, and I had no clue how to get out of this place.

A fucking owl had just tried to kill me, and now I was lost in the creepy woods.

Shit!

I stood up and looked around, trying to find some way out, but everything was covered in shadows and thick fog. I couldn't see a way out, but I did find something... The overgrown forest trail was a few yards away from where I was standing.

I knew that if I followed the trail, I would find my way out of here. But the question was, which way should I go? Left...or right? I had gotten so turned around that I didn't know which way would lead me back to civilization, and which would lead me deeper into the forest; and I couldn't see down the path at all. I tried to calm down and be logical about the situation.

If one way doesn't lead me back out, then all I have to do is turn around and go the other way. As long as I stay on the trail, I can't get any more lost.

And with that, I decided to try going left. For a while I was sure this was the right direction, until I came upon something peculiar.

A leaning wrought iron gate stood directly in the way of the path. Of course, I was sure now that this was the wrong way. I couldn't have possibly run past this when I fled from the owl. On either side of the gate was a brick wall that extended as far as I could see--which wasn't far because of the fog...but still, it was a long wall.

For a moment I became intrigued, and I walked a little closer. The gate was ajar just wide enough for a child to slip through. I could see rust and corrosion eating away at the decorative metal.

Now why is there a big ass gate in the middle of the woods?

I really wondered, because all of this was starting to look way too much like a Stephen King horror novel.

In spite of the creepy vibes, I pushed the gates open wider and scooted in between them.

Dammit, I knew I should have turned around and ran out of there before I got attacked by something worse than an owl.

But a strong feeling had taken ahold of me. In that moment I was just so...curious to see what lied beyond the gate.

Well you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat...