Dagger

Chapter 29

Melody crouched before a pile of sticks, two in her own hand. She began to rub them together, hoping a tiny spark would bring them the warmth they needed.

Wyatt was busy ruffling the tent in an attempt to figure out how to pitch it. A quick spark flickered off the sticks, her stomach felt uneasy with excitement. Swiftly, Melody leaned forwards, toward the pile of accelerators. She coupled her hand behind the pile and gently blew. The orange embers glowed and then caught on the sticks, making a small fire erupt from the pile. Melody leaned back on her toes, smiling to herself with satisfaction. She watched the small flame dance and curl under the slight breeze. She stood up and looked around the surrounding brush. It was dark and still, almost eerie.

They've been out in the woods for a few days now and Melody could already feel the shift of the seasons. The days were getting shorter and the nights colder. She didn't have a destination in mind and yet they still continued to move and switch camps. Even with all those times they had to set up their camp, Wyatt always confused himself with pitching the tent. Melody made her way over to a struggling Wyatt. She stood back and observed what he had laid out on the frosty dirt. The tent was in a neat square with various other tools sprawled across the fabric.

Wyatt worked on the opposite side of tent as he tried to figure out how to get the pole through. Melody bent over and shuffled all of the tools onto the ground. She then marched over to the other side of the tent. Startled, Wyatt quickly handed her the pole. Wyatt watched Melody, but all she did was slide the pole through the designated loops.

Melody turned toward him and smiled patiently. "See? That's all there is to it." Wyatt curtly nodded and the two of them began to swiftly work together to put up the tent.

Melody stood back and observed the lopsided tent, as Wyatt worked on putting up the last corner. When she had convinced herself that he could manage without her, she ventured into the ebony dark woods.

Pine needles brushed against her shoulders. The moonlight made her able to make out the shadowy forms of the tree trunks. Her steady breathing filled her senses with the slight smell of sap. Sticks crunched beneath her feet as she traveled deeper into the thick brush. Melody noticed a  berry bush a few yards from where she stood, across a small trampled pathway. Just as she reached out towards the berries she noticed a small flicker of a flame from the corner of her eye. She quickly withdrew her hand, praying she wasn't seen.Melody then recoiled back into the dark woods. She craned her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the fire through the leaves. She heard the faint chatter from afar. There were definitely people there. Not wanting to get into any trouble, Melody forgot about the berries and hoped that whatever food they had left would suffice. She turned around and retreated.  Her footsteps were quiet and unnoticed until she stepped on a twig, causing it to snap. It seemed like it was the loudest noise ever. She could've sworn it echoed through the woods.

There was shuffling through the trees. Melody began to run back towards her camp.  It was as if someone was controlling her, telling her to flee. She began to pat down her empty pockets in hopes of finding a weapon to defend herself. To her dismay she had been stupid enough to forget her axe back at camp, she cursed at herself.

The light from her campsite engulfed her, shedding the darkness from the woods from her vision. Wyatt had finished with the tent and was now sitting around the fire, looking at her in confusion.

A long breath of air escaped her lungs."Where's my axe." Her words came out in a rush.

Wyatt leaned forward and picked up her axe, which was next to the fire, and handed it back to her. Melody cast a quick glance into the woods. She took the axe into her own hands. Wyatt craned his neck to look in the direction that Melody had. Her axe held up in defense.