Lost In The Woods

The light of the moon gleamed bright and illuminated the footsteps in the dirt. Harper strained her ears, listening to her surroundings. The breeze rustled branches up above her and animals called out into the night. Mice chittered and owls hooted. A stream nearby flowed and sloshed with life- nothing out of the ordinary.
She'd become accustomed to the small, secluded forest. It was her safe haven. She had grown up in a harsh environment, not abusive, but not normal. Normal- what a strange word. She thought about the other families she'd grown up with. No, they weren't normal. But her current family were the furthest from it. Especially her new Dad. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. The forest was not meant for those thoughts.
As she continued to walk through the thick woods, she noticed a few broken branches. Odd. They weren't the usual small trampled twigs, damaged by the small animals who lived there. The cracks were much larger, as though a human had crossed this path. Impossible, she thought. Nobody came here since the incident. Her foster mother had told her the unnerving story of the missing people. She had told her to never enter the woods alone. Still, the path continued with more fractured branches, scraping along the dirt, blown by the wind. The forest was eerily quiet now. She could just hear the subtle autumn leaves falling from the massive trees bordering the small paths created years ago.
Suddenly, a loud bang woke her from her thoughts, shattering the peaceful veil that the forest provided. Startled, she looked up to see birds flying away above. They all appeared to be coming from an area nearby. Her scattered thoughts took over her brain, seizing control. They quickly spun many possibilities, but one in particular continued to reappear. The noise was beginning to sound like a shot to her. A gunshot.
Shivers swept through her body, causing her to tense, and her senses heightened. She ran. She ran as fast as she could towards the loud bang's source. Obviously, most people would run away from a gun, but Harper was different. Someone could be in danger, or worse. Dread threatened to overcome her, but she pushed on. There was no way she'd let anyone else die under her watch. She ran harder, jumping over fallen trees and twigs. She had adapted to the forest by now, after months of secretive visits. She knew it so well; every twist and turn, the feel of the night's breeze on her arms as she ran. The densely packed undergrowth was now an obstacle she could manage. Or so she thought, until she stumbled over a rock she hadn't spotted in the darkness. Fist slamming hard against the rough surface beneath her -pain spread throughout her body causing her mouth to slam shut and her body to clamp up, as if on cue. Argh! Dumb stone. She got up swiftly, running her hands down her body, checking for injuries. Besides a few small scratches and a cut knee, she was passable for fine.
She continued through the woods at a slightly slower speed, following her instincts, hoping they would lead her to the origin of the mysterious sound she had heard. Suddenly she stopped, immediately seeing the dark red substance scattered on the leaves below her. The fresh, metallic smell that seeped into her nose confirmed her suspicions further. Blood. Utterly paralyzed, she stood frozen in place as though frost had replaced her organs, ice spreading underneath her skin. Memories were surfacing into her mind, vying for her attention. She tried to push them away, she didn't want to drown into them when somebody needed her help. Utterly shocked, she started to panic, forgetting all the months of training in the woods. As she reset herself, she forced herself to take deep breaths.
'In and out,' she thought. 'Harper, in and out.' She repeated those words until they were ingrained in her mind, forever in her memory and deeply a part of her. She began to walk farther, trying to ignore the chill running down her spine. Seeing more of the pure scarlet liquid, she reacted much more calmly, following the trail before her. Her thoughts strayed to her first family home, against her will. The dad, Andrew, was somewhat suicidal, but she never thought he would go so far...
She remembered coming back from the new school, tired and reckless. As she'd burst through the door, throwing her backpack onto the floor, she'd immediately sensed there was something not right in the house. She'd climbed slowly up the stairs following a trail of what seemed to be red paint. At least that's what she tried to convince herself of. She'd opened the bathroom door cautiously, slightly afraid of what she would find. "Andy?" Her voice whispered his name softly, picturing something horrid. The door creaked open, and she wasn't in the slightest bit prepared for the great mess of red staining the carpeted floor. She gasped and shut the door quickly, calling the number engrained in her head for that exact situation. 9-1-1.
Presently, Harper quietly choked on the fresh forest air. She chose not to continue her train of thought. She was never able to get past that part in her memory. Her mind had set up a barrier to protect her, the past haunting her future. Continuously watching the trail that was leading her forward, she wondered what had happened again. Hopefully nothing serious, she thought. Not likely though, with her luck, it must be worse. The path of blood stopped. Confused and worried, she leapt over the wooden log into a small clearing. Hearing a soft noise she swiftly turned around. Not fast enough.
All she saw was a quick blur of movement, the shadows glistening behind the trees around her. Her heartbeat heightened as she realized the blur was not an animal. "Hello?" She called out, hoping for an answer. Silence thickened the air around her. She tried again. Still no answer. 'Ugh' she thought, 'why can't anything be simple in my life?'  She decided to move towards the trees staying low in the undergrowth. She had to be weary, since she still wasn't sure what had happened. Creeping along the dark bushes, her footsteps were as stealthy as a hunter's. Her ears perked up when she heard a noise. She heard it again.
Her heartbeat quickened with every step she took. Finally, she was able to decipher the pitch and she heard a quiet "dad?" Humans. More than one too. Sounds echoed through the silent night, voices that sounded suspiciously like a parent telling his child off. "Hello?" She asked. Nobody answered. "I won't hurt you, I promise. My name is Harper Maxewell. I live in a town nearby, so I know these woods well. Are you alright?" Almost immediately the bushes swayed and a rustling sound rang in her ears. A large man and a young boy emerged.
The boy looked around seven years old with a head of mousy brown hair, and the man, clearly his father, looked similar, both of them having deep, dark eyes. They both looked pretty rough, some of their clothes in tatters and dirt covering their pale skin until it resembled brown. The dad took a protective step in front of the boy but then stopped when he realized that she was only a kid. His posture relaxed but a confused expression spread across his face. He introduced his name as Jack and his kid's name was Harry. He claimed that they were in the woods looking for twigs to light a fire, as they were camping in a location nearby. She asked them about the shot, and the dad quickly told her what had happened.
Apparently a bear had approached his son, and the boy had been afraid and ran; never a good idea with wild animals. The bear gave chase, feeling threatened, so the dad shot it. Jack told her the bear was fine and that he had a bad shot. The bear had run away with only an injured paw. That explained the trail of blood earlier. Harper sighed with relief knowing the blood hadn't been humans.
The little boy then stepped forwards timidly and asked how old she was. He was so sweet and young; Harper felt foolish for thinking him and his father were capable of lying. She replied saying that she was thirteen, and turning fourteen in a couple weeks. The dad then brought his boy close to him, an act that made her heart clench with longing. She never had a true father with whom to bond.
"Sorry to be so bothersome, but did you happen to see a campsite on your way here? We got lost with the whole bear commotion." Jack said sheepishly. Harper replied saying that she'd passed the site before and that she could help them return safely. As they began walking, Harry started babbling on about how he was going to tell all his school friends that he had conquered a bear. He tried practicing with her, acting out the story with animated arms and fierce roars. Harper laughed, and realized she was actually having fun.
When the boy tired out from all the excitement and walking, his dad picked him up and carried him the rest of the way. Harry fell asleep in a matter of minutes, his snores slashing through the night's lazy winds. Jack and her began to have a good conversation about the woods and its history. Apparently before the incident, it had been a firewood site. He used to work there as a teenager. She found this man particularly interesting as she continued to grill him with her in-depth questions. She came into these woods hoping for time alone, time to have her thoughts to herself. But she must admit, talking to these people was more entertaining than she would have thought. Harper was accustomed to keeping to herself at all times, figuring that nobody could hurt her if she never drew close to them. But maybe when she got out of the forest, she would try talking to other kids at school.
Once they finally made it back to their campsite, she waved as they headed back into the dense woodland. She turned and walked away, deep in thought. For a while, all she was conscious of was the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and the moonlight seeping through the high branches, illuminated her path. Suddenly, she realized that with all that was going through her head, she'd forgotten which way she had come. Harper knew the forest so well, it was terrifying to think that she was actually lost. Her heart started to pound, her hands began to shake, and she felt her eyes begin to water with fear. She usually kept her emotions bottled up so this was quite unusual for her. She brushed away the tears quickly, looking around nervously. It was a habit she had learnt from the foster homes she'd stayed at: Never show weakness in a house that isn't your home. Once she realized she was alone, she stopped herself, feeling embarrassed. There were only a few times she had ever cried, one of them being similar to her current situation.
She'd been seven at the time, and was with a particularly kind foster mom at the mall. The foster mother had brought her shopping, but Harper lost her in the market. Her bright brown eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. She finally saw the cropped red locks and hugged Lucy, her foster mom's side passionately. The woman turned around and Harper pulled back realizing it had been the wrong person. She apologized hurriedly and ran off. She'd been so scared. Only much later did she finally see her foster mother, crying with both fear and joy.
She halted, almost knocking into the tree in front of her, her long hazel hair whipping her in the face. As the sky grew darker, so did Harper's uneasiness. Even her current foster parents, who weren't home half of the time, would start to worry if she didn't return soon. She stressed, trying to escape the lingerings of her memory, and unsuccessfully attempted to remember the path she had taken. Her legs pushed forwards, although she had no destination in mind. Anxiety was slowly creeping its way into her; it wanted her as prey. After several long, excruciatingly scary minutes later, she came to a stop. Without even meaning to, she'd walked right back to Jack and Harry's campsite. She considered turning around and not troubling them, but her newfound fear of the forest compelled her to go join them by the fire they'd started.
"Hi guys." She startled Harry awake, who had been snoozing drowsily against his father's chest. They greeted her warmly, and she sat down timidly next to Jack. "I, umm, got lost. I was wondering if I could stay with you two for the night? I can definitely find my way back once the sun comes up though."
"Harper, of course! You helped us, so how could we refuse? I have an extra sleeping bag you can borrow too, so stop trying to gather dry leaves to form a bed." Jack laughed. She smiled, thankful for their kindness. They were both likeable people by nature, and Harry's personality charmed her. They laughed and shared stories, and Harper found herself feeling more at home than she'd had in a long time.
Maybe more than ever.