What Lies Ahead

Five

Sharp rocks tore through the knees of his jeans, cutting into his flesh as he was shoved violently to the ground. The scream caught in his throat came out in a fit of coughs as he tried to regain his breath; the taste of musky air and blood flooding his lungs. Blinking several times to clear the haze of tears streaming from his eyes, Harry tried to get a glimpse of his new surroundings but another shove between his shoulder blades sent him face-first into the dirt.

"How thick can you possibly be, boy?" Tom snarled from above him.

Harry tried to scramble to his feet, but sudden pressure across his lower back pinned him to the rocky surface. He felt the twist of Tom's shoe dig into his spine, and he helplessly dug his fingers into the grass ahead of him, trying to escape.

"Ger off, " he ground out through gritted teeth.

To his surprise, Tom actually removed his foot. Harry quickly rose to his hands and knees but before he could stand, a foot connected with his side, rolling him onto his back. Pain exploded across his torso and the air was forced from his lungs in a feeble cry. Harry clutched his aching stomach only to have another kick catch him on the hip.

"Is this the help you wanted," Tom asked. He reared back for another kick but stopped, apparently fighting his own desires. He took a shuddering breath and ran a hand through his disheveled hair in an attempt to tidy it. His other hand hung at his side, blood slowly dripping from his mangled finger to the grass below. Closing his eyes, he turned his face to the sky and shook his head.

"The trace," he said softly and a smile cracked his strained face. "I should have realized traveling with an underage wizard would prove difficult. Now the question is, how do we proceed from here? Should I kill you and be done with it?"

Fear dulled the pain burning across Harry's body, and he slowly was able to climb to his unsteady feet. He scanned the area around him, only to find they were in a dense forest. No help for miles. Returning his gaze to Tom, he prepared for the worst.

Tom was regarding him with a thoughtful look, clearly torn between two decisions. However, he slowly pocketed Harry's wand and heaved a low sigh. "I guess we'll finish the rest of our journey without magic."

Harry didn't know if he felt relieved or weary but he closed his eyes in an attempt to settle his racing heart. At least he still had time to find a way out of this mess. All he needed was more time.

"Walk," Tom snapped, giving Harry a shove in the direction of a clearing ahead of them. Judging by the orange color of the sky between the thick canopy above, they didn't have long before sunset.

"Where are we going, " asked Harry as he stepped over a fallen tree branch. The ground was littered with spring growth and remnants of winter's destruction. Above, hidden by the green foliage, birds sang merrily, closing out the day with beautiful music.

"There's an abandoned house near the base of that ridge ahead of us."

Harry let his eyes float to the top of the rising cliffs. They were miles away and his spirit dropped. There was no way they would make it before nightfall and something about being in these woods after dark scared him even further. He had been in the Forbidden Forest after dark, but he had had a wand and a Fang. Now, they were facing complete darkness without even a torch to help them. He opened his mouth to express his concerns but Tom cut him off.

"There's also a small village in the clearing. We'll get what we need there before continuing."

"How do you know this abandoned house is what you're looking for, " Harry asked while massaging his bruised side.

Riddle sighed as if answering Harry's questions was a waste of his breath. "The couple in Berat said they stumbled upon it. They said when they got near to the house there were no animals and the birds stopped singing."

"So, you're going off of birds," Harry asked sarcastically. This cheek earned him a slap to the back of his head but Riddle remained silent.

They came into the clearing after a few minutes of silent walking. Harry didn't know what he had been expecting, but this wasn't it. What Tom referred to as a village was actually a small shop surrounded by a few worn-down houses. No one was on the trash-littered street, but a light shone through the dirt-covered windows of the shop.

The bell over the door gave a small tinkle as Harry entered the store. A wall of stale cigarette smoke hit him in the face and he crinkled his nose with disgust. Tom pushed past him and quickly began to gather the things they needed all the while being closely watched by the attendant behind the counter. Placing the stuff on the table, Tom threw some money from the stolen bifold beside it. Without speaking, the clerk bagged the items and handed back two coins in change. Apparently, being silent wasn't uncommon for him.

Once outside, Tom pulled a small roll of gauze from the plastic sack and wound it around his bleeding finger. He shot Harry a look of contempt before tossing him a bag of crisps.

"You can walk and eat right, " he asked while opening his own bag.

Harry rolled his eyes and followed Tom off the road and along a worn trail in the greening grass. A soft breeze blew through treetops, their emerald leaves dancing in the fading light. He popped a crisp into his dry mouth and forced himself to chew. The food felt nice on his empty gnawing stomach, but what he really wanted was something to wash it down with.  Thankfully, Tom chunked a bottle of water at him when he'd finished the bag. Harry quickly gulped down the entire bottle, relishing the cool relief it gave his sore throat.

As the darkness deepened with the setting sun, Riddle withdrew a torch and flicked it on. Yellow light illuminated the path in front of them, casting eery shadows among the trees. Harry felt anxiety rising inside him with each progressing step. What was waiting for them at the end of this path?

After what seemed like hours of walking, they reached the base of the ridge. Legs aching, Harry stood with hands planted on his hips staring up the steep incline.

"This way, " Tom said, breaking the silence for the first time since leaving the town. He was motioning to his left, beyond a thicket of trees where the path ended.

Their trek took a turn for the worst here. The overgrowth made it hard to navigate while staying close to the ridge. Deep down Harry hoped that they were lost. Several times he thought about turning and running; it would be easy to lose Riddle in the thick underbrush, however, the fear of being lost in the woods at night kept him from following through. He would wait this out and pray they wouldn't find anything.

Tom stopped abruptly and Harry had to sidestep to keep from running into him. At first, he stared in confusion at the older boy, but then it hit him. The breeze had stopped. Around them, all the familiar sounds of the night had ceased and the air had become unusually heavy. Harry swallowed hard against the lump of terror rising in his throat and squinted ahead of them, past the glow of the torchlight. It was then that he saw a small crumbling house. The roof was caved in on one side and the doors and windows were missing. A mixture of moss and vines had overtaken most of the siding and brick chimney making it difficult to spot among the trees.

Tom took a step forward; the twigs snapping beneath his shoes echoed loudly in the silence. Harry, however, remained rooted to the spot. Running blindly through the forest now seemed like a better idea than facing whatever was inside that house. He instinctively took a retreating step but Tom grabbed him roughly by the upper arm.

"I don't think so, Potter, " he hissed and Harry could hear the excitement pouring from his words.

He forced Harry up the rickety stairs, and through the door that had long ago fallen from its hinges. The musty smell of rotting wood and damp earth welcomed them. Heart hammering, Harry peered around the small one-room cabin afraid that the next step would send him crashing through the squeaky floorboards. As Tom shined the beam of light around it came to rest on a large pile of bones in the far corner. Harry grimaced and tried to turn but Tom's tight grip kept him steady.

A large crash to their right sent Harry's heart into his throat and Tom spun the light in its direction. Something was moving along the wall; creeping slowly from the corner. Something not quite human.