i found something in the woods somewhere

Sat May 25, 2019 12:28 am

i found something in the woods somewhere Tumblr_inline_prtvk9GLXO1ujappc_540

If you asked Eleanor Zimmerman what she was scared of, the forest would fall somewhere on the list. So, why was she here, walking among the fallen leaves and underbrush towards the dead center of one of the things she feared most? She didn't really know.

Once she got into the forest, she realized it wasn't as scary as she remembered. The smell of the earth was calming, reassuring. Birdsong echoed high in the trees. The sky was a pinkish blue against the nearly bare tree branches, a reminder that she only had an hour or so before the sun dipped below the horizon. She didn't really want to be around for night to fall. Besides, she wasn't one to be late for curfew. She feared the harpies even more. They never seemed to like her.

She knew things lurked in the forest. There had been so many deaths lately it was hard to forget. Carnivorous sheep had become a new buzzword around camp. She found it strange to think of something that was such a staple of her childhood as dangerous. Though now that she thought about it, there were many dangerous things in her childhood. Guns, truckers, pastors, the list could go on.

Now, she was lying earlier, about not knowing why she was here. There's a card in her hand, thick white paper with gold accents. She had found it on her bunk when she had returned from arts and crafts that morning. A message handwritten in loopy ink, telling her to meet them here, at the large pile of boulders that were often used as a base in capture the flag. Unsigned. The fact that she didn't know who had sent it should've caused her more pause. Though, she was arriving about half an hour late, since she had been debating whether or not to go in the first place. Real smart, Eleanor, follow the instructions of a creepy letter and then risk making the sender upset by arriving late.

She stood in front of the boulders for a minute, staring at them, half waiting for someone to pop out and kill her. She should've thought this through. She shouldn't have come at all. She should turn around and go home. She should've brought a weapon with her, she's such an idiot. Then, on the other side of the boulders, she heard the snapping of twigs. Yeah, she was definitely about to be murdered.

"Who's there?" She called out, her voice was too quiet and shaky to sound confident, but she had to try.