A stillness captured everything. All around froze, not a single breeze caressed my damaged skin. The single sound I heard was my heartbeat, as slowly felt as all my body started to throb and sting. Pain erupted through me, while I only watched the small cave Olly was dragged in, unable to save him.

"We will die here, I know it!" I mumbled.

I closed my eyes while I let out a relieving breath all of a sudden, Yves was beside me trembling like a leaf and pulled me back from my trance as he dragged me away .

He looked at me petrified, while the mist started to scatter and all looking like a nightmare. 

"Don't look around!" He told me between heavy sobs, while I crouched in front of him and pulled him in my arms.

"It will be okay..."

I trailed off, as my eyes set on the bed of leaves. Something was moving beneath, coming fast toward us. I felt my entire body burning, as the heartbeat of this forest pulsate through my veins.

The deep sorrowful whispers were resonating with each fiber from my body, as the pouring rain washed everything from the glade, the stained leaf, the roots of the trees, the blood was sealed into the soil, absorbed like a sponge, the earth below me was feeding with our remains.

I gulped trying to stand up but couldn't, my body was feeble. Yves stared at me, still shaking as tears were falling down on his ruby cheeks.

"I want mommy!" 

He whispered, starting to cry harder breaking my heart. I wanted to see her smile for the last time as well, but the only thing I could do; was nodding as I hold back my tears, biting my bottom lip.

"We will," I lied to him, but he looked in my eyes sniffing and I knew he saw something in my eyes or heard the pause from my voice, he let his head down and started sobbing.

"I do not want to die..."

It was the last thing I heard, as he was pulled from my arms with force, making my arms fly in the air, as my shoulder flesh ripped more, making me scream in pain.

It was terrifying seeing Yves pulled toward the roots of the same tree, where that monster was still eaten by. The same lianas, which now slowly formed a shape, looked like it were "dressed" up in skin, looking all jagged up.

One came beneath the mud as it started to wrap around Yves fragile body, making him yelp as it started to tighten around him. I could feel the hunger and the malice, the gnarled made me shudder but Yves strangled and low voice gave me power. Standing up, I ran, and took hold of him and started to pull from the creature.

"I won't let you take us you fucker... " I shouted, but the more I pulled the more it tighten around Yves. It started to tear his cloth as blood started to ooze out, as he started to cry and trashing to escape.

"It hurts, make it stop." 

He cried out as the rain also washed his freshly made wounds. Hearing his pleading something snapped in me. I needed something to cut as my eyes scanned fast the area falling straight on my shoulder, the bone that pierced me looked sharp enough to make a cut. Yves stared at me, as his eyes became bloodshot and ready to pop out.

Was now, or never! 

With one fast move, as the pain ripped through me like thousands blades I pulled it out. Letting the blood to come out from the deep gash, as the pain pulled out all the air from my lungs gasping. My body was bathed in a cold sweat as I could not stop from flickering.

The agonizing pain, started slowly to subside, as I started to pierce the creature unable to see where I stab it, but I could feel and hear the mud plash and Yves raging screams.

Thirst, is that I could feel, for blood. Suddenly I lean on toward Yves and he stopped moving, becoming stiff as his breath hitched, he looked toward me but not on my face, puzzling me and making me frowning.

I hold from the liana with both hands after throwing near me the bone and sank my teeth into it pulling and ripping off, as a horrible taste invaded my mouth making me gag. It was of stagnant water and soil. It felt soft at touch and warm strangely with a leather touch.

It's blood started to ooze out in my mouth, dark, bitter and felt heavy to my stomach.

The creature jolted and a heavy snarl echoed through the forest as it pulled away from us. Unable to register what just happen, I stood up, taking Yves under my arm and started to run, feeling my muscles burning.

"Natty, stop, it hurts..." 

He trailed off, as I stop, noticing how the mist lifted off, letting behind the forest. It looked like it was a painting. All the leaves from the ground were a red carped reminding me of stains of blood, while the wind ripped through the canopy, at last embracing my body, feeling the breeze, as all my wounds came back to life.

I yelp and leaning by a tree letting Yves down and crouched emptying at last my stomach, mostly liquid because we all barely been fed up, in our captivity. As the dark slime was still on my chin and face and my chest.

All my body convulsed, as I continue to throw up followed not far behind by Yves.

After our stomach settled we both started to laugh, relieved, we escaped, Yves looked awful, white as a sheet, as his black hair was ravished. He smiled after while instinctively, as I was doing with my little brother brought my hand to his head and patted him.

"Good boy," I told him with a hoarse voice, feeling my throat scratching me and the bitter taste in my mouth. My eyes felt heavy and I only wanted to sleep, I kneeled in front of him falling in my own puke, feeling my shoulder weighty like something was pulling me down.

I closed my eyes and I could only see the other guy body, as I turned before running It was a surreal and bleak view, in that bleakness I could see him clear. His corpse was sucked from inside, while he became a pile of bones only to be covered by bits of flesh and bones, his face was the only thing remaining intact.

The eyes were wide open and almost out from the orbits and he looked like he was smiling.

I felt a touch on my shoulder and opened my eyes only to see Yves poking my wound with curiosity in his eyes.

"What you're doing?" I asked him perplexed as well realizing I did not felt pain anymore, and turned my head.

"It healed..." He said taking my own words from my mouth.

We both stared at each others and I realized his face from back then, he saw how it was healing, and something else, an intruder in my wound, sealing itself.

I suddenly realized that something sinister did come out from the wood, and was inside me, already changing me. Powerless I felt to the ground, unable to move, as Yves sat in my lap, wrapping his arms around me while we shared each other's body heat.

"I won't say to anyone, not now, not ever, is our secret..." Yves stared in my eyes feeling my heartbeat in my chest ready to pierce my stern. A younger boy made a vow that shattered me. "I will protect you for what is inside you..."

I chuckled, as he put his head on my chest and his body became limp and his breath soft, falling asleep. I lean with my chin from the top of his head as I stared to the ghostly clouds, that were foresee a new storm.

"We didn't escape, we died Yves, this is the hell."

With that last words, I closed my eyes and let myself be taken by the darkness.