“How long will that take us?” I asked.
“At least three days, if we don’t run into any trouble,” Kenny answered for him.
“So two more nights in this wretched place?” Davis groaned. “I want a real bed.”
Chase stood up. He hadn’t said a word about the Circus and whether or not he agreed about going. I wondered what his thoughts were about it all. “Sun is rising, we should start moving now if we want to get out of here then.”
I looked at the cave door and saw light, if you could really call it light, beginning to shine. It really was just not-as-dark-as-pitch-black light, but at least we could see each other out there. Malcolm grabbed the bottle with the trising.
“Well then, shall we?”
CHAPTER 27
We walked as fast as we could through the forest, trying to reach the other side. My heart pounded in my chest as trees around us cracked and moaned. I had just watched Lord of the Rings last weekend and I became paranoid that the trees were going to get up and attack us, even though the Ents aren’t evil. In the real world, that would have been a silly notion, but here, anything was possible. And the fact a spider had tried to eat me the day before…
Letting the trising go was scary to experience. It wasn’t completely light out and it apparently didn’t appreciate us capturing it for the night. The moment Malcolm let it out of the bottle, it attacked him and Kenny. I’ll forever remember the sound of Kenny screaming. Never before had I head a grown man scream like a little girl. Now the two of them have bite and scratch marks all over their arms. We must have run at least two miles before it was light enough for the creature to have to hide. It couldn’t handle sunlight, which made sense to me. Creatures of Satan always hated sunlight in the movies.
After running for our lives, we got some food. I was very hesitant to eat it, after everything that I had experienced here, but Kenny and Malcolm reassured me again and again that it was okay, that they knew what was poisonous and what was not. I finally gave in, my stomach demanding something to eat.
What really concerned me was the random little signs planted into the ground next to berries and plants that said ‘eat me’ and ‘pick me’, etc. First off, who the hell posted those? Second, like hell am I going to believe those signs. I didn’t believe anything in this forest and I never wanted to come back. Ever.
Which probably meant, for some unforeseen reason, I would be back. That is, if we got out of here in one piece.
A few hours passed and we now found ourselves nearing the heart of the forest. The trees seemed to be getting denser, more creatures growling around us, and even more fog to worsen our vision. I stayed close to Malcolm, since he knew where he was going, and everyone else stayed close behind.
Melvin had his saber out, chopping down twigs and ivy so that we could pass. His arm had to have been getting sore after all the things he had to get rid of in our way. Davis switched out with him after a while, his claymore slicing right through everything just as the saber did.
A howling noise started echoing around us and Malcolm took my hand to secure me next to him. I felt safe near him, and closer after our fight. Even though I denied being a couple to Kenny, I really thought about the possibility. He had always been there for me, and I had a big crush on him in the real world. But here he was different, here he was cold.
Or was that just a mask so no one could hurt him?
Then there was Chase. I enjoyed being with Chase, he was a good friend, but that is all I felt for him. Friendship. He was someone I could trust to be there, even though together we ended up being trouble. What he felt towards me, I wasn’t quite sure. It was all so complicated and not something I wanted to think about when first we had to take down the Circus.
We stopped for a break. Melvin tapped a tree and got us all some water. Never did I feel so thirsty in all my life. Kenny grabbed some fruit and leaves which he said were edible. I hoped he was right, but trusted him after he found food for us earlier that didn’t make me ill. We all ate our share and let our bodies restore their energy.
“How long did you two live out here?” I asked as we rested for a bit.
Kenny shrugged. “Oh, what, probably at least fifty years, give or take a few.”
I gasped. “Fifty years?” That seemed impossible, to have survived in a place like this for so long. I could barely handle the one day we were out here. They were strong and smart, I had to give them that.
“That’s what happens when you go up against the Queen of Hearts,” Chase explained. “She either cuts off your head or exiles you here.”
“Did you get exiled here too?” I asked.
Chase laughed. “The Queen could never catch me. I came here on my own sometimes. Get away from people. That’s when I met Alice, she wandered in here on her own, looking for a path.”
I turned to the others. “What about Melvin and Davis, how did you meet Alice?”
Davis started to open his mouth but didn’t say anything.
“We were here
