Instead, his fears were met with an eerie silence. Not an ordinary silence. This was the kind of silence you hear in movies when the killer is about to sneak up on his ill-equipped victim. The kind that you feel as a child when you are alone in your bed, expecting the boogey-man to creep out of the dark crack in your closet.
The wind was no longer rustling through the treetops. The birds no longer sang their song. The trees no longer creaked as they swayed back and forth in their endless rhythmic dance. Not a single sound echoed in the deafening silence of the deep forest.
David stood up and looked around for the cause of his sudden uneasiness. He was nestled deep within the woods in a wide, shallow depression surrounded by evergreens. To his right there was an ancient, moss-covered oak at the center of the depression that towered into the light-scattering canopy. The trunk had a large scorched crack that opened into a hollow center spacious enough for a large animal to hide in…Or, perhaps, a scared teenager?
David cautiously walked towards the opening in the tree, listening around for any sign of danger and watching for any slight movement within the dark recesses of the hollow.
The silence was disorienting and unnerving. It was almost like he had suddenly gone deaf. Panic started to creep in at the thought that maybe he had, but logic quickly dismissed the notion as pure fantasy. He shrugged off the thought as he noticed something stirring within the hollow oak.
What is that?
A small dancing light slowly appeared inside the hollow of the tree. It was faint and flittering - like a firefly.
David slowly moved toward the light, trying to get a better glimpse to see what it could be. The light began faintly pulsing and expanding as he inched closer and closer until it grew to what became a large sphere the size of a grapefruit. It was shiny and fluid, like water, only thicker and less translucent.
Captivated, David inched closer. As if in response to his presence, the sphere grew increasingly bright, forcing him to shield his eyes.
Without warning the liquid shot outward, engulfing his outstretched hand in a sticky, glowing goo. Startled, he tried to pull back, but his hand held fast like it was stuck in the mud.
The substance slowly began moving up his arm - it was as cold as ice. Terrified, he screamed for help, forgetting his fear of Johnny and what he would do if he found him. For the moment, nothing else mattered but escaping this freezing, glowing goo that was engulfing his body.
The substance shot down his body and up toward his head, spreading like wildfire. As it oozed up his face, David knew he was going to suffocate. He had always been afraid of drowning, but never thought it would end like this.
His heartbeat raced out of control, panic setting in as the realization of his pending death overshadowed all other thoughts. When at last the substance engulfed his face, everything went dark.
David’s world was once again silent.
Chapter II
David awoke with a cold sweat and a throbbing headache. Recalling what had happened in the forest he quickly sat up to inspect his body for the strange substance that had devoured him. His body was surprisingly unharmed and dry. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t still asleep. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.
What was that stuff?
As his thoughts cleared, David realized the sun was shining brightly on his face – he was no longer hidden in the shadows of the woods, but out in a vast open field.
The sky was a bright blue and littered with white fluffy clouds. A cool breeze was gently blowing across the tops of the tall golden grass that covered the rolling field, causing it to sway like waves in the ocean. It was serene – a completely different view than what he had expected. In fact, he hadn’t expected to wake up at all.
David scratched his head, completely baffled as to how he came to be here. Had he died?Was this Heaven? After some thought, he assumed that it must be, after all, how else could he explain being swallowed whole by a devouring glob of goo and waking up in such a beautiful place?
After coming to grips with his apparent death, David stood up and took a good look around to decide where he should go next. Dead or not, he knew he had to find a safe place to rest when the day came to an end.
The rolling fields stretched for miles to his east, west, and south before reaching the foothills of distant, snowcapped mountains. The mountains circled around the field in a wide arc that disappeared in the distance, leaving him in an immense, bowl-shaped valley.
He turned north and caught his first glimpse of an enormous, isolated mountain. It was surrounded by a great forest whose tree line was only a short distance away.
As he looked around in awe, taking in the beauty surrounding him, David quickly realized he was not alone.
The field was swarming with creatures that resembled large black wolves, but with a man-like stature. They stood perched on their hind legs, using their long, muscular forearms for balance as they walked.
They were huge, each reaching a height of what David guessed was seven or eight feet tall, towering over the grass. Each beast was armed with a large curved blade that was fastened in a holster on its back. They were systematically looking back and forth as they walked across the field in a large sweeping arc.
David noticed that every now and then one stopped, stooping down to peer into the thick grass.
They’re looking for something… David thought. Then he realized something that instantly sent chills running down his spine: they were heading in
