The Killer Among Us

Chapter 28

Seven days left

Jacob

For a long while it felt like a thin layer of dust had settled on my soul, like flies were crawling through my lung - signs that my mind was in a process of slow decay. Then, when all hope was lost, a gust of wind blew through, reviving once again the faith that was buried in my heart.

That wind blew me to Meadow of Eden national park. I couldn't tell if it was a warning sign for an inevitable storm to come or the fresh breeze of the beginning of spring, bringing to life what was thought to be dead.

Sitting in my car on a rural trail of Meadow of Eden, I was tapping my fingers on the steering wheel in front of me. Sweat formed on my forehead but my eyes were strictly focused on the warning sign in front of me, which read, "Caution. Proceed beyond this point at your own risk."

It was eerily quiet, making me aware of every noise I made.

There was no time in the world to mentally prepare myself for this endeavor, so I simply got out of my car with a breathy, "Here goes nothing."

Leaves and twigs crunched beneath my heavy and precise steps as I walked past the warning sign into the depth of the forest. With my eyes darting between the map on my phone and the trees around me, I scoured my surroundings. Above me, the sun was going down slowly but luckily it was just enough light out for me to see clearly.

My right hand rested on the 9mm automatic handgun that was tugged behind my back, it's weight comforting me.

Most people don't know that guns only properly work if there's distance between you and the target. Once the assailant is close enough, armed with a knife, he would slash you before you even had time to think of pulling the trigger.

"Always be alert, always be ready," my Dad used to teach me at the shooting range.

And so I was ready to take out any threat coming my way. There was no room for mistakes when it came to saving Aria.

I was in awe of the sheer size of the forest, in awe of how it was flourishing without the help of any human. In fact, it was better off without the poisonous influence of humanity. Wild berries were growing in vibrant colours, mushrooms gracing the trunk of the tall oak trees. The dense crowns of leaves hid away the greyish sky, painting it in a deep, rich green.

"If only trees could talk," I thought to myself. Maybe they would have yelled for me to leave this cursed forest.

Still, there was something eerie about the piercing silence. It stretched on forever, only the occasional chirping of insects and snapping of twigs, reminding me that my ears still functioned correctly.

After about one full hour of walking around the area the map indicated, I had yet to find a single sign of The Solemn Serpent having slithered through the moist dirt of the ancient park.

My morale remained high, however. I had defied my destiny before or maybe postponed would be a better word.

I analyzed my surroundings diligently, yet I saw nothing but tall trees stretching towards heaven. So, I kept on walking deeper into the forest, further away from safety.

Daylight was running out and my injured leg started to be a problem, hurting more with every step I took on the uneven forest ground. Nevertheless, I never stopped, not even for a second.

I whispered into the depth of the forest with an urgent voice, "I won't give up. I won't leave this forest until I find you, Aria."

Then, I suddenly heard the snapping of a branch behind me, echoing through the entire area.