Standing out in the open with Morgan by his side after she finally agreed to help, the two then glanced around their surroundings: the coldness in the air and the chilling breeze flowing through the trees from afar as leaves drifted down to the ground. It appears the forest has begun to fall asleep from the night, allowing it to rest while the moon illuminates through the dense clouds above.
Common belief regarding midnight is that it is when danger lies among, for it is the most dangerous time to be wandering alone, for it is easy for predators to hide in the shadows and attack their unsuspecting prey. To venture beyond the wall at this hour is foolish for a multitude of reasons.
Not to mention the fact that it is difficult to see where one is headed because of a lack of sunlight. Through his use of the cross, he can illuminate a light source enough for them to navigate their way in the wilderness. However, this is the most dangerous time to be out in the open, with countless potential threats lurking around every corner.
Sure way to kill themselves from potential ambushes; he can't even imagine how they're going to be able to make it back home after finding Billy and Guan Yu without encountering these monsters. But then again, he is not going to give up so easily on this notion alone.
"Let me lead the way," she said suddenly, taking a step forward before kneeling with one leg. Her eyes closed as she placed her index finger within her mouth, biting it hard enough for it to draw blood. Droplets of crimson substance dripped onto the grassy floor below as she began to speak a mysterious sentence backwards.
He was surprised by the gesture, wanting to question her doing and checking her condition to see if she was alright by this ordeal, but what Seth didn't expect was that during her incantation, the blood dripped on the grass started to form a small circle comprised of red liquid in front of her position. "Morgan?" Seth asked in a worried tone, "what are you doing?"
The witch didn't answer, instead continuing her spell before the ritual finally formed a glowing, bloody red circle with a design similar to summoning a magical circle used in media. This was his first time witnessing something like this happening in real life, though he was more concerned about her well-being.
Is she in pain from biting her finger? So far, Morgan appeared to not even be bothered by the inflicted injury she caused upon herself, something he isn't keen on seeing someone he cares about being injured from some kind of weird witchcraft he is not used to seeing.
With the last bit of her blood dropping to the grass, the formed circle began to rapidly transform itself into a line made of blood as it transverse through the grass and into the woods, showing the path to where the young cowboy was, while Seth himself watched the whole thing with wide eyes, astonished by this phenomenon.
She then stood up with a sigh, opening her eyes while gripping the spear within her right hand. "The path will show us where Billy is currently residing in," she explained, explaining what her spell does with a forced smile. "Stick close to me, and I'll lead you there, understood?" Her voice spoke in a strict tone: "Whatever you do, don't wander off by yourself, or else you might get lost."
"Okay," Seth nodded in understanding, "thank you, Morgan," grateful for her help, "but what about Guan Yu?" Still worried for his other friend: "His going to be okay, right?" The man is older and stronger than both him and Billy combined, but that doesn't make him less concerned about the dangers in the foreign world they landed themselves in.
She shook her head and said, "We'll find him once we get to Billy; you know he's capable of taking care of himself," reassuring the boy that the old man is more than able to defend himself, "Focus on your friend first," and encouraging the child with positivity.
A wave of relief washed over him, agreeing with her take on this situation, for it is true that the elderly warrior is a veteran and has years of experience in the battle unlike him, so it is not surprising that the man will be fine in the end. Guan Yu is resourceful and smart, and he is also quite tough when push comes to shove.
There is no doubt the old man will survive whatever threat presents itself to him; however, Seth cannot help but worry for the old warrior's safety. He doesn't wish for anyone else to get hurt. That is why he must find Billy first before searching for Guan Yu afterward, and he is going to remember this carefully, making sure everything is set.
With renewed determination, Seth nodded with a smile. Finally agreeing with what Morgan suggested, she turned her head back at him before giving out an order. "Let's go," she said briskly. Her shoes moved across the dirt and grass with quick strides. Following the blood trail that leads to wherever the boy is, they are prepared for any outcome that presents itself.
Following her from behind, the calm atmosphere of the environment was pleasing to their souls and ears altogether: nocturnal birds chirping from the branches, insects crawling through the dirt or ground itself, and small animals scurrying from tree to tree. All signs of life existed among the land, serene and peaceful, despite the potential danger hiding in the darkness.
Even after entering the woods, it is still the same: trees standing tall against the night sky, along with bushes and uncommon flowers blooming brightly underneath their feet, the moonlight casting its light down upon them. The scene around them is beautiful and filled with serenity, something one might not see every day living in a crowded city or settlement.
So far, nothing extremely out of the ordinary has transpired while the two continued following its red line, leading to where Billy is. There are no monsters or enemies lying in wait, nor was there any sign of them anywhere, which made them relax somewhat from what's ahead. By how uneventful things appear, this is a good feeling.
All Seth had to do now was wait patiently for this nightmare to be over so he and others could go home safely. He glanced down at the holy cross within his right hand, holding it tight as if the crucifix itself were his lifeline, knowing full well that hope was not over yet.
As long as he has faith in both God and himself in these difficult times, then everything will be alright in the end; the future doesn't seem so bleak after all. This is what he believes in, and nothing can change that because the all-loving god is watching them, keeping them safe under his heavenly protection.
Continuing to walk through the forest, their journey wasn't halted by anything until a few minutes later, when they abruptly stopped in their tracks when they saw peculiarities catching their full attention. Strange tracks lay across the forest ground, all of them belonging to an unknown animal that Seth and Morgan had never seen before.
"What is that?" He asked, confused and slightly worried by the turn of events, "Are those footprints?" There were a lot of them, meaning these prints belong to some creature or things that may be residing in these woods. And judging by them, it doesn't seem human-like; it was shaped differently, as though it resembled that of an animal.
The foot prints embedded in the dirt resemble those of dinosaurs, but not entirely; they are small and relatively large compared to those of a normal person but aren't outright big like those of an elephant or giraffe. He can't put a finger on them, but there is a very close resemblance to their features.
Morgan squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Those aren't any tracks I have seen before," her eyebrows furrowed, trying to analyze what exactly caused these markings. "Whatever they are, I can say this is definitely not human or animal," she shared her opinion on this unsavory sight.
A look of surprise spawned on his face. "Really?" He asked, bewildered and curious by what she meant, "So what are they, then?" Tilting his head while leaning down with hands touching his knees to examine these strange footprints more closely, he asks, "Do they belong to some kind of monster?"
His last sentence clicked her like a puzzle piece falling into place. Morgan thought for a second before nodding her head. "Most likely," she answered back, as he quickly stood up from the ground. She gave the boy another stern look. "Don't leave my side at any cost, Seth." The sternness in her hardened voice left him unsettled. "For we are not alone," she said, stating someone or something lives here.
Slowly nodding his head in agreement, he takes a step back before giving her one more glance. "Alright," he replied nervously, not sure what else to say other than taking her word for it. "I'll be right behind you," gesturing with his hands to keep moving onward.
Morgan smiled before leading the way once again, following the red line made off her own blood and now included with footprints from the monster residing in this section of the forest. "Keep it up," her words filled with confidence, "we'll find him in no time, I'm sure of it," exclaiming in high spirits with the boy doing the same.
"Yeah!"
Seth was as hopeful as ever, determined to get his friend back no matter how long it took. Although it seems strange that the footprints are appearing alongside the blood trail, leading them deeper and deeper into the forest, there was nothing particularly odd about it if he considered it until everything became silent.
They once again stopped, noticing the growing fog around them and the eerie silence that came out of nowhere, causing the two to carefully look around to see if there was something hiding, only to find no one, questioning either of them if they should continue forward.
With further decreased temperatures and no sign of life around them, it is safe to say this is a danger they need to watch out for while crossing through the unknown territory, although their current objective remains unchanged. Find Billy and take him back home, hopefully alive and unharmed by whatever trouble he managed to get himself into.
But having once lively sounds of life completely become silent is like a switch being flipped, turning everything around them scary. It doesn't make sense how this transpired all at once. Not even Seth himself understood how this was possible.
However, Morgan knew this was going to get real bad if they kept continuing this mission of theirs: "stay close to me," her repeated words echoed through the coldness of the environment; "something tells me this is just beginning," under the impression the monster is around their vicinity; "we should move now," getting the boy's approval to follow her lead.
Without saying a word, the two of them quietly followed the red trail, with footprints still visible and a heavy mist in its wake. Despite how long it felt, the area remained dead quiet; even the rustling of leaves or branches, along with small insects scuttling through the ground, were nonexistent. It's almost like everything around them went mute.
Minutes passed, and they hadn't heard or seen anything yet. The silence surrounding them was deafening, leaving them uneasy about the lack of life around them. While continuing their journey, Morgan kept glancing around the area in case something was about to attack them, her paranoia rising while her hand gripped the spear tighter than ever.
Seth and Morgan do not know what will happen if they keep following; no one knows how dangerous this is becoming. Seth, however, is willing to take the risk of doing anything for his friends despite the consequences. Guan Yu and Billy are people he holds dear to him; they are like his family, and he loves them very much.
He couldn't just abandon them or lose any of them, for Seth cannot forgive himself if he lets his friends die out in this land filled with danger that is around them. No, he doesn't want any of them to suffer more than necessary. People he cherishes, people he can depend on when he's feeling lost or troubled by something.
They are—
The two stopped in their tracks again; this time the line had finally led to where it was supposed to; in a small clearing, Guan Yu was kneeling down with both legs, staring directly at the blue hat Billy wore every day. It was a sad sight to see when the man had a look of sorrow and contemplation.
"Guan Yu...?" His voice almost cracked after seeing him, especially Billy's hat. "What happened?" Sprinting towards his spot, he knelt down as well, his right knee acting as support while his left foot was positioned beside the other. "Please say something!" I was desperate to get answers on how Billy had gone missing.
However, the warrior didn't respond for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to speak, still looking down at the hat in shame. "I couldn't find him," he said sadly. "I'm sorry, Seth," apologizing for not saving his young friend from his fate.
Seth felt devastated and horrified by what this meant: "What do you mean you can't find him?" Extending his left hand to the man's shoulder, he said, "Were going to keep looking for him; its not over yet," trying to remain optimistic despite everything that's been thrown their way, "Come on," desperately wanting him to stand back up to the fight.
Sighing exhaustively, he stood up while the boy followed suit, "I'd nearly looked everywhere in this area; nothing came of it," explaining why he ended up here, "the only thing that had a clue was the child's hat," glancing down at the blue piece of fabric before getting it with his hand as he handed over the object to Seth, who accepted it with a grimace expression.
"What about the footprints?" Morgan intervened, stepping next to Seth's left side. "Have you also looked into it?" I added more questions for him to answer, hoping he hadn't forgotten this important part of the investigation.
The look of sadness still lingered in his expression. "I have, and the clues had only led me where we were standing," sharing what he saw on the ground, "the tracks stopped here." The revelation hit them hard of what this could mean for their Billy.
Before she could say anything else, Seth quickly looked at the two while holding Billy's hat within his wrapped arms and said, "Were not going to give up, right?" Innocently looking up at his trusted companions with teary eyes, "not after everything that's happened," reminding them how far they've come together, "please," he begged for them to continue, "tell me my friend is going to be saved?"
Morgan and Guan Yu glanced at one another, unsure of what to say in response to seeing the boy becoming desperate. "We don't even know how or what took him from us," the warrior tried reasoning with him, "he could be captured by someone; maybe he ran away from whatever creature grabbed him," giving theories of what could've possibly transpired to their missing companion.
Tears trickled down to his cheek as he let out sniffles. "What are you saying?" Seth muttered through sobs, "don't tell me you're suggesting he's dead," he cannot bear losing another person; it is too much for his heart to endure.
"Were going to find him," her sudden response surprised the two, placing her hand on his left shoulder with a comforting smile. "I promise you, Seth, we won't stop looking for him no matter what," assuring him that everything will turn out alright in the end.
