Beginning

ALONGSIDE to the long and wide stretch of Leonska Highway, a narrow path existed in between the mounting salal bushes and the large carpet of undergrowth. It leads to the deepest part of Rainminted forest park where the group of cedar trees stood ubiquitously. The rangers who constructed it for emergency grounds had kept it discreet to the public as an act of preserving the security of the local citizens.

Anyone who could be caught red-handed entering that path would meet a serving time in jail and a disagreeable penalty.  

For compliant individuals, that could be a horrendous threat—a suitable warning to hinder the disobedient citizens from trespassing illegally. And the headquarters had managed to maintain any ruckus concerning the restricted passage.

But for some peculiar reason, Sarah Poleman, a seventeen-year-old brunette, and his boyfriend—Charlie Mantial, find it less disturbing to jump over the laid out rules and ran within the path vociferously, stomping hardly on the wetted moss and letting the whip-cracking branches of blackberry trees slap their faces as they continued sprinting like some kids released on a playground.

The whole circular forest had been cast by the pitch darkness of the night and the flashlight that served as their guide to get through the path didn't lessen the pure blindness. Sarah didn't seem to mind the foreboding danger around them, though. It thrilled her even. Seeing herself alone at the center of the forest with her boyfriend brought a tingling pulse within her frail body. Not to include that they could consume cigarettes there without getting anxious about the opinions of their parents.

She couldn't help to emit a teasing giggle as she watched Charlie's back ahead of her, dragging her into the further distance. Her imagination advanced, jumping to an exact opposite of the reason why she was here in the place. She felt thankful that before she sneaked out from the back of her parents, she bathed and wore his favorite dress. Otherwise, they wouldn't enjoy the free and exclusive space for their sexual relationship.

"How much farther?" Sarah asked, tilting her head in confusion as their pace slowed down.

"Just a little bit." Charlie pored over his shoulder to smile at his girlfriend. "You tired? Want me to carry you, hmm?"

Sarah bit her lower lip seductively and even they are surrounded by darkness, her repulse to show her charms reigned. She tucked a hair behind her left ear. "I can manage well. Though, these little burrs are pissing me off," she informed and looked down on the burrs sticking to the hem of her dress like pieces of magnets. Some brushed the upper part of her legs.

Charlie chuckled and pulled her, making Sarah's bare arm crash into him. "Maybe, you should take the dress off, then, yeah?"

Sarah pursed her lips and smacked his arm. "Not so fast, big boy. I haven't seen the cabin yet so your price is still unavailable. I could give you a taste, though."

Charlie stopped his tracks to taste Sarah's lips. The heat of the second-lasting smooch already took a toll on Sarah. She almost gave in. If only the freezing wind didn't send a chill on her body and the silent forest wasn't disturbed by a shuffling noise, she would break her own words.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered after she withdrew from the kiss.

Charlie shrugged off. "Just a bunch of raccoons, perhaps? It's nothing, come on. We're almost there." He resumed walking. Sarah couldn't take off her eyes to the left side where she presumably heard it. Believing that it might be a group of wild animals, she hurried to his back, getting overly cautious of the surroundings.

Not long after they entered the secret path, Sarah finally spotted the front door of the cabin illuminated by a single bulb. It was small and had no windows. The overall structure had shown the years it spent stagnant on its location. A small oak tree shed its roof and a profused evergreen cornered both sides.

"Awesome, right?"

Sarah nodded, a rush of relief streamed through her now that they have reached their destination and they could, at last, start their ventures.

Charlie guided her to the wooden door, the floor creaking. He clicked something on the wall and the lights flickered a few times before its light become stable. A rusty four-pillar bed rested on the side and some antique decoration was scattered on the shelves.  

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll collect some firewoods, okay?" Charlie handed her the flashlight they used as a guide and took one from the inside.

Sarah nodded and watched him step out to the cabin, her anticipation brewing like a storm. To take advantage of the isolation she just received, Sarah pulled out a single cigarette she hid from her brassiere, lit it up, and puffed a mouthful of smoke. An extraordinary refreshment filled her veins, the same addictive feeling she could never get tired of spoiling. As she sucked in for more, she let her feet drag her weight towards the bed.

She was about to hurl onto it when, a faint shuffling erected during the deafening silence, knocking Sarah out from the temporary bliss. She looked outside the door, her heart pounding hard inside her chest. She hoped that it was just the wind. She couldn't afford to encounter any ferocious animals.

She waited for it to be heard again. Seconds later, the silence only bounced back and the eerie shuffling was—

What on earth...?

Her heart almost jumped out from her chest, when, as she stared at the unknown and pitch-black forest outside, the shuffling on the underbrush became louder, the crisp of dried leaves and snaps of twigs rang her ears. It was as if something is being dragged. And she was sure, it wasn't produced by any forest animal.

"Charlie?" she called out, flicking the flashlight on and beaming it to the seemingly infinite darkness outside.

She walked slowly to get through the door, her curiosity superseding her senses. Then it came, the shuffling broke the silence once more.

"Charlie? Was that you?" she asked, her voice sounding too loud against the silence. She beamed her flashlight to the other side when she stepped outside. The circled light poked cautiously through plants and bushes. She was scanning the whole surrounding when the salal bushes shook as if someone had disturbed it.

She rolled her eyes when she concluded that it might be some sort of surprise pranks from her boyfriend.

"Charlie, come on." Sarah snapped, accelerating towards the bushes. "We have no time for this—"

She stopped in mid-sentence when she pushed through the salal, nothing appeared on her face. Just darkness against the helpless light from her flashlight. She froze and looked around, hoping she could spot whatever the cause of the peculiar shuffling.

"Charlie—" She almost fell to the ground when she advanced a step, something hard blocked her foot. Furious at the bump, she focused her flashlight on the mysterious thing. At first, she couldn't process the image well in her brain. She suspected that it might be a toy, a piece of mannequin that was disturbingly left there.

But as she stare at its pallor tone and crimson sticky liquid around the area where it was cut, she was certain that it wasn't part of some prank.

The sheening of the brown leather shoes flickered through her eyes and the nude-colored stockings were neatly stretched, some parts had drips of blood. All of it told Sarah that the piece of human leg she was seeing wasn't fake.

Sarah gasped for air, the flashlight slid off from her fingers. She falls back, gasping and wheezing as she stumbles backward, her widening eyes staring directly to the leg that became more visible because of the flashlight harboring it. Only then did she manage to let out a scream.