Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Cerelia stared down at the flattened leaves beneath her feet, then at the dark, endless forest in front of her.
Even though taking a lonely night stroll around a forest hadn’t exactly been what she’d had in mind for Halloween, she wasn’t one to complain.
All her “friends” were too busy for her, so she’d just spend some time alone.
As she walked, she took long, deep breaths of the frigid night air, looking around at the tall, dark trees surrounding her, like tangled wires waiting to close in on her.
She had to admit that it actually looked pretty cool.
Part of what she loved about these late-night walks was being completely alone, with nothing but her own thoughts.
At first, walking through the forest had simply been a coping mechanism, something she’d practiced when she was a teary-eyed child.
Running into the woods and sobbing behind some tree, feeling her breath slow until it matched the peace and tranquility of the woods around her.
The tradition continued to this day, with the tangled trees and long shadows being the only place she could truly feel calm.
Crunch. Crunch.
She paused once again, staring at the dead leaves around her, scattered around the dried grass like old, ignored notes, blown away and forgotten by the wind.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
At once, her relaxed muscles tensed, her body freezing before her mind could conjure an explanation for the unexpected noise.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She took a deep breath. It was just a tree branch, blowing in the… non-existent wind.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Of all the things to happen on a Halloween night, of course she had to hear some mysterious thumping noise.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She could turn around and look behind her. But there was this feeling… something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She could turn around and (hopefully) see the still forest behind her.
But she didn’t.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She began walking at a brisk pace, trying to keep her breathing steady.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Maybe it was a tree branch, maybe it was someone’s idea of a Halloween prank.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
If she got far away enough, the noise would be gone.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Even though she made no conscience decision, she began walking faster, her eyes narrowing against the cold air around her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She stopped.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She slowly looked to her right. Nothing there but rows of dark, bent trees.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She turned to her left, staring blankly at more and more trees- they seemed to go on endlessly, fading into darkness.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Now, she had to turn around. When she turned, there would be nothing but still trees and crumpled leaves.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was Halloween? So what? If she was to be attacked by some demon, it was just as likely on any day. She didn’t think monsters kept calendars.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
There was nothing to be afraid of. She was alone here.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Unless she wasn’t…
She took a deep breath and conjured all the strength she had inside her.
“Hello?”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Is anyone there? I-I’m not scared. If this is some stupid prank, then come out from whatever tree you’re hiding behind. If you think you’re being spooky or scary, if you think you’re going to have fun watching someone run around, I’m not scared.” Her voice started off shaky but grew firmer, as if hearing the words out loud was convincing her that they were true.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Did you hear me?” she asked, louder this time, her voice rising above the dried leaves and still branches” I- I can hear you. Whoever you are… Stop. Just stop.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She took a deep breath, summoning up every ounce of courage she had.
There is nothing behind me. I am alone in this forest. There is no such thing as monsters. I’ve been in forests before, and nothing has ever happened. Halloween is no exception. I’m just nervous. Now turn around.
And she turned.
There was nothing behind her but the forest and the familiar paths she’d crossed, the leaves she’d trampled over without a thought.
She released a breath she never realized she’d been holding, letting herself-
Thump. Thump. Thump.
… No. There was nothing, nothing, here.
She was alone, like she always was.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She turned in a slow, full circle, looking through every inch of the woods around her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was dark, maybe that was it. Maybe there was something (or someone?) hidden somewhere. Maybe a teenager left some kind of audio track in a tree-
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She turned, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
There. She approached a huge, looming oak, standing as tall and straight as she could, taking the most confident pose she could muster.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And there was the noise. Coming straight from the tree.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The noise was coming out sharper now, reminding her vaguely of a clock.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Like a clock slowly ticking in its tantalizing slowness, reminding her that no matter what happened, no matter what she ever did, it would always be moving on in its apathy towards the world, not caring who lived or died, not caring who laughed or cried.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She placed one shaky hand on the tree.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound seemed to vibrate through her entire body.
She backed away slowly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was coming from the tree.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She took a step to her side, stared at the tree for one last moment… and ran.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She never remembered making the conscience choice to flee, but within seconds her legs were thrumming across the ground, moving as rhythmically as that noise.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her fingers curled into fists as she ran faster, faster, faster-
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her legs burned, growing stiffer with every stride, aching, begging her to stop.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
No matter how much she ran, no matter how far she ran, it was always right behind her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She could feel her face heating and turning red, her throat swelling as her lungs cried out for air, as her vision blurred with tears, as she lost control of her aching legs and simply ran, not knowing where to, and not knowing what from.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She flew past gnarled trees and broken branches, every inch of her body pleading with her to stop.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
But she couldn’t stop, the further she went, the closer it came, until the sound seemed to come from inside her, ringing through her ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She didn’t know whether she was running or walking, breathing or choking, laughing or crying, the only thing inside her was that noise, echoing through her mind, clouding out her thoughts until she was nothing but a running corpse, barely aware of her own body.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her legs were pushing her through the endless forest, she was flying, and then she wasn’t.
Her leg caught on a fallen branch and her whole body went tumbling down to the dying ground below her, dried grass pricking into her hands.
Suddenly, she was breathing, pain spreading through her body and slowly fading.
Suddenly, she knew where she was and what was happening.
She let out a deep, shuddering breath, crouching in the grass on all fours, like a wounded animal, waiting for the last strike that would take her down, waiting for that wretched sound to echo through the forest again.
…
There was silence.
She opened her mouth and let no noise out, unsure of what to even think. Instead of speaking, she took a deep, shuddering breath and lifted her head.
Above her, the clouds parted to let the full moon shine, spilling the forest with rays of gentle moonlight.
Suddenly, it felt as though the noise had completely left, taking all her worries and fears away with it.
She smiled. Then, without even a thought, she laughed.
At first it was gentle and quiet, then louder and louder until she was cackling like a maniac. Her face burst into a giant grin and she stared up at the moon again, feeling lighthearted and happy.
Maybe tomorrow, she’d call Evelyn and talk for a bit. Maybe they could get the old group together again. She considered a nice day hanging out with her friends- at a café, park, house, it didn’t matter. She may have spent Halloween alone, but she’d make up for it.
With a small, lopsided smile, she casually turned her head behind her, waiting to see the dark mess of tangled branches and bushes she’d left behind her.
And her time was up.