Chapter 47: Expect the Unexpected

No matter what Blue told himself, his eyes circled back to the crow soaring above him and Cliff. At the same time, the pond obnoxiously blared into their eardrums.

As Blue and Cliff jogged along the pond's perimeter, the water whipping off the shoreline continued to drench the lower halves of their bodies.

Prying his eyes away from the crow, Blue studies the pond, its ferocity now tenfold from what it was before. I take note of the vicious waters spiraling toward the center of the pond, funneling downward as if the pond had morphed into a drain of some sort.

His eyes transferring back to the sky, Blue asks, "You think that Crow guy that Ace kept rambling about is actually here?"

"That seems to be the case,” says Cliff, who pauses momentarily, his bulky upper body awkwardly heaving. "Blue, I have to know. Ace was sure Crow existed, but you said you never saw him. Did Ace just make all of that up?"

"Yeah… Ace was lying so he wouldn't be punished for his actions."

"Then how do you explain the crow and the strange transformation with the pond?"

Blue sighs, "Just because I didn't see Crow, that doesn't mean he doesn't exist. Ace might be a liar… I mean, he killed somebody. And making up somebody's last words just to spook us one final time? I wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing, considering all the other stuff that twisted bastard has done so far. But then again, I also can't ignore what he said. Those were basically Ace's last words, and if Forest's group wasn't lying about the tree markings they saw, I'm leaning more toward the possibility that Ace was telling the truth about the trees and the crows."

Not knowing whether these thoughts of his had just arisen due to their harrowing circumstances or if Blue had been pondering about all this for the past few days, Cliff furrows his brows as he replies, "Look, man, I thought Ace was suspicious too. I even said he was guilty. But, I think Scar was also right that we aren't alone out here-"

CAW!

At that moment, Blue’s senses sharpened; however, he was caught off guard by what occurred moments later. His inner pleas for silence suddenly came true, as he could no longer hear the lake that was impossible to ignore just a few seconds ago. And that's when Blue noticed that the crow was nowhere to be seen, completely disappearing from the clear-as-day sky.

"You're right."

As a deep, distorted voice resonates in their ears, Cliff and Blue instantly whip their heads around to where they just came from as they cease jogging. As the two men stood there, their bodies trembled with frightful anticipation as sweat dripped off their faces. Then, to their right, an ominous dark purple figure flashed between the trees.

"Blue, you just see that man?"

"See what?!"

"You're not alone," says Crow.

Blue and Cliff frantically retrieve the weapons they had brought with them. Blue grabbed a sword while Cliff opted for an axe, which he found was more suited for his brawny physique and wide wing span.

"You're trapped here."

Frantically looking around, Cliff and Blue go back to back as they patrol in a circle.

Blue croaks, "Anything?"

"Nope, you?"

"Nothing yet."

Blue catches wind of Crow flashing by as those words leave his mouth, and he extends his sword out as he plants his feet, "There! He's to your right, Cliff!"

Flashing by Cliff's left, Crow snickers as Cliff marginally catches a glimpse of him, "No! He's to my left now!"

Stolen novel; please report.

Adjusting his stance, Blue focused his gaze in the direction Cliff called out while Cliff continued trying to locate Crow.

"You're trapped here… with me."

The thunderous cries of the lake then return in full throttle, forcing both guys to frantically cover their ears with their hands to muffle the noise.

"Cliff, the lake!" yells Blue as he shifts his posture again.

The pond swiftly grows dormant as the rampant noise drowns out in a heartbeat. The two men gaze at one another briefly before dropping their arms back to their sides. Considering all the unexplained things that had happened up to this point, both guys were at a loss for words, their bodies teetering as they expected another bizarre turn of events to arise.

After a minute or two, Blue glances at Cliff and nods. His lips crinkling into an expression of acknowledgment, Cliff responds with a nod of his own. After that brief confirmation between one another, both guys gradually creep up toward the water that now lies still, not a trace of the anomalies they had just witnessed left behind. Cliff thinks.

Expect the unexpected. I think that's how the saying goes. With the day becoming more and more abnormal by the second, that saying has been replaying in my mind countless times.

Now, standing just a step or two away from the brief drop-off beside the lake, Blue and Cliff peer over the minuscule ledge.

Bizarre, the water is completely motionless. Not even a ripple.

"And there's no escape…" echoes Crow.

As they heard those distorted words spout from above them, a forceful wave of energy knocked both guys over. His shoes scuffling along the ground as Cliff struggled to stay on his feet, he shielded his eyes from the unforeseen strong current of wind that seemed to spawn out of thin air. Catching a glimpse of Blue doing the same, Cliff shifts his body weight to resist, the strength in his glutes and legs being critically tested.

Continuing to bear the brunt of this invisible force, Cliff eventually found it marginally easier to withstand. Either his body had already started to adjust in such a short amount of time, or the strength behind this gale was already beginning to die out. Either way, Cliff was relieved and allowed his muscles to relax.

And that’s when he saw it. The monster that Ace talked about throughout the entire trial... was right before them, levitating just above the water. Guilt instantly corroded Cliff’s insides, his face blanching at his prior ignorance and stupidity. Although he can't see Blue, Cliff assumes Blue is frozen in place, just as taken aback as he was.

They both wanted nothing more than anything to look away, but they couldn't. Their eyes stayed locked on what was in front of them, studying the ominous, violet and black colored flesh squirming along every speck of this monster's horrifying appearance.

Caught in a daze, Cliff’s brain cycled through endless scenarios, searching for an out, but that led to no avail. All possible sequences he mustered only resulted in his and Blue’s death. And even though his mind was already beginning to shut down, Cliff’s body seemed to have developed a will of its own.

Sensing the warmth of a fire, Cliff’s memory is jolted as he remembers the torch he has been carrying around with him all day. However, at this moment, he didn’t feel his left hand gripping anything.

“Good call, Cliff.”

As Blue's words brought Cliff back to reality, he registered that he must have subconsciously dropped the torch to his side, causing the tree a few feet away to light on fire.

Perfect... that'll serve as our signal and warn the others.

"Are you the monster that Ace said he saw the other day? Are you... Crow?" asks Blue.

Letting his nervousness slip through, there was a slight flutter in Blue's voice. But overall, his stance held firm, and his body language exhibited fortitude. Eyeing Blue’s stance, Cliff couldn't help but wonder where this sudden change in demeanor had come from. Struggling to keep a straight face and not give this monster any insight about them, Cliff silently observed and contemplated what he should do next.

But he’s once again caught off guard as the monster morphs into the figure of a human being. Strangely enough, Cliff’s eyes couldn't help but gravitate toward the ominous mask covering the man’s face. Crow's face.

Folding his arms over one another, Crow says, "I ran into that friend of yours a few hours ago… he's stubborn, that's for sure. Kid didn't know when to give up."

After pausing for a few seconds while neither Blue nor Cliff said a word, Crow resumes as he waves a finger in Blue's direction, "I also remember you from the other day. Blue… that's your name, right?"

Blue scoffs at what he believes to be a lie, "Tch, right. As far as I'm aware, this is the first time we've met."

Crow chuckles as he brings a finger to his temple, "Trauma… it does funny things to the mind, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can assure you that I was there. It seems your mind couldn't cope with everything that went down, so it tricked itself into believing I wasn't there. Or maybe… well, I assume your brain has already locked those memories deep within you because, in your heart and mind, you want nothing more than to forget. Forget everything. But remnants of that day still remain…"

A dagger whistles by the two friends and embeds itself into the ground beside Blue's hurt ankle, which hasn't completely healed yet. Without haste, a chain from the end of the dagger starts to wrap around Blue's leg.

Before he even realizes what's happening, it's already too late, as Blue's futile efforts at freeing himself prove only to be a waste of time.