Henry woke the next morning more tired than he cared to admit. The truth was, he'd spend most of the night tossing and turning. He was understandably nervous about today. Even with all the information they'd given him yesterday, he still felt like he was wandering in the dark. I suppose you could say he didn't really have much to worry about. After all, if he died, he'd simply wake up a few hours later. For Henry, that didn't lessen his fear. Death had been anything but pleasant.

He got out of the surprisingly comfortable bed situated in the room they gave him. They told him it used to be Mark's room before he and Grace got married. He slid on a pair of sweatpants and a plain blue t-shirt. Stevey had given them to him to wear until he could find clothes of his own. Finally, he threw on the same jacket he'd taken from the store and left his room.

Henry made his way to the front of the cave, where he was supposed to meet Stevey. It was early, or at least he thought it was. The swirling nebulas cast orange and red light in what seemed to approximate a sunrise. Henry was surprised to find Chelsey leaning against the stone cliff. She seems to be staring off towards the ocean.

"Hey, any idea where Stevey is? He's supposed to take me on the grocery run."

Chelsey jumped when Henry spoke. She must have been so deep in thought that his words had startled her.

"Oh, Henry. I didn't hear you. Stevey's probably still in bed."

"Should I wake him up?" Henry asked.

"No need. There's been a change in plans. I'm going to take you on the grocery run."

"Oh, why's that?"

"I struck a deal. Doing your first grocery run with Stevey is a nightmare. Trust me, I'd know. So I bribed him a bit, and now you're going with him tomorrow."

"Right, what did you give him?"

"I let him have my food picks for the next 3 weeks. I hope you like English food… The others are going to kill me," she said with a grimace.

"So if we aren't going to Londontown, then where are we going?"

"First, we're going to get you some better shoes. Here, take this."

Chelsey handed him a harpoon. Undertow's harpoon, to be exact. Its surface was slightly rusted but still shimmered with a certain luster. What Henry could see for sure was that its tip was sharp.

"This is just like Undertow's harpoon."

"It is his. Well… was his."

"You've killed him?"

"Of course. We've killed all the Ghost Stories. Even Wendy a few times. The harpoons are a handy tool; we make a point of keeping a few around. They made for good curtain hangers," she said the last bit with a goofy grin.

"You know how to use it?" Chelsey asked.

"It seems pretty straightforward."

"It is. I wouldn't worry. I doubt we will have to use them this time. Anyway, let's go."

Chelsey picked up a spear for herself. She marched up the beach, and Henry followed. He was glad that Chelsey had decided to take him. He liked Stevey fine enough, but he didn't seem like the kind of guy you'd want holding your safety rope while you dangled over a cliff. Chelsey, on the other hand, seemed more grounded and dependable. He hoped he was right in his assumption.

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***

They quickly arrived at the empty streets of Brightshore. Henry was not happy to be back. Chelsey must have read the look on his face.

"You don't have to worry about Undertow. He should still be in the water for another hour or so."

"That's good," Henry said.

That did relieve him quite a bit. He was not fond of Undertow.

"Do you know what size shoe you wear?" She asked.

"Size 13. Why?"

"Because we're getting you shoes."

She had stopped them in front of a store called Brightshore Footwear. She entered the store, and Henry followed quickly behind. The store was just like anywhere else in Brightshore. Empty.

Rows of boxed shoes fill the interior. A few of the nicer shoes were set on plastic displays. Chelsey made her way right to the middle row and quickly removed a box from the wall. She tossed it to Henry, who caught it. He opened it and found a pair of size 13 hiking boots.

"Hiking boots?"

"We're going to the camp zone. You're going to need them. Those slippers you've been wearing won't work there."

Henry nodded and pulled on the tan shoes. They fit, but he suspected he'd have to break them in before they were comfortable.

"Those work?" Chelsey asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's go."

They walked down the empty streets until they came to the concrete roundabout, where Henry had first woken up. Just as before, five roads shot off in five different directions. Chelsey led him down the path that turned into a dirt trail. Henry spared a look back for the other paths. He briefly wondered which of them was his and what it led to.

The further they traveled the dirt trail, the more the land changed. The grass became greener in patches, and the brown needles of pine trees littered the ground. Shortly after that, Henry saw the pine trees. They were giant and seemed to rise from the ground like great statues of wood and bark. The part of Texas where Henry grew up didn't have pine trees, so he'd never seen one in person. They were jaw-dropping. Soon, the forest swallowed them completely, and they were surrounded on all sides by pine trees. Droplets of water fell from the leaves of the trees, and the ground was slightly muddy. It was as if it had rained just that morning.

"Welcome to the camp zone. My zone," Chelsey declared.

"It's beautiful."

"It sure is," she said with a prideful smile, "I used to love it here when I was a kid."

Though the entire thing was surreal, the strangest bit was that they were not alone in the forest. Squirrels climbed high into the trees and watched them nervously. Colorful birds, unlike any Henry had seen before, fluttered back and forth between the branches. They chirped together in a way that filled the forest with music.

"I noticed the seagulls at the beach, but somehow I didn't think I'd see other animals," Henry wondered aloud.

"You see them here and there. There are deer and some wolves in this forest. Stevey claims he saw a bear once, but Wendy says he was lying. She'd know. She lived out here for years. I've seen a few lizards and snakes in the mine towns. There's fish too. We've got some fishing poles back at the cave if you're interested."

"Are they like us?" Henry asked.

"If by that, you mean do they come back after they die? Don't know. We only ever hunted successfully a few times, so it's hard to say. I'd assume so."

The two walked a couple of miles through the gorgeous forest. They occasionally exchanged a few words of small talk, but mostly walked in silence. Henry enjoyed it. It reminded him of his peaceful walks home from work. The quiet and the relative solitude seemed to soothe him. He got the feeling it was the same for Chelsey.

As they walked, he noticed trail markers like the kind you'd see in a park. Most of them were mile markers, but occasionally, at a fork in the road, there were signs marking different trails or amenities. He noticed Chelsey seemed to be leading him down the roads leading to a Ranger station. He assumed that was where they would find food.

His assumption was proven correct when they came to a clearing in the trees. A large wooden building roughly resembling a two-story log cabin was situated in the middle of the clearing. Its door was half open, and lights were on in the cabin windows. A large water reservoir was set next to it. A garden plot was situated next to the building as well. Henry could see a few different crops growing, with more than a few having ripe vegetables ready to harvest. All in all, it seemed like a very welcoming place.

He started to head towards the building, but Chelsey threw out a hand to stop him.

"What?" he asked.

She held up a finger to her lips in motion, which meant quiet. He nodded in understanding. She leaned into his ear and whispered,

"Somethings not right. That door," she gestured to the open door in the front of the cabin, "is supposed to be closed."