The Path - Chapter Three

Sorry this one's a little boring. Just need to get some information before I get back to the action. Hope you enjoy!

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Through the mist of the dark forest around her she could see the woman every where. Anna would catch a glimpse of pale white skin and those piercing eyes behind every tree trunk; just beyond every shrub. She was all around her. Anna spun in circles trying to catch the woman who seemed so familiar. A name almost came to her, but instead it just buzzed at the tip of her tongue, taunting her. A wind in the trees whispered it to her, “Hayyyydennn”, the leaves rustled. Anna screamed, “Hayden! Wait! Hayden! I don’t understand!”. The forest blurred around her and she heard growls and snarls just behind her.

Now she was running through the forest, sure that any second something would pounce, all the while green eyes followed her every move. Through her heart pounding in her ears she thought she heard a voice.

“She’s been tossing and turning like this all night, it’s like she’s in pain." Anna tried to place the familiar voice as it seeped through her consciousness, louder than the growling beasts behind her. “She keeps moaning. Sometimes she’ll say a name, “Hayden”... I thought she would come out of it but she hasn’t. What’s happening to her?”

Another, deeper, stronger voice answered. Anna kept running.

“There are toxins in her blood. Toxins she survived at birth, and she’ll survive them again, but... She may be forced to relive some things no one should have to suffer through.”


Anna knew the voice was talking about her, but what did they mean? What toxins? Where were these voices coming from? As Anna concentrated harder on the voices, the beasts behind her faded away all together. The forest started to focus around her, but still green eyes watched from every corner.

“What do you mean? What kind of toxins?”

“The same ones that made the world like this, the ones that created the dead zones and killed so many. The creatures that survived are grotesque monsters of what they used to be, toxins running through their blood.”


“Are you sure she’ll be okay? Is there anything we can do?”

The deeper voice chuckled.

“Steven, always worried about your baby sister. I promise she’ll be fine in the next few hours. Look, she’s already stopped tossing.”

Anna’s head spun as she attempted to grasp what she had heard, she desperately tried hold onto that information that had seemed so precious, but all she could think of was Steven. Her big brother. He had taken care of her so well when she was young. He always made sure she had someone to play with when she was a toddler, and defended her from the other kids as she got older.

As she thought more of her family the forest started to disappear around her. Trees and bushes blended together to form a dark green, dirt fell away below her feet. Soon all that was left were a pair of bright green eyes in the darkness. Anna kept thinking of her brother and slowly the eyes changed to a honey brown and she could see his kind face in the darkness. She sighed in contentment and let the darkness take her.

Without any memory of the dream forest or the conversation she had heard Anna awoke several hours later to the smell of dinner on the fire. She didn’t open her eyes right away. She just lay there embracing the safety of familiar voices.

Finally Anna awoke from her reverie, fueled by the hunger rumbling in her stomach. As she sat up the aches and pains from her long day hit her. There was a deep burning pain in her right calf and she saw it was bandaged, but even the bandages were stained bright red.

Slowly Anna tried to stand. The tent encompassing her offered no support whatsoever, and Anna collapsed back onto her blankets. At the front of her tent there was a rustling as someone untied the clasp keeping it closed.

“Anna! You’re awake!”, a young girl threw blankets and fresh bandages aside to hug Anna.

“Daria!”Daria had been Anna’s best friend since her and her family had joined Anna’s clan twelve years ago.

“Oh god I was so worried.” Daria broke off from the hug and her look of relief was replaced by furrowed brows and a tight lip. “Twelve years. I’ve been your best friend for twelve years Anna. The least you could do is invite me on your adventure off to... where ever it is you went! But no, you leave me to sit here and do the dishes, then worry sick when everyone realizes you were missing past dark! I wasn’t even allowed to go look for you, only the boys could go.

Daria paused and the anger subsided to sadness. “God Anna you should have seen Steve. He was so worried. He would barely even look at me. He was so mad I didn’t keep better track of you... You could have been killed. You almost were!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry Daria. I’ll talk to Steve. He won’t stay mad, you know how he is. He loves you.”

Anna’s face darkened slightly at the mention of Steven being in love with Daria. They’d been dating for two years. That’s when Anna’s walks away from camp had become more frequent. Her best friend and closest sibling taken away from her by each other. It wasn’t fair, but Anna tried to be happy for them. She was a deep believer of suffering in silence.

“It’s okay. He’s not mad anymore, he’s just happy he found you in time. He was the one who saved you from the wolves, you know.”

Anna nodded, shivering. Just the thought of her desperate run across the dessert of the dead zone, the snake and the wolves, was enough to chill her to the bone.

Daria noticed her shivering and put a blanket over her.

“Are you cold? You must be starved! You’re mom cooked tonight so it’ll be great... Oh my gosh! I need to tell everyone you’re awake! Steven will be so happy. He sat by you with Dr. Bennett all night last night and for most of the day today. I’ll go get them. Sit here for a minute.”

At the mention of Dr. Bennett and Steven, a memory flashed by. Anna tried to hold onto it. Something about poison... it was no use, it was gone. Anna shook her head clear and decided to redo her bandage herself.

She had just finished fastening the fresh gauze, when the whole clan started trying to crowd into her tent. Steven was the one to get through and tackle her with a bear hug.

“Owww.” Anna giggled as he crushed her.

“Oh, that was stupid of me. Are you hurt?” His voice showed genuine concern.


“No, no, I’m fine.”

“Anna Marie Smith!” A stern voice shouted outside the tent.

“Oh crap.” Anna grumbled as her mother crawled into the tent. Steven moved over to make room.

“Don’t you dare do that to me ever again!” Her voice sounded hard, but it shook slightly, and Anna saw the huge tears welled up in her eyes.

“Mom I’m so sorry.”

Her mother threw her arms around her as little sobs shook her body. 


“Shh, it’s okay, I’m okay.” Anna tried to comfort her.

Slowly everyone moved away from Anna, whispering thanks that she was okay and little scoldings for wandering off. Steven helped her limp over to the fire where everyone began to eat dinner. Although the conversation was casual, Anna caught people glancing over and knew they were all dying to ask where she had gone.

Later that night, just before everyone went to sleep, Dr. Bennett and Anna’s mother entered her tent.

“Hi sweetie.”

“Hi mom.” Anna gave her mother a hug, who was still very frazzled about Anna’s near death.

“Me and Dr. Bennett need to talk to you about something. Now I don’t want you to be worried, but I did want to prepare you. It’s nothing to discuss right before bed, you need your rest.”

“Tomorrow, however,” Dr. Bennett took over, “we will need to have a chat about it.”

The doctor looked at Anna with deep meaning in his bright blue eyes, and for a second she thought she recognized something about them, but her thought was interrupted.

“Enough about that though, as your mother said, you do need your rest. I’ll just take a look at that bite on your leg and let you get some sleep.”

Anna nodded and smiled.

“Night hun. See you tomorrow.” Her mom gave her a kiss and a hug and left the tent.

“Now, lets see here.” Dr. Bennett carefully lifted the stained gauze to look at the gash on Anna’s leg.

It was worse than she expected. The deep teeth marks were lined with dark purple bruised skin. Her whole calf was tinted green from bruising, and the gashes looked like they hadn’t healed at all.

Dr. Bennett’s brow furrowed. “Nasty bite you got yourself. Most people would have taken longer to recover, but you’re a very strong girl.”


 “Thank you.” Anna replied quietly.

“Just one minute Anna, I have to run to my tent and get my medicated bandages.”

Anna nodded and waited, looking at her leg. It looked diseased, like the gash had contained a deadly virus that was barely being held at bay. Anna frowned at her leg, that didn’t look at all like her leg, until Dr. Bennett returned.

“I think you will find that this will help. It has some medication on it. That cut will look much better in the morning.” He said smiling.

“Thanks doctor.”

“No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow Anna.” He stood to leave, “Goodnight.”

“‘Night.” Anna replied.