Vincent’s legs were going to fall off. He knew it. If he took one more step, his feet would fall off at the ankle and he’d have to crawl his way through this God forsaken forest. Or maybe he’d just roll over into a ditch and join the spirits that were said to haunt this mountain. Anything would be better than the burning sensation and agony that came with every step.

“How much farther,” he asked between panting breaths.

“Not much farther, just at the top of this hill,” Megan said. “You’ll be okay.”

“Lies. Why did I ever agree to this?”

“Agree? It was your idea,” she laughed. “You act like we’ve been hiking for hours.”

“We haven’t?”

“Nope, more like 30 minutes. C’mon Vinny, it’s not that bad. And look how beautiful it is.”

Vincent begged to differ. Just because it was his idea doesn’t mean it was a good one. Megan has been his friend since they were kids. She should have known this was a bad idea and tried to talk him out of it. But no, she encouraged this kind of reckless behavior.

“Well, if I die, it’s your fault. And you bet your ass I’m gonna haunt you. Forever,” Vincent said after drinking a large mouthful of water.

“You’re not going to die, silly. Look, if they can do it, anyone can,” Megan motioned to a couple that Vincent would say weren’t a day under 120 years old.

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Sooner we get up there, the sooner we get to walk back,” she draped an arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t remind me.”

He had to admit, even though he was on death’s door, the forest was beautiful. He wanted to enjoy this trip. After the funeral he needed to get away. But work and responsibilities took precedence and nearly wiped him out, too. He needed to get away, rest, recharge. And grieve. His grandmother told him stories of the ancient shrines in the forests and mountains of her home. What better way to honor her memory than make the trip and give tribute to an exceptional woman’s life? Vincent thumbed the locket that hung around his neck.

“Okay, let’s go.”

When they reached the top of the rise, Vincent was breathless again. Not because of the effort; his legs had gone numb again. No, this was because of the sheer beauty of what was before him. Lush green forest stretched for miles. The breeze created an ocean wave like effect on the treetops, swaying effortlessly and carrying with it the smells of earth and leaf and water. He could see why monks could spend a lifetime here searching for enlightenment.

Vincent shuffled to one of the benches lining an overlook platform. He wasn’t sure he would get back up again, wasn’t sure he wanted to.

“Wow,” was all Megan could say in a breathy whisper.

“She was right,” Vincent said, “but she couldn’t have prepared me for this.” He wiped a tear from his cheek, took a deep steadying breath. “C’mon. Let’s get this over with. I sit here any longer and you’ll be carrying me down this mountain.”

He was so taken with the view in front of him that Vincent missed the enormous monoliths on the right side of the trail leading into the shrine proper. Each stone tower stretched a few feet above their heads. Symbols were etched across the rough surface in a language Vincent couldn’t read. His grandmother had tried to teach him, but he wasn’t very good at retaining the information. He enjoyed writing the characters, but he never could get a grasp on the language.

People milled around the interior of the shrine. Some stopping to pay respects. Others posed for photos. Vincent could feel the weight of centuries when he walked between the plinths. A sudden reverence overtook and almost immediately calmed him. Once again, the breeze carried the fresh aromas of the surrounding forest. Vincent soaked it all in. He moved off to a secluded side of the courtyard, kneeled and sat back on his ankles. Looking up at the ancient stonework covered in moss and lichen that no amount of cleaning would ever erase, Vincent felt at peace for the first time in months. Maybe years. He pulled the necklace from under his shirt and lifted the chain from around his head. He ran his thumb over the intricate etching of a character he never bothered to learn. The middle of the pendant shone bright compared to the other parts, an indication that this had become his worry stone. A reminder that grandmother was never far.

“Hey, where do you think they’re going?” His serenity shattered; Vincent glared at Megan. She focused her attention on a couple sneaking around to the back of the shrine and moving farther up the hill.

“No idea. Nor do I care.” Groaning, Vincent pulled himself to his feet. “Ready?” he asked, but he was talking to open air. “What are you doing?”

“I wanna see what’s back there. If they’re going back there, it has to be something, right?”

“That’s not a good idea. Grandma said to never go off the trail or explore around the shrines.” He shrugged at Megan’s questioning look. “I have no idea why. Something about evil spirits gathered out there looking for people that stray from the path. Like that forest, if you go off on your own, you may never come back.”

“Sounds like fun,” Megan said, and started following the train behind the shrine.

“Megan, no!” but it was too late. She disappeared around a statue. Gripping the locket in a clenched fist, Vincent followed.

He just glimpsed Megan’s bright green jacket dipping behind a large tree, but he couldn’t see how she had gotten back that far already. There wasn’t a trail or path that he could see. Cursing, he lifted tree branches and forced his way into the forest. Branches tore at his clothes, scratched his exposed skin. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that these trees were actively trying to prevent him from getting through. After one more straining push, he broke through and was in the forest.

He almost immediately regretted chasing after Megan. The foliage overhead nearly blocked the sun completely. Vincent shuddered at the sudden temperature change. At least, that’s what he thought it was. He called out for Megan and his voice didn’t sound right, sounded muted, as if the words died a few feet after they left his lips. Another flash of green caught his attention, and Vincent took off after it.

It didn’t take long to find her, thankfully. Vincent saw her standing still in front of an enormous tree, head down. The only noise he could hear was the light rustling of the trees and the crunch of his footsteps through the underbrush. As he approached, he heard whispers coming from Megan. He strained to hear what she was saying, but every time he thought he could make out the words, the wind picked up and carried them away.

“Megan, let’s go,” he grabbed her arm but couldn’t move her.

She was stiff, barely able to move her shoulders when he pulled on her. She stood in front of the tree, staring at the ground. Vincent checked what she was looking at but couldn’t see anything interesting, only dirt and dead leaves. Then he saw it. A gaping maw yawning in front of them from the tree. It looked like it had been hollowed out. With the sunlight shaded, Vincent could barely see what was inside. He noticed things tossed on the ground and hung on the trunk. Eerie twisted things. Things that just didn’t look right. A doll’s head seemed innocent enough, but then he saw the eyes were burned out and a vicious smile was painted on with ash. He peered deeper into the void but couldn’t see anything else in there, but the longer he looked, the more uneasy he felt. Pulse quickened. Breathing picked up. He was on the verge of hyperventilation.

This isn’t right.

The darkness coalesced, took form. Vincent followed the gap in the tree higher, impossibly high, impossibly dark. He thought he could see something move. If he just got a little closer. A shift in the lighting revealed a pale face carved into the back of the void. At first, Vincent thought it was just a carving. Someone crawled in there and chiseled a face into this makeshift cave.

Then it opened its eyes.

Vincent screamed and nearly tripped over Megan in his attempted escape. The physical assault knocked her out of her stupor, and she grabbed onto Vincent, saving him from falling. Straightening, he grabbed Megan’s hand and took off sprinting through the woods, hopefully in the shrine’s direction. In his hurry to escape whatever that was in the tree, Vincent failed to see the glint of silver on the ground in front of the tree’s maw.

***

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow.