In a hurry, Ivan grabbed Willow and Ivy by the hand and ran through the new opening to the room. The whole house was collapsing, there was no time to think, no time to do anything but run. They barely had any time to avoid the rubble and were nearly crushed by some trees as soon as their feet touched the dirt.

  “The moon…” Ivan stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixated at the Goliath, red moon that seemed to be rising out of the woods. The trees that blocked the line of sight seemed to be paper thin from the amount of light the moon was producing placing a red film over everything.

  There were trees that were coming out from behind the moon, that made it seem impossibly close. Ivan couldn’t believe his eyes, though to Willow and Ivy this was old news to them now. “Come on Ivan! We need to keep running!” Willow jerked on Ivan’s now limp hand, the simple action snapped his grip causing him to let go of her. Ivy saw this and wrapped her other hand around Ivan’s loose grip of her hand so that way he couldn’t let go.

  “Go where? No where is safe anymore…” Ivan’s voice was drained of all emotion, especially hope. More trees in the woods began to twist and twist filling the air with frequent snaps and creaks.

  “What do you mean? What do you know?” Willow asked placing both her shaking hands on his shoulders. Ivan was acting as if he had just seen his nightmares come true, as if ever scary story he was told growing up was coming true.

  “The moon… it’s red. Dad said…” Ivan chocked out the words. Ivy’s scream drew everyone’s attention to her out reached hand that was pointing at the collapsed house. The place that should’ve been remembered as Stein’s grave was now beating like a heart, shifting the weight of the debris.

  “Get back here!” Stein’s voice sliced through everyone’s thoughts as his hand broke through a gap in the rubble, he was still holding his bloodied revolver tightly, red moss was crawling over and under his skin like a bad rash that didn’t have to wait to spread.

  “Run!” Ivan screamed regaining his strength from his uncles chilling demand. He grabbed Willow and tightened his grip on Ivy and charged head first into the forest.

  “Wait! We need to go the other way!” Willow’s plead fell upon deaf ears. Ivan’s attention was placed more on dodging around fallen trees and navigating through massive walls of roots that reached ten feet into the air. It was as if the forest was now directing them with paths and obstacles like they were in a maze.

  “We can’t keep going deeper in the forest Ivan!” Willow finally being fed up with being ignored ripped her hand away from Ivan and grabbed onto Ivy’s to stop her from following him.

  Ivan finally stopped and turned towards the girls. His body was shaken but with some bravery he took Willow by the hand once more. Not to lead her but to reason.

  “Do you really not know what the red moon means?” He asked, genuine fear over took his brave demeanor. To Ivan, this was a story he was told and warned about through out his whole childhood. Something his dad prepared for him, something he thought every kid was warned about but Willow’s and Ivy’s confused expressions proved him wrong instantly.

  Ivan looked around, they were completely surrounded by the maze that is the forest, he couldn’t see any further than seven feet before another root wall blocked his vision. He figured that this was a safe enough place. “Ok. I will explain this the same way my dad for me. But you have to trust me, ok?” Ivan’s hands were only being warmed up by Willow’s.

  When Willow gave him the nod of acknowledging these terms they both turned and looked at Ivy waiting for her to silently agree too. Ivy buried her face into the Willow’s back and nodded not letting any of them see her face any more.

  The forest grew quiet except the occasional snap of a tree giving up after its long dance and collapsing. Ivan sat down and leaned against one of the root walls, the girls stared at him confusion strung across their face. “Trust me, you will need the rest.” Was all it took for him to convince them to take a seat next to him.

  If it wasn’t for all of this chaos Willow would’ve thought this was a beautiful moment. The smell of pine trees, her favorite color over taking everything, these unique structures in the woods that now felt safe only because Ivan made it seem so at the moment. It all almost felt heavenly.

  Ivan took a few deep breaths, collecting his thoughts from the dark reaches of his mind, how was he to know that the stories his dad told him as a kid would actually mater. “There is no escape. Not after the red moon has seen you. You said we need to run the other way and I agreed with you… but my body and yours both fought against our control and drove us further into the forest. All the paths we could’ve taken and did take led us here.” Ivan’s words were heavy, they sank into Willow’s mind engraining them into the place in the brain where only the most important information was stored while the words slipped through Ivy’s head. Ivy was rocking back and forth holding her knees and humming a short song that matched a birds call.

  “Stein would’ve told you that this red moon was actually the angel of death and it could be reasoned with but dad said it’s something far worse… he said it’s an ancient god who was sleeping for so long and they woke it up.” Ivan pointed up towards the red moon which was moving over the forest with amazing speed casting its vision through every empty space. The moving light source revealed large masses in the trees. They were mostly human shaped, hanging onto the branches with one hand as they leaned over to watch the kids. Willow began to panic and prepared to run until Ivan put his hand on hers and shook his head.

  “Dad said it needs time in between feedings. Something about it needing time to fully digest the memories and feelings of its last victims. I don’t know if this makes sense to you because it doesn’t to me. But if it wanted to attack us it would’ve already done so. There’s no escaping it while we are in its world.” Ivan’s words were hollow but had conviction behind them, like he was practicing the rules for a test. Willow followed the best she could and nodded, she tried to relax but the sight of a half decomposing body just 15 feet above them was something she couldn’t get over.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “You said your dad knew about this thing? How does he know anything know about it?” Willow asked, it was the question that pushed past every other thought. The question that needed an answer to give her some type of relief or clarity.

  Ivan looked at the ground, drawing circles in the dirt with his fingers while his other hand was clenching his side tightly. “At the time I didn’t think much of it but after my dad kept telling me this story, preparing me. It became clear that it wasn’t just a story. Dad and Stein worked on this project together. The Russian government tasked them to find a cure for death.” Ivan’s words bounced off the trees directing themselves straight for Willow so that she could fully comprehend this.

  “They started small. They killed a dear and then used the serum they made to bring it back from the dead. Dad said once it crossed the threshold of life to death and then from death to life it twisted its soul. It began to mimic voices it heard, its body couldn’t keep itself together and it had unbelievable strength. But dad said he didn’t think this was right, that they needed to kill this thing and try again. So he filled it with red moss, somehow the red moss killed their monster but Stein… he couldn’t just let this go. They made a mythical creature and he could make a fortune…” Ivan started to cry. The circles he was drawing became unstable and his hands kept moving faster and faster.

  “Ivan…? You said this was a story he told you? This isn’t making sense, how do you…” Willow began to question what was real. Ivan was recounting what seemed to be the exact accounts of what happened, knowledge he shouldn’t have.

  “So Stein took their serum and injected it back into the monster they made. The soul was already twisted and ripped into shreds, it was barely hanging on and he did it again to that poor thing… Do you know what happens when a soul is ripped into pieces until there’s nothing left? The god who made it gets angry and will see revenge!!” Ivan screamed spit flew from his mouth and sprayed over his drawing. It became clear he was drawing him and the girls with circles floating above them.

  “So that god took what was precious to the two who were responsible for this grave act. First it took Stein’s little girl.” Ivan’s voice trailed off growing more and more flat, his eyes searched frantically until they locked with Willow’s. “Then it took me.” Ivan said and it was at that moment Willow noticed there was a figure squatting behind Ivan, it was void of any color and had a twisted face that physically hurt Willow’s eyes to look at. Once Willow made eye contact with the figures hollowed eye sockets it stood up lifting Ivan slightly in the air, it’s arm raising him. The figure twisted its head sending chills down Willow’s spine. It dropped Ivan’s still body revealing it had it’s hand plunged deep into Ivan’s skin, it was controlling him like a puppet. The figure kept raising further up, it sounded like chains bumping into each other as its legs stretched impossibly long until the figures torso was hidden behind the trees and fog. After the legs grew silent they, simply, were lifted into the air until the only evidence it was there was Ivan’s body.

  “Ivan!” Willow screamed crawling towards the body. Ivan was barely breathing, he wouldn’t last much longer even if he was in the arms of a doctor. She felt truly helpless as one of the last things was slipping through her fingers.

  “You need… to run Willow.” Ivan coughed out as he tried with the last bit of his strength to push her away. Willow fell back on her butt and was crawling back towards Ivan but his weak, outstretched hand stopped her.

  "It needs my family’s blood to pay for our crimes… If you want to stop it you have to destroy the alter…” Ivan’s words growing weaker by the second. The same noise of the chains rang through the forest but Willow couldn’t see legs, she couldn’t pinpoint the source anymore.

  “I’ve always loved…” Ivan’s words were quickly interrupted by the figures hand massive had coming down from the sky, it’s fingers slowly wrapped around Ivan and then lifted him the air. It seemed like it made sure to be slow to torment Willow or maybe it was giving her this time to say her last goodbyes.

  “I love you to Ivan!” Willow screamed, her last words seem to put a smile on Ivan’s face. He too disappeared into the fog above. A snap could be heard followed by limitless blood started to pour down washing away Willow’s tears.

  ———————————

  “Ivy!” Willow’s screams pierced through the air stunning her slightly. “Don’t worry Ivy I won’t let them hurt you!” Willow continued to scream causing Ivy to grew increasingly confused and worried for her friend.

  “You gotta ignore her child. The demon has worked its way into her mind. We will take her to the safe house and help her best we can, please don’t worry.” The man carrying Ivy said in a hushed whisper, barely loud enough for Ivy to hear.

  Willow and Ivy had just bee saved by a monster that looked like Jinar that trapped them on a tree house. It managed to scratch Willow and the nice man told Ivy that was how it got in. Now every time Ivy looked at her friend who had always looked out for her, all she could see the cut on her cheek and wasn’t sure anymore if it was blood or moss spilling out.

  “The moon! The moon is calling! It needs the key!” Willow began screaming in even more frequency. The man holding, who was three times her size, her was struggling to keep her restrained.

  “Look brothers. The safe house, we are nearly there.” The man carrying Ivy called out cheerfully. At first Ivy was confused because all she saw was a big white tent and a lot of flood lights, it didn’t seem that safe. But as they grew closer Ivy began to recognize the area they were in and that inside the big white tent was Jinar’s house. The light reflected off the tent so well that it hurt Ivy’s eyes to look at, it was as if she was trying to look at the sun. Once they were close enough to have the lights touch their skin Willow started to scream in pain.

  “Please cover your ears. It is the demon inside her burning and being hurt, not your friend. This is our quarantine base, it holds all who have been infected until we find a way to drive the demon out.” The mans words were soothing, almost comforting enough to put Ivy to sleep for she fully believed him even though she had no reason to. She knew this was the best chance to help Willow, though her screaming wasn’t making it easy.

  Once they made it to the tents entrance, one of the men held open the front flap letting a massive wave of light escape and wash over them. Willow was acting as if she were on fire, the mans grip on Ivy tightened trying to shield her from this sight. Two more men came from outside of the tent to help restrain Willow.

  As they stepped through the tents entrance Ivy’s guess was confirmed. Massive poles came out of the ground and held the tent up and above Jinar’s house. The front door was wide open and a man in a clean white lab coat stood in the door way. His name tag read ‘Stein’

  Ivy and her escort stopped five feet away from the door. Stein stepped to the side to make way for his next resident. The three other men dragged Willow’s flailing body into the house where the screaming seemed to die down just a little. Ivy got a glimpse of the interior of the house while Stein wasn’t blocking it. There were a lot more lights that lit the inside up more but it looked cleaner than usual in the house. A lot of plastic covered the furniture and smooth jazz was on blast from some speakers on the kitchen counter. Ivy’s heart dropped as she saw three chairs, in the middle one was Ivan tied up on his left was his mom tied up as well and there was one empty chair on the other side of Ivan that could have only be meant now for Willow.

  “Don’t worry little girl. I’ll took good care of your friend ok? She’s just a little sick is all.” Stein said stepping back into the doorway of the house cutting off Ivy’s view right before the men had reached Willow’s chair. Ivy didn’t have any reason to not trust these people, especially since Willow had been acting really strange lately and all they did were trying to help them. Ivy couldn’t form any words so instead she buried her face into her saviors shoulder and nodded.

  “She’s so brave! Why don’t you take her to my brother-in-law Albert, I heard he just found another boy in the woods. Maybe it’s one of her friends and this reunion will cheer them both up.” Stein said patting Ivy on the head and walked back into the house shutting the door behind him. Ivy’s savior turned and began to run out of the tent with her still in his arms. Once they made it out Ivy looked up at the moon above them, trying to understand what Willow was screaming about. Sure it looked a little red but besides that it didn’t look any different.

  They ran completely to the other side of the tent where a smaller tent was set up, it wasn’t as bright or big as the other but still had multiple flood lights around it. That’s when Ivy lost it. That where she saw the reason they went back into the woods, the reason they just didn’t escape and be free from these scary monsters. There she saw Thomas sitting on a bench beside the smaller tent drinking some hot coco.

  “Thomas!” She screamed snapping free from her savior and ran at Thomas. Tears trailed behind her making a direct line to her friend, her shinning beacon of hope that this wasn’t all going to end terribly. For her this wasn’t just her friend but now a sign from the heavens that everything will be ok.