The trio was unaware of the danger lurking about.
Ever so softly, Thomas snored.
His mouth taking in air...and gently letting it out.
The moon shined on his face,
making his drool glisten.
He rolled on his side while mumbling.
And Leo—
Leo was perched on a log, sleeping.
His arms were folded tightly, clenched teeth.
He leaned back onto the log, sleeping.
His head bobbed softly.
His long, messy hair ran down over his face.
Tiny twigs and debris were sticking in his hair.
Autumn was closest to the now dead fire.
Smoke rose into the sky while the wood inside glowed red.
She hugged herself, shivering slightly.
Her legs were tightly pressed together as she curled in a ball.
The moon stood tall in the sky.
It shone bright in the clearing where they slept.
Everything around them had shadows.
OTHER TEENS POV
Dezmond stood in the tree, one hand on its branch for support.
His dreads blew softly as he looked at the kids sleeping.
He looked at the kid resting on the log.
Who the fuck sleeps like that?
At the opposite end was Lydia.
She was behind the tree, peeking at the spiky-haired boy sleeping.
Her naturally thin body looked a little lengthier than usual.
Must be the shadow.
Scott was standing behind the bushes, looking at the girl shivering.
The moonlight reflected off his goggles,
so we couldn't see his eyes.
But there was a slight smirk on his lips.
He watched her intently.
Damian, at the entrance of the clearing, suddenly started to signal.
He used his hand to motion for them to get closer.
Each slowly got closer to their target.
Damian had his eyes on the boy perched on the log.
He walked closer—
But suddenly—
Dezmond landed silently in front of him.
Damian motioned for him to get back into position,
but Dezmond pushed forward.
Damian followed.
The two silently got closer to Leo while fighting one another.
Dezmond got there first.
He stepped forward so he could touch Leo.
.....
Damian froze.
LEO'S DREAM
He found himself sitting on a bed.
Eyes staring at the rugged floor.
When he realized, he got up.
He looked around.
The fan spinning in the ceiling.
The comics on a chest drawer.
The tree branch slowly knocking on the window as it moved with the wind.
It all felt so familiar.
He looked around till he saw a picture.
A man, a woman, and two boys—one around his age and one looking like six.
Wait...was it all a dream?
He smiled, and his face brightened for a second.
He looked at his door.
He moved his hand gently towards the knob.
He twisted.
Then pushed.
When he stepped through—
He was literally seeing darkness.
Except the giant phone floating with a notification on it.
It was an invitation...something about "CROSS."
Before he could read it, the ground gave out.
He fell down into grass.
Leo got up quickly, adrenaline rushing through him.
He looked around.
He was in a small clearing.
The trees around him were closely packed and dark.
They'd grown weirdly and overlapped with one another.
CRRACK.
He heard it.
It sounded like trees being snapped.
It was getting close.
Leo waited until the final tree broke apart.
It was a headless body.
He recognized it instantly.
"Boris?"
The monster stretched both its arms forward like a zombie
and stumbled towards Leo.
Leo stepped back.
How? How the hell?
Leo stopped backing up.
He grunted and charged a punch to its guts.
The monster didn't budge.
In fact, Leo's hand hung loosely.
Leo winced in pain as he held his possibly broken hand.
He turned and started to run.
The forest opened up a path as he ran.
He ran and ran—
Until along the path there sat someone.
Leo stopped...panting.
The person sat in the path, back turned.
Slowly, he stood and turned.
It was Frederic, in his cursed, mutated form.
The rune glowing in his head.
Tearful, hollow eyes.
Leo stepped back.
"Frederic?" Leo's heart pounded.
"I hate you," Frederic whispered, voice cursed and distorted.
"There were so many ways we could've had what we want."
"But you sided against me."
"You coward."
Frederic spoke.
"I didn't know this would happen," Leo answered.
He gripped his wrist tightly while wincing.
It seemed to be swelling.
"Liar," Frederic answered.
"You turned against me...everyone
died...Mom, Dad, Frank."
He trembled.
"Just because...you only care about yourself."
"Soon, Autumn and Thomas will die,"
Frederic continued.
"All because of you."
"F-fuck you, Frederic," Leo's voice cracked.
Suddenly, Frederic twitched.
He clutched his ribs and bent forward.
Black wings grew out of his back as he roared.
Leo ran off immediately.
He ran and ran,
as Frederic shrieked in the air behind him.
Leo looked behind—
Suddenly, he tripped.
And rolled forward.
He looked—and he seemed to trip over Boris' head.
Its cold eyes staring at him.
Out of a tree landed Alwich.
He picked up the head with both hands,
smiling his wide smile.
Leo skidded up and turned to run—
But when he turned, Frederic was already swallowing him whole.
"AAAAGH!" he shouted.
He fell into endless darkness.
Everything went black.
....
Suddenly, he was back in the original clearing of the forest.
The trees were packed together and dark.
He sat and huddled up,
hugging his knees.
Looking around wildly.
A face grew out of one tree.
Then another.
Then another.
Suddenly, all of them had faces.
It was Thomas and Autumn.
Each of them were dead...and were injured in some way.
"You only care about yourself," a Thomas with no eyes said.
"You left us to die," Autumn, with a sword in her head, said.
"Coward, always running," another said.
Soon, all their voices started talking at once.
Overlapping.
At this point, it was a thousand voices at once.
A pain tore through Leo's head.
He crouched and held it dearly.
"Stop it!" he shouted.
The voices got louder.
They shouted and continued.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Leo shouted.
Eyes shut while shaking.
Soon, it got dead silent.
He opened his eyes.
A word was floating in front of him.
Covered in blood and dripping—
WAKE UP.
He read it.
Suddenly, he started hearing small thuds and footsteps.
More than one.
A loud snap was heard.
Like branches or sticks being crushed.
DREAM ENDS
SNAP.
Leo's ear twitched.
Dezmond looked down and saw a branch
broken into tiny pieces beneath his feet.
On instinct, Leo flipped up.
Their faces were now inches apart.
Leo's eyes got wider as he saw this guy in front of him.
He looked and saw a girl over Thomas.
He turned again and saw a guy over Autumn.
He turned towards the guy in front of him.
...
The dreaded kid reacted first—he ducked.
Over his head came a punch from Damian.
It felt like boulders packed together on a guy's fist.
The punch sent Leo rolling on the ground.
Thomas got up instantly.
He looked around and sensed danger.
Before he reacted—
Lydia's hands stretched and wrapped around his hand and body like plastic.
Thomas struggled.
"Give us the key," she hissed.
"What?" Thomas wrestled.
Autumn got up, ready to fly—
But before she knew it, she was bounced into a tree.
Her ears rang loudly as she coughed a little blood.
She was confused.
She leaned off the tree and turned.
A boy wearing goggles stood there with a smirk on his face.
"Hey. Why don't you be a good girl and don't do that," he said.
"I'd rather not hurt you," he smirked.
MEANWHILE
Thomas was struggling against the girl restraining him.
"What's going on!?" Thomas struggled.
"Get off me!!"
"Quit being so persistent," she choked out.
Lydia's hands and feet and body were slowly stretching around Thomas.
...
Leo was on his knees.
He sat up and touched his bleeding nose.
Clenched teeth.
He looked at them.
Two guys were standing just in front of him.
The one that seemed to punch him had earth packed together on his fist.
And the dark-skinned dude with dreads just looked.
"Look what you've done!" the muscular one shouted.
"What?! How is this my fault?!" the other one shouted.
Leo clenched his fist.
"RAAAGH!!"
Leo roared.
He charged forward and punched Damian in his face—
right back at his nose.
He got sent flying into the trees.
Leo followed up and swung wide, aiming at Dezmond.
Dezmond ducked instinctively.
He stretched his hand out and touched Leo.
Electricity flared.
Leo shouted while getting shocked.
He was stunned—
But suddenly, Leo shot his fist downward, eyes wide with rage.
Dezmond dashed backwards, barely escaping.
He watched as Leo's hand easily crushed the earth.
Mid-dash, Leo charged at him, easily catching up.
Dezmond's eyes widened.
He instinctively blocked.
Leo's fist collided with his shield.
Dezmond's hands twisted unnaturally at the impact.
He was sent flying into a tree branch.
His back arched while blood spilled out his mouth.
He fell to the floor.
...
"What the fuck?"
Lydia, tangled around Thomas, couldn't believe her eyes.
Leo breathed beast-like.
"DEZMOND?!" shouted Scott.
In just a blue blur, Scott was over there.
"So fast..." Autumn muttered.
Autumn flew off.
She used her momentum to punch Lydia in the face.
She fell to the ground.
Her eyes were shut as she rubbed her cheek.
When she opened them—
Thomas's hands were stretched out towards her face.
A cold stare.
"Burn."
Flames rushed out of his hands like a flamethrower—
But she stretched her body continuously to narrowly escape.
She formed up with Scott.
Scott was crouched over Dezmond.
He was unconscious.
Each group was at one end of the circle clearing.
Thomas and Autumn at one end.
Leo in the middle.
And the other group at the other end.
"They're dangerous," Lydia said.
"No more games..." Scott stood up.
Just then, in one big leap—
Damian landed back into the fight.
Cracking the ground a bit.
He landed a little in front of his team.
His nose was also broken and bleeding.
He looked back at his friends.
"Oh," he breathed.
"LET'S FUCK EM UP!!"
End