Part 20 (1/2)

”Well, he's not here, so that's a good sign,” I said. Dead people didn't get up and walk away, even in the forest a or at least I hoped so. I ignored Becky's tears a we didn't have time to wallow in her emotional pain right now. I was very nervous about being here at the scene of the crime. Whatever they had done to set that creature off might be something we were doing right now. I didn't want to face that thing, whatever it was, if we could help it. I like my face the way it is.

”They're not here,” I said, stating the obvious. ”What next?”

Becky looked around, a forlorn expression on her face.

”Let's go to waypoint three,” said Tony, the voice of reason. ”I'm sure that's where they're headed. We'll meet up with them there or on our way to the last waypoint.”

”Fine. Let's go.”

I started walking off with Tony, the way we had come.

Becky stayed put.

I turned and went back to her, taking her by the hand. ”Buck up, little camper, we'll find 'em.”

”But what about Finn?” she said, staring down at the stained forest floor.

”I haven't given up on him yet, so you shouldn't either.”

Becky looked up at me, tears in her eyes again. ”Did the trees tell you something?”

”No, it's just a feeling I have.”

I was glad she didn't ask for any explanation because I really didn't have one. It's not that I was totally bulls.h.i.+tting her, but whatever it was that was bothering me, giving me these feelings of doubt, was too deep in my subconscious to come to my thinking, rational brain right now. Something, something, something, was just not right about this whole thing a and I wasn't talking about the fact that we were in a totally bizarre forest with supernatural creatures trying to kill us. Something bigger than all of this was going on a I just didn't know exactly what it was. Yet.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

We reached the lake around midday. It was gorgeous. Sunbeams. .h.i.t the surface of the water, intersecting with its still surface to create random patterns of diamond-like sparkles, flas.h.i.+ng and twinkling in the light. The water's edge was ringed with a narrow sh.o.r.e and trees. On the far side stood the waypoint obelisk a this one topped with a silver point that shone brightly, reflecting the rays of sun. We stood at the edge of the trees on the opposite side of the lake.

”Thar she blows,” I said. ”And when I say she blows, I mean, she blows. This whole thing blows. It blows the big honkis.”

”What exactly is a honkis?” asked Becky, sounding a little more chipper now that we'd actually succeeded in reaching our nearest goal.

”A honkis, my little friend, Beckster of the Land of Tampa, is a p.e.n.i.s a a d.i.c.k ... a p.r.i.c.k ... a s.c.h.l.o.n.g, a dong, a w.a.n.ker ... a johnson, a trouser trout, a ... ”

”Um, excuse me? Jayne?”

”Yes, Tony?” I asked innocently.

All I got was expectant bug-eyes in response.

”What? Does my p.e.n.i.s talk bother you?”

Becky giggled and said, ”Dong.”

I couldn't help but laugh. ”Dong? That's all you got is dong?”

Becky stuck her chin out. ”No, I got more. How 'bout ... wiener.”

I shook my head. ”Pitiful. You and Tony are perfect for each other.”

Becky looked over at Tony shyly, her face going red.

Tony pretended not to hear us, walking out of the trees towards the lake sh.o.r.e; but I saw the back of his neck going red too.

Hmmmm. Maybe when we were done fighting for our lives and getting our a.s.ses kicked by supernaturals, they could go to the movies or something. My matchmaking was interrupted by a howling coming from the trees on the other side of the lake.

We all stopped walking towards the obelisk, and instead, carefully and slowly regrouped back at the edge of the woods.

I shook my head angrily. ”Motherf.u.c.ker! If it's not one thing, it's another. Did that sound like a wolf howl to you guys? Because it sounded like one to me.” I was p.i.s.sed. We just couldn't catch a break.

”Yeah,” said Tony, quietly and intensely, ”that definitely sounded like a wolf howl.”

Becky just nodded her head up and down quickly, her eyes big and round and looking particularly gruesome with remnants of bruising around the outsides. She looked like she had done a particularly bad job applying some goth makeup.

”And what are the chances that this wolf is a garden variety wolf? Anyone?” I looked at Becky and Tony for feedback.

”Not good,” said Tony.

At least I could count on him to be honest, even if it's not really what I wanted to hear.

”Can the trees help us?” asked Becky, looking up.

”I don't see how,” I said. They could communicate feelings to me and respond to my requests doing plant stuff with their branches and leaves a but as far as I knew that was the extent of their capabilities.

”We need to get to that waypoint,” said Tony, frustrated.

”Let's just go then. We'll keep our weapons out and our eyes open. Stick close to the trees.

”Shouldn't we stick close to the water?” asked Becky.

”Yeah, that way we have more room to maneuver and we can see anything coming out at us from the trees,” said Tony.

Any other time I would have agreed with them, but based on my newfound relations.h.i.+p with the green stuff in the forest, I was feeling much more secure being with them.

”I feel more comfortable with the trees; I can communicate with them.” I looked out over the water. It seemed so beautiful and peaceful a just like this forest had looked on our first day in it. I continued, ”Not to mention the fact that the Loch Ness f.u.c.king Monster could be swimming around in that lake looking for its next meal.”

Becky and Tony looked at the lake with new eyes. They both turned back to me, nodding reluctantly in agreement. If nothing else, this forest had made us a lot more open minded about what could be. Never say never in the Green Forest.

”Let's go.”

We took our weapons out and began circling the lake, staying just inside the edge of the trees. We got halfway around before we encountered problems.