The Darkwood

Chapter 8: The Totem

Johnny, Heather, and Teddy stood before the entrance to The Darkwood– it looked like an arch made out of trees. The opening created a black hole in the side of the woods as if it led into a cave. Even though the sun was rising, the light did not penetrate the portal. Johnny was about to advance into the darkness when Heather grabbed his arm, "Wait– we need that backpack."

Without question, Teddy ran back to Andy and grabbed the backpack that was propping up his feet. Teddy put some branches underneath Andy so his legs were still slightly propped. Johnny could hear the cracking of the branches as Teddy gathered them, and cringed each time he heard a snap. In his mind's eye he saw the towns people converging on Andy with guns drawn, because that was where all the sounds were coming from. Once Teddy was walking back, he decided to put that possibility out of his mind– after all, Andy was outside The Darkwood, Karen was inside. They had to get her out. Teddy was rifing through the backpack when he arrived at the point just next to the bad grass where Johnny and Heather waited under the dark arch. He pulled out three fashlights, handed one to each of the others, and then pulled out the feather. He slung the pack over his back.

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"Lucky charm?" Johnny asked.

"I'll take anything. Besides, she died to save us. We might as will use her totem."

"Like a crucifx..." Heather said, "Except this might actually work." Johnny and Teddy smiled. They both wanted to laugh, but there was no laughter in them as they stood very close to the darkness.

"Guess this is it." Johnny started, "Teddy, you have to go frst. You will fnd the way. Heather, you follow him. I will bring up the rear." The other two agreed, clicked on their fashlights, and entered The Darkwood.

After walking for no less than twenty feet, they could no longer see daylight behind and they realized the folly of the fashlights– the fashlight light could not penetrate the darkness for more than fve feet for some reason. None of them clicked off their fashlights however, the lights made them feel a little safer. Teddy held the fashlight in one hand, and the feather, almost like a sword, in the other. There was no path, and there was hardly any lower scrub; but there were thorny bushes every now and then that would scratch at them as they walked. They were trying to avoid bumping into any trees. After a while, inevitable did happen. The trees were almost like

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pine trees in that area, and the lower branches were all snapped off or dead, leaving only sharp pointy nubs on the trunks– like giant thorns on giant rose stocks. While looking to his right to consider a new direction, Teddy brushed ever so gently against one of the protruding thorn-nubs, and was caught and held fast. At frst he was perplexed and looked down at his arm as if Heather had grabbed it. He was about to ask her what she wanted when he realized it was the tree that held him. He started to brush at it with his fashlight hand and realized it hurt. It was as if the broken branch was growing into his arm. He started beating the tree with his fashlight. Heather and Johnny quickly joined him– bashing the branch with their fashlights, but nothing happened; it held fast. Teddy started to yell in pain, "It hurts! Awe man, it hurts... it's getting worse!"

Johnny moved Heather to the side and swung his fashlight down at a full over-the-head axe swing. This resulted in two things– the branch did in fact snap off, and Teddy ripped it from his arm leaving a bloody patch– almost as if he had skinned his arm on jagged rock. Unfortunately, at the same moment, Johnny's fashlight shattered into many pieces. The three of them crouched down in the darkness around the two still illuminated fashlights looking at Teddy's arm. Johnny searched through the backpack and