In The Woods

Chapter 1

Claudia sat in the back of her older brother's red truck, clutching her duffle bag as she stared out at the snowy forest landscape. In passenger seat, Cassidy(but everyone called him Cas for short) looked out of the window with bored brown eyes and a somber expression. Jean, the eldest, drove. He made a turn, going into a valley in-between two large mountains. This is were the small village they often got groceries and supplies from when on vacation. They would have to drive through in order to get to the old family cabin. The village was very old and as well as most of it's residents, but occasionally you would see a family with a couple kids. As they drove through they were getting odd stares. "What are they staring at?" Cas grumbled as he glared back.

"They don't like outsiders, you know this." Jean replied as he continued to stare at the road.

"But our great-grandpa and great-grandma lived here their whole life, so it's not like we are actually outsiders." Cas snapped back.

"Yeah, but we didn't grow up here." Claudia added just as they exited the village. The road was now unkempt and covered in snow. A fallen tree blocked the road.

"Shit." Jean cursed under his breath, "Looks like we will need to walk the rest of the way."

"God damnit." Cas hissed.

"Relax Cas, it's just a couple hundred feet ahead. It's not a big deal. Now grab your shit, we'll need to come back again." Jean ordered. The siblings hopped out of the car with there duffle bags and whatever else they could carry. As they walked the trail to the cabin Claudia couldn't help, but feel watched. She made sure to stay close to her brothers the whole trek. After 30 minutes they made it to the cabin. All of them were cold and ready to get inside. As soon as Jean opened the door the siblings came rushing in. They did after all walk in a foot of snow. Claudia ran upstairs to her usual bedroom and slung the red duffle bag to the floor. She let out a sigh and flopped onto the bed. She never like these trips, but Jean insisted on a family get-together. She felt so cold and tired. She kicked off her boots, pulled the green, plaid, comforter, and got comfy.

'It's so strange mom and dad aren't here. It's lonely.' Claudia thought as she looked up blankly at the ceiling. Not only was it lonely without her parents, but the tension between her and her brothers were exhausting. Slowly her lids closed over her sleepy, chocolate-brown, eyes as sleep consumed her.

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Blood-stained snow. Claudia saw a whole herd of dead elk lay before her. Some of them were missing their back-ends, some missing their fronts. Crows were picking at the soft, exposed bits such as intestines, eyes, and tongues. A few coyotes were tearing apart the corpses, adding to the carnage. She walked past the dead elk, closer and closer to the forest. She didn't know how to stop, she just continued to step closer. A high-pitched roar rang through the cold and crisp air. Claudia heard the flutter of crow wings and the whimpers of canines. She watched a certain murder of crows fly towards the forest, only to be swallowed whole by a large, wolf-skulled, creature. Its white furred body almost blended in with the tainted snow. The only giveaway of it's position is its ruby-red eyes. "Awaken." A deep voice demanded.

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Claudia woke up in a cold sweat. 'What a odd dream.' She thought.