Amity

Chapter 14: The Edge Walker's Forest

The sunlight became consumed by the canopy of tree limbs above as they ran into the forest. The only light came from the large orbs of light that floated among the hundreds of students. Dré grabbed Kim's hand; he would be damned if he lost sight of her already. They both ducked into the thicket of trees, moving silently across dead leaves and sprawling tree roots. He ignored the bare tree limbs cutting into his arms and legs; his mind was solely on finding safety for him and Kim.

Dré tripped over a root. He released Kim's hand to balance himself out before slamming his shoulder into the trunk of one of the many thick trees. Smothering a cry, he scurried to the other side of the tree trunk, holding onto his shoulder as he sat against it, barring his teeth. Kim sat beside him, panting heavily, her jacket torn to shreds. "Are you okay, Ke'Undré?"

"I'll live," he said through his teeth. Isaiah's words crept into his mind as sweat dripped from his nose. Once you get to the city, you'll probably be glad that you're Amian. Like hell, he was glad to be an Amian. He hated this. It felt as though any good feeling that he once had in his mind had vanished completely, only to be replaced with the presence of looming evil and death surrounding them. He gasped for breath as he listened for any sounds.

Apart from their heavy panting and the distant voices of the other examinees, the forest was silent. There was no gurgling screaming of the Edge Walker's, no sounds of any wildlife, nor sounds of any running water. "I think we'll be safe here, for now."

A twig snapped behind them. At once, Dré covered Kim's mouth, trapping a yell that had almost escaped. He pressed her as close to him as possible, hoping to keep both of them out of the thing's sight. His heart pounding in his ears, Dré looked around for whatever he could find to attack with on the forest floor. There was nothing there, aside from decaying leaves and twigs. The only thing he could do was keep quiet and hope that whatever it was passed.

He willed himself to stay silent as he waited, holding his breath out of fear that the thing on the other side of the tree could hear him breathing. He could feel a drop of sweat slide down the hand covering Kim's mouth, keeping her whimpering from the open air.

Dré heard the light footsteps come closer, crunching leaves and breaking twigs with each step. It knew that they were there. It was prowling, as a lion would stalk an injured deer. Cursing to himself in his mind, Dré knew what he had to do. He couldn't let whatever that thing was get to Kim. He'd go out there and hold off the thing, allowing her to escape.

Slowly, he released Kim's mouth as he prepared to charge. Gasping, she grasped his hand, as if she knew what he was doing. He frowned, knowing that either choice he made wouldn't be an easy one.

"Dré?" he heard a woman whisper. "Are you out here?"

Relief flooded his heart. There were only three women out here that knew his name: Kim, Keiko, and Megumi. Looking from the corner of the tree, he saw Megumi walking towards them under the floating lights, her eyes hesitantly looking here and there. He looked back at Kim and grinned. "Yeah," he whispered back. "I'm here with Kim."

Megumi's head snapped towards Dré's voice as she rushed towards them. Dré rested against the tree again, exhaling as Megumi appeared beside him. "Calling it right now," she said as she sat beside him. "Being an Amian sucks."

It was hard to disagree with her. If they had to go through this forest to become an elemancer, then he'd better off without it. A thought crossed his mind: What would happen to them afterward, if they manage to survive? Surely, this had to be the hardest part of becoming an elemancer. What could be worse than this forest?

He shook the thought out of his mind. He couldn't afford to think about what would happen to them after the forest, especially if they didn't make it out. Massaging the pain dulling in his shoulder, he stood. "Whether it sucks or not, we won't find out by sitting here."

Kim gasped as she looked up at him, the floating lights causing her eyes to shine. "What do you mean?"

"I think he means that we're gonna go out there and face whatever this school's got to throw at us," Megumi answered as she stood, patting the dirt from the back of her pants. "I don't know where you suddenly got the guts, but I'm not complaining. I'm with you every step of the way." She held out a fist to him, smirking. Dré returned her smirk as he tapped her fist with his.

They both looked to Kim, expectant for her to join them. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the forest floor. "I-I don't know, guys."

"Come on," Megumi groaned. "There's nothing else we can do. I mean, even if we wanted to try and break out, we'd have to go through the Edge Walkers." She walked in front of Kim, holding out a hand. "I know it won't be easy and I know that you're afraid. I am, too. But I've got your back and so does Dré. We'll be here to protect you, no matter what."

Kim finally looked up to her, her hazel eyes shining under the light of the floating orbs. At first, she looked anxious. Then she gulped before she tried to harden her face and grabbed Megumi's hand.

Dré grinned as Megumi helped Kim up to her feet, however, his grin waned as he looked around them. Darkness surrounded them, threatening to swallow them whole and claim them as another victim. He shook the thought out of his mind. If the darkness wanted them, it would have to fight to claim their lives. "We should get moving."

"Moving?" the girls said, looking surprised as he was by the boldness in his voice.

"Yeah. We should try to find my brother. He said that he'd went through this before, remember? We might stand more of a chance if we can run into him."

"Let's hope so," Kim said.

The three walked through the thicket as silent as they were cautious. While they wanted to run into another person attending the exam, they didn't want to run into any of the beasts. Not yet, at least. He wanted an army before he tried to take on an Edge Walker. "Say, Megumi. How did you manage to find us?"

"I spotted you two running into the trees after the exams started. I had to choose between you or your brother to follow, and after Isaiah said that he was 'scoping out some competition,' I figured that you'd be the best option."

"I don't blame you," he said, remembering Isaiah's multiple girlfriends he got after "scoping." He'd curse life for as long as he lived if Megumi turned out to be one of them.

"Wait." Kim outstretched her arms, stopping Dré and Megumi. "I can hear them. It sounds like four Edge Walkers yelling, and I think they're coming towards us."

"How can you hear them?" Megumi inquired.

Kim hesitated before she said, "I'll explain later."

"How far away are they?" Dré asked, not wanting to mull over how she could hear them when he couldn't.

"Pretty far." She faced left. "And I can hear some people talking this way." She stalked ahead, with Dré and Megumi trailing her.