Woodland Witch: Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE
The Adventurers
Alexandra hadn’t wanted to spend all evening wandering deep within the forest, but it seemed
she had no choice. Daylight was fading rapidly, and clouds darkened overhead, leaving her and
her companions with less than ideal conditions for exploring an abandoned property.
“Should we just turn back?” she asked her partners. “There’s a town at the base of the hill where
we could stay the night.”
“No dice,” Cameron said. “We’re almost there.”
“Man, you said that an hour ago,” Eric said as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. “You
don’t know where we’re going, do you?”
Cameron stopped and spun on his heel. “Of course I do,” he spat. “And don’t worry, I know you
want to get your precious sunset hour photos and video. We’ll have time for that.”
Alexandra was doubtful as she watched the sun descend behind the trees.
“It wouldn’t be a big deal to put this off until tomorrow.”
“Speak for yourself,” Eric said. “My girlfriend will flip if I’m not home before midnight.” Alexandra
bristled at the word girlfriend, her pride still reeling from the romance between them ending. She
turned her attention to Cameron instead, noting the way his gaze darted from tree to tree, bush
to bush, as though he were searching for something.
This wasn’t like him. When Eric started his amateur video channel five years ago, he worked
alone. For two years, he accepted help from his brother or his friends, having them join him on
adventures to abandoned places. They helped him scope out the locations and hold the
camera, but none of them were interested in sticking with the channel long-term. When
Alexandra met Eric, a friendship emerged between them as if they’d always known each other,
and then romance blossomed as they journeyed to unknown places together. Alexandra had
been different from the others, and joined the channel as a true partner who earned attention
from brands and sponsors, and helped grow the channel’s viewership. Six months ago,
Cameron began adventuring with them, and somehow he knew of abandoned locations that
nobody else did.
He had been around for their romantic relationship, around when it ended, and kept the mood
light when awkwardness rose between Alexandra and Eric, even when they refused to
acknowledge any awkward feelings between them.
After a pregnant pause, Eric spoke. “Cameron, let me remind you that this is your first big
adventure with us, and the first time you’ve been able to call the shots as far as where we go. If
you’ve taken on more than you can handle, then it’s okay, dude. Just let us know.”
Alexandra could have sworn she had passed the tree on her left three times already, and she
regretted not marking it to be sure. Though she had no doubt Cameron would take offense to
her tying red string around trees as he led the way.
“And what threat lies behind those words? If this doesn’t work out, then you won’t take me on
another grand adventure to the middle of nowhere? What a sad thing that would be.” Cameron
laughed, but Alexandra cringed, her arms tightening over her chest. She and Eric locked eyes
for a moment, unsure of what they’d gotten themselves into.
“That’s what I thought. Don’t. Worry. About. Anything.” Cameron punctuated every word as
though he were an angry child, and Eric threw up his hands.
“Fine, dude.” He shrugged. “Our last five videos with you have been sick, you’re right. I think
we’re just getting tired and hungry, that’s all. I could really go for a sandwich right now, you
know?”
“Glad we’ve all agreed.” Cameron forced a smile and then continued to lead them through the
forest, the dark sweeping down upon them. Lightning crackled in the distance. Sunset views of
the house wouldn’t be in their future, but arguing with Cameron wasn’t helping anything.
What little information Cameron had given them about the location would have to be enough.
He had emailed links with any known details of the cottage, including photographs and the
history of the property like previous owners and what led to its abandonment.
A rival video channel had visited this location last year but found nothing exceptional.
Cameron’s excitement over the property captured their curiosity, but Eric and Alexandra had
discovered properties over their years of exploration that excited them too, for different reasons.
That alone wasn’t unusual.
When Alexandra opened the maps app on her phone, she let the app access her location,
hoping she could tell if they were heading in the right direction. Cameron moved faster through
the trees, and Alexandra flitted her gaze between him and her phone. As she traveled, ducking
under branches and stepping over overgrown tree roots, she noticed something odd. The
person-shaped cursor on her map wasn’t moving and the breadcrumbs she’d left behind had
ceased at least a mile back. They must have lost service out here. Great, her mom was going to
love that.
“You okay?” Eric asked. He smoothed his t-shirt down and leaned in close. “Cameron is weird
today, right?”
“My guess is he’s trying to prove himself. This is the first time he’s chosen the spot for a video,
anyway.”
Her gaze lifted to the treetops, birds circling above as though searching for prey. She shuddered
and stopped walking, Eric stopping beside her, and she removed her bag from her shoulders so
she could unzip the backpack. From her bag, she retrieved a hoodie with a local college name
plastered across the front and slid it on. A chill rushed through, rustling leaves and shaking
branches. Alexandra lifted her backpack and replaced it on her shoulders, noting that Cameron
stopped and glanced back at her. She gestured that they’d only be a minute.
“I remember your first time, too. Man, you found the coolest two-story Victorian with that hideous
old furniture. Remember those old family photo albums we found upstairs? I still can’t believe
the things people leave behind.” Eric’s gaze was soft, reminding her of the reasons she had
fallen for him. She shook her head, wanting to erase those memories. He had a girlfriend now,
and they were only colleagues.
Alexandra smirked. “I wasn’t trying to prove myself so much as. . . nevermind.” Him. She had
wanted to impress him, much more than his channel’s audience. She shifted her feet, thankful
for the rumble of thunder that interrupted them. “I have a few ponchos packed if the weather
gets worse.”
“Where did he go?” Eric asked, looking around for Cameron. Dang. They’d lost him.
“That way,” Alexandra gestured, then sprinted ahead. She was sure Cameron had gone this
direction. “Wait for us,” she yelled. The trees continued to rustle and sway, and the sky made
good on the promise it had made hours ago. Rain fell like daggers, hard and fast.
“Might be a good time for those ponchos,” Eric said, moving to open her backpack. Alexandra
shifted and held a hand over her brow as she waited, keeping the rain from her face. Eric
opened the bag and tugged a poncho down over himself, then handed her the other. It wasn’t
much, but this would be better than getting soaked.
Crack.
A sound unlike lightning echoed through the trees. Crack, crack, crack. And then a whimper.
Eric furrowed his brow and Alexandra shivered, waiting. Were there hunters in these woods?
Did people even hunt in the rain? When no other sound broke through the rainfall, she pushed
her feet into the thick trestle beneath her feet, forcing her body upwards. Not sure whether she
should worry more about Cameron or an injured animal, she darted off toward the noise. She
heard him cry ‘wait’ but kept on running, concern lending her adrenaline.
As she ran, she doubted what she’d heard. It could have been lightning hitting a tree. But what
of the whimper? The trees shimmered around her, and not only from the drizzle of rain. She
pulled her phone from her pocket and clicked the maps app again.
The world flew around her, or — wait, she was the one airborne — and Alexandra landed hard
on wet earth and slick stone. Pain splintered through her backside, surely forming a bruise. She
grimaced, then held back tears when the pain in her leg registered. Rain pattered against her
forehead as she moved the plastic poncho to get a better look at her ankle. “What happened?”
she heard from behind, and then Eric circled her and offered a hand.
“I don’t think I can stand.” Her ankle swelled and reddened, the injury making itself visibly
apparent. A pathway of uneven stones laid over uneven ground next to her, and her gaze
followed their placement until landing upon the faint rise of a house in the distance, shrouded by
nightfall and bad weather.
“Wow,” Eric said. “Is this really it? Sure looks like the house in those photos Cameron sent.”
Cottage was one way to describe the house, but from here, the stature and size made it appear
more like a mansion. Imposing, dark, and scary. She stared at it for a second longer, then
scrambled to find her phone on the grass, careful to keep her left leg still. It lay beneath moss
and when she pulled up the phone, a slimy grey mushroom came with it. “Gross,” she muttered
before throwing it onto the ground and wiping her hand on the grass. Footsteps pulled her gaze
upward and set her heartbeat off to the races.
“Took you long enough,” Cameron said, the disdain not well hidden from his voice. “And to think
both of you were concerned that I would hold up the group.”
“Give it a rest, man, she’s hurt,” Eric said, and he offered a hand to Alexandra. Cameron sighed
and helped her up from the other side. Alexandra’s expression twisted, a mix of pain and fear of
being at a strange place in the middle of the woods, and during a storm to boot. “Let’s get you
out of the rain as best we can until we can figure out what to do next.”
“I don’t know how we’ll make our video like this,” Alexandra said. “I won’t be of much help with a twisted ankle.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cameron suggested. “Eric and I can handle this one. We’ll just find you a
nice spot to settle in for the evening while we get this video recorded.”
They were deep in the forest without phone service, amid a thunderstorm, heading to an
unknown location, and her injury made it impossible to stand on her own. She knew this could
be dangerous work, and this evening, all of her fears were truly becoming realized.
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