They walked.
No one said anything for a long while.
Reaper was at the front, walking like he knew exactly where he was going, even if he didn't. His steps were quiet. Like he didn't want to wake something up. Behind him was Ash, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyes flicking left and right like he expected something to jump out from the trees. Ken walked at the back, slower than the others, dragging his boots a little, his eyes glued to the ground.
Everything was still. Way too still.
It didn't feel peaceful or calm. It felt wrong.
Ash kept thinking about how this place used to be. Loud and scary. He remembered the screeches, the howls, the disgusting noises of those ugly-ass creatures moving around. Now there was none of that. It felt like walking inside a graveyard where even the dead had packed up and left.
He glanced at Ken. Ken was sweating like crazy. His shirt was soaked, and his lips were tight, like he was biting something back.
Ash swallowed. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
Even Reaper was acting differently. His movements were sharp, fast, but there was something in the way he kept checking behind trees. Like, even he wasn't sure what was going on.
"Doesn't feel right," Ash finally said under his breath, not really to anyone. Just needed to hear a voice, even if it was his own.
No one replied.
The forest started to change around them. The trees were thinner now. Tall and crooked, with black bark that looked burned in places. The ground was soft, like wet sand. Footsteps left deep marks that sank slowly like the earth was swallowing them whole.
Ash wanted to say something again, but stopped. What could he say? 'Hey guys, remember when this place used to be full of horrifying creatures trying to kill us every three minutes? Kinda miss that now.'
Yeah. Nah.
After what felt like forever, Reaper raised a hand and stopped. Ash bumped into him slightly, caught off guard. Reaper pointed at a broken tree ahead. It was wide, fat, hollowed in the middle like a giant had ripped it apart with their bare hands. Behind it was a small space. Dark, but not exposed. Probably the best place to rest in a place like this.
"We stop here," Reaper said. His voice was calm, but not relaxed. Like he was forcing himself to sound okay.
Ken didn't say anything. He just walked over and sat down with a sigh, rubbing his face with both hands. Ash joined him, pulling his knees up and resting his arms on them. His eyes scanned the woods again. Still nothing.
No birds.
No bugs.
No wind.
Just silence.
Ash hated it. He leaned closer to Ken and whispered, "You feel it too, right?"
Ken nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't like it."
They didn't start a fire. Reaper said it was too risky, and he was probably right. A fire would light them up like a neon sign. If something was out there, and Ash was pretty sure something was, it would see them in seconds.
They ate cold food. Ash missed the taste of that weird grilled meat from earlier. Even if it probably wasn't chicken. He glanced at Ken, who was picking at his food without really eating it. Reaper stood near the edge of their little hideout, watching the trees like a statue.
They made a plan. Take turns keeping watch. Reaper first, then Ken, then Ash.
Ash didn't want to sleep anyway. He leaned his head back against the broken tree. His eyes half closed, but his mind kept spinning.
Something was off.
It wasn't just the silence. It was like the forest had been emptied out on purpose. Like something worse had shown up. Something even the monsters were scared of.
**
Morning didn't really come. It just... didn't.
Ash was the first to stand up. He stretched slowly, arms above his head, and cracked his neck from side to side. Every bone felt stiff, like he'd slept on gravel. Which, well... he basically did. He rubbed his hands together, trying to bring some warmth back, but it didn't help. His fingers were numb.
Then he saw it.
Just a little further off. Between two rocks. Peeking out like it had been waiting there all night.
His sword.
He frowned. "Why the hell do I keep calling it my sword?" he mumbled to himself.
It wasn't his. He never wanted it to be.
He remembered trying to throw it away more than once. But it always found its way back. Or maybe... maybe he was the one who kept going back to it.
Ash walked over slowly, picked it up without really thinking, and stared at the blade for a second. He didn't unsheath it. He didn't need to. Just holding the hilt was enough to feel the weird pull of it. Heavy, but not in a physical way. More like guilt.
He sighed, then quickly wrapped the cloth back around the hilt so Ken wouldn't notice.
Ken was still sitting, quiet like always, rubbing his arms. Reaper stood nearby, arms crossed, looking out toward the trees. Nobody had slept well. It wasn't like the forest let you.
Soon enough, they started walking again.
Their feet crunched on dead leaves and broken twigs. Still no animals. No monsters. Not even the creepy sound of bugs or birds or... anything. It was just them, their footsteps, and the sound of their own breathing. That was it.
After a while, Ash walked up beside Reaper.
"So," Ash said, breaking the silence. "You got a wife?"
Reaper raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard. "Huh?"
"You said last night you work for money, for you and your wife."
Reaper scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah. I mean... yeah. I do."
Ash blinked. "Damn. I thought we were like the same age."
Reaper laughed, kind of sheepishly. "We are, more or less. I just... got married young. She's cool. Crazy, but cool."
Ash nodded slowly. "Nice. Good for you, man. That's rare these days."
"Yeah, well," Reaper said, voice softer now. "She's the reason I'm still doing all this crap. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be dead by now. Or worse. Just... lost."
Ash didn't say anything for a bit. He looked at the ground while walking, thinking. "That's sweet, actually. Kinda annoying, but sweet."
"Annoying?"
"Yeah. Like, I don't even have a proper house, and you've got a whole wife."
Reaper laughed a little and then stopped.
They kept walking. Eventually, the trees opened up, and the path just... ended.
Right in front of a giant-ass ravine.
It stretched wide, too wide to cross. There were sharp rocks at the bottom and wind blowing through it, making that hollow whistling sound.
Ash whistled. "Well... shit."
Reaper looked around. "There's no bridge. No rope. No path down."
Ken stood next to them, staring across with his arms folded.
Ash stepped up to the edge and looked down. "Y'know... if I wanted to die horribly, this would be a good spot."
Reaper nodded. "Ten outta ten. Instant bones-to-dust type of fall."
They all stood there for a bit, silent again.
The ravine was huge. It stretched far to the sides, way too wide to cross just by jumping. Even for people like them, who weren't exactly normal humans, that kind of distance was pushing it. Too far. No normal jump was making it across.
…with the exception of Ash, of course.
Not that he said anything.
He just stood there, looking at the other side quietly, both hands in his pocket.