Zodiac Club Follow story

I look into the dark woods, unable to see even a few feet in. I am quite curious. There is no denying that. The murders, the whispers, the rumours. They all link back to this very place. I remember a girl back in middle school telling me that she heard voices, whispers, every time she walked past. She said there were ghosts that haunt these woods, looking for prey to lure in and steal their souls. She was eventually sent to a psychiatric hospital in California and we never saw her again but she didn’t seem so crazy to me now. Over time people swear they hear voices, they swear that they are being lured in and they were ignored. And the murders keep happening. They can’t be happening because of animals. It’s just too strange.

“I heard Ruma talk about a cult,” I mention to Circe as we stand at the edge of the woods.

She stiffens ever so slightly and turns away.

“Well, she has no idea what she’s talking about,” she quickly answers, “you can’t really listen to a girl who lies for fun.”

“Well is she telling the truth?” I ask, “Is there a cult in the Whispering Woods?”
I pull out the tarot card that was sent to me in a black envelope.

“Are they the ones that sent me this?” I hand it over to her.

Circe gasps in recognition.

“Why would they send you one?” she whispers.

“So you do know what this is?” I ask, “I knew it.”

She spins and walks away.

“I don’t know what that is,” She utters, “but I would suggest that you stay out of it! It’s for your own good!”

“It’s too late now,” I shout out, “whatever this lunacy is…I’m already involved. And I will gladly dive in deeper until I find my sister.”

“Well maybe your sister is dead, have you ever considered that?”
“I need proof and I won’t stop until I have it in front of me. I won’t let go of my only family that easily.”

Circe stops and glances at me.

“You don’t understand…” she whispers, “you don’t understand anything…this is all a game to them and if you value life as much as you told me you did at the Autumn Festival then you would drop this all.”

She drops her head in shame.

“I don’t want to lose someone…anyone ever again…” she whimpers.

“Then you understand what I’m feeling, don’t you?” I ask.

“I do, and I’ve learnt that you can’t fight the higher powers. You just have to submit someday and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“And who told you that? Romero? The guy that dictates your life? The guy that tells you what to eat and what to wear…”
“He just wants the best for me…”
“No, he doesn’t Circe…he’s just using you. As long as you’re alive, he’s safe, can’t you see? You don’t have to keep thinking that your life needs to be dictated by a higher power. You have a brain. Start using it to think for yourself. It’s a human thing to do.”

I sigh and turn towards the Whispering Woods, its dark trees towering over me, a deathly tune plays in the distance. The whispers of the leaves invite me, tugging at my wrist. There was always a paranormal darkness over it, even on the sunniest of days. It was always scary to me as a child, only a madman would willingly step in, even as a dare, but my sister’s face flickers in my mind, her sad and lonely face from the last time I saw her. She is all that I had and if there is a slight possibility that she is still alive, I would take it in a heartbeat, however low it may be.

“Ruma told me that she knows about a cult based in the woods,” I say, “they tend to go for young girls with ‘potential’.”

“And you believed her?” Circe sighs.

“Circe, you and your sadistic boyfriend have magical powers. I will believe anything at this point. If I can at least find them and…”

“Beg for your sister back?”

“Yes…”

“Is that what your brain is telling you to do?”

I nod softly and she slumps her shoulders.

“You’re an idiot,” Circe whispers, “Romero was right about that.”

She walks over to me and holds my hand, her coldness transfering into my body.

“But apparently it’s a human thing to do so I’ll give it a try,” she hums.

I smile a little.

“I’m sorry if I insulted you when I said…” I start to apologise.

“No need,” Circe pulls me into the woods, enveloping us in darkness, “I’m used to it. Just stay close…”

She turns away, leading us both. For a while, it’s just silence, the sound of leaves crushing underfoot, the wind whistling through the branches and the birds twittering deeply. The lack of sight brought up fear in me but Circe’s confidence helps tame it.

I barely know her, that I can admit. We’ve seen each other around school for a few years but I only just started talking to her a month ago, around the time my sister disappeared. And it just seemed like fate wanted me to find Circe. The first day back to school, at the diner, detention, in the canteen. Everywhere I went, Circe was almost always nearby.

“Circe?” I whisper.

“Yes?” she responds.

“Do you believe in fate?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, she hums softly, thinking about her words.

“I…If I say ‘yes’ is that bad?” she finally answers.

“No. No, of course not,” I say, “it’s your decision.”

“Then yes. I’ve always been told it’s a stupid thing to believe in. But I think things…happen for a reason, whether it be karma or someone else pulling the strings. Just like how we met. We’ve been going to the same school for a few years and this town is small. Practically everyone talks to each other. So why have we only started talking now?”

“Do you think it’s because of fate? You, me…everyone else in the Zodiac Club?”
Circe laughs vibrantly, a way I’ve never heard before.

“You’re actually calling it the Zodiac Club?” she giggles.

“I think it’s catching on,” I utter.

“Maybe…I think it’s cute. Romero thinks it’s a little cheesy.”

“Do you think everyone in the club got a card too? You seemed like you recognised mine.”

Circe takes a deep breath, her grip tightening.

“Ruma got the card, Temperance,” I explain, “Dante got a card but he wouldn’t say what he got. And mine is the Hermit. What does it all mean?”

“It means nothing,” Circe hisses, “it’s just a way to toy with your mind and to make you scared.”

“Ruma told me that my sister got a card before she disappeared. The card ‘Death’. And it happens to a lot of the people who disappear.”

Circe reaches into her pocket and pulls out a card, similar in colour to mine. I can make out a drawing of a woman dressed in religious garments.

“They send it to everyone as a joke,” she says, “I’ve got one, Romero’s got one too. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“They?” I ask.

Circe stops for a second before moving on.

“They…” she sighs, “I don’t know who they are but they’ve been sending me this card for years. Ever since I came to this town. I used to be so scared because there were rumours going around back then that this cult was sending cards to invite young girls and anyone who didn’t accept would be taken by force.”

Her breath became lighter and lighter, I could hear her heart pounding.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I was taken in my sleep,” she explains, “at that time I was living behind a grocery store so it wouldn’t be that hard to grab a small kid. Romero saved my life. If he hadn’t then…I don’t even know what would have happened…and after that, he took me in.”

“Wow…I’m so sorry…to think that they do exist and target kids…”

“Well…the cult that exists now and the cult that took me back then are different. At least, that’s what I believe. You’ve lived in this town longer than I have, doesn’t it seem strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“Years ago it used to be just women that went missing. It’s always been women. From my experience, they probably received tarot cards too. And the murders often tend to be young women, all wearing similar clothes. I’m guessing they were part of the cult and tried to escape…So why would young men like Dante get cards too? And why are there random people getting murdered left and right wearing normal clothing? And why do Ruma and I keep getting cards if they aren’t planning on kidnapping us? They’ve had plenty of opportunities where I’ve had my guard down. It doesn’t add up.”

“You don’t think…Ruma is already part of the cult too…” I suggest, “she has strange powers too. And she sort of creeps me out.”

Circe looks at me, a worried look on her face.

“I…I don’t want to think about that…” she mutters.

A crow shrieks in the distance, slightly making me jump. The dry twigs brush against my ankles as the wind tickles my skin. Ruma is another person that I’ve known for a while. She is the principal’s daughter but she acts far from it. You would think that she would act decently but that is unlikely. She is a pessimist, a sadist, an arsonist. Always having the urge to set things on fire for no reason, starting rumours about people just for the fun of it, bunking off lessons. Everyone fears and hates her, but there is nothing they can do. Even suspension can’t stop her and expulsion wasn’t really an option when there is only one high school in the town.

“Maybe they’re under different management?” I say, trying to steer the conversation away from Ruma.

“Do you hear yourself? Management?” Circe chuckles, “Cults often follow ‘teachings’ and ‘rules’. Why would a new management change them?”

The sound of a rushing river becomes more and more audible as we walk further into the darkness.

“We should stay by the river,” I suggest, “they might be likely to stay near a body of water.”

“And what happens if we do find someone?” Circe whispers, fear in her voice.

I didn’t know myself. I am just as scared as she is. My hands quiver, my breath quickens, my heart pulses. But my sister is too important to me. Her name whispered into my ears.

‘Sarah…’

‘Sarah…’

‘Sarah…’

“Well, can’t you use your powers to save us both?” I joke light-heartedly.

Circe gasps as she grips my hands tightly.

“I regret following you into the woods,” she sniffs.

“Don’t worry…I’ll watch your back if you watch mine,” I say.

Even in the dark, I can feel her dark eyes boring into my skull. But she releases a sigh.

“But if it comes to it, you should run away,” I suggest, “you only came because you care about me. You shouldn’t risk yourself because of that.”

“But you don’t know what they’re capable of!” she hisses, “These are people who have murdered dozens. They’re not ordinary people you can just swing at with a stick. They have weapons. Let me handle it. Please.”

I look at her, quite shocked.

“You’ve…been kind to me these past weeks,” she mutters, her eyes flicking away from me, “no one’s been nice to me. Ever. I want to repay you. And you’re in this mess because of me anyway.”

“Don’t say that,” I sigh, “it was my choice to step in that day.”

“But it means a lot…and it’s unfair that people are losing their family while I’m doing nothing about it. I didn’t want to help you at first because I’ve always had bad experiences with family and that’s selfish of me.”

I remember the Autumn Festival where Circe sat in the Ferris wheel, telling me about how her sister sold her, her adopted parents mistreating her and all sorts until she decided to run away and came here. She isn’t someone who has a lot going on. We were from polar opposite worlds until everything came crashing down recently. We were all we had for now.

“It’s nice to have you with me though,” I smile, “I feel like for the first time in my life…I have a friend. A real friend who listens, who cares.”

Circe smiles back at me. Although her hands are cold, her smile radiates warmth, almost bewitching. To see the true beauty of Circe, a girl that rarely smiles, always so forlorn. Her eyes twinkling in the dim light like stars filled with delight, tiny crinkles forming around the edges, the corners of her lips curved upwards in the shape of a heart, creating a soft and inviting expression. What a sight it was.

“Me too…” she responds in a soft whisper