Shirley woke up with a start, her body drenched in sweat that depicted her agitation.
The same dream again. The same voices called to her, demanding her attention and the peril of not heeding their cries. They wanted her to visit the dark woods that was considered a forbidden place of terror. A place no sane person from her small isolated town Ebony on the outskirts of Dzorwulu would patronize.
The whispering woods. Everyone in town was aware of the enigmatic forest and the dark mystery that rules it. No one knew what secrets lay beyond the gate leading to the dark forest, and no one dared to find out. The whispers of hoarse voices that reveal one's desires and fears do the trick to keep everyone out.
Her little town was haunted by the news of children below the age of ten disappearing with no trace. Her little sister was a victim too. She had been missing for five long painful years and she still blamed herself for it. She had been a poor guardian, focusing more on work than her sister's safety. She had wanted a better life for her kid sister who was nine when she had disappeared from the park she took her to. Jade had been a sweet little girl filled with life, and she had only taken her eyes away from her just once, but it had been enough time for her to disappear. And she wasn't the only kid that disappeared either, it seemed to be a recurring incident every year that threw the town into mourning that grew with each passing year.
She didn't get it but knew something was wrong. Something needed to be done. She was tired of seeing the bleakness that hovered over her town, squeezing the life out of it. Sighing sadly she abandoned her bed to take a swift shower and headed downstairs for breakfast. Turning on the TV, she munched on her meal while catching up on the news. She was almost done when the news of missing children hit her ears turning her stunned gaze back to the news.
Not again!
This was bad. Look at those lovely kids gone without a trace again, eleven this time. Their innocence filled her soul with pain and imbued her with determination. It was enough now! She would save those kids or die trying. It was time to listen to the voices from the whispering woods and do their bidding, even when she quaked at the thought. Grabbing her backpack, she filled it with some camping essentials, things that would help her survive physically out there. She had nothing but her faith to protect her from the supernatural threats awaiting her. Expelling a deep sigh, she locked up behind her and set out for her destination.
It took her an hour to reach the mouth of the forest, and as she stood on the manmade threshold and stared at the brick entrance that had leaves and red flowers gracing its walls, she wondered if her decision was the right one. Or was she embarking on a foolish mission that would endanger her life? She had to do this for the missing kids, for her town's happiness. There must be something in there that would reveal the truth, her dreams must represent something.
Reinforcing her determination, she stepped into the dark folds of the forest and wondered why the sun's rays couldn't penetrate the dark fog of the forest. Every step she took with fright was accompanied by a gust of nippy wind that guided her to an opening that had huge trees shooting up and touching at the apex as if forming a canopy or shield. The trees were like silent sentinels with their scary branches looking like deadly swords overhead. She jumped when she heard shrill laughter.
"Quit the games and show yourself. I'm here now. What do you want to tell me?" she asked boldly, her voice steady and not showing the fear gripping her from within.
Voice 1: "We knew you would come. Your town is in danger!"
Voice 2: "He has them!
Voice 3: "And you need to stop him before it's too late!"
Three different voices with a unified message that made no sense at all. "I don't understand, what are you talking about? Who is he?"
"The wicked man who made us this way!" They said in unison, in anger that filled her with trepidation.
"Okay. You need to explain further, please."
Voice 1: "We're once kids filled with life, but he abducted us, took us from our homes, and sacrificed us to his oracle for riches!"
Voice 2: "His family has been making these sacrifices for ages!"
Voice 1: "Their evil acts forged the darkness that covered this side of the forest because it's their burial ground for all the kids they murdered in cold blood for their selfish desires. You need to save the future generations and the plight of mothers who are only incubators for this wicked family."
"What," she staggered on her feet, her mind reeling from the revelations that filled her with nausea. She had come for answers but what she found was beyond her. She was out of her depth with this one. "Who are you talking about?" her mouth asked against her will. It would be the death of her.
Voice 3: "The Morrison!!!"
"What?!" she shook her head in denial, dubiously. "That's impossible! They hold this town–"
Voice 1: "They are killing this town! You don't even know the extent of his crimes. There are other crimes he committed in the dark you're unaware of. No one seemed to be aware of this. His workers seemed to vanish one by one into thin air and no one is the wiser! Your town is blind to his demonic acts!" Employees? Which workers were the voices of the woods talking about?No one had reported any missing persons. This was new to her– very disheartening and bewildering! She could see the furious glow of the voices; three different colors that burnt so bright her eyes hurt at a glimpse. They formed the image of young girls floating above her; faceless girls who made her heart well up with tears at their condition. They seemed lively but were very much lifeless; their colors were the only beautiful thing about them. "He has murdered some of his employees who refused to turn a blind eye to his hideous crimes, and made their bodies disappear by feeding them to his hounds!"
Voice 2: "And he has silenced their families and friends too. You need to find the patriarch of the Morrison, Demon, and destroy his necklace! That's the only way to free us and the other souls of their victims and save those he has abducted for the sacrifice of renewal."
Voice 3: "And you have only 24 hours to do it!"
This was too much! How would she accomplish this with so little time? And she was no hero– not really.
"I can't do this!" she blurted out in alarm, completely overwhelmed.
Voice 1: "Yes, you can, for your unborn child."
"What? That's impossible! I'm barren–"
Voice 1: "You're not. You're with a child, and your boyfriend will propose to you soon. He loves you, so your fear of losing him to his ex is null."
"How do you know so much?"
Voice 3: "We're dead and walk among the living, our souls trapped in this forest."
Voice 2: "You need to set us free before we become soul-sucking monsters that would ravage your town."
Voice 1: "Your sister needs to be set free too."
"M...my sister?" She stuttered, her heart bleeding at the news.
Voice 1: "She's with us, among the dead. He used her five years ago. We chose you because you're pure-hearted and have the soul of a warrior, the fiery light of a phoenix. Now go! Run! Save us all before it's too late and we turn into soul-sucking monsters that would drain your town. Go!" She ran like her life depended on it at the urgency of the voice, her torch waving wildly at the trees as the gust of chilly wind pushed her harder and tossed her out of the woods. The lost souls' revelations resonated through her body covering her flesh with goosebumps that numbed her motion.
How was she to proceed?
Where would she start from?
How would she take down the patriarch of the most powerful prestigious family in town? And within twenty-four hours!
She needed to think and come up with a good solid plan. She couldn't afford any loophole or hiccups, not when the security of her town depended on it, and of course, her sister's killer needed to be apprehended and prosecuted.
Demon, the patriarch of the Morrison must pay for his crimes. He must be stopped at all costs.
***
She smiled at each guest playing the perfect hostess when inside she was a mess. A trembling mess waiting for her prey to arrive. He seemed to be taking his sweet time. She had thought of every plausible scenario or excuse to get close enough to Demon only to discard them in the bin. Demon was a fox, a fox who knew how to cover his tracks so he would sense a threat a mile away. This brought her to her current position of playing a hostess to a faux party which was a well-crafted ploy to catch a very bad man. A terrible man who was a monster in human flesh. Smiling at the familiar faces she glided through the room, stopping to make small talk when necessary and bided her time. Her feet were starting to ache, a small price for the killer heels gracing her feet.
She was about to sweat and lose hope of him ever showing when he walked in with condescending steps. Finally, the show was about to start. She couldn't wait to have his head on the platter. He killed her baby sister and trapped her soul in a hideous ritual.
Half an hour later found her fuming in agitation mingled with frustration. Her plans were failing and the monster wasn't taking a bite. He wasn't eating or drinking any of the servings sent his way, and she knew she had to resort to her plan C; a drastic measure that involved stabbing him with a drug that would put him to sleep. She had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but guessed one don't always get their wishes. Sometimes the best-laid plans fall apart.
Raising her flute to her lips to have a taste of the sweet wine in hopes of it taming her bitterness and hatred for her prey, she approached him and invited him for a private chat in her study, where she proceeded to stab him from behind with the injection hidden in her dress. She tried not to feel guilty at the surprised look on his face, the question in his eyes. She caught and shoved him into the nearest armchair, puffing out the air in exertion.
Damn! He was heavy. Heavy with evil, the slimy bastard. Quickly she searched his body and found the necklace, it was an antique emerald necklace that felt strange in her hands. The energy surrounding it was suffocating and she wanted to get away from it. It was having a weird effect on her. Dropping it on the tiled floor, she picked a mini hammer off her desk and hit away at it violently, appreciating the soundproofed padded walls of her office. It took several hits that got her sweating to shatter and destroy the evil amulet. Suddenly the air in the room started swirling, and there was chaos outside that had her rushing out to investigate. An empty hall greeted her and propelled her outside her home. The streets were crowded with astonished onlookers who were transfixed by the roaring sound emanating from the forest; sounds emanating from angry souls who flew in anger into her home and came back out with a frightened Demon twirling viciously in the air. Suddenly, he came crashing down in a messy tumble that had him yelping out in pain.
How the hell did he recover from the drug she injected him?
"Confess!!!" Came the thunderous voice that shook everyone and everything present. "Confess before we curse you to damnation! Now!!!!" The souls were furious, flying around him and taking a snip at his flesh that had him screaming louder in pain. He was trapped with nowhere to run.
"I...I killed them all. My employees and those kids. My family is responsible for the missing children in town. Every year we abduct and sacrifice them to our deity for...riches and power. And...and we throw their bodies in the forest. I fed the flesh of the employees who witnessed my crimes to my hounds. Our evil deeds turned the forest dark and made the ghosts of our victims vengeful; it turned the forest into the whispering woods. But we couldn't stop our sacrifices. Our deity demanded more or we perish."
"Where are the children you kidnapped recently?" she asked him, and he managed to throw her a glare that promised retribution. He should probably worry about himself getting off unscathed. She didn't see that happening though. The souls were out for blood.
"Answer her! Where are they?" The souls demanded tearing at his flesh a bit more.
"At home! They are locked in the sacrificial room in the basement of our house! Please spare me."
"Don't spare him!"
"He deserves to die!"
"His family deserves to die too!" The townsmen and women growled in rage after recovering from their shock.
"And so it shall be!" The souls roared tearing into his flesh and painted the street with his blood, leaving his broken bones as souvenirs. The sight was ghastly and made her puke. When she recovered she was greeted by her friends from the whispering woods. She recognized their voices from the whispering woods.
Voice 2: "Thank you."
Voice 3: "You were brave, and we owe you our gratitude."
Voice 1: "Someone would like to say goodbye to you." Her breath caught in her throat as a small bright light floated towards her and the image of her sister stood before her. The other souls had gone after the Morrison to eradicate and put an end to their evil era. But her sister and the three souls that greeted her floated around her amicably. She cried when her sister smiled at her.
"Please, don't cry. I'm free now and will rest in peace. Thank you, sis."
"I'm so sorry for failing you."
"You didn't. You were the best sister ever. It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself, I will be okay. I have Annika (voice 1), Mercy (voice 2), and Beauty (voice 3) to keep me company. Be safe Sis."
"You too Jade," she smiled, her eyes glistening with tears.
"A parting gift for you, your prince charming is returning with an engagement ring for you. Try to act surprised, and it's a baby girl." Jade added.
"It's time to go now, don't worry about failing, you would make a fine author the world would value, just gather the courage to put your work out there." Annika, the outspoken one of the trio advised before floating away with the others. Jade gave her a final wave before fading away too. The darkness disappeared with the freed souls; it was like it never existed, and she felt elated and fulfilled. Soon peace and happiness would grace and nourish her town to its former glory before the Morrisons tainted it.
The following weeks went smoothly with the missing kids recovered and returned to their respective homes. The bones of the victims in the whispering woods were retrieved, honored, and given a befitting burial. The home of the Morrisons mysteriously burned down into ashes reminding everyone of their cruelty.
Jade was right, Luke proposed to her and they would be tying the knot in a month. She took Annika's advice and pursued her dream of being a renowned author; things were looking good on that front. Life was good, everyone seemed to treat her differently with more respect and kindness, but she wished her sister was here to share in her happiness.
Smiling gently, she rubbed her invisible bump and leaned into her fiance's embrace with love warming her soul.
The future ahead was bright.
Oluremi Zainab
