Into the Woods

The sky seemed to shudder, and lightning dripped from the clouds as the boy ran from the house, his hands holding the baby close to his chest. His face was soaked in blood and tears, but he kept running, jumping clumsily over the gate to the yard and hurrying down the road.

Screams filled his head as he ducked under the awning of the neighbour's farmhouse, and he tried to ignore the tortured wails coming from inside. The sound of hooves beating on the hard packed soil of the road was coming fast from the left, so he hid behind the stack of firewood, not daring to raise his face in case someone saw him.

Instead heat licked at his back as the building began to burn, and he carefully crept away when the sound had faded into the background again, slipping beneath a fir tree's curtain and putting a hand to the trunk. It came away sticky from sap, but he just brushed it on his shirt and moved quietly to the other edge of branches, peeking out into the darkness of the forest.

His parents had always warned him not to wander alone, of course, but there had never been much to do in his little village, and the forest represented adventure. There was a river along the border that was just deep enough for the older children to swim in, and slow enough that the adults allowed it.

As usual, and despite the chaos at it's branches, the trees were quiet and the shadows were still. The only way that tonight was different for the forest was the silence of the night even though it was summer.

A mad, tormented howl pierced the sky, and without taking time to doubt himself, Evan darted away, making sure to keep the swaddled babe close as he tried to stay quiet.

Without warning, the fire roared higher behind him, stopping only thirty feet from the forest bounds and swooping back down onto the town. They must have a witch, the boy gasped to the dark, running faster.

He'd heard horrible stories about the witches who chose to throw away a life of healing to gain power and evil. The weaker ones were 'claimed' by bandit gangs, while others made their living among the upper class, feeding the highborn women their fortunes and pretty lies. Twisted words described fates that tricked those who requested their telling, many times leading them into the arms of death.

Thankfully witches were rare enough as it was, and fewer still had the envy and aspirations to delve into the darker side of their gifts. Many dabbled, but as long as they didn't sink into it, they remained clear-minded and fair.

The boy was wishing, thought the babe, feeling the bigger person shifting around her. She was tiny and fragile, even if she wasn't a newborn anymore. Her face was still slightly scrunched, but her eyes were wide, watching the world around her. Dark brown eyes, to be exact, and they held a spark that jumped into her big brother's chest when she gave a delighted burble.

Evan never noticed the tiny flash of white that sunk quickly into his chest, just above his heart. In fact, he didn't seem to see much else besides the invisible track he followed, his vision narrowing until he felt like he was flying.

His bare feet were torn and bruised, but he kept running. The screams finally faded when he reached the river, and he turned, running on it's bank until the glow of the fire left the sky and only the moon was left, fat and full against a tapestry of stars.

When he did stop, it was quiet. So quiet that he could hear his blood thumping in his head and his pulse in his fingertips. They were alone in the darkness.