Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 16: Hazardous Forest's

Harrison and Talon both sit on their horses, guns armed and ready as Foxglove leads her horse the rest of the way down the cliff. I sit on my thoroughbred next to Clare. The air seems to be filled with anxiety and tension almost the moment Orion told us it was time to get going again. The feeling is almost contagious, putting me completely on edge. All my nerves are on end as I sit here as if we are waiting for something to jump out.

As soon as Foxglove’s horse is on the ground Enyo’s instructions came fast as the rest of us climbed onto our horses.

“The forest provides perfect coverage for the Forsaken, stay alert. Keep your eyes and ears open! The moment we enter that tree no one speaks or makes a noise, understood?” His order’s out. We all nod out in response as we fall into one line, the same as we did when leaving the walls. Unlike the wall, we aren’t moving swiftly but calm and quiet. I don’t mind the quiet that much, but this... this is a cold and rigid quiet. It’s the kind a child dread’s in the middle of the night when they fear a monster will suddenly pop up out of nowhere.

The moment we enter through the first couple of trees the hot sun just beating down on us is drowned out by the large canopy over us. Most of the trees are pine and a few I had never seen before. With the birds overhead singing and the beautiful atmosphere of the forest, it’s hard to imagine there are mutated monsters that were once living beings running around. Pine needles and fallen twigs fill the forest floor. It’s easy to see pretty far before lower branches and bushes cover the view.

No matter how much I try to feel relaxed in this almost serene environment everything told me that this moment would be the wrong one to feel relaxed in. Suddenly farther behind us, loud cracking sounds as if a tree has suddenly fallen, and next to us farther into the forest the sudden sound of the ear-bending shriek of a forsaken call in return to the sound. I jump a little and look behind me. My right hand reached behind me ready for something to come after us. Enyo stops the line quieting the heavy footsteps we are making. Everyone is frozen and alert as they scour for the forsaken.

After a moment of no noise of anything coming near us, Enyo begins moving to lead us around trees and ducking under the lower branches. I listen intently trying my best to ignore the loud noises of the horses and listen as we go around a denser patch of trees blocking any view farther away and for a minute my ears pick up the faint sound of water. It’s not just water but the loud thrashing of water falling on rocks. My attention is pulled to the right of us as loud rustling and another forsaken scream fill the area. This time Enyo doesn’t stop or slow down but picks up our speed. We are no longer moving slowly but trotting as best we can in the dense forest.

We continue to ride through the forest and the longer we ride the louder the scream and the rustling become. I’m expecting it to jump out on us at any moment when Enyo slows us down. look in front of us, and I take in the large raging river in front of us. Without a word, Enyo’s horse is running into it swimming as hard as it can against the coursing river. For a moment I think he and his horse will go under when it finally catches ground or rock allowing for him to get to the bank of the next side of the river. I let go of a breath I wasn’t even sure I was holding in as Orion was the next to dive into the river.

As Orion fights the current the forsaken that’s been following us scream’s to the left side of me far closer than it was before. It’s like we are being hunted by it, leaving me on edge ready to hop into the river as fast as possible. I try to steel my leg that feels like it’s jumpy with anxiety as we sit here like food this forsaken. I look back towards the river to see that Talon was now in the river getting closer to the bank. After talon is through the river Clare will have to go next, then me.

Another scream echoes even closer and it feels like the forsaken is breathing down my neck. I lead my horse up closer to the river as Clare makes her way down the bank preparing to enter the river. The better look I get at the river I notice that farther down large rocks break through the water as it falls down the hundreds of rocks. If one of us got caught in the river we would be slammed a hundred times within a moment. Clare dives into the river with her horse, water splashing over her almost completely drenching her.

Suddenly a quiet calm comes over me as footsteps echo into my head from the right of us. As if every rushed footstep echoed out from it and into my head. The shriek sounds out before my eyes land on it. I look to my right side as the figure just break’s through the coverage. The forsaken jaw falls down almost to its chest swinging as it runs one, the eyes on the left drupes to the side as its skin looks like it’s falling right off its bones. The monster runs naked no indicator of what it used to be a female or male.

The forsaken falls over rocks and logs giving us more time to react. Before I can reach for my weapon I hear Clare scream out my name but my eyes don’t leave the monster running after us. Then I hear Enyo yell out loud and strong.

“Aspen! Cross the river now!” As if kick-starting me I whip my reins and dig my heels into my horse causing it to rear up and take off down the bank and into the coursing river. As loud gunshots ring out around us.