"I agree," I said.
"Elrenia," the Boy Voice whispered my name.
Did I hear that right? The Voices had been a part of my life for so long that I stopped questioning their existence. The three Voices appeared when there would be danger around me. Why would the Voices warn me of a danger in the Forgotten Forest? We're playing a game right? A slight movement behind Jesse caught my eye. The tattered shirt made me shriek.
I pointed to the bloody figure with a scythe in his hand approaching us in fast speed. "Zombie!" I cried.
Jesse sped away. Sonia scurried past him. Michael grabbed Juliana's hand and sprinted. Andrew froze.
"Let's go!" I yanked Andrew's shirt and ran.
Unlike most Zombies I saw on TV, this one dashed toward us. What happened to the dragging-their-feet Zombies? After running for a few minutes, we stopped.
I glanced behind me before I collapsed to the ground. "Where are we?"
"In the middle of the woods somewhere." He sat down next to me. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. "I don't like this game."
He smiled. "I love reading about Zombies, but after tonight, I changed my mind."
I laughed. This guy had a great sense of humor. I scanned the surrounding. "Where are they others?"
"I don't know." Andrew shook his head. "We split up pretty fast."
"Do you think we can find them?"
"I'm not sure," said Andrew. "Everyone took off as soon as you cried out Zombie."
"But you didn't," I said.
"I froze," he said. "If you didn't grab me, I would have been Zombie's food."
Bloody image of Zombies attacking Andrew flashed before my eyes. "Yikes, don't say that. Let's keep moving."
We entered deeper into the woods. Sounds of owls and crickets became our companions.
"Wait!" He touched my arm.
My whole body shivered at his slight touch. "What is it?" I asked as calm as possible.
He pointed to a soft glow between two trees. We moved closer to the light. A glowing stick sat in a hole in the trunk. On the ground, a strange looking bottle lay on its side by the roots.
"Bottle number two," he said as he inched toward the tree.
"Elrenia," the Boy Voice called my name again.
There shouldn't be any real danger around here. This is a game, I repeated to myself. So, why did the Voices appear in my head? Unless the three Voices didn't realize it was a game. Or the Boy Voices wanted to join the game and the Female and Alpha Male let him play along. That must be it, I said to myself.
"Elrenia, watch out!" cried the Boy Voice.
I stared at the ground. The leaves under Andrew's feet shifted. "No!" I leapt forward and pushed Andrew aside.
We rolled on the grass and I landed on top of him. We stared at each other. Being so close, I could hear his heart beat and his heavy breathing. I quickly rolled away.
He rubbed his head. "What happened?"
I couldn't tell him about the Voices. He'd think I was a lunatic. "I thought I saw something moved," I said and crawled toward the area where I had seen the ground shift. I stretched my arms in front of me and patted the grass. The ground tilted to one side.
"I'll be darn," said Andrew. He crawled toward me and yanked the grass. The top came off and revealed a small hole in the ground.
"Thank goodness there's no Zombie inside," I said.
He smiled. "Grandpa has a nasty sense of humor." He leaned forward and grabbed the bottle. "It's his favorite wine."
"Is that some kind of straw around the bottle?" I asked.
"Yeah." Andrew handed me the bottle. "It's Chianti, an Italian wine packed in a straw basket called fiasco."
I held it in my hands and touched the straw. "Very unique." I handed the Chianti back to him. "How many bottles does your grandpa have in the cellar?"
"Hundreds."
"So, there'll still be other bottles lying around in the woods after each group collects the five bottles."
"I believe so, yes," said Andrew. "Maybe he'll organize another party to collect them later."
"I'm not trekking the woods packed with Zombies. I want this place forgotten."
Andrew laughed. "Now I understand why the Elf called these woods the Forgotten Forest."
But you're definitely Unforgotten, I said to myself.
Chapter Seven
Andrew and I continued trekking the woods. We kept our eyes open at every turn and corner. The sun was low on the horizon, but we decided to hold off using our flashlights. My thoughts went to Juliana and Michael. I hoped they made it safely. I also wondered if Jesse hooked up with Sonia. At least they wouldn't be alone in this Zombie infested woods.
"So, you know Michelle and Marilyn well?" asked Andrew.
I shook my head. "I only know Michael. Juliana is my best friend. How about you?"
"Sonia and Michelle are pals. When the twins looked for a place to have their birthday party, I suggested the ranch."
"Good choice," I said. "The house is beautiful inside out."
"I can't take any credit for that," he said. "That's all Grandpa."
Crackling branches ahead of us made us fall silent. The sound stopped. We stared at each other. The crackling returned. The sounds grew louder and came from every direction. One of the Undeads, with guts spilling out exposing his ribs, headed our way. Another limped toward us from the left. From behind us, Frankenstein growled with blood dripping from his mouth.
"There's no way we can outrun them," I said. "It's been a pleasure, Andrew." Please don't forget me, I wanted to add.
"I'm not giving up yet," said Andrew. "We still have the powder from the Elf." Andrew yanked the pouch from his green pants pocket and poured its content around us. One of the Zombies leapt toward us.
"Hurry," I said.
He barely completed the circle when the Zombie skidded to a stop. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. Blood covered one side of its face. The other cheek had a big hole. It hissed and clawed at us. I stood closer to Andrew and closed my eyes. Frankenstein roared like a lion. I gasped. Andrew wrapped his arms around me, sheltering me from the gory Undeads.
"Are we going to die?" I asked.
I could hear him smile. "No, Elrenia." He lowered his face close to my ear. "We're going to blast them with our guns."
Oh my gosh, I had forgotten all about the paintball guns. I lifted my head and grazed his cheek with my lips. Our eyes met. For a second, I didn't care about the Zombies or Frankenstein. I just wanted this moment with Andrew to never end.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
I nodded. His hand went to his paintball gun. My hand went to mine.
"I'll shoot the ones behind you and you'll get the ones behind me," he said.
"Got it," I said.
"On three," he said. "One, two…" He released me and stood beside me. "Three!"
I raised my gun and shot at the Zombies. The sudden movement caught them by surprise. Six of them lay on the ground. The others scattered into the woods.
One of the Zombies I shot yanked off his mask. I breathed easier when he looked as human as Andrew and me. The other Zombies sighed and sat up.
"You beat us fair and square," said the Zombie man. "We froze."
Andrew started to step out of the circle.
"Elrenia!" whispered the Boy Voice.
I pulled Andrew back and scanned the woods. "They could still be out there."
"I see them!" Andrew blasted his gun at two Zombies hiding behind the bushes.
One of them groaned.
The Zombie man I shot smiled. "You guys are good." He turned to his friends. "All right, guys. We're done here." He picked up his mask from the ground. "Good luck," he said to us.
"Thanks," said Andrew. "What are you guys going to do now?"
"We're heading back to our truck."
"Can you tell us how to go back to the house?" I asked.
"Now, that won't be fair," said the Zombie. "But since you did beat us, let's just sa
y you're on the right track. Just move slightly to the left."
"Thanks," I said.
Once the beaten Zombies left, I stepped out of the circle.
"I know it's a game, but you saved my life," said Andrew. "Twice."
"Guess we're even," I said.
He smiled. "But my poor shirt."
I laughed. "Okay, we're not quite even."
"I'm just kidding." He wrapped his hand around my shoulder. "Let's get out of here."
Chapter Eight
We moved to the left as the Zombie man directed. After seeing and hearing nothing for about twenty steps, I wondered if we shouldn't have listened to the Zombie after all.
Andrew blew out a sigh. "This is frustrating. I don't know where we are."
"Should we go back the way we came?" I asked.
Andrew tilted his head. "What was that?"
"What?" I asked.
"I heard something," said Andrew.
Since the Voices weren't blaring in my ears, I turned on the flashlight. The sound of rustling leaves grew louder. Andrew glanced at me.
Again, I didn't hear the Boy Voice. My heart started to pound in my chest. Maybe the Voices realized this was a game and decided not to disturb me. Andrew shone his flashlight around us. He held my hand, and we distanced ourselves from the sound.
"Help," said a familiar female voice. "Anyone out there?"
I stopped moving. "Juliana?"
"Elrenia, is that you?"
"Yes." I leapt over the bushes.
Juliana sat on the grass, holding her bloody ankle. "Am I glad to see you!"
"What happened?" asked Andrew. He looked around us. "Where's Michael?"
"He fell into a hole," said Juliana. "I tried to get him out, but I slipped and cut my ankle on a rock. I told him I'd get help."
Andrew tore his hood and wiped off the blood on Juliana's ankle.
"I'm sorry about Sonia," said Juliana. "The Zombies got to her before we could save her."
"It's okay," said Andrew. "At least she's out of this game. How about Jesse?"
Juliana shook her head. "We didn't see any sign of him."
"I'm sure he's okay," I said. No point in thinking about bad things right now. I ripped the scarf around my waist and handed it to Andrew. "Use this to tie around her ankle," I said. "Where's the hole?" I asked Juliana.
Juliana pointed behind her. "A few yards back by an oak tree."
My dislike for the game grew. "I'm going to help Michael," I said.
"No, I'll go," said Andrew. "You stay with Juliana."
"I can walk," said Juliana. "Besides, I don't want to be apart anymore."
I helped Juliana to her feet. "Go, Andrew. We'll be right behind you."
Andrew nodded and walked ahead of us.
"Are you two okay?" asked Juliana.
"We were surrounded by Zombies," I said. "Andrew had to use the powder from the Elf."
Juliana shivered. "Tell me all about it when we're out of this crazy place."
When we reach the Oak tree, the top half of Andrew's body disappeared inside the hole. I rushed to his side. Michael stood and stretched his arms toward us. Andrew grabbed Michael's hand. I leaned forward and grabbed his other one.
"Pull," said Andrew.
Michael groaned as we yanked his arms up. I heard a snap.
"Stop," I said.
"No," cried Michael. "Keep pulling."
We pulled until Michael landed on the flat ground.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine." Sweat dripped from Michael's forehead. "Where's Juliana?"
The poor guy injured his arm, but he was worried about his girlfriend. Now, this man's a keeper for sure.
Juliana hugged him. "I'm here, Michael."
"Is he going to be okay?" I whispered to Andrew.
"I need to make a sling for his arm," said Andrew. "He dislocated his arm when we yanked him out." He rubbed his hands on his outfit. "Now what can I use?"
I tore the bottom part of my skirt and handed it to Andrew. "Use this," I said.
He glanced at my bare knees before working on the sling. My cheeks burned.
Chapter Nine
Juliana and Michael walked arm in arm in front of Andrew and me. For someone who loved to talk, I couldn't form one sentence if my life depended on it. Andrew's presence made me too self-conscious. To give myself something to do, I kept my eyes open and scanned every tree around us. Red ribbons on one of the trees caused me slow down.
"Look," I said. "The red ribbons."
"What about them?" asked Michael.
"We haven’t seen them since we entered the forest," I said. "Maybe we're reaching the end."
"That's music to my ears," said Juliana.
"What's that clearing over there?" asked Andrew. "It's something new."
Warning bells screeched in my head. At the same time, the Boy Voice returned. "Be careful, Elrenia."
"Be careful, guys," I whispered.
Andrew pulled Juliana and Michael back. "There's something on the tree."
"I'll be darn," said Michael. "It's a Zombie."
The camouflaged creature lay flat on the lowest branch. Its body blended with the leaves. Knowing we spotted him or her, the Zombie perched on the tree and hissed at us. If this weren't a game, I would truly believe we had come face to face with some Undead creature. The human Zombie shifted from side to side and leapt into the air. In a flash, Andrew blasted his gun and covered the Zombie in paint. The Zombie cursed.
"How did you know I was there?" the Zombie asked. "I thought I hid myself pretty good."
Juliana took a step back and hid behind Michael.
"By luck, man," said Andrew.
The Zombie sighed. "Although you didn't ask, I'll tell you anyway. You guys missed the wine bottle by the ribbons."
"Why did you tell us this?" I asked.
"The rule is we have to answer your question when you got us."
Not feeling any threat, Juliana stood next to me and said, "Nobody told us that."
The Zombie grinned. "That's the rule among us Zombies."
"So, can you show us the way out of here?" asked Juliana.
"No, I can tell you the general direction. You're on the right track. Good luck." He walked away.
"I'm going to get the wine bottle," I said.
"Wait, I'll go with you," said Andrew. "Let's hope there's no trap like the last one."
Together, we inched slowly toward the tree with the ribbons. I got on my knees and patted the ground. Andrew did the same.
"I don't see the bottle," I said.
Andrew stood and looked around. He lifted his head and pointed. "There!"
My eyes followed his finger. The bottle was wrapped around the ribbons. "Pretty genius," I said.
Andrew handed me his green bag with his Chianti wine and climbed up.
"Be careful," I said.
He tore the ribbons and lowered the bottle. I took the cobalt blue hock wine bottle and admired its beauty.
"Your grandpa has good taste in picking the bottles," I said. "I love this tall and slender one."
Andrew wiped his hands on his pants. "He used it for his own wine."
"Your grandpa makes his own wine?" I asked, as I handed him the bottle.
"Yes," said Andrew. "We should try this later."
"I'd love to," I said.
He took his green bag from me and put the bottle inside. Together, we walked back toward Juliana and Michael.
"Did you find the bottle?" asked Michael.
"We sure did," said Andrew. "Three now."
"Four," said Juliana.
"Yeah," said Michael. "We found one before I fell into the hole."
Juliana pulled out a red color barrel shape bottle from her purple bag. "It's shocking that the bottle's still intact."
"That's Grandpa's Whiskey," said Andrew.
"I should have drunk it before I fell into the hole," said Michael.
"You can drink it now," said Andrew.
"I'll wait and savor this later," said Michael.
"I know we only need one more bottle," I said. "But if I see an exit, I'm taking it."
"No objections here," said Andrew. "How are you two holding up?"
"I'll survive," said Juliana.
"Yeah," said Michael. "Oh, I'm sorry about Sonia. The Zombie got her."
"Like I told Juliana, at least she's out of this game," said Andrew. "I won't be surprised if she heads on home."
"That's drastic," I said. "How could anyone leave you behind?"
Juliana spun her head toward me.
Hot blood rushed to my face. Did I really say that? I looked away, but not before I saw Andrew smile.
Chapter Ten
Juliana pointed at a single lantern hanging on a thin, tall tree. We froze and studied the tree from top to bottom. When we saw no Zombies hiding anywhere, we took a few steps forward. After passing a giant tree stump, we stopped again. The path split three ways.
"Now, where should we go?" I asked. "Do we go straight, left or right?"
"Don't ask me," said Juliana. "When I picked the last one, Michael and I got into serious trouble."
"It's not your fault, Juliana," said Michael. "I would have picked the same one."
"You're just saying that," said Juliana.
"Does this path look familiar to you, Andrew?" I asked.
He thought for a while and shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not much of a help here."
"Let's go right," said Michael.
I waited for warning from the Voices, but none came. I nodded.
Juliana shrugged. "Sounds good to me," she said.
"Okay," said Andrew. "We'll turn right."
After a few minutes, we groaned. We made a full circle and came back to the same tree with the lantern. Andrew leaned against the trunk. I looked up and stared at the lantern.
"Help me up," I said to Andrew.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"I'm just curious," I said.
Andrew pushed me up, and I grabbed the lowest branch. I climbed two more branches until I reached the lantern.
"Be careful, Elrenia," yelled Juliana.
Michael glanced around them. "Not too loud," he said.
"Oops." Juliana covered her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
I touched the lantern. It wasn't hot. There was no candle or tiny light bulb inside. Now this is strange, I thought. My mind started to wander. Is this forest enchanted? The hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. Stop it, Elrenia, I scolded myself.
"This is a game," I whispered.
"Yes, it is," said Andrew. "What did you see?"
I jumped and slipped. I didn't hear Andrew climbing up the tree. He grabbed my waist. Juliana gasped.
"You saved me again," I said. "We're definitely not even."