Tessa and I followed Ben up the stairs. The disturbance we heard just moments before hadn't made any more noise. I wondered what he was feeling after our last engagement. There are no words to explain what came over Tessa and me. We were in total sync, acting as a unit. There was this overwhelming instinct that took over. At that moment, the desire was so primal that there was no room for other thoughts. It worried me how this new behavior that I had would affect him. He didn't have a choice in this. Before all this, I never would have imagined he would cheat on me or me on him. Things were spiraling out of control, and to add to that, our lives were in danger.

The shadow cast of the trees greeted us as we exited the fuel station. There was nothing to explain what had caused the disturbance we all had heard. The eerie stillness of the forest had returned. The environment seemed to be muted the closer we came to the RV. I half expected a monster to jump and scare us. The tint of the light from the sun seemed dulled, almost a black-and-white monotone. I had the feeling we were in a horror movie. Tessa squeezed my hand, and the rhythm of her heart was beating fast. Had she caught the scent of her beast? It was as if the forest itself was stalking us now.

We loaded up quickly, driving away from the fuel station. We hoped the map we found would help guide us to this forest. Happy greeted Tessa and me the moment we stepped in.

"Good boy!" Ben said as he went to pat Happy.

Oddly, that caught my attention, and Happy ignored him. Instead, he went straight for Tessa and me. Ben seemed surprised by this, and so did I. He nearly knocked me off my feet.

"What's gotten into you, Happy?" I exclaimed.

"He must be worried about you too," Ben said.

"I don't think so," Tessa whispered, sitting on the sofa.

Happy hopped in her lap, licking her face. I wanted to ask what she meant, but I stopped myself. I didn't want to know the answer she'd give us. Maybe I thought my actions would protect Ben; he was just as much a victim in all this as we were. I hoped and prayed that we all would make it out of this forest alive. Ben sat in the driver's seat while I sat beside Tessa on the couch behind the driver's seat. Somehow, I sensed she was uneasy and knew she was waiting for something to go wrong.

 

___

 

We sat in silence for a long time. I held Tessa tightly in my arms as the scenery out the window passed by unchanging. Tessa popped her head from my lap, but I already knew what she had heard. There was a low rumble coming from the front of the RV. The sounds of clanking grew louder for several minutes before Ben took notice. Our speed changed as the clanking turned into loud bangs, and smoke plumed up from the front of the RV. It banged and sputtered loudly as Ben brought the RV to a stop. He'd had no time to pull over as the smoke was turning from white to a black smokey cloud. Ben shut the engine off, hitting the steering wheel in frustration.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I dunno, the engine started to break down," Ben replied.

"Can you fix it?" Tessa asked nervously.

"I'll go look. Both of you stay inside."

He didn't have to tell us anything more than that. I hadn't planned on getting out. What I feared was something pulling me out again. Ben grabbed a toolbox out of a storage compartment. I half expected Happy to jump out the door behind Ben, but he didn't budge from his spot between Tessa and me.

We waited in silence while Ben looked at the engine. Tessa had this look on her face that was bothering me. Something was on her mind, and I had to find out now while we were alone.

"What's wrong? You've been silent since we left the fuel station," I asked.

"It's nothing. I was just ashamed of how I acted with your boyfriend," Tessa replied.

"Listen, I think something is happening to us. Something we can't control or understand. Ben knows this isn't how I am. You feel it too, don't you? We're different in some kind of way. You know it and so do I."

"I know if Clarence was here… He could help."

"What do you mean?"

"It was his idea to use silver. He had other plans, too. Some of them kept the beast away."

"That's great. What did he do?"

"That's the problem; I forgot, or I don't remember. The beast took me many times. But Clarence would always find me."

"Maybe you'll remember in time."

"We don't have time. He's not playing games anymore. He knows…"

"What does he know?"

"That Ben had you and me too…"

"How would he know any of that?"

"When Clarence made love to me, the beast became more aggressive. It was when Clarence saw him. When our camper broke down. He saw the beast, but not in the form I had seen him in. He saw the actual beast, the man that was the beast."

"What??? I don't understand what you are saying."

"The beast showed himself to Clarence in his human form. I never saw it, but they fought."

"Are you saying that he tempered with your camper to break it down?"

"I don't know for sure."

Her words triggered an urgent alertness in me. I jumped up, looking through all the windows. I relaxed a bit after finding no sign of any threats.

"If he's there, we won't see him unless he wants us too."

I studied her face for a moment. She was right. He could fool us. The beast that stalked me tricked me as well. 'The cameras might see him when I couldn't.' I sat in the passenger's seat, accessing the console. The system came up, and I went straight to the exterior cameras. As I clicked through them again, I had a sense of relief. Just to make sure, I went through the camera twice, and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly tapped on the holo keyboard as I checked again, confirming my fears. Ben wasn't near the back or at the front of the camper. Neither was Happy; both were gone with nothing but an idle open toolbox. He hadn't taken his pistol or rifle with him. 'Shit, I'm smarter than that!' I cursed myself for not thinking about the cameras before now.

"Ben's gone!"

That's when I realized the figure sitting beside her—a tall, rugged, yet muscular man with broad shoulders. The hardships of his life show on his staunch oval face. He had deep, eerie gold eyes that solicited fear from those who encountered him. His long black hair was messy and rough, with an even rougher beard. But there was a masculine and handsome feel about his appearance. The clothes he wears are simple but practical. He was shirtless, showing the true extent of his physical physique. A lean yet very muscular chest stared me in the face. He had his arm around Tessa as if he knew her intimately. The only problem was she wasn't just terrified of him; she was terrified of what would happen now. Her beast was out there, and mine was here with the two of us in his human form.

"Ben???"

I sat paralyzed in a trance. The man who was the beast stalking me was right in front of me, and there was no doubt. His eyes beckoned me to come to him. Before I realized it, I had done what he commanded. I slide out of my seat, crawling towards him. A primal urge had embraced my body. My womb shivered with anticipation. Any attempt I made to break his hold on me met with failure. I crawled in front of him, staring up at him. He reached out, pulling me from under my arms to him in one swift motion. My body refused to resist what was happening. He wrapped my legs around him and gave me a deep, long kiss. Our tongues locked around each other. His hands grip my behind as he caresses it. My body shivered as he felt up and down my neck. We kissed passionately before he picked me up. Tessa opened the cabin down, leading us outside.

In a flash, he was carrying me through the forest. The only thing I saw was the forest passing by as the camper disappeared. I turned my neck to see Tessa racing just feet before us. Where was he taking me? Then I realized where. That eerie tree I'd always wind up at. Why was it necessary? His eyes were more confident than I had ever seen. The way he held me made me feel safe. My arms wrapped around his body, holding on tighter.

 

___

 

It was well the night when we arrived at our destination. As my beast released me, I noticed where we were now. It was a large cabin that was mysterious yet ominous-looking. The age of the cabin was old but well-kept. To my wildest surprise, Happy greeted us.

"How are you here, Happy?" I said in a severe tone. He simply lapped his tongue as he watched me.

"This place draws him here," Tessa said.

A firm hand touched my shoulder, turning me around to face him. For the second time, he kissed me deeply. By this point, I couldn't resist his advances. He grabbed my waist, pulling me closer to him. After that, he beckoned for Tessa to come. She did, with no sign of hesitation. He wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her as deeply as he'd done with me. The three of us stood there, embraced together. Somehow, I didn't have the strength to pull myself away.

"Who are you? What are you?" I said, panting.

It was like running a marathon at full speed for hours. My body was heating up; my womb was burning with a sensation I'd never felt. He stood silently as he came within inches of my face. His hot breath blew against my face. There was a weakness in my knees. They trembled with longing.

"What do you want from me?" I muttered softly.

"You…," he said in a deep voice.

Before another word came from my mouth, he swept me off my feet again. He was carrying me inside his cabin. The inside of the house was much cozier than I would have thought. The beast that had pursued me was in man form, and he gently let me stand on my own. As I looked around, I became awestruck by how modern and well-kept the inside of the cabin was. It was more like a ski resort than a cabin. I drew my eyes to the center of the room. I gasped at what was there. A massive sequoia tree stood at the center of the great room, rising through the roof. The great room was open to three floors above, and the rafters were made from massive wooden beams. At the ceiling was a set of stairs that climbed even further up the magnificent tree. It had the same eerie and majestic feel as the trees I'd seen in the forest.

"Come… Please," the man said as he gestured for me to take his hand. Without thinking, I placed my hand in his.

He took mine, reached for Tessa's hand, and walked us around the majestic tree into a connection room behind it. It was just as large as the previous room, with three different furniture sets around a gigantic fireplace.

"What is this place?" I asked cautiously.

"It is home. Your home," he replied.

"What do you mean? My home is in Portland!" I answered.

"This is your home now. It is safe here."

"I can't stay here! Tessa, we have to leave and find Ben," I urged as I looked at Tessa.

"Hannah… we can't. If we do, then…" she trailed off as a look of fear overcame her face.

The man turned to Tessa, putting his hand on her cheek.

"Do not worry. You are safe here," he stated as he gently placed a kiss on her cheek.

"He will come for me!" Tessa replied as she kissed him back.

"And I will protect both of you."

"What about Ben? He is out there alone."

"I cannot help him. For this I am truly sorry," the man said in a saddened voice.

"What do you mean, you can't help him?" I questioned loudly.

"It is not possible. Tessa is aware of this. He must find his own way to survive. That is his only chance."

"How? It's not possible," Tessa replied weakly, looking down at the floor.

"It is for the few fortunate ones," he replied, taking us in his hands to the main couch in front of the grand fireplace.

We sat down on the longest symmetrical sectional leather couch I had ever seen. There was room for a minimum of twenty people. It was black with bronze buttons on the back cushions. Bronze legs support the weight of the couch in every three-seat space. It was firm yet comfortable to sit on. The cushions were larger than what I would have expected. Two people could lay side by side on the couch with space to spare. It was so deep that Tessa and my feet did not hang off the edge. With bronzed engravings etched into the legs of the couch and a long black table wrapped around the outside. Tessa and I sat on either side of the man as he placed one of his hands in our laps. I couldn't remove his hand because I was frozen in place. It took considerable effort even to counter him with questions. Why am I so emotional? He had not shown any interest in hurting us. Was it because Ben was out there in the forest alone? Was I afraid of what might happen to him? I would not be able to bear it if Ben had the same fate as Clarence. I looked at the fire burning in the great fireplace.

"What is going on, and who are you?" I asked.

"Maxen," he replied.

"What do you want with us, Maxen?" I questioned with as much courage as I could muster.

"I want you… That is all. Both of you must be with me. I must have all of you."

"What does that even mean? Why do you want us?"

"Many reasons, but the one that is most important is that he doesn't have you."

"Who is he? Are you talking about Ben? If it wasn't for him, I…"

"If it wasn't for me, he would have already taken you."

Tessa looked away.

"Yes. He would have you both now. He made a mistake letting go of you," he stroked Tessa's hair gently.

"He won't make that mistake a second time. You are fortunate his plan failed." He looked at me with gentle eyes.

"What do you mean?" I responded.

"If I had not… He would have had you both. And yes, you are fortunate Ben is resourceful," he looked away, "If only the other had been as resourceful or had not drawn the attention from him."

"You mean Clarence?" I replied, looking over at Tessa. She had remorse in her eyes.

"Why didn't you help him, then?" I replied hastily.

"As I told you. It is not permitted."

"What does not permit mean? I don't understand what is going on. Why are we here, and why can we not leave this God-forsaken forest?" I shouted frustratedly.

"That is the way. I cannot tell you more than I have at this time."

He held my cheek in his hand, and all the negative emotions melted away. The only confusion was left.

"How are you doing this?"

"It is better than what could have happened to Hannah. I feel safer than I have ever felt," Tessa answered, looking at Maxen.

"What you endured was at his hands. I am sorry."

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Isaacs."

As soon as Maxen said his name, a shudder ran down Tessa's back, echoing in my back. She genuinely feared that man, and I hoped she would never be subjected to that torture again.

"Are you okay Tessa?"

"I'm okay. I-I can't go back to that. Not like that. Not every night. I can't."

"I won't let this happen. Ben won't let that happen. You know that, right? Ben will die for us."

"He will indeed die if he is not strong enough, and he is not resourceful enough."

"What can we do to help him, then?" Tessa asked hastily.

"You have done what you already could to help him. You have given yourselves to him. The rest is up to him."

"Will you let us go to him?"

"I will not stop you, but know I can only protect you here. I can only be in one place at once."

"Why would you do that if you want us? Is it because you believe Ben will die?"

"I want you either way. I cannot interfere. From the moment you arrived, I wanted you. You were fortunate, Hannah. Tessa was not and for that, she endured an unpleasant existence."

"What about Tessa?" I questioned.

She was hanging on every word he said and looked like she had hope.

"I wanted her as well."

"So, you want every woman that comes into this forest?"

"Not every woman, but there are a few that I have been drawn to."

"Why didn't you pursue Tessa, then? Why did you let Isaacs have her?"

"I was not permitted."

"You never explained what that means."

"I cannot tell you tonight, but I promise I will when I am permitted."

"How many of you are there?"

"Many."

What he told me overwhelmed me, but I needed to hear more. What was going to happen to Ben? I couldn't just sit here doing nothing, even if being here was safe. I had to find Ben.

"I must leave for a while. Stay here and you'll be safe. This is my territory. He will not trespass," Maxen said, standing up.

"Please don't leave us!" Tessa pleaded, holding his hand.

"Don't be afraid. You are safe in my domain."

"We should get some rest, Tessa. Maxen said we are safe here. I believe him," I said.

She studies my face before looking at Maxen. After a few moments, she releases his hand. He left out the way we'd come in. I turned back to Tessa, holding my hand out to her. She took it, and we cuddled up together.

 

___

 

Its massive limbs swayed and snaked outwards as branches cracked against the pale gray sky. A frightened fear washed over me. The wind blew through my body, prompting me to hold myself. The darkness that radiated from the demonic tree was like staring at an intangible being in the face. Even though it had no eyes, its gaze found me. The howling sound that came from it pierced through my mind. The pounding of its heart drove me insane. It grew louder and louder with each moment. I wanted to scream. I wanted to be in any other place than this hell. The giant trees towered over the highway like behemoths. Their branches hang bare in the sky, revealing the extent of their mighty limbs. Screeching sounds came from within the dark forest of blackened trees. For a moment, I thought they were moving closer to the highway I stood on.

The space between the trees was nothing but an abyss. No light came from within. The air was cloudy, and there was a fuzziness to my vision. Dark purple drops of an unknown substance floated upwards like rain. The dark drops came from the highway and the surrounding ground. I reached out, touching one of the blackish-purple droplets. It passed through my hand as if it was not there. Cracks of black and purple spread from the entry point. I screamed in agony at the pain in my hand. My skin darkened from a pale white to a grayish black. As the pain spreads, my skin becomes black. I fell to the ground as my body wretched from the pain. More of the dark substance dripped upwards as if a storm was coming. It looked as if I was suffocating in hell as I looked around.

 

___

 

There was a sticky layer of sweat covering my entire body. What was that? A dream? My heart was racing, and fear lingered in my mind. This dream had happened once before, back at the RV. I hadn't remembered the dream, but now it was vivid. More happened in this last nightmare. I stood up from the couch as Tessa lay peacefully on the couch. She hadn't picked up on the nightmare I had. Whatever I had dreamt was just a dream. That's all it was. I walked over to study the tree we lay under, marveling at its mysticism. My thoughts shifted to Ben. With my mind made up, I left the safety of the cabin.

It was still nightfall. Maxen's scent was still in the air. It was all around me, but I smelt another scent that floated in the surrounding air. It hovered in the air like a glowing blue mist. It flowed in the direction that Maxen had taken. I followed the smell in the direction it took me, even though it was faint. As I followed the scent, the bluish mist danced in and around trees or low to the ground. It disappeared abruptly before reappearing further away from me. The smell was coming from the back end of the large cabin. As I walked around tracking the scent, it grew in strength. I am undoubtedly positive that Maxen had gone the opposite way.

As I rounded the corner to the back of the cabin, Maxen's scent vanished. With no scent to track, I began looking in all directions, searching for another scent. Momentarily, I stopped as my curiosity was piqued. It was an awe-stricken development that I could smell a person's scent. The reality was even more astonishing because my eyes could comprehend a person's scent floating through the air. I had an intimate memory of what Ben's scent smelled like and how it looked, but I had never paid attention to it before this.

It wasn't until I met Maxen in human form that I finally could see the smells I was seeing. I couldn't explain why this sense kicked in at this moment. Is this what Tessa knew I did not? Is this how she knew Maxen and Isaacs were nearby before Ben disappeared? I did not know, but I had to use this ability to find Ben. I searched the forest behind the cabin. Still, Ben's familiar scent was nowhere in the area I sensed. This scent that I glimpsed was unfamiliar.

My eyes were getting better at seeing in the dark. Everything was a whitish-gray—almost a kind of night vision that was more vivid and clear. My eyes could see things that I would have never been able to see before the change. The sound of the forest was more intense, more real than it had been before. The sounds of the insects, the animals, and the wind blowing through the trees filled the surrounding atmosphere. Everything was more pronounced than it was before. Even the way I moved was different. More like a feline hunting its prey. Was I hunting? I searched for Ben. If I had to hunt to find him, I would.

After tracking this unknown scent for a while, I came across him. It was Ben's. I almost shouted in a fit of joy. The stranger's scent was mixed with this other slight scent. The two were intertwined, and it was female. Had he found another girl like me while searching for me? With renewed vigor, I picked up the pace. I had to follow it; I had to know who this girl was. I had to know why Ben was with her. I had to find out what was going on. I was determined to find out the truth. With a determined heart, I started running, following the trails of the two scents. I had to know if Ben had forgotten me or if he still remembered me like I remembered him.

I ran for what had to be hours. Over that time, Maxen's scent had faded, and two more had caught my nose. One I knew for sure was Isaacs's. I'd recognized it from Tessa. This second was mingled with the scent of Ben, and I pursued this fresh scent. I had to stay away from Isaacs. There was no way I wanted to come face-to-face with him. My heart was beating faster than it ever had. The fear in my stomach was rising. The light was peeking over the top of the trees. A new morning was coming fast. How I would do once the daylight came was anyone's guess.

The sun's red glow peered between the trees as slithers of light. I noticed something in the morning: mist rising from the ground. I focused my eyes to clarify what I thought I had observed. There was a cabin not far off. It wasn't as large as Maxen's or as maintained. All four scents I tracked met here. Ben was here. I knew it. His scent and the females were the strongest at the moment. I summoned up all the courage I could and walked to the door. It was locked, as I had expected.

"Ben??" I said.

A pair of footsteps creaked across the floor. The door swung open, revealing a girl. She looked frightened and worn out.