Page 96 of Rescued By the Beast
Ted stops the car and gets out, opening my door to get Mark.
"It'll be quicker if I carry him myself. Ethan, stay here..."
"No," the man replies. "I may not be supernatural, but Mark is my family, I'm coming with you."
Ted sighs and just nods, taking Mark in his arms and following Balthazar, who is already entering the forest, leading the way to guide us.
The atmosphere seems different, denser as we approach the heart of the forest. The smell of wet earth mixes with the cold, but there is something else, an indescribable feeling that makes me feel as if the world is becoming heavier.
"It's getting stranger here," I say quietly, feeling the change around me. "The air... it's dense, as if something is compressing every breath."
"I feel it too," Ethan murmurs, and his posture stiffens.
The forest seems to swallow every step we take. The silence is oppressive, as if even the winds have been silenced. The animals, which would normally move among the trees, now seem absent, as if they know they shouldn't be there.
I take a deep breath, struggling not to succumb to the pressure of the transformation.
"I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain my human form." My voice is shaky, weak.
"We're almost there," Balthazar warns.
Ted looks at me, his eyes expressing something between concern and urgency.
"We need to move faster." Ted adjusts the still-unconscious Mark in his arms and quickens his pace, and I follow suit.
"Watch out for the traps. The clearing is ahead," the wizard warns, pointing ahead. "Anyone who falls into them and can't escape becomes a sacrifice for the old woman to do with as she pleases."
"Is there more of this shit?" Ted curses, and I shudder nervously.
"Yes, so I'll wait here. Good luck." Balthazar's voice sounds serious and distant, and I realise he has taken a few steps back.
"Ethan, stay with him," Ted asks, the urgency in his tone turning the sentence into almost a plea. "It's too dangerous for you."
"Bloody hell, Ted, I can't just stand by and do nothing."
"You've done enough, you took care of his wounds. Now leave it to us."
Ethan lets out a heavy sigh but nods, without further protest.
"If you need help, shout for me."
"We have to go, Ted," I warn, feeling the tension tighten my chest as we approach the cabin.
Ted slows down as the clearing opens up before us, sniffing the air. I look at the ground, using my feline vision, alert to signs of traps.
A wire, almost invisible, cuts across the ground.
"Stop! Don't move!" my voice comes out forcefully.
He freezes, and I point to the trap inches from Ted's feet.
"Shit..." he mutters. "Thanks."
He carefully steps over it, and then we continue on, dodging other traps we encounter along the way.
The cottage takes shape before us and my eyes widen.
I was expecting something decrepit, a terrifying construction, befitting the image of an old witch, but to my surprise, there is an elegant structure. It is made of wood, with a garden of lush flowers and herbs surrounding it, which almost seems to invite peace rather than fear.
