We had been going for a while, and he still made no attempt to stop. At this point, I was getting a little worried, not because he had already passed the 'Do not go further' sign minutes back, since my friends and I never really cared much for that sign, but because he was surpassing areas even we didn't dare cross, and the terrain was getting worse as we went
"We'll have to leave the bike here and go the rest of the way."
"What! We already came too far and need I remind you I have a wounded ankle?"
"I know that's why I'm going to carry you the rest of the way," he said too casually as though he was observing the weather
"No, we're not going any further."
"Just trust me, Lyla, I wouldn't hurt you."
"That's the thing, how can I trust you when I don't even know you well enough, plus where is it that you desperately want to take me to?"
"You'll have to see it first, then I'll answer all the questions you have. I know what you saw, and I know you want to ask"
I looked at him, weighing my options. He was right, I was curious, and he was willing to quench that thirst. He also sounded honest, but don't most serial killers? On the other hand, though I had made it this far, if he wanted to harm me, he could easily do it. I had a hurt ankle after all, and even if I decided to take the bike and leave, he'd stop me easily
He waited patiently for my response, hope glimmering in his eyes, so I silently begged the heavens that had been kind so far that I didn't regret it later when I said, "Fine."
"Piggyback or princess," he asked, smiling playfully at me
"Do not make me regret this."
"Piggyback it is then," he declared, squatting in front of me, and I only rolled my eyes. "Good to go," he asked after I had climbed onto his back. A hum was my only response. "Okay, I'll make a run for it I advise you close your eyes."
Before I could answer, he took off into a sprint at such a fast speed that automatically made me close my eyes, the wind brushed on my arms, not in a forceful way, but a way that indicated he was clearly not running at a speed a normal human would. I tightened my hand around him, burying my face deeper into the side of his neck, his scent filling my nostrils. He smelled sweet and cool, a scent that was strangely relaxing
His back muscles flexed as he moved or adjusted his hold on me and I realized that the man had some nice muscle on him and for a second I wondered how he looked under that T-shirt, I cussed this was definitely not the time to be thinking of such things but my stupid hormonal mind had already formed a very interesting image
I was thankful when he came to a halt, and I readjusted myself to look at where we were. Before us stood the widest tree I'd ever seen. Slowly, he placed me down and held onto my hand as I avoided putting too much pressure on my foot
"Here sit on this rock," he urged as he remained standing, looking towards the tree in silence, and I did the same
"Wait, I think I've been here before, when I was younger, I mean, it looks a bit different now, but back then I got lost. A couple of friends and I came to mess around in the forest, and while we were playing, I had a voice calling to me, it sounded so familiar yet foreign, sweet and warm, but also sick and menacing.
I can't explain it, but I was compelled to follow. It was like I was in a trance, I couldn't control my body as it moved forward till I eventually found myself here, but the tree looked different then, the most vibrant I had ever seen. Its leaves were made of so many colors, and it dazzled like a halo of light was set upon it, then I touched it, and after that I don't know what happened. My mother later told me I was found at the edge of the forest near the road, and how I got there, I don't know. Everything seemed like a dream. Even now, how is it possible that I'm so familiar with this tree, yet it doesn't look as it did then?"
"Because the tree is cloaked to a normal human, it seems like a normal tree if not for its huge size, but to my world, this tree is as you described it, glowing with leaves of many colors. I was right, you really can see the things from our realm, even the beings."
"Your realm…beings, what do you mean?"
"You saw my brother's wings, you were startled and frightened, so you ran, I'm sure, by now you already guessed that we might not be from here. So yes, we're from another world, we were sent here on a mission, but what fascinates me is how you, a normal human, can truly see us."
"Is it not possible?"
"It shouldn't be. I haven't heard a case like this for centuries. Once, there were humans with the ability to see other worlds and even interact with them. Since our world was closest, our people interacted with them. Back then, it was not that odd, the only peculiar thing was that only a select few could while the rest of your people didn't, we wondered what made those few special, but till now we never really know.
The humans would come to our world often, but one of their mistakes was sharing that knowledge with people who didn't have the sight, as we called it. Your people deemed them crazy and ostracized them. They sought our world for refuge, and we welcomed them fully. They had become friends, and back then, we were more open to outsiders
After staying in our world for a while they realized the vast difference between us and them, our capabilities became a threat and they wanted to be on wqual ground with us so they requested audience with our King to ask him to grant them the same abilities, somehow they thought it would be possible but it wasn't and the King told them so but they took it a rejection as way of our people saying they could never be like us. Angered, they tried to find a way, and they found one from one of the most evil of beings, a powerful witch who engaged in dark magic and turned them into vile creatures with abilities similar to ours. What they didn't know was that the said abilities were only a shadow that would eventually fade away, and the witch was using them for what we don't know exactly
In rage, the turned humans, together with some hidden evil creatures, tried to attack the royal household. of course, they were defeated, all of them were killed, partly to make sure there would be no human with that ability, and there wasn't, until you"
"So what you're saying is there's no possible way I should even exist,"
"Your ability shouldn't"
His eyes scanned my face before zeroing in on my eyes as though he was looking for some sort of answer within them, but I just remained calm and took in everything he said and what I heard last night
"Last night, you mentioned you were here for a mission, you were looking for something."
"It's called a Wendigo; it is a creature born from hunger and desperation, and in that state, it ended up resorting to cannibalism, so it was cursed to be a creature doomed to crave flesh."
"Human flesh?"
"Not only human, they can also feed on other creatures, even their kind, but human flesh is what they crave most. It's a legend to them. They believe it holds great abilities."
Goosebumps formed on my arms as I imagined falling prey to such a creature. The thought of it slowly devouring me, biting into my flesh with what I assumed would be razor-sharp teeth, made me shiver