Mirable Dictu

Jeremy stood, rooted to the spot. He hadn’t the faintest idea who, or what, was casting it. He stared at the white aura trying to focus on its details, but the white light seemed to be getting brighter and brighter as it got closer to him. It stung his eyes, but he couldn’t look away.

Squinting, Jeremy tried to communicate with it.

“What do you want?” he asked, trying to sound more confident than he really was. It didn’t accomplish anything though, and instead caused the aura to grow even brighter.

Jeremy shut his eyes quickly, throwing his hands up in front of his face. A sharp pain shot through his head as images once again streamed through his mind. They all moved too fast for him to recognise what they were. The bright white aura was still in front of him, he could see the light through his eyelids but he refused to open them. Suddenly, his mind stopped the images and lingered on one picture. But before he could remember anything, it was gone.

And so was the aura.

He opened one eye, lowering his hands to his sides. Looking up, he found that he was still in the forest, though it was darker than it was before. The white light had disappeared almost in an instant, and Jeremy stood there for a few minutes, frozen, trying to figure out what had just happened.

A loud cry from a bird shook him back into reality. The scenery was the same wherever he looked. He didn’t know which way he had come from, and he didn’t know which way he had to go next. With Erica gone, he had no means of instantaneous transportation. He was stuck.

“Damn,” Jeremy muttered to himself. He set off in a direction, hoping to God that it didn’t lead back towards the campsite that the Shadows had been in.

He stumbled over rocks and damp leaves for almost an hour. Every tree he passed looked the same, and though the canopy of the forest covered almost the entirety of the sky, he could tell that the sun was setting rapidly. As he walked Jeremy tried to remember the image that had been brought into focus by the white aura. It was something gold, he definitely remembered that. It was shimmering in the sunlight, a long object and-

Crack.

Jeremy spun around. He had heard the small, distinct sound of a twig breaking right behind him, but when he looked nothing was there. Nothing was moving, not even trees. His breathing stopped for a moment, eventually letting out a shaky breath.

“It’s nothing,” he told himself, “nothing at all.”

Jeremy kept walking with his head down. Without Erica around he felt... vulnerable. She had knowledge of what was happening. She knew where the shadows were and what they were capable of. However, Jeremy knew that he had no way of finding her.

Crack.

This time the noise came from in front of him. He looked up and froze. A small, smoky campfire was ahead of him in the distance. Reacting fast, he threw himself behind a tree. He didn’t know if this was a Shadow campsite. Sneaking a glance back around at the campfire, he tried to make out the details around it. He couldn’t see any movement, only a small stone house that was lit up by the light.

With no rancid smell surrounding this campsite and no neon green light, Jeremy tried to reassure himself that there were no Shadows around. Making the decision, he crept closer to the campfire.

It was nearly pitch black around him, the only light coming from the fire. He approached it carefully getting closer and closer. Still, no one was around. Picking up a large branch from the ground, he held it like a baseball bat, ready to swing in case anything jumped out. The stone house loomed in front of him, and he could make out more detail now it was closer. Its grey walls were covered in slimy green moss, and the wooden door that stood ajar looked rotted. Looking too heavy to move, Jeremy prodded the door gently with the stick and a few pieces of wood tumbled down, clattering to the floor. Jeremy stopped in case the noise had been heard, but after seeing no more movement he continued to push against the heavy door until he could get through.

Stepping into the house, he realised that it was just as dark as outside. He couldn’t see in front of him, so trying to use the wall as a guide, he moved slowly into the room.

A low moan sounded. Jeremy jumped, his knuckles white as held the branch in his hand. It had come from only a few meters away from him. The moan sounded again, and Jeremy realised that it was a woman.

“Erica?” Jeremy asked into the darkness. His voice bounced loudly off the cold stone walls, making him wince slightly. “Is that you?”

Crack.