Chapter 63-Sherizad’s POV ( Up North…. Past)
As we walked towards the North chief’s tribe, further up North we looked around in disbelief. It was as if a dark spell had been cast on this land, rendering it barren and deserted. I could feel the tension in between our bodies as we approached the main walk leading to the Northern tribe.
“What happened here?” I asked, finally breaking the awkward silence that had taken over.
“I don’t know,” Tristan replied, trying to keep his own fear at bay as he saw me nervous. “But we need to be careful.”
As we walked further, we noticed that even the birds and bees were nowhere to be found. It was eerily silent, except for the sound of our footsteps crunching on the dry earth.
Ryan spoke up, his voice low and urgent. “We need to find out what’s going on here. We can’t just keep heading in the middle of all this knowing how abnormal everything is around here. There might be no way out.”
I nodded in agreement. “Let’s keep moving outside the perimeter.”
As we got close enough to get a view of the tribe, we found ourselves overlooking a ghost town. We saw that the huts and houses were crumbling and the ground was littered with debris. It looked like an apocalypse had taken over.
Suddenly, we heard a low growl, and we all spun around, ready to defend ourselves. But there was nothing there.
“What was that?” Ryan asked, his eyes darting around nervously.
“I’m not sure,” I said, gripping my weapon tightly. “But it didn’t feel normal.” A phantom growl from a dying wolf, that was how I would actually describe the sound.
We continued walking, our senses on high alert. Despite our better judgements, we decided to enter the place.
As we entered the tribe, we saw that the werewolves who were supposed to live there were all gone. There was no sign of struggle or violence, but it was clear that something sinister had happened.
“We need to find out what happened to them. We had been sending messengers to dead people. What happened to the messengers? Who was replying with the owl and the hawk then??,” Tristan said, his voice determined.
I nodded. “Agreed. This looks like a sinister riddle. Let’s split up and search the area.”
As we fanned out to look for clues, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. Whatever had happened here was not natural, and I feared that we were in grave danger.
And more than that, I was feeling like something was watching us from the back.
I had hardly taken a step or two away from the boys and started looking around for any clue that was available when I felt an eerie presence around me. It was as if something was stalking me, following me wherever I went, just over my shoulder. I looked back, nothing. There was nothing. I could see Tristan going inside an abandoned hut. I turned back again and tried to shake off the feeling, but it only grew stronger with each step I took.
Suddenly, I heard a blood-curdling scream right in front of me. I froze, unable to move or breathe as a ghastly shadowy apparition materialized before me. It had a pale, almost translucent body that seemed to flicker in and out of existence but it was dark , like the shade of coal.
I rubbed my eyes hard to determine if it was real or I was imagining. But the apparition let out another ear-piercing scream before disappearing into thin air, almost hitting me on my forehead as I fell back on the ground , screaming.
It’s touch was icy cold but it felt like my skin was burning. That fall left me gasping for breath and my heart pounding in my chest.
“Sherizad, are you okay? What happened?” Ryan’s voice broke through the silence, and I turned to see him and Tristan rushing towards me.
“I-I saw something,” I stuttered, still trying to catch my breath and rubbing my forehead. “An apparition, it screamed at me. It hit me here and pushed me.” I showed them my forehead.
“A ghost?” Tristan asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
But Ryan bent down to check my face.
“I don’t know what it was,” I replied, my eyes scanning the area around me, looking for any signs of the apparition ‘s return.
” There is something on her head. ”
Ryan exclaimed as Tristan bent down too to have a look at my forehead.
” I can’t see anything. What is it? ”
Tristan exclaimed.
” Are you blind? You can’t see this mark? It seems like she has been stamped with iron here. Sherizad, does it burn? Your skin looks so red and delicate. ”
I nodded. It indeed burnt a lot , like mentioned before.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
” What? Is this supposed to be some kind of a joke you guys are playing upon me? ”
Tristan exclaimed, snatching my face from Ryan’s hand and pouring over me to have a better look again.
He rubbed the exact stop where it burnt with his thumb and yelled,
” Where? Where is this mark you say? Where is the redness? ”
I could tell from his look that he was being serious.
Ryan and I exchanged a worried gaze.
There indeed was something that the apparition did that was visible to Ryan but not Tristan.
I stood up. I needed to check for myself. I looked around for something where I could see my reflection.
I saw a big pond a little up ahead. I ran towards it , leaving the boys behind.
The burning was still there and it made me rush.
I bent over on the water. It was a little murky but it did the job.
I looked carefully.
There was nothing on my forehead. Nothing short of redness or marking or whatever. But I could feel it on my skin. I strained my eyes and looked at my reflection with more determination.
Still nothing.
Then suddenly my reflection started to ripple.
Bubbles started forming as my reflection distorted…
There was something beneath the water surface.