Chương 9: Icy Mist
As they dove even deeper into the forest, Jackson started seeing things. One of which was a big, bold word doused in the color red.
Surrounding the word was a transparent blue panel, like the ones in games. Jackson was bewildered, and he rubbed his eyes.
The panel was immortal in the face of continuous eye rubs. The big, red word kept persisting. Its message is slowly being etched into Jackson's brain.
"What's wrong, Jackson?" asked a girl.
"You don't see that?" asked Jacked as he continued to rub his eyes.
"The trees?" the girl was confused.
"The big, bold, crimson word," said Jackson as he pointed out into the distance while still rubbing his eyes.
He inquired the others nearby about the phenomenon. To his surprise, only he could see the word 'Warning!' on a transparent panel.
As he kept asking around, the others let out the same response. Other than the ones that were asked, the other students were engrossed in their journey.
Their ceaseless chatter and laughter echoed throughout the forest's corridors. Their obliviousness to Jackson's situation broke his heart.
Without a moment's pause, the group continued to delve deeper into the forest. Leaving behind the struggling Jackson.
To keep pace with the group, Jackson decided to stop rubbing his eyes and ignore the panel entirely.
Although he chose to ignore it, Jackson still couldn't shake off the panel. It remained with him, serving as a sinister specter.
It felt like another burden was placed on him. This time, it felt much heavier than the role of a leader.
"Everyone!" Jackson yelled from the middle of the group.
With his voice raised high, he was successful in gathering the group's attention. Along with the attention of the teachers at the back.
"We need to go back!" he yelled once more.
"Why?" asked a voice from the group.
"We are in danger!" answered Jackson.
"You're funny," commented someone from the group.
"Let's just continue," said someone at the front.
"Yeah," said someone else.
Jackson watched with dismay as the group ignored his warnings. He looked at the teachers at the back, and the gym teacher shrugged him off. Meanwhile, the pigtail teacher rubbed her left arm.
With nothing else bothering them, the group continued marching deeper into the forest. However, rather than an erratic march, it felt robotic.
Before, the group would march individually. Some kept on taking pictures, while others would converse with their friends. But now, they march as one, their faces expressionless.
Their individuality was gone. It was nowhere to be found. It was as if the forest cast a maniacal spell to lure them deeper into the forest.
It was as if the mountain had cast a spell on them, luring them deeper into its incomprehensible depths.
"Come," a sweet, alluring voice came from the deeper part of the forest.
After the forest spewed the word, strong gusts of wind blew in, trapping them inside. With that one command, no one could stop the group from going further in.
Panic gripped him as he realized their fun could turn into their demise. The allure of the forest revealed itself as a cruel and unforgiving ruler that's in charge of their doom.
Hope arrived. When the group kept on moving forward, some of his classmates broke free from the trance. They were the two sisters, Lisa and Emma.
"Hey, Jackson. What's with you?" asked the red-haired sister, Emma.
"You look distressed," commented the white-haired sister, Lisa.
Jackson's heartbeat intensified. He felt relieved that he wasn't the only one conscious among the group. Especially when the teachers felt entranced too.
"Something's wrong," said Jackson as he held his tears in.
"?" the two sisters were confused.
"The crimson-red warning grew bigger and filled up the entire panel," he said with his hands trembling as he pointed to the translucent panel in front of him.
"Huh?" Lisa and Emma exchanged anxious glances.
Although they couldn't see any panels of the sort, Jackson's eyes were enough to convince them.
"I don't think he's making things up," said Emma to Lisa.
"Agreed," said Lisa.
"How can we help?" asked Emma.
"Alert the others?" suggested Lisa.
"It won't work. I've tried," Jackson commented.
"Shake them up?" Lisa suggested again.
"Let's try that!" Jackson yelled as the gusts of wind grew stronger with each passing time.
With determination and a sense of urgency, the three individuals began executing their plan. Their first targets were the ones closest to them.
Emma approached Sam, who was the closest to her. His eyes were expressionless, meaning he was in a trance with the others in the group.
"Wake up, Sam! We're in danger!" Emma shouted through the strong gusts of wind.
Realizing that Jackson was right, shouting wasn't enough. She needed to use the method her sister suggested.
After the first shake, nothing happened. However, through unbroken shakes to his body, Sam blinked and regained his consciousness.
"Danger? You're kidding?" Sam said it mockingly.
Seeing her success, Jackson approached them. Meanwhile, Tim, who was next to them and whose trance was broken by Lisa, was skeptical of the revelation.
"Aren't you being a tad bit dramatic?" said Tim, with a tone the same as Sam's.
"No! We are not! Don't you feel this strong gust of wind?!" Jackson yelled with his hands on top of the boys' shoulders.
"It's probably just sea breeze," commented Sam.
"Yeah, totally," Tim said in response.
"Do you not see the group?! Look at the state they are in!" Jackson pointed to the group.
The group was still in the same trance, enchanted by the word coming from the forest. Among them were the sisters, who were busy taking everybody out of the trance.
"Fine, I'll help," said Sam.
"Me too," said Tim, who followed suit.
"I appreciate it," said Jackson with a huge smile.
After patting both their backs, Jackson went back to helping the others. One by one, the students woke up and immediately retreated to the entrance.
Unfortunately, their time was running out. There wasn't enough time to get everyone in the group to retreat. The forest's eerie atmosphere enhanced the sense of impending doom.
However, they just couldn't let their friends die a meaningless death. They frantically shook up everyone nearby, hoping they realized their situation themselves.
The three were aware that they were running out of time and that danger was approaching them. They persisted as their voices got louder and more demanding.
As the trio desperately helps their friends, a thick, purple mist begins enshrouding them. The mist came from every direction except below.
The ghostly mist obscured their vision and masked their footsteps. The icy mist started to wrap around their bodies.
Afraid, the trio retreated, carefully stepping back. Unfortunately, they would find themselves in isolation.
As the fog gets denser, they slowly lose sight of one another. Let alone the sight of their friends. Their friend's cries echoed throughout the forest. It felt like the forest was taking their lives.
Hearing their friends' woeful cries, the trio went back in to help others escape from their dreadful fate.
However, their bodies gave out not long afterward. When they finished helping a few more of their classmates, the fatigue in their bodies increased severalfold.
"I can't… stop here…" muttered Jackson as he fell.
One by one, their classmates began dropping down like flies. Without much resistance, the trio also fell flat on the ground.
Jackson found it torturous, especially when his consciousness was still intact. His lungs pleaded as he took in sharp breaths.
Unable to take any more of the pain, Jackson passed out on the spot. When he took a last look at the sisters, he saw blood dripping from their mouths.
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