With every step he took, the moist dirt beneath him sank more and more as his mind wandered deeper into the possible dangers to come. As he thought to himself; ‘why am I even doing this, it’s not like we are going to be successful anyways we always fail at the end’. Panic surged through him and his stomach clenched to the idea of failure. Suddenly he saw something in the distance, or rather someone. It was the figure of Sam, holding an old map. Sam was 6”2" tall, very pale, with a narrow face, a flat nose, small lips, and his brown eyes were as sweet as chocolate with unstyled blonde hair.
Hesitantly they strolled towards each other as Sam hollered out “nice to see you again, my friend”. He patted John on the shoulder and hugged him. While they were hugging, the smell of smoke arose from the jacket he was wearing, reminding him of the old days. He quickly pushed him off, with an annoyed expression mumbling “let’s cut to the chase and just attempt this” snatching the tattered map out of Sam’s hands.
“Sam we can’t mess around this time, we have to be serious. It looks like the map has provided us with a clue for anyone with anyone brave enough to search for it”.
“It’s not as easy as it seems, thousands have disappeared and two have even died while trying,” said Sam as he steadied his breath trying to calm the panic while the sweat rushed down his face.
John anxiously passed the riddle to Sam for him to solve. He read it over and over again analyzing it and writing down clues. “Take your task to the number nine, eight two, through the wood with no fears, don’t be lost in the center of four, what we take to be our strongest tower of delight that lies gently in the night.”
“Oh, my god shut up already I’ve had it,” said John incensed.
“We have been in this cramped room of yours for 4 days now barely getting anywhere,” John said as rage pulsed through his veins.
“Wait that’s it, the number ‘982’ sends us to the abandoned Huston Park, and by stepping across those tracks, we should arrive at a group of four trees.” He spoke fast as if there was no time to lose.
“That’s it! They buried the painting in the middle of the four trees. ” John said, engulfed with joy.
They rushed to exit the town as a street light reflected off a car. All you could hear is their footsteps echo sharply around the deserted streets. John got in Sam’s car, The familiar scent instantly gave him flashbacks to the last time they were doing this. The seat belt clicking was the last sound you could hear before the powerful engine started.
“You have arrived at your destination” the GPS voice echoed in the car.
“We’re finally here,” John said, feeling uneasy.
“I’ll get the shovels from the back,” Sam said, rushing while John was already making his way towards the dark mystic forest.
The forest was oak-brown with huge roots spreading across the ground, twisting like the great backs of sea dinosaurs. Stars embedded into the black night sky, glinting and shimmering. The blustery wind carried a refreshing, sweet, sap fragrance giving them comfort. They decided to go further into the forest, revealing its dark secret. There lay four thick, lush earthly trees. It was like they were noble giants protecting their land.
John and Sam started digging in front of the four trees, wasting no time. They were covered in the dark moist soil still with nothing to be found. John stood up observing the map while watching Sam still digging through the soil.
“John… John!”
“What?”
“I found it! It’s the artwork! We’ve got it, we’re going to be millionaires.” Sam jumped with joy, barely containing himself giving John the artwork while he went to go pick up his fallen glasses.
“I’m sorry...” John said as sadness filled his voice.
“Why are you sorry John? We found the artwork.”
Gunshots quickly echoed through the air, deafening a once empty forest. Suddenly, a bullet forced its way through the back of Sam’s neck. He fell to the ground in shock and a pool of blood formed around him. He slowly choked to death while John calmly watched his lifeless body lay on the ground.
John removed his jacket and placed it over the body of what was once an old friend. He collects the shovels, along with the rest of his things, and begins his journey towards the town. As he walks through the trees he hears a rustle in their thick branches. A man holding a large rifle appears through the darkness. They lock eyes and nod with an unfortunate grin on both of their faces. John continues to walk towards the street light peeking through the forest while the strange man disappears into the dark. He climbs in and slams the door shut, sitting in silence, finally says to himself “It had to be done”. The car engine revs and John swiftly drives into the night.
