Miranda

Miranda's boots dragged through the mud.

Vines slithered across low branches, and sunlight barely pierced the thick canopy above. Morning felt like dawn. She tugged at her collar. Heat clung to her neck, skin already slick with sweat. A rustle of leaves grabbed her attention. Her heart thumped against her chest. "Calm down, love." Kaela smiled.

"This place is horrible," Miranda muttered. "I'd rather fight monsters than this." Everything in the forest felt wrong, the smell, the temperature, it was too much. "Why is it so hot out here?" Frustration crept into her voice. She lifted her waterskin to drink, but only a few drops fell. Her eyes shut tight, her head tilting slightly as her jaw tightened.

"Here." Kaela offered her a waterskin. As much as the thirst was killing her, she could not accept it. She refused to drain anyone's ration. She was being a burden enough with her frequent rests, the slowing pace. They probably resented her by now.

"It's fine." She pushed past her and caught up with the others as they stopped. She sat on a nearby rock and let out a sigh. Diane mapped out their route, sapphire eyes focused, her expression stern as ever. Miranda could only wish she were like her, calm and unperturbed in any situation.

"You good girl?" Nyra sat next to her. Was it just her, or was the tone condescending? "At this rate, I don't think you'll make the walk back." Miranda's heart heated up and she inhaled deeply. It was just Nyra, her voice was always this way. She nodded, barely able to force a smile.

"We should head back, my ration is running low." Jarek pulled out a canned food from his bag, "I mean, I am out of rations." He pried it open and started eating, he had quite an appetite for someone lean.

"I think this is a perfect spot for a forward base." Bran placed his hands on his hips, but Diane shook her head as she heard him. What makes a good forward base? Not that she cared. What she needed was for them to go back, it had been hours.

"Just further ahead and we'll head back." Everyone sighed at Diane's words, they had promised to obey Diane but her legs were killing her.

"Let's go then." Miranda pushed herself off the rock,forced a smile and dragged her feet across. She won't slow them down again, only the strong survive here, she had to be strong.

"Miranda."

"What?" She turned sharply, their lips parted and eyes wide. "Someone called me?" They glanced at one another. Her gaze snapped to twigs breaking, footsteps retreating, followed by a giggle. "Did you guys hear that?" Her skin crawled. Children? Were they close to one of the clans' hideouts?

"Heard what?" Diane raised a brow.

"I think you should drink some water." Nyra said flatly, placing a hand on her hips, brows furrowed. Was it just her imagination? Maybe she really did need water.

"Miranda."

Cold brushed the back of her neck. She turned.

A crouched figure stood behind her. Thin. Hunched. Still somehow taller than she was. "My sweet child." It crooned, hand reached out for her, fingers long and nail sharp as claws. Her chest heaved. Her scream stuck in her throat. Her gaze darted left and right. They weren't there. They had left her, just like everyone always did when things went wrong. "I've been waiting."

She froze at its cold touch. Hollow eyes locked onto hers as its mouth stretched into a smile too wide to be human, revealing blackened fangs instead of teeth. Its tongue writhed like a living parasite. It lunged into her mouth. A scream escaped her as her body trembled. "Shit, what the fuck?" Nyra yelled, everyone was back. Was it real? Is the forest playing tricks on her?

Her breathing turned ragged. Her heart hammered against her chest as sweat broke out all over her. Coughings escaped her, her body lurched but whatever was in her stomach refused to leave. Nyra rubbed her back but she vomited nothing, her stomach twisted and she winced, her legs stumbled and she fell to her knees.

Kaela offered her a waterskin. She took a sip from it, then gulped it down before wiping her lips. She inhaled deeply, letting out a slow exhale but her heart refused to slow down. Should she tell them the truth? They won't believe it. No one ever believed her. "I don't feel well," Miranda said. "Can we go back?" They can all hate her, but she refuses to die out here.

The air heated up around her, her breath tightened and she rose back up, the ground wavered beneath her boots but she refused to fall. She needed to get out of the forest before that thing found her again. Heavy pulses hammered against her temples, she pressed her fingers against it but the pounding did not ease. She steadied herself on Kaela, whose face blurred with the surroundings. "You're burning up, love." Kaela said, panic breaking through her voice.

Goddess. The air was thick, suffocating. The trees pressed in on her, all blurry. The forest tilted, their voices smeared into each other and somewhere in the trees, it smiled.

The forest tilted.

Darkness swallowed her.

Diane

Something was wrong.

The forest felt different.

Diane lifted the map, checking the marks she'd made earlier. They should have reached a clearing by now. They hadn't. Instead, the forest pressed in on all sides. Did she make a wrong turn somewhere? No, she'd never make that mistake. "What's the hold up?" Ironball approached, carrying Prettyface over his shoulder.

"Let me guess, you botched the map." Razor planted a hand on her hip, one brow arched in accusation.

"Great, what did I tell you?" Ponytail crossed his arms. "We were supposed to turn left, we should go back."

"We keep going." Diane's voice cut through the tension. Firm. Certain. Though her heart wavered. "We're on the right track." None of them wanted her as leader, if she got it wrong it'd reinforce their belief that she was not fit to lead. She couldn't have that.

"Who made you Captain?" Ponytail frowned, "Never mind." He shook his head and fell in behind her, Fifty paces later, the forest hadn't changed. The same cluster of shrubs. The same crooked trunk. The smell of rot. The clearing was nowhere to be found. Had she really made a wrong turn? Diane's stomach tightened. How could she make such a mistake?

"Give me that." Ponytail yanked the map from her, squinted at the markings, then slapped it back into her palm. "I'm shit with maps, but my instincts say we go back." He stared.

"Should we vote?" Ironball glanced between them. "How about the smartest lead for a change?"

"I am guessing we're not on the right track." Razor crossed her arms with a frown, "How do we decide who's the smartest? We recite poetry or something?"

"Quick question." Splithair pointed at the muddy ground ahead, there were footprints headed in the direction they were going, theirs. "If we're backtracking correctly, those footprints should be facing us, right?"

"Fuck." Ponytail punched the air, "I hate it when I am right, my instincts are never wrong." He stomped away.

"So you'll just walk around blind?"

"The map was useless anyways." He shot back, the group peeled away from her one by one. Razor. Splithair. Ironball. She took one last glance at the map, let out a sigh and pressed forward on her own. The hour passed and their paths crossed, "What's your instinct telling you?" She smirked.

"It's telling me this forest is cursed." Ponytail rubbed the back of his neck, they didn't know that scouting parties had gone missing out here, maybe it is cursed...not that she'd tell them that. They aren't actually calm people.

"Look at the footprints." She crossed her arms, and they all searched. Their tracks led in both directions now. Forward. Backward. They had walked the same stretch over and over.

"Have we been going in circles?" Ironball grunted as he kept Prettyface steady on his shoulders, she looked more miserable as time passed, mumbling from time to time but never waking.

"Your instinct's just as useless." Razor snickered.

"We're in someone's domain."