We had discovered nothing in our past days at the library, only that Native Americans had once inhabited the area. That wasn't surprising, considering that they lived practically everywhere in America before there were even states, but some still lived here. They had been Americanized during Industrialization, but many secretly held onto their beliefs despite living in a society that found their religion evil and wrong.

The five of us decided that we would drive out to a museum about an hour away to analyze artifacts from this area. Each tribe of Indians was labeled with the names of towns that were built over their land, as well as popular forests, rivers and lakes that they once inhabited.

Asher had informed me that the forest in Ember Heights was technically unnamed, but the locals called it the Fading Woods. It was obvious why it earned this name; a great number of people went missing in there at least once every century. It was practically a tradition now.

Saturday came around all too slowly. The week was inactive when it came to information about the missing people and odd happenings in the town, something out of the ordinary for Ember Heights. The area felt as though it was wired with energy, like something was building up and waiting for the right moment to strike. That was all the more reason to go on this trip, I told myself. If something happened, I would try to take it in stride.

     "Taren, this is yours," said Victoria, handing me the drink that I had purchased from the gas station. "I think we're all ready to go."

Maverick and I stood side by side, ushering for Asher and Victoria to take the backseats of the truck. This was one of our many tricks to get them to speak to one another in hopes of him bringing out his "soft teddy bear" side.

Knox was already sitting next to the window, so Asher took the middle seat and Victoria slid in next to him. His shoulders tensed up to his ears as he stared straight in front of him, ignoring the people sitting by his side determinedly.

Maverick and I took our seats in the front, laughing silently at the sight of Asher in the rear view mirror.

The road leading out of the other side of town took forever to drive down. We had been in the truck for about forty-five minutes before we realized that something was wrong.

"Guys," said Maverick fearfully, his hands gripping the steering wheel with panic. "The wheel's locked up. I can't drive!"

The truck was veering off the road and into the trees, breaking through the brambles and branches, swerving around huge trunks that would've killed us if we collided with them. "I just got the power steering checked. I don't know what's going on!"

"The break! Press the break!" I yelled over Victoria's screaming and Asher's comments attempting to placate her while Knox sat, looking terrified in the back.

Maverick stomped his foot hard on the break pedal, but it did nothing. "Come on . . . work . . . you . . . stupid . . . thing!"

We crashed over the bushes and the truck burst through the tree line, into a golden field, heading straight toward a tree. It wasn't turning to move out if the way.

Maverick unlocked the doors with a click, yelled "Unbuckle and jump!", and swung his door open, leaping out of the truck and rolling into the grass.

I followed suit. Pain shot through my body and I cried out in pain as Victoria landed on top of me.

The truck hit the tree and caught fire. Heat was radiating from the vehicle in waves. "My baby!" Screamed Maverick, crawling toward what was now a flaming pile of metal with wheels. "Oh no."

"We just jumped from of an out of control moving vehicle and you're worried about that?" Snapped Asher. "Your truck of all things?"

"It was all of my savings," he explained, putting a hand over his eyes. "I was still paying it off."

"We've got more serious things to worry about right now."

"Agreed," I replied, nodding my head to Asher.

"You too?" Asked Maverick. "I thought you of all people would agree with me."

"Listen, we're stranded at least a day's walk from town. How are we going to get home?"

"We'll call somebody," suggested Knox.

"I can't. My phone doesn't have a signal."

"Mine either," said everyone else. Maverick, Knox and I exchanged scared looks, gazing out towards the trees. "I don't want to be in the forest."

"None of us do either," growled Asher.

"You have to listen. You have no idea what we found in there. It defies all logic, all reason, all science," begged Knox.

"What we found was groundbreaking, but I don't think we're in any danger."

"Whatever's here just tried to kill us! It drove Maverick's truck into a tree, it burned down that cabin and killed everyone in it. It had the gall to deface a Bible."

Victoria and Asher stared at each other in shock. "Why did you not tell us most of this?"

"A lot of it never really came up in conversation," I shrugged, standing up and brushing off my legs. "It doesn't matter what lives in these woods right now. What matters is that we get home safely."

"Which is safer- the forest or the streets?"

"Neither, but I don't want to take any chances with creepy people driving on the road. Let's move east until we get close enough to civilization to get a signal, then we'll call somebody, okay?"

It took us two hours of tracking through the forest to finally get one bar. Victoria called her father immediately. He agreed to pick us up and bring us back home, but he dropped everyone off in town except his daughter, shooting us disgusted glares from his car window.

"I don't think he likes us," said Maverick.

"I wish that he liked me," complained Asher. He did not need to explain what he meant when he said that. It was very clear that he was deeply in love with Victoria, there was no denying that.