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The sky had become murky as a light drizzle of rain began falling. It was much quieter outside—no whispers, no groaning walls, and the pitter-patter of rat feet was gone. All that Clementine could hear was the wind through the trees, and it was something of a relief.

          He followed behind Elliot's friends as they headed through the courtyard and past the fountain Molly had first been attacked beside. And as they stepped into the quiet, murmuring forest, his eyes slowly shifted to the ground.

          Amanitas, russulas, toadstools, porcini—but no ceraroot.

          "Which way did this guy go?" Carmichael asked, looking over at Clementine as they stopped a few feet into the forest, just enough so that they could still see the shadow of the academy through the fog.

          Clementine nodded straight ahead. "That way."

          Carmichael continued to lead the way.

          As they moved deeper into the forest, Clementine stared down at the lime-green grass, searching for the shimmering silver glow of what he was looking for. But the longer it took, the more anxious he began to feel. There had to be ceraroot out here; it grew in the highlands, and Aldergrove sat upon the highest point in the continent—how else would all these entitled people evade the suffocating fogs that had consumed everywhere else?

          He shook his head, glaring at each fallen log, frantically searching every gathering of mushrooms they passed—

          "Over there!" Bernard called.

          Startled, Clementine took his eyes off the grass and stared in the direction Bernard was leading the group.

          "Don't go near that!" Elliot insisted, chasing after them.

          Clementine followed the trail of flattened grass with his eyes, and when they located a horrific, mutilated body of something he wasn't able to make out from where he stood, he struggled to swallow the saliva that had been pooling in his mouth during his moment of startle.

          Whatever it was, it was black, bloody, and shimmering despite the lack of light. A carapace, perhaps?

          "Don't!" Elliot insisted, grabbing Carmichael's arm before he could prod the corpse with a stick he'd swiped from the ground.

          "The hell is this thing?" Stanley uttered, nudging one of the corpse's limbs.

          Bernard kicked it. The collision made a sound much like a large book dropping onto the ground. "Gross," he uttered, wiping his boot in the grass.

          "We should head back," Elliot panicked, looking around as Carmichael pulled his arm from his grip. "Whatever killed this thing could still be out there."

          "Stop freaking out," Bernard complained.

          "You think the guy you saw did this?" Carmichael asked, looking over at Clementine.

          Taking his eyes off a gathering of mushrooms over by a tree stump, Clementine shrugged. "I don't know—if it's a student, why would they be out here killing whatever the hell that is?" he muttered, nodding to the corpse.

          "No, whatever did this is big," Elliot shuddered, looking around. "You do know there are trolls and rabid wolves out here, right?"

          "We can handle trolls and wolves," Stanley said confidently.

          "All right, Bernard and Stanley, you two check over there," Carmichael instructed, nodding to a small clearing twenty yards to the left. "I'll search up ahead, and you two," he said, pointing to Elliot and Clementine, "you go look over there," he said, gesturing to the right. "Stay within earshot, though. You find anything or see any rabid wolves," he mocked in a stupid voice, "shout."

          "We shouldn't split up!" Elliot argued.

          As right as Elliot was about that, Clementine felt splitting up would be the best way for him to find what he'd really come out here for. "We'll be all right," he said, looking over at Elliot as Stanley and Bernard headed off to where they'd been instructed. "Come on."

          Elliot whimpered as he scurried after Clementine, looking around frantically.

          "We're honestly probably safer out here than in the academy," Clementine muttered. "At least we know what's out here."

          "That doesn't make me feel any better," Elliot mumbled.

          With a shrug, Clementine stopped in a small opening between several towering trees and looked around. Elliot was clinging rather closely, so being inconspicuous wasn't currently attainable. He glanced around for the white glow of ceraroot, but still nothing. Maybe he needed to move deeper into the forest. But how was he going to get Elliot off his ass?

          "Anything?!" came Carmichael's voice.

          "Nah!" Benard's bellowed.

          "Don't yell!" Elliot called— "I'm yelling!" he cried, shaking his head.

          "Keep looking!" Carmichael called.

          "This is a bad idea, this is a bad idea," Elliot squealed.

          Trying to ignore both him and his headache, Clementine moved closer to a fallen log. Toadstools, amanitas—wait...could it be? He leaned over the log when his eyes caught the shimmer of something white...and as he set his sights on the small, single white mushroom, relief banished his annoyance.

          "What is it?" Elliot asked, moving so close to him that their arms brushed together.

          Uncomfortable, Clementine backed away, turned around and scratched his head, trying to make it look like he was disappointed. "Nothing," he grumbled. "Check over there," he said, nodding to the other side of the small clearing.

          Elliot adorned a look of dread. "Uh...can't we just...go over there together?"

          "We'll get done faster if you check there, and I check here—the sooner we're done, the sooner we can get back."

          With a conflicted, hesitant frown, Elliot looked over at the place Clementine had pointed to again. He seemed to ponder...and then nodded. "O-okay...well, don't wander off!" he insisted.

          Clementine shrugged. "Where am I going to go? I'll be right here."

          Pouting, Elliot turned around and walked away.

          Now was his chance.

          Clementine returned to the fallen log, leaned over it, and gently gripped the small mushroom's stem between his finger and thumb. Its soft skin felt warm to the touch, pulsating heat through his hand; when he tried to pull it free from its bed, the tiny fungus resisted. The softness of its skin quickly transformed to something that felt like rough leather, and it hummed quietly as if to warn him off.

          He wasn't threatened.

          With a quiet grunt, he tugged on the mushroom—the thing was no bigger than his finger...how was it so tough to break? Anette had never warned him about this...but then again, they'd never thought he'd have to be doing this for himself. His sister always fetched the medicine, the mushrooms, and the food. But she wasn't around anymore, was she?

          Scowling, he gritted his teeth, and with one more struggled tug, the tiny little fungus snapped free of its stem.

          Clementine flew back and fell on his ass with a thud. He groaned irritably but swiftly climbed to his feet as he heard Elliot rushing over.

          "Are you okay?!" the spotty-faced kid panicked.

          "Yeah, I just tripped," he lied, discretely stuffing the warm mushroom into his back pocket. "You find anything?"

          He shook his head. "I think we should join back with the others—I don't think there's anything out here," he said with a disappointed frown.

          One ceraroot would only last so long...and he was sure he'd hit these declining phases much more often when his time grew shorter. He wanted to check for more—they often grew close together, and he'd much rather only have to have come out here once rather than every time he needed the fungus.

          He scratched the back of his head. "Uh...well, I think I saw something over here—go and join Carmichael. I'll be all right—"

          "Don't be an idiot!" Elliot refused, shaking his head.

          "Just go—I'll be right behind you."

          "Clementine—"

          They both flinched as a branch snapped beside them.

          "What was that?" Elliot uttered as they stared into the gloom.

          He could feel it again—eyes watching him. His sights couldn't locate it, but he knew something was crawling around out there. The hairs on the back of his neck shot up, and the howling wind died down.

          Elliot snatched Clementine's wrist. "We should find the others," he insisted, trembling as he pulled him with him, heading back to where the group had split up.

          Clementine pulled his wrist free, but he didn't refuse. He wasn't about to hang around and find out what was stalking them. So, he followed Elliot back through the trees...but the trepidation that something wasn't far behind clung to him like a seething jaw.

          A cold shiver slithered down his spine.

          The grass rustled, the leaves shuffled, and upon the chilling breeze, a rumbling, guttural growl oozed through the trees—

          Simultaneously, Bernard's panicked voice yelled something in the distance, followed by a blast of bright green light.

          Clementine flinched but had no time to speak as Elliot squealed like a piglet and started sprinting, pulling Clementine with him.

          "Go!" came Carmichael's voice.

          Elliot whimpered through his flustered breaths, tightening his grip on Clementine's arm. "I knew this was a bad idea!" he cried.

          Clementine looked back over his shoulder as they ran, watching as Carmichael, Bernard and Stanley came out of the gloom and caught up to them. Blood was slattered on the right side of Bernard's face, and Stanley was clutching a profusely bleeding wound on his arm, his blazer sleeve torn. 

          He could feel his struggling body getting weaker. Dizziness, nausea, pain. Clementine grimaced as he faced ahead, and as he set his blue eyes on the silhouette of the academy, he wanted to feel relief, but it was swiftly snatched away by dread—

          Thump, thump, thump—pounding paws echoed from behind them, and when he looked back over his shoulder, the shadow of something huge broke through the murk. Snarling, growling—he had no idea what it was, but it was gaining on them.

          "Keep going!" Carmichael yelled, gripping Stanley's other arm as he stumbled and almost fell.

          "What the hell is that thing?!" Bernard shouted, panicked.

          "We're not gonna make it!" Elliot cried.

          They kept running, the tree line just yards away. Clementine's heart was pounding in his chest—his legs felt as though they were about to snap, and the world around him was spinning so fast it was as though he was running through a violently thrashing tunnel. He could hear the beast gaining on them, Elliot and Stanley's cries began to distort, and just as he felt he was going to succumb to his exhaustion—

          Thump!

          Clementine's back hit the grass. Elliot fell over him, Carmichael tripped and landed face-first on the concrete of the courtyard, and Bernard and Stanley crashed into one another when Stanley flew out of Carmichael's grip.

          A horrific roar bellowed from the trees—Clementine shoved Elliot off him, preparing to flee with whatever energy he could muster...but as he lifted his head, he stared into the forest's gloom. The shadow of whatever was chasing them moulded back into the darkness, its spiked, scaled tail whipping the bark off a tree as it turned around and prowled away.

          For a moment, Clementine sat there, staring into the murky woods. His heart was racing, his body was trembling, and his throat felt as though he'd swallowed several sharp razors. He was still alive...unscathed...breathing. Whatever was chasing them...why hadn't it left the forest?

          Stanley's petrified scream broke the ominous quiet.

          "Calm down!" Carmichael insisted

          "Are you okay?" Elliot asked, helping Clementine to his feet. "Sorry I fell on you."

          Shaking his head, Clementine turned to face the others.

          Stanley was rolling around on the concrete, gripping his arm, crying like a baby. Bernard was standing over him, a horrified look on his face. And Carmichael, ignoring the grazes on his cheek from where he'd fallen, tried his best to get Stanley to move his hand so that he could inspect his wound.

          "I'm dying!" Stanley cried. "It's killing me!"

          "Calm do—"

          "Don't tell me to calm down!" Stanley shrieked. "Did you see that thing?! Did you—"

          Smack!

          Elliot gasped, holding his hand over his mouth as Carmichael's hand collided with the side of Stanley's startled face.

          "Calm your shit!" Carmichael growled. "You'll wake the entire school up, and then they'll come down here looking for easy pickings!"

          With a loud gulp, Stanley nodded.

          "Let me see."

          As he was told, Stanley moved his hand from his wound, revealing a horrific tear that cut right through to his bone.

          Clementine cringed and glanced back over his shoulder. The feeling of being watched had withered, and as his body recovered from the chase, he felt cautiously intrigued. He had only seen a glimpse of what had been chasing them...but could it have been the same thing he'd almost been caught by the night Molly had died?

          "We need to get him to the infirmary," Carmichael said, helping Stanley to his feet as he whined and whimpered, biting on his other hand to try and quieten himself.

          "What happened?" Elliot asked.

          Bernard walked beside him as they all followed Carmichael, who was helping Stanley walk. "We were just checking out some footprints when we heard this sound—like a growl. Something just...came out of the fog and went for Stanley. I tried to help...I...but our magic did nothing."

          That was what that green glow was—seelie magic.

          Elliot shook his head as they headed into the building. "I knew this was going to end bad!"

          "We didn't even find anything," Bernard uttered.

          He glanced over at Clementine—he knew what they were thinking.

          "It was worth a shot," Carmichael called.

          "What now?" Bernard asked.

          "We'll work it out. Let's just get Stanley fixed up first."

          Clementine felt a little guilty. It was his idea to drag them out into the forest knowing full well there were creatures out there...and all so he could get a tiny mushroom. But he needed it. Without it, he'd be doomed to days of suffering, and if he had to use people to ensure that didn't happen, then so be it. He had the ceraroot now...but only a single piece. He was going to need more, and when that time came, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

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♠ Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ♠

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♥ How do you feel about the characters? Did Clementine make a bad call? ♥

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