It was startling how rapidly the bright light that was firmly placed in the sky, which had given light onto the trail, had extinguished. Moments ago the young boys had been complaining about the beams of light hitting their eyes, the same beams that had given the woods a welcoming feeling. Looking into the depths of the woods now was a challenge for the two; the mass of tangled and entwined branches from the massive trees that loomed overhead. Hallucinations danced in the boys’ heads, making a bush blowing in the wind look like a beast from the depths of the earth. The entwined branches that once were silent now creaked as they reached out towards the boys, like outstretched arms. The twigs that extended off the branches racked themselves against the boys upper bodies making promises of what will happen if the boys should come within their grasp. A dark threat that made the boys shiver in fear. The two quickly picked up their pace hoping to reach the safety of light once more, but the night had other plans for them instead. An ear piercing screech rang out from the sky, a warning to the two young men that had yet to find hope. The chirping of birds had long been silenced, replaced with the hollowing of the wind as it rushed between the dying colors of fall. The wind sliced through the boys’ jackets, chilling them to the bone with its icy touch, making it feel like they were being shocked from the inside out. Tree roots stretched out from the earth’s hard cold surface and clawed at the boys, attempting to stop their pursuit of freedom from the depths of despair. The tree roots wound like shackles around the boys’ ankles, trapping them like a rabbit in a slip knot, as they struggled aimlessly, hopelessly. The more the boys squirmed to be released from their chains, the more the feeling began to set in that they were being dragged into their prison cell. Finally the boys found the key to their chains and were set free from their bonds, but the woods wouldn’t let go of their prisoners. The boys continued to make their way to their final destination, yearning that they would find someone that could take them out of this nightmare. The hallucinations continued to follow the boys as well; the ground that was scattered with brilliant red fall leaves had twisted into pools of blood around their feet. The vines that had once just hung innocently from the dead hollow trees now seemed to slither out towards the boys, uncoiling and coiling menacingly. The rushing wind now leapt into an eerie shriek, unceasing, forcing the boys to cover their ears in fear of their ears bursting from the noise. The boys that had once been dedicated to finding a light in this darkness now felt defeated. Curled on the ground, the boys looked up to see a light in the trail; the candle that was extinguished inside of them now took flame once more. They ran with all their might down the winding trail in attempts to reach the marvellous light at the end. The wind was prevailing as well though, and threw the boys back on the blood-red ground crushing them once more. The branches whipped their bodies with such fierceness that it seemed to cut down to the bone, even through their thick blue jean jackets. The boys prevailed through the mass of branches and were about to reach the magnificent light, the candles inside them beaming brightly in this bleak forest. Just as they reached out towards the light all went dark, with a soft pop, as if a light bulb had burnt out. A deathly silence followed, but was replaced by the echoing of screams that filled the night sky.