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THREE

ASTER

“Good morning!” Sandy busted into the cabin with a grossly overwhelming amount of energy that abruptly woke Kaila and me. “Rise and shine, ladies!” My head ached as the sun burned through the large cabin windows.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “What time is it?” I rubbed my eyes and listened as Sandy walked towards me.

She had an unusual pep in her step. “It’s almost eight in the morning.”

Kaila groaned. “Why the hell are you waking us up so early, Sandy? No. Why are you even awake right now?” She put on her glasses and eyed Sandy as she stopped in front of me.

“Hold on. What’s that ?” Kaila pointed to Sandy’s hand.

I forced my eyes open enough to see Sandy standing in front of me.

She had the biggest grin and was staring in my direction, holding something.

No, it wasn’t just something. It was a rose.

A black rose?

Sandy skipped to my bedside and reached her arm out as she offered me the rose. “This is for you, Aster.” I took the rose and noticed it wasn’t black. It was… burned. “A weird gesture, but hey, flowers are flowers!”

Oh fuck.

“Aww. So cute!” Kaila made a pouty face. “Wait, but why is it burned?”

My stomach dropped, and my heart nearly stopped.

Time slowed and my eyes stared down at the charred flower now in my grasp.

This wasn’t just any flower from any person.

No. It was a calling card. A fucking reminder that no matter how far I traveled or how fast I ran, he would always find me.

And this rose in my hand was proof that he had done just that.

Sabbath is here.

I felt anger, fear, and every emotion in between. After all these years of thinking I had somehow lost him, it was nothing more than stupid, wishful thinking. And now he was here.

Sandy tried to understand the expression on my face. “Aster?”

I looked up at her. “Where did you get this?” I asked in a low voice.

She looked from me to Kaila and then explained. “Willie said when he woke up this morning, it was just sitting there on his desk. There was a note, but all it had on it was your name. Is everything alright?” I stared at the burned flower. “Aster?”

No. Nothing was alright. It was all fucked.

“Do you know who it’s from?” Kaila asked as she walked over to my bed. I nodded. “Well? Who? And why is it all burned?”

My hand squeezed the rose, and the two women watched in horror as it crumbled into ashes within my grasp.

I sprung from the bed, and I pushed past them both and rushed towards the cabin door in a hurry.

The two women called after me, but I ignored them both.

If Sabbath was here, then I needed to know for sure.

And I needed to protect myself. He wasn’t just dangerous…

He was obsessed in the sickest and most unhinged ways.

The only way he would give up on the one thing he wanted most was by death.

Something he explained long ago. Fuck, I needed to speak with Willie.

I sprinted along the camp trails and in the direction of the administrative cabin.

How did he find me? When did he find me? Fuck. I thought I was safe. I thought I had been smart! My mind rambled as I trekked through the redwoods. How could I be so stupid? It was only a matter of time before ? —

I immediately froze and stared down the trail ahead.

Off in the distance, at the end of the long dirt path, was a figure.

They were standing just off the treeline of the redwoods and dressed in what looked like an all black outfit and an old plague doctor mask.

I swear something seemed off about the eyes. What was I saying, all of this was off!

What the fuck?

I tried to remain still and watched as the masked figure raised its arm.

The wind blew and chanting whispers tickled my ears.

It was then that I noticed it was holding something.

“What?” I whispered as I squinted through the morning sun and recognized the triangular shape.

It was a totem. Just like the one at the bonfire and the same as the one I found my first night here.

Wait, why are they— I looked closer. Solomon was right.

The figure tied the triangle of bones from a low branch of a redwood tree without making a sound.

I tried to slowly back up, but my heel snapped a small branch.

I froze as the sound echoed down to the figure, and it slowly turned to face me.

A chill ran down my spine, and all I could do was stare in horror.

The figure tilted its head. It was beyond chilling.

My feet moved before I could process what I was doing, and soon I was sprinting through the back trail towards Willie’s cabin.

My heart was rapidly pounding in my chest as I pushed myself beyond my capabilities to get there as fast as possible.

What the hell was that thing? And why was it hanging a totem, here, in the camp? Fuck. What is happening? Sabbath, the redwoods, totems… It’s all too much!

Before long, I had slowed my pace and reached the administrative cabin. “Willie!” I shouted as I burst through the door and inside the cabin. “Willie?” I searched the cabin but couldn’t find him. “Fuck!” I tried to control my breathing, but I was shaken and out of breath from running.

The cabin door squeaked open, and I whirled around to see Nurse B standing there.

She was holding a stack of towels and seemed shocked to find me.

“Aster?” She stepped forward and looked me up and down.

“What on earth are you doing up this early? And why are you all red and worn out?” She looked down at my leg. “You’re bleeding.”

My eyes followed her gaze to see a cut across my bare knee.

“It—it must’ve happened on my way down here!

” I huffed. “I–I’m sorry.” I swallowed and tried to calm my heart.

“I need—water.” Nurse B brushed past me and walked into a small room.

She quickly returned with a small paper cup of water.

“Thank you!” I quickly gulped every last drop.

Nurse B stepped forward and gently grabbed my hand.

She then guided me deeper into the cabin as she spoke.

“Come on. Let’s get that taken care of before it becomes infected.

” We stepped into the small nursing station, and Nurse B sat me down in a chair.

She moved so swiftly and quietly as she cleaned and treated the small cut.

“You should be more careful in those woods, Aster.” Nurse B dabbed the small cut as her fingers gripped my leg.

“You never know what might find you.” I winced as she pressed roughly against the cut with a pad of alcohol.

I wanted to tell her what I saw, but part of me was hesitant.

I wasn’t sure why, but I just had this feeling that I shouldn’t tell her. Not yet.

“Nurse B?” I swallowed my anxiety. “What do you know about the redwoods?”

She tilted her head and sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors by now.

” I nodded. “Well, I’m afraid there’s not much more to it than that.

” She gently placed a band-aid over my cut.

“But man must always respect nature, Aster.” Our eyes met.

“The real danger in these woods isn’t some ghost, witch, or campfire story.

It’s the fear and demons within ourselves.

Everyone has evil within them, Aster. It’s just a matter of when they become evil.

Everyone may have a different breaking point, but we all have them.

And in those woods, man is only one of the scariest things you’ll come across. ”

Her oddly riddled words unsettled me. “What could be scarier than man?” I asked.

She leaned forward and spoke in a low, whispered voice. “The Redwood.”

The Redwood? Did she mean the redwoods? As in the woods themselves? If so, why did she say it like that? And how could trees be scarier than humans? Maybe Nurse B was a bit crazy… Maybe we all were.

“Thisbe?” Willie shouted as he stepped into the cabin. “Thisbe?”

“Back here, Willie!”

Willie stepped into the nursing station and made a face as he noticed me. “Oh, Aster. Is everything okay?”

Thisbe stood and cleared her throat. “Aster seems to have simply scraped her knee running through the woods.” She smiled.

Willie looked at her, then back at me. “Running in the woods? This early in the morning?” He stepped closer.

“What the hell are you doing running around this early, Aster?” I looked at Nurse B and decided to keep what she said to myself, as well as what I saw earlier.

Something about those two just didn’t sit right with me. “Aster?” Willie pressed me again.

“I wanted to speak with you about the rose that was left for me.” Willie blinked, and his posture eased. “Sandy mentioned it had a note?”

Willie’s normal flirty demeanor suddenly returned. “Oh yeah. Here.” He pulled a small, folded piece of paper from his jeans pocket. “I’m afraid there’s not much to it.” I unfolded the paper and read my new name, eloquently scribed in cursive. There was nothing else.

Fuck. I’m not sure what I expected, but something would’ve been nice.

“Say, why a burned rose?” Willie asked.

I looked at him, then at Nurse B. She seemed oddly interested in what I had to say.

“I don’t know. I mean, no reason.” I looked down and noticed Nurse B’s hand.

She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. I then remembered how Willie mentioned she was a widow.

It was sad to think about. But it made me wonder if maybe her married name was Sequoya.

Could she be related to Sabbath somehow? “It must be from a friend.”

My eyes met hers, and she smiled. “Must be an important friend. Maybe even a relative?”

You have no idea.

“More weirdness.” Willie shook his head. “Say, Thisbe.” She peeled her eyes away from me and looked up at Willie. “Did I mention that Aster here has the same last name as you?”