A Beam of Hope

Disoriented, the boys wandered around the forest in the dark, having forgotten to bring along flashlights when they left their camp site earlier in the day. Sounds of rolling thunder in the mountains were followed by a flash of lightning that illuminated the skies for a split second. The boys' faces were identical masks of fear. Stranded in the middle of a dense forest, the last thing they need is an impending thunderstorm which threatens to drench them to their skins. The fog was rolling in even more thickly as the temperatures started to drop further. The boys hugged their thin sweaters tighter against themselves, trying to stop their teeth from chattering.

Hopes of being rescued were dwindling fast as their calls for help went unanswered. Just as they thought all hopes were lost, Wayne suddenly recalled a survival tip he once saw on the television.

"I just remembered something. Where there are rivers and streams, there will be civilisation nearby! We should find a river or something and follow it upstream; that way, we'll be able to find help!" Wayne told the other three.

So, with renewed optimism, they trudged along trying to find a stream. It was another 10 minutes before they'd heard the sounds of river gushing. Just then, the storm that had been looming on the horizon all day finally came pouring down. The rain that was coming down in sleets further worsened their visibility; they could hardly see anything at all, let alone finding the stream. When they finally did reach the river, it was not relief that they felt; it was horror. The river was at least 20 feet wide, with wild muddy water that was rushing so quickly, anyone would be swept off their foot and into the murky depths of the water should they attempt to cross it.

Nevertheless, they proceeded to follow the river upstream carefully, stopping every now and then to catch their breath. It was awhile before they'd finally stopped walking. It was a dead end. The river led them to a waterfall that was almost 60 feet high. Crushed, they decided to seek refuge from the rain by walking deeper into the woods, hoping the trees would help shelter them from the bitter cold the storm brought on.

After what seemed like ages, the rain finally started to die down, leaving only darkness and cold behind. Attempts to start a fire for warmth failed as the fire woods were all drenched by rain water. By then, the boys were feeling lethargic and hungry, having only eaten a hasty brunch earlier on. Just when they were about to give up, a few fireflies appeared out of nowhere, distracting them temporarily from their predicament.

They followed the fireflies as though in a daze, drifting deeper and deeper into the woods and even further away from civilisation. They snapped out of the daze as the fireflies disappeared abruptly. As they look around the place they now stood, they let out a gasp and stood with their mouths agape. Standing in front of them was a tree that seemed even larger than the one they saw yesterday. Fireflies were surrounding the huge tree, making it seem like the tree was twinkling. Overcame with fatigue, the boys decided to rest under the tree for a moment before continuing to seek help.

It was now past midnight, the boys had unknowingly fallen asleep at the base of the tree after the day's ordeal. Being a light sleeper, Kit was awoken by the sounds of rustling behind one of the trees. Alarmed, he quickly roused the other three from their sleep, worried that the beast earlier had managed to track them down. A pair of amber eyes glowed from within the woods, scaring the boys out of their skin. Without a second glance back, they ran as far as their legs would bring them.

Out of breath, the boys slowed to a stop as the beast did not seem to have pursued them. Kit decided to rustle through his backpack for something to arm themselves against the creature should it appear again. Buried under various junk was the flare gun handed out by the forest ranger days earlier.

"Look at what I've found! The flare gun the ranger gave us the other day," said Kit. "We should use it. Maybe they'll see it and come to rescue us!"
"No way, what if the sound attracts that thing and makes it come for us again?" argued Long.

Disappointed, Kit put the flare gun back into his backpack. They continued to walk for a bit more before Wayne had spotted a faint light in the distance. Thinking that they were near the edge of the forest, they ran towards the source of light, only to stop short at the edge of a dead forest. The faint light shone weakly through the bleak gloomy darkness emanating from the dead forest.

Left with no other choices, the boys had nowhere else to go but forward. They had to find out where the light was coming from as it was their only hope of being rescued. The fog that had dispersed after the rain was starting to thicken again, which made the boys look like they were floating on thin air. The dead forest was eerily quiet, with only occasional caws from ravens perched on the dead branches. As they walked on, they noticed tombstones that are half buried in the ground, and by the looks of it, some of the tombstones dated as far back as the 18th century. Surrounded by half fallen archangels and mausoleums that looked like they were about to collapse anytime, the boys stifled an involuntary shudder.

"This is waaaay too creepy to belong in a national park," said Ken. The other three agreed silently as they struggled to find a way out of the dead forest.

When they turned their heads to look back after some time, the lively forest that they were once in had completely vanished from their sight. The faint light that led them here in the first place looked even further away than before. The fog that had been creeping at their feet started to swell in size, engulfing the boys completely in its cloud. Unable to see more than a few feet, the boys held hands and formed a human chain so that they would not be separated in the thick fog. Every once in awhile, one of them would trip over the exposed roots of the dead trees or hit their heads on the low branches, making the progress forward even slower.

Finally, they arrived at the source of the light. A magnificent mansion towered over them, its ancient looking architecture give off an eerie feel that sent a chill down their spines. Despite its dilapidated outlook, there's a fire burning brightly in the grate, which gave off the faint light that attracted them from afar. Slowly, they walked up to the doorway and tentatively knocked lightly on the polished maple door. To their surprise, the door creaked open slightly, revealing a lavishly furnished hall.

Blood red carpet covered the entire hall, with twin marble staircases that lead to the second floor. Ornate carvings of what seemed like angels can be seen on the railings of the staircase, giving it a somewhat grandiose yet ominous look. As they looked around the hall, they noticed that a fine layer of dust was covering all the furniture, even the grand piano in the center of the hall looked like it has not been played in quite some time. The place looked like it was uninhabited, abandoned by its affluent owner that seemed to have left the place in a hurry, leaving everything untouched in his hasty flight.

Hearts pounding furiously, they took their first steps into the strange mansion.