It was a Friday..I think..hard to say. I still remember the autumn breeze blowing past me as we walked towards the outskirts of town. The air smelled of damp wood and earth as we made our way to the old forest not far from our school.

Lyla, Bruce, Alec, and Kourtney were all there. An odd group I guess one could say, into the occult and all that, but we found solace in being able to sit together underneath the dark hanging trees. We spent our Fridays afternoons in there performing little rituals, nothing dangerous of course, just something we could enjoy together.

Lyla revealed an archaic leather bound grimoire, carefully pulling it from her satchel. “I found this in the public library last weekend, the librarian told me that it wasn’t in their system though so he let me take it home!” Lyla squealed.

Alec turned to me saying, “That’s kind of creepy though, don’t you think Mick?” We all laughed it off, not wanting to spoil the adrenaline welling up inside us. The ritual that followed that evening is still blurred, but maybe it’s meant that we forget.

We must have done something right, because a bright light had suddenly erupted from the old book. The light morphed several times before finally settling on the form of a beautiful Elysian woman. There was a heavy smell of lavender emitting from her, making me feel drowsy to the point it was hard to stand. She approached us at a slow stride, floating off the ground it seemed, stopping directly in front of Lyla. The entity just stared, before leaning in to press a kiss on Lyla’s lips, causing Lyla…to combust. I can still feel the blood and flesh chunks splatter that masked us and the surrounding trees.

I couldn’t hear the others as we all sprinted in varying directions, my heart becoming deafening in my ears. I could see my shadow on the forest floor as I ran. Three bright lights burst from somewhere behind me, only for my shadow to grow in size. The smell of lavender was becoming unbearable, engulfing my senses. I felt so exhausted and heavy with every step I took, eventually coming to a stop only twenty feet from the edge of the forest. I fell onto my back as my legs finally gave out, coming face to face with the woman, now covered in blood and flesh. Somehow..she still gave off a comforting aura, her soft eyes and beaming smile, her embrace calling to me. My heart and breath began to calm as she knelt down and bestowed her last kiss that night.

I woke up not long after, back where we had started. My friends were there waiting for me, the book now closed, and the woman gone. We’ve tried leaving, but we seem to always be walking in circles as we’ve never found our way out of the forest. At least..we’ll always be together in here.