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Sam wandered through the Forest. It was strange. She had seen people discover her body and carry it to town. She was probably lying in a hospital bed next to Danny, both of them stuck in comas.
The slightly transparent Danny next to her told her what the others, ghosts?, had told him.
This was an in-between place. Somewhere halfway between the Here and the Other. They were there to guard the Veil. That the Forest had chosen them. That they were meant to guard against the monsters and the Other that tried to come through. That they existed in the Realm Between Realms. They were what helped to make sure nothing left its own plane of existence. Sam had asked if the afterlife was on the other side, Danny had shrugged and said that the other spirits claimed that on the other side of the Veil there was a different world, a world with monsters that wanted to come through and devour this world.
Sam supposed it was like a faerie circle after all. Something meant to lead you to a different Realm, only they had gotten stuck between worlds.
All the other spirits looked like children too, though many were wearing old-fashioned clothes. They had been pretty accepting of her and Danny. Apparently being kind of dead made people more open to being friends with people who were otherwise very different.
But Sam could tell that the other spirits were uncomfortable. She heard them whispering about how this was the first time two spirits had been made within the same decade. That there must be something wrong for the Forest to need two new spirits.
Sam and Danny still hadn’t seen any of the monsters that supposedly came through. The other spirits had described them as fearsome beasts and monsters. Though after much questioning, Sam finally got one to admit that they had only ever seen a clawed hand or a fanged snout before the Forest had pulled from their energy to strengthen the border enough that the beasts were pushed back.
That didn’t sound like helping to defend the Veil. That sounded a lot more like they were all just batteries for this Forest.
And then, it got worse. Sam and Danny were over by the faerie circle when they saw Tucker approach. They both stiffened.
What was he doing out here?
No. No! Nonononononono!
Sam tried to stop him but Tucker just walked right through her. His eyes were glassy and she couldn’t do anything as he stepped into the faerie circle and started screaming.
She covered her ears and felt Danny wrap his arms around her. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Why was this happening? First Danny, then her, then Tucker. What did this stupid Forest want? Who else would it take?
Tucker’s body slumped to the ground.
As Tucker’s spirit formed, all the others gathered close. Worried whispers filled the air.
Everything's unraveling. The forest is dying. We’ll all be dead soon. Something must be done. Something must be done.
Sam and Danny approached Tucker, and they all held each other tightly. At least they were together again.