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the urge simon felt to walk through the forest was inexplicable. it'd been creeping up on him for weeks now, maybe months. his mind could never get away from it.
it hadn’t been that noticeable at first, which explains why simon didn't notice it. but when there was a lull in conversation, a second to think. maybe i should go to that forest. falling asleep at night, dreaming of the forest. it slowly overtook his mind. he didn't even remember when he learnt the way to the forest, but he just knew, maybe he always knew.
he could feel a pull wherever he went. when travelling for videos the further he went the more it tugged him back. it was like an electric band, he'd either snap or bounce back. it never snapped. he used it when he could. it helped him nicely for an abandoned video, he didn't look at a map once, he followed the pull until he recognised street signs. him and harry were the first ones back.
it should've worried him more than it did, but it honestly just felt like part of him. maybe it'd always been there and he was only now noticing. he could see the words in bold in his mind.
the forest.
it started hurting on the monday, the pull at his stomach tightening as he headed to the studio, like his intestines were thread though his bellybutton and he was being unraveled from the inside. it calmed on the way home as he got closer, but by the thursday even home was too far. maybe it was finally going to snap, but simon didn't want it to. he liked it. so, at around eleven o'clock that thursday night, he got in his car.
he felt serene as he pulled into the car park. finally close enough to breathe. there was a bike abandoned at the forests entrance, simon payed no mind to it as he passed. he was finally there, finally inside. he briefly wondered why he hadn't come sooner, but today felt right.
he just walked. he lost the path quickly, threading through the trees as he pleased, it just felt right. he was there. the forest is where he needed to be. but eventually the pull returned.
it stopped simon in his tracks, he didn't like it anymore. it pulled harder, tighter, almost dragging him through the forest. he tripped on a root and felt it pull him upright, not letting him fall.
the trees thinned out and opened up to a foggy, grassy clearing. it was almost a perfect circle. the pulling stopped again once simon's feet hit the grass and his mind finally cleared. he came back to himself fully, he stared into the clearing and wondered why the hell he wanted to be here so bad.
"hello?"
a familiar voice. simon turned towards it, just along the edge of the clearing. he squinted through the haze at the figure that'd appeared through the trees.
"harry?" simon called, unsure if it was really him.
"minter?" harry stumbled along the edge of trees, seeming just as confused as simon was. "what are you doing here?"
"what are you doing here?" simon replied as he made his way to meet harry. they stood in front of each other, bewildered as to why the other was there. they both suspected.
"did you feel it too?" simon asked, hoping harry didn't think he was spouting shit. harry took awhile to respond, but nodded. simon had to be sure. "the pull?" harry nodded again.
simon looked around, the trees on the other side of the clearing were closer than before. he turned to the other side, to the trees he was stood next to. but they weren't there, they were as far as the other trees. harry looked around too, noticing the same as simon. they were in the centre of the clearing, but they hadn't walked there themselves.
"how did we-" harry took a step back, looked at the grass beneath him, and took an unnatural step back to where he was. "i didn't do that." the panic was obvious in his voice. simon looked to own feet and tried lifting them.
"i can't move." simon looked to harry who was seemingly having the same problem. simon grasped at his own leg and tried lifting it but it was too heavy. "i can't move." he said again.
"if this is for a video this isn't funny, simon." harry fell back as he struggled with himself. his feet remained glued to the same spot.
"of course it's not for a fucking video!" simon was appalled at the suggestion, because how the fuck would he manage to do this in the first place. harry cussed repeatedly and nonsensically as his panic grew. simon ignored him and tried prying his foot up with a stick he'd managed to grab.
the clearing lit up suddenly. like floodlights, but with no immediate source. it stopped the boys in their tracks.
"what the hell?" simon said mostly to himself. he looked up, harry followed. the light was coming from above, a solid circle. and it was descending on them.
ONE
simon awoke to a buzzing noise and a tingling through his skin. he worried he was touching something electrical and bolted up to get away from it. he was in the clearing, the sun was up.
it took a moment to come back to him, but he soon remembered and searched for harry. he found him quickly, asleep only a few meters away. simon could see the rise and fall of his chest. he let himself have a moment to sift through the insanity. the pull, being stuck to one spot, the lights. it couldn't be real.
simon gave a proper look to his surroundings. it was unsettling. it was all slightly wrong. the grass was a tinge too blue, the trees in the distance twisted in just the wrong ways, the clouds in the sky moved fast yet no wind rustled through the leaves. something was off. he patted at his pocket and dug out his phone.
"bastard." he muttered to it as it flashed the no battery screen at him. he considered throwing it but decided to stuff it back into his pocket.
"harry, wake up." simon pushed himself up to his feet and walked toward harry. the buzz under his skin intensified as he got closer. "harry." he called again.
harry jolted awake, squinting at simon first and then the forest. he went through the same motions simon had before thumping his head back to the floor and groaning.
"what the fuck is this?" he whined and covered his face with his hands. simon looked around awkwardly. "minter, this isn't funny."
"i haven't done anything!" simon protested, throwing his arms out to the side. "how the hell would i manage this?" harry groaned loudly. "get up." simon waved his hands at harry and he reluctantly complied.
"why does it look like that?" harry asked as he looked around again. simon shook his head, he's glad is wasn't just him that noticed.
"i don't know," he sighed. "you got your phone on you?" simon knew it was pointless really. harry pulled it out with a sparkle of hope in his eyes and simon felt guilty for mentioning it. the screen flashed with the same no battery screen.
"fuck," harry threw his phone. simon watched it bounce and turned back to harry, who has his head in his hands again. "well, now what?"
"walk, i guess."
so they walked. the forest was endless, the day dragged slightly too long. they didn't speak much, but were silently thankful for the company. it was insane, this was insane. if simon thought about it too much he started tripping over his own feet, so he didn't think about it. he just kept walking.
TWO
waking up on day two was similar. that same sinking feelings as it all came rushing back. that same buzz under the skin. harry was up first this time, perched on a rock staring into the trees. the clearing was long gone after they walked for the entire day, they'd settled for the night under a particularly large and twisted tree.
"morning." simon huffed, alerting harry that he was awake. harry turned to him and nodded in acknowledgment.
"if you can call this morning." harry grumbled. simon perched on the rock next to harry's and stared up at the sky. just as wrong as yesterdays, the sun was going a different direction today as well.
"this is so fucked." simon said because he didn't know what else to say. the buzz in his skin was beginning to make him itch. "is your skin tingling as well?" harry looked to simon as he scratched his arm and nodded.
"what the plan for the day then?" there was something missing, other than the obvious things like an exit to the forest or people, simon couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"i guess we keep walking." whilst logic told him that the forest couldn't go on forever, there was a creeping feeling at the back of simon's neck that told him it just might.
THREE
harry started to crack throughout day three. simon could deal with the barely talking and the lack of physical touch, but harry couldn't. he needed people.
"can you stop that," simon was trying not to be frustrated at harry, who had been humming various songs for what felt like the last century. "or just do it quietly."
"oh, i'm sorry, is my humming disturbing the wonderful atmosphere of these fucked up trees." harry didn't have any real anger in his voice. simon knew he just wanted to argue as something to do.
"yes. it is actually." simon looked over his shoulder to harry. he would play the game.
"you're right. let's just walk in silence until we fucking die here." harry overtook simon and waved his arms around.
"we're not going to die here-"
"everything else has. tell me, have you seen a single living creature here other than me?" the floodgates had opened, there was no stopping harry now. "no people, no birds. no squirrels, no, bloody, butterflies or even a fucking mosquito or something. there nothing here but us! and these trees are really starting to piss me off, they were fine at the start, twist away, i don't fucking care. but i swear to god they're getting worse, i mean look at-"
harry had gotten a little too invested in the trees and tripped over a root. he didn't get up on his own, so simon offered a hand.
"here." harry tried to wipe the dirt off his hand before he reached for simon's.
they couldn't touch. the buzzing under their skin grew to its loudest as their hands stopped a few inches apart. it was like holding your arm out of the car window as a kid and the wind pushed it back. they couldn't reach each other.
"what the fuck?" harry scrambled to his feet and held his hand out to simon again. simon tried to grab it, but still couldn't. they switched hands, still nothing.
the sound of their own breath was deafening. simon wondered if harry could hear the heartbeat that hammered in his own ears.
he could see harry internally grappling with this new information. it didn't settle well. he swung at simon. his arm swung back the other way, repelled by simon.
"what the hell, harry?" simon ducked away from the punch too late, not that it mattered.
"i was just testing!" harry covered. they both knew better though. "whatever, it doesn't matter. what the fuck is going on?"
"let's just keep going." simon was happy to ignore whatever this was. they'd keep walking and they'd find a way out. they had to.
FOUR
they kept walking. harry walked behind simon the whole day and tried to touch his back. he swore he could almost reach once, but he never could.
FIVE
"harry. look!" simon stopped in his tracks. harry would've walked straight into his back if he could’ve.
"what?" harry followed where simon pointed. a person. there was someone else. there was hope. they rushed towards them.
"you things know you can't get me!" the woman shouted at the air after simon stood on a twig and snapped it.
"what do you mean?" harry's voice seemed to startle her.
"oh! are you two new?" she turned to harry and simon. her eye holes were swollen shut.
"uhh... yeah." simon tried not to look at her eyes. "how'd you know there was two of us?"
"there is always two, boy." they stood infront of her now. harry stood just behind simon's shoulder.
"where are we?" harry asked. the woman shook her head.
"wherever you where." her hair was long and matted. her clothes had rips in them. harry looked to simon.
"what's your name?" simon tried instead, hoping for a tangible answer. she shook her head.
"i don't remember," she shrugged. "you won't either."
"nice, really helpful." harry muttered quiet enough for only simon to hear.
"look, can you help us or something?" simon looked where her eyes should've been until it made him feel sick.
"there is no help for me to give. they will come. if you see them, they will get you." the way she spoke made simon's stomach churn.
"is that what happened to your eyes? did you see... them?" simon tried. any information was better than none. whatever they were, simon wanted to know. he sat on the log next to the woman.
"i did this myself," she brought a shaking hand to her face. "you can't see them if you can't see. that is what she said."
"who's she?" harry jumped in. another person, maybe they could get out of here.
"my magnet. she is gone now." the woman nodded sagely and pointed to the ground a few meters away. harry went to it. a rock with 'juliet' carved into it. a grave.
"what does that mean? your magnet?" simon managed to understand what harry was looking at from his body language.
"you are each others magnet. you repel each other, you cannot touch, but you cannot leave each other either," she placed a hand on simon's shoulder. he'd forgotten what that felt like. "no matter what, you cannot split up. this world will not let you. stand, boy." she pulled simon up from the log and pushed him toward the trees. "you walk straight, until we are out of sight." she found harry and guided him back to the log.
simon did what he was told, it's not as if this could get worse. he walked past a few trees, checking over his shoulder that he could still see harry ever few steps. he took a few more steps and checked over his shoulder, he couldn't see him. he was about to turn and head back when he heard a voice in front of him.
"simon." harry and the woman were in front of him. he was on the opposite side of where he entered the trees, as if he'd walked around the entire world and made it back.
harry and simon looked at each other as simon returned, they really looked. they were apart of one another.
SIX
they stayed with the woman for another day. she still didn't remember her name, but she told the two men everything she knew.
everything here is slightly wrong, because they didn't study earth long enough to mimic it correctly. they'd bring two, connected, people at a time to this place to hunt the and brutally kill them. she didn't know why the force field existed, but she told harry and simon that it would falter when they are near. they'd be able to touch each other if an attack was near. they would only attack if you looked at them.
"so all we have to do is close our eyes?" harry had asked, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"it isn't that simple, boy." was all the response she gave. and simon believed her, because why would she rip her own eyes out if it was.
SEVEN
"they are coming." the woman stood up, looking behind her. she waved her hands around in front of her. "hold each other."
harry was up like a rocket and ran at simon. he stopped short, not wanting to get bounced off if they weren't really close. simon reached a hand to harry's face. the buzzing under his skin grew and grew until it was painful. but then it stopped, and simon touched harry's face. he pulled harry into a bone crushing hug, fear and joy overlapping. harry held him just as hard.
"do not look at them." the woman reminded them.
twigs snapped around them. harry tucked his face into simon's neck. "don't look, simon." he whispered into his neck, as if he knew what simon was about to do. he had to know.
simon opened his eyes.
it hurt for simon to look at. a tall, dripping creature, a colour he'd never seen before. what seemed to be it’s limbs were twisted in a similar way to the trees. it's eyes were wide. it's bottom eyelids sagged too far, revealing the inside of its face.
it launched at simon, fast. simon flinched hard and squeezed his eyes shut as he tightened his grip on harry.
"you idiot, simon!" harry held him painfully, worried he'd be ripped away.
"i'm sorry, i'm sorry," he didn't dare open his eyes again. he couldn't tell if the creature was breathing on him or if he was paranoid. "i didn't mean to, harry."
"they won't forget your weakness," the woman spoke, simon had almost forgotten about her. "they didn't forget juliet's."
simon was sure he'd have bruises from how hard harry held him.
EIGHT
harry had been ignoring simon since the attack. one simple rule, don't look, and he'd broken it. the second the force field returned and they were pushed away from each other, harry attempted to storm off into the forest. but, obviously, he always returned.
he woke up today and walked as far as he could and faced away from simon to make a point.
"why did you do that to your eyes?" simon asked the woman whilst harry ignored him. he already knew though. he wanted to see the creature again. he needed to.
"you feel it," she said. "it only gets worse."
NINE
they left the woman. it was simon's attempt to get harry talking to him again. she wished them luck when they left.
"i hope you make it." she said as she waved them off. simon's gut twisted.
they'd tried to walk in a straight line, hoping they'd be able to turn back to the woman if anything went wrong, but they were unsure how successful they were being. they didn't talk for most of the day. harry was always a few paces in front or simon, he didn't even give the satisfaction of looking over his shoulder to check simon was following. he knew he would be.
"i'm sorry, harry." he tried for maybe the eighteenth time. harry at least looked at him before he kept walking this time.
TEN
harry was out in front again, mindlessly traipsing through trees they'd probably seen a thousand times now. simon let him, maybe he just needed time. simon was finding it hard to remember what there was before the forest.
"did you hear that?" the first thing harry had said in days. simon's eyes lifted from the floor. harry had turned to look at him, and it was a good thing he had. white beady eyes glowed over harry's shoulder. it was here. it was getting closer.
"close your eyes!" simon ran towards harry, trying to reach him before the creature. harry dropped to the floor with his palms against his eyes.
simon watched how the creature moved. it grabbed nearby trees to pull itself forward faster. it's hands twisted the wrong way, it's fingers were sharp and dripping. simon didn't want to look away.
he made it to harry and dropped to the floor with him. he looked at it for a second too long. it reached too close, it made contact with simon's arm. blood spilled out. he tensed with the pain.
"close your eyes, you twat." harry removed the hands from his eyes and placed them on simon's instead, not trusting him to do it himself. he held them there until the force field pushed them apart. he saw simon's arm and threatened to hit him. (not that he'd be able to) "don't you dare leave me here on my own, minter."
simon had never heard him sound so desperate.
ELEVEN
harry walked at simon's side now. he didn't trust him, simon couldn’t blame him. they both knew he'd look again if he got the chance.
harry tested if they could touch frequently, hoping to get more of a warning that it was coming. more of a chance to stop simon doing something stupid.
the wound on simon's arm was red and angry. it throbbed constantly. the buzz under simon's skin threatened to bubble out of it. he tried not to move that arm.
harry had scolded him hundreds of times. he didn't get it. all simon could do was apologise.
TWELVE
harry tapped at simon's other arm, his hand always bouncing off before he could touch it. simon didn't notice it anymore.
"-i'm just saying, what if both have the same favourite colour but our brains have labeled colours differently and my blue is your red?" harry had been rambling about anything and everything to keep his mind busy. "because i'm telling you there is no way in hell anyone's favourite colour could be orange. it's awful! it's always either too bright or slightly poo coloured. who's favourite colour is shit? actual poo!"
it took harry a second to realise that his tapping felt different. simon didn't notice at all. they could touch. it was coming.
"i understand what your saying but, to be fair, have you ever met someone who's favourite colour actually is orange?" simon looked to harry with an amused smile, still unaware. "oh."
simon scanned around for it. harry huffed in frustration. he pulled simon into a hug and held him a moment longer than he probably should have.
"i'm sorry, simon." sorry had become so common that it took simon a second to realise he wasn't the one saying it for once. harry hadn't done anything wrong. he pulled away from the hug.
"for what?" he asked. harry's eyes were glassy. they still held each other. harry's hands were on simon's shoulders, one started moving up simon's neck. harry shook his head.
"i really care about you." harry said sadly. simon squeezed harry’s side.
"i really care about you, too." he smiled at harry. the smile harry returned was sad, his hand made it to simon's hair and threaded through it.
"i'm doing this because i care." harry nodded. simon didn't understand. he was about to ask what harry meant when harry's fist tightened in his hair. harry dragged simon toward the closest tree and slammed his head against it. simon couldn't look at the creature if he was knocked out.
and he was out cold.
simon woke to beeping and a blinding light behind his eyes. it hurt to open them. his head was pounding. he felt different, something was missing. he peeled his eyes open. white. he blinked. a hospital. he looked around but the room was empty. there was a button placed at his side, he pressed it. a nurse walked in with a police officer trailing her.
they were talking to him, but simon didn't register a word. everything was slowly coming back to him. the forest, the creature, harry. what harry had done.
"-dog walker found you, you were catatonic-"
"where's harry?" simon cut the officer off. he could tell what was different now. the buzzing was gone, his attachment to harry. he couldn't feel him. he scratched at his arm, where the wound should've been. it was gone. all that remained was a thin red line. "what day is it?" simon added.
"friday," the officer said. the day after simon had gone to the forest. it hadn't even been twenty-four hours. the beeping grew faster as simon's heart picked up.
"and harry?" simon asked again. his stomach twisted, he already knew.
"you were the only one out there."