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Ever since the war began my life has been falling apart–
First it was my mother's passing, then it was my home, the fire that engulfed it burned so brightly, like a thousand stars exploding, it was so beautiful but so very deadly. If it wasn't for the war my life would still be perfect, I would be… happy. I had to run away with just the clothes on my back, but now I'm here, stuck, lost, captured. Who would've guessed they'd have soldiers stationed outside the estate boundaries. The only things I have to entertain me in this cold dank cell are the distant banter of the prison guards and the quiet whispers of the wind through the tiny barred window. They're fighting again, the guards. The yelling grew closer and closer until I noticed they were coming towards my cell. “Get him, don't let him reach the prisoner!” No way, someone's here-! “Shartney! Where are you!?” a boy's husky voice echoed down the concrete corridors, wait I know that voice! “Jack! I'm here!” I shouted, pressing my face to the bars hoping to see him, “Shartney!!” his icy white-blue hair fluttered in the wind while he ran towards my voice. A soldier from the angry hoard following behind him reached for him but his hand didn't touch even a strand of his hair before he had turned around and froze him in place, many of the group tripped over their fallen mate. Jack stopped in front of my cell gripping the bars of my cell, “Shartney, are you alright? your father sent me after you!!” his head swiftly turned to the side as he kicked and knocked another man down. An angry looking soldier, presumably the leader of the bunch stood across from Jack, staring him dead in the eyes. “Give up, boy. YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME!” Jack looked at him and smirked, “Wanna bet?” Before he could react Jack had a knife pressed against the man's neck, “Call your men off.” Jack said sternly. “Wha- why I'd never—!” he pushed the knife harder, leaving a cut on his neck, “W-wait! I have a wife a-and a family!” Jack scoffed, “Like I give a shit, Call. Them. Off.” “f-fall back men, we won't win this fight, this time.” “Scram, rats.” The remaining men fled back down the corridors scrambling around one another. “Disgusting.” He looked back at me with his blue eyes. “Jack, I was wondering when you were gonna come save me!” he reached through the bars and caressed my face, his hands were cold. “I'm sorry, I couldn't come sooner…” he winced and then softly smiled, “let's get you out of there.” He laid his hands on the hinges then closed his eyes and took a breath in, letting it out he froze the hinges solid allowing him to pull the door off. “Oh Jack!” I ran out jumping into his arms, “You're cold, almost as cold as me.” He took the fur resting on his shoulders off and wrapped it around my neck like a scarf. “Hehe-” I laughed, smiling at him. “Thanks.”, “Don't mention it.” he smiled back. As we left the now abandoned prison it was already past sundown, “So– how's my father?” I followed closer behind him, “I'm not sure, it's been a few days now…” he hesitated, then reached for my hand, holding it tightly but gently. Once we entered the dark and scary forest, it seemed like the trees were alive, and that the dirt under my feet was writhing and the vines were reaching at my ankles in an attempt to pull me down. “J-jack…” my spine shivered “Yes, What is it?” he paused, turning back to face me, “I'm scared…” “Pfft- are you now?” he patted my head in reassurance. “There's nothing to be afraid of, at least not when I'm here with you. I will protect you, I promise.” It did make me feel less scared, so we continued on, after one, or maybe it was 2, hours of walking we finally took a break. “Are you sure you know where you're going, Jack?” I questioned “Ha! Of- course I do…” he glanced left, then right. “Maybe we're lost.” He scratched his head. “Are you serious!? How are we lost? I thought you knew these woods like the back of your hand!” he gestured for me to stop talking “Wait, do you- hear that?” There was rustling from the bushes in front of us a Black and Red Hedgehog wearing nothing but shoes stepped out from the bushes. He paused when he noticed us, “am i- uh, interrupting something?” he said in an unexpectedly deep voice. “Who‐ are you?” Jack asked him cautiously, while stepping in front of me. “Well you don't seem like bad people, but why should I tell you?” “Either you tell us, or you get lost.” Jack drew his knife “Wait. you said you were lost, I know the way out.” “Jack, he can help us.” I pulled on his sleeve “I can't trust just anyone.” “You know what, I'm just gonna go…” “Wait!” He was gone as fast as he came, and so we continued on. I Yawned covering my mouth and stretching out my arms “How long have we been lost for do you think?” I looked up at Jack “Three hours maybe..?” He looked back at me, “I'm getting tired, can you tell me a story?” “Sure, I’ve got a fun one for you. Once upon a time, there was a young truck named Mater, he was a spry young Tow-truck and he spent his time hanging out with the local cow-cars. One day, after he'd grown up, a red race car came to his small town. As soon as he saw him he knew they'd be best friends…” he paused, scanning the branches and brush ahead of us, “What's wrong Jack?” I followed his eyes confused as to what he was seeing that I wasn't. “There.” Jack pointed at a lone wheel almost buried under the tree roots. “A- wheel?” my heart dropped. Noises came from all around us, something had chosen us as its prey, “Jack..!” I held my hands over my heart. “Stay behind me.” Jack said, A voice echoed from just beyond where I could see. Jack shook his hand and in it appeared a dagger made of ice, this wasn't like last time this time we really are in danger. eyes emerged from the darkness unblinking. Jack pointed his dagger towards the eyes “Show yourself.” It was silent, then a deep, almost robotic laugh came from the silhouette. It lunged, Jack wrapped his arm around my waist and swung me out of the way, just nearly missing the attack, the mechanical bear growled, swinging his arm towards us, Jack blocked the swing, the bear was too predictable. “Stand back.” I took a few steps back, as soon as i was a safe distance away Jack roundhouse kicked it in the head, denting the robot and ripping his mech eye out. The robot grew angrier and lunged again, this time Jack sunk his dagger into the core, then out of nowhere came a car ramming into it and knocking it down. “Ka-Chow! You're finished this time Freddy! no more cars will fall because of you..!” Police sirens echoed and multiple more cars showed up. “Good job Cap!” Then it hit me, he’s the car from the story, “You're the red racecar from the story!” He looked at me while the rest of his crew tied up Freddy. “Huh? uh I guess… anyways, I'm Lightning McQueen, pleasure to meet you!” he extended a wheel out to us, “Jack, Jack Frost.” Jack shook his wheel. “Right, we need to be on our way now.” “Wait! can't you take us back to town with you?” I asked desperately “take you to town?” He raised an eyebrow, “Isn't that where you're headed?” I Inquired “Town isn't for miles little Missy, do you not know where this place is?” He gasped. “No..?? Where are we?”, “This is the forest of the lost, the only way to get out is to know where you're going, it's also a dimensional gap, you'll meet people from all walks of life here.” “How do we know where we're going?” Jack joined in. “That's easy just–” he disappeared before our eyes, no We disappeared. We weren't in the forest anymore. The place we were was shrouded with fog, it was dark and grim, like there hadn't been life here for millennia. I looked at Jack and he seemed just as confused as me. A swift whisper flew by us, I felt like it was calling me. “Did you- did you feel that?”, “Yeah… What was it?” He held my hand “Jack, I wanna go home.” I said, my voice shaking. He sighed and held my hand tighter “Me too.”, “let's go follow it now.”, we found ourselves walking aimlessly again it seemed there was no end, finally we spotted something, and once we got closer we noticed what it was. It was a staircase made of white marble it continued as far as the eye could see. I hesitated; it felt like a Neverending loop of aimlessly wanting something, was this a lesson. “C’mon let's go.” Jack walked up the steps and I hastily followed behind. I looked around to see if I could spot anything that could tell us where we were but to no avail. I lost my footing and I slipped down a step, but I couldn't catch myself. The last thing I remember was Jack's face when he watched in terror as I met my demise. “Shartney, Wake up, you have to wake up now.” Jack's voice echoed in my ears, with a gasp I jolted awake, “Jack,” I said weakly “What happened to us? Are we back home?” He lifted his hand to my face “What are you talking about? We've always been home.” He looked worried, was it all a dream? Did it really happen, no, I remember it so vividly! “Jack don't you remember, the forest, the war, anything!?” I urged. “Shartney, you're worrying me, why are you acting like this!?” “Where's my father, I must speak with him.” I jumped out of bed and ran towards the door “What are you talking about! You've never even met your dad!!” I never met my dad, Where am I!? This must not be my dimension. “What happened before I woke up Jack.” I stopped in the doorway, and turned towards him. “You had a really bad fall, you must not remember, the doctor said you might suffer from some head trauma.” This is crazy! I just wanna go back to where everything made sense, I fell to the floor before I woke up again, I must've really been dreaming that time. But now I’m back to where I started, back in this cold concrete cell. I don't even know what is real or not anymore. It was all happening as it did before, the voices, then the yelling, and finally, Jack coming to save me. We made it out again but we didn't enter the forest, we wandered into a military encampment, and got taken captive at least this time I wasn't alone, Jack was with me. I didn't know if we'd make it out alive or if we'd die a lowly death here, my last few hours I'd finally figured it out, the true meaning behind my experience, the reason i had to go through such hard times for everything to bring me back to where I started, I was finally prepared for my death, but even then, it came so slowly. [The End]