In the village, it was common knowledge that the forest was off limits. A five meter high wall of reinforced concrete blocked off the treeline, tall and imposing. Nothing went in and nothing ever came out. The elders said it was to protect them, that it was for their own good if they ignored the forest completely. So the children didn’t question the strange sounds beyond the wall late at night, or how the adults would throw animals – livestock that they desperately needed – to the other side. Until they did.

        The sun was halfway below the horizon, bathing the area in a dark orange hue. Ajax and Alexei stood at the foot of the wall with a bag of essentials on each of their backs. It loomed over them, its weathered surface a familiar sight.

    “Are we really sure about this?” Alexei asked, glancing at his older brother skeptically. He shifted on his feet, eyes flitting between the village and the wall. “This whole place is off limits.”

        Ajax didn’t bother looking at his younger sibling, cracking his knuckles. “You said you were curious about the other side, right?” he countered, flashing Alexei a smirk. “Only one way to find out!” he exclaimed, silencing any of Alexei’s protests as he began to scale the massive block of concrete. His brother followed soon after, jamming his fingertips into the cracks in the wall.

        At the top, Ajax looked down at his struggling younger brother, shaking his head good-naturedly before reaching down to help Alexei up. The two stood upright, admiring the view before them as they caught their breaths. The forest seemed to stretch on endlessly, with the thick canopy blocking any view of the ground. With only the sound of rustling leaves, it was eerily quiet. Ajax turned to Alexei, his signature sly smile on his lips before he jumped off, snapping some twigs underfoot as he landed. The latter of the two merely sighed before sliding down the wall.

        Down on the ground, the trees around them loomed overhead menacingly, casting the duo in shadow even with the light of the setting sun. Ajax patted himself off, still chuckling softly after the thrill. After making sure all of his stuff was in place, he turned to Alexei, an expectant look on his face.

        “Well? Shall we get going?” Ajax asked. He stood up straight, putting his hands on his hips as he waited for Alexei to ready himself before they set off further into the woods. After a brief pause, Alexei finished his final preparations and gave his brother a quick nod. Ajax merely responded with a smirk and led the pair into the unexplored forest ahead. They walked in silence, focused on burning the sight of the area into memory. Alexei looked around curiously, not finding anything of note.

        “Hey, so what are we looking for again?” Alexei inquired, still confused about the purpose of their whole adventure. “This place seems really boring to me. Why’s it even walled off?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, aimlessly kicking around a rock as he walked.

        Ajax, without even sparing a glance behind, replied confidently, “No clue!” He barked out a laugh, ignoring                   Alexei’s words of protest. “That’s why we're here to explore!”

Alexei rolled his eyes, but decided to go along with his brother’s whims for the time being. “If it gets too dark, we're going home, okay?” he asked, annoyance bleeding into his voice. Ajax merely waved him off, offering a quick hum of confirmation. Alexei was about to complain when he bumped into Ajax, who had stopped suddenly. His questions died on his lips as Ajax turned around, his eyes wide. Ajax pulled him down to a crouch, bringing them side-by-side as they looked at the area ahead.

        In front of them was a massive clearing, illuminated by the sun’s fading glow. Piles upon piles of bones lay scattered throughout, creating massive towers of pure unadulterated death. In the centre lay a small cluster of rotting corpses, the putrid stench of spoiled meat permeating the air. Flies buzzed about, eating and laying eggs to leave maggots crawling around.

        Alexei had to fight back a gag, dry heaving at the sight of the vile sight before him. To his left, Ajax kneeled, slack-jawed.

        “So this is where our livestock went…” Ajax murmured under his breath, thinking back to the times his parents had thrown the occasional chicken or pig over the wall. All the hungry nights, the sacrifices, just to feed whatever lived in the forest. “We shouldn’t have come here,” Ajax continued, eyes widening in horror as something looked at them from the other side of the clearing.

        Ajax and Alexei locked eyes, a raw, primal fear visible in both of their gazes. Without saying a single word, the two clambered to their feet, sprinting back in the direction of the wall. Twigs snapped as the two raced back to safety, back to the ignorance they once had. That thing was close behind, its footsteps getting louder and louder by the second. Ajax’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out every thought except the instinctive need for survival. The wall was in sight, only a couple more meters–!

        “Ajax!”

        A pained shout. Ajax whipped his head around, skidding to a stop. There on the forest floor, several meters behind him, was Alexei. It was as if time had slowed as Ajax watched it approach, like a monster sent directly from the depths of hell. Alexei reached out a hand, just as he always did whenever he tripped, expecting Ajax to help him up.

        “Aja-!”

        A crunch.

        That thing looked up at Ajax, mirth in its devilish red eyes. Blood stained its jaws, its teeth coated in the red liquid. Its lips seemed to curl upwards into a twisted grin as it stared at him, stepping over his brother’s lifeless body.

         Ajax could feel bile rising in his throat, staring at his brother. Surely this was all a sick, twisted joke, right? Just a prank being played on him for breaking the rules? He continued walking backwards as it continued its approach, the stench of rotten flesh growing stronger with each passing moment. His back hit the cold, hard wall, the very thing that sparked his curiosity in the first place. With trembling hands, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small knife, even as his legs gave out.

        He was not going down without a fight. Steeling his resolve, he gripped the handle tightly with both hands, staring the creature in the eyes. He gritted his teeth, eyes blazing with hatred despite the tears pouring out of them. He swung his arms back and over his head, intending to bring the blade down on the creature’s head.

        “Die you bastard—!”

        Another crunch.

        Then the forest was quiet once more.