Sean Part 3

The first place Mr. Leo and I went to was Grandma Calista's house, where I was taken to that place when I fainted first. I breathed a sigh of relief when several people were in the house. Those who already knew me well looked enthusiastic when I told them about the problems happening to us. I told them about Sean's condition, and I remembered asking them where we could find bidara leaves. However, their answers were enough to make me gasp and be disappointed. According to their words, there is no place where bidara leaves grow in this area. At least none of them had ever seen that plant growing in this area. Mr. Leo and I can get the plant if we go to town and buy it at the herb shop. But once again, the biggest obstacle for us is the distance that is too far. It took us a long time to arrive in the city. "You guys are wrong, that plant grows somewhere in this area." Suddenly, someone said that our attention was focused on the owner of the voice, who turned out to be an older man. "Is that true, Grandpa? Could you please tell us where that place is?" I asked hopefully. "That place cannot be visited by just anyone. It's a forbidden place in this area. Not a single resident here dares to come there." "Grandpa, could it be that place you mean, that place?" said one young man whose name I didn't know. He looked surprised to hear Grandpa's words earlier. The grandfather nodded. The place the grandfather meant was whatever business was now in the young man's mind. But their ambiguous words certainly made me even more curious. "Please tell us where is that place. We will come there, no matter what dangers confront us there. I'm sure we can get through it." My answer is steady. The older man looked intensely at me, and I looked back at him. "If it's you, I know you can come to that place. I know you have the same abilities as me. I've never been to that place before." "S-so grandpa can also see ghosts wandering around?" I asked again, trying to digest his words. "That's it," he answered. "Please tell us where that place is. we don't have much time." Mr. Leo, who had been silent, finally spoke. It looked like he was starting to lose his temper. "That place is a forbidden place. The people here call it the Dark Forest or the Forest of Darkness because there is almost no light. As the name suggests, that place is a wilderness where the trees grow thickly to cover the sun, so there is no sunlight illuminating the place. I once entered the forest and saw the plant you meant growing there." Hearing that explanation from Grandfather, I knew our quest would not be easy. The forest sounded filled with danger, but of course, I didn't care about that. I will still come there and get the plants we are looking for. "We will still go there. Please show us where it is," I said firmly without the slightest hesitation. "Are you guys going there right now? Don't want to wait for morning to come?" asked the grandfather with a look of surprise on his face. "You said it's always dark in that place, so night or morning doesn't matter. It's still the same, right? As I said earlier, we don't have much time." Hearing Mr. Leo's words, I know he doesn't even care about the dangers we might encounter in that forest. "Fine, if that's what you want. I will take you to that place." At that moment, Mr. Leo and I set off, accompanied by Grandpa and several residents who took us to the forest. When we arrived in front of the forest, I could feel the eerie atmosphere coming from the forest. Like Grandpa said, even from outside, the forest looks scary. Tall trees with thick leaves grow wild there. Indeed, there was not the slightest light in the forest. One of the residents gave Mr. Leo and me a flashlight for our light source in the forest. I was scared. I'm sure Mr. Leo also felt the same way as me, but we couldn't back down. We were both steady on our feet. "Wait a moment." Grandpa's voice came again, making our footsteps stop. "What else is there, Grandpa?" I'm the one who asked this. "There are many ghosts in the forest. Terrifying creatures that you may have never seen before. I know you can see them, but if you want to get out of that forest safely. Make sure you don't get involved with them, just ignore them. Don't let them know you can see their figures. The leaves of the bidara are in the deepest part of the forest, where the ground is very dry. I'm sure you will get a lot of disturbances from the forest-dwelling creatures. You must be strong to face them, "the old man explained at length. I gulped my saliva when I imagined seeing terrifying figures. "No need to be afraid, Leslie. You're not alone. I'm beside you," Mr. Leo muttered softly, instantly dispelling all my fears. I nodded my head in response. "Thank you, Grandpa, for the information, and thank you also to all of you who have been kind enough to bring us here. We're leaving first." After saying that, Mr. Leo and I went into the forest. In the forest that is only lit by the light from our flashlight, I see countless spirits with my eyes. There are many curious ghost figures with scary appearances. Blood was everywhere, screaming sounds deafening to my ears. They floated towards us. I saw not only figures of wandering spirits but also creatures that I had never seen before. A large animal is like a giant with long, messy hair, a moss-green body accompanied by scales on its skin, large fangs sticking out of its mouth, and blood accompanied by saliva that constantly drips. Also, a pair of horns on its head, the look in its red eyes. I don't know what kind of creature it is because I've never seen it before. There are also figures of creatures with bodies resembling animals while their heads are shaped like humans. On the contrary, some creatures have human-like bodies with animal-like leaders. They floated and swarmed us. Mr. Leo was fortunate because he couldn't see their figures. But I remembered the grandfather's message earlier, so I ignored them and pretended I couldn't see them. I try to avoid eye contact with them. I also tried to prevent the figures that were blocking my path. If I kept walking through their bodies, maybe they would never suspect I was able to see them. But it was hard having to walk through their invisible bodies when I could see their hideous figures. "We know you can see us." I whispered one of the snake-like creatures right in my ear. The creature's body resembles a snake with a head resembling a woman's. I ignored her whispers and kept walking deeper into the forest. The animals kept following us and started harassing us. They blow on the back of our necks, so the cold instantly makes our hair goosebumps. I'm sure Mr. Leo felt the same way about me because he was holding his neck. I did see the ghost of a woman constantly blowing on Mr. Leo's neck. The spirit clung to Mr. Leo's back and started licking his neck. I shuddered when I saw the woman's ghost drooling, accompanied by blood dripping onto Mr. Leo's shoulder. "Uh," groaned Mr. Leo, suddenly making me look at his face. "What's the matter?" "No, I just feel my back a little heavy and sore," he said. I can't possibly tell the whereabouts of the female ghost. I don't want those creatures to know I can see their figures. "We have to hurry," I replied, ignoring what Mr. Leo said earlier. Mr. Leo and I are determined to continue our journey. I finally worked my way through the bodies of the creatures when they tried to block my path. I don't want them to suspect me even more. "Leslie, that looks like a plant," said Mr. Leo, pointing to a shady tree filled with several fruits. By glancing at it, I knew it was precisely the plant we sought. But there is something that makes me reluctant to approach the tree. Around the tree were surrounded by several dwarf creatures with scary appearances. They were not wearing clothes, and their bodies and faces were black. Their tongues that never stop dripping blood stuck out with their length. They're staring at us right now. "What's wrong, Leslie?" Asked Mr. Leo, surprised. "It's fine, it's indeed the plant." "We only have to pick the seven leaves, right?" asked Mr. Leo again, to which I responded with a nod even though my gaze was still fixed on those dwarf creatures. My situation is very uncomfortable now. Since setting foot in this forest, I have felt unbearable pain in my head. But I tried to ignore it because I was afraid that holding my head or wincing in distress would make those creatures even more suspicious that I could see their figure. However, my head, which throbbed with pain the deeper I entered the forest, tormented me. Especially now, maybe we are already in the deepest place in this forest because I'm feeling the pain that almost makes me unable to maintain my consciousness anymore. Cold sweat started pouring from my whole body. My breath felt heavy. "Leslie, are you all right?" There was a worried tone when Mr. Leo asked me this. "Yes, quickly take the leaf," I said with my breath out of breath. Mr. Leo finally stepped closer to the tree. There was a loud crashing sound of Mr. Leo's body hitting the ground. Mr. Leo fell hard enough because of the actions of the snake-like creature earlier. With its tail, it deliberately pulled Mr. Leo's leg, causing Mr. Leo to fall. Mr. Leo winced in pain and seemed to have difficulty moving his legs because the snake's tail was wrapping around his legs. Finally, I decided to approach the tree. I ignore the dwarf creatures that still surround the tree. I saw the dwarf animals jumping up and down in front of me. I shuddered when I saw their faces so close to mine when I bent down to pick the bidara leaves. They were about to lick me with their long tongues. If you want to know what I'm feeling right now, then the answer is I'm scared to death. My heart raced rapidly, my cold sweat poured down, and my head throbbed in pain. My vision started to blur. I kept picking the leaves one by one until the seven leaves were finally in my hands. I ignored it even though the dwarfs began licking my face, neck, hands, and feet. I'm willing to go through all of this for Sean's sake. I want to save him immediately. With a stagger, I walked over to Mr. Leo. Mr. Leo was back on his feet because the snake-like creature had released its coils on Mr. Leo's leg. I almost fell, but lucky Mr. Leo caught me just before my body hit the ground. I felt my breath getting heavier. The cold in this place made me almost freeze cold. But instead, my sweat was still pouring down to make my clothes wet. "Leslie, your condition is strange. I will carry you. Come on, get on my back!" Mr. Leo crouched behind me. I don't want to bother him, but I can't walk anymore. Finally, I had to trouble Mr. Leo. I unsteadily climbed onto his back. "You've picked the seven leaves, right?" "Already," I said while I showed Mr. Leo the seven leaves I was holding. "We have to hurry out of this forest." I didn't answer him at all. I just put my head on Mr. Leo's shoulder and couldn't move anymore. These forest-dwelling creatures kept following us on our way out of the forest. They hover above us, and some even hover beside us. "As we thought, you can see us." One of the creatures whispered in my ear again, but for the umpteenth time, I ignored it. Mr. Leo walked quickly out of the forest until finally, I could breathe easier when I managed to get out of the forest. The sun starting to show its figure made me realize that we spent quite a lot of time in that forest. Several citizens came over to us as soon as they saw our figures. I didn't expect them to have such noble hearts, kindly waiting on us. "Thank goodness you're safe. I'm really worried. I plan to enter the forest to look for you if you don't come out of the forest too. How did you manage to get the bidara leaves?" asked Grandpa. I didn't answer him. I was too tired to raise my voice. I just opened my hand to him, showing the seven leaves there. "Thankfully, I know being in that forest would be torturous for those of us who can see their figures. You're great, girl. You are strong, you can overcome your fear. Hopefully, that leaf can save the man you love. I will be praying for you that you can successfully save him." "Thank you for the help and support from all of you. We will never forget your kindness. We have to rush to the hospital, excuse us." Of course, Mr. Leo said that. "Yes, go. Our prayers are always with you." After saying goodbye to them, Mr. Leo resumed his footsteps. I had to give up on staying in Mr. Leo's arms because until now, I still feel weak in my body, even though the pain in my head has disappeared and my cold sweat has stopped flowing.