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Short stories by Mace Styx: The line on the map, where they had permission to go, brought them very close to the place where Andrew had to go. So they started out, leaving their Jeep at a secure place in the village, and taking all essential gear with them into the jungle. They didn’t take their cell phones because they were out of cell range even before they entered the jungle. But Andrew had his satellite phone. And the moment Andrew entered the jungle, he knew they were going in the right direction. Up until that point, he was afraid that even this costly endeavor might not get them close to the real thing. Even the whole 1 million dollar worth of gold, ancient villagers didn’t assure him that he was going to the right place, but the jungle did. He could feel the fire inside him, urging him on, guiding him to the heart of the jungle. Sam, on the other hand, got subdued with every step they went in. "It feels wrong," Sam said after a few hours of trekking. Andrew on the other hand was very energetic. “What feels wrong?” He asked Sam. "I feel like we are being followed, but I know we are not. I know there is no such thing as spirits or ghosts. I have seen too much of the world to know that humans are the ultimate evil in this world. But I can’t shake off the feeling.” Andrew understood where he was coming from; he had felt that way in many different places, but not in this jungle. He could almost hear the thing he was seeking, feel it calling to him, budding in his chest. They knew that it would be at least two days before they reached their destination. But they encountered an issue on the very first night. Sam got bitten by a black snake. He and Andrew were taking shifts sleeping, and he was bitten when he was awake. That was the weirdest thing. As an experienced tracker who understood the terrain, being bitten by a snake was possible but highly improbable. They had the right anti-venom. They even drew some blood out of the wound after binding the area to stop the blood flow. But the wound didn’t stop hurting. Sam never said a word, but Andrew could see. Finally, the dread Sam was feeling in the jungle, was felt by Andrew as well. He knew what had happened here. He was watching Sam die, the man who cheated death so many times that he probably lost count, was dying because of a black snake. He only saw Sam limping for 15 minutes before snapping. “Sam, we are going back.” He said, placing a hand on Sam’s shoulder. It was the first words he spoke after a silence of at least five hours. But to his surprise, Sam jerked his handoff. "No, we move," Sam said in a weird voice. It sent a shiver down his spine. He tried to grab Sam again to stop him from limping away, but to his surprise, Sam grabbed his hand and twisted it hard enough to make Andrew yelp. If it were anyone else, Andrew would have responded, but it was Sam, and he was hurt. And Andrew was sure that even in his state, Sam would make easy work of Andrew, if he decided to. "We go," Sam said again, quietly, his voice didn't seem his own, and his eyes, his haunted eyes made Andrew's heart jump in his chest. The weariness in his friend’s eyes was replaced by something alien, something haunted. Sam relieved his hand, and to Andrew’s utter surprise, he grabbed his satellite phone and crushed it beneath his boot. "We go," Sam said again. Turning and moving. And at that moment, Andrew knew for sure that he was close to the thing he was seeking. And there was no turning back. Sam’s behavior only turned worse after that, and so did his leg. He was limping so much that Andrew tried to hand him a stick, but Sam didn’t take it. And he didn’t let Andrew stop, even for a moment, even to relieve himself. If Andrew stopped, Sam would grab his hand and start dragging him.

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