After we had arrived, we all immediately went to our provided cabins in town to rest. Before we went off to bed, Imelda instructed us to be prepared for fieldwork in the forest the next morning. To my surprise, the cabins were actually nice unlike my previous expedition experience. The next morning, not even ten minutes after stepping into the forest, I met my demise.


    “Shit.” I lifted my boot up to see the unmistakable brown smear of defecation that I’d seen enough times while walking in the city. I had always been able to evade any unexpected obstacles like gum, dirty underwear, and even used toilet paper but I never really got used to evading such obstacles in heavily wooded environments like this one.


    “Damn…” Cain said, giving a sympathetic pout.


    Redmond turned to look at the disaster of my boots.


    “Here,” he said, handing me two wet wipes, his voice so deep that it seemed to rumble through the ground around us. Everyone except for Imelda turned around to face him. It was the first time any of us had heard him speak. Even when we had all met in the beginning, Imelda was the one to introduce him.


    “Thank you.” I quickly responded, not wanting to make a big deal out of my accident. We had things to do.


    Seeming to have the same idea, Imelda presented a basic plan.


    “Most of the supernatural occurrences in this town have been reported to be in this forest. We could split into two groups to cover more ground. But we also don’t know what to expect. It could be wiser to stay together.”


    “What’s the worst that could happen? A bear starts flying at us?” Cain said, throwing his arm around my shoulder. “I say we split up. It’s obviously the more efficient plan. I’ll go with this one and you can take Olivia and the nurse.”


    Olivia cleared her throat, “I disagree. This is our first time in this environment. We only have one medic and it would be much smarter to scope out the area first before exploring on our own.”


    Cain sighed exasperatedly removing his arm from me, beginning to gesture rapidly, “Okay, okay, you definitely made some good points there but–”


    A blaring boom interrupted Cain followed by forceful cracking sounds. Redmond quickly pulled Olivia and I under his body, attempting to shield us. I peeked at the sky through the gaps in his arms to see bright flashes of white light and electricity zipping across the sky. A thunderstorm was probably the least surprising thing that could happen in our world. But something else that caught my eye. Fractions of the sky looked to be almost shattered with vibrant, sunny patches scattered amongst the darkened sky. The bright flashes of light continued to streak across the atmosphere.


    A high pitched shriek distracted me from my observations. I turned to see Cain curled up on the ground in a fetal position. I couldn’t help but wonder how Cain had gotten the main research position. Perhaps he was related to one of the program coordinators. Imelda crouched on the ground next to him looking up in the sky in awe. I followed her gaze and saw a new development. Maple trees, too many for me to count, spiraled rapidly in the air. Large pieces of branches and leaves rained down on us. I wasn’t sure if it was an optical illusion but some of the trees started to look as if they would hurdle toward us. Redmond looked down at us with utter bewilderment. I was puzzled until I saw the source. During all the commotion, Olivia had taken out her camcorder and started to record the scene. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would’ve praised her for her efforts.


    Luckily, as quickly as it started, it stopped. The trees crashed onto the ground around us and the sky began to clear up from dark to slightly indigo. The shatters remained and patches of blue sky made a magnificent blend of indigo and blue that reminded me of broken glass. We all stood and gazed in astonishment at the beauty.


    While the others continued to be mesmerized by the sight, I noticed something in the depths of the woods around us. Followed by a faint rustle, it looked to be a pair of almost imperceptible human eyes peering at me from the darkness. They looked unnatural. Too big. Too synthetic looking. Goosebumps crawled on my arms as unease took over me. But not even a second later it disappeared. I forced myself to take my attention off of what I just witnessed to view the sight with the rest of the group. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The familiar smell of eggs and sugar filled my senses. After our encounter with the thunder storm- tree tornado, we had gone to Becky’s Local Diner to eat and talk because apparently near death experiences made people quite famished. I still couldn’t fully take my mind off of the eyes in the woods. Hopefully a hot greasy meal would distract me.


    “Geographical location and land elevation can make a state more susceptible to natural disasters. Maybe it’s the same in this case.” Olivia said.


    “Nuh uh. Portland’s only two hours away, and it hasn’t gotten a single occurrence close to this level in months.” Cain replied, mouth full of chocolate pancakes. The occurrence had damaged the area so much that emergency services from the next town over had to be called in. Luckily, we were the only ones in the area at the time and nobody had sustained any severe injuries. However, Cain and Redmond both had a few minor fractures and scratches due to the falling branches.


    Cain sighed, “I mean what if Redmond died? Then I would’ve died–


    “No, not really.” Olivia interrupted.


    –and you all would’ve lost your best member,” Cain shoveled in a forkful of pancakes, bacon, and egg. “I am so glad they have a full time breakfast menu.”


    “I absolutely cannot imagine eating a heaping amount of sugar before bed. How will you go to sleep?” Imelda cut into her omelet.


    “This isn’t all sugar. It has vegetables too.” he replied pointing at a hash brown. He chortled, the mushed up food in his mouth becoming visible. Once again, I wondered why he had been chosen for the expedition.


    “Hey, you.” A voice said from behind my back. I turned around to see one of the old men that had been dining when we first entered.


    “Are you those inspectors?” He asked, crossing his arms.


    Imelda started to answer, “No. We’re researchers from–”


    “Well, tell your little research company that you don’t need to kick us out of our homes”


    “Excuse me?”


    The old man grumbled as he pushed up his glasses, “You inspectors have been hasslin’ us non-stop about moving because of those occurrences.”


    “I don’t–”


    “It doesn’t matter if beavers start flying or it starts snowing in the middle of July,” The old man’s voice started to rise, causing a scene. “This has been our rightful home from the beginning and you can’t make us leave!”


    “Tell that to the Natives.” Olivia muttered.


    “Excuse me–?!”


    Redmond stood up, not having uttered a single word during our entire time at the diner. “If you don’t mind, we’re trying to enjoy a peaceful meal,” he said, his voice firm but calm. Towering over the old man, he continued, “Have a good night.” Looking up at Redmond, the old man cursed under his breath and walked away.


    “Damn, beefcake. Wish I could scare people like that.” Cain said, voice filled with awe.


    “So, this must’ve been happening for a while. Maybe since the very first occurrence.” I asked, hoping for more information that could possibly give an explanation to the eyes I saw in the woods.


    “If I was a geezer and lived in a place that had this many occurrences, I would just pack up and leave. Like, imagine being late to work because a gorilla appeared in your car. I can handle maybe three occurrences a week.” Cain said, scraping off the leftover scraps on his plate.


    “You would just leave the only home you’ve known for your whole life?” I asked.


    “Yup!” he said, hopping off his seat.


    As we stepped out of the diner, Cain and Imelda got into a heated debate about an unknown topic. Though, it was more like a one sided argument with Cain doing all the talking. I looked over at the rest of the group members. Over the past few days, I was proven wrong on more than one occasion. Redmond wasn’t some seething hothead and Olivia definitely wasn''t timid or meek. This place also seemed like a charming small town but clearly had some big secrets.


    As we walked to the cabin, Olivia suddenly pointed up at the sky with a gasp. I gasped as well, my breath stopping in my throat.


    Above us, three whale sharks glided across the night sky, following a single file. Their skin glowed majestically as the moon shone on them, making the patterns on their skin sparkle like stars. As they drifted, time itself seemed to stop. The area around them wavered and other pedestrians began to take notice. The whales seemed to also affect the area around us. The atmosphere wavered almost like a sheet of paper. As the whales continued to float, I felt something that I hadn’t experienced since I was a child. True silence.