“Eric, we need to go back.” Lisa said nervously. It was almost night fall and the woods were seemingly pitched black, only visible through the flashlight Lisa held in her shaky hand.

There was no comment. “Eric!”, Lisa turned around, expecting to see her redhead step-brother. But all she saw was a endless dark forest. Lisa gulped, she could feel the sweat dripping down her face.

Lisa moved the flashlight along with her as she turned her whole body in a circle, attempting to find Eric.

“If this is some sick joke of yours I’m going to leave you here alone in the dark!” Lisa called out angrily. But the threat was useless because Lisa didn’t know which way was back home.

Lisa heard a crunch behind her. She froze in her spot, her face as pale as a ghost. Lisa didn’t even take time to get a glance of what was behind, she just said off and ran farther into the woods. Lisa felt something hit the tip of her foot and immediately went tumbling down. She struggled to get back up when she felt something touch her shoulders. Lisa screamed and threw her flashlight, trying to hit whatever touched her.

“Hey!” A familiar voice said sharply.

Lisa turned around m, in the dark she could barely make out the curly hair of Eric. Lisa sighed in relief. Eric grabbed the flashlight Lisa half-hazardly threw. He smack the flashlight in his palm and it flickered back on. Eric shined the light right in Lisa’s face, Lisa blocked the light with her hand.

“You’re lucky you didn’t break the light, or we would be done for!” Eric exclaimed.

Lisa stood up and she dusted herself off. “Where the heck were you?” She said angrily, “You scared the crap out of me!”

Eric shushed Lisa and gazed past her. Lisa scoffed loudly, Eric took no noticed, he focus was on whatever was so interesting behind Lisa.

“Uhm, I think you ‘ought to turn around.” Eric said blankly. Lisa lifted an eyebrow. She turned around slowly, wondering what was so important behind her.

Lisa’s jaw dropped in disbelief, in front of her was a beautiful, glowing ruby. Eric walked up beside her. The two stared at the strange object. It was stuck in a large tree, its light tinting the bark red. Eric reached his hand out and Lisa smacked it away.

“Are you crazy?!” She exclaimed softly, “We don’t know what that thing is!”

“If, isn’t it obvious? Is a crystal! And with crystals comes money!” Eric said it like it was the most obvious thing ever.

Lisa rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the ruby. “Don’t you think it’s strange that it’s right on the middle of this…” Lisa looked up, the tree seemed to go on forever, “really tall tree?”

“It’s almost like a beating heart.” Lisa gazed into the ruby, it glows slightly getting dim and lighter again.

“Whatever.” Eric shrugged and stroked his fingers across the ruby.

Lisa gasped, “ Eric!” She yelled. Suddenly the ruby’s light got brighter. A humming sound echoed throughout the forest. It looked like the trees sound them were getting bigger and bigger. To e flashlight does out, leaving only the bright red glow of the ruby that kept getting brighter. Lisa screamed out Eric’s name as the light abruptly disappeared, leaving only a pit of darkness.