The Black Willows

By James Xaiver

A young man named Tommy goes missing in a dense, isolated and unforgiving forest located 45 minutes outside the small town of Jennifer's Ridge. Months pass and there is no trace of him, with his family stricken with grief and the local police having no luck on locating him. His older brother, Jason; and childhood friend, Pete, team up with the local rangers to comb through the forest and bring him home…but they are not alone, the shadows hide ancient evils as they march further into the abyss, the trees seem to reach out and grab them, trying to warn the men as they track through. But they use this fear to push on, to bring Tommy home…to not let the Black Willows claim him as its own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Oct 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528972321

James Xaiver

Xaiver James is a young man in his mid-20s trying to juggle a full-time job while studying primary teaching. He has always been creative since he was a young boy and also majored in guitar at Newcastle Conservatorium for a few years before taking up teaching. In-between semesters, he tried his hand at writing his own book, to keep his mind sharp and his key skills up to scratch for the next term. That's when he wrote 'The Black Willows' and submitted it to Austin Macauley which has sent him on this surreal journey to have his first book published.

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About the Author

Xaiver James is a young man in his mid-20s trying to juggle a full-time job while studying primary teaching. He has always been creative since he was a young boy and also majored in guitar at Newcastle Conservatorium for a few years before taking up teaching. In-between semesters, he tried his hand at writing his own book, to keep his mind sharp and his key skills up to scratch for the next term. That’s when he wrote ‘The Black Willows’ and submitted it to Austin Macauley which has sent him on this surreal journey to have his first book published.

About the Book

A young man named Tommy goes missing in a dense, isolated and unforgiving forest located 45 minutes outside the small town of Jennifer’s Ridge. Months pass and there is no trace of him, with his family stricken with grief and the local police having no luck on locating him. His older brother, Jason; and childhood friend, Pete, team up with the local rangers to comb through the forest and bring him home…but they are not alone, the shadows hide ancient evils as they march further into the abyss, the trees seem to reach out and grab them, trying to warn the men as they track through. But they use this fear to push on, to bring Tommy home…to not let the Black Willows claim him as its own.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dad.

Thanks for telling me all those scary stories as a kid that kept me up at night, nothing can beat the Shadow Man.

Copyright Information ©

Xaiver James (2019)

The right of Xaiver James to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528972321 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Chapter 1

Running in the Shadows

In a moonlit forest on a quiet summer night, a strange emptiness has fallen over the forest; the trees and wind seem to be motionless, cold and silent. There isn’t a sound to be heard from any animal or the river running through its ancient path. The forest has become dead with fear almost as if it’s hiding from what stalks through the undergrowth, moves effortlessly through the mountains and dwells within the shadows. But in the distance there are hurried footsteps that weave in and out of the trees.

A man appears from the darkness with ripped clothes and blood dripping from the left side of his head. He’s running without care through the forest, dodging the low hanging branches and the roots that grow from beneath the trees. He runs through an opening between two massive ancient willows, ducks back under a branch and plants his back on the trunk. He grips the tree with one hand and places the other over his heart, feeling his pulse racing within his palm; his breathing is heavy and fast. As he tries to inhale through his nose to slow his heartbeat, the man closes his eyes trying to calm himself, but he keeps opening them to glance around to try and see whatever was chasing him hasn’t found him. After a few moments he realises he is safe and closes his eyes so his body can finally relax, It’s fine, it…it’s okay, just breathe…it’s not going to end like this, the man whispers to himself as he starts to calm and gain control once again.

The man puts his hands on his knees and starts to breathe more easily with a relaxed body, his arms and legs shake with the weight of his body pushing down so he squats down and sits between the roots of the willow, taking in his surroundings. As he tries to look into the distance to figure out a path to take next, the man hears a terrifying sound that chills his blood…a low growling rumble coming from behind the willows. The creature that was hunting him before, through the forest, has found him. The bending and snapping twigs can be heard as the beast slowly walks towards the willows as it sniffs the air trying to find where he is hiding. The man realises how close the creature is and that he is trapped. As he feels the fear take over again, he places his hand over his mouth to quiet his breathing, but his hand is shaking and tears start falling down his face as the creature that stalks him in the shadows gets closer. His eyes start to dart from side to side of the willows trying to see where it could be. He doesn’t see anything and his mind tells him to Run! Head for the forest and don’t look back. He knows that the creature is too fast and will grab him before he makes it to the first tree. He then takes another look side to side and above himself but cannot see the creature. He jumps to his feet and takes a deep but silent breath, and with his hands he starts to count to five to make his escape, …1…2…3…4… before the man says five and begins his mad bash for the trees in front of him, something catches his eye; a massive shadow in the moonlight moves back and forth from the left of the willow and disappears behind him. Then without warning a massive blow comes from behind the trees sending the man head first into the ground, splitting his eye open and rendering his vision blurry. Panicked, the man screams and scrambles to get to his feet and starts running in any direction his legs will take him in. As he starts to run into thicker undergrowth forcing