The trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches clawing at the sky. Rain dripped from the leaves, splattering against their faces as they moved deeper into the woods.
Then, they heard it, faint and chilling, a voice calling weakly for help.
"That’s her!" Lisa said, hurrying forward.
Athena grabbed her arm. "Wait…"
The voice came again, closer this time. But something about it felt... wrong. It was too steady, too controlled, like someone mimicking a cry for help.
"We need to go back," Athena said firmly.
But before they could turn around, something moved behind them, a dark shape slithering between the trees.
"Run!" Athena shouted.
They bolted through the forest, their footsteps splashing in the mud. Branches scraped their faces, and the wind howled louder, masking the sound of whatever was chasing them.
The path twisted, and suddenly Athena found herself at the edge of a deep ravine. Lisa stumbled behind her, panting.
"What… what was that?" Lisa gasped.
Athena turned back toward the trees, watching as a pair of glowing red eyes flickered in the shadows. The figure didn’t follow them but lingered at the tree line, watching.
Athena gritted her teeth. The site was a place that seemed forgotten by time.
The trees stood like twisted sentinels, their bark blackened and gnarled, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. Enjoy exclusive chapters from freewebnovel
Thick vines coiled around the trunks, suffocating them, while the undergrowth was dense and thorny, tearing at the ankles of anyone who dared to pass.
The ground was slick with mud, and the air smelled of rot, an unpleasant mix of damp earth and something fouler, like decaying meat.
The deeper Athena and Lisa had ventured into the forest, the more unnatural it had felt. The silence wasn’t peaceful, it was oppressive, the kind that made every breath feel too loud.
Only the occasional drip of rain from the canopy above broke the quiet, yet it felt as if something, or someone, was always watching.
The boy who had lured them out had vanished, disappearing into the shadows like smoke.
Athena knew something was terribly wrong, no child could move that fast or navigate the twisted paths so easily.
Yet they had no choice but to keep moving, searching for a way back to the village. As they pressed forward, faint whispers echoed from the trees.
At first, Athena thought it was the wind, but the sounds grew distinct, fragmented voices calling out for help, crying softly.
Some were high-pitched, like children, others were raspy and weak, like old men on their deathbeds.
"They’re not real," Athena muttered under her breath, trying to convince herself.
Lisa clutched her arm tightly. "I don’t like this," she whispered. Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow, flinching at every rustling leaf.
Then they saw them, figures moving between the trees. At first, Athena thought they were villagers, maybe a search party. But as they stepped closer, the truth became clear.
They were children, or at least they seemed to be. Their clothes were tattered and worn, hanging loosely from their thin, twisted frames.
Their skin was pale, almost grayish, and their hair hung in matted clumps.
Their faces were gaunt, their eyes sunken, yet they gleamed with unnatural brightness, flickering like candle flames.
The children stood unnaturally still, their expressions blank. Yet their eyes followed every movement Athena and Lisa made.
"We need to get out of here," Athena said, her voice low and urgent.
But as they turned back, the children began to move, stepping forward in eerie unison. Their bare feet made no sound against the damp earth.
"Don’t look at them," Athena warned. "Just keep moving."
The children’s voices rose, their cries growing louder. "Help me…" one whimpered. "I’m lost…" another sobbed. Each voice wavered with fear and pain, so convincing, so real.
Lisa faltered, her steps slowing. "What if they’re real kids?" she whispered.
"They’re not," Athena insisted, gripping her friend’s arm and pulling her forward. "Don’t stop."
But the children were closing in. One of the smaller figures suddenly sprinted forward, faster than any child should have been able to move.
Its fingers reached out, filthy and jagged, like claws. Athena shoved Lisa aside just in time.
The creature’s hand scraped down Athena’s arm, its nails cutting into her skin. A burning sensation flared instantly, and Athena clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying out.
The child-creature snarled, a guttural, animalistic sound, and lunged again. Athena swung a broken branch she had grabbed earlier, striking the thing’s shoulder.
It stumbled back, hissing like steam escaping a pipe.
"Run!" Athena shouted.
She and Lisa bolted through the trees, stumbling over roots and dodging low branches. The whispers followed them, turning to twisted, mocking laughter.
"We see you…" one voice crooned.
"You can’t hide…" another sang softly.
Athena’s heart pounded in her chest as they ran. Her injured arm throbbed, and cold sweat dripped down her face.
The rain had started again, adding to the chaos. The mud sucked at their boots, threatening to drag them down.
Suddenly, the trees thinned, and Athena caught sight of a faint light ahead. "The village!" she gasped.
They burst out of the forest, stumbling onto the muddy path that led back to the village. Athena risked a glance behind her.
The children had stopped at the tree line, their glowing eyes flickering like dying embers.
One of them, the boy who had lured them out, smiled faintly, baring teeth too sharp and too jagged for any child.
Athena didn’t stop running until they reached their house. The door slammed shut behind them, and Athena and Lisa collapsed against the wall, breathless and shaking.
Mr. Yao appeared from his room, a lantern flickering in his hand. "Where have you been?" he demanded.
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"There are things out there," Athena gasped. "Children… but they’re not human."
Mr. Yao’s face darkened. He said nothing for a long moment, then quietly set his lantern down.
"They are not from this village," he said at last. "They belong to the forest, and no one should follow them."
"Why didn’t anyone warn us?" Lisa asked, her voice trembling.
Mr. Yao’s expression hardened. "Because warning outsiders only makes them curious," he said gravely. "And curiosity gets people killed."