The three of them still stood in front of the now silent metal door. There were no more thuds from behind it. But Nova knew they weren't truly safe yet.
Axel turned to Logan. "You said the dock is on the other side of the island. How long will it take to get there?"
Logan wiped the dust off his face. "Depends… if we don't run into them along the way."
Nova's eyes narrowed. "Who are they?"
Logan hesitated for a moment. There was uncertainty in his eyes, but finally, he spoke.
"This island wasn't just an experimental site. There were people here before, even before this facility was built."
Nova and Axel exchanged glances.
"We know this was once a classified project. But you mean there's something even older?" Axel asked.
Logan nodded slowly. "I don't know exactly who they were, but I once found an old record in the underground laboratory. The document mentioned an expedition in the 1940s. They came here looking for something."
Nova frowned. "Looking for what?"
Krekk…
A branch snapped in the underbrush. Instantly, they all froze, sharpening their senses.
Kreeek… kreeek…
Something was moving among the trees, but it didn't reveal itself.
Axel tightened his grip on his knife. "Logan, keep talking, but make it quick."
Logan swallowed hard, then lowered his voice.
"The record mentioned 'natives.' People who lived on this island long before modern humans found it. But they… weren't ordinary humans."
Krekk…
Nova glanced to the right. The bushes rustled, yet there was no wind.
"If they were here, why is there no trace of them?"
Logan gave a small smile, but there was no humor in it. "Because they're not the kind to leave traces. They disappear into the shadows. And they don't like outsiders."
Ssshhh…
A faint whisper came from the forest. A hushed voice, as if someone was speaking… but too softly to understand.
Nova held her breath.
"I don't care what's out here," she finally said. "We need to go before something—or someone—finds us."
Axel nodded in agreement. "Let's move."
They walked away from the old facility at a brisk pace.
But just a few meters into the jungle—
Duk! Duk! Duk!
Heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
Srettt!
A shadow flickered between the trees.
Nova bit her lip. Her heart pounded.
They weren't alone.
---
They kept walking through the dense forest, moving quickly, trying to ignore the growing sense of unease. The air felt heavier, as if something unseen was watching them from the darkness.
"Logan," Nova finally spoke in a low voice, "what happened to the people who came here before us?"
Logan took a deep breath. "They disappeared."
Axel turned sharply. "Disappeared?"
Logan nodded. "No one knows what really happened to them. There are no records of them after that expedition. They arrived, and then… vanished without a trace."
Nova felt the hairs on her arms stand on end.
"And you know what's even stranger?" Logan continued. "When the government finally found this island and decided to build a research facility… they discovered something that shouldn't have been here."
Axel narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Logan swallowed, as if debating whether to continue. "They found the remains of a settlement… one that had apparently been abandoned for hundreds of years."
Nova frowned. "So… someone lived here long before that expedition?"
Logan shook his head. "Not just lived here. They're still here."
Krekk…
Another branch snapped nearby.
They all stopped.
Nova held her breath, straining her ears.
Srettt…
Something moved through the underbrush.
Axel raised his knife, ready to fight. "Stay alert."
Logan pressed himself against a tree, his face tense.
Silence.
Nothing emerged from the bushes.
But then—
Ssshhh…
The whisper returned.
Nova furrowed her brows. The sound came from every direction, as if it was echoing inside her head.
Sret!
A shadow flitted at the edge of her vision.
Nova turned sharply, but there was nothing there.
"Damn it," Axel muttered. "We need to get out of this jungle now."
They moved faster this time. Nova could feel the cold sweat trickling down her neck.
The deeper they went into the forest, the stranger it felt. The trees looked more twisted, their roots stretching across the ground like grasping fingers.
And what was even more unsettling—this jungle was too quiet.
No birds. No insects.
Only the sound of their breathing and—
Srettt!
A figure suddenly burst out from the underbrush.
Nova instinctively raised her knife.
But the figure wasn't a monster.
It was a man.
Thin, wearing tattered clothing, his face covered in scars. His eyes were wide with fear.
"Don't kill me!" he screamed.
Axel and Nova exchanged shocked glances.
"Who are you?" Logan asked cautiously.
The man panted, his body trembling violently. "I… I was one of the workers at the facility. I've been hiding for weeks."
Nova's gaze sharpened. "How long have you been here?"
The man hesitated, then said, "I don't know. I lost track of time."
Logan stepped closer. "What do you know about this island?"
The man swallowed hard. "There's… something living here. They're not human. They see us… but we can't see them unless they want us to."
Duk. Duk. Duk.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind them.
Axel turned swiftly.
Nothing.
But the air grew even colder.
Logan eyed the man with suspicion. "Did you see them?"
The man gave a slow nod. "I… I saw them."
Nova's heartbeat quickened.
"Did they try to kill you?" Axel asked, scanning the man's numerous wounds.
The man shook his head, but his expression suggested something even worse. "No… they just… made me see things I never wanted to see."
Silence.
Nova wanted to ask more, but then the sound returned.
Ssshhh…
The whisper in their ears.
And then—
Srettt!
A shadow emerged from behind a tree.
Tall, gaunt, with pitch-black eyes.
Nova held her breath.
The creature smiled.
Duk. Duk. Duk.
Its footsteps drew closer.
Ssshhh…
"You… do not belong here…"
The voice didn't come from its mouth.
The voice echoed inside their heads.
Axel gripped his knife tighter.
Logan swallowed. "Run."
The stranger screamed. "It's too late!"
Srettt!
The creature lunged toward them.
Axel yanked Nova aside, narrowly dodging the long, black claws that almost slashed through her skin.
Duk!
A tree crashed behind them as the creature's attack struck it.
"We have to get out of this jungle now!" Nova yelled.
They sprinted as fast as they could, leaving the terrifying entity behind.
But Nova knew—
That thing wouldn't stop hunting them.
And worse—
They still hadn't found a way off the island.