The morning air was chilling, the metallic stench of blood stung Nova's nostrils, making her nauseous. The shadows of last night still haunted her—that terrifying creature, the deadly chase, and the mysterious message etched into the ground.
Her hands clenched tightly, trying to suppress the wave of terror gripping her. They needed answers, now.
Axel, his eyes gleaming with determination, broke the silence. "We have to go back," he said firmly. "To Logan's grave."
Carter scoffed, his face pale with fear. "What for? What if... that creature is still there?"
Nova shook her head, her eyes sharp. "If we don't find out what's really going on, we'll never escape this cursed place."
With heavy steps, they retraced their path, the trail feeling much longer than before. The dense forest seemed to be watching, every snap of a twig sending a jolt of adrenaline through them.
However, the sight that greeted them at Logan's burial site made Nova's heart stop.
Logan's grave... had vanished without a trace.
The soil they had just piled was now perfectly level, as if it had never been disturbed. The wooden marker Axel had placed was also gone. There was no mound of earth, no footprints, as if no one had ever been buried there.
"What the hell?!" Axel growled, stepping closer.
Nova crouched down, her fingers touching the cold earth. It wasn't just moved—it was restored as if nothing had happened. There were no signs of digging, no footprints, nothing.
Carter staggered back, his face ashen. "No... this is impossible. We buried him! I remember the spot exactly."
Axel's jaw tightened. "Then where is he now?"
A chilling thought crept into Nova's mind. "What if... someone took him?"
Silence enveloped them, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the trees.
Axel began to examine the ground closely, searching for any clue. Finally, he found something.
"Look at this," he said, pointing a few meters away.
There was a faint drag mark on the ground. Not very clear, but it was evident that something—or someone—had dragged something away from here.
Nova followed the direction of the drag mark. The trail led deeper into the forest, past roots and branches sprawling across the ground.
Carter shook his head frantically. "No! I'm not going in there!"
Nova ignored him, looking at Axel with a determined gaze. "We have to follow this trail."
Axel nodded without hesitation. "Let's go."
Carter grumbled, but eventually followed them from behind.
CRACK!
A twig snapped under their feet as they ventured deeper into the forest. The further they went, the stronger the feeling of unease grew within Nova. Something was wrong with this place—as if the forest were alive, watching them. The air felt heavy, the silence more oppressive.
Suddenly, Nova saw something ahead.
A torn piece of cloth. Logan's shirt.
Her hand trembled as she picked it up. "He was taken this way."
Axel gripped his knife tightly. "Whoever—or whatever—took him, clearly doesn't want us to find his grave. But why?"
Carter hugged himself, his voice shaking. "Maybe... maybe he's not really dead?"
Nova glared at him. "We checked him. He's dead."
"Then what the hell is going on?" Carter's voice was filled with despair.
They continued to follow the drag mark until it suddenly disappeared. There were no more signs of anything being dragged across that spot.
Axel knelt, touching the ground. There was something strange—the soil was damp, almost sticky. As he rubbed his fingers together, his eyes narrowed.
Nova looked at him anxiously. "What is it?"
Axel slowly raised his hand, showing something on his fingertip.
Blood.
Still fresh.
"Something is watching us," Nova whispered, her throat dry.
Axel stood up, his eyes scanning the surroundings, alert. "We have to go. Now."
Carter had already taken a few steps back. "I agree. Let's get out of here."
However, before they could move any further, a strange sound echoed from behind the trees.
GRRRRRRRR...
A low growl, vibrating the air around them.
Nova's heart pounded. The sound wasn't coming from one direction—it was coming from all around them.
Carter sobbed in fear. "They're surrounding us..."
Axel pulled Nova closer, his knife raised. "Be ready."
Nova reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her pocket knife. Carter just stood there, trembling.
CRASH!
Suddenly, something leaped from behind the bushes, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. THUMP!
A gaunt figure with pale grayish skin emerged. Its eyes were empty, pitch black, and its mouth... bloody.
"It's... the same creature!" Carter screamed.
The creature turned quickly towards them, its body trembling as if starving.
Then, without warning, GRRAAAGH! it lunged at Nova.
SWISH! Nova dodged to the side just before the creature's claws tore into her.
Axel swiftly swung his knife. SLASH! Black blood spurted from the creature's arm as Axel's knife pierced it.
The creature roared and staggered back a few steps.
However, before they could catch their breath, CRASH! something slammed into the tree behind them.
Another creature.
Not just one...
There were more of them.
"We have to run!" Nova shouted.
Without thinking, the three of them turned and ran as fast as they could.
TAP! TAP! TAP! Their footsteps pounded the ground, breaking the silence of the forest.
The creatures were chasing them, their movements faster than any human.
Nova could feel the creature's breath behind her.
Axel ran beside her, glancing to the right. "Left!"
They made a sharp turn. Carter almost tripped, but Nova pulled him up.
Ahead, Nova saw something—light!
A gap in the trees, where sunlight streamed through.
Nova remembered something. The creatures were afraid of light!
"Towards the light!"
They burst through the bushes, rushing out of the darkness of the forest.
As soon as their feet reached the open area bathed in sunlight, the creatures' sounds abruptly stopped.
Nova turned, breathless.
The creatures stood at the edge of the darkness, not daring to step any further.
Axel wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We're safe... for now."
Carter collapsed to the ground, crying silently.
Nova looked back at the dark forest.
They might have escaped today.
But the question now... for how long?
Nova was still panting, her hands gripping her knees. The heat of the sun burned her skin, but it was far better than the darkness they had just left.
Axel stood tall, his eyes scanning the forest that felt like a bottomless chasm. The creatures stood there, at the edge of the shadows, as if waiting for something.
Carter sobbed, his body still trembling. "We can't keep doing this... We can't stay here."
Axel nodded slowly. "We have to find a safe place."
But before they could move, a faint voice echoed from within the forest.
"Help..."
Nova shivered. It wasn't their voice.
Axel frowned. "Did you hear that?"
"Help..."
The voice was clearer now. Soft, full of suffering.
Carter swallowed hard. "W-who is that?"
Nova slowly turned, her eyes narrowing into the darkness.
Then, among the dense trees, something moved.
Someone emerged from the forest.
Their clothes were dirty, their body covered in wounds.