The voice came again.
"…Help…"
It was weak.
Broken.
Like someone had been crying for hours.
Every muscle in my body tensed.
It was close.
Too close.
Jeffrey was the first to react.
"That's them!"
He took a step toward the sound, but Mr. Martin threw an arm across his chest before he could move any farther.
"No."
"But, sir—"
"I said no."
Jeffrey looked ready to argue.
"They could be hurt!"
"They could," Mr. Martin agreed.
"Or they could be something else."
Silence settled over us.
The only sound left was the faint rustling of leaves somewhere high above.
Miss Nilsson exchanged a quick glance with Mr. Martin.
It wasn't a normal glance.
It was the kind adults gave each other when they didn't want children to notice they were worried.
Unfortunately for them…
I noticed.
"…Help…"
This time it came from our left.
Kennedy frowned.
"I thought it was in front of us."
"So did I," Parker whispered.
Jeffrey pointed deeper into the trees.
"No, it's definitely over there."
Conrad slowly shook his head.
"No."
He looked behind us.
"It came from back there."
Nobody spoke.
Because every one of us was pointing in a different direction.
The voice…
Hadn't come from the same place.
It had come from everywhere.
A cold shiver crawled beneath my skin.
Mr. Martin inhaled slowly before speaking.
"We stay together."
"No one leaves the group."
"No matter what you hear."
No one argued this time.
We continued walking.
Only a few steps.
Just enough to leave the place where we'd found Emily's backpack.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
I kept my eyes on the ground.
The leaves shifted beneath my boots.
Then something caught my attention.
Footprints.
Fresh ones.
They hadn't been there before.
"Mr. Martin…"
He stopped immediately.
"What is it?"
I pointed.
Everyone gathered around.
Bare footprints.
Small.
Probably a teenager's.
They disappeared between the trees.
Jeffrey sighed with relief.
"See?"
"They're alive."
Miss Nilsson crouched beside them.
She didn't speak.
She simply stared.
"What?" Parker asked.
Miss Nilsson slowly ran two fingers across the damp earth.
"They're too perfect."
"What do you mean?" Conrad asked.
She pointed to the distance between each print.
"Look carefully."
We did.
Every footprint was exactly the same distance apart.
Exactly.
Not almost.
Exactly.
Whoever had made them hadn't shortened their stride.
Hadn't stumbled.
Hadn't changed direction.
It was as though every step had been measured with a ruler.
Mr. Martin frowned.
"That's…"
"Impossible," Miss Nilsson finished quietly.
Jeffrey laughed.
"Maybe whoever made them has really good balance."
Nobody smiled.
We followed them anyway.
What choice did we have?
Within minutes the forest changed again.
The trees grew denser.
Sunlight barely reached the forest floor.
Everything became tinted in shades of grey and green.
Even the air felt heavier.
Like breathing through wet cloth.
Then…
I smelled smoke.
Not strong.
Just enough to notice.
I looked around.
Nothing.
No fire.
No ashes.
No burning wood.
Only trees.
"Do you guys smell that?" I asked.
Conrad nodded almost immediately.
"Smoke."
Kennedy's face paled.
"I thought I was imagining it."
Mr. Martin looked around.
"I don't see anything burning."
The smell disappeared.
As suddenly as it had arrived.
Leaving behind only damp earth and rotting leaves.
Something brushed against my sleeve.
I jumped.
Conrad.
"Sorry."
He lowered his hand.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay."
He studied my face.
"No, it isn't."
"What?"
"You're terrified."
"I…"
He lowered his voice.
"This isn't because of the missing students."
My heart skipped.
He'd noticed.
Of course he had.
"You've been afraid of these woods since we got here."
I looked away.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't have to tell me."
His voice was gentle.
"But whatever it is…"
"You don't have to deal with it alone."
For one brief moment…
The fear loosened its grip on my chest.
I wanted to tell him.
About the dreams.
About Harold and Charity.
About the creature.
About Allyson.
I wanted to tell him everything.
Instead…
I smiled weakly.
"I'm okay."
He sighed.
"No."
He smiled back anyway.
"But I'll let you pretend."
"Destiny…"
I froze.
Not again.
The voice…
It wasn't ahead of us anymore.
It was right beside me.
Soft.
Barely louder than breathing.
"…Destiny…"
I spun around.
Nothing.
Only trees.
"D?"
Conrad frowned.
"What happened?"
"…Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
I swallowed.
Nothing.
Maybe…
Maybe I really was losing my mind.
We walked another several minutes before Parker suddenly stopped.
"Guys."
She pointed ahead.
"I swear…"
"I've seen that tree before."
Everyone looked.
A massive oak stood in the middle of the path.
Its trunk had been split by lightning years ago, leaving a long black scar running down its center.
My stomach dropped.
It was the same tree.
The exact same tree.
Jeffrey frowned.
"…Didn't we pass this already?"
Nobody answered.
Because we had.
Mr. Martin unfolded his map again.
His expression darkened.
"This isn't possible."
"We've been walking in a straight line."
Miss Nilsson looked behind us.
"There aren't any crossroads."
"There weren't any turns."
"So how…"
She never finished.
Because the forest answered for her.
A low laugh drifted between the trees.
Not loud.
Not evil.
Just…
Patient.
Like whoever made it knew something we didn't.
Kennedy grabbed my hand.
Her fingers were freezing.
"You heard that too…"
I nodded.
"I did."
Jeffrey's face had lost all its color.
"I want to go back."
"So do I," Parker whispered.
Mr. Martin folded the map.
"We're turning around."
Relief washed over me.
Finally.
We began retracing our steps.
Or at least…
We tried.
Five minutes later…
The lightning-struck oak stood in front of us again.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Conrad slowly looked over his shoulder.
"We've been walking the opposite direction."
Mr. Martin's voice was barely above a whisper.
"I know."
The realization hit us all at once.
We weren't lost.
The forest…
Wasn't letting us leave.
A cold mist began rolling silently between the trees, wrapping around our ankles before creeping higher.
At first it only reached our knees.
Then our waists.
Soon it drifted between us like ghostly curtains.
Mr. Martin's voice cut through the fog.
"Everyone stay where you are."
"I'm counting."
"One…"
He pointed at Jeffrey.
"Two…"
Kennedy.
"Three…"
Parker.
"Four…"
Conrad.
"Five…"
Me.
He frowned.
Then his eyes slowly lifted past my shoulder.
His face drained of all color.
"…Six."
No one spoke.
No one dared turn around.
Because there were only five students.
And yet…
Someone else was standing with us.
Hidden somewhere inside the mist.
Mr. Martin counted again.
His voice shook this time.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
"Four…"
"Five…"
He stopped.
The sixth figure…
Was gone.
No one had heard footsteps.
No one had seen anyone leave.
No one had even turned around.
The mist continued to drift lazily between the trees as though nothing had happened.
Then—
Crack.
A branch snapped somewhere above us.
Not beneath someone's foot.
Above.
Slowly…
Every one of us looked up into the canopy.
For the first time since entering the forest…
We realized we'd spent the entire day watching the ground.
We had never once thought…
To look into the trees.