Aiden's knees buckled. He stumbled, catching himself on a tree trunk, heart hammering wildly as the night seemed to close in tighter, pressing closer with every heartbeat.
Then, piercing the darkness, a lone wolf's howl shattered the silence, raw, mournful, carrying down from the jagged mountain ridges. The sound cut through the fog like a blade, a desperate cry echoing through the vast, indifferent wilderness.
"They're waiting for you," the voice murmured, cruel and patient.
"The wolves. The darkness. All hungry for what you carry inside."
His vision swam, the line between reality and nightmare blurring. He blinked, fighting to stay grounded.
"You're losing yourself," the voice whispered,
"And soon you'll drown in the dark. No one will find you."
Terror gripped him like a vise, cold fingers sliding down his spine.
But still, somewhere beneath the fear, a stubborn spark fought to survive.
The crushing pressure finally lifted, vanishing like mist at dawn, leaving Aiden gasping and trembling. His legs burned, his lungs on fire, but the night no longer pressed as close—at least, not for now.
He stumbled forward, heart hammering, eyes wide in the silver wash of moonlight breaking through ragged clouds. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their dark shapes sharp against the pale sky.
From somewhere far above, the wolf's mournful howls drifted down, distant yet haunting, a reminder that the wilderness still held its watch, waiting, hungry.
"You're fading," the voice hissed softly, a cruel whisper at the edge of thought.
"Losing your grip on reality. Soon, you'll be nothing but a shadow, drifting through the dark."
Aiden's vision blurred, doubt and fear gnawing at the edges of his mind. Was it real? Or had the dark entity already claimed him?
He swallowed hard, whispering into the cold night air, "I hope I'm not losing it."
The forest seemed to lean in closer, the silence thick and suffocating.
Then, cutting through the darkness, a pair of headlights pierced the fog like twin beacons — urgent, alive.
A vehicle approached fast, its engine growling low, the red and blue lights bleeding into the mist like bruises on the night.
A police cruiser slowed beside him, a solid, real presence in the suffocating unreal.
The door opened, and a man stepped out, sturdy, calm, a tether to reality.
Relief flooded Aiden's chest as the sharp blast of the police horn shattered the night's hold.
For now, the nightmare could wait.
As the siren died down, a tall man with a dark complexion stepped out of the police cruiser. Aiden noticed his large, rimmed glasses, almost nerdy, like a character from one of those grounded cop shows.
"Hey kid, are you good? Sorry I'm late, I had to finish some paperwork," the man said in a deep voice, removing his glasses. "You must be Aiden. Nice to finally meet you, I'm Steve."
Officer Steffon J. White, known around town as Officer Steve, was the deputy of the small Forks Police Department. He'd moved here after college, joining the force and living a quiet life, aside from a few patented inventions meant to improve society.
Aiden looked Steve over, trying to understand how this man and his supposed mother had ever gotten together. From what he'd heard, she always called Steve "scum of the earth" and a "deadbeat." But Steve looked put-together, solid. If anything, it was the mother who seemed like she was falling apart.
"You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Steve's voice was soft, genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, man, that's great and all, but can we just go?" Aiden said, still not ready to face the road again. The memory of that banshee-like woman felt too real.
"Where's your stuff? And why aren't you at the bus station? I know it's a dump, but…" Steve asked.
"I thought I was going to be attacked by a pack of coyotes," Aiden said, lying through his teeth. There was no way he could explain what he'd actually seen.
Steve chuckled. "We can go get it now. The coyotes don't like this baby." He patted the cruiser's hood with a grin.
"I don't think that's a—" Aiden started, but Steve cut him off.
"Get in," he said, already slipping back behind the wheel, clearly brushing aside Aiden's hesitation.
They drove for a bit, approaching the bus stop. Steve pulled over a little way off, scanning the area.
The thick fog that had clung to the road earlier was completely gone.
Steve's grin widened. With a quick flip of a switch, the cruiser's red and blue lights started flashing wildly, the siren blasting down the road for about a mile.
The animal kingdom had been warned.
Aiden looked around, no sign of animals or strange figures. Just empty, silent woods.
Steve nodded toward the clearing. "See? Forest creatures don't like to say hi."
They pulled up right next to the battered bus stop. Steve jumped out, grabbed Aiden's bag and suitcase, and tossed them into the cruiser's trunk. Then he slid back in, turning the car around to head back to town.
The drive was quiet—too quiet. Neither said much.
Finally, Steve broke the silence. "I enrolled you in school a couple of days ago. Got your transcripts from the files they sent over. So, since it's 8 PM on a Sunday, best thing you can do is get some sleep and get up bright and early."
He didn't look away from the road.
"We'll head over there once I take off the bracelet. The emitter's back at the office," Steve added, nodding toward Aiden's wrist.
Aiden glanced down at the sleek black wristwatch strapped tight against his skin. No dial, no buttons. Powered by body heat, the government tracker never died. And if it was removed, it sent a silent alert to all nearby police and fire stations.
"You can't get it wet either, the whole thing's made of hydrophobic plastic. So, yeah. You're screwed no matter what."
"Yeah, thanks. Pumped to go to school," Aiden said, sarcasm dripping as he stared out the window past an old diner and a few small storefronts.
Physically exhausted from the earlier run, mentally drained from everything else, all he wanted was to lay his head down and sleep.
"Forks is a good place to live, you'll see. Just gotta settle in. And that's coming from a guy who lived in a big city," Steve said, pointing at himself with a small smirk.
Aiden could tell Steve meant it. After all these years, he was still here.
They rode in silence again. Aiden sensed something heavy on Steve's mind, like a brewing storm, a Ben Franklin waiting for the lightning to strike. But it wasn't Aiden's problem.
"Have you heard from your mother? Is she alright?" Steve asked suddenly.
The question hit Aiden like a punch to the gut, stirring a storm of mixed emotions he wasn't ready to face.
The question hit hard, stirring a tempest inside Aiden.
"She's a ruin"
the dark voice whispered, and so are you. But that's not why you're here. Not really.
Aiden swallowed the storm of emotions he wasn't ready to face, the truth folded tight inside him.
If he truly understood why he had been sent here, to this forgotten town wrapped in mist and secrets, he wouldn't be standing at this crumbling bus stop, pretending.
"We both know why you're here, kid."
The entity's voice curled around his thoughts, a cold embrace in the shadows of his mind.
"But this secret… it isn't yours to tell."
The words echoed in silence as the car rolled on toward a future Aiden felt he didn't deserve—nor could escape