Seb laid his head back down, low mumbling leaking from his position — probably him cursing every god responsible for shaving points off his luck stat.
Surely, it wasn't normal to be this unlucky.His father had gone missing three or four times in the last ten years — the second disappearance putting his mother in the hospital from stress.The main family had kicked her out for marrying her father who they didn't agree to, keeping in mind they were one of the top 20 most affluent families in the country — once even in the top 10.His father went missing again and was labelled a terrorist by the public, making Seb essentially the son of a terrorist.And now, of all possible things, he was stuck with this man-woman in a boiling hot pot of supernatural danger… trapped with three blissfully ignorant fools who thought camping in a forest where two people died, on Halloween, was a great idea.We truly geniuses.
"Kids, is there a problem?" the middle-aged man asked as he walked over, worry creasing his brow. He didn't understand these two — why run, then return? Did something chase them?
"Boss, do we set up the equipment or wait till midnight?" Andrew asked, removing his odd layered glasses and attaching them to something he dug out of his bag.
The man nodded, then turned to the woman."Mind checking on them? They look distressed."He walked back to help unpack the gear.
The woman approached and lowered herself into a squat keeping eye level with Seb and Chloe. She gave a soft, warm smile.
"Are you two alright?" she asked.
Seb didn't respond. Chloe, however, decided it was a perfect time to inform these people how completely screwed they were.
Chloe lifted her gaze. The woman — Isabella — had vibrant eyes and a smile like a comforting older sister.
"Hi. Name's Isabella, but you can call me Bella. That's Mike, and the other is Andrew — we're a documentary crew."She paused, hesitating as she took in their pale faces."You two look distressed… well, him mostly. Did something scare you back there?"
Chloe's eyes dulled, resigned, almost hollow."We're trapped forever," she said hoarsely.
"Trapped?" Isabella repeated, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh… trapped where? Oh — you mean you got lost? Don't worry, our crew can guide you out. We know the—"
She cut herself off when Chloe shook her head quickly, panic flickering across the girls face the boy simultanousely sighing on hearing her.
"No. We can't. None of us can leave. Something's prevent—"cough, cough"—preventing us."
"Hold on, I'll get you water." Isabella turned. "Mike, toss me a bottle!"
Mike threw it blindly over his shoulder.It smacked Seb directly on the skull.
"FUCK!" Seb howled, clutching his head. He glared at Isabella before locating the true culprit.
Andrew stood frozen, scratching his forehead with a deeply apologetic face."My aim sucks. Sorry about that."
"Sorry?" Seb snapped. "I haven't eaten in hours and you decide to give me a concussion? You're inhumane."
"You haven't eaten?" Isabella asked. She looked between the two. "Did you not bring supplies?"
Her confusion grew deeper — the marked trail was barely twenty meters from here. How could anyone get this lost?
"I've told you… we're trapped," Chloe muttered. "You can check it. I'm not crazy. He might be, but I'm not. And yes, I'm hungry. Please tell me you have food."
"Of course," Isabella said, signalling Andrew.He quickly pulled out a couple of takeaway boxes and handed them over.
Seb and Chloe devoured the food immediately, as if they hadn't eaten in a full day.
Meanwhile, the documentary crew returned to their work — setting up tripods, laying out camera angles, sketching the clearing's layout. Mike crouched with a notebook, drawing location grids. Andrew fiddled with wires and mounted lenses.
By the time Seb and Chloe finished eating, the crew seemed ready — until Seb approached the monitors and saw only static.
"Signal bad?" he asked, irritation still sharp from his head injury.
Andrew winced. "Bro… I was terrible at basketball even in school."
"You don't SAY," Seb deadpanned. "I honestly thought you intentionally sniped me with that god-tier precision. It wasn't even the bottle — it was the corner of the cap. That's something only a legendary expert could pull off."
Andrew gave a sheepish smile."Um… yeah, the signal's dead. Which is weird — we're on a wired feed. I'll check if any cables frayed."
He yawned and headed off.
Seb offered to watch the screens and call out if anything changed.
Minutes later, Mike and Andrew returned — both looking troubled.
Seb noticed immediately."What happened?"
"The—""—equipment—"They spoke over each other, then paused so Mike could explain.
"I'm a geomancer. Well… in training."He rubbed his temples in frustration."I tried scrying for spirit interference. There's nothing. Not even a trace. So this place seems like a sham. We might as well leave."
He huffed, visibly disappointed."Waste of time."
Andrew spoke next."The equipment's busted. Completely useless — even if a spirit was here."
Seb frowned."You've dealt with real spirits before?"
They nodded. Andrew continued:
"Yeah. We document weird stuff — hauntings, violent deaths, cursed places. Obviously we need protection or we'd be in for trouble. Spirits usually don't attack unless provoked, so Mike tells us what not to touch, and we avoid certain trigger words."
Seb raised an eyebrow."That flower is it one of such?"He pointed at the half-unearthed plant.
"Nope," Mike said dully. "If there were ghosts here, maybe. But there aren't. Not even a grain of lingering energy."
"Isn't that weird?" Seb asked.
Both men shoke their head.Mike bent down to pack the equipment.
"Since there's nothing here, we're leaving. Uh… it is Seb, right?"Seb nodded."Well, in our line of work, false sites exist — places with no ghosts. We spend a lot on research: tickets, historical records, location scouting. Real hauntings don't come cheap."
"So how do you profit?" Seb asked.
Mike shrugged as Seb helped him lift the equipment bag.
"If we capture a real apparition, the footage alone can sell for ten thousand or more. Any movable cursed items — way more."
Seb stared."Wait, how much do you spend gathering info?"
"At best? 2000. Worst? 8000."He sighed heavily."Today we spent 11,000. We thought this place would pay off."
"What does Isabella do?" Seb asked.
Andrew perked up."She's our sketch artist. Can draw apparitions instantly — and map layouts perfectly."
20 Minutes Later…
They finished packing.Mike turned to the kids.
"You're not coming? If you want, follow us. We don't mind."
Seb stood, hesitating."I'll try to find a way out. If I do… I'll come back." he turned speaking to Chloe
"Sure," Chloe murmured, lying back to stare at the darkening sky.
The group walked until they reached the barricade. Andrew struggled climbing it, but Seb helped him over. They reached the tall shrub wall that separated the path from the clearing.
They crossed through…
…and immediately saw Chloe again, lying on the ground with her chin propped on her hand, staring at them.
She sighed and flopped back down.
Seb trudged to her side and lay beside her, mirroring her exhausted sigh.
Mike: […]Andrew: […]Isabella: […]
"Did we follow the wrong path, boss?" Andrew asked.
"I… I'm not sure," Mike replied.
He glanced at Isabella, who was muttering quietly, face pale — the realization clicking.
They tried again, splitting paths, checking every marked route.
Too bad.
Every path led them right back to the clearing.
Seb and Chloe lay on the ground, elbows propped, watching the adults fumble around like a low-budget comedy sequence.
A long silence.
Then—
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Andrew screamed shattering the silence into the oblivion he felt he was falling straight into