The sun slipped beneath the horizon, and the woods held their breath. Trees stood tall like ancient statues, their branches reaching out like claws. The last light of day flickered against the thick underbrush where three girls walked—Eliza, Michelle, and Veronica—flashlights in hand.
"This spot is perfect," Eliza said, excitement in her voice.
Michelle swatted at a mosquito. "Perfect for getting eaten alive. Or worse."
Veronica glanced around, a chill crawling up her spine. "I don't know… Something feels really wrong here."
They moved deeper until Michelle's flashlight hit something—a broken-down cabin. Its roof sagged, its frame eaten by mold. Vines and moss clung to it like dead fingers. A flickering, almost living light pulsed from within.
"Whoa…" Eliza whispered, stepping closer.
"It's watching us," Veronica murmured, frozen in place.
"Stop being dramatic." Eliza walked up to the cabin.
The door creaked open, releasing a breath of rot and damp decay. Inside was a silence so deep it seemed to swallow sound. Dust floated through the air like ash.
In the center of the room sat a skeletal man in a broken chair, clutching a glowing thorn-like object. His hollow eyes stared ahead, lifeless.
"Is he… dead?" Eliza asked.
Michelle narrowed her eyes. "And what's that thing?"
"Some kind of weird thorn," Eliza said, curiosity overtaking caution.
Veronica stepped back. "We need to go. Now."
But Eliza reached out. "Let's see what makes it special." She yanked it from the old man's hands.
His body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. A snap echoed through the room.
"He was probably already dead," Eliza said, voice shaky.
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Veronica's steps slowed as they reached the edge of the clearing. Her flashlight beam trembled slightly, bouncing off wet bark and dense undergrowth. The closer they got, the worse the feeling in her gut grew. It wasn't just fear — it was pressure, like something unseen was pressing on her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat.
Michelle's flashlight suddenly landed on the broken-down cabin.
"There," she said, voice sharper than she meant it. "That's what you felt, right?"
Veronica didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on the rotting wood, the way the vines seemed to cling to the walls, like they were trying to keep something inside. Something that shouldn't get out. A faint light flickered through the cracks.
Eliza laughed, but even that was thinner than before. "Creepy, but kind of cool, right?"
"No," Veronica said. Her voice was quiet, but firm. "Something's wrong with this place."
They were already halfway to the porch. Veronica stayed back, the darkness at her back feeling deeper now. It wasn't cold, but goosebumps prickled up her arms.
"Eliza, don't go in there," she said again, louder this time.
But Eliza didn't stop. The door creaked open. The smell that poured out made Veronica gag — mold, rot, and something like blood left out too long.
Inside the cabin, it was like the air was thicker. Heavy. Hard to breathe.
When she saw the body in the chair — skin stretched tight, fingers clenched around the glowing thorn — Veronica froze.
"This isn't just a creepy cabin," she whispered. "This is a warning."
But no one listened.
When Eliza reached forward and pulled the thorn free, time seemed to pause. The body hit the ground with a horrible crack.
Veronica stepped back instinctively. "What did you do?"
Then the body jerked.
Once.
Twice.
The sound it made wasn't human. The voice that followed made her legs go numb.
"*******…"
Something primal inside her screamed.
"RUN!" Veronica shouted, voice cracking with panic.
Shadowy creatures burst from the walls. The air turned sour and heavy. The room stretched and bent. Eliza tried to live-stream but trembled too much.
"Are you seeing—" she started.
A creature tackled her. Veronica kicked it off. Michelle screamed. A clawed hand grabbed her hoodie. Veronica swung a branch.
"Let her go!"
Michelle broke free, but another monster pounced on Veronica. Her friends froze in fear.
"Why… why did they leave me?" she whispered as the world turned to black.
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She woke with a gasp.
Her wrists and ankles were chained to her bed. Candles flickered red light around the room. Her parents stood above her, dressed in white robes marked with shifting symbols.
"What is this?!"
Her father chanted words she didn't understand.
"It's for your own good," her mother said gently.
Symbols glowed on the floor. Pain seared her limbs like fire. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
"You're seriously doing a ritual on me?!"
From the shadows, a ghostly figure rose—faceless, glowing red eyes burning through smoke. Her parents stepped back, panic overtaking their calm.
"I knew I should've skipped family night!" Veronica cried.
The entity screamed. The room shook. And everything went black again.
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She was running. The street was empty, cold, wrong.
Blood leaked from beneath doors. Windows were smeared with hand-prints. Lights blinked like dying eyes.
"This is like a bad horror movie," she panted. "And I'm the one who dies first."
Behind her, something crawled. Limbs too long, head too smooth. It growled low, steady.
"Nope! NOPE!" she shouted, running faster.
Ahead, under a cracked streetlight, a man sat calmly sipping tea.
"Please! Help!"
He lifted his hand, touched her forehead.
"Tonight's going to be a long night… isn't it?"
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Veronica woke again—floating. The couch beneath her drifted midair. Books and lights floated around her in a room with no walls.
"Where am I?"
"Between logic and madness," the man said. "Or… my living room."
She looked at him. "Who are you?"
"Alexi. Savior, nightmare—it depends on the time of day."
"You kidnapped me!"
He smiled gently. "Or maybe I just like collecting strays. Let's see how long you last."
He snapped his fingers. And she faded again.
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To be continued...