Scene 1:
The screen flickered.
White light. Black. White again.
And then a flash.
A girl.
Alone.
She was standing in the middle of a forest, silent, frozen, fog curling around her legs like smoke. The trees were tall and unwelcoming, their bare branches clawing into the night sky. The air was wet and heavy. Everything smelled of damp earth.
She looked around, panic flickering in her eyes.
"Hello?" she called out, voice trembling. "Is anyone there?"
Nothing.
Just the wind whistling through the leaves, soft like a whisper, too soft, too close.
She turned around sharply, her breath clouding in front of her.
"Jake!? Hannah!?" she shouted. "Caleb?! Zoe?! Noah!?".
Nothing.
"This isn't funny guys."
She fumbled in her pocket for her phone, but the screen was cracked, battery dead. No signal.
She whipped around.
"Who's there?!"
No one.
But something had moved. She was sure of it. The fog shifted like it was hiding something. Watching her.
And then…
A scream.
Distant. Sharp. It pierced through the night and vanished in seconds.
And...everything went quite and dark.
Scene 2:
*Two Days Earlier*
The hallway buzzed with chatter, locker doors slamming, sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floor. The smell of cafeteria pizza and cheap perfume floated in the air. It was just another Tuesday at Western Meadow High School.
Grace leaned against her locker, laughing at something Jake said.
She wasn't the loudest one in the group, that was probably Zoe, but her laugh always made the others smile.
"Hannah, did you actually finish the physics assignment?" Caleb asked, eyebrows raised.
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Do I look like I want to waste my life solving what angle gravity hits my head when I fall down the stairs?"
Noah while munching on his bag of cheetos, "If that happens again, I want a slow-mo video."
"I will end you," Hannah said flatly, though she was already smiling.
They were just six normal friends. Not popular. Not invisible either. They stuck to themselves, ate lunch at the third table near the window, passed notes during class, and dared each other to watch horror movies on school nights.
But peace doesn't last long in Western Meadow.
And it never lasted when THE GROUP showed up.
The hallway shifted, not physically, but in energy, when he and his pack of trouble walked through. Rebecca walked like he owned the ground beneath him. Stella followed, laughing too loudly, and Ethan tossed a water bottle from one hand to the other, grinning like he had a secret.
"Oh, look," Brad said, loud enough for half the hallway to hear. "It's the Creepy Club."
Grace tensed. The others did too, in that subtle way people do when they're tired of defending themselves.
"We're not creepy," Zoe muttered. "We just don't talk to egos with gym memberships."
Rebbeca mirked. "What's the plan today, huh? Make up ghost stories? Hide in the library and read about aliens?"
"Maybe try reading something yourself," Hannah snapped, arms crossed.
Jake stepped in. "Back off, man. Seriously."
Rebbeca ignored him, looking at Grace now, just for a second. Something in her stare felt off. Cold. Almost calculating.
Then she turned away, laughing like it was all a game.
As the bullies walked off, tossing jabs over their shoulders, Grace exhaled slowly.
"I hate them." said Grace.
The bell rang.
Scene: 3
The teacher still hadn't arrived in the class. In the third row, near the window where the sunlight poured through cracked glass, six friends sat slouched over their desks, half-bored, half-dreaming.
"Guys," Caleb said, his voice a whispery mix of bored and excited, "you know that hill behind the old football ground?"
Hannah looked up from doodling hearts on her notebook. "The one with the wildflowers and the weirdly perfect sunset view?"
"Yep. That exact hill," Caleb grinned.
"What about it?" asked Jake.
"I was thinking…" Caleb paused dramatically. "We should go there. Like, all of us. After school. This weekend."
Noah's head popped up from his sketchbook. "Wait, you mean... for real? A hike?"
"Yeah! Like a mini trip. Memory-type stuff," Caleb said. "You know... before exams eat our souls."
Zoe gasped. "YES. I've always wanted to go up there! Everyone says it's beautiful and peaceful and slightly creepy."
"I'm in," Hannah said immediately.
"But wait," Noah said, "won't our parents ask why we want to climb a random hill for no reason?"
Zoe shrugged. "Tell them we're going for fresh air. Or… educational science walk. Vitamin D. Whatever sounds smart."
Everyone laughed.
Jake leaned forward, eyes glowing. "Just imagine it. Wind in our hair, snacks in our bags, maybe spooky ghost stories-"
"No ghosts, please," Grace interrupted quickly.
"Fine, no ghosts," Jake chuckled. "Just us. Nature. And the hill."
A moment of silence passed as they all stared at each other.
Then all at once:
"LET'S GO!"
Scene: 4
The gang was finally ready. School was out early, the hill was calling, and the squad assembled like a very uncoordinated team of baby Avengers behind the school ground.
Jake had brought exactly 2 chewing gums and zero water.
Zoe was wearing sunglasses shaped like strawberries.
Noah had a portable speaker and was already playing dramatic Titanic flute fails.
Hannah brought sunscreen, deodorant, and a packet of takis for no reason.
Grace looked like she belonged on a Pinterest hiking board.
And then…
Caleb. Showed. Up.
Looking like a background character from Dora the Explorer.
He wore a lemon-yellow collared shirt tucked into khaki shorts, white socks pulled up to his knees, hiking shoes that squeaked, and a bright red hat with a chinstrap tighter than his future career choices.
Everyone just stared.
Then Hannah, blinking slowly like she couldn't process it, said:
"Caleb… why do you look like you just escaped from a coloring book?"
Silence.
Then-
CHAOS.
Noah dropped to the ground, laughing. "My guy looks like he's about to teach kids under 5 how to count to ten!"
Hannah gasped, "STOP- he looks like a lost boy scout who took a wrong turn and ended up at fashion prison!"
Grace deadpanned, "You look like the 'Before' in a fashion makeover video."
Zoe was crying. "WHO tucked in his shirt like that?! Why does it look… intentional?!"....
"Bro, did your mom dress you with a mission today?" continued Zoe.
Caleb tried to speak, but couldn't over Jake humming "Map song from Dora" in the background.
"I am a responsible hiker," Caleb said firmly, adjusting his hat. "These shorts have four pockets."
"Do any of those pockets hold your self-respect?" Hannah asked.
Caleb sighed. "You will all regret this when we get chased by a mountain goat and I'm the only one wearing goat-resistant socks."
"Goat-resistant?" Zoe wheezed. "WHAT BRAND IS THAT!?!?!"
But despite all the madness and fashion crimes, they began walking. Laughing. Teasing. Shoving each other like toddlers. The hill loomed ahead, peaceful, beautiful…
They'd been walking for almost an hour. No music. No signal. Just legs. Legs that were now regretting life.
Grace suddenly slowed down and then just stopped.
Grace:
"Guys, can we please wait for a second? My feet are hurting so bad."
The group stopped walking and turned back.
Hannah:
"Already? We barely walked 3 turns."
Grace:
"Three turns too many. I swear, I feel like my toes are trying to retire."
Jake:
"Didn't you say this was gonna be a 'cute little walk'?"
Grace:
"I didn't know the 'cute little walk' was going to turn into a full-body workout, okay?"
Noah took out his water bottle and offered it to her.
Noah:
"Drink some water, you'll be fine."
Grace (sitting on a rock):
"I'm not fine. My legs are shaking. My shoes hate me. And I'm sweating like I just ran a marathon."
Zoe:
"To be honest, I was hoping someone would say something. My back is hurting too."
Caleb:
"Guys, we're like 10 minutes from the top."
Grace:
"Okay. Let's walk again in 5 minutes."
They all sat around her for a bit, catching their breath. No one admitted it, but everyone was tired too.
And after some break, they started walking, slower this time, but together.
They'd been walking for what felt like forever again. Everyone was quieter now, mostly because they were all trying not to die.
Jake (frustrated):
"How long is this gonna take?! My legs are done. I'm done."
Caleb:
"Wait, wait. I'm checking the map... okay okay... we're almost there."
Hannah (cutting him off):
"ALMOST!?!? You literally said ten minutes to the hilltop. That was an hour ago. I don't see any hilltop. I just see trees and more trees."
Noah:
"Honestly, at this point, I think we're just walking for nothing."
Grace (breathing heavily):
"Guys… please… I cannot breathe. I think my lungs just gave up."
Zoe:
"Okay, let's calm down. Maybe it's just one more turn?"
Caleb (quietly):
"It's actually like… two. Or three-ish."
Everyone:
"CALEB!"
Caleb:
"I'm sorry! The map is zoomed in. It looked shorter!"
Jake:
"Great. So basically, we're in the middle of nowhere with a guy who doesn't know how to read a map."
They all stood there for a second, breathing hard, questioning their life choices.
It was getting darker and darker. The trees looked taller. The path looked different. Everyone's phones were down to 15%. They had officially cancelled the hilltop plan and were walking back, tired and cranky.
Hannah (muttering):
"I'm never listening to Caleb's plans again. My legs are suing me."
Jake:
"Same. Also, my soul left my body an hour ago."
Caleb:
"It wasn't that bad. It's called 'adventure.'"
Hannah:
"It's called blisters."
They were walking downhill now, barely even talking, just trying to reach flat ground again.
Then suddenly,
Zoe (frowning):
"Wait… where's Grace?"
Everyone stopped walking.
Jake (turning around):
"She was literally right behind me."
Noah:
"I saw her five seconds ago. Didn't she say her feet were hurting?"
Caleb:
"Maybe she sat down somewhere again."
Zoe (a little worried now):
"GRACE? You there?"
No reply. Just wind.
Hannah:
"This better not be another one of her pranks."
Caleb (pulling out his flashlight):
"Guys. This isn't funny. We need to find her."
They all spread out, calling her name.
Noah:
"What if she actually got lost?"
Jake:
"Torches out. Lights on. Nobody leaves this area until we find her."
For the first time all day, the group wasn't joking. Their tired legs suddenly didn't matter anymore.
They had one mission:
Find Grace.