Ready? Here we go.
---
Siara ran through the brush, her breath sharp and uneven. "Richard!" she called out for maybe the tenth time. The name disappeared into the trees, swallowed as if the forest enjoyed keeping secrets.
Behind her, Tanya jogged to keep up, carrying the map under one arm. "Siara, slow down! We don't even know which direction they went."
"I don't care—he's out there," Siara snapped, though her voice cracked. She rubbed her eyes, refusing to let tears blur her vision. "Richard wouldn't leave us. Something's wrong."
Pluto caught up, panting, one hand holding his tablet that monitored the drone feed. "Guys—hold up. The drone picked something weird."
Luna steadied Tim, who leaned heavily against her. His shirt was torn where the Plagued creature had struck him. Tango was doing no better, limping with a makeshift brace Tanya had built from sticks and tape.
"What now?" Luna asked, trying to keep her voice calm for the younger ones.
Pluto turned the tablet so they could see. The drone hovered high above the trees, its camera showing the forest from above—but something was off. Very off.
The trees… moved.
Not subtly swaying.
Not wind.
They shifted, sliding as if on tracks beneath the ground, rearranging themselves into new patterns.
"What… the hell?" Tango whispered.
Tanya's jaw dropped. "That's impossible."
"Mechanical," Pluto said, voice low. "The forest isn't natural. Look—" He tapped the screen, zooming in. Between the trees they could see flashes of steel, thin lines, gears, and dark shapes that definitely weren't roots.
"The jungle is built," Pluto continued. "Someone designed it. And it moves to trap people."
Siara didn't want to hear any of it. "We need to find Richard and Devon."
"We will," Luna said softly. "But we need to understand where we are first."
Pluto pointed to the drone's live map. "The forest keeps rearranging, but the drone noticed something constant. A dead zone—where the tree movement doesn't happen."
"What's in the dead zone?" Tim croaked.
Pluto hesitated. Tanya stepped closer, studying the map. "It's… a perfect circle. Unnatural."
"And right in the center of the moving grid," Pluto added. "Whatever this place really is… that's the heart of it."
Siara stared at the screen, whispering, "Richard might be heading straight toward that place…"
"Or already there," Luna said.
The group exchanged uneasy looks.
Tanya unrolled her hand-drawn map and began marking the drone's coordinates, tracing patterns between the moving sections. "This isn't a forest," she murmured. "It's a giant maze."
"A mechanical maze," Pluto corrected. "One that adjusts itself. And our whole town—our homes—are right next to it."
Luna's eyes widened. "Pluto… are you saying—"
He nodded grimly. "The town was an experiment. And we're inside the testing zone."
Silence hit them like a wave.
Tim swallowed. "But… who would do that? Why? We live there."
"It must be connected to the Collector," Tango muttered, wincing from his injured leg.
Siara clenched her fists. "Then that means Richard is in danger. More than we thought."
Tanya gathered the map, her hands steady despite everything. "Then we move. Drone leads. We follow."
Pluto launched the drone higher. The mechanical forest shifted again, but the path toward the center remained faintly visible—like something wanted them to come.
Siara took the first step forward.
"Hold on, Richard," she whispered.
"We're coming."
---