At the back of the van…
In the mirror, a pair of eyes was staring.
And smiling.
Silence.
A suffocating kind of silence.
Inside the van, no one moved for a few seconds. It was as if even the air was too afraid to breathe.
"Guys…" Nikki's voice was soft. "Am I the only one who noticed…? I think I saw something in the mirror."
Slowly, Anton glanced at the rearview mirror.
But he saw nothing.
The road was calm—only darkness and the faint glow of the moon lighting their way.
"There's nothing there," Dex said, forcing a laugh. "You're just overthinking."
"Yeah… probably just stress," Kevin added.
But Nikki didn't feel any better.
Because she was sure—
she saw something.
"Just drive faster, Dex," Mara said. "I don't want to go back there."
"Who even wants to go back there?!" Dex replied, speeding up.
"I hope we get out of here soon…" Paolo muttered.
"Still not over it?" Nikki teased, though her voice was shaking.
"Aren't you scared too?" Paolo shot back immediately.
"I'm laughing so I don't cry."
"Same," they both said at the same time.
The group fell silent.
Until—
"Guys…" Ria spoke, her voice quiet but serious. "I read something before…"
"What now?" Jace complained.
"About… blood oaths."
Everyone glanced at each other.
"Don't start that topic, please," Lianne said.
"This isn't a joke," Ria continued. "When there's a blood oath… it's not just memory that binds you."
"Then what else?" Sarah asked, trying to sound brave.
"Something… remembers too."
The air inside the van suddenly turned cold.
Not because of the air-conditioning.
But because of the feeling.
Like something was listening.
Up front, Dex frowned.
"Wait… why does it feel like we're heading back to the main road?"
"What?" they all asked at once.
"We're supposed to go straight…"
"Maybe you're lost again," Nikki said, trying to joke.
"I'm not lost—"
Dex suddenly went quiet.
"Guys…"
"What now?" Paolo said, almost on the verge of tears.
"The GPS…"
The screen glitched.
NO SIGNAL
Then—
ROUTE RECALCULATING…
Then—
DESTINATION: UNKNOWN
"I don't like this," Mara said.
"Me neither," Anton replied.
"Same here!" they all echoed.
Suddenly, the van slowed down.
Not because of the brakes.
But as if… something was holding it from underneath.
KRRRRK…
KRRRRK…
"Dex, go faster!" Sarah shouted.
"I'm trying!" he replied, his hands trembling on the wheel.
Outside the window—
something passed by.
Fast.
Not human.
Not an animal.
It looked like it… dove into the ground.
"Guys…" Nikki whispered. "We're not alone."
Suddenly—
the van STOPPED.
Silence.
The engine died.
"Not again…" Jace whispered, almost crying.
"Dex!" Anton shouted.
"I didn't do anything!" Dex replied. "It just won't start!"
In front of them—
the fog slowly parted.
Like a curtain being pulled aside.
And in the middle of it—
a road they hadn't seen before.
Narrow.
Old.
Surrounded by bent, looming trees.
"We're not going there," Paolo said immediately.
"We don't have a choice," Mara replied.
"We do," Nikki said nervously. "We can go back."
"Go back where? To those things?" Kevin snapped.
Silence fell again.
No one wanted to answer.
Until Anton spoke—
"We go through it."
"WHAT?!" they all shouted.
"If something's following us… it's more dangerous to run back into darkness we don't understand."
Silence again.
Then Dex—
"…Alright. Hold on."
Slowly, the van entered the narrow road.
The moment they did—
all sound disappeared.
No crickets.
No wind.
No life.
"This is creepy…" Sarah whispered.
"Don't jinx it," Nikki said.
"I don't believe in jinxes," Nikki added.
Then—
KNOCK.
On the roof.
"…"
Everyone froze.
KNOCK.
Heavier.
Closer.
"Okay nope—nope—nope—" Paolo started panicking.
"Dex, drive faster!" Jace shouted.
"I don't even know where I'm going!" Dex yelled back.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
Something was crawling above them…
following them.
Then—
the mirror again.
Nikki saw it.
The same smile from earlier.
Closer.
"ANTON…" she whispered.
"What?" he replied.
"There's really something behind us."
Anton looked at the mirror—
but it was too late.
In the reflection—
the back of the van began to change.
Not the road.
Not lights.
But—
a pale face.
Peeking.
Smiling.
"GO!" Anton shouted.
But it was too late.
KRRRRRRRRK—
The van shook violently.
As if something grabbed it entirely.
"AAAAAAAAH!" they all screamed.
The van rattled as if it was being slammed from all directions. The rear mirror slowly cracked.
CRK… CRK…
"SHT! SHT! SH*T!" Dex shouted, struggling to control the wheel.
"I can't do this anymore!" Lianne cried.
"SHOULD WE JUST PRAY?!" Kevin yelled.
Then—
BANG!
Something slammed from underneath the van.
The vehicle tilted to the side of the road.
"GET OUT!" Anton shouted.
"WHAT?!" everyone yelled.
"GET OUT NOW!"
They didn't think twice.
The doors burst open—
BANG!
Nikki jumped out first.
"RUN!" she screamed.
And just like that—
the silence exploded.
One by one, they scrambled out of the van, panicking, running in different directions.
"DEX!" Mara shouted.
"OVER HERE!" Dex yelled back, but the wind swallowed his voice.
"PAOLO!" Sarah screamed.
But in the darkness—
they could no longer see each other.
It was as if the forest itself was pulling them apart.
Behind them—
CRREEEKK…
The van slowly tilted.
And inside the window—
the face appeared again.
Clearer now.
Pale.
No eyes.
But still smiling.
"You can't escape…"
A cold whisper.
Not from outside.
But from the air itself.
"AAAAH!" Paolo screamed as he ran through the forest.
He tripped.
FELL.
"No… no…" he gasped.
Footsteps behind him.
One.
Two.
Fast.
"Paolooo…" a familiar voice called.
"J-Jace?" he turned.
But Jace wasn't there.
Instead—
a shadow.
Mimicking a voice.
Faceless.
But moving like a human.
"That's not you…" Paolo trembled.
The shadow smiled.
On the other side—
"Nikki!" Anton shouted while running.
"Nikki, where are you?!"
"Here!" Nikki answered from the darkness.
"NIKKI!" Anton ran toward her voice.
"Over here! Hurry!" Nikki called, clearly panicking.
Finally—
she appeared between the trees.
Out of breath.
Hair messy.
Shaking.
"Are you… real?" Anton asked immediately, still catching his breath.
"What kind of question is that?!" Nikki snapped, scared but annoyed. "You—are you even real? Hah—" Anton suddenly laughed.
"You still have time to laugh in this situation?!" Nikki said, hands on her hips.
They stared at each other.
Silence.
Then—
"Okay, this is weird, but I think we're both still alive," Nikki said.
"Good enough," Anton replied.
Suddenly—
KRRRRRK…
Something moved above them.
They both looked up.
A shadow on the branch.
Slow.
Crawling.
"This isn't normal anymore…" Nikki whispered.
"Run," Anton said.
"What?"
"RUN!"
They ran together.
As they did—
Anton grabbed Nikki's hand.
"Hey—?!" she gasped.
"So we don't get separated!" Anton said.
"I'm not leaving you."
Nikki froze for a second—
but didn't argue.
Instead, she tightened her grip.
On the other side—
"DEX!" Mara shouted.
"OVER HERE!" Dex answered.
They met between the trees.
"I thought I was alone—" Mara gasped.
"I'm not leaving you," Dex said immediately.
"Wow… sweet timing," Mara smiled a little despite the fear.
"Not the time," Dex replied—but he smiled too.
Suddenly—
KRRRRRK…
Something fell in front of them.
Heavy.
Like… a body?
"Sh*t…" Dex whispered.
They couldn't see it clearly.
But it moved.
Slowly.
Then stood up.
In another direction—
"PAOLO!" Sarah shouted.
"I'm here!" Paolo answered.
They found each other—
and he immediately hugged her.
"I thought… I thought I was alone…" he trembled.
"I'm not leaving you," Sarah said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Then—
a laugh echoed.
Close.
Too close.
In the middle of the forest—
some of them found each other again.
But not all.
And then—
KRRRRAAAASH!
The sky trembled with a deafening roar of thunder.
A blinding flash of lightning followed—
and in an instant—
the rain came pouring down.
Heavy.
Violent.
As if the sky itself was furious.
"Sh*t!" Dex cursed as he pulled Mara closer.
"I can't see anything!" Mara shouted, shielding her face from the force of the rain.
Within seconds—
the ground turned into mud.
Slippery.
Dangerous.
Every step—
felt like it could cost them their lives.
On Anton and Nikki's side—
"Watch your step!" Anton shouted, tightening his grip on Nikki's hand.
"I'm trying!" Nikki snapped, almost slipping.
Suddenly—
she stepped on something.
Soft.
And strange.
"AH—!" she screamed, pulling her foot back.
"What was that?!" Anton asked immediately.
"I stepped on something—" she said, her voice trembling.
"I don't know what it is—"
A smell slowly spread.
Metallic.
The scent of blood.
"Anton…" she whispered.
"This isn't mud…"
KRRRAAASH!
Lightning struck again—
and for a second—
they saw it.
A body.
Lying on the ground.
Twisted.
Clothes torn.
And covered in blood.
The light vanished instantly.
Darkness returned.
"No… that wasn't real…" Nikki said, stepping back.
Anton grabbed her arm.
"Don't look. We need to run."
"But—"
"NOW!"
On the other side—
"I'm seriously going to die here…" Jace muttered, nearly slipping in the mud.
"Jace!" Kevin shouted through the rain.
"I'm here!"
They finally found each other—
both soaked to the bone.
"Bro… I don't want this anymore," Jace said.
"Same," Kevin replied.
Suddenly—
SQUELCH.
Jace froze.
"…That's not mud."
"Don't say that," Kevin said immediately.
Slowly, Jace looked down at his foot—
even as the rain washed everything away—
he saw it.
A hand.
Sticking out of the ground.
Not moving.
"RUN!" Kevin shouted.