(There is a "man" in the woods- Interlude)
In the Everfree forest, the woods were quiet.
Too quiet.
Thick fog rolled across the forest floor like the breath of something ancient, hiding twisted roots and claw-like damage that the trees had. Moonlight barely filtered through the trees, casting strange, flickering shadows that moved even when the wind didn't.
A boy who was fourteen, maybe fifteen wandered between the trees. His name was Blaze and he was regretting the dare, but it wouldn't matter for long...
"Just a dumb dare… nothing's out here…" He was muttering to himself, trying to stay calm.
His flashlight buzzed in his grip, the beam flickering. A soft whirrr-click, then darkness. He cursed under his breath, slapping it against his palm. The light returned for half a second before dying completely.
He tapped it. Shook it. "Damn thing…"
That's when he heard it.
A voice.
"Help… me…"
It was faint. A whisper.
Blaze froze.
"Hello?"
The voice came again. Higher-pitched. Younger.
"Please… I'm lost…"
It sounded like a girl. Maybe ten years old. Trembling, frightened.
Blaze turned slowly. "What was that?... Do you need help?"
Silence.
Then-
A sob. Quiet. Nearby.
Blaze's instincts screamed. Everything inside him begged him to turn back, to run.
But he didn't. Someone needed his help.
He stepped forward.
Crunch
A snapped twig.
Then the voice again- closer this time. Directly behind him.
"Why didn't you help me…?"
Cole spun around and...nothing.
Nothing but trees. Fog.
"What the-"
...Then-
A sound.
Something wet.
Like meat being torn from the bone could be heard.
A gust of wind blew through the trees, and for a split second, the fog parted.
Between two thick oaks. Something moved. A figure-
The figure was hunched and long. Bone-thin limbs, skin stretched tight like leather over wood. Wearing A deer skull as its crown. It stood still. Watching.
And a grin… wide and cracked… slowly curling upward.
The last thing Cole heard was the voice of a woman, a gentle, pleading voice.
"Please… don't leave me here…"
....
Silence returned to the forest.
A few minutes later, the fog shifted again, revealing only a torn backpack and a dark red smear across the leaves.
The forest swallowed everything else.
No body.
No footsteps.
No Blaze.
Only whispers carried by the trees and the faintest echo of voices that were never his to begin with.
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Writter here:
Interludes will be used to introduce things like characters, Villains, world-building, etc. Sometimes there just shit posts and will be just for jokes. Yes, they are for world-building, but also because I am lazy lol.
Yes, it's the monster from the mission. Yes, it's smart.
Give me reviews if you want. I will also do a rewrite...just saying it again in case someone forgets.