The road was sealed off with flickering barricade lights, red and blue police strobes painting the trees in flashes of urgency. Officers stood in tense clusters, cordoning off the scene with caution tape. The scent of oil, pine, and blood still hung faint in the air. An ambulance idled near the tree line, its doors open. Inside, a paramedic leaned over an unconscious boy—Jade Colter—his body half-wrapped in a thermal blanket, his chest rising slow but steady.
Detective Alex Conor stood just beyond the chaos, coat draped over his shoulders, sleeves rolled up, shirt slightly wrinkled from the long night. A notepad hung in his left hand, the other shoved in his pocket as he surveyed the scene.
A young officer jogged over, clipboard in hand. "Detective, we've confirmed the ID. The victim's Jade Colter. Reported missing four days ago. Age sixteen. No phone, no ID on him—someone recognized his photo from the BOLO we posted."
Alex gave a nod. "Put that in the report. Get me witness statements—anyone who saw the car, anything unusual. And I want the dash cam footage from every patrol unit within a ten-mile radius."
"Yes, sir."
Just then, a police cruiser pulled up, tires crunching gravel. The engine cut off and the door opened with a groan. A man stepped out—not in uniform, but clearly not a civilian. Mid-40s, casual slacks, a khaki jacket, and a confident swagger. Brown hair slicked back, not a strand out of place.
"Detective Alex," the man said, walking up with that familiar, irritating smirk.
Alex didn't even try to hide his sigh. "What are you doing here, Detective Nico? This is my case."
Nico glanced around, taking in the scene. "Heard something went down. Thought I'd drop by. See what's what."
"Well," Alex said dryly, "as you can see, I've got it under control."
Nico didn't move. "So what's the story? Another local creeper behind the wheel? Drunk driver?"
Alex looked toward the ambulance, his eyes narrowing. "The victim's Jade Colter. Sixteen. Reported missing earlier this week. He was found collapsed in the middle of the road—looks like a hit-and-run at first glance. But there's a problem."
"Let me guess," Nico said, folding his arms, "you think it's another supernatural case."
Alex ignored the jab. "No visible injuries. Not a single broken bone. No internal bleeding, according to the EMT. He's unconscious but stable. His shirt's torn—slashed open like something clawed at him. Dried blood all over the fabric, but no fresh wounds underneath. Just dirt. Mud. Forest grime. Like he crawled out of the woods after a war."
Nico chuckled. "Jesus. You're back on your bullshit again. You ever consider the kid was high off his ass? Maybe wandered out of a rave in the Pines, got lucky not to get eaten by a bear, and landed in traffic."
"Right," Alex muttered, "because drugged-up kids always fake claw marks and bleed on themselves for fun."
"Occam's razor, Alex. Hell, maybe it was just a botched kidnapping."
Alex stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You think kidnappers just let kids go without ransom or reason? You think drugged-up teens tear through the woods for days and come back without a scratch? You've seen what this town is, Nico. Elmwood eats people."
There was a long pause. Nico glanced toward the trees, then back at the boy.
"I'll give you this," he said. "Elmwood's not… ordinary. But I don't jump to beasts and bogeymen every time something strange happens."
Alex stared at him. "Maybe that's why people keep vanishing on your watch."
Nico's smugness faltered. He turned and headed back to his car. "Just doing my job, Alex," he said, yanking the door open. "Try it sometime."
He paused before sliding into the driver's seat. "Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one."
The door slammed. Tires kicked gravel, and the cruiser vanished into the night.
Alex stood alone for a moment, silence settling like a fog.
He turned back toward the ambulance. Jade's body was still there—still breathing, but untouched by injury. Unnatural.
"I always hated that guy," Alex muttered to himself.
Then, more quietly, eyes fixed on the boy's motionless frame:
"But this… this isn't normal."
And right then—Jade jolted awake.
A sharp gasp tore from his lungs as if he'd just broken the surface of deep water. He sat up too fast, eyes wide and wild, scanning the inside of the ambulance like he didn't recognize it. As if he'd expected to wake up somewhere far worse.
Alex froze in place, watching.
The kid looked around in frantic bursts, then down at his legs, his hands, the bloodstained rips in his shirt. Confused… but not shocked. Like part of him had expected to be worse off than he was.
One of the paramedics, a middle-aged guy named Troy, leaned in from the front. "Whoa—kid's up!"
Alex moved toward the ambulance doors, hands raised slightly to keep the moment calm.
"He's awake, yeah," Alex said. "But look at him—he's not just waking up. He's coming back from somewhere."
Troy gave a concerned nod but stepped aside as Alex climbed into the back of the vehicle.
Alex crouched slightly, meeting Jade's gaze. "Jade Colter, right?"
Jade blinked. Then gave a small nod.
"I'm Detective Alex Conor, Elmwood PD." His voice softened just a bit. "You alright?"
Jade hesitated. "…Yeah. I think so."
"You've been missing for four days," Alex continued, studying the kid's face, "and you show up tonight in the middle of the road like you were dropped there. No broken bones. No bruising. No signs of trauma. But your shirt's torn to hell, there's dried blood, and you're covered in dirt like you crawled out of a grave."
Jade didn't answer. Just stared at him. Eyes wide. Guarded.
"I'm not gonna force you to say anything," Alex said. "We'll take you to the station, have your parents meet you there. Get you somewhere safe."
At that, Jade's expression shifted.
Not relief—fear.
Alex saw it instantly.
He reached into his coat, pulling a plain white card from a leather wallet. "Keep this on you," he said, handing it to him. "That's my direct line. Anything happens—anything weird, anything you remember—call me. Day or night."
Jade stared at the card. Took it slowly.
From outside, a female voice called out. "Detective Conor!"
Alex turned his head. Officer Hall jogged over, her boots crunching gravel.
"We've got movement near the eastern woods. One of the units picked something up—could be nothing, but patrol's sweeping it now."
"Log it," Alex said. "Double the perimeter and get K9 out there. No one goes in alone."
"Yes, sir." She turned and moved off.
Alex looked back at Jade. "You sure you're alright?"
Jade opened his mouth. Closed it. Then, quietly: "…There were eyes. In the trees."
Alex held his gaze. "Yeah," he said. "I figured."
He stood up straight, giving Jade space. "Get him to the station," he told the paramedic. "Call his parents. And don't take your eyes off him. I'll be there soon."
He stepped down from the ambulance, hands in his coat pockets, watching as the vehicle slowly pulled away.
"NO, NO, NO—"
"The trees had eyes…"
"The trees… had eyes."
"Thhe tttrees haad eyes."
"The treessss had eyyyes."
"The treeees hadd eeyees!"
"I ran. I ran and they followed. I heard them behind me. I felt—"
He gasped. "No. No, no no—"
"The trees had eyes. The trees had eyes."
The paramedic moved toward him, cautious. "Hey, kid, it's okay—"
Jade jerked back. Eyes wide. Voice cracking now.
"THE TREES HAD EYES!"