Jake

first the watcher then the shepherd then the mouth i didn't sleep i just watched the tree line and i counted every sound there were three distinct knocks then four then three again just like the first night and i finally understood they weren't trying to scare us They were counting us. It's hard to explain what it feels like when the forest stops pretending to be a forest.

first the watcher then the shepherd then the mouth i didn't sleep i just watched the tree line and i counted every sound there were three distinct knocks then four then three again just like the first night and i finally understood they weren't trying to scare us They were counting us. It's hard to explain what it feels like when the forest stops pretending to be a forest.

By morning, the woods weren't just quiet. They were dead. No birds. No insects. No light breeze rustling the canopy. Even the temperature didn't change. It just… held. Like the whole place was stuck in the same second of time, looping over and over. We didn't eat, we didn't speak. Jess hadn't said a word since Aaron vanished.

By morning, the woods weren't just quiet. They were dead. No birds. No insects. No light breeze rustling the canopy. Even the temperature didn't change. It just… held. Like the whole place was stuck in the same second of time, looping over and over. We didn't eat, we didn't speak. Jess hadn't said a word since Aaron vanished.

Her lips were cracked, and her fingers trembled constantly, like she was listening to something the rest of us couldn't hear. Molly was worse. Her expression had flattened. Not fear, not shock, just vacant. Like she wasn't in her body anymore. She kept looking west, toward the canyon. I'd catch her whispering under her breath, things I couldn't quite hear.

Her lips were cracked, and her fingers trembled constantly, like she was listening to something the rest of us couldn't hear. Molly was worse. Her expression had flattened. Not fear, not shock, just vacant. Like she wasn't in her body anymore. She kept looking west, toward the canyon. I'd catch her whispering under her breath, things I couldn't quite hear.

I only caught one sentence clearly, and I'll never forget it. It's hungry, but it's patient. We decided to move again. We had to. I didn't care if the trail was gone. I didn't care if we wandered in circles. I just needed motion. Stillness out here felt like death. We headed down the ridge, following an animal trail that shouldn't have existed.

I only caught one sentence clearly, and I'll never forget it. It's hungry, but it's patient. We decided to move again. We had to. I didn't care if the trail was gone. I didn't care if we wandered in circles. I just needed motion. Stillness out here felt like death. We headed down the ridge, following an animal trail that shouldn't have existed.

I say that because the prints in the dirt weren't from deer or elk. They were too deep. Too wide. And the gate was off. The stride was wrong. Whatever made them wasn't running. It was walking. Slowly. Like it had all the time in the world. That trail led us straight into the canyon. At first it looked like any other ravine, steep sides, fallen timber, moss-choked stones.

I say that because the prints in the dirt weren't from deer or elk. They were too deep. Too wide. And the gate was off. The stride was wrong. Whatever made them wasn't running. It was walking. Slowly. Like it had all the time in the world. That trail led us straight into the canyon. At first it looked like any other ravine, steep sides, fallen timber, moss-choked stones.

But then we started seeing the symbols, carved deep into trees, scratched into rock, symmetrical spirals, triangle clusters, six-fingered handprints. Some were filled with a black resin like sap, but colder. We passed a tree where the bark had been stripped in a perfect spiral up its trunk, ten feet high. Bones had been jammed into the spiral like teeth, small ones, human-shaped.

But then we started seeing the symbols, carved deep into trees, scratched into rock, symmetrical spirals, triangle clusters, six-fingered handprints. Some were filled with a black resin like sap, but colder. We passed a tree where the bark had been stripped in a perfect spiral up its trunk, ten feet high. Bones had been jammed into the spiral like teeth, small ones, human-shaped.

That's when I realized we weren't walking through the woods anymore. We were walking through a graveyard. Molly walked ahead like she was being guided, like she knew where to go. I tried to grab her arm, but she pulled away and whispered, ''He's underneath us.'' He who? I snapped, finally cracking. Who the hell are you talking about?

That's when I realized we weren't walking through the woods anymore. We were walking through a graveyard. Molly walked ahead like she was being guided, like she knew where to go. I tried to grab her arm, but she pulled away and whispered, ''He's underneath us.'' He who? I snapped, finally cracking. Who the hell are you talking about?

She looked at me then, just briefly, and in that second I knew she wasn't coming back. The mouth. We reached a wall of stone. She stopped, laid her hand against it, and just like that, a section of rock shifted. Not crumbled, not cracked. Shifted, like a door. Behind it was a narrow slit, just wide enough for a person. Beyond it, pitch black.

She looked at me then, just briefly, and in that second I knew she wasn't coming back. The mouth. We reached a wall of stone. She stopped, laid her hand against it, and just like that, a section of rock shifted. Not crumbled, not cracked. Shifted, like a door. Behind it was a narrow slit, just wide enough for a person. Beyond it, pitch black.

A stench hit me then, like rot, like centuries of decay sealed in stone. My stomach turned. I tried to pull her away, but she stepped inside, and vanished, like the dark had swallowed her. I screamed her name, over and over, nothing. Jess collapsed behind me, sobbing. I turned and froze. They were everywhere.

A stench hit me then, like rot, like centuries of decay sealed in stone. My stomach turned. I tried to pull her away, but she stepped inside, and vanished, like the dark had swallowed her. I screamed her name, over and over, nothing. Jess collapsed behind me, sobbing. I turned and froze. They were everywhere.

not moving not breathing just standing all around us dozens of them tall thin black as ash their faces hidden beneath thick matted hair their arms hung down to their knees their chests rose and fell with slow quiet precision their eyes glowed silver not like headlights More like wet stone in moonlight. One stepped forward. It didn't make a sound. It knelt beside me and reached out. Not to strike.

not moving not breathing just standing all around us dozens of them tall thin black as ash their faces hidden beneath thick matted hair their arms hung down to their knees their chests rose and fell with slow quiet precision their eyes glowed silver not like headlights More like wet stone in moonlight. One stepped forward. It didn't make a sound. It knelt beside me and reached out. Not to strike.