The sound of the footsteps was thunderous—each step reverberating through the dense, dark forest like the slow, methodical tolling of a death bell. The ground beneath them trembled with every footfall, shaking the brittle leaves and loose dirt. Whatever was behind them, it was massive, and it was closing in fast.
"Run!" someone shouted, their voice frantic and breathless, barely audible over the cacophony of panicked footsteps. The group was no longer cohesive, the desperation to survive driving them in every direction. "Keep the kids in front!" another voice hollered. "Get the kids up front and carry them if you have to!"
The children's cries were drowned out by the chaos. Some of the smaller ones were scooped up by adults, held tight against heaving chests. "Faster!" yelled one of the teens, his voice cracking as he sprinted ahead, glancing over his shoulder in fear. "We need to run faster!"
"No!" a woman's voice called out, panicked. "Slow down! There are people falling behind!" Her words were swallowed by the thunderous footsteps, the tremors in the ground growing more violent with each passing second.
Ethan ran near the middle of the group, his lungs burning, his chest rising and falling with every strained breath. His muscles screamed in protest as he forced them to keep moving, to keep up with the others. Sweat dripped down his brow, stinging his eyes, but the fear pumping through his veins kept him going.
Damn it, he thought bitterly, the curse echoing in his mind. He wasn't fast enough. I'm too slow… too damn slow.
He could see it. Most of the group was faster than him, their bodies propelled by fear and adrenaline, their legs moving with desperate speed. Ethan, though, lagged behind, his legs feeling heavier with each step. His breathing was ragged, his vision blurred by exhaustion and terror. He wasn't built for this—he had never been a great runner, never had the stamina to keep up in situations like this. And now, with the weight of fear pressing down on him and the relentless pursuit of whatever creature was behind them, he felt himself slowing down, despite the panic that clawed at his chest.
Behind him, the footsteps grew louder, their pace increasing. Whatever was chasing them was faster. Stronger. Its footsteps shook the ground, each impact causing a momentary loss of balance with every step they took. The sound of trees creaking and branches snapping filled the air, as if the forest itself was being torn apart by the creature's movement.
His mind flashed back to the moment they started hearing it, feeling it, those Tremors.
...….
Moments Prior
As they rested around the flickering white flame—nothing but a temporary refuge from the horrors of the dark forest—Ethan's mind wandered back to Thomas. His small figure, lost and terrified. He imagined how it must have felt to be that boy, alone, scared. His breath caught in his throat as he thought about how the creature had taken advantage of Thomas's fear, cornered him, devoured him—and the group hadn't even heard his screams. A chill crept over Ethan's spine as he pictured it again, the image of Thomas's hat lodged in the grotesque mouth of that monster.
He looked up at the sky, or what he thought was the sky—only to be met with an endless expanse of black fog. It seemed to close in, suffocating them under its heavy, oppressive blanket. Ethan gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, and cursed under his breath. His thoughts were swirling like the mist around him. He glanced over at Ryan, who lay on the ground, shaken and pale. The boy's hollow expression told Ethan everything he needed to know—Ryan wasn't any closer to processing the horror than he was.
Ethan's gaze shifted toward the rest of the group, huddled tightly around the flickering flame that barely illuminated their faces. Some of the adults looked blank, drained, while others nervously watched the shadows beyond the firelight, as if expecting the nightmare creature to return at any moment. The children clung to the adults, shivering more from fear than from the cold. No one felt safe, not even for a moment.
Ethan's thoughts turned inward, his mind racing with theories about where they were. This place, this twisted reality—he knew it wasn't Earth. That much was obvious now. He had considered the possibility of some sort of mass drugging, maybe they were all trapped in some horrifying asylum. But no… that didn't add up either. The creature, the forest, the way they had arrived here—there was something supernatural at play. He shook his head, deciding to lean toward his first theory. They weren't on Earth anymore. Whatever this place was, it didn't follow the same rules. He had seen too much already to believe otherwise.
Before Ethan could follow that thought further, Ryan stirred. The boy sat up slowly, his hands trembling as they reached for the ground beneath him. Ethan's eyes narrowed, watching Ryan's reaction carefully. The boy placed his palm flat on the ground, and his face grew even paler.
Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he saw Ryan's expression. Something was wrong.
Ryan placed both palms on the ground now, his hands shaking as they pressed against the dirt. His eyes widened, his face twisted in a mixture of confusion and fear. Slowly, Ryan turned his head and locked eyes with Ethan.
Ethan's stomach dropped. He swallowed hard and, feeling a knot tighten in his gut, knelt down and pressed his hand to the ground. At first, there was nothing. But then, a small tremor—a faint vibration. He thought it was just his own trembling at first, maybe his body reacting to exhaustion or fear. But no, this was different. It was real. A tremor. A steady, rhythmic vibration coming from deep within the earth.
His heart skipped a beat. Placing his other hand firmly on the ground, Ethan felt it again. The tremor. It was bigger this time, more distinct.
Ryan's wide eyes met his again, and Ethan could see the fear mirrored there. Something big was coming. Something bigger than the creature they had encountered earlier. He didn't have time to dwell on the thought. He didn't want to. His instincts kicked in.
Both of them stood slowly, their legs shaking beneath them, but their gazes were fixed on the opening—the shadowy gap in the trees that led into the endless, fog-covered forest. That's where the tremors were coming from.
Another tremor. Bigger. Closer. The faint rustling of leaves echoed in the distance, followed by the snapping of branches. Ethan's chest rose and fell rapidly, the rhythm of his breathing completely out of sync with his racing heart. Ryan took a step back, his face still drained of all color, and Ethan followed, mimicking his movements. They backed away from the opening, their eyes never leaving the spot where the darkness seemed to deepen.
One of the adults noticed their retreat. "What's wrong?" the man asked, standing up and brushing the dirt from his pants. His question was answered only by a sharp "shh" from Ethan. The man frowned and looked to Troy, who was sitting nearby, still resting from their earlier sprint. Troy noticed Ethan and Ryan's strange behavior and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing their actions.
Troy then looked down at Ethan's hand, which was trembling, his index finger pointing toward the ground. The older man crouched down and placed his own palm against the dirt. He frowned. It was hard to see anything with the black fog swirling around them, but then he noticed it—a single leaf on the ground, bouncing ever so slightly.
Troy's eyes widened, and he straightened up quickly. "I feel it," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's coming."
The tremor grew stronger, more pronounced. The snapping of trees and undergrowth came from deeper within the forest. Whatever it was—whatever was causing these tremors—it was massive.
The rest of the group started noticing now, the subtle shaking of the ground beneath their feet. They stood up, their eyes filled with dread. The children, still huddled close to the adults, whimpered softly, their small hands clutching at whatever fabric they could grab. The makeshift fire flickered as the tremors intensified, causing the flames to dance wildly in the fog.
"What the hell is that?" one of the teens muttered, his voice barely concealing his fear.
Ryan swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he replied. "Something big… too big. Bigger than the creature from before." The thought made Ethan's stomach churn with nausea. He clenched his fists, trying to control his panic.
Ethan turned to Ryan, whispering urgently. "We need to get back to the group. Now."
But before either of them could move, the tremor surged again, nearly knocking them off balance. Both boys stumbled, dropping to their knees as the ground seemed to heave beneath them. The others in the group were knocked off balance as well, struggling to keep their footing.
The sound of the approaching creature grew louder now. The trees groaned and snapped as if they were being torn apart by some immense force. The leaves swirled through the air, whipped up by a sudden gust of wind that carried with it a smell—foul, rotten, like decay.
Ethan's pulse quickened, his chest tightening with fear. He didn't know what was coming, but he knew it was bad. Really bad.
"What do we do?" one of the adults asked, his voice trembling as he glanced between Ethan, Troy, and the rest of the group.
Troy's face was grim, his eyes locked on the opening where the sounds of destruction were growing louder. "We run," he said quietly, but with urgency. "Now."
There was no time to argue. No time to think. The group scrambled to their feet, gathering the children as quickly as they could. Ethan pushed himself up, his legs wobbling beneath him as he looked toward the black fog that seemed to consume everything around them. The sound of the trees breaking was almost deafening now, and the ground was shaking so hard it felt like it might split apart.
"Go!" Troy shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. "Run!"
The group didn't need to be told twice. They bolted, sprinting through the clearing and into the depths of the dark forest. The children were carried by the adults, their small cries drowned out by the chaos around them. The teens, pale and terrified, ran as fast as their legs would carry them, their breaths ragged and uneven.
Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he ran, his feet hitting the ground with desperate force. His mind raced with thoughts of the creature that was chasing them, of Thomas, of Ryan's pale, haunted face. But none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was survival.
...…..
Present Time
Ethan's breathing was rampant as he ran. 'We can't outrun this thing…' he thought, his breath catching in his throat as he stumbled slightly, nearly falling to his knees. He pushed the thought away as quickly as it came, forcing his legs to move faster, to keep going. We have to keep going.
Ahead of him, the group was in a frenzy, their movements erratic as they tried to stay ahead of the unseen threat. The children, though terrified, were clutching onto the adults who carried them, their small faces buried in shoulders or chests, trying to shut out the horror of the situation. Some of the teens had taken up the rear, pushing the others forward, their eyes wide with terror.
The ground shook harder, the footsteps so close now that it felt like the creature was just behind them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Ethan's heart raced as he felt the tremors beneath his feet grow more intense. His muscles screamed for him to stop, but he couldn't. None of them could.
And then, just as suddenly as the chaos began, the group burst into a clearing—open space, no longer choked by the thick trees and tangled roots of the forest. The night sky, still dark and endless, loomed above them like a black curtain. For a brief, fleeting moment, there was silence.
Everyone stopped, gasping for breath, their legs buckling under the strain. Ethan bent forward, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, his lungs burning from the exertion. The group was scattered across the clearing, some collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, others standing rigid, their eyes darting toward the trees behind them, waiting for the monster to emerge.
The footsteps… had stopped.
For a moment, all was quiet. The air was thick with tension, the only sounds their ragged breathing and the occasional sob from one of the children.
Ethan stood up slowly, his heart still racing, his mind spinning. What was that thing? Why had it stopped? He exchanged nervous glances with Troy, the older man who had taken charge earlier. Troy's face was slick with sweat, his chest heaving as he wiped a hand across his brow.
"We can't stay here," Troy muttered, his voice low, as though afraid to speak too loudly. "Whatever that thing was… it's still out there."
"But it's stopped," one of the teens said, his voice quivering. "Maybe… maybe it gave up?"
"No," Ethan interjected, shaking his head. "It's still there. Waiting." His eyes darted back to the forest. The trees loomed like silent sentinels, their branches swaying gently in the faint breeze, but Ethan knew better. The creature was still watching. Still hunting.
Troy nodded grimly. "We have to keep moving. We don't know how much time we have."
But no one moved. They were all too exhausted, too shaken. The children huddled together, clinging to the adults, their wide eyes filled with fear. One of the women, the same one who had tried to comfort the kids earlier, now sat on the ground, holding a small boy close to her chest. The boy's face was buried in her shoulder, but his small body shook with quiet sobs. "Are we gonna die here?" he whimpered, his voice so small and fragile that it broke Ethan's heart.
The woman didn't answer, her own tears barely held back. She looked at Troy, her eyes pleading for answers, for reassurance, but he had none to give. None of them did.
"We need to move," Troy said again, this time more forcefully, though his voice was still low. "We can't stay in one place. That thing will catch up."
One of the other adults, a wiry man with thinning hair and wide, frantic eyes, shook his head violently. "We can't keep running!" he shouted, his voice rising with panic. "We're just running in circles! We don't even know where we're going!"
The group tensed, the argument that had been simmering beneath the surface now threatening to boil over. "And what do you suggest?" Troy snapped, his patience frayed. "That we stay here and wait for whatever that thing is to find us?"
The man faltered, his eyes darting toward the trees, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for words. "I… I don't know," he stammered. "I don't know!"
"That's enough!" Ethan barked, his voice loud and sharp, cutting through the rising tension. Everyone turned to look at him, their faces pale and tired. "We don't have time for this! Whatever is out there is still hunting us, and if we stay here, it's going to catch up. We have to keep moving."
There was silence for a moment, the weight of Ethan's words settling over them like a heavy cloud. Finally, one of the teens spoke up, her voice shaky but determined. "He's right. We can't stay here."
Troy nodded and motioned for everyone to get up, to start moving again. "We'll rest when we know we're safe," he said, his voice softer now. "But for now, we move."
Reluctantly, the group began to gather themselves, their bodies still weak from exhaustion, but fear drove them forward. The children were lifted once again, carried by the adults, and the teens moved into position, helping where they could.
Ethan, still catching his breath, took one last look at the forest behind them. The silence was deafening, the absence of those heavy footsteps unnerving. Whatever was out there hadn't given up. It was waiting. Watching. And it would strike again when they least expected it.
"Let's go," Ethan muttered to himself, pushing forward to join the group.
A few moments earlier, the group had been sitting in this very clearing, trying to decide what to do next. After narrowly escaping the grotesque, milky-eyed creature, they had huddled together, desperate for a plan. That was when the topic of Thomas came up.
Ethan and Troy had exchanged looks, both knowing they couldn't keep the truth from the others any longer. The fate of the little boy—what Ryan had seen in the creature's mouth—had to be told.
As Ethan spoke, recounting the brutal truth of what Ryan had seen, the reactions were immediate. Gasps of fear echoed through the clearing, followed by the sound of someone retching violently to the side. Others sat in stunned silence, their faces drained of color, their eyes wide with disbelief.
One of the adults, a woman who had been holding one of the children, stood suddenly, her hands trembling. "Thomas…" she whispered, shaking her head. "He's… he's gone."
The realization hit them all at once. This place, this nightmare realm they had been thrust into, didn't care about who or what they were. Man, woman, child—it didn't matter. There was no mercy here, no safety. The creature had taken Thomas, and it would take the rest of them too if they didn't find a way out.
Now, as the group moved through the clearing, Ethan felt the weight of that knowledge pressing down on him. Thomas had been a child—innocent, defenseless—and he had been devoured by that thing. They had all been trying to run, but now it seemed like they were just delaying the inevitable.
The footsteps returned.
Loud. Aggressive. Closer than before.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, and the group broke into a sprint once more. There was no time for thought, no time for plans. They had to keep running. And pray that whatever was following them wouldn't catch up.