The engine hums steadily as the car cruises down the highway, its tires cutting through the warm summer asphalt. Evie, hands steady on the steering wheel, glances in the rearview mirror at her friends. Kyle, sprawled in the backseat, is already mid-nap, his head resting on a bundled-up jacket. Sophie, sitting beside him, scrolls lazily through her phone, earbuds drowning out the car's background noise.

Jason, in the passenger seat, looks over at Evie. "We're really doing this, huh?" His tone carries a mix of excitement and disbelief, the type of energy that always follows the beginning of an adventure.

Evie cracks a smile. "Relax, it's just a weekend getaway. We'll be back before you even have time to miss your bed." Her words are light, but deep down, there's a flicker of something—a feeling she can't quite place. Maybe it's the strange route the GPS suggested or the offhand comments from locals about how desolate the area ahead would be. But she brushes it off. They needed this. A break from the grind, a chance to unwind before senior year kicks in.

.....

As Evie drives, her mind wanders. She thinks about the stress she's been under—work piling up, the pressure of figuring out what's next after school. The trip was supposed to be a relief, a way to get away from all that, but she can't shake the nagging feeling that something's off.

'It's just nerves', she reassures herself. 'It's not like anything bad's going to happen out here in the middle of nowhere.'

Meanwhile, Jason glances out the window, watching the landscape blur by. For him, this trip is more about escape than relaxation. He's tired of everyone's expectations—parents, teachers, even his friends. They think they know what's best for him, what path he should take after school. But what if he doesn't want any of it?

.

.

.

"Are we there yet?" Kyle groans from the backseat, breaking the silence.

"Dude, we just left like an hour ago," Jason says, turning around to face him. "You really need a nap that bad?"

Kyle opens one eye and smirks. "I'm just conserving my energy for when we actually get to the cabin. Someone's gotta be the life of the party."

Sophie pulls out one earbud, her eyebrow raised. "You mean the life of your own party. Pretty sure the rest of us just want to chill and not watch you go on a three-day drinking spree."

Kyle shrugs. "To each their own."

Evie chuckles softly. These small exchanges keep the mood light, despite her lingering unease. She notices the road narrowing ahead, trees lining both sides, growing denser as they move further away from the familiar cityscape.

As the car drives deeper into the countryside, the road becomes more secluded. The GPS starts flickering, recalculating every few minutes, guiding them onto paths that don't look like they've been traveled in years.

Evie glances at the screen, her grip tightening on the wheel. "Is it just me, or does this place look… forgotten?" She says it half-jokingly, but there's a ring of truth to her words. The pavement is cracked in places, weeds pushing through, as if nature has been slowly reclaiming what's left.

Jason leans forward, squinting at the surroundings. "It's probably just an old route. We're taking the scenic way, remember?"

But even as he says it, there's something about the landscape that feels wrong. The trees, tall and looming, seem to block out more and more of the sky. The road bends unexpectedly, curving in ways that feel unnatural, almost forced.

Suddenly, the radio crackles. It's faint at first, just a bit of static that disrupts the soft tunes playing. Then, without warning, the music cuts out completely, replaced by a strange, low hum.

"Did the signal drop?" Sophie frowns, looking up from her phone. "That's weird. We shouldn't be out of range yet

Evie reaches for the dial, twisting it back and forth, but nothing happens. The hum continues, growing louder. She turns it off, her unease growing into something more solid. "It's probably the storm coming in. There's supposed to be rain later, right?"

Jason pulls out his phone, checking the weather app. But his screen only shows an error. "No service," he mutters. "That's odd. We're not that far out yet."

Kyle stirs in the backseat, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What's going on? Why's everyone so tense?"

.

.

.

Ahead, the road forks. The GPS stutters again, finally landing on the right side. "Turn here," the robotic voice insists.

Evie hesitates. "This doesn't seem right. Shouldn't we be staying on the main road?"

Jason shrugs. "Trust the GPS. It's probably cutting through to the cabin."

The group shares a look, but Evie, always the responsible one, turns the wheel, guiding them onto the narrow path. The road is even worse here—potholes, cracks, and overgrown bushes scraping against the sides of the car. The air feels different too, thicker, like a storm's brewing just beyond the horizon.

....

As they drive further, the clouds darken overhead. The once lighthearted atmosphere in the car is now overshadowed by tension. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the trees seem to press in closer, their branches hanging low like skeletal arms reaching for the car.

Sophie turns to Evie. "You sure this is the right way?"

Evie glances at the GPS, but it's gone blank. The screen is black, unresponsive. Her heart skips a beat, but she forces a smile. "Yeah… we'll get there. Just a little detour."

But deep down, something tells her that they've strayed far from where they were meant to be.

.

.

.

The first heavy raindrops hit the windshield. As Evie switches on the wipers, the lights on the dashboard flicker, and the engine gives a brief stutter. The road ahead is barely visible, shrouded in fog and rain. In the distance, a shadowy figure stands at the edge of the road, watching them as they pass by.