Chapter One: Lost and Found.
The trees seemed thicker the deeper they went into the woods. Anna could feel them pressing in, watching. Their branches swayed as if whispering secrets to one another, each creak and rustle filled with mystery.
"Are we even going the right way?" Jake's voice echoed, bouncing back at them as if the trees wanted to keep it for themselves.
Anna looked down at her phone, the GPS signal fading in and out as they wandered further from civilization. She let out a sigh. "Signal's gone. Just... follow the path, okay? We'll figure it out."
Jake groaned. "We should've stayed by the lake, or at least told someone where we were going."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
He shot her a look, but before he could respond, Bella, who'd been leading the way, froze.
"Hey, you guys see that?" she whispered, pointing ahead.
Through the trees, they saw it. At first, it was just a glimmer of something metallic, reflecting the dying light. But as they moved closer, the shapes solidified into structures: wooden houses with faded paint, brick storefronts with glass intact, and—surprisingly—soft light spilling from some of the windows.
"What the…?" Jake muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
"Is this... a town?" Anna asked, half to herself.
It was odd. A village in the middle of nowhere, hidden away and untouched by time. Even stranger, the buildings looked as though they'd been left in perfect condition—no ivy crawling up the walls, no cracked windows, no signs of decay. Everything was preserved, as if waiting.
As they stepped onto the main street, a chill swept over them. An old newspaper fluttered in the breeze, catching Bella's attention. She picked it up and squinted at the date.
"April 17, 1978…" she murmured, her voice almost swallowed by the quiet. "This is... weird."
Jake snorted. "Maybe it's a joke. Someone keeping an old paper around."
But Anna felt her skin prickle. "No, this is more than weird."
They walked past a diner, where tables were neatly set with silverware and glass cups, and into a barbershop with combs and scissors resting on the counter, as if the barber had stepped away for only a moment. Everything looked lived-in but completely abandoned. And the silence… it was as if the town itself was holding its breath.
"Hello?" Bella called out, her voice barely breaking the heavy quiet. The sound bounced off the empty storefronts, vanishing almost immediately.
No answer.
But then Anna saw it: the faintest flicker of movement in the window of a house down the road. It was barely there—almost as if the glass had just caught the last rays of light—but she was sure she'd seen something.
"Did you guys see that?" she asked, her voice dropping to a hush.
They all turned to look, watching the window. The curtain rustled ever so slightly, as though someone were watching them from behind.
"We should leave," Jake whispered, backing up a step.
But Anna, her curiosity burning stronger than her fear, shook her head. "Just one house. Let's see."
They moved closer, approaching the house with cautious steps. As they reached the door, a deep, foreboding silence enveloped them. The air was thick, heavy with an electric charge that made the hairs on the back of Anna's neck stand up. She turned the doorknob, half expecting it to be locked, but it swung open with a low creak.
Inside, they were greeted by a perfectly preserved living room. A small television stood in the corner, and the floral wallpaper had a sheen as if it had been freshly applied. A faint smell of old perfume lingered in the air. Anna moved closer to the television, reaching out a hand to see if it was real when—
Click.
The TV blared to life, and a voice crackled from the speaker, an old game show rerun playing on the screen.
They all jumped, Bella letting out a small shriek. Jake lunged for the TV and turned it off, plunging the room back into eerie silence. But before they could react, footsteps echoed upstairs. Slow, heavy, deliberate.
Anna's heart pounded as she looked at her friends. "I thought… no one was here."
The footsteps continued, moving toward the top of the staircase, which disappeared into shadow. Each step grew louder, as if someone—or something—was making its way down, one creak at a time.
"We need to go," Jake whispered, his voice barely audible.
But as they turned to leave, the door swung shut behind them with a loud bang. The last sliver of daylight vanished, plunging them into darkness.