A man in his mid-thirties lay slumped on a worn-out sofa, a faded poster of a missing girl named Lily clenched in his hand. On the nearby table sat another poster, this one of a missing woman named Laura. A half-eaten sandwich and a coffee mug, stained with dried coffee, sat abandoned. Nearby, a photo frame rested among the clutter, showing the man with the girl and the woman from the posters smiling brightly at the Camera with their eyes full of Happiness.
'Ding dong.'
The doorbell shattered the silence. The man stirred, groaning as he pushed himself off the sofa. His disheveled appearance matched the sense of despair that hung heavy in the air. He shuffled to the door, opened it, and revealed two police officers. Without a word, he stepped aside to let them in, then closed the door behind them.
The younger officer, about the man's age, was the first to speak. "James, why didn't you answer your phone? We've been trying to reach you all night. And when are you going to report back to duty? The Chief's been asking, and while Captain Brooks is covering up now, he can't go for long. It's been two weeks since Laura disappeared, and—"
"Stop," James interrupted, his voice hoarse with exhaustion and frustration. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "Cole, you know why I can't. Because I followed orders, I got shipped off to Macester, and so I lost my daughter."
"Two years! Cole! and I've found nothing. And now, because I followed orders again, I've lost my wife too."
His voice cracked, and tears slid down his face as he clutched the photo frame. His anger flared as he shouted at the officers,
"Two weeks!... It's been two weeks since her disappearance and you're all still keeping me from going into the woods. You know that's where they are. If I could just go in, I might find them. They're still out there!" He pointed towards the area where the woods are and His eyes glazed over as if seeing his wife and daughter were looking at him from the woods and beckoning him to find them soon.
Cole exchanged a look with his partner, Officer Martha White. Both wore the same expression of concern and empathy. Cole had known James for years—he was once a proud, talented officer. Now, here he was a broken man, overwhelmed by grief and guilt, and become a shadow of his past. Cole couldn't deny what James was saying. He, too, believed that the woods held the answers, even though they both knew the risks.
For two years, James had begged and demanded that a search party be sent into those cursed woods. Or allow him to go search for them himself, but his team and captain never allowed him to go alone and have him under house arrest so that he won't do anything stupid like his wife did.
Everyone in this state knew the unspoken rule: don't go into the woods. Those who did were never seen again. James's family wasn't the only case tied to that ominous place.
'Zzzzz.'
Cole's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glancing at the caller ID—Captain Robert Brooks. He answered quickly.
"I know you're with James," the Captain's voice crackled over the line. "Get him to the station. I've just gotten clearance to enter the woods. Be here in ten." The line clicked dead.
Cole felt a rush of nervous excitement. He turned to Martha and then to James, still staring at the photo of his family, lost in thought.
"James," Cole said, his voice more urgent now. "Clean yourself up. You've got a chance. We've got permission to enter into the woods."
James looked up at him, disbelief flashing in his eyes before hope slowly replaced it. After Cole confirmed the news, James sprang into action. Within moments, he was dressed and ready, barely giving Cole time to start the car before urging him to drive faster.
The drive to the station felt like hours, but they arrived, and James rushed out of the car and into Captain Brooks's office. The Captain, sitting behind a cluttered desk, looked up from a stack of papers.
"Captain," James gasped, nearly out of breath. "Is it true? We've got permission to enter into the woods? When are we leaving, and how many are coming?"
Captain Brooks rubbed his forehead as if trying to stave off a headache. "Officer Robbins, it's good to see you reporting in. Yes, it's true. We'll be entering the woods tomorrow at 8 a.m. But before you get your hopes up, understand this: we're going to guard a team of researchers. They'll be collecting samples. This isn't a full-fledged search operation."
James's heart sank. He opened his mouth to argue, but the Captain held up a hand.
"Don't. I fought hard to get this permission. We lost over a hundred of officers the last time we went in there. You know that too. So, don't screw it up. We can search for them, while doing the operation. The rest of the team will be with you, except for Officer Blaze and Officer Greens who will remain in the town for emergency."
James's initial frustration simmered down as reality hit him. This mission wasn't what he had hoped for, but it was something. He nodded, his rationality returning. He exchanged a few more words with the team before heading back home.
At his house, James sat alone, staring at the photo of his family. His fingers traced the edges of the frame, his thoughts distant.
"Just wait for me," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll come for you both."
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for what was to come.