The forest had never looked so innocent.
That was what Cam hated most about it.
There were no screams.
No strange noises.
No unnatural fog curling between the trees.
No messages carved into trunks.
No eyes watching from the darkness.
Nothing.
Just trees.
Leaves.
Damp earth.
Birdsong.
The occasional rustle of something small moving through the undergrowth.
It looked like any ordinary forest.
As though nothing had happened.
As though the previous night hadn't swallowed half a group of teenagers whole.
As though there wasn't something waiting somewhere beyond the trees.
Cam pushed a branch away from his face.
"Destiny!"
His voice disappeared into the forest.
No answer.
He turned around.
His father was several yards behind him, flashlight in hand.
His face looked exhausted.
They had been searching since morning.
The first search party had gone in at dawn after the missing students failed to return from the school sleepover.
