The school day crawled to its end, but for Steve and his friends, time felt like it was racing. The decision they had made — to meet at midnight beneath the tall tree and begin their exploration — was heavy in everyone's chest. None of them said it out loud, but each carried a mix of fear and curiosity, like children walking toward a fire, knowing it could burn but unable to resist the warmth.
When the last bell rang, the students poured out of the building in their usual noisy wave, laughing, shouting, running for buses and bikes. But Steve, Liam, Maya, Tom, and Arin lingered behind. They exchanged quick glances in the hall, silent but understanding. This was not a promise they could break.
Steve walked home with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The streets looked ordinary — kids riding cycles, women selling fruits, shopkeepers closing shutters. Yet for Steve, everything had a shadow over it. His mind replayed the dream: that haunting voice, whispering his name. "Steve… save us…" The words echoed so clearly that at times he wondered if it wasn't a dream at all, but someone truly calling for help from another side.
By the time he reached his house, the sun had already started sliding down, bleeding orange into the horizon. His mother asked him to eat, but he shook his head. He wasn't hungry. He locked himself in his room, sat by the window, and stared at the old clock ticking away.
Every minute closer to midnight made his chest heavier.
At 11:45, Steve slipped out of his house. The streets were quiet now. Lamps flickered with a dim yellow glow, moths circling them in restless spirals. Dogs barked somewhere far away, and the rustling of dry leaves followed every step he took.
The tall tree stood on the edge of the old playground, a crooked thing with sprawling branches, its bark rough and dark like burned skin. For decades, children had called it "The Hanging Tree," though no one knew why. Parents told them not to linger near it after dark. Tonight, Steve understood why. Even from a distance, the tree seemed alive, watching him.
Liam was the first to arrive. He leaned against the tree trunk, his face hidden under the shadow of his hoodie. "You came," Liam said, his voice low but steady.
"Of course," Steve replied, though his throat was dry.
One by one, the others joined — Maya clutching a small flashlight, Arin holding a notebook and pen as if this was some research project, and Tom with a nervous grin, trying to mask his fear with jokes.
"So, here we are," Tom said, looking around. "Midnight under a creepy tree. Perfect idea."
"Don't joke," Maya whispered sharply. "It's not funny anymore."
Arin opened his notebook. "We need a plan. If what Steve says is true, if there really is something calling him… then we must figure out where it leads."
Steve nodded slowly. "The voice didn't say much. Only my name… and that one phrase. Save us. But I think… I think it's connected to what's been happening in the city."
Liam crossed his arms. "Then we should start with the places where the incidents happened. The abandoned house by the river. The burned church. The empty hospital ward."
As he spoke, a sudden gust of cold wind rushed through them, shaking the branches overhead. The tree groaned as though something had pushed it. Maya shivered and pulled her jacket tighter.
"Did you feel that?" she whispered.
"Yes," Steve answered, his eyes fixed on the moving branches. "And it begins."
They stood in silence for a moment, the night pressing around them. The air was damp, filled with the smell of earth and rot. Somewhere nearby, an owl hooted, its call sharp and lonely.
Tom broke the silence. "So… which place do we check first?"
"The hospital," Liam said firmly. "It's closest. And it's been shut down for years. People still say they hear screams from inside."
Steve took a deep breath. "Then it's decided. We start with the hospital."
But before they could move, a mocking voice came from the darkness.
"Well, well… look who's having a secret meeting."
They turned sharply. Raihan and two of his bully friends stepped out from behind the trees. His smirk was wide, eyes glinting under the moonlight.
"You kids really think you're ghost hunters?" Raihan laughed. "What are you planning, to catch spirits in jars?"
Steve clenched his fists but didn't speak. He remembered the last time — how Raihan had mocked him, how Liam had defended him.
Raihan walked closer, circling them like a predator. "Or maybe… you're just too scared to sleep alone at night?"
Liam stepped forward, his presence sharp, like a wall between Raihan and the group. "Leave us, Raihan. This isn't your game."
But Raihan leaned in closer, his breath foul. "Or what? You'll kick me again? Maybe this time I'll bring more boys. We'll see who runs."
For a moment, the tension was ready to explode. Steve's heart hammered, but then he remembered the voice in his dream. Save us. Fighting Raihan now wasn't the way.
"Let's go," Steve said quickly. "Ignore him. We don't have time."
Liam hesitated, but nodded. The group walked away, leaving Raihan behind. Yet as they moved into the night, Raihan shouted after them:
"You're all fools! One day, you'll regret messing with things you don't understand!"
His laughter echoed, but then faded as the distance grew.
The hospital loomed at the end of the road, its walls cracked and covered in vines, windows shattered like broken eyes. A rusted gate creaked as the wind pushed it.
Maya held the flashlight tightly, her hands trembling. "This… this place is worse than I imagined."
Steve stared at the building. His stomach churned, but he forced his legs forward. "We need to go inside."
They stepped over broken glass, their footsteps crunching against the silence. The flashlight beam cut through the dark halls, revealing peeling paint, abandoned stretchers, and doors hanging crooked.
Every sound was amplified — the drip of water, the squeak of rats, their own shallow breaths.
Tom whispered, "I don't like this… not one bit."
Suddenly, a sound echoed from the far end of the corridor. A whisper. Soft, fragile, but clear.
"…Steve…"
Steve froze. His skin crawled, every hair on his body rising. The others looked at him, eyes wide.
"Did you… hear that?" Maya whispered.
Steve's lips trembled. "Yes. It called me."
The voice came again, this time louder. "…Save us…"
The flashlight flickered, then died. Darkness swallowed them whole.
Maya screamed softly, fumbling with the light. Liam grabbed Steve's arm, pulling him closer. "Stay together. Don't move."
But Steve could feel it — something was there with them. Watching. Waiting. The air grew colder, thick with an unseen weight. He could almost hear breathing behind him, slow and heavy.
And then, out of the shadows, a shape moved.