They stepped through the main gate, Bluestone Wild Forest carved deep into the stone arch above them. Beyond it, the reception zone buzzed—tickets flashing, scanners beeping, staff trying (and failing) to control the flow.
The first thing that hit them? The crowd.
Not just busy—packed. People flooded the paths like it was a concert, costumes everywhere—witch hats, fake blood, glowing masks. For a forest, it felt… wrong. Too loud. Too alive.
Then again—October 31st.
Halloween.
And Bluestone had a reputation.
Alex scanned the crowd carefully, looking for the girls, it took some time but finally he found them . "I've spotted them," he called, raising a hand to wave.
A strawberry-blonde girl waved back instantly. The two girls beside her laughed—one with jet-black hair, the other barely looking up from her phone.
Jacob leaned in, nudging Sebastian. "She's… pretty," he muttered, clearly gearing up to say something worse.
Alex didn't even look at him. "Don't. Say anything stupid, Jacob. And Seb—don't do anything stupid either. It took effort to get them to come."
Both of them nodded like their lives depended on it.
They moved fast, slipping through the crowd until they reached the girls.
"Hey—these are my bros. Jacob, and this is Sebastian," Alex said.
Two of the girls waved.
The third one didn't even look up.
"Hi! I'm Ava. Nice to finally meet you guys," the strawberry-blonde said, smiling like she actually meant it. "This is Sarah… and the rude one over there is Chloe."
"Hi," Sarah and Chloe said at the same time.
Chloe still didn't look up.
Ava had that kind of presence you notice without trying. Loose waves, bright eyes, a smile that felt… dangerous in a fun way. Like she'd dare you to do something stupid just to see what happens.
Yeah. That tracks.
Sebastian nodded slowly. As expected of Alex…
Chloe, meanwhile, looked like she had her life together—and yours too, if you got in her way. Clean bob cut, sharp features, calm expression. The kind of person who'd roast you without raising her voice.
And Sarah—
Sarah looked perfect.
In a loud way… polished. Every detail intentional. Her smile was warm, soft—like she was trying to make everyone comfortable.
Sebastian and Jacob exchanged a quick glance.
Oh, it was on.
"Okay," Alex cut in quickly, clapping once. "Let's not make this weird. Lets begin organizing."
He cleared his throat and—unfortunately—Began acting scholarly.
"We're heading into the forest. Not for wildlife—most of the interesting stuff is restricted anyway. This is about courage. Adrenaline. And—" he gestured at the girls like he was presenting a prize show "—excellent company."
Sebastian physically felt his soul leave his body.
Bro. No.
Alex kept going like he was on stage. "We're splitting into pairs. Balanced teams. No double cowards."
He pointed.
"Jacob and Ava."
Jacob blinked. "Huh?"
"She's brave," Alex said simply.
Sebastian didn't even process the rest until—
"Seb, you're with Chloe. I'll take Sarah."
…Of course.
Fantastic. of course I get this one.
"For safety," Alex continued, now serious. "Walkie-talkies stay on. They've got proximity beacons—the closer we are, the faster they beep. No signal out here, and deeper in…" He paused. "It gets weird."
He handed out maps.
"Red zones—don't go. Public zones—if you're lost. Private zones—off-limits. One hour. Meet back here. Take pictures of anything creepy. The weirder it is, the more points."
He grinned. "Losers pay for the next outing."
Everyone nodded.
"Let's go."
They split up at the barrier.
Jacob shot Sebastian one last smug grin.
Sebastian returned it with a dead stare.
Die.
Sebastian's POV
I crouched down, map spread out, pen in hand.
If we're doing this, we're doing it right.
"What are you doing?"
I looked up.
Chloe.
Phone finally gone.
"Marking spots that might actually be creepy," I said. "I'm Seb, by the way."
"I know," she replied.
…Cool.
"Uh—want to help?"
She didn't answer. Just took the map.
And then—started circling.
Fast.
Way too fast.
Like she'd already memorized the place.
Then she just… walked off.
With my map.
"…Huh?" I blinked. "Wait—hold on—"
(╬≖_≖) Yeah. No. Absolutely not.
"Wait for me!" I jogged after her, the air began feeling colder the further we moved in.
"Can I see the map?" I asked, catching up.
"Do you need it?" she said casually.
…
Do I need it?
I grabbed it back.
Looked down.
Paused.
"…Why are all your circles in the red zones?" I asked slowly.
"So?" she shrugged. "That's where the creepy stuff is."
I stared at her. "Those are danger zones."
"Exactly."
…
"Don't worry," she added. "Where we're going first? That's the worst one. The others are basically nothing."
I just looked at her.
"Yeah. No. I'm not going," I said flatly. "You go ahead. I choose life."
I turned—
—and the map was gone again.
I didn't even feel her take it.
"The map is for exploration," she said, walking ahead. "Go back if you want. We're still near the entrance."
I exhaled slowly.
Okay. Breathe.
No one can blame me for surviving.
I switched on my flashlight and took a step—
—and froze.
Something moved.
Between the trees.
Fast.
Humanoid looking.
Cold sweat hit instantly.
Nope.
Nope nope nope.
I ran after her.
"WAIT—!" I caught up, slightly out of breath. "You just left your knight behind? are you crazy."
She glanced at me. "Why are you back?"
"Afraid?" she added, smirking.
"No," I said immediately. "I came back to protect you."...
"…Also I swear on your life I saw something back there."
"Excuses," she said.
"EXCUSES?? am telling you I saw something!"
I pointed behind us like that would help my case.
She tilted her head, completely calm. "Should we check it out? Could be worth points."
…
Even monks would lose enlightenment dealing with this.
"Do you watch horror movies?" I grabbed her shoulder lightly and turned her forward. "We do not check it out. That's how people die."
She didn't argue.
Just… walked.
Fast.
she didn't seem frightened by my observation. Perhaps because she didn't see it.
We pushed deeper until the trees opened into a clearing.
And just like that—
That suffocating feeling vanished.
The air felt lighter. Warmer.
Quiet.
Chloe slowed.
"It's… beautiful," she murmured.
I looked around.
Then back at her.
Frowning.
"…A bit too beautiful, don't you think?"