Time: 11:30 AM

Ava adjusted her phone, her fingers brushing over the camera lens as she spoke to her livestream audience. The bright sun bounced off the ocean waves, creating a mesmerizing scene behind her. She could hardly believe how well the signal held up, even this far from the beach. The comments flowed in, filled with excitement and questions.

“Yeah, the network’s amazing out here,” Ava grinned, spinning the camera around to capture the landscape. “Check it out, guys! It’s beautiful, right?”

In the distance, her friends were still lounging by the water, their figures barely visible. She felt a small pang of guilt for wandering off alone, but the thrill of discovery outweighed the thought. Plus, her audience loved it when she went off the beaten path.

“This looks interesting,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing on a faint trail leading away from the beach and deeper into the dense forest. She tilted the camera toward the path, curiosity piqued. “Let’s see where this goes.”

As she ventured deeper, the sounds of the beach faded, replaced by the soft rustling of leaves and distant birds. The canopy above grew denser, casting long shadows across her path. Ava glanced back at her phone to check the live stream. The chat was buzzing with excitement, urging her to keep going.

She stepped carefully, avoiding stray roots, when something caught her eye a flash of metal through the trees.

“What’s that?” she whispered, lowering her voice as she neared.

Up ahead was an old, rusted truck parked on a dirt road. It looked completely out of place as if it had been abandoned years ago. But what sent a chill down her spine were the cages in the back of the truck—cages filled with animals. Except… these animals didn’t look right. Their forms were distorted, and twisted, like something out of a nightmare. Ava’s breath caught in her throat.

Slowly, Ava angled her phone away from the truck. She didn’t want her viewers to see this—at least not yet. She needed to figure out what was going on first. Hands trembling slightly, she snapped a few photos, making sure to stay out of sight.

As she turned to leave, the sound of rustling leaves made her freeze. A woman stepped out from behind a tree, her face pale and her eyes wide with urgency.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the woman whispered, her voice filled with fear. “Leave, now, before it’s too late.”

Ava’s heart raced, but before she could respond, the woman vanished into the trees. It was as though she had never been there. Panic set in, and Ava’s grip on her phone tightened.

“Guys, I think I’m in trouble,” she said quietly to the livestream, trying to keep her voice steady. Her eyes darted around, trying to find the path back, but everything looked different now. She could no longer see the beach.

Suddenly, a loud crunching sound made her whirl around. A man emerged from behind the truck, his face stern and his eyes fixed on her. He wore a dark hat, casting a shadow over his features.

“This area’s restricted,” he said in a deep, commanding voice. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

Without warning, he reached for her phone, his hand moving to turn off the live stream. Ava instinctively pulled it back, her heart thudding in her chest.

“I’m live streaming,” she said quickly, her voice steadying. “And I’m not turning it off.”

The man’s expression darkened as he glanced at the screen, noticing the live feed and the comments from her viewers. For a moment, there was a tense silence. He clearly didn’t like the situation, but with the live stream still running, he hesitated.

“You should leave this area. It’s not safe,” the man said, his voice low and filled with warning. “I’ll take you back,

Ava swallowed, nodding. Her mind raced as she followed him cautiously, her phone held tightly in her hands. She kept the live stream running, feeling the weight of her viewers’ eyes on her. They didn’t know what she had seen. They didn’t know about the strange animals in the cages, but she had proof—photos she had managed to take without him noticing.

The path seemed to shift as they walked, as though the forest was deliberately concealing the way back. Eventually, the trees began to thin, and the familiar sound of waves reached her ears again. Relief flooded her senses, but the questions continued to swirl in her mind.

The man stopped at the edge of the forest, his hand resting on the trunk of a nearby tree. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he repeated, his voice heavy with unspoken meaning. “And you shouldn’t talk about what you saw.”

Ava forced a smile, trying to mask her unease. “Yeah, sure. Thanks for helping me get back.”

He nodded, his eyes lingering on her phone once more. Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the trees, leaving Ava standing alone on the beach. The sound of laughter carried over from the distance, a stark contrast to the tension that had settled in her chest.

She ended the livestream, her hand shaking slightly. The images of those twisted creatures in the cages flashed through her mind. Whatever she had stumbled upon wasn’t normal. It wasn’t safe.

“I need to get out of here," she whispered to herself, her feet already moving.

She had to tell her friends. It wasn’t safe here something was wrong with Zyla Beach.

But as she hurried back, she had no idea that the real nightmare was only beginning…….

                                                                                                                                                                           (Truvale Astra)