Time: 02:45 PM

The operator stood helplessly by the booth, his face pinched in confusion as the group huddled together, tension rippling between them. The missing woman, Samera, was on everyone’s mind, but confusion only deepened as the operator insisted no one had been sent out alone.

“I’m telling you, no one goes out alone. We’ve got strict protocols,” the operator repeated, his voice growing more defensive. “If she was on a boat, she wasn’t supposed to be.”

Ignatius clenched his fists at his sides, his voice taut with frustration. “But she was there. We saw her. You’re saying she just appeared out of nowhere?”

The operator’s eyes darted nervously. “I don’t know what to tell you, man,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “I’ll report it to security, but if you’re looking for someone who was out there alone, they weren’t from our group.”

Rai, who had been standing silently with his hands resting on his bag, lifted his head. “Wait. The drone.”

Everyone turned toward him as he pulled out his tablet and tapped on the screen. “We can use my drone to search for her. It’s still out there... or at least, I think it is.”

Dionna blinked, her eyebrows furrowed. “The drone? You think that’s going to help us find Samera?”

“It’s better than waiting for security to stumble in,” Rai said, his voice steady. “The camera has a high-resolution feed. If she’s anywhere near the cliffs or the beach, it might pick her up. I had it flying pretty far before the signal cut out.”

Ava’s stomach twisted as she thought of the forest again. She hadn’t told anyone yet about what she’d seen there—those strange animals, the truck, the man who warned her—but she nodded in agreement. “It’s worth a try. We can cover more ground with the drone than by walking.”

Ignatius glanced at Rai, concern flickering in his eyes. “You sure it’ll work? The last thing we need is another wild goose chase.”

“I can try to reconnect,” Rai said, already tapping furiously at the screen. “Give me a minute.”

Everyone watched anxiously as Rai worked, his fingers moving quickly over the controls. The wind rustled the palm trees nearby, the faint scent of saltwater lingering in the air. A wave crashed in the distance, but no one paid attention to it—their eyes were locked on the tablet in Rai’s hands.

Static flickered on the screen, and then a grainy aerial view of the cliffs appeared, the camera sweeping across jagged edges and the dense forest beyond.

“I got it!” Rai exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. “The feed’s back. The connection’s weak, but it’s something.”

Zaire let out a breath of relief. “Well, that’s a start.”

Rai guided the drone’s camera across the cliffside, angling it toward the forest. The live feed showed thick clusters of trees casting long, eerie shadows over the ground. The cliffs rose like jagged teeth in the distance, sharp against the afternoon sun, which was beginning to sink lower.

“Come on, come on,” Rai muttered, steering the drone closer to the forest canopy.

The group crowded around the tablet, their faces tense as the drone flew farther inland. Ava’s heart raced as the camera panned over the same forest she’d ventured into earlier. Her pulse quickened as images of the rusted truck, the twisted animals, and the strange man flashed in her mind. She felt the hairs on her arms rise as the drone drew closer to the dark treeline.

“Anything?” Ignatius asked, his voice tight with anticipation.

“Not yet,” Rai replied, his focus intense. “But I’m going to sweep the area where we last saw her. If she’s still out here, we should pick her up.”

Ava’s mind raced, the knot in her stomach tightening. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. More than just Samera’s disappearance—it was as if the whole area was... off.

The drone flew over a clearing near the cliffs, and Dionna’s voice suddenly cut through the tension. “Wait. What’s that?”

The camera zoomed in on a small patch of ground at the edge of the forest. A flash of blue stood out against the dark foliage.

“That’s her dress,” Ava whispered, her heart sinking into her stomach. “That’s Samera’s dress.”

A silence fell over the group. The drone hovered over the crumpled dress, half-buried in the sand, with a single sandal lying a few feet away.

“But where is she?” Zaire muttered, his voice laced with unease.

Rai lowered the drone closer, sweeping the camera over the area around the dress. But there was no sign of Samera. The clearing was empty, save for the discarded clothes.

Ava swallowed hard. “This... this isn’t right. Where could she have gone?”

Dionna’s eyes flickered between the screen and the forest. Her voice was trembling. “We need to leave. This is too much. We’re not equipped for this.”

“No,” Rai said, his voice firm. “We’re not leaving yet. Not until we find her. We owe it to her to at least try.”

“But what if she’s—” Dionna began, her voice shaky, but Ignatius cut her off.

“We can’t just abandon her,” he said, his eyes hard with determination. “If that was her dress, then she was out here. We need to keep looking.”

Zaire rubbed his temples, clearly torn. “But how? We’ve got nothing. The drone isn’t showing anything else. Do we just wander into the forest and hope for the best?”

Ava’s pulse quickened as she remembered the eerie warning from the man she’d encountered earlier. You shouldn’t be here... leave before it’s too late.

Her voice was shaky as she spoke. “I think something—or someone—is in that forest. Whatever it is, it’s not safe. I saw things when I went in earlier. Twisted animals, a strange man who didn’t want me to record anything. We have to be careful.”

Rai looked at her, wide-eyed. “Ava, why didn’t you tell us before?”

“I didn’t have a chance,” she admitted, her heart thudding. “Everything’s been happening so fast.”

Ignatius’s face darkened. “So you think something’s hiding in the forest? Something that took her?”

Ava nodded slowly, dread curling in her chest. “Yes. And I don’t think they want us to find out what it is.”

The weight of her words pressed down on the group. Rai exhaled deeply, lowering the tablet as the drone’s feed showed nothing but empty forest. The tension was suffocating. Whatever had taken Samera didn’t want to be found.

“We have to make a decision,” Rai said, his voice steady but strained. “We can keep searching, or we can get out of here and find help.”

Dionna shook her head, stepping back. “I say we leave. This is too dangerous.”

Zaire crossed his arms, glancing toward the darkened forest. “But if we leave now, we might never know what happened to her.”

Ignatius’s gaze hardened, his voice resolute. “We stay. We’re not leaving her behind.”

Ava felt a surge of fear as she looked at her friends, all standing on the edge of something they didn’t understand. The shadows of the forest loomed large behind them, hiding secrets she wasn’t sure they were ready to uncover.

But one thing was certain—they couldn’t turn back now.