“Still can’t fucking believe it.” Aiden sighs. The truck comes to a halt, the night's cold air surrounding us. “You wouldn’t do that to her, to anyone. Doesn’t fit.”

The truck’s locked, and the wind is howling in the distance. “Wait, something's off. Look around.” I turn, the usual sight of vacant parking lots replaced by vans and cars. “Weird. More cars than usual, let’s go.” We head inside, shocked to realize the receptionist is reading a book. sitting at his desk. “What are you doing here?” His name tag is slanted, with "Mark" written on it. “My job? Y’know, doing what receptionists do?” He gets up from his chair, handing us empty notes. “Boss is waiting in the security office; he wants to talk.” My body shivers, each limb shaking like a sailor's boat. Something about the boss makes my bones rattle and shiver. No part of mine could tell what exactly it was. However, once we arrive at the security office, he’s sitting on the couch. “Morning, you two,” he says, taking small sips from his coffee mug. “Special assignment today.” Aiden’s gaze meets mine, confusion shared through our connection. “Ever wanted to experience a forest in its engulfing darkness?” 

A warm sensation travels through my body, each nerve more active than ever. “You’re not talking about Ravens Dawn, right?” A subtle smirk leaves Victor’s face. “Mr. Ashcroft, this is crazy. We’re going to get lost.” Aiden’s worried eyes scan the room, pondering about something. “Can’t we just stick to the routine?” Victor grabs our equipment, shoving it into our arms. An imperious smile etched on his eerie face. “Have fun, boys.” We follow other workers along the halls. Each step makes me tremble; we seek the comfort of the building now. The workers gesture us into a car, and we enter. They hand us blindfolds in the silence, broken by our own heartbeats. If it weren’t for the second worker being present, I’d have slipped a tiny inch of the blindfold, just enough to see something. The car ride stretches, each bump only worsening my driving anxiety. The distant callings of the crows draw closer, the gravel now more audible.

“We’ve arrived; we’ll leave you to it.” He coughs, a branch snapping us awake beneath his feet. “20 minutes, that’s our distance.” Then he leaves us, alone, staring into the ocean of trees. The gravel beneath the car crunches once it begins to drive off. “HEY WAIT!” Aiden’s shouts shatter the crushing silence; they didn’t hear him. “Seriously, nothing to orient ourselves.”

We assess our inventory, the dynamo flashlight taking us by surprise.

We’re stranded at the entrance of a forest. I find a stone, its edge sharp enough to cut. The darkness’s presence drags around us like a mist. We remain at the entrance, staring into the ocean of trees. Each direction is indistinguishable from the other. Our eyes scan the darkness, the ground. Then we find a sign, a small box with drilled screws. A clean thread of generous amounts of leading thread is resting in the box. “Perfect, at least something.” 

We anchor the first thread around the tree, then we walk. I used to think monsters wouldn’t exist, but now I can see their claws. Glowing eyes in the distance, staring their prey down. My sixth sense tingles, each snapping twig heightening my angst. The silence is noisier than an orchestra. Aiden walks ahead, his gaze fixed on the ground. “Damn! Everything looks identical.” He throws a twig into the distance, light steps rushing away. We halt, our hearing sharper than a chef's knife. Silence. I carve our initials into each of our checkpointed trees. An insurance plan meant to keep us from remaining lost. “This reminds me of the Hansel and Gretel tale.” We laugh and chuckle, our sounds swallowed by the endless trees. We stumble upon a campsite with makeshift beds scattered around the site.

A dozen pristine strangers' Polaroid photos lay in the fire bowl. I shuffle through the photos, unknown faces staring back. A tower of Polaroid photos remains in the center. Each one of them shows nothing but darkness. A cold shiver runs down my neck. Each of them holds names. People’s names. “What’cha got there?” He stands beside me, his scanning gaze hovering over the photos. “Weird. You should keep ‘em.” He returns the photos and drinking water. “Might come in handy.” I bury all of the Polaroids in the depths of my backpack, ensuring they wouldn’t get lost.

Time doesn’t fly anymore; it’s dragging the seconds. “Check the time; this feels like an eternity.” I gasp, reveling in the shock, “Fuck, only thirty minutes have passed.” Aiden almost snaps. “Fuck, are you serious? Shit.” Twigs and leaves scrunch beneath us, the crow’s cawing now desperate. We follow their noises as we crank our flashlights. 

“Do you hear that?” Aiden's head tilts, waiting for something. “Hallucinate on me now, sure,” I whisper, afraid of drawing unwanted attention. “Don’t fuck around, Ethan.” Leaves rustle behind us, and then he runs off. The thread dropped to the ground. “Aiden?!” Each part of mine freezes, like a slow, paralyzing poison flowing through each of my limbs. I turn in each direction, empty of any presence. 

The cawing of the crows turns silent. The thread feels light in my hands; I have no choice but to keep going. Dread thrives within me. I stand motionless for what must be eternity. Each part of my brain is telling me to run, but then I’d end up lost. In the midst of nowhere, chasing shadows in hopes of finding civilization. My flash of light hovers over the ground, leaves tainted by someone's blood.

Then relief washes over me. Aiden walks towards me. Pale skin, from the fear eating him alive. “Don’t you ever run off like that again. Please, you scared me to death.” He chuckles, his body tense. His smile dropped too fast, fingers twitching from nervousness.

“Sorry about that.” I’m not used to him keeping it brief. “How’d you find me?” he pauses, taking a sip. “Luck.”  A single word. Colder than ice in a glass of whiskey.

“Oh, I know you’re smart, Aiden,” I smile nervously. “This is crazy, just like the first time we met.” His head tilts. “We shouldn’t waste time.” Aiden isn’t one to be serious. He’s cracking sarcastic jokes open like a beer on Friday night. Then he drops the thread: “Hey, wanna end up lost? I’d rather not.” His body turns, placing one hand on my shoulder. “Your turn now.” I pick the thread back up, looking up at him. He smiles too often, at random times, unpredictably. 

Why is Aiden suddenly so weird compared to his usual ways? I stare into the distance, the silhouette of something large resting. We find an abandoned lodge. Overtaken by nature, vines climb over the broken windows, planks of wood leaning against them. The front door is unlocked, creaking as it opens. On the floor are scattered old newspaper articles and rifle cartridges. This must be a hunter's lodge, judging by the cartridges, and on the walls are taxidermied animals. Portrayed by quiet authority. I sit down, resting on a chair. The room around me is empty; he must be in the bedroom exploring. My heart skips a beat. The silence is broken by two knocks, as my anchored eyes remain on the main door. “Ethan? Are you in there?” I open the door as he walks inside. “Why’d you just abandon me?” His eyes look concerned. ”Not cool, seriously; it’s dark.”