THAT WOMAN

The sound of footsteps grew louder as the group followed the trail that led them to a clearing in the dense forest. In the center of the clearing stood an old, abandoned mansion. The windows were boarded up and the paint on the walls was peeling off, giving the mansion an eerie appearance. The group stopped in front of the mansion and looked up at the towering structure, unsure of what to do next.

Peter stepped forward, breaking the silence. "Well, this is it. This is what we came for."

Liam looked uneasy. "Are we really going to go inside? This place looks like it's been abandoned for years."

James scoffed. "Come on, Liam. Don't be such a scaredy-cat. It's just a rundown old house."

Ahmed looked thoughtful. "I don't know. There's something about this place that feels off."

Hannah shivered. "I agree with Ahmed. It's giving me the creeps."

Maidy chimed in. "I think we should turn back. This doesn't feel safe."

Debby rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Where's your sense of adventure? This is exactly the kind of thing we came for."

Suzanne, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going in there. It's not worth the risk."

Paratha nodded in agreement. "I agree. Let's turn back and head back to camp."

Peter sighed. "Alright, I guess we can turn back. But let's at least take a picture of the outside first. It's not every day we come across an abandoned mansion like this."

The group reluctantly agreed and Peter took out his camera to snap a picture of the mansion. Just as he was about to take the photo, they heard a loud creaking sound. The group turned to see that the front door of the mansion had slowly opened by itself.

Everyone froze, unsure of what to do next. Liam's face had turned pale and he backed away slowly. James, on the other hand, took a step forward towards the mansion.

"Let's go inside and check it out. It's probably just the wind or something."

Ahmed shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. We should leave before something bad happens."

But before anyone could say anything else, a figure appeared in the doorway of the mansion. It was a woman, dressed in a long, flowing gown. Her hair was long and dark and her face was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. She stared at the group for a moment before disappearing back into the mansion.

The group stood in shock for a few seconds before turning to run back to their campsite. They didn't stop until they were safely back in their tents.

Once they were inside, the group sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Hannah was the first to break the silence.

"That was crazy. Did you guys see that woman? Who do you think she was?"

Maidy shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm never going near that mansion again."

Debby scoffed. "Oh, come on. It was probably just a homeless person or something. Let's not get all freaked out over nothing."

But the uneasiness in the air was palpable and no one was in the mood to argue. They all knew that something strange had happened in that mansion, and it was best to stay away from it.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was the only thing that broke the silence as they stood on the beach. They had been walking for hours, not talking much, just lost in their own thoughts. The group had come to the realization that they had no idea where they were or how to get back to their campsite.

Peter's head was pounding, and his throat was parched. He was starting to feel the effects of dehydration. They had been walking for hours and had not found any sources of water. He felt like he was in a dream, or rather a nightmare, where everything seemed to be getting worse with each passing moment.

Liam was the first to break the silence, "We need to find water and some shelter before it gets dark."

No one disagreed, and they began walking again, scanning the landscape for any signs of civilization. The beach seemed to go on forever, and there was no sight of any trees or shade. They were in the middle of a desert island, and the only thing they could do was keep moving.

As they walked, the sun was getting lower in the sky, and they were starting to worry that they wouldn't find any water or shelter before nightfall. Suddenly, they saw something in the distance that looked like a small building. They picked up their pace and headed towards it.

As they got closer, they could see that it was a small shack, barely standing. It was made of wood and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. The door was open, and they cautiously walked inside.

The shack was small, with only one room. There was a small table in the corner, and a few wooden chairs. In the middle of the room, there was a large barrel. Liam walked over to it and saw that it was filled with water. They all breathed a sigh of relief and began to drink.

After they had quenched their thirst, they sat down on the chairs and looked around the room. There was nothing else in the shack except for the water barrel and the table and chairs.

Hannah spoke up, "We should stay here for the night. It's better than being out in the open."

Everyone agreed, and they settled in for the night. They made a fire outside the shack, and Debby found some small fish in the water that they cooked for dinner. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

As they sat around the fire, they began to talk about their situation. They were lost, stranded on an island, with no way of getting help. They had no idea how long they would be stuck there, and the reality of their situation was starting to sink in.

James spoke up, "We need to find a way off this island. We can't just wait around for someone to come rescue us."

But Liam was more cautious, "We need to be careful. We don't know what's out there. We don't want to get lost or hurt."

They all agreed that they needed to be careful, but they also knew that they couldn't just sit around and wait. They needed to take action.

As they talked, Peter's eyes started to get heavy. He had not slept well for days, and the exhaustion was finally catching up to him. He lay down on the ground next to the fire and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

The group sat in silence, watching the fire die down. They were all lost in their own thoughts, trying to come up with a plan. They didn't know what the future held, but they knew they had to keep moving forward.