2. The Missing

The next morning arrived slowly, the sunlight filtering through the trees in pale, muted rays. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine as Cara awoke to the faint sound of birds chirping outside her window. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the lingering fog of her uneasy sleep. Despite the warmth of the bed, a cold sense of dread clung to her, making her shiver as she swung her feet onto the wooden floor.

The cabin was quiet, too quiet. Cara glanced at the clock on the nightstand—it was nearly 9 a.m. By now, she expected to hear the sounds of her friends downstairs, clattering in the kitchen, brewing coffee, or chatting about the plans for the day. But there was only silence, as though the cabin had absorbed all the noise into its wooden walls.

She quickly dressed in jeans and a sweater, her movements rushed and almost frantic, as though she needed to break free of the thick, oppressive silence. Opening her door, Cara stepped into the hallway, which was bathed in the soft light of morning. The eerie quiet persisted, only broken by the occasional creak of the old floorboards under her weight.

Cara made her way downstairs, her footsteps tentative. The living room was empty, though the fireplace was still faintly glowing with the embers of last night's fire. The room felt strangely hollow without the presence of her friends.

"Hello?" Cara called out, her voice breaking the silence like a sudden gust of wind. There was no answer. She moved into the kitchen, hoping to find someone, anyone, but it was deserted too. The countertops were bare, no coffee brewing, no breakfast laid out. It was as if the place had been abandoned in a hurry.

Frowning, Cara moved to the back door and peered outside. The forest loomed large and ominous, the trees seeming even taller in the morning light. A thin mist clung to the ground, swirling around the base of the trees like a ghostly presence. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she scanned the clearing. No sign of her friends.

"Cara?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning around to see Jake standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking just as uneasy as she felt.

"Jake, you scared me," Cara said, pressing a hand to her chest as if to calm her racing heart. "Where is everyone?"

Jake shook his head, his brows furrowed in concern. "I don't know. I woke up a few minutes ago and didn't see anyone in their rooms. I thought they might be down here, but…"

Cara bit her lip, a gnawing worry settling deep in her stomach. "Do you think they went for a walk? Maybe they didn't want to wake us."

"Maybe," Jake said, though he didn't sound convinced. He moved toward the window, looking out at the misty forest. "But why wouldn't they leave a note or something? It's not like Ben to just disappear without saying anything."

Cara nodded, feeling a similar sense of unease. Ben had always been the responsible one, the one who made sure everyone was accounted for. It was unlike him to leave without a word.

"Maybe we should go look for them," Cara suggested, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. "They can't have gone far, right?"

"Yeah," Jake agreed, grabbing a jacket from the coat rack near the door. "Let's check around the cabin first, see if we can find any signs of where they went."

They stepped outside into the cool morning air, the mist curling around their ankles as they descended the porch steps. The forest seemed even more oppressive in the daylight, the tall trees blocking out most of the sunlight, casting long, eerie shadows across the clearing.

Cara and Jake started by circling the cabin, calling out the names of their friends as they walked. Their voices echoed through the trees, but there was no response, only the sound of their own footsteps crunching on the damp ground.

"Ben! Lena! Sam! Mia!" Cara called, her voice growing more desperate with each name. But the forest remained silent, as if it had swallowed her friends whole.

"Do you see anything?" Jake asked, glancing at Cara as they completed their circuit of the cabin and met back at the front.

Cara shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest. "Nothing. It's like they vanished."

Jake frowned, running a hand through his hair. "This doesn't make any sense. They wouldn't just leave us behind like this."

Cara felt a chill run down her spine, the feeling of being watched creeping up on her again. She glanced around, her eyes scanning the edge of the forest, but there was nothing there—at least, nothing she could see. "What if something happened to them?" she whispered, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at her since she woke up.

Jake opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, they heard it—a faint rustling in the bushes off to the side of the cabin. They both froze, their eyes locked on the spot where the sound had come from.

"Did you hear that?" Cara whispered, her voice barely audible.

Jake nodded, his body tense as he slowly moved toward the source of the noise. "Stay here," he murmured, motioning for Cara to stay back.

But Cara wasn't about to be left alone. She followed a few steps behind, her eyes wide and her heart racing. The rustling grew louder as they approached, the sound coming from just beyond the tree line.

Jake reached out, pushing aside a low-hanging branch, and what they saw made them both gasp.

It was Nathan, but he was not as they expected him. He was slumped against a tree, his clothes disheveled and streaked with dirt, his face pale and drawn. His eyes were wide open, staring blankly ahead as if he'd seen something that had completely terrified him. His lips were moving, but no sound came out.

"Nathan!" Cara exclaimed, rushing forward to kneel beside him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Nathan didn't respond, his eyes darting around as if searching for something, his breaths coming in short, shallow gasps. He looked like he was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Jake crouched down beside Cara, gently placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, it's us. What happened? Where are the others?"

Nathan blinked slowly, his eyes finally focusing on Jake and Cara as if seeing them for the first time. His lips trembled, and then he finally spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper. "They're gone… they're all gone…"

Cara's blood ran cold. "Gone? What do you mean?"

Nathan shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "I tried to stop it… but I couldn't… It took them… it took them all…"

A deep, primal fear gripped Cara as she looked into Nathan's terrified eyes. "What took them? What happened, Nathan?"

But before Nathan could answer, a sudden, chilling scream echoed through the forest, cutting through the morning air like a knife. It was a sound filled with terror and pain, and it seemed to come from deep within the forest.

Jake and Cara both snapped their heads toward the direction of the scream, their hearts pounding. The fear in Nathan's eyes deepened, and he started to shake uncontrollably, muttering incoherently under his breath.

"We need to get back inside," Jake said urgently, grabbing Cara's arm and pulling her to her feet. "Now."

Cara didn't argue. They both hauled Nathan to his feet, practically dragging him back toward the cabin. The scream echoed in their ears as they rushed inside, slamming the door behind them and bolting it shut.

"What the hell is going on?" Cara gasped, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts.

Jake didn't answer. He was too busy trying to calm Nathan, who had collapsed onto the couch, still trembling and muttering to himself. The air in the cabin was thick with fear, and the silence that followed the scream was almost deafening.

Cara's mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening. Her friends were missing, Nathan was in shock, and something in the forest had just screamed—a sound so filled with terror that it had sent chills down her spine.

Whatever was happening, it was far from over. And deep down, Cara knew that they were all in grave danger.