Back to the Forest

Fred, Richard, Ethan, and their other friends hurried toward the forest. Their hearts were filled with worry for Sheila. If Sheila had disappeared yesterday, it meant she was either somewhere alone, or something terrible had happened to her.

When they reached the forest, Richard stopped for a moment and surveyed the surroundings.

"Where should we start?" he asked seriously.

Ethan pointed to the area where the basement was.

"Maybe she went back there? We talked about that place."

Fred nodded in agreement.

"Let's check it out."

The friends quickly moved deeper into the forest. The sky was already overcast, and the forest looked darker than before. Fred felt a strange pressure in his chest.

Finally, they reached the basement. The friends looked around cautiously. The entrance to the basement was in the same condition as before—no sign that anyone had been here. But Fred had an unsettling feeling inside.

"I'm going in," Richard said, pulling out a flashlight, and carefully descended into the basement.

The others followed him. As soon as they entered, Fred squinted—everything looked the same, but this time, the atmosphere was strangely unsettling. Among the dusty furniture, something was different...

Suddenly, Ethan shouted, looking at the floor:

"There's blood here!"

All the friends held their breath and looked down. Sure enough, there were dried bloodstains among the dust. Fred felt a wave of fear.

"Could this… be Sheila's?" Rima whispered.

At that moment, a strange sound came from behind. Someone had dropped something on the ground. Everyone turned around in an instant.

Fred, his eyes widening, whispered:

"Sheila…?"

In the dark corner of the basement, sitting on the floor, was Sheila. Her face was pale, her hair messy, and her clothes torn. She was hugging her knees, looking at them with terrified eyes.

Victoria quickly approached her:

"Sheila! What happened?!"

Sheila began speaking in a trembling voice:

"I… I couldn't get out… Someone was here… He put me here..."

Fred's blood ran cold.

"Someone? Who?!"

Sheila's eyes filled with tears, and she whispered softly:

"He's still here..."

Just then, a strange sound came from the entrance of the basement… Someone knew they were there… and was now approaching them.

Fred and his friends froze, staring at the door. Someone was standing in the entrance of the basement. Footsteps were getting closer. In the darkness, an unknown silhouette could be seen.

Sheila trembled and grabbed Fred's arm. Her voice barely audible:

"He's coming..."

Richard quickly pulled out his pocket knife, but Fred held his arm and shook his head.

"Let's see who it is..."

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. The person at the entrance turned on a flashlight, blinding the friends' eyes. They all squinted. After a few seconds, a voice was heard:

"What are you doing here?!"

It… was Orlich.

Fred breathed a sigh of relief, but Sheila continued to tremble.

"Orlich?" Ethan asked, confused. "What are you doing here?!"

Orlich lowered the flashlight and entered the basement fully. He had a serious expression on his face.

"Guys, I was looking for you. After Sheila went missing, I thought you'd come here."

Richard whispered:

"Unbelievable. We were just checking this place."

Fred looked at Sheila's face. She was still shaken.

"Sheila, you said someone put you here. Was it Orlich?"

Sheila shook her head rapidly.

"No! I know Orlich. It was someone else. But I couldn't see his face… it was dark… He was just whispering… He had a terrifying voice…"

Everyone fell silent. They were all thinking the same thing: Who was this person? What did he want?

Victoria asked anxiously:

"Maybe we should leave now? Sheila's in shock."

Fred agreed.

"Yes, let's get out of here. But we need to get to the bottom of this. Whoever that person was, they could pose a threat to us."

The friends cautiously exited the basement and started leaving the forest. But Fred still had a bad feeling inside.

Was this just a coincidence? Or was someone following them?