Deeper Into the Unknown

Leah didn't acknowledge the man. She wasn't here to make friends.

Instead, she focused on finishing her meal, gulping down the last of her coffee before tossing some cash on the table. The waitress didn't say another word, but Leah could feel her tense stare as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

The air outside was thick, damp with the lingering fog. Her car sat where she left it, looking almost out of place in the diner's empty lot. Leah climbed in, locking the doors out of habit, and checked her phone.

No signal.

Figures.

With a deep breath, she started the engine and pulled back onto the road.

The highway stretched ahead, winding through dense trees. The deeper she drove, the more the world around her changed. The trees looked older, their branches twisted, clawing at the sky. The fog never fully lifted, hanging low over the road like a silent warning.

Her GPS was useless now. The screen flickered before freezing completely.

But Leah didn't stop.

She was too close.

And something in her gut told her she was heading exactly where she was meant to go.