The Road of the Lost

The dirt road stretched ahead, vanishing into the mist.

Leon Graves didn't trust it.

The way it wound too perfectly through the trees, the unnatural silence that followed them—nothing about this place felt right. It was as if the road was waiting for them.

Eve Voss stood beside him, her rifle gripped tight, scanning the path ahead. "Tell me we didn't just walk into some horror movie bullshit."

Leon exhaled. "We're already in it."

Behind them, Tyler and Sam clung to each other, their small faces pale with exhaustion and fear. Riley hovered protectively over them, her hands still stained with Travis's blood.

The stitched-mouthed things hadn't followed.

Neither had the masked figures.

But that didn't mean they were safe.

Leon turned to Sam. "You said this is where they take people. Who's 'they'?"

The boy hesitated. "I don't know."

"Try again," Eve said, her voice sharp. "Because we just walked into their damn front yard."

Sam swallowed. "There used to be stories… people disappearing in the woods. My dad said the road was cursed."

Leon's jaw tightened. He didn't believe in curses.

But he did believe in death.

And this road smelled like it.

"Only one way forward," Leon muttered.

Eve nodded. "Yeah. Straight into the unknown."

They moved.

The dirt road felt… wrong. Too smooth, too untouched. No fallen leaves. No debris.

Like nothing had ever walked this path before.

Or worse—like whatever did, never came back.

The trees on either side grew taller the farther they went, their trunks dark and gnarled. The air was thick with dampness, the scent of wet earth and something metallic.

Blood.

Nobody spoke.

They just walked.

And then—the whispering returned.

Low. Faint. Coming from the trees.

Leon's hand tightened on his gun.

Eve turned sharply. "Nope. Nope. I don't do whispering trees. Someone else lead the way."

Leon ignored her.

Because the whispering wasn't just random noise anymore.

It was saying his name.

"Leon…"

His spine stiffened.

The others heard it too.

Riley's voice wavered. "Please tell me I'm imagining that."

Tyler whimpered, burying his face into his hands. Sam just stared at the ground, his body shaking.

Leon exhaled, steadying himself. "Keep moving."

They did.

But the road was changing.

The trees grew denser, warping into unnatural shapes. The bark was slick, almost fleshy, like something living.

Then Leon saw the first body.

Hanging from a tree by thick black threads, its limbs twisted at impossible angles.

Eve stopped dead. "What the actual fuck."

Leon stepped forward, gun raised.

The body wasn't fresh. Skin shriveled and stretched, lips sewn shut.

And yet… its fingers twitched.

Riley gagged. "Oh God."

Leon aimed for the head and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the trees. The body stopped moving.

Silence.

Then the whispering turned into laughter.

Low. Hollow. Coming from everywhere.

Leon reloaded. "Run."

They ran.

The dirt beneath their feet felt softer now, like they were running across something breathing.

Shapes shifted in the fog, moving parallel to them through the trees.

Leon didn't look.

Neither did Eve.

Then, up ahead—a structure emerged.

A stone building, ancient and crumbling, jutting from the earth like a forgotten tomb.

The front door stood open. Waiting.

Leon skidded to a stop. "No. No way."

Eve gasped for breath. "So we just… keep running into the cursed shit? That's the plan?"

Tyler and Sam were crying now, their small hands clutching at Riley's arms.

Behind them, the whispering grew louder.

Something was coming.

Leon gritted his teeth. "Inside. Now."

They entered.

The inside was dusty, ancient, but intact. Wooden beams stretched high overhead, supporting a roof that shouldn't still be standing.

An old staircase led upward, disappearing into shadows.

Eve checked the corners. "I hate this. I hate all of this."

Leon ignored her. He moved deeper inside, his gun raised.

Then he saw it.

A table sat at the center of the room, covered in lit candles.

And in the middle of the table…

A book.

Not old. Not dusty.

Fresh.

As if someone had placed it there just for them.

Leon's pulse slowed.

He stepped forward, staring down at the open pages.

Eve whispered, "What the hell is this?"

The words were scrawled in black ink, jagged and uneven.

Leon read aloud:

"You were never meant to come here."

A slow creak came from the stairs above.

Something was moving upstairs.

Leon didn't hesitate.

He raised his gun—

And the candles blew out.

The entire room plunged into blackness.

Tyler screamed.

Something moved in the dark.

A soft, wet breath.

Leon fired blindly.

A deafening roar erupted from the shadows.

Then—

Hands grabbed him.

Clawed. Rotting. Pulling him backward.

He fought, slamming his elbow into something solid. A voice hissed in his ear, guttural and inhuman.

Then light flared back into the room.

Eve had found a flare.

The red glow revealed them.

Figures standing along the walls.

Dozens of them. Still. Silent. Waiting.

Their mouths were stitched shut.

Leon grabbed Eve. "RUN!"

They bolted for the door.

The figures didn't chase.

They just watched.

They burst into the open air, gasping for breath.

The road had changed again.

It wasn't dirt anymore.

It was stone.

Leading toward a structure in the distance.

Leon turned back to the house.

The door had vanished.

Like it had never been there.

Eve hunched over, panting. "This is a nightmare. This is a goddamn nightmare."

Riley held onto Tyler and Sam, her hands shaking.

Leon stared at the road ahead.

His gut told him the truth.

They weren't in the forest anymore.

They weren't anywhere.

They were somewhere else.

And they had just gone too far to turn back.