Chapter 1: The Dare

1

It started as a stupid dare.

I should have said no. I should have just walked away. But when Amy looked at me with that smug smirk, I knew I'd lost before I even opened my mouth.

"Come on, Jack," she teased. "Unless you're scared."

I rolled my eyes. "It's an empty cornfield. What's there to be scared of?"

"Then prove it."

She crossed her arms, daring me. Beside her, Mike and Danny exchanged grins, already anticipating the show. They weren't coming with me—they just wanted to watch.

The field sat just outside of town, an abandoned stretch of land everyone avoided. It wasn't because of some official rule or a posted sign. It was just… a feeling.

You grew up here long enough, and you learned. *Don't go near the cornfield at night.*

I told myself it was just dumb superstition.

So why did my stomach knot as I stepped forward?

Amy tossed me a flashlight. "Go on then, brave boy."

I caught it and clicked it on. "What do I have to do?"

She pointed toward the far end of the field. "Walk straight to the scarecrow in the middle, touch it, and come back."

That was it? That was the whole dare?

I exhaled, forcing myself to laugh. "Easy."

But my voice was a little too tight.

The field stretched before me, dead silent except for the rustling of dry stalks swaying in the breeze. The path was narrow, overgrown with weeds, but I could see the shape of the scarecrow in the distance, barely lit by the glow of my flashlight.

I took my first step in.

And the whispers began.

#### **2**

At first, I thought it was the wind.

A soft rustling, just behind my ears. A low hum that could have been leaves shifting.

But then—

*"Jack."*

I froze.

The air in my lungs turned cold. My grip on the flashlight tightened as I swept the beam over the corn, searching for… something.

Nothing.

It was just me. Just my imagination playing tricks.

I shook it off and kept walking.

The scarecrow was closer now, its outline growing clearer in the darkness. A misshapen thing, slouched forward, its arms stretched out as if waiting for an embrace.

Another whisper.

*"Jack... turn back."*

My breath hitched.

I turned sharply, shining the flashlight behind me. The path back to Amy and the others was still there.

But the field felt… deeper.

Like I had already wandered too far.

A shadow moved in my peripheral vision. My heart slammed against my ribs as I spun toward it, but—

Nothing.

Just corn.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move faster.

Almost there. Just a few more steps.

I reached out. My fingers brushed against the scarecrow's tattered sleeve.

And then—

A *hand* shot out from the darkness and grabbed my wrist.

#### **3**

I screamed.

The grip was ice-cold, thin but impossibly strong. My flashlight flickered as I yanked back, stumbling away.

But there was *no one there.*

Just the scarecrow, still slumped, unmoving.

My heart pounded as I backed away, sucking in ragged breaths.

Did I imagine it?

The whispers grew louder, pressing against my skull.

*"Run."*

I didn't hesitate.

I turned and bolted, crashing through the corn, ignoring the cuts from the stalks whipping against my arms.

The field had changed. The path was… wrong.

Twisting. Endless.

My flashlight flickered again. The beam dimmed, casting jagged shadows through the rows.

And then—

I saw *it*.

Standing between the stalks, half-hidden in the dark.

Tall. Hollow-eyed. Grinning too wide for any human face.

The Watcher.

It didn't move.

It just stood there, watching.

My flashlight died completely.

The whispers became a *scream*.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

#### **4**

When I came to, I was outside the field.

Amy was shaking me, her face pale with fear. "Jack! Jack, wake up!"

I gasped, sucking in the cold night air. My head pounded. My skin felt frozen.

Mike and Danny hovered nearby, their faces tight with unease. "Dude," Mike muttered, "what the hell happened in there?"

I blinked, trying to piece it together. The scarecrow. The whispers. The *thing* in the corn.

The hand grabbing me.

I looked down at my wrist—and felt my stomach drop.

A deep, red mark wrapped around my skin. Like fingers had *burned* into me.

Amy followed my gaze, her breath catching. "Jack… we need to go."

She didn't argue. No smug teasing. No laughter.

Just fear.

We left the field behind.

But I knew—

It wasn't done with me.

It was only just beginning.