"We did it"

Tripp's voice exploded though the room

Everyone jumped "

can you stop screaming?"

 Jackson groaned.

"No."

Tripp pointed excitedly at the laptop.

"LOOK!"

 the subscribers count rolled over.

100,000 subscribers. for a moment. Everyone started.

Then the room erupted.

"we actually did it!" Sohee cheered.

GD high fived Percy.

Eilln smiled.

even Jackson looked impressed.

Drake immediately pointed his camera at the group.

"100k special vlog," he announced.

"make sure you get my Good side," Tripp said

"you don't have one," Jackson replied.

"See? this is why you're first if a ghost attacks us."

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

Everyone laughed.

Drake kept recording.

"this is definitely going in the video."

"Percy smile as he looked at around the

room.

They had started this channel for fun.

Now they had one hundred thousand

subscribers.

Not bad.

"So." GD said, dropping into a chair.

"How are we celebrating?"

"food,"Tripp answered immediately.

"You always choose food," Sohee said.

"Because food never has betrayed me."

"Yet Jackson muttered.

Another round of laughter filled in the room.

A notification suddenly appeared on the laptop.

GD. Clicked it.

A news report opened.

The cheefull atmosphere faded.

The headline read:

FOUR FRIENDS ARE STILL MISSING AFTER

MONTHS.

The room because quiet.

A photo of four young adults appeared on

the screen.

"They still haven't found them?" Sohee asked softly.

GD shook his head.

"Nope."

The reporter continued.

The last known location off the missing

four was near blackthorn jungle.

Ellin frowned.

For some reason, the name made her

uncomfortable.

Then the report mentioned something

else.

An abandoned mansion.

Nobody knew what happened after the

four entered the area.

No clues.

No evidence.

No survival.

Drake slowly lowered his camera.

"That's creepy."

Hari leaned closer to the screen.

"A whole group vanished?"

Jackson crossed his arms.

"There's probably a logical explanation.

"sure." Tripp replied.

" The logical explanation is that the house ate them.

Jackson rolled his eyes.

"that's not logical."

"So you're volunteering to go first.

"No."

"So you admit it's haunted."

"I didn't say that!"

Percy started at the screen.

Thinking.

Tripp noticed immediately.

"Oh no."

everyone looked at him.

"oh no?" What Sohee asked.

"I no that face.

"What face? Percy asked.

"That face."

"The 'l have a terrible idea' face."

GD grinned.

"Wait do you have a terrible idea?"

Percy's smile slowly appeared.

GD sat up instantly.

"Oh, he definitely has a terrible idea.

Hari sighed.

"Percy."

"No"

"Percy."

"No."

"Percy."

Percy looked at his friends.

"Who's is up for an adventure?"

The room exploded with reactions.

"YES!" GD shouted.

"absolutely not," Jackson said.

"So... we're going?" Tripp asked.

"probably," Sohee replied.

Tripp buried his hands in his face

"we're going to die."

Drake zoomed the camera in on him.

"Perfect ending for the vlog."

End of Chapter 1

The next afternoon, all 8 friends

gathered at Percy's house.

Drake was setting up his camera.

GD was scrolling through articles.

Jackson looked bored.

Tripp was eating chips.

"Do you bring anything useful?" Jackson

asked.

"Yes," Tripp replied.

He held up the chips.

"emergency supplies."

"they're snacks."

"Exactly."

Across the room, Hari sat in front of a

laptop.

"I found a more information about the missing four."

Everyone moved closer.

Even Tripp stoped eating.

Hari clicked on an article.

A photo of the four missing friends

 appeared on the screen.

"They disappeared 3 months ago"

 she said.

"The police searched the area but found

nothing."

"Not even a body?" Sohee asked quietly.

Hari shook her head.

"Nothing."

Eilln felt a chill.

"That's creepy."

"it gets worse," Hari said.

She opened another page

"This was their last post online."

The screen showered a short massage:

"We found a house.

The room fell silent.

"That's it?" GD asked.

"That's it."

"NO photos" Drake asked.

"NO videos?"

"NO."

Tripp slowly lowered his bag of chips.

"okay that's officially creepy."

Jackson crossed his arms.

"There has to be an explanation."

"Sure," Tripp replied.

"The explanation is that the how ate

them."

Jackson groaned.

Percy started at his screen.

Thinking.

A house.

A missing group.

No clues.

No evidence.

No survivors.

The mystery pulled him.

Finally he Looked up.

"I want to see it myself."

"Oh no," Tripp muttered.

GD grnned.

"I knew it"

"We actually doing this?" Eilln asked.

Percy nodded.

"We'll film everything."

Drake smiled and lifted his camera.

"Best vlog ever."

Or the worst.

The Next morning, the group gathered at

Percy's house.

Everyone had been told to bring supplies

for the trip.

most people took that seriously.

Tripp did not,"

"What is that?" Jackson asked.

Tripp proudly lifted a backpack.

"Emergency supplies"

Jackson opened it.

Inside were chips, cookies chocolates and more chips.

"There is not a single useful thing here."

"Wrong,"

Tripp grabbed a bag of chips.

"This is useful."

Sohee laughed.

"you packed only snacks?"

"I packed water too."

"One bottle."

"hydration is important."

GD dropped a huge camping bag onto the

floor.

"Now this is preparation."

Everyone started.

The bag was enormous.

"What do you bring" Eilln asked.

"A tant."

"We're not camping."

"A flashlight."

"Good."

"A rope."

"Good."

"A shovel."

Silence.

"Why do you bring a shovel?" Hari asked.

GD shrugged.

"What if we need a shovel?"

"No."

"What if we do?"

Jackson rubbed his forehead.

"I already regret this trip."

Drake filmed everything.

"This is gold."

Percy checked the Map spread across the

table.

"If we leave tomorrow morning, we should reach blackthorn jungle bye afternoon."

Eilln frowned.

"Do we really have to go?"

The room become quiet.

For some reason. She couldn't shake the

bad feeling in her chest.

Percy looked at her.

"If anything feel wrong we leave."

Eilln nodded.

That made her feel little better.

A little.

Hari sat beside the laptop, studying

article.

"The mension doesn't appear on modern

apps.

"what?" Drake asked.

"It should be here."

She pointed at the screen.

"But it's missing."

Jackson frowned.

'That's weird."

"Very weird."

Before anyone could continue, Tripp

suddenly stood up.

"Important question."

Everyone looked at him.

"If a ghost attacks can we all agree to

sacrifice Jackson."

"No!"

The room exploded with laughter.

Even Eilln smiled.

Jackson pointed at him.

"I am never helping you."

"That's okay."

Tripp grinned.

"I have Sohee."

"What does that mean?" Sohee asked.

"It's mean you'll save me."

"No I won't."

"You absolutely will."

The smile on Sohee's face said otherwise.

Drake zoomed the camera in.

"interesting."

"That that off?" Sohee said.

Everyone laughed again.

For a moment, the trip felt like any other adventure.

none of them knew it would be there last.

As for the sun began to set, Percy rolled up

the map.

"Tomorrow."

The room fell silent.

Tomorrow they would leave.

Tomorrow they would begin their biggest

vlog.

Tomorrow they would go to blackthorn

jungle.

And far away, hidden among the trees the abandoned mansion waited.

"End Of Episode 2"

The next morning, the 8 friends met

before sunrise.

Drake was already recording.

"Good morning, everyone! Today beings our

investigation of the four missing friends!"

GD raised his both hands.

"BEST VLOG EVER!'

"Possible our last vlog ever," Tripp added.

Jackson sighed.

"Can you stop saying like that?"

"No."

Everyone piled into the van.

Percy sat in the front while the others

squeezed into the back.

As the vehicle pulled away, Drake pointed the

camera toward everyone.

"Any final words before we became famous?"

"We already have one hundred thousand

subscribers," Hari said.

"I mean more famous."

"Ten minutes subscribers," GD declared.

"A hundred million subscribers," Tripp corrected.

"Let's survive first," Sohee said.

Eilln laughed quietly.

The mood was light.

Nobody was worried.

Hours passed.

The city disappeared behind them.

Soon, nothing surrounded them except

endless forest.

The deeper they traveled, the taller the trees

Become.

Drake filmed though the window.

For a breif second, the camera captured a

dark figure standing between the trees.

Motionlass.

Watching.

Then the van moved forward.

The figure disappeared.

Nobody noticed.

Not even Drake.

"So," Tripp said.

"If a ghost attacks us, Jackson is still first."

"Why I'm I always first?"

"Because you're the skeptic."

"That's not how sacrifice work!"

Everyone laughed.

Meanwhile, outside the window....

Something moved among the trees.

Keeping pace with van.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hours later, they stopped at a small roadside

shop.

Everyone got out for stretch.

Sohee bought drinks for everyone.

Tripp immediately stole hers.

"TRIPP!"

"What? Sharing is caring."

"That's My drink."

"Not anymore."

While they argued, Drake snapped a group

photo.

8 friends smiling.

8 friends laughing.

8 friends standing together.

When the photo later appeared on his

camera...

There would be nice.

But nobody checked.

Back on the road, dark clouds slowly gathered

overheads.

The GPS suddenly flickered.

The screen went black.

"Did anyone see that?"

"See what?" Percy replied.

The GPS looked normal.

"Never mind."

Eilln stared out the window.

For a moment, she thought she saw someone

standing beside the road.

A young boy.

Waving.

Then he was gone.

"Eilln."

She blinked.

The road was empty.

"Nothing."

By evening, a rusted sign appeared ahead.

BLACKTHORN JUNGLE - 5 KM

The van become quieter.

This was it.

The place where the missing four had

Vanished.

"Percy smiled."

"We're close."

Nobody noticed the dark silhouette standing

among the trees behind the sign.

Watching the vehicle disappeared into the

distance.

Waiting for them to arrive.

The van rolled to stop.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Blackthorn jungle stood before them.

Tall trees stretched endless into the

distance.

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

"No birds," Drake said quietly.

Hari frowned.

"You're right."

Normally, a forest should be full of sounds.

But here...

Nothing.

Tripp stepped out of the van.

"Well, this isn't creepy at all."

"You're joking again," Sohee said.

"I'm always joking."

A cold breeze passed though the trees.

Even Tripp stoped, smiling for a second.

Drake lifted his camera.

"Day one at blackthorn jungle."

GD immediately jumped into the frame.

"We have officially arrived!"

"Unfortunately," Jackson muttered.

The group followed a narrow path leading into

the forest.

Leaves crunched beneath their feet.

The deeper they walked, the darker it become.

Then Eilln stopped.

"Guys."

Everyone turned.

"What?"

She pointed ahead.

Something metallic peeked though the trees.

A vehicle.

The group hurried forward.

Their excitement disappeared immediately.

An old car sat abandoned among the trees.

It's windows were dirty.

It tires were flat.

Rust covered parts of the body.

Nobody had touched it in months.

Drake slowly lowered his camera.

"Is that."

Hari checked her notes.

Then her face turned pale.

"The model matches."

Silence.

Percy started at the vehicle.

"the missing four's car."

Nobody spoke.

Even Tripp.

The realty suddenly felt much heavier.

The wasn't just a story anymore.

This wasn't an internet mystery.

Real people had disappeared here.

Jackson walked around the car.

"The doors are open."

GD looked inside.

Nothing.

No bags.

No phones.

No clues.

It was someone had simply erased them.

Sohee wrapped her arms around herself.

"I don't like this."

Neither Eilln did.

Something felt very wrong.

Very wrong.

Then Drake noticed something.

"Guys."

He pointed his camera toward the distance.

Far beyond the trees...

A dark shape stood on top of a hill.

The abandoned mansion.

Everyone froze.

For the first time, they saw it.

The house looked ancient.

Broken windows stared back at them like

empty eyes.

The roof sagged.

The walls were covered in vines.

Yet somehow...

it felt alive.

Watching them.

Waiting for them.

Tripp swallowed.

"Okay."

Nobody looked at him.

"Maybe Jackson should go first."

For once, nobody laughed.

The mansion stood silently on the distance.

And somehow.

It felt like it already knew they were here.

"End Of Episode 3"