Chapter 1

It was raining cats and dogs, the kind of rain that erased edges and swallowed the road whole. Water poured down in heavy sheets, turning the headlights into weak, trembling beams that barely held their ground. The world beyond the windshield existed only in fragments of light and shadow.

The forest pressed in on both sides. Tall trees. Dense. Too close. Their branches leaned inward as if curious, as if watching. The jungle swallowed sound, making the rain feel louder, heavier, more alive.

Brian Emerson slowed the car instinctively. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, muscles stiff with concentration. The road ahead twisted sharply, slick with mud and fallen leaves that clung to the tires.

Then it happened.

A sharp crack split the air, violent and sudden. Wood groaned above them. Something massive shifted ahead, faster than thought.

CRASH!!!!

The car screeched to a halt as a huge tree came down across the road, missing the bonnet by inches. The impact shook the ground beneath their feet. Water splashed violently against the windshield. Leaves and bark scattered everywhere, some hitting the hood with dull thuds.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of rain and their breathing.

Alena sat frozen in the passenger seat, fingers curled tightly into the fabric of her coat. Her heart slammed against her ribs, so loud it drowned out everything else. Her ears rang, as if the world had briefly gone silent before rushing back all at once.

“Are you okay " Brian asked, already turning toward her, his voice sharp with concern.

She nodded quickly, forcing herself to breathe. “I think so.”

They stepped out into the rain. Cold water soaked through Alena’s shoes immediately, seeping into her socks. The air smelled of wet earth and freshly broken bark. The fallen tree lay across the road like a deliberate barrier, thick and ancient. There was no way around it.

Alena wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. “We should go back.”

Brian glanced behind them. The road vanished almost instantly into darkness, swallowed by the forest. “We have barely any fuel. And no signal.”

Lightning flashed, bright and sudden, tearing the sky open for a brief second.

Alena saw it at the same time he did.

A car.

It was parked deeper inside the trees, half hidden by bushes and tangled vines, but not abandoned enough to disappear into the forest completely. Its windows reflected the light for a second too long, as if acknowledging they had been noticed.

“That is strange,” she whispered.

Brian frowned. “Someone might need help.”

“No.” Alena stepped closer, gripping his arm. Rain soaked her sleeve, cold against her skin. “What if it is dangerous. We do not know who is there.”

He looked at her, calm in a way that unsettled her. “I will just check. I will not go far.”

Before she could argue again, he was already moving toward the trees, his figure slowly swallowed by darkness.

Alena stayed by the car, rain clinging to her hair and clothes. She stared into the forest, heart pounding. Every sound felt wrong. Every shadow seemed to move when she was not looking directly at it.

Minutes passed. Or maybe longer. Time did not behave normally in places like this.

Then she saw him.

Brian came running back, breath uneven, rain streaking down his face.

He was not alone.

In his arms was a girl.

Her clothes were soaked and dark with blood. Mud clung to her skin. Her hair stuck to her face in tangled strands. One side of her forehead was injured, red and raw. Her head fell weakly against his shoulder.

Alena’s breath caught.

The world narrowed.

The girl’s face turned slightly toward the light.

Alena staggered back.

“No,” she whispered, panic flooding her voice.

It was a face she knew.

A face she had not seen in years.

A face she never expected to see again.

And now it was covered in blood.

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