21/12/2024
Title: The Echoes in the Woods
The wind howled through the dense forest, carrying whispers that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky. Deep within the heart of the woods lay Hollowridge—a forgotten town where no one dared to tread after sundown.
Emma had heard the warnings, the stories of people who wandered too deep into Hollowridge and never returned. But she was a journalist, and the promise of uncovering the truth behind the legends was too tantalizing to resist. Armed with her camera, flashlight, and a notebook, she ventured into the woods under the pale light of a waning moon.
The first few hours were uneventful, filled with nothing but the crunch of leaves beneath her boots and the distant hoot of an owl. But as she moved deeper, the air grew heavier, colder. The forest seemed alive, the shadows shifting and writhing as though they had a will of their own.
Emma stopped abruptly. Ahead, in a clearing, stood a crumbling church. Its steeple leaned precariously, and its windows were shattered, resembling jagged teeth. Despite its decay, the building seemed to hum with a sinister energy.
She stepped inside, the wooden floor creaking beneath her weight. The air smelled of mildew and something else—something metallic and sickly sweet. Her flashlight beam danced across the pews, revealing carvings etched deep into the wood. Symbols she didn’t recognize, but they made her skin crawl.
At the altar, she found an old diary bound in cracked leather. Its pages were brittle, the ink faded. The entries spoke of a town cursed by a mysterious entity known only as “The Whisperer.” According to the diary, the Whisperer preyed on those who dared to enter the woods, drawing them deeper until they were lost forever.
A sudden noise snapped Emma’s attention away from the diary. A low, guttural growl echoed through the church. She spun around, her flashlight trembling in her hand.
