They asked the old couple if there was a way to get to the city from the forest. The conversation naturally shifted back to the mall, and it became clear that was the only route. Blake asked if there was a nearby hut or somewhere they could stay for the night. The old lady offered them their wooden hut.
Blake shot a glance at Raven, silently reminding her she owed them very big for doubting them. She sighed, not wanting to accept it, but thought maybe she had been wrong — perhaps they were actually kind. They agreed to stay. The three boys would sleep in the hall, the old couple in their room, and the three girls in the guest room.
When they got ready for bed, Sienna arranged the bed while taking out her phone. “There’s fine internet here,” she said, looking at Raven with disbelief.
“Well, that’s unexpected. But first, I need to fix my phone,” Raven sighed.
Lily set her hairclip down on the dressing table and noticed several folders hidden behind it. Curiosity took over, and she carefully removed them, making sure to avoid leaving fingerprints by using a cloth on the chair. When she opened the folders, they were filled with documents... She quickly closed them, whispering to herself, “Am I invading their privacy?”
As she began stacking the folders back, someone knocked on the door. Startled, she hid the folders and replaced her hairclip. “I’ll get it,” Sienna said, standing up. The girls stayed alert as Sienna opened the door and found the boys.
“Ah… it’s you guys. What do you want?” she asked.
“Sorry if we disturbed you, but come see this. They’re asleep, and we don’t want to wake them at midnight,” Theodore whispered.
They all tiptoed to the hall, where some newspapers lay on the table.
“What’s going on?” they whispered.
“The missing people…” Theodore began.
“Would you care to elaborate?” Sienna asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well...., Blake was curious and saw an axe under the sofa, which terrified us. So we started searching for clues about these couples. Then Damian lifted the sofa pillows and found these newspapers,” Theodore explained.
“A very weird hiding spot, I’d say,” Blake commented.
“Unless they wanted someone to see this,” Lily added.
Raven bent down, picking up a newspaper and reading quietly but loud enough for the others to hear.
“Jerry Wanze, Michael Bell, Henry Lucas — three men went missing on 15/01/2019. Jerry’s last call was in Grey Forest around 5:47 PM…” She showed a photo of the trio.
“Michael Bell’s wife didn’t want them to hike because of previous missing cases, but they went anyway and disappeared. Henry Lucas’s brother said he wanted to go along, but Henry warned him it might be scary for a young teen. He threw a tantrum and now regrets it.”
Jerry Wanze had called his wife, saying he loved hiking and would take them one day to Grey Forest.
“There’s more,” Raven said softly.
Damian picked up documents detailing 50 men and women who had gone missing in Grey Forest over the past five years.
They all gulped, staring at one another.
“And they’re sleeping so soundly,” Blake muttered in horror.
“I saw some documents in the room and some photos… maybe they’ll give us a clue,” Lily said.
Tiptoeing carefully, they returned to the room.
“Where?” Theodore asked, helping her.
“Use this cloth,” Lily whispered, and they collected the folders again.
Inside, They checked the marriage certificates, land ownership papers, building permits, address registrations, utility accounts, and health records and birth certificates. There were Three.
“Wait,” Raven stopped Theodore and Damian.
“What?” they asked.
“Three birth certificates?”
“Two of them live in here; Lady Patricia and Mr. Charles. Who else is here?” Raven raised suspicion.
“Good point. Check,” Sienna instructed.
They took out the birth certificates: Patricia (March 12, 1949), Charles (July 24, 1945)… and, James Charles (October 5, 1994).
As they pieced together the scraps of information, a sudden noise came from outside the room. Everyone froze. Damian used his quick reflexes and shoved the newspapers behind the mirror. Blake immediately ran a hand through his hair, pretending nothing was out of place. They heard footsteps coming towards the room.
Lily’s eyes widened.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDpBmZOmxI
“WAIT!!! the newspapers?!” she whispered sharply!
and then Add to home screen.