They heard the footsteps stop, and everyone looked at each other nervously. Then, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"The newspapers!" Lily whispered. Everyone gasped.
"I kept them under the sofa cushions" Blake replied sounding slightly calmed.
Theodore grabbed a stick, Sienna touched the lamp, and all of them froze in place. Damian finally said, "I'll go." He opened the door cautiously.
It was the old man. He looked suspicious. "Why is everyone here?" he asked.
Damian fidgeted, glancing behind at the others. "Oh, we just… were playing a game. Theodore wanted to," he said, giving Theodore a pointed look.
"Yeah, right… Lily wanted to play it today, but I thought all of us were there… we could play," Theodore added, forcing a smile.
"Mister, what makes you come here? Do you need any help?" Damian tried to sound innocent and sweet.
"Uh… well, I came to drink some water," the old man replied, still eyeing them suspiciously. "Yeah… good night," he said finally, and turned to leave.
Damian closed the door, staring at everyone. "Yeah, no way he’s going to believe that," Sienna said, sitting down on the bed.
"Right?!" Blake groaned. "He looked at us so suspiciously," Sienna replied.
"Well, then… good night. We’ll talk tomorrow, I guess," Damian said. The guys stood up to leave.
"I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anyway," Blake muttered. They all agreed with a slight laugh, but none of the girls could sleep either.
The next morning, they came out as early as possible — around 6 a.m. — and woke the guys up. "Let’s leave. It’s been long enough staying in the lion’s den," they said with a shiver.
"Right… but they didn’t kill us," Blake said, earning glares from everyone.
"Well, yeah," Lily replied dryly.
The old couple woke up at 8 and made breakfast. Nobody wanted to eat — they didn’t know if the food was safe — but they didn’t have much choice.
While they were eating, Raven asked the lady, "Mrs. Patricia, do you know why no one has come here for the last five years to camp or hike?"
Everyone turned to listen. Theodore choked slightly, and they gave him some water.
"Well… I’m not sure why, but it seems people kept avoiding this place," she said.
Her husband interrupted sharply, "Well, why are you asking?"
"It is kind of odd… five years straight… and also, isn’t this Grey Forest? There were news exactly five years back… three best friends went missing. Not to mention there were more," she said, staring at the old man.
"Hey, young lady… I don’t know what you’re trying to get at, but don’t ruin my breakfast," he snapped.
"Sorry, Mr. Charles… but we need to know the details for our safety," she replied with a small smile, then continued eating.
"No, no, it’s alright. Um… yes, we did have an idea that people went missing, so that’s why we have our guns with us, you see," she added, pointing at the rifles.
"Thanks, Mrs. Patricia," Raven said, and the old lady smiled back but still not buying it.
After breakfast, the girls helped Mrs. Patricia clean up while the old man turned to the boys. “Coming for a walk?” he asked. Blake and Theodore exchanged glances. Damian hesitated, unsure what to do. “Ah… sure,” Blake replied. They both stared at him, and he shrugged—figuring they shouldn’t look suspicious. The old man nodded, left for a moment, and returned holding a chainsaw.
A Chainsaw. The killer had a chainsaw.
They all knew what that meant. There was no way to escape. Not a chance.
“I need to head to the washroom. I’ll catch up later,” Blake muttered and selfishly left. The others slowly followed the old man, hearts racing. After the men were gone, Mrs. Patricia and the girls sat quietly in the hall. “You know how to cook?” she asked.
“Well, yes… but I usually just order takeaway,” Sienna replied.
“I don’t know how to cook,” Lily admitted with a sheepish smile.
“Yeah, I just cook to survive,” Raven added. Mrs. Patricia laughed and pointed a finger at her. “Right? My cooking isn’t good… but we need to survive.” They all gave a fake laugh, slightly surprised at how casual she was.
“So… what do you all do?” Mrs. Patricia asked.
“Well, I’m an actress,” Sienna replied.
“Wow, really? That’s impressive,” the old lady smiled.
“I work from home,” Raven added.
“So do I,” Lily elbowed Raven playfully, making her smile.
Raven seized her chance to ask directly. “Mrs. Patricia, do you have children?” She spoke so bluntly that Sienna froze and Lily stared at her, shocked.
“Oh dear… we did,” Patricia began. “Well, he never wanted to come back home. We used to love him, care for him so much… but I don’t know what made him leave. He loved hiking and camping. He used to help hikers and campers if they ever got lost… but now… we have no idea where he is. Or if he’s even alive… He never came back… just like the others.” Her voice broke.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Patricia,” Lily moved closer, trying to comfort her.
She looked at Lily. "AH! DO NOT PITY ME!” Patricia yelled, grabbing Lily’s hand suddenly. They all jumped back, stunned. Lily froze, unable to move. From behind, Blake struck her pressure point, making her collapse.
“BLAKE!” Lily gasped, breathing unevenly, eyes wide with shock.
“LILY!” Sienna and Raven rushed to her side. “Are you okay?” they asked. Lily’s breath came in shaky gasps, sweat dripping down her face.
“SHIT! THEODORE AND DAMIAN!” Blake snapped, voice urgent. Sienna snaps at him “Where did they go? And why aren’t you with them?”
ns216.73.216.133da2
and then Add to home screen.