The night wind began to pick up slowly. The rustling of the leaves became slightly more intense as well as the sounds of forrest creatures lurking around. Mainly owls and slight howling but that could have been from anything really. The whistling of the wind began to play louder and louder.
Josie's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding in her chest as if trying to break free from its cage. The darkness of the forest pressed around her, suffocating in its intensity. She strained her ears against the oppressive silence, searching for any hint of what had disturbed her.
Outside the safety of her tent, the night seemed to hold its breath, waiting with bated anticipation. A rustle in the underbrush sent a shiver down Josie's spine, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Was it just the wind, or something more lurking in the shadows?
Her hand instinctively reached for the flashlight beside her sleeping bag, fingers trembling as they closed around the cool metal. With a flick of her wrist, the beam sliced through the darkness, illuminating the surrounding trees like ghostly sentinels.
But the light only seemed to deepen the shadows, casting eerie shapes that danced on the forest floor. Josie's pulse quickened, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she scanned the darkness for any sign of movement.
A twig snapped nearby, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the stillness of the night. Josie's blood ran cold, her mind racing with a thousand possibilities.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Josie realized that she was not alone in the forest. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled with the sense of being watched, the weight of an unseen presence bearing down on her like a leaden cloak.
But try as she might, Josie couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. And as the night stretched on, the darkness seemed to close in around her, swallowing her whole in its icy embrace.
She let out a sigh, seeing a small bit of light shine onto her tent. It was finally dawn. She had been awake all night.
Josie watched as her daughter peaked her head slowly out the bag before quickly covering herself again. Josie smiled, before making her way out the tent. Haylee was quick to grab her moms leg causing Josie to fall.
"S-sorry" Haylee stuttering still scared.
"Sweetheart what's wrong?" Josie asked already knowing the answer.
"I couldn't sleep." Haylee said letting out a yawn. Josie could see the redness in her daughter eyes.
"It's morning now, try to get some sleep." Josie smiled before continuing to walk.
"Whe-where are you going, leaving your daughter all alone?" Haylee stood up as well clinging onto Josies arm. "Mommy I heard thumping nosies coming from the trees so I opened the tent but there was no one outside. Then a set of eyes popped up out of nowhere. And said, hello. Are you sure it isn't a ghost?"
"It looks like you're having anxiety but you will be all right, come on let's go back into the house. I'll make you hot chocolate"
The hot chocolate was nice and warm, and as fresh and calm the outside felt, the inside of the house was just as peaceful. And Haylee felt it too, as she grabbed a thin blanket, bringing towards Josie. She made herself comfortable on the couch, and Haylee snuggled up next to her mother.
YOU ARE READING
The Night We Met (Hosie)
Fanfiction(Sequel to Carry Me Home) 7 years has passed since that fateful day. And all has been well. The Mikaelson family are spending the summer vacationing in their new lake house away from the corporate world. However when Hope feels as though her family...
