Fort Oakley | Part One

4 | Because the Woods Weren't Creepy Enough Already

The wind slipping through the leaves brought along the scent of rich earth. The moon snaked through the tree canopy, providing little light as I made my way through the woods.

The woods on this side of town was drastically different than those I frequently explored on the other end. The trees here grew wild, their roots breaking through the earth like skeletal fingers clawing to the surface and their branches growing in every direction, making it hard to walk without having to duck and dive to avoid them.

These reasons made it really hard to navigate, which is why I normally avoided this part of the woods.

But I hadn't felt like walking through town, a choice I was seriously regretting now as my foot caught on a root and I stumbled forward in the dark, barely avoiding crashing to the ground as I found my balance.

I huffed, looking around the dark woods.

I definitely wasn't coming back here.

In the distance, I saw the faint glow of a light, and I sighed, relieved that I had finally managed to reach the football field behind the school where the senior hangout was taking place.

I walked closer, weaving through the trees. All I could hear was the crunch of dead underbrush beneath my shoes and the faint rustle of branches above me.The light came into sight, and I paused.The light wasn't the gathering at all.

It was a single lantern, hanging from an old wrought iron pole, the flame flickering golden against the backdrop of the forest.

Unease prickled at my skin.

Why was this here? As far as I knew, there had never been anything in this part of the woods. The layout of Fort Oakley had stayed the same since the day the town was founded.

So what was this doing here?

And why was it burning?

I scanned the shadows, the light from the lantern not illuminating much of the surrounding area. "Hello?" I called.

Silence.

Then, a crack—a sharp snap of a branch somewhere. I turned in the direction of the noise, but I was only met with darkness.

Another crack, louder this time, came from beside me. I whirled around, my heart pounding, but again, there was nothing. No one. Only shadows.

And then the lantern flickered once, and died.

My pulse spiked. I stumbled back, my breath caught in my throat.

My mind screamed run and my feet obeyed, carrying me blindly through the woods. The branches clawed at my sleeves, and the cold air burned in my lungs as I sprinted in the direction of the school.

When I finally burst out of the trees, my breath came in gasps. The sight of the seniors laughing and chatting in clusters, some gathered around flaming barrels, a relief after the isolation and darkness of the woods.

I glanced back at the dark edge of the woods, my stomach knotting with unease. Whatever I heard—or thought I'd heard—was gone now, swallowed by the night.

"Charly!" I turned around, seeing Finley walking towards me with a welcoming smile. "You good?"

"Yeah," I replied out of breath. "I just freaked myself out on the way here."

Finley glanced at the woods behind me, then turned around and threw his arm over my shoulder, leading me towards one of the fire barrels to warm up.

Most of my classmates had cups in their hands, their breaths smelling of alcohol.