The Witch of Whisperville

Last Halloween

The year was 2010 and days away from Halloween. The morning haze hung low over Whisperville High, shrouding the school grounds in a grey veil as if trying to conceal the town's dark secrets. Ben and Christian sat on their usual bench under the old oak tree, its leaves rustling ominously with the whispers of the past. They exchanged concerned glances as they watched Rachel walk across the courtyard towards them, her eyes distant, her steps mechanical.

"Hey, Rachel, you alright?" Ben inquired, his voice breaking through the chilly morning air.

Rachel blinked, snapping out of her trance-like state. "Oh, yeah, just didn't sleep well last night," she mumbled, trying to brush off their concern.

Christian eyed her cautiously. "You've been acting off lately. Anything you want to talk about?"

Rachel hesitated before shrugging it off. "Just the usual nightmares, nothing new."

But as days rolled into nights, the whispers grew louder, wrapping around Rachel's mind like a sinister melody. The soft murmurs morphed into coherent beckoning, urging her to venture into the depths of the forbidden forest. She found herself standing at the edge of the ominous woods more than once, the whispers guiding her steps, before snapping back to reality and retreating hastily.

On one such evening, Ben and Christian caught her just as she was about to step into the forest, her eyes glazed.

"Rachel!" Ben shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

Rachel blinked, her face contorting in confusion. "What...what am I doing here?"

Christian looked at Ben, fear tightening around his chest. "It's starting to control her, man."

They decided to keep a closer watch on Rachel, their days consumed by worry as they juggled between school and their self-imposed vigil. The whispers haunted Rachel's every waking moment, a constant torment that seemed to grow with the waning October days.

As Halloween approached, the dread settled in the pit of their stomachs like a stone. The whispers turned into desperate cries, urging, beckoning Rachel to the dark heart of the forest.

On the eve of Halloween, sitting in Ben's makeshift research area in his garage, they pored over the old texts and town records once again, hoping to find something that could protect Rachel from the witch's sinister call.

"We have to do something, Ben. We can't just wait for the witch to take her," Christian said, his eyes scanning the ancient texts frantically.

Ben clenched his fists, his voice trembling with rage and fear. "I know, and we will. We won't let that witch take Rachel."

But despite their resolve, the fear of what Halloween night would bring hung over them like a dark cloud, choking their hopes with every whispered cry that escaped Rachel's lips.

The whispers were a relentless tide, crashing against the walls of Rachel's mind with a ferocity that left her reeling. The night's dark veil seemed to be lifted as she stepped further into the ominous woods, each whisper beckoning her deeper into the heart of the unknown.

She didn't know how long she'd been walking when the whispering ceased, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to thicken the air around her. The moon cast a ghostly glow over the twisted trees, their shadows stretching out like skeletal fingers over the forest floor.

Suddenly, she heard it - the familiar, comforting voices of Ben and Christian yelling her name. The trance that had held her captive shattered like glass, and reality came crashing down. Panic surged through her veins as she spun around, the horrifying realization of where she was sending shivers down her spine.