Short stories!

Trapped

It was a dark and eerie night deep in the heart of the forest. The trees loomed over me, casting ominous shadows on the forest floor. The only sound was the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Despite the treacherous terrain and the growing sense of unease, I continued my journey, my feet tired and my heart heavy.

I had been wandering for what seemed like hours, lost in this forest that seemed to have no end. And yet, I could not bring myself to feel scared or afraid. It was as if something, or someone, was guiding me through this unknown land.

As I trudged along, I couldn't help but reflect on the events that had brought me here. It was a year ago, on a night similar to this one, that my life changed forever. My friends and I had been partying in the nearby town when we decided to go on a late-night hike in the forest. It was all fun and games until a thick fog rolled in and we lost our way.

We stumbled upon an old abandoned mansion in the middle of the forest and decided to spend the night there. Little did we know that this seemingly innocent decision would lead to a series of events that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

In the dead of the night, I woke up to a loud noise and found myself alone in the mansion. My friends had vanished without a trace. I searched high and low for them, but they were never found. And ever since that night, I've been plagued by strange dreams and a constant sense of being watched.

As I pushed through the dark forest, I could hear a faint whispering in the wind. It sounded like my name, calling out to me. At first, I thought it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but as I continued walking, the whispers grew louder and more distinct.

'Come to us,' the voices seemed to say. 'We can make it all better.'

Intrigued and a little scared, I followed the voices until I came upon a clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing stood an old abandoned cabin. The windows were boarded up, and the door was hanging off its hinges.

Despite the eerie atmosphere, I felt drawn to the cabin. It was as if I had been here before and my subconscious was leading me back. Without hesitation, I pushed open the creaky door and stepped inside.

The interior of the cabin was musty and dark, with only the moonlight streaming in through the cracks in the walls. As I made my way through the cobweb-covered furniture, I could feel a strange energy pulsating through the air. A sense of déjà vu washed over me, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had been here before.

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise coming from the back of the cabin. I cautiously made my way towards the sound, a knot forming in my stomach. When I reached the back of the cabin, I found a trapdoor in the floor, slightly ajar. Without thinking, I flung it open and descended into the dark abyss below.

As soon as I touched the ground, a blinding light engulfed me. When my eyes adjusted, I found myself surrounded by my friends, all looking like they did on the night they disappeared. They were all smiling and beckoning me to join them

I couldn't believe my eyes. How was this possible? I had searched for them for months, and yet, here they were, alive and well.

'We've been waiting for you,' they said in unison.

But as I reached out to touch them, they vanished into thin air. I was alone once again, surrounded by a thick fog that seemed to be closing in on me.

A sudden realization hit me. This wasn't my friends. This was something else, something dark and malevolent, trying to lure me in with their familiar faces. As I tried to make my way back up the trapdoor, I could feel a cold and powerful force pulling me back down.

In a state of panic, I fought against the force, and with all my strength, I managed to break free and climb up the ladder. As I stepped out of the trapdoor, I could feel a deep sense of unease and fear.

And then it struck me. The ghost that had been haunting me since that fateful night a year ago was not some outside entity. It was inside me all along. The darkness, the whispers, the pull towards that old abandoned cabin. It was all part of me.

Trembling and overwhelmed, I ran out of the cabin and back into the forest. I ran until I could run no more, my heart racing and my mind trying to process everything that had just happened.

As I collapsed on the forest floor, I knew that I could never escape the ghost that lived inside of me. It was a part of me, and no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to outrun it.

From that day on, I stayed away from the forest and the old abandoned cabin. But every time I closed my eyes, I could feel the ghost inside me, calling out to the other side, a constant reminder of the night that changed my life forever.