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𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, her lungs burning and her legs screaming in protest, but she couldn't stop. Cameron trailed closely behind her, his breath ragged and loud in the eerie silence of the woods. Their flashlights cut through the darkness, casting beams of light that bounced off the trees and bushes. Every rustle and shadow made their hearts race faster.
Elizabeth’s mind raced with fear and determination. They had to find whoever had made that terrifying scream. It echoed in her head, a sound of pure, desperate terror. She wondered who it could be, and what kind of danger they might be in. Her grip tightened on the flashlight as she pushed forward, her eyes scanning the dense foliage for any sign of movement.
Elizabeth's eyes went wide when she spotted her brother through the trees. "Jonathan!" she called out, her voice filled with a mix of relief and urgency. Jonathan turned around sharply, his flashlight beam cutting through the darkness to reveal his tense expression.
"What are you doing here?" Jonathan asked, his voice a mixture of surprise and worry.
Elizabeth and Cameron ignored his question, both of them focused on the same thing. "What happened?" Elizabeth demanded, her heart pounding in her chest.
Jonathan’s face contorted with anguish as he answered, "Nancy... she's lost." His voice cracked, and the raw emotion in his eyes made Elizabeth's heart break.
"Nancy!" Jonathan called out again, his voice echoing through the trees. He started moving frantically, his flashlight beam sweeping across the underbrush. "Come on, come on!" he urged, as if willing her to appear through sheer force of will.
"Nancy! Where are you?" Elizabeth screamed, her voice echoing through the dense forest.
"Nancy! Nancy!" Cameron called out, his voice trembling with urgency. "Where are you?"
They could hear Nancy calling out for them too, but it was strange. Her voice seemed to come from all directions, as if she was here and not here at the same time. The eerie quality of it sent chills down their spines, making their already frantic search feel even more desperate.
"Just follow my voice! Follow my voice, Nancy, I'm right here!" Jonathan yelled, his voice cracking with a mix of hope and fear.
They ran frantically, their flashlights casting erratic beams of light that danced over the trees and underbrush. The forest seemed to close in around them, the darkness pressing from all sides. Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears.
They heard another scream, and this time thsy glanced at the tree it came from.
"Nancy!" Jonathan shouted again as they ran to the tree, falling to their knees. Elizabeth's eyes warily trailed down the trunk, noticing it strangely moving, slightly open. She glanced over at Cameron and Jonathan, who were staring at it wide-eyed.
"Nancy..." Jonathan called out again, quieter this time, his hand cautiously trailing along the infected-looking trunk. As Jonathan's light shined on the middle, they could see that it was a hole covered in goopy webs.
The sight sent shivers down Elizabeth's spine. The tree looked like something from a nightmare, its surface pulsating and oozing with a viscous substance. Jonathan hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the eerie hole.
Jonathan mustered up the courage to speak again. "Nancy?"
A hand shot out of the tree, a shriek escaping Elizabeth as she flinched back, falling into Cameron's chest. Elizabeth covered her face with her hands as Cameron placed an arm around her, trying to steady them both.
When Elizabeth opened her eyes, she saw Jonathan pulling Nancy out of the tree. He strained as he pulled, the goopy webs stretching and clinging to Nancy's body. With a final, desperate tug, he freed her, and they both fell back onto the ground. Elizabeth sighed in relief, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Nancy was alright, but covered in some sort of goo.
They watched in terror as the hole in the tree slowly closed, the bark knitting itself together until it was as if the opening had never existed.
𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇, running a hand through her wet hair. She opened the window before lighting a cigarette, the flame casting a brief glow in the dim room.
Cameron sat opposite her, his face unreadable, the weight of the night's events pressing heavily on both of them. They had come to terms with the fact that sleep was a distant possibility after what they had just witnessed.
Elizabeth brought the cigarette to her mouth, her hand shaking slightly. She took a deep drag and then let out a puff of smoke, the cloud drifting lazily out the open window. "We need to catch that thing. We need to kill it," she said, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination.
Cameron was silent for a minute before speaking up. "How are we supposed to do that?"
Elizabeth brought her knees to her chest, looking out of the window. The autumn night air mixed with the wetness of her hair, making her shiver slightly. The cold seemed to seep into her bones, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand.
"We can do it. We just need to be ready," Elizabeth said, her voice firm despite the chill.
"We were ready. And where did that get us? Nowhere," Cameron said, frustration edging his voice. He ran a hand across his face in frustration, the events of the night replaying in his mind.
"Cam, we can't just sit back and do nothing while this... thing keeps kidnapping people and... and eating them. I need to save my brother," Elizabeth said, her voice shaking with emotion. Tears threatened to spill over, but she held them back, determined to stay strong.
Cameron sighed, realizing there was no point in arguing with Elizabeth. "So what do you think we should do?"
"We need to get ready. Set traps. Get weapons. And lure it somewhere where we have an advantage. And then we kill it," Elizabeth said, her voice unwavering.
"And where do you think we should do this?" Cameron asked, his tone skeptical.
