Whispers in the woods

Underneath The Mask

Lana's breath caught in her throat as the mask came away, revealing a face she knew all too well. Her stomach dropped, and her mind struggled to comprehend the reality before her.

It was Sarah.

Her childhood friend, the one who had stood by her side through the torment of her mother's disappearance, the woman who killed Mike and Jake just days ago, was the whispering killer. But the Sarah standing in front of her was not the friend she remembered. Her eyes were wild, hollow, and filled with madness that sent chills down Lana's spine.

''Sarah...'' Lana whispered, her voice breaking, ''Why?''

Sarah's lips twisted into a chilling smile, her hand tightening around the blood-stained knife. She stepped closer, her movements slow, deliberate, like a predator savouring the final moments before the kill.

''Why?'' Sarah echoed, her voice soft, almost playful. ''Because they never listened. They never understood the truth of this town.'' Her eyes gleamed with a dark, manic glee. ''They thought the forest was just trees. But it's alive, Lana. It whispers, it commands... and I obey.''

Lana took a step back, her mind racing. This wasn't just Sarah; something else had taken hold of her, something ancient and malevolent. The whispers that had haunted her since she was a child, the same whispers that had claimed her mother, had now twisted Sarah into a vessel of death.

''I didn't want to kill Jake or Mike,'' Sarah continued, her voice dropping into a hushed tone, like she was sharing a secret. ''But they had to pay for their ignorance. They weren't meant to stay. They didn't hear the whispers like we did.''

Lana felt her hands trembling. She tightened her grip on the knife, trying to force the panic down. ''You don't have to do this Sarah. We can stop it. We can break whatever this is. The town-''

''The town is already dead!'' Sarah screamed, her voice shrill and fractured. She lunged toward Lana, knife raised, but Lana dodged, her heart hammering in her chest.

''You don't get it, do you?'' Sarah hissed, spinning to face her again. ''Your mother, she was the first. The forest chose her. It needed a sacrifice, and when she resisted, it took her anyway. It takes everyone in the end, Lana. I'm just here to make sure the forest gets what it wants.''

Lana felt a wave of nausea. The truth hit her like a brick. Her mother hadn't just vanished, she had been taken, claimed by whatever dark force resided in these woods. The same force that had driven Sarah to madness. Yje whispering killer wasn't a person, it was an extension of something far more sinister. The forest had corrupted Sarah, just as it had her mother, and now it wanted Lana.

She had to get out.