Whispers in the Hollow

The Voice in the dark

The cold wind howled outside the cabin as the group huddled together in the living room, their faces pale and tense. The footsteps outside grew louder, each crunch of snow sending a fresh wave of terror through their veins.

"What do we do?" Maya whispered, clutching her kitchen knife as though it could protect her from whatever was out there.

Marcus, still fuming from the slashed tires and the mysterious message on his car, couldn't stand it any longer. His anger mixed with fear, creating a dangerous cocktail that pushed him to his breaking point.

"I'm done hiding," Marcus growled, rising to his feet and storming toward the door. "Whoever's messing with us is about to get their ass kicked."

"Marcus, no!" Dani shouted, reaching for him, but he was already at the door.

"Marcus, wait!" Jayden added, but it was too late.

Marcus yanked the door open, the cold air rushing into the cabin, and stepped outside. He scanned the dark woods, his breath visible in the frigid air. The footsteps had stopped, but the unease in the air lingered. He stood there for a moment, trying to locate the source of the sound.

"Who's there?" Marcus bellowed, his voice echoing in the silence. "You think you can slash my tires and scare us? You're not as tough as you think! Show yourself, you coward!"

The wind whipped around him, rustling the trees, but no one responded. His frustration grew, and he took a few steps further into the clearing in front of the cabin.

"Come on, you asshole! You wanna play games? I'm right here!" Marcus yelled, his fists clenched. But again, there was no response—just the haunting silence of the woods.

Suddenly, the cabin door slammed shut behind him with a loud *thud*.

Marcus whipped around, his heart pounding in his chest. He rushed back to the door and grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Panic set in as he banged on the door, his fists hitting the wood with desperation.

"Open the door!" Marcus shouted, his voice raw with fear. "Open up! It's stuck! Let me in!"

Inside, the others jumped at the sound of the door slamming shut. They rushed toward it, trying to pull it open from their side.

"We didn't close it!" Dani exclaimed, her hands frantically pulling at the door handle. "It won't open!"

Jayden joined her, yanking on the door with all his strength. "Come on, Marcus! Hold on, man! We're trying!"

Maya, still gripping her knife, stood frozen in place, her face white with fear. "What's happening?" she whispered. "Why won't the door open?"

"Just keep pulling!" Dani urged, her voice strained with panic.

Outside, Marcus continued to pound on the door, his knuckles raw from the effort. "Hurry up, damn it! I don't want to be out here! Please!"

But then, as his fist hovered over the door for another strike, he froze.

A woman's voice.

Soft. Eerily calm.

"Marcus... come here, baby."

The voice seemed to drift on the wind, coming from somewhere deep in the woods. His heart stopped. His breath caught in his throat. He turned slowly, dread creeping up his spine.

Standing just beyond the tree line, bathed in the pale glow of moonlight, was a woman.

She wore a white gown, the fabric flowing around her like a ghostly mist. Her long black hair hung down, obscuring her face. But even from this distance, Marcus could feel her eyes on him, burning into his soul.

"Marcus..." the voice called again, melodic and haunting. "Come to me..."

Marcus's legs felt like lead, his body frozen in place. His mind screamed at him to run, to get back inside the cabin, but he couldn't move. He couldn't look away.

His friends' frantic voices barely registered as they shouted for him from inside the cabin.

"Marcus, hurry!" Dani yelled, still struggling with the door. "Get away from there!"

"Marcus!" Jayden shouted, his voice rising with panic. "What are you doing? Get back here!"

But Marcus couldn't respond. His eyes were locked on the woman—on the ghost. She stood there, as real as the snow beneath his feet, yet something about her was... wrong. Her pale skin seemed almost translucent, and the air around her shimmered like heat off a summer road.

"Come to me, Marcus," the ghost whispered again, her voice wrapping around him like a fog. "You can't leave me... you never left me..."

Terror gripped him, but his feet refused to move. His mind was screaming for him to run, but his body felt paralyzed. It was as though she had him under some kind of spell, her voice pulling him toward her.

"Please, hurry!" Dani screamed, her voice desperate as she and Jayden continued to fight with the door. "Marcus, run!"

But Marcus couldn't tear his eyes away from the ghost. Her lips curled into a haunting smile, and she took a step closer, the snow beneath her feet undisturbed by her presence.

"You belong to me, Marcus," she whispered, her voice dripping with malice. "You've always belonged to me."

The words sliced through Marcus like a knife, breaking the spell that had held him in place. His heart raced, and he stumbled backward, finally able to move. He turned toward the cabin, pounding on the door with renewed desperation.

"Let me in!" Marcus screamed, his voice hoarse with fear. "It's here! The ghost—it's here! Please, let me in!"

Inside, Dani and Jayden gave one final pull, and with a loud *crack*, the door flew open. Marcus tumbled inside, collapsing onto the floor in a heap, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

The others rushed to his side, their faces pale with fear and concern.

"Marcus!" Dani knelt beside him, her voice trembling. "Are you okay? What happened out there?"

Marcus sat up slowly, his body trembling. He stared at the floor, his mind racing to process what he had just seen.

"She... she was out there," Marcus whispered, his voice barely audible. "The ghost. She called my name."

Maya gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my God..."

Jayden exchanged a worried glance with Dani. "What did she say, Marcus?"

Marcus's eyes were wide, his face pale as he spoke. "She said... she said I belong to her. That I've always belonged to her."

A heavy silence fell over the cabin as the gravity of Marcus's words sank in. The wind howled outside, rattling the windows, and the shadows seemed to grow darker, more menacing.

Dani swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "What... what does that mean?"

Marcus shook his head, his hands trembling as he clutched the edge of the table. "I don't know. But we need to get out of here. Now."

"We can't," Jayden said quietly, his voice filled with dread. "The car's wrecked. And we're trapped. No signal. No help."

Marcus slouched against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest. He had barely escaped the ghost's grasp, but now he knew—they were all in serious danger.

And there was no telling if they would make it out alive.