The Echo in the Forest

Chapter 1: Echo

The train slowed to a crawl as it approached the station, screeching metal on metal echoing through the deserted platform. Lila Carter stared out of the smudged window, watching as the trees flickered by-dark silhouettes against a sky that looked as though it was constantly on the verge of rain. She hadn't been back here in almost a year, and yet nothing had changed. Same suffocating silence. Same gloomy fog. Same memories pressing down on her chest like she couldn't breathe.

She hadn't wanted to come back. In fact, she'd spent every day for the past twelve months trying to stay away. But the world had a funny way of pulling you back to the places you least wanted to go. She didn't know why she agreed to come home now, only that her mom's voicemails had grown more desperate, the tone sharper with each one. It wasn't out of concern. Not really. It was out of obligation.

The train jerked to a stop. For a moment, Lila didn't move. She just sat there, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her worn-out bag, staring at the cracked concrete platform outside. If she got off now, if she set foot in this town again, everything she'd tried to forget would come rushing back. The nights where the dark seemed alive. The sharp whispers in her ear. The hollow ache of guilt in her chest. And most of all, Emery.

Lila forced herself to stand. The train doors slid open with a hiss, and she stepped out into the cool, damp air. Her boots clacked against the platform, the sound sharp in the silence. No one was there to greet her-not that she expected anyone to be. The few friends she'd had scattered when the rumors started. The only person who might have come was buried six feet under, at the edge of the forest.

You killed her.

The thought snapped into her mind, as sharp and clear as the day they'd first said it. Lila's breath hitched, and she shook her head as if the action alone could push the words away. She couldn't let herself think like that. Not now. Not here.

The station was eerily empty. A few scattered pigeons pecked at discarded trash near a broken vending machine, and a faint wind rustled through the trees beyond the tracks. Lila could feel the town's weight pressing down on her already, like it was trying to pull her back into its twisted embrace.

It wasn't far from the station to her house, but she dragged her feet the entire way, her pulse quickening with each step. The streets were almost as empty as the platform, lined with sagging, tired-looking houses. This place had always felt like a town waiting to die, the kind of place that swallowed you whole if you weren't careful. And in the quiet, she could almost hear her name, carried on the wind, distant but unmistakable.

"Lila..."

She stopped. Spun around. But the street behind her was empty, save for the flickering streetlights and the occasional rustle of leaves. There was no one there. Just the wind, stirring the memories.

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she hurried forward. Stop it, she told herself. You're just hearing things. It's in your head. The whispers had started months after the accident, a quiet hum in the back of her mind that had grown louder the closer she got to this place. She had convinced herself it would go away if she stayed away long enough. But now, it was back.

As she turned the corner onto her street, her house loomed ahead of her like a ghost from another life. The porch light flickered, casting a sickly glow over the sagging steps. The windows were dark, lifeless, and for a moment, Lila wondered if anyone was even home. Maybe they'd forgotten she was coming. Maybe she could just turn around, walk back to the train station, and disappear again.

But as she neared the front door, it creaked open. Her mom stood in the doorway, arms crossed, wearing a tired expression that mirrored the house's decay. Her hair was grayer than Lila remembered, and the lines in her face seemed deeper.

"You're late," she said, her voice flat.

Lila opened her mouth to respond, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she stepped past her mom into the house. The familiar smell hit her immediately-mildew, dust, and something stale, like the air hadn't moved in months. It was just as suffocating as she remembered.

"I set up the guest room," her mom said from behind her, already walking away, leaving no room for conversation. Lila was grateful for that. There were too many things they weren't ready to talk about.

The stairs creaked as she made her way up to her old room. The walls were bare now, stripped of the posters and photos that had once filled them. All of her things had been packed away, tucked into boxes in the attic like they were remnants of someone else's life. She dropped her bag on the floor and sank onto the edge of the bed, staring out the window. The forest loomed in the distance, a black mass against the horizon.

Her mind wandered, back to that night, back to the trees. She could still hear the screech of tires, the crunch of metal, the silence that followed. The memory was always just out of reach, like a word on the tip of her tongue that she couldn't quite grasp.

But tonight, something was different. As she stared at the forest, she could have sworn she saw a figure standing at the tree line. Just for a second. Then it was gone.

Her breath caught in her throat. She leaned closer to the window, squinting into the darkness. But there was nothing there.

"Lila..."

The voice came again, faint but unmistakable, carried on the wind from the direction of the forest.

She froze, her heart racing. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. But deep down, she knew exactly who the voice belonged to.

Emery.

And just like that, the nightmares started all over again.

_________________________________________________________

Hey guys! Let me introduce myself!

I'm Muffin! And this is my very first story here on Wattpad.

I'm not sure how well it will do but I guess that's not something to be worrying about right now. lol

All I know is I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter.

There will be more to come. A lot more.

See ya next chapter! :)