The Missing Boy

Chapter Eight - The Ritual

The cold, eerie stillness of the forest pressed in around Alex and Ethan as they ventured deeper into the woods, their breaths forming clouds in the night air. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the knowledge they had uncovered in the past few days. The dark history of the town, the disappearances, the entity—everything pointed to one thing: the rituals. And now, Alex and Ethan were about to face the people responsible.

Earlier that day, they had found a lead—Simon's journal had mentioned strange gatherings in the forest, cryptic references to summoning rituals, and whispered conversations about communing with something from the other side. But the journal hadn't just been filled with Simon's fears—it had also contained names, people he had been involved with, people who might know where Simon had gone.

One name stood out. A classmate they both recognized: Claire Reeves. She was known for her obsession with the occult, the weird books she carried, and her involvement in the local supernatural circles.

It was Claire who had first introduced Simon to the group.

As Alex and Ethan approached Claire's house, they shared a glance, both of them tense and unsure of what they would find. They had been cautious so far, trying to avoid confrontation, but now they had no choice.

Claire opened the door, her eyes wide with surprise and suspicion. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice cold and guarded.

"We need to talk," Alex said, his tone sharper than he intended. He could feel the urgency pounding in his chest. "About Simon."

Claire's face tightened, but she didn't shut the door. Instead, she motioned for them to follow her inside. The small house was cluttered with books, candles, and strange symbols etched on the walls—proof of her obsession with the occult.

"We know you were part of it," Ethan said bluntly as they sat down. "The rituals, the summoning. Simon was involved, wasn't he?"

Claire stared at them for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed. "He was... but not in the way you think."

Claire explained how the group had formed—a handful of people fascinated by the supernatural, driven by a desire to reach out to lost souls. Simon had joined them out of desperation. He had been struggling with his inner demons, his isolation, and his need to find meaning in the darkness that seemed to consume him. The group had promised answers, a way to reach beyond the veil.

"We weren't trying to hurt him," Claire said, her voice defensive. "We thought we were helping him. But something went wrong. He got too close to... whatever's out there."

Alex's heart raced as Claire described the rituals—late-night gatherings deep in the woods, the chanting, the symbols, the offerings. They hadn't intended to summon anything dangerous, just to communicate with the spirits, to find those who had been lost. But something had gone wrong. The entity they had reached out to wasn't just a spirit—it was something darker, something hungry.

And Simon had been drawn to it.

Alex's mind reeled as Claire's words sank in. The group's ritual had connected Simon to something powerful, something malevolent. But it still didn't explain everything. Why had Simon disappeared? Was he taken by the entity, or had he gone willingly?

Ethan spoke up, his voice steady. "Where's the group now? Are they still doing the rituals?"

Claire hesitated before nodding. "Yes. They're still meeting. They think they can fix what happened, but I don't know. It's dangerous. We didn't know what we were dealing with."

"And Simon?" Alex asked, his voice low. "Is he...?"

Claire's eyes darkened, and she shook her head. "I don't know. We lost him during the last ritual. One minute he was there, the next... he was gone. We haven't seen him since."

Determined to find answers, Alex and Ethan pressed Claire for details on the group's next meeting. They needed to confront them, to learn the truth about what had happened to Simon and stop the rituals before anyone else was hurt. Claire, reluctantly, gave them the information they needed—the next ritual was happening that night, deep in the woods.

With no time to waste, Alex and Ethan made their way to the forest, their hearts pounding with both fear and determination. The woods seemed alive with whispers, the wind rustling through the trees in eerie patterns. As they got closer to the meeting spot, the faint sound of chanting reached their ears, and the flicker of candlelight became visible through the trees.

They crouched low, watching from the cover of the shadows as the group—about five people, including Claire—gathered around a makeshift altar. Symbols were drawn in the dirt, strange runes that glowed faintly in the candlelight. The air felt thick with tension, as if the very ground beneath their feet was vibrating with dark energy.

Alex's stomach twisted in knots as he realized this was it—the same ritual that had caused Simon to vanish. They were right in the middle of it.

The chanting grew louder, and the atmosphere became oppressive, the weight of something otherworldly pressing down on them. Alex and Ethan exchanged a look, silently agreeing that they couldn't let this continue. Whatever this ritual was, it had taken Simon, and they couldn't let it happen again.

Just as they were about to step out of the shadows, the leader of the group, a tall figure draped in a black cloak, raised their hands, and the chanting stopped. The air crackled with energy, and Alex felt a deep sense of dread wash over him.

"We call to you," the leader intoned, their voice echoing unnaturally. "We seek the lost, the forgotten, those taken from this world."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the ground beneath them trembled, and a strange, low hum filled the air. Alex's heart pounded in his chest as he watched, waiting for something terrible to happen.

But instead, the candles flickered, and a cold wind swept through the clearing. In the distance, faint voices—almost whispers—carried on the breeze, just out of reach. The group looked around, their expressions a mix of fear and awe. Something was happening, but it wasn't the same as before.

"Simon..." Alex breathed, his heart racing. Could they really be contacting him? Could he still be out there, somewhere?

The ritual didn't fully succeed, but it raised the stakes for Alex and Ethan. They realized that Simon's disappearance wasn't just a coincidence—it was linked to something far bigger, something that involved the malevolent entity and the cycle of disappearances in the town.

As they backed away, careful not to be seen, Alex's mind raced. They had to stop the group, but they also had to figure out how to break the connection between Simon and the entity. Time was running out, and every ritual the group performed seemed to bring them closer to something catastrophic.

But there was one thing they knew for sure: Simon was still out there. And they had to find him before it was too late.