The creature in the woods

The Bond deepens

Ethan felt like a prisoner in his own mind. Every step he took away from the woods, every hour he tried to distract himself from the looming decision, the pull of the forest only grew stronger. The creature's presence had become a constant shadow, following him in his thoughts, invading his dreams, whispering of the choice he didn’t want to make.

Days passed, and with each one, the tension in the town grew. People spoke of strange happenings—cattle disappearing, children waking up screaming about glowing eyes in the trees. The town was slowly starting to sense what Ethan and James already knew: the forest was alive, and it was waiting.

Ethan met James after school one afternoon, both of them exhausted and haunted by sleepless nights. They walked in silence for a while, heading toward the clearing by the river where they used to hang out, before any of this had started. It used to be a place of peace for them—a place to get away from the world. Now it felt like the only place they could talk about what was happening without someone overhearing.

James kicked at the dirt, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “I’ve been thinking, Ethan. About what Mrs. Bennett said.”

Ethan’s stomach twisted. “What about it?”

James sighed, stopping near the edge of the river. “Maybe… maybe we need to think about it seriously. What if she’s right? What if the only way to stop this is to do what the forest wants?”

Ethan recoiled at the suggestion. “You’re talking about killing someone, James. We can’t just—”

“I know!” James cut him off, his voice tense. “I don’t want to either. But do you think the forest is going to wait forever? It’s already getting worse. If we don’t do something soon, it’s going to come for us. And for everyone else.”

Ethan turned away, staring at the rushing water of the river. He didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to accept that they were trapped. But deep down, he knew James was right. The creature wasn’t going to stop. Every day they delayed, they were risking more lives.

“We can’t just ask someone to sacrifice themselves,” Ethan said, his voice quieter now. “It’s not fair.”

James was silent for a moment, then he spoke, his voice filled with a mixture of fear and resolve. “What if… what if one of us did it?”

Ethan froze. The world seemed to tilt beneath him, James’s words hitting him like a punch to the gut. “What are you talking about?”

James swallowed hard, his face pale. “Maybe one of us should be the one to do it. We’re the ones marked, right? We’re the ones the creature is after. It would make sense.”

Ethan shook his head, his heart pounding. “No. No way. We’re not… we’re not going to do that.”

James stepped closer, his eyes filled with a desperate kind of determination. “Ethan, think about it. If one of us sacrifices ourselves, the other one might have a chance. And we could stop this. We could save the town.”

Ethan felt a lump rise in his throat. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m not letting you do that, James. I’m not letting anyone die for this.”

“And I’m not letting you die either!” James shot back, his voice breaking. “But what other choice do we have? If we don’t do something soon, the forest is going to take us both, or worse, someone else will get caught in the middle.”

The two of them stood there, the sound of the river filling the silence between them. Ethan’s mind raced, trying to find a way out, a solution that didn’t involve the death of his best friend—or himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see a way to avoid it. The forest had them cornered, and every path led to the same dark conclusion.