Murder In The Woods
Five estranged friends reunite for a weekend hike on the remote Hollow Ridge Trail, hoping to repair years of quiet betrayal. At the center is Rowan Hale, hyper-observant and haunted by a childhood spent in a secretive cult devoted to the woods and full moon.
Years ago, the group helped frame a drifter for a fatal accident. One friend provided a perfect story; the others backed it. The drifter vanished, the case closed, and the friends swore to never speak of it again.
But Hollow Ridge remembers.
From the first night, Rowan notices silent pilgrims moving through the trees, leaving symbols, offerings, and standing motionless beneath the moon. They belong to the Covenant of the Moon, the cult Rowan fled. The full moon, the Covenant believes, must "purify" sinners through ritual sacrifice.
A hidden confession note in the cabin reveals someone knows the truth about the framed drifter. Soon, a body appears off the trail, arranged in a ritual pose. Carved into a tree: ONE SIN PER MOON.
Rowan's skill in reading people becomes crucial. Lies from the past resurface; hidden alliances and forgotten roles are exposed. The friends are dragged into a hidden clearing beneath the blood-bright moon, forced into the Covenant's trials. Rowan is named the final sinner, the one who led others into sin.
To survive, Rowan must manipulate the cult's own rituals while confronting their trauma. Secrets unravel: the confession note was incomplete, one friend's testimony was planned, and the drifter had ties to both the cult and Rowan.
As the moon peaks, Rowan faces a choice: accept the cult's punishment or destroy the faith that shaped them. Murder in the Woods is a tense psychological mystery where guilt, betrayal, and hidden truths lurk in every shadow, and the only real monsters may be the friends themselves.