{{user}} watches a new vehicle pull into their forest. {{user}} growls with enthusiasm for the new hunt that will soon begin. {{user}} effortlessly keeps up with the car, following it anywhere it goes. But staying to the tree line. {{user}} is a master of stealth, no one sees {{user}} unless {{user}} wants them too. {{user}} sees three girls in the car talking amongst themselves as they are driving deeper into the forest to find a good parking spot. Little do they know that a true horror story is about to unfold. {{used}} watches the car go down a dirt road that leads even deeper into the forest. But ends about 2 miles in, at a river. Beautiful camping spot that lures in many unexpecting victims. But today {{used}} gets 3 teenage dropout fake ghost hunters. {{user}} growls with pleasure from the tree line as he sees the car park by the spot. {{user}} noticing them lighting up a blunt to hotbox the car. {{user}} turns invisible and gets right next to the vehicle as they chat and smoke. Listening to their conversations and devising a plan of action.

May snorts, blowing out another puff of smoke, "Oh yeah? Well, we'll show Big Red what real badasses are made of!" She winks at her friend sitting next to her before turning back to look out the window again, completely oblivious to Zack 2 watching them "Come on, Chloe! You didn't think we'd really come all this way just to be scared off by some stupid story, did you?" Chloe grins, taking a long drag from the joint and exhaling slowly as they pull up beside the riverbank. "Let's get this party started," she says, already reaching for the cooler between them."Yeah!" May exclaims, opening the door of the car and hopping out. Her high school buddy, Maddie, follows suit, the two of them grabbing the camping chairs from the trunk

May, rolling her eyes, pulls one of the chairs out and begins to set it up near a small fire pit she made earlier, tossing in some wood as well. "Maddie, you wanna help me with this?" she asks her friend, indicating another chair that needs assembly. Maddie nods and follows suit, beginning to put together the chair beside May's

"What do we have left?" May asks idly, her attention mostly on the flame dancing beneath the logs. "Not much," Chloe replies, her voice muffled as she rummages through the cooler. "Just some drinks, a few more blunts... oh, and I brought that Ouija board you were so excited about." May's eyes light up at the mention of the board. "Perfect!" she exclaims, abandoning the chair she was working on to grab the Ouija board from Chloe. "Let's see what Big Red has to say for himself!"

With Chloe and Maddie trailing behind her, May makes her way over to the car and sits down cross-legged in the dirt next to the open cooler. "Okay," she says, spreading out the Ouija board between them, "let's make sure all our hands are clean first. No one touch this thing unless it's your turn, got it?" Her friends nod, looking both intrigued and slightly nervous. May smirks, taking her first turn placing a finger onto the planchette. She doesn't believe in any of this nonsense, but it sure does add an extra layer of excitement to their ghost hunt.

"Hello?" May says slowly, closing her eyes as if trying to concentrate. "Is there anyone here with us? Can you talk to us through this board?" The planchette moves sluggishly across the board, stopping at the letters A-L-I-V-E. "You're alive?" May repeats dubiously, glancing at her friends for confirmation. Chloe rolls her eyes while Maddie looks equally unconvinced. But neither of them says anything, waiting for whatever comes next.

"Well then," May says, feeling somewhat deflated by the lack of paranormal activity so far. "You're alive. Good for you. How about giving us a sign? Anything to prove that you're real?" The planchette slowly makes its way across the board again, stopping at G-H-T S T O R I E S A R E T R U E BUT N OT T HA T C L O S E. May tilts her head in confusion. "What does that mean?" she asks aloud, feeling a sudden chill run down her spine despite the warmth of the summer night. "That's weird," Chloe whispers, eyes widening slightly. "I don't remember teaching it that..." Maddie nods in agreement, looking uneasy now as they both watch May anxiously for a response.

"The what?" May demands, feeling an unnerving mixture of curiosity and fear begin to take hold. "What do you mean?" Her voice trembles slightly, and she takes a step back from the Ouija board, nearly tripping over a tree root hidden in the dirt. Her friends exchange uncertain glances before Chloe finally says, "Maybe we should try this later." Maddie nods in agreement, looking relieved to have an excuse to stop playing with the mysterious board. They each take a swig of their drinks, hoping to steady their nerves and banish the lingering sense of unease that has settled over them since using the Ouija board.

*May looks at Chloe and Maddie, her scowl returning as her composure regains some semblance of normalcy. "Fine, whatever," she huffs, shoving the Ouija board into the cooler and slamming the lid shut. With a last disapproving glance at the creepy parcel, she stands up and stretches, grinding her back teeth audibly. "Let's set up camp properly, then. Maybe watch a scary movie or something less lame." She heads towards the riverbank, intent on forgetting about the eerie encounter they just had.

Chloe and Maddie follow behind May, still looking slightly rattled by the events that transpired earlier. They help her set up her campsite, ensuring everything is perfectly aligned and arranged to her exacting standards. As they work together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts about what could possibly have been behind those cryptic messages, they fail to notice the dark figure stalking closer through the trees...

*May, Chloe and Maddie all jump at the same time as something falls heavily into the bushes near them. "What the hell was that?" May exclaims, her heart racing. They exchange nervous glances before deciding it's probably just an animal or something, and move on with setting up camp. A few moments later, they pause in their tasks when a stick breaks nearby, sounding unnaturally loud in the silence of the forest. "Did you hear that?" Maddie whispers, eyes darting back and forth between her friends and the surrounding trees. Chloe shakes her head but seems unsure. May rolls her eyes. "You guys are such babies," she scoffs, continuing to set up her tent as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

As May works on her tent, she barely notices when a few of the stakes seem to wobble or pull out too easily. She brushes it off as more of her friends' cowardice, unaware that the figure moving around them undetected is growing increasingly agitated by their dismissal.

"I'm just trying to set up my tent, what do you want me to do?" May snaps at her friends, who both take a step back, frightened by the sudden aggression in her voice. "It's not like we're really going to stay here anyway," she continues more calmly, trying to reassure them.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group, Zack 2 continues its malevolent presence nearby, growing ever closer as it watches their every move through invisible eyes.

Startled, May jumps backwards, colliding with her friend Chloe. "Whoa! What was that?!" she exclaims, heart pounding wildly in her chest. As she tries to regain her composure, she sees movement out of the corner of her eye and whirls around, expecting to see whatever it was that just startled her. But there's nothing there. Just the dark woods and the eerie silence. "Did anyone else see that?" she asks, her voice shaking slightly. Her friends exchange anxious glances but neither one admits to having seen anything amiss.

Tension fills the air as they finish setting up camp, their normally boisterous laughter and banter replaced by nervous whispers and quick glances over shoulders. Even though they're all trying to act tough, it's obvious that everyone is unnerved by whatever it is that seems to be stalking them in the forest. May eyes the Ouija board suspiciously, remembering the warnings she got earlier about playing with things like that. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

*Shivering now more from fear than cold, May crosses her arms over her chest, refusing to look at the creepy Ouija board anymore. She tries to lighten the mood by saying, "Hey, why don't we make some s'mores? I bet those ghost stories would taste better with marshmallows." Her friends exchange uncertain glances before nodding hesitantly in agreement. As they gather around the fire pit, carefully avoiding the eerie feeling coming off the Ouija board where it lays forgotten amidst the rest of their supplies, May can't help but wonder if making s'mores will really make everything better or if this night has only just begun to take a turn for the worse...

Throughout the process of making s'mores and trying to forget about the ominous warnings given by the Ouija board, May can't shake off the feeling that something isn't quite right. Every time she thinks she hears a sound, her heart skips a beat, and every glance into the darkness beyond the flickering firelight makes her skin crawl. The longer they stay out here, the more certain she becomes that whatever was messing with them earlier is still watching, waiting for its next chance to strike. And as the last marshmallow blackens on the end of her stick, she can't help but wish they had listened to the warning signs instead of ignoring them like they always do.

"Hey, you guys feel that?" May whispers, glancing around at her friends before looking back into the darkness again. "It feels like someone... or something..." Her voice trails off as she struggles to find the words to describe the unsettling sensation creeping up her spine. Chloe and Maddie exchange nervous glances but say nothing, too afraid to admit that they're starting to believe in the legend of Big Red after all. As the final s'more cools, May takes a tentative bite, barely able to taste the sweetness through the lump in her throat. She looks at her friends, hoping that they share her sudden longing to get out of this cursed forest alive, but their expressions betray nothing. Maybe it's just her imagination playing tricks on her again...

Shivering violently, May whirls around, unable to shake off the eerie feeling that someone - or something - was standing right behind her. The trees loom ominously in the flickering firelight, making it impossible to tell if anything has moved besides the branches dancing in the wind. Her breath comes in ragged gasps, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as adrenaline surges through her system. She clutches desperately at the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, willing herself not to run screaming into the night, even though every fiber of her being urges her to do so.

"Chloe? Maddie?" she manages to croak between ragged breaths. "Did you see anything?" Her eyes dart back and forth between them, searching for any sign of understanding or fear. But all she sees are terrified expressions mirroring her own. With a final, shuddering gulp of air, she decides that whatever is out there, she can't take much more. It's time to go...

Horror-struck, Chloe lunges backwards, falling onto her buttocks with a grunt. "What the hell was that?" she cries, eyes wide with terror. "Who's there?" She reaches blindly for something solid to hold onto, scrabbling desperately in the grass. Even in the dim light cast by the fire, it's clear that her face has gone pale as a sheet.

With an inhuman growl, May lunges forward, knocking Chloe aside as she scrambles to her feet. "You stupid bitch!" she shouts, eyes filled with murderous rage. "It's your fault we're here! You and your fucking Ouija board!" Tears of fear and anger streak down her face as she takes a menacing step toward Chloe. "We should have listened to me! We should have left when I said!"

Without warning, an unseen force shoves them both away from each other. They stumble back, eyes widening in fear as they look around wildly. "What the fuck was that?" Chloe breathes. Maddie whimpers and buries her face in her hands, trembling uncontrollably. Tears flow freely down May's cheeks as she struggles to regain her composure, horror etched into every line of her face.

"We should go," she manages to choke out, her voice barely a whisper. "Right now." Her gaze darts back and forth between Chloe and Maddie, willing them to understand that they have no other choice if they want to survive the night.

Their eyes meet, then slowly drift over to where their car is parked. "Our... our car..." Maddie whispers, sounding unsure even to herself. Fear grips them tighter than ever as they realize that whatever it is, it might not be content to keep playing these games with just them. Silently, they nod to one another, hearts pounding like drums as they make their way back toward the safety of their vehicle. But as they approach, they can't help but notice something...off about it. The balloons tied to the bumper sway gently in the breeze, seemingly defying gravity as they float upward. A chill runs down their spines.

"What's going on?" Chloe whispers, her voice trembling. "What game?" They cautiously step closer to the car, watching warily as the balloons continue to dance around them, somehow unaffected by the wind. As they near the vehicle, a figure appears suddenly beside it, eyes gleaming malevolently in the firelight. Even though he isn't moving, they sense an unmistakable menace emanating from him. His lips move silently, but they don't need to hear his words to know that they have been chosen. There is no escape from the game he has set in motion tonight.

Chloe glances at Maddie with wide, frightened eyes before answering hesitantly, "We'll... we'll do it." Her heart pounds against her ribcage as she waits for further instructions. The figure hovers ominously nearby, waiting impatiently for their response. The balloon-filled night air whispers eerily through the trees, carrying with it the faint rustle of leaves and the distant howl of a wolf. May swallows hard, trying to push down the rising panic in her chest.

Choking out a reply, May manages to croak, "Find the car parts!" It's not long ago that she was trying to convince herself there wasn't anything supernatural going on here; now, she'd take her chances in a game of hide-and-seek over whatever horror might await them in the darkness. With trembling fingers, she peels one hand off the car, brushing aside the thick layer of dust to grab onto the balloon tied to its bumper. She tugs experimentally, finding it unmistakably lighter than it should be.

"Okay," Chloe breathes, feeling equally uneasy about their choice. "I'll go find..." Before she can finish, there's a sudden flash of movement and the figure is gone, vanished into the shadows between two towering trees. Maddie lets out a startled yelp, sending

"C-Chloe, y-you go," Maddie stammers, grabbing onto the other balloon as if it might somehow keep them safe. "I'll stay here and guard your stuff." She tries to sound confident, but her voice trembles and betrays her fear. Chloe nods, swallowing hard, then lets go of the car and sprints off into the darkness in search of a balloon replacement. As May waits for Chloe's return, her heart pounds frantically in her chest. The trees loom overhead like sentinels guarding some unspeakable secret, their branches creaking ominously in the wind. She feels a shiver run down her spine as she realizes that whatever is happening tonight isn't about to let them go easily.

The seconds stretch into minutes, each one seemingly eternal as May stands

"Ch-Chloe, I don't know..." May whispers hesitantly. "I mean, what if it doesn't matter who I bring? We just... we just can't seem to win." Tears trickle down her cheeks as she sinks to her knees in the dirt, overcome with grief and terror. She can barely force out the words: "I wish we'd never come here. I wish I'd listened to you guys..."

The howl of a wolf echoes through the night, adding an unearthly chill to the air. May shivers violently, her breath catching in her throat as she listens for any signs that Chloe might be coming back...

Maybe it would be better to try and find Chloe herself. They could both come back together, safety in numbers and all that. The thought brings her briefly to her feet before another piercing howl causes her to freeze in place once more. Her heart feels like it's been replaced with a block of ice, pounding against her ribcage with cold, relentless fury. There's no telling where Chloe could be by now...

"Maddie, you should probably stay here," she whispers, her voice hardly audible over the sound of her own frantic heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, she squares her shoulders and begins to run, calling Chloe's name into the darkness as she does so. She doesn't know where else to look; they came here together, they'll have to find each other together. As she runs, branches scrape against her skin and shadows leap out to ensnare her, threatening to pull her deeper into the darkness with every step.

Tears blur her vision as she continues to run, blindly searching for any sign of Chloe in the endless night. The voice around her taunts her, adding a new level of terror to an already unimaginable situation. She feels like she's running in circles, unable to escape from this horrible place or the malevolent force that seems to be stalking them. A low-hanging branch snags her shirt, ripping it free and sending her stumbling forward into the dirt. The impact knocks the wind out of her, leaving her gasping for air.

"Chloe!" she cries desperately, scrambling to her feet. "Where are you? Chloe, please..." But there's no reply except the haunting echoes of her own voice and the mocking whispers that seem to follow her everywhere she goes. Panic grips

Her heart races as she finally spots movement through the trees up ahead. With renewed hope, she breaks into a sprint once more, ignoring the pain that flashes through her side with every lunging step. The figure comes into focus, revealing Chloe huddled against a tree, tears streaming down her face. Relief washes over May, and she calls out reassuringly, "I'm here! It's okay, we can get out of here now!"

But as she draws closer, something feels off about Chloe's posture, the way she's curled in on herself. For the briefest moment, May thinks Chloe might be hurt - maybe even dead. And then the branches behind her shift suddenly, revealing the malevolent presence lurking in the shadows, its grin chilling to the bone.

Chloe's voice cracks again as she replies, "I-I found one." Her words are thick with terror, breath coming in ragged gasps. "But..." She trails off, gaze fixed on something over May's shoulder. Without warning, she bolts away from the tree, diving back toward their car. "We have to go!" she screams, taking massive leaps through the underbrush. Behind them, the figure advances slowly, almost casually, as if they have all the time in the world. "Run!" Chloe shrieks, barely able to keep up with her own panic-fueled pace.

Branches lash out at them as they race through the woods, their breath coming in ragged gasps. The ground seems to shift and twist beneath their feet, making it nearly impossible to maintain their footing. Chloe's words send a chill down May's spine: "We can't outrun it." They both know she's right; the forest itself has turned against them, trapping them within its deadly grasp. The figure follows at an agonizingly slow pace, taunting them with its eerie silence and mocking laughter. Every sound they make is magnified tenfold in the still night air, drawing their pursuer ever closer. They know that they can't hide or fight their way out; the only option left is to hope that somehow, they manage to reach the safety of their car before it's too late.

Chloe's words ring true as they keep running, trying not to think about how much ground the figure seems to be gaining on them with each passing moment. The trees blur together in a kaleidoscope of green and black, their lungs burning from the effort to draw air into their starving bodies. May glances over her shoulder, unable to help herself, and sees the figure pause for a brief instant, seemingly waiting for just the right moment to strike.

"Chloe," she gasps out, "when I say run... run!" She doesn't dare elaborate; they don't have time for explanations. They need to focus on surviving this nightmare together if they want any hope of making it out alive. Their breath comes in ragged sobs as their feet pound against the earth, propelling them forward toward an uncertain future where monsters lurk behind every tree and shadows conceal un

"Now!" she screams, and with Chloe close on her heels they sprint toward the edge of the clearing, desperate to reach their car before it's too late. The figure advances slowly but surely, matching their pace with eerie grace, its grin mocking them all the way. As they near the relative safety of the bonfire, May glances back over her shoulder one last time, hoping against hope that she'll see their tormentor falling behind...

But instead, she sees it lunge forward with inhuman speed, closing the distance between them impossibly fast. Horror freezes her limbs as its hand snatches at the air mere inches from her face; cold fingers wrap around her wrist and yank her backward with terrifying strength, sending her flying through the air and into the dark soil beyond. With a pained grunt, she scrambles to her feet,

A scream tears itself from May's throat as she's yanked violently backward by an unseen force. Chloe tries to help her, reaching out a trembling hand, but the tendons in May's neck stand out like ropes as the malevolent presence holds tight. Her vision fades, replaced by spots of red dancing across the edges of her field of view. She tries to fight, to claw at whatever has her pinned, but it's no use; there's nothing solid to grip. The voice echoing through the trees delivers its twisted ultimatum, each word like a knife plunged deep into their hearts. If they don't choose quickly, they'll both die here. They both know this is the truth, and yet...

Chloe's wide eyes meet hers, filling with anguished desperation. "M-may," she whispers, tears streaming down her face. "What do we do?" It's not much of a question; they both know there are only two options, and either one might lead to their deaths.

As the seconds tick by, May swallows hard, trying to find the strength to speak. "We..." She takes a shaky breath. "We have to try." Her gaze doesn't waver from Chloe's as she says it. "If we don't, we'll never make it out of here. But... if we do..." She trails off, unsure how else to finish. They need to choose between fighting alone or losing everything together. In the end, she knows there's no real winning in this game.

Chloe nods silently, understanding what May is saying. There's no room for hesitation now; they have to make their choice and hope that it's the right one. Her fingers dig into the dirt as she scrambles backward away from May, her body tensing in preparation for whatever may come next. "On three," she whispers hoarsely. "One... two..."

The world seems to slow down as they stand there, their fates balanced on a razor's edge. Finally, Chloe says the word that could mean life or death for them all: "Three." And then they spring into action, charging through the forest toward their car and freedom.

"Wait!" Chloe shouts, skidding to a halt beside Maddie. She grabs onto her arm, eyes wide with fear. "We should split up! One of us can go faster alone!" The thought terrifies her, but it makes sense. They don't know how much time they have left until daylight arrives and ends this nightmare.

Maddie looks torn, unsure which option would be better. Finally, she takes a deep breath and nods slowly. "Okay. You guys go ahead. I'll find a car part and meet you at the rendezvous point." Her voice wavers, betraying the terror inside her, but she tries to sound strong for their sake.

Chloe opens her mouth to protest, but no words come out. With a trembling hand, she pushes back a strand of hair from her face and takes off running again, moving silently through the forest. May watches them go, heart in her throat. "Be careful," she whispers into the night, already dreading the outcome of this twisted game. As if in reply, the wind picks up suddenly, whistling eerily through the trees, sending shivers down her spine.

Without further hesitation, she sets off on her own mission, determined to find a car part and reach the rendezvous point before it's too late. The branches scrape against her as she runs, clawing at her clothes and skin, making her feel even smaller and more helpless than ever before. But she doesn't let that stop her; she knows that Chloe is counting on her, just like

Her breath comes in ragged gasps as she presses forward, ignoring the burning sensation in her lungs and legs. Time seems to slow down as she searches frantically among the cars parked nearby, hoping to find something valuable enough to complete their task. Several yards away, she sees Chloe racing toward an abandoned sedan, reaching out to grab hold of its hood ornament with shaking hands. It takes everything inside her not to scream out in warning when she sees movement behind them--the figure loping effortlessly through the underbrush, ever closer. Only seconds remain...

Chloe looks up at her friend, eyes wide with fear, and nods desperately. "We did it," she whispers, voice barely above a whisper. Tears stream down her face as they stumble back toward each other, arm-in-arm. "I don't understand why... why..." Her words trail off into sobs as they collapse onto the ground together, unable to face the darkness alone anymore. The figure draws closer still, its grin cruel and mocking, as if daring them to try and run once more.

Through their tears, Chloe and I exchange a brief glance. "One," she whispers. "We found one." It's the only car part they managed to find; whether it's enough remains to be seen. As we speak, the figure draws nearer still, looming over us like some malevolent shadow. I can feel its presence growing stronger with each passing moment, as if it's preparing to claim what's left of our shattered souls. "Please," I whisper hoarsely. "Let us go." But the figure does not respond; it simply watches, silently taunting us until the end.

Chloe looks at me helplessly, unsure of what to do or say. Tears stream down her cheeks unchecked as she struggles for air, her body shaking violently with every sob that racks her frame. I try to reassure her with my own shaky smile, but even I know there are no guarantees of safety anymore. The figure stands mere feet away now, an imposing shadow cast across the earth. Its grin widens, cold and calculating, as if it already knows which one of us it will choose.

"I-I'm sorry," Chloe whispers brokenly, clutching at my hand as if it's the only thing keeping her grounded. "I never should have brought you here." Her voice cracks on the last word, utter despair etched into every syllable. She tries to stand, but her legs won't cooperate;