The Haunting of Black River Forest (A Horror Adventure Short Story) || Excerpt

Excerpt

"Alright!" Mia sighed in relief. "Anyway. You were saying something about the psychopath?"

Oliver put his hands on her shoulders and locked his eyes with hers.

"I'm worried for you."

Mia and Oliver had heard the story before. Apparently, many hikers had gone mysteriously missing from this forest. No one knew what happened to them. Yet, Mia was sure it was only a story. Not every hiker went missing. But now that they were here, the story didn't seem so silly. Oliver and Mia were eager to return from here alive.

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright," said Mia. "Didn't you see three girls leaving the forest when we were arriving? They were alone, right? Did anything happen to them?"

Oliver stayed quiet. His eyes still locked with Mia's.

"Hello!" Mia continued, waving her hand near his face to capture his attention. "We saw them alive, making their way out of the forest, chit-chatting, and laughing. And if you are still scared, I have an axe in my backpack."

"I know that. We always carry an axe when we go on adventures like hiking, but—" Oliver sighed. It seemed like he didn't want to drag out the topic anymore. He looked around. "Anyway. Forget the psychopath! It's just a rumor."

"Exactly!"

Oliver smiled. "Let's finish the trekking, have a fun adventure, and get back to the car to get warm. Let's rock it!"

However, he had dragged the smile to his face, part of him still believing a psychopath could pop up out of nowhere. Mia smiled back at him, giving him a quick kiss on his lips.

They continued on, but only a few steps forward, and . . .

"Stop!" said Oliver, his voice full of panic. "Did you hear that?"

"Was it a girl's scream?" Mia looked around in alarm, shifting the focus of her flashlight as she looked through the trees.

"Where did it come from?"

They heard it again, this time clearly the high-pitched scream of a woman in fear or pain. In the heavy rainfall, with the wind whooshing and thunder roaring at intervals, they couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.

"Let's go, quickly," said Oliver. "Don't risk your life. We need to get out of here. It's the psychopath!"

"Just a minute ago you said it was a rumor," said Mia. She glanced at him, then continued scanning the area with her torch, trying to look through the bushes and around the nearby trees. "I need to help this girl."

"I . . ." Oliver shook his head in disbelief. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. Mia had decided to help the girl, and she would not leave unless she found her, no matter what danger she was putting herself in.

"How could you not help someone? Especially when an animal could be after her, or . . . according to your belief of a psychopath's existence, maybe a psychopath is after her."

The scream rang out again, louder this time. It was as if the girl was approaching them. Then came the sound of someone crashing through the branches.

Mia and Oliver turned to the right where the noise was coming from. The girl screamed again. She was close now. They were frozen in fear.

Then an unexpected sound drowned out the girl's scream. A bear's roar.

Mia and Oliver looked at each other, their eyes wide in shock.

A tall, skinny girl burst out of the bushes in front of them.

She stopped dead, staring at Oliver and Mia.