The Forest Finished Counting

Six teens entered the forest just before sunset, laughing until the trail narrowed and

the woods fell unnaturally silent, and when they realized they had passed the same crooked

tree twice without turning around, fear crept in; phones lost signal, the air turned cold,

and footsteps began pacing them from just beyond the trees, and before anyone

could react one of them was dragged screaming into the darkness, the sound cutting

off instantly; panic scattered the rest as the forest seemed to move, roots tripping them

and whispers calling their names in voices that sounded almost like their own, until only one remained,

stumbling into a clearing where five identical sets of footprints spiraled into a dark pit,