Camp Netherlethe

Sierra and Brent had been looking forward to their camping trip for weeks. The weekend was supposed to be a relaxing getaway just them, the woods, and a few days away from the noise of everyday life. But as they made their final stop at the grocery store to grab a few last minute supplies, the air seemed thick with an uneasy tension.

At the checkout, a soft exchange between a customer and the cashier caught their attention.

“Camp Netherlethe,” the cashier murmured quietly as he bagged their items.

Sierra glanced at Brent, both of them feeling a strange chill run down their spines. The name sounded familiar, like an old story they'd once heard, but they didn’t think much of it until the cashier’s eyes flickered toward them, avoiding their gaze. There was something unsettling in the way he handed them their receipt.

Brent grabbed the paper and froze. Written hastily across the back was a single, cryptic message: “Beware of the woods. Do not go.”

Is this... a joke? Sierra whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

I don’t know, Brent replied, his hand gripping the steering wheel tighter as they headed to the car.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, something strange happened an old woman appeared out of nowhere, running toward the car. She slammed her hand against the window, eyes wide with panic.

“Beware of the woods! Beware of the woods!” she screamed.

Brent slammed on the brakes, and for a split second, it seemed like the woman was going to pull the door open. But before they could react, she vanished poof, gone, like she’d never been there at all.

Sierra gasped. Did you see that? She just disappeared how is that even possible?

Brent stood frozen for a moment, looking around in confusion. “There’s no way… no one could just vanish like that. It’s like she was... part of the forest.”

With their hearts racing, they quickly jumped into the car and drove home, neither of them able to shake the growing sense of dread.

Camp Netherlethe Arrival

By the time they reached Camp Netherlethe, the bizarre encounter at the store and the disappearing woman were almost forgotten. The campground was full of families, children running through the trees, and the hum of a peaceful, rustic atmosphere. The couple tried to shake off their unease, but the warning on the receipt still lingered in their minds.

As night began to fall, the tone in the campground shifted. People hurried to pack up their things and retreat to their cars, their movements hurried as the darkness stretched across the trees. Sierra and Brent, still unsure of what to make of it all, approached a couple they had befriended earlier, asking why everyone was in such a rush.

Because you don’t want to be out here after dark, the woman, Brooklyn, replied with a tense smile. Things happen in the woods when the sun goes down. The forest isn’t what it seems.

Brent raised an eyebrow. What kind of things?

Brooklyn’s eyes darted nervously to the woods. She leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “People disappear” . The woods mess with your mind. You see things hear things things that aren’t there. It’s like it turns on you. The animals, the trees… they’re all connected. Some of the old folks talk about creatures in the woods. Strange things happen. They say you’re never really alone here.

Sierra shivered. Is this some kind of myth?

Brooklyn shook her head. Maybe... but we never stay outside at night. You sleep in your car, keep the doors locked. Whatever you do, don’t get out until the sun comes up. Trust me.

But before they could ask more, Brooklyn’s husband pulled her arm, urging her to hurry. The couple rushed off without another word, their car speeding away from the campsite.

Sierra and Brent exchanged a glance. Despite their skepticism, a growing sense of unease filled the air. What was going on in these woods?

The Night of Silence:

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the couple set up camp. Brent gathered wood for a fire while Sierra set up the tent next to their car. But the air around them felt off thick with something they couldn’t explain.

The forest around them fell eerily silent, the kind of silence you only hear in movies unnatural and suffocating. The animals had gone quiet. No birds, no rustling leaves, nothing. It was as if the woods themselves were holding their breath.

Sierra, feeling watched, caught a glimpse of something moving in the trees. A figure tall, slender, and too fast. She screamed, her heart racing.

Brent! I saw someone!

Brent rushed over to her, eyes scanning the area. “Where? Where did you see them?”

I—I don’t know. I saw someone walking right there, she said, pointing toward the darkening trees. Her voice was shaky.

Brent frowned, looking around. But there was nothing. No movement. Just the empty forest. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

Maybe it was just the wind, or you’re just tired. You know how our minds can play tricks on us at night. Stay close. I’ll keep watch.

But even as he spoke, Sierra couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

That night, the couple decided to sleep in the car, just as a precaution. They kept the fire going to ward off any animals. But as the night dragged on, the forest seemed to come alive. They heard the rustling of leaves, the snap of twigs, the soft padding of paws. Animals circled their car raccoons, possums, even a bear all moving in a synchronized, eerie rhythm.

Then, they heard it. A tapping sound on the car window.

Brent’s heart skipped a beat. He turned, looking out the window. The animals were staring at them watching them their eyes glinted in the dark, filled with something... unnatural. The raccoons tilted their heads, the possums stared motionless, and the bear lumbered closer, its eyes never leaving the car.

Brent, Sierra whispered, voice trembling.

They’re too close. I don’t like this.

I know, Brent muttered, his hand moving instinctively toward the gun he kept hidden in the car.

Suddenly, the doors wouldn’t open.

What the hell? Brent muttered, trying the handle again. It was jammed.

Sierra tried the back door, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as if something was blocking them in.

I don’t like this, Sierra said, her breath catching in her throat. Why can’t we get out? What’s happening?

Brent climbed into the trunk and popped open the back. When he crawled out to Sierra’s side, his heart dropped into his stomach. The car doors had been zip-tied shut from the outside.

Who the hell would do this? Brent hissed. Someone was here last night. But why?

They both scrambled out, their minds racing. The forest was alive with the presence of the animals eyes glinting from the trees. They were being watched. And whatever was happening in this forest... it wasn’t a coincidence.

As the hours passed, they tried to leave, but the woods twisted and shifted around them. No matter how far they drove, they always found themselves back at the same spot the campsite, the same trees, the same tents. The forest seemed to be playing with them, distorting time, pulling them back.

I don’t understand, Sierra said, her voice shaking. Why can’t we leave? It’s like we’re stuck in a loop.

Brent gripped the wheel, the pressure of the endless road weighing down on him. This doesn’t make sense. We’re going in circles. We should’ve been out by now.

They tried to head north, but every turn, every road, led them right back to Camp Netherlethe.

The animals followed them always watching, always waiting.

Sierra looked at Brent, her eyes wide with fear. “We’re not alone. We’re not alone here.”

Brent’s gaze darted to the rearview mirror, and for a moment, he thought he saw the old woman standing in the trees, her eyes wide, her mouth moving, but no words came out. She disappeared before he could blink.

Suddenly, the forest was silent again dead silent. The air was thick with tension, every breath feeling heavy.

I think… I think we need to leave. Now, Sierra whispered, her voice trembling.

But the forest wouldn’t let them go. The trees seemed to close in around them, trapping them in its endless cycle. Every step they took, every move they made, was watched by something or someone.

The forest wasn’t just a place. It was alive. And it was waiting for them.

Just when they thought they’d had enough, the forest strikes

In an instant, the ground beneath their feet begins to tremble. Before Sierra can react, a shadowy figure grabs Brent from behind, yanking him into the woods. He screams her name as he’s dragged away, but the forest swallows his voice.

Sierra stumbles, her heart racing. She tries to run after him, but

the trees shift the very ground beneath her feet pulling her away from the path. The trees close in forcing her to stumble backward. Her feet get tangled in the roots, and she falls to the ground.

Desperately, she looks around, trying to find any sign of Brent, but all she can hear is the sound of the forest whispers calling his name, pulling him deeper.

And then, the figures appear Not monsters, but people strangers human, but twisted, distorted by the forest.

We’re trying to help him, one of them says in a voice that seems both familiar and alien. We’re trying to help him find his way back.

Help him? Sierra gasps, her breath shallow with fear. Where is he? What did you do to him?

We’re not the enemy, the man says. We were trapped here too, like you. You need to understand. The forest takes, but it also gives You need to learn what it wants, or you’ll be lost, like all the others.

They pull Sierra to her feet and begin to lead her into the woods, each of them moving in a way that is unnatural, like they’re not fully human anymore. Sierra realizes that these people these survivors of the forest are trying to help her save Brent.

“Follow us,” the woman urges, her eyes hollow with the weight of years spent in the woods. The forest is changing him. You have to go after him before he becomes something else.

The Twist :

Sierra follows them deeper into the woods, her heart pounding. The trees close around them as the darkness deepens, and the whispers grow louder. She doesn’t know how much time has passed. Hours? Days? The forest plays with her mind, distorting her perception of reality.

And then, in the distance, she sees him. Brent.

He’s standing in the middle of a clearing, looking at her but his eyes aren’t the same. They’re dark empty, like a part of him is no longer there.

As she approaches, one of the figures behind her whispers, This is the moment. You have to choose. Save him or let him become a part of the forest.”

Sierra takes a step forward, but then she hears a voice a different voice. The forest’s voice.

“You can never leave.”

As Sierra approaches the clearing, she sees Brent standing motionless, his back to her. His once familiar features are now cold, distant. The forest has begun to claim him his eyes empty, a blank stare as if his very soul has been replaced by something darker.

“Brent!” Sierra cries, running towards him. Her heart races, her mind torn between hope and despair.

He turns slowly, his movements stiff, as if he is no longer fully himself. His mouth opens, but no words come out. Only a low, guttural sound like the forest itself is speaking through him.

Sierra.. The voice is his, but it’s wrong. It’s flat, devoid of emotion, as though something else is controlling his body.

Tears well up in Sierra’s eyes. No, you’re still in there. I know you are.

The figures, the survivors of the forest, are silent, watching. They don’t intervene. They know what Sierra has to do.

This is it, one of them says softly, almost in a whisper. You have to make the choice. He’s already halfway gone.

Sierra’s heart breaks as she looks at Brent her husband, the man she loves now standing on the edge of being lost to the forest forever. His humanity is slipping away, replaced by something unnatural, something dark

She raises her hands, trembling, toward his face, but he pulls away, as if recoiling from her touch.

You don’t know what it’s like... he murmurs, his voice warbling between Brent’s desperation and the forest’s coldness. It feels good here.

Sierra steps back, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The whispers of the forest close in around her, urging her to listen, to give in, to let go. But she can’t. Not without him. Not without the man she promised to love forever.

But the figures are closing in, their expressions grim.

You have to decide, Sierra. He’s slipping away. The forest will take him unless you stop it.

For a moment, Sierra just stands there, torn apart, unable to move, unable to make that choice. Then, she sees it the truth of what she must do.

Brent , her husband, is gone. His body is there, but his soul? It’s being devoured by the forest. The thing standing before her is no longer the man she married.

With a choking sob, she reaches for the gun. The one Brent had kept for their protection. It feels heavy in her hands, like the weight of a thousand choices crashing down on her.

Brent steps forward. He doesn’t see her anymore. His eyes are empty. He reaches out toward her slow, deliberate and his voice comes again, softer this time: Join me. You belong here, too.

Sierra’s heart breaks as she raises the gun. Her hands shake violently as she aims. She can barely see through her tears. Her vision blurs, but she knows what she has to do.

“I love you, Brent. But I can’t lose you to this.” Her voice is shaky, cracking under the weight of it all.

**BANG.**

The shot rings out, a thunderous crack in the stillness of the forest.

Brent’s body collapses. He crumples to the ground, and for a brief, fleeting moment, his face softens, as if the man she loved is finally free. But as the blood pools around him, the forest’s grip tightens. The trees creak ominously.

Sierra stumbles back, collapsing to her knees beside him, tears streaming down her face. She can’t breathe. She can’t believe what she’s done.

The figures step forward, their faces grim. They don’t say anything. They just watch.

“You’ve done what needed to be done,” one of them says softly. “But now, the forest will take you.”

Sierra feels the air around her grow heavier, The trees groan. The ground shifts beneath her, threatening to swallow her whole. The forest is angry. It is hunting her now.

She stands, her body trembling, and looks around for an escape, but there is none. The forest moves like a living thing. It wants her, just as it wanted Brent.

As the forest closes in around her, the survivors turn and disappear into the shadows. Sierra tries to move, tries to run, but the earth itself is pulling her down. Her legs feel like stone.

Suddenly, the clearing is empty except for the doorway.

It’s like the portal they had seen earlier. But this time, it’s different. The door is glowing with an eerie, otherworldly light, and Sierra’s heart lurches. It’s a chance a final escape, but she can already hear the whispers from behind her. The forest is close.

She takes one last look at Brent’s body, at the love of her life now lost to the woods forever. The decision weighs heavily on her heart.

Is this the end? Or the beginning?

Sierra takes a breath and steps into the portal