Jacob stood still at the gate, his posture stiff, as though he wasn't sure whether to stay or move closer. I called out again.
"Jacob!"
No response.
A shiver crawled down my spine despite the hoodie I had thrown on. I picked up my pace, but by the time I reached the gate, the silhouette was gone. Just mist and silence. Jacob turned toward me slowly, a faint frown on his face.
"Did you see it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I saw something," I replied. "Who was it?"
He shook his head. "No one. I called out. They didn't move. Didn't say a word. Just… vanished."
We stood there in silence for a few seconds more before deciding to walk back. The cold wrapped around us tighter the closer we got to the cottage. The siren had faded away as though it had never existed.
Back in the room, Jacob muttered something about the cold and passed out almost instantly. I stayed up a little longer, listening to the silence. No voices. No echoes. No siren.
When morning came, Jacob looked groggy, dark circles under his eyes. He joined us at the table, slumping into a chair like he had just returned from a ten-hour shift at a construction site.
"You guys seriously slept through that damn siren?" he said, rubbing his temples. "It was louder than ever."
Bobby and I exchanged a glance.
"You heard it too?" Bobby asked.
"Heard it? It nearly burst my eardrums. Went to the reception to yell at someone, but of course—no one there."
Bobby and I decided it was time. We told Jacob everything. The phone call, the voice, the staff's hesitation, the old man's warning, the strange timelines. Everything we knew so far.
Jacob looked unimpressed. "You guys have been watching too many thrillers. This is probably all just stress. And maybe we're all hyping ourselves up a bit too much."
Ambrose, who'd been sipping his tea quietly until then, chuckled. "Alright, alright. Fun prank, boys. You almost had me. But there's no way time loops or voices on the phone are real. It's just the forest vibe getting to your heads."
I didn't blame them. If I hadn't experienced it, I wouldn't believe it either. But we had to find a way to test what was real.
"We sleep in one room tonight," I said. "All of us. One person wakes up, the rest get woken up too."
Ambrose rolled his eyes. "Cute. Slumber party."
Jacob nodded. "Fine. If that's what it takes to prove nothing's wrong, let's do it."
That day, Jacob and I went to the nearby town to get some supplies. The marketplace was bustling—colorful stalls, honking scooters, and shopkeepers trying to oversell local snacks.
Jacob stopped near a hardware stall and grabbed two torches. "Figured we might need these. Can't always rely on our phones when we're being chased by imaginary ghosts."
I gave him a half-smile. "Better to be safe."
By the time we returned, Ambrose was hyped with energy and decided we should explore the edges of the forest. "Just a little walk. Not too deep," he insisted.
Jacob and I reluctantly agreed. Bobby stayed back, glued to his laptop, eyes scanning article after article about local folklore and unexplained disappearances.
The forest was unusually quiet. Even the birds seemed to respect its silence.
We walked until we stumbled upon a small clearing where a crooked hut stood—a patchwork of wood and rusted tin. The door creaked open before we knocked.
An old man stepped out. His face was lined with age, his eyes strangely clear.
"Visitors," he said simply. "Come, have some tea."
We hesitated. He gestured to the small bench outside. "Not many come this far. You must be curious types."
We nodded and accepted the tea gratefully.
Ambrose, naturally, led the interrogation. "So, why live here all alone?"
The old man smiled faintly. "Because I cannot leave."
"What do you mean?"
"I am stuck," he said, sipping his tea. "In a loop. One you don't see until it's too late."
I looked at Jacob. He shrugged.
Ambrose pressed on. "A loop of what? Time?"
The old man didn't answer. He just looked toward the forest. "You'll see it too. If you're not careful."
We tried asking more, but he grew quiet. Eventually, we left. The cottage wasn't far from the clearing. The forest blurred behind us like it was watching.
Bobby greeted us with a notebook full of theories. "Alright," he said, "hear me out. Some say the forest is a time vortex. Others claim spirits live here, controlling the flow of time. A few blogs even mentioned werewolves and vampires—"
Ambrose burst out laughing. "Vampires? Oh man, come on."
Jacob shook his head. "That old man probably started half these rumors. This is just typical hill town mysticism."
I wasn't so sure.
We agreed to turn in early. At 3 AM sharp, the siren came again.
Ambrose was the one who woke up first. I remember hearing him stir. Then the rustling of blankets. Then nothing.
When I finally blinked awake, he was gone.
I sat up and saw Bobby and Jacob still out cold. I tried waking them—no response.
Panic began to set in.
Ambrose had taken one of the torches. But his phone lay charging on the desk.
I stepped into the corridor. It was foggy again. Dense and white, like a curtain pulled across reality.
Somewhere deep in the mist, the siren howled.
Ambrose followed it, walking blindly toward the pull.
The sound came from all directions, yet stronger ahead.
He moved slowly, careful not to slip on the dewy grass. The world was quiet, except for that dreadful wail.
Then he heard something else.
A snap.
A branch breaking behind him.
He spun around.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder.
His body froze. Breath shallow. Pulse loud in his ears.
The air around him thickened.
He turned...
And saw—