The siren had faded, but the tension clung to the air like mist. My pulse still thundered in my ears as I stared into the darkness of the hallway, trying to steady my breath. The silence that followed felt unnatural—like the world was holding its breath.
Footsteps echoed softly behind me—hurried, but familiar. I spun around, my flashlight slicing through the fog, and there they were—Jacob, Bobby, and Ambrose, emerging from the mist like ghosts.
"Ambrose," I called, taking a step forward.
Before he could answer, Jacob raised a finger to his lips. "Quiet," he whispered. "Something's not right."
We moved slowly, our torches sweeping through the haze. Then Jacob stopped. He pointed into the forest clearing ahead.
"We're back here," he said.
I frowned. "Back where?"
"This is where the hut was," he replied. "Where we met the old man."
"That's not possible," I muttered. "There's no hut."
"But the tree…" Ambrose stepped forward, gesturing toward a crooked trunk with a jagged scar down its side. "Look. The same mark. And the pond. Same exact spot."
I followed his gaze. The tree was unmistakable—bent like a claw, the bark bearing that strange, spiral groove. The small pond nearby reflected the moonlight just like it had earlier that day.
Bobby's face tensed as he scanned the surroundings. "No way. This… this isn't natural."
Suddenly, the scar on the tree began to glow—a faint, pulsing light, like it had a heartbeat of its own. The fog around us shimmered, distorting everything like heat rising from asphalt.
I couldn't move.
None of us could.
The air split open like glass cracking, and from the shimmer stepped the old man.
But he wasn't… real. His form was translucent, flickering like a glitching image on an old TV. He raised a trembling hand, pointing at us. His voice didn't come through our ears—it struck straight into our minds.
"You… are the key," he said. "The forest has chosen you."
We didn't even have time to respond. The fog surged in, swallowing him whole.
Gone. Again.
The glow on the tree vanished. The strange vibration beneath our feet stilled. The silence returned, heavy and unwelcoming.
We stood there, staring at each other. No one had the energy—or the courage—to speak. Without a word, we turned and began the long walk back to the cottage, the forest pressing in around us like it was listening.
When we finally reached the door, it was nearly 4:30 AM.
Still trembling from everything that had just happened, I pulled out my phone and dialed Anita. She answered on the second ring, her voice heavy with sleep.
"Hey… everything okay?"
"What time is it there?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Uh… 2:30? Why?"
I paused, my stomach flipping. "It's 4:30 here."
She was quiet for a second. "Alex… are you alright?"
"I—yeah. I'll call you back."
I ended the call and just stood there for a moment, letting the unease sink in.
Time wasn't syncing. Something had shifted.
I walked over to Bobby's room. He was still awake, scrolling on his phone like he was trying to distract himself.
"Something's off with the time," I said. "Anita says it's still 2:30 over there."
Bobby looked up, concern shadowing his face. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I—wait." I glanced toward the window. A figure was standing outside.
Someone was watching us.
I stepped out onto the porch, the cold air hitting my skin like ice. "Hello?" I called, my voice echoing into the fog. "Who's out there?"
The figure stepped forward into the moonlight.
And I froze.
It was me.
Not someone who looked like me.
It was me. Same hoodie. Same sneakers. Same face.
Behind me, I heard Bobby's footsteps as he joined me. "What the hell—Alex, is that…?"
The other me raised a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said, his voice eerily soft and echoing, like it was traveling through water. "You've crossed the threshold. Where realities blur."
My mouth went dry. The words felt too familiar. Too rehearsed.
"The siren you heard? It's not just a sound—it's a signal. A call to those who can see beyond."
Ambrose and Jacob stepped out of the cottage, freezing in place when they saw my duplicate.
"The forest is a nexus," the other me continued. "A convergence point. You're not visitors. You're part of it now."
His form began to flicker, pulsing with every word.
"You were chosen to protect the balance."
And then, almost as if his presence broke the rules of this world, a blinding light enveloped him. We had to shield our eyes.
When it faded, he was gone.
Gone without a trace.
We stood in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity. Then, without warning, we were back in the cottage. No footsteps. No transition. Just—snap—and we were inside.
It was like we'd never left.
Jacob rubbed his eyes. "Did we just… jump?"
Bobby checked his phone. "Still 4:30."
Ambrose sat down slowly. "I don't care what anyone says, man. That was real. That happened."
I couldn't argue. The other version of me—his words still rang in my head.
The siren. The forest. The key.
This wasn't just a haunted place.
It was something much bigger.
And we had only scratched the surface.
End of Chapter 5