Yawn…
An old man yawned loudly. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, with a scruffy beard and bloodshot eyes.
He smelled strongly of alcohol—definitely drunk. Blinking sleepily, he reached around, searching for his beer bottle.
"Where is it…" he muttered, half-awake.
"There you are," he said as he grabbed the bottle, his voice thick and slow. Lifting it a little, he mumbled, "Honey, I'll be right back, alright?"
His wife moved under the covers, her reply too quiet to hear clearly. She opened her eyes just enough to check the clock.
"1 AM?" she whispered, annoyed and still sleepy.
She watched her husband stumble out of the tent, then closed her eyes again.
Outside, the man stood still for a moment, looking around the quiet campsite. The camping sign stood in the distance. The forest was just beyond, dark and still. Their fire crackled weakly, almost out.
He yawned again, took another sip from the bottle, then tossed it carelessly into the woods. The sound of glass hitting rock echoed faintly.
He let out a long sigh and walked toward the trees to relieve himself.
Step by step, he moved deeper into the forest, mumbling to himself. Then—he stopped.
A sound.
Something was moving in the dark.
It was hard to see—only the pale moonlight and the dim light from their dying fire lit the night. The campground was nearly empty. Just him, his wife, and a few friends sleeping in nearby tents.
He didn't think much of the noise at first and kept walking. But just as he reached for his zipper—
A cold feeling washed over him.
Goosebumps rose on his arms. He gasped. He didn't see anything… but something felt wrong. Deeply wrong.
Slowly, he turned his head to look behind him. And then—
"Ahhh!"
His scream broke the silence.
Back at the tent, his wife sat up in shock, her heart racing. She threw off the covers and rushed outside in a panic.
"What happened?" she thought.
She looked around, trying to see through the darkness—but there was nothing. Her stomach sank. What could've happened out there?
She shouted, "Adam! Adam!"
No answer.
Hah!
Darren woke up, gasping for air. His heart was racing.
He looked around and took a deep breath. "It's just a dream…" he whispered, trying to calm himself.
He was still in class. His friends were there. Everything was normal. Still, it had felt so real.
"Hey, you good?" asked Tony, his best friend, sitting nearby.
"You don't look okay."
Darren took another breath and nodded. "It's nothing. Just… a nightmare, that's all."
"Hm…" Tony didn't look convinced, but he let it go.
Later that day, during evening break, Darren and Tony walked side by side through the school courtyard.
"So," Tony asked, "what did you dream about?"
"It's nothing, Tony," Darren replied quickly, pulling out his phone.
"I just…"
Thud.
Darren suddenly tripped over something on the ground and fell, dropping his phone.
"Ooh—sorry, my bad," he muttered, getting back on his feet.
Bang.
As he stood up, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Ouch," said a voice.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Darren said quickly.
He looked up—and froze.
It was Jenna. One of the prettiest girls in class. His heart skipped a beat.
God, she's beautiful. He didn't mean to think it, but he couldn't stop. She wore a brown jacket and blue jeans. Even without a smile, her face was stunning. And she wasn't just pretty—she was kind too.
What more could anyone ask for?
"No, no. It's okay. It's all good," she said, smiling lightly.
Darren nodded awkwardly and was just about to walk away when— "Wait. Wait," Jenna called out.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, are you free?" Jenna asked.
"My friends and I are going camping in the woods, and we're inviting a few people to join us. Would you like to come?"
As soon as Darren heard that, his mind flashed back to the dream.
He had dreamed about someone camping in the forest—and now, in real life, someone was inviting him to do the exact same thing.
What a weird coincidence, he thought.
Darren hesitated, unsure of what to say.
But before he could answer, Tony spoke for him.
"Of course! I mean, why not?"
Jenna smiled. "Great! Are you coming too?"
Tony nodded without hesitation.
And just like that, Jenna nodded, gave them both a quick smile, and walked away.
Tony gave Darren a little tap on the shoulder.
"Good luck, dude. You got this."
But Darren didn't respond. His face looked a little off—tense, like something was bothering him.
Tony noticed right away. "Wait. What's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted? I mean… didn't you have a crush on her or something?"
Darren took a deep breath. "It's not that…"
He paused. "It's… I don't know. It's probably nothing."
He said the words, but even he didn't sound convinced.
"Hey, you're eighteen already. I'm eighteen too. We're adults now—don't worry. It's going to be fun," said Tony, trying to convince his friend.
Tony continued, "Jenna's really sweet—and she's seriously pretty. Every guy, from nerds to bullies, can't help thinking about her. And now you get the chance to go camping with her. So I thought, why not?"
Darren smiled. Getting invited by Jenna—even if he wasn't totally sure whether he had a crush on her—made him happier than he'd been in a while. But still, that dream from earlier kept bothering him.
He shook the feeling off, put on a smile, and tried to act normal. He told himself to forget the dream and focus on the good news.
That night, after heading home, Darren got ready for bed and laid down.
As usual, he fell asleep in just a few minutes.
And then—it happened again.
He gasped—suddenly back in the middle of that same dark forest. Darren spun around, eyes wide. "Again?" he whispered.
It was just like before—cold, creepy, and quiet. The same shadows. The same forest path. The same tents and old wooden sign.
There was no mistaking it.
Then—he heard something.
But it didn't match the forest at all.
Music.
A sound so familiar, he knew it instantly. He had heard it hundreds of times.
He paused, thinking hard—then realized: it was his ringtone.
Wait… what?
His eyes blinked open.
He was back in his room.
Breathing hard, he sat up, trying to calm himself.
And the ringtone was still playing. For real this time.
He turned toward the sound and saw his phone vibrating on the charger. Confused, he walked over and picked it up.
On the screen was a number:
+2&3#38%7417
Darren stared at it.
That… wasn't even a real number.
"Is this a prank call? Who calls in the middle of the night?" Darren thought, frowning at the weird number.
He decided to ignore it and declined the call. Then he glanced at the time on his phone.
"1 AM? I slept longer than I thought…" he mumbled, letting out a yawn.
Still tired, he laid back down and closed his eyes.
"The dream… will I have it again?" he wondered.
Suddenly—
Drrrm.
A strange noise cut through the silence.
The electricity in the house shut off. The AC slowed to a stop. The lights went out.
Darren's eyes snapped open.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, sitting up again.
He stood and reached for his phone. But before he could pick it up—
Crash.
The sound of glass shattering echoed from somewhere in the house.
It sounded like something had fallen… or been broken.
Darren's heart jumped.
Why is all this happening in one night? he thought.
He took a breath and slowly opened his bedroom door.
"Mom? Dad?" he called out.
No answer.
Only silence.
A cold, heavy silence.
Darren stood frozen for a moment, a nervous chill creeping down his back.
What's going on?
Why is everything suddenly so weird?