Scene 1:
The fluorescent lights in the police station buzzed faintly, casting a pale glow across the cold, tiled floor. It was late, past midnight, but no one was sleeping.
Caleb, Hannah, Jake, Noah, and Zoe sat together on a wooden bench in one corner of the room. No one spoke. Caleb had his elbows on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. Hanna had pulled her hoodie over her head. Zoey sat stiffly, arms folded tightly across her chest, while Noah's foot tapped nervously against the tile. Jake kept glancing toward the officer's desk, as if waiting for someone to call them again.
The station felt too quiet. Not peaceful, just...hollow. Like something was missing. And everyone knew exactly what that was.
The glass doors opened with a sudden whoosh. A woman hurried in, hair a mess, breath short, panic written all over her face.
"Are you Mrs. Brown?" asked the officer near the front desk, already getting up from his chair.
"Yes-yes, I am. I'm Grace's mother. Please-have you found her? Is she alright?" she asked quickly, voice shaking.
The officer paused. "Ma'am, please come with me. We're still trying to gather all the details."
"No," she said, her voice cracking. "Please just tell me. Where is she?"
He looked at her with a firm, but not unkind expression. "She has not been found yet. But the kids she was last seen with are here. We're doing everything we can."
Her eyes darted to the corner. The kids stood up slowly. No one really knew what to say.
She stepped toward them, eyes wide, voice trembling. "Please. Someone tell me what happened."
The room fell into a heavy silence again.
Everyone was quite.
The officer gently said to Mrs. Brown, "We'll need a full statement from all of them. They're not in trouble, we're just trying to understand what happened."
Mrs. Brown nodded slowly, her hands shaking as she reached into her coat pocket for her phone.
Scene 2:
The interview room was small. Too clean. A rectangular metal table stood at the center, surrounded by three chairs. A dull yellow light flickered slightly overhead. On the wall, a security camera blinked, red light steady, recording everything.
Caleb sat first.
Across from him, Officer William flipped open his notepad. A second officer, quieter, sat in the corner, typing slowly on a laptop.
Officer William's voice was calm. "Caleb Campbell. Age?"
"Fifteen."
"Alright. Just take a deep breath. I'm going to ask some questions. I'm not accusing you of anything. We just need to know what happened tonight."
Caleb nodded.
"What time did you last see Grace Brown?"
Caleb said, "Around 7:30... maybe 7:40. We were all walking near the bike trail... near the woods."
"And?"
"She said she was tired and wanted to rest. We all were normally walking. Then, then we got distracted. Jake and Noah were arguing about something. It wasn't even for long. When we turned back, she wasn't there."
Officer William looked up. "You didn't hear anything? A scream? Footsteps?"
"No. Nothing. It was quiet."
The officer paused. "Did she mention anything strange to any of you before today? Anyone following her? Any online messages? Threats?"
"No... she was normal."
"Alright, Caleb. Sit outside. Send in Hannah."
Caleb nodded and walked out, heart thumping.
Scene 3:
"Name?"
"Hannah Thompson."
"Age?"
"Fifteen."
"You were there too?"
She nodded.
"When you noticed Grace was gone, what did you do?"
"We called her name. We ran around to search her in the woods."
Officer William cribbled. "Do you think she could have run away?"
"No. No way. She would've told me or Zoe."
The officer studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You did good. Sit outside."
Scene 4:
Next was Jake.
"You two were arguing, Caleb said?"
"Yeah..."
"About what?"
"We were walking through the woods… Noah was ahead of us. Like, way ahead so I told him to slow down and somehow he found that rude and replied back irritated. Everyone was frustrated."
Officer William asked, "Frustrated? Over what?"
Jake answered, "I think we were all just tired. It had been a long walk, and no one knew where we were going exactly."
"Okay thanks. You may sit outside now."
Scene 5:
"Name and Age."
"Zoe Clarke. Fifteen."
"Let's start from where you guys started the hike. What was the mood like? Were you all getting along?"
Zoe said, "Yeah...we all were laughing and excited for the hike."
"When did you notice Grace was missing?"
Zoe looked down. "We were just walking, then suddenly someone asked, 'Where's Grace?' And we all stopped. We looked around, we called her name. She didn't answer. It… it got quiet."
"Did you hear anything? Before you noticed she was gone? A scream? A sound?"
Zoe's lips trembled slightly. "No. That's what's scary. There was nothing. Like… one second she was there, and the next she wasn't. I thought maybe she was playing a prank. But then… minutes passed."
"And you never saw or heard anything strange?"
Zoe shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek. "I swear, I didn't. If I had, I would've, I would've said something. I wouldn't have jus-"
She cut herself off, tears finally forming in her eyes.
"It's okay, Zoe. Thank you."
Scene 6:
"We just want to understand the timeline. Can you walk me through what happened during the hike?"
Noah said quitely, "We went into the woods. Just… walking. Talking a little. Not much."
"Who were you near?"
"I was ahead. I don't like walking slow. Everyone else was kind of lagging behind."
"Why were you ahead?"
Noah shrugged, "It was getting annoying. People were talking, arguing, dragging their feet. I just wanted to keep moving."
"Arguing?"
"Not serious arguing. Just stupid stuff. Jake was like, 'Can you walk slower?' and I was like, 'You can ask calmly, okay?' That's literally it. We were all tired. It wasn't about anything."
"Did Grace say anything during that time?"
Noah went still for a second, thinking. "I… don't remember her saying anything. She was behind me. I think. I didn't really look."
"Did you hear anything unusual before someone noticed she was gone?"
"No." He said it fast, too fast. Then he paused. "I mean… there were bird sounds, twigs snapping under our feet, but nothing weird. No screams. No calls for help."
"Who noticed she was gone?"
Noah said, "Hannah, I think. Or maybe Jake? It happened so fast. One second she was there. The next...she wasn't."
He looked away. His voice got quieter.
Noah said, "I thought she was messing with us. You know, hiding behind a tree or something. But then… it didn't stop. We kept calling. And she didn't answer."
"Okay...you may sit outside."
Scene 7:
The glass doors burst open one by one. Parents flooded in... some breathless, others with eyes already rimmed red from crying. Their voices overlapped like crashing waves.
Mrs. Carter (Jake's mom) rushed forward, nearly tripping over a chair. "Jake! Oh my God, Jake!"
She pulled him into a tight hug, crushing him against her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you eat? Why didn't you call me?"
Jake just nodded, trying not to cry. "I'm okay, Mom. I'm okay."
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (Hannah's parents) spotted their daughter next. Mrs. Adams knelt in front of Hanna, holding her face with both hands.
"Oh Hannah, are you alright? What happened out there?"
Hanna couldn't speak. She just leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her mom.
Mrs. Clarke (Zoe's mom) rushed to Zoe, her voice trembling. "Zoe! I thought...I thought something happened to you. Where's your phone? Why didn't anyone call me sooner?"
Zoe, shaken but still trying to act strong, murmured, "I didn't have signal, Mom. I didn't know what to do."
Mr. Hamilton (Noah's dad) stormed in last, nearly missing the entrance. His eyes darted around wildly until they landed on Noah sitting on the bench.
"Noah."
Noah stood up slowly, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.
Then his dad walked over and pulled him into a firm, desperate hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell (Caleb's Parents), "Are you okay my child? Are you hurt?"....Caleb emotionally hugged her mother.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Brown was still outside, pacing up and down in front of the station, speaking to every officer who passed.
Scene 8:
It had been a sleepless night for the entire town. Every search team had combed the forest, calling Grace's name, flashing lights through trees, hoping for a miracle.
But the morning brought something else.
TV ANNOUNCER (voiceover):
"Breaking news: The body of 15-year-old Grace Brown has been discovered in the lake near Pine Hollow Forest. What police found was disturbing beyond belief..."
Scene 9:
Zoe's House:
The smell of toast filled the kitchen as Zoe's mom buttered bread distractedly, still lost in thoughts of last night.
Then the news anchor's voice echoed from the living room TV.
"The condition of the body suggests an act of extreme violence..."
She froze. The knife slipped from her hand. She rushed to the living room. Zoe, still in her pajamas, was already standing there....pale, frozen.
The screen showed the lake. Yellow tape. Divers. Then, blurred-out images of what the camera could barely show.
"Her eyes were forcibly removed. Her mouth was stuck in a half-open position, appearing to be... chewing. Her bones were untraceable in some areas, and large chunks of flesh were missing..."
Zoe gasped and backed away. Her mom covered her mouth in horror.
Jake's House:
Jake sat alone on the floor. The news played on mute. He had turned the volume down, but the captions told him enough.
Hannah's House:
Hanna was mid-scroll on her phone when her dad yelled from the living room, "Hanna! Come here. It's on TV."
She walked over casually, but what she saw dropped her to the couch.
The news reporter was in front of the lake now.
"Investigators believe this may not have been an accident. The level of mutilation suggests something...beyond."
Noah's House:
Noah sat still. For once, no headphones. No sarcasm. Just silence.
His dad stood behind him, arms crossed, trying to stay composed.
Caleb's House:
Everyone was at the urge of crying. Caleb ran up to his room and locked himself.
The entire town was mourning, and none of the kids would ever be the same again.
"Grace was gone.
But whatever took her… wasn't."