Albert glanced at his watch. His brows furrowed, and the impatience on his face had clearly turned into anger. He looked at the remaining two friends, his voice full of frustration:
"It's been ten minutes. How far could they have gone? They were just supposed to take a piss and come back. We've waited long enough. Let's get out of here."
Jamie shook his head, trying to calm him down.
"Let's wait five more minutes. If they're not back by then, we'll go."
Just then, a dry cracking sound echoed. All three flinched and turned toward the noise. From the darkness, a barely visible silhouette was approaching with heavy steps.
As the shadow drew closer, it became clear: it was Chris. But not the Chris they knew.
His face was covered in blood, one eye swollen and bruised. His right hand had transformed into a full claw, with nails longer than his fingers. His shirt and pants were torn, parts of them smeared with mud. His skin looked as if it had been ripped in places.
The three stood frozen in horror.
Chris staggered toward them, barely keeping his balance. His eyes were hollow, yet a faint trace of the person they knew still lingered on his face. Words escaped his mouth with great difficulty:
"Run…"
His voice was hoarse and distorted. And then, suddenly, he collapsed at Albert's feet.
Albert stared down at Chris's bloodied, crumpled body. His breathing quickened, panic spreading across his face. He took a step back, then screamed in terror:
"What the hell is going on?!"
At that exact moment, a scream of agony echoed from deep within the forest. The voice was familiar. İt was Gabriel's voice.
The scream was abruptly cut off with a guttural, choking sound.
Jamie quickly grabbed Albert by the shoulder and spun him around. His eyes were wide with fear, his voice trembling:
"We're leaving! Now!"
Albert glanced back at Chris's body on the ground, still trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"But what about Chris?!" he shouted.
Jamie snapped, his voice laced with anger and desperation:
"Forget him! We need to save ourselves!"
Without a word, Miguel looked at them both, then turned and started running. Jamie tugged on Albert's arm. There was a moment of hesitation—just a few seconds—and then the three of them took off, sprinting madly into the dark, cursed forest.
Behind them remained only Chris's motionless body, Gabriel's fading scream, and a low hum echoing from within the dim woods.
The three friends finally stumbled back onto the narrow path they had used to flee Jack. Their bodies were drenched in sweat, their breathing ragged. For a brief moment, they stood still in the oppressive silence of the forest. Only the frantic thumping of their hearts and the rustling of leaves could be heard.
From deep within the forest, a scream rose.
It was a scream twisted by agony—more like the howl of a dying wolf than a human cry. What they heard was far from human. It was a sound that made their skin crawl.
Miguel, eyes wide in horror, whispered:
"Chris... That was his voice! That thing... it killed him!"
Albert immediately pulled out his phone. His fingers struggled to grip the screen—his hands were shaking, his heart pounding in his throat.
"We... we need to call the police…" he stammered.
But Jamie grabbed his hand tightly and stared straight into his eyes.
"No! We can't stay here for another second. We'll call once we reach the city. Right now, we just need to go. That thing that killed them... it could be coming after us."
His voice wavered between fury and panic.
Miguel nodded in agreement.
None of them looked back.
Together, they ran down the narrow path. Moonlight slipped through the trees, casting faint shadows across the dirt trail.
Behind them, there was only death and the unknown.
The three friends kept running frantically.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting eerie shadows across their path. Their hearts pounded in their chests, each beat echoing like a warning as if something dark might leap at them from behind at any moment.
Then, a loud thud came from the rear.
Albert and Jamie instinctively stopped and turned. Miguel had fallen face-first onto the dirt. He wasn't moving.
"Miguel!" Albert shouted. He rushed back, dropped to his knees, and turned his friend over. He patted Miguel's cheeks lightly, panic rising in his voice as he repeated his name over and over.
"Miguel, wake up! Come on, man! You can't stay here!"
Jamie clenched his teeth as he ran over. His face was twisted in a mix of fear and rage.
"What are you doing?! We need to run! Hurry up!"
Albert pulled Miguel's arm over his shoulder, struggling to lift him with one arm.
His eyes gleamed in the dark, his voice resolute:
"I'm not leaving him behind."
Jamie lost it. His fists clenched tight, he screamed:
"We can't carry him! He'll only slow us down! We're going to die, do you get that?!"
Albert's eyes burned with fury.
Suddenly, a harsh slap cracked across Jamie's face.
"You selfish bastard! Damn you and your so-called friendship!" he roared.
Jamie staggered back in shock, his breathing ragged. The mark from the slap flared red on his cheek, his eyes now full of anger.
"Fine!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "Do whatever the hell you want!"
Without looking back, he turned and ran alone into the darkness.
Despite Miguel's weight on his back, Albert didn't stop moving. What he carried wasn't just a body — it was loyalty.
He quickened his steps. No matter what happened, he wasn't going to leave his friend behind. Albert was gasping for breath. Miguel's weight burned into his shoulder, his muscles ached, but not once did his resolve waver.
" I am not going to abandon another friend!."