They all walked together, not knowing that there was an imposter among them.
It had been an hour since they were separated and now walking in pairs of two.
The first pair was Louis and Luna, who held hands as they walked. Luna's hand trembled with fear—she didn't want to be separated from Louis again.
Louis noticed her shaking and spoke calmly:
"Don't be scared, Luna. I'm with you."
In a shaky voice, Luna replied,
"I'm not scared… I just don't want to be alone again."
"Don't worry, Luna. I'm not going to leave you."
Luna smiled faintly and whispered,
"Thanks, Louis."
They continued walking quietly, holding hands.
On the other side, Lisa and John were walking together. Fear lingered in their eyes, and little by little, Lisa held John's hand.
After about ten minutes, Lisa suddenly froze. She heard a voice.
"Liiisaaa…"
She shivered and looked at John.
"Hey… John. Did you hear that?"
John shook his head.
"I didn't hear anything, Lisa."
"But I swear… someone was calling me," Lisa whispered nervously.
"It's just your imagination. You're scared—that's all," John reassured her.
Lisa nodded slightly.
"Maybe you're right… just my imagination."
They fell silent, but two minutes later, John stopped. This time, he heard something. A faint whisper:
"Help me…"
John's eyes widened.
"Lisa, I heard it. Someone's asking for help."
Lisa frowned.
"But I didn't hear anything…"
"No, I'm sure of it. We have to look for them. Maybe they need help—and maybe they know how to escape this forest."
Lisa shook her head.
"I don't think that's a good idea. What if it's dangerous?"
John clenched his jaw.
"We can't ignore it. If someone's out there, we should help."
Lisa sighed but eventually followed John as they went deeper into the forest, searching for the voice.
Meanwhile, Anna and Luka were still walking, searching for their friends.
"It's been almost four hours, and we haven't found anyone," Anna said worriedly.
"Maybe we should go back. They might have returned to the van and are waiting for us," Luka suggested.
"I don't know, Luka… we've been walking the same path they took, but there's no sign of them," Anna muttered.
"Maybe they found a different way back. Let's return. If they're waiting at the van and we're not there, they'll just worry more," Luka said confidently.
Anna thought for a moment and nodded.
"You're right. We should go back."
But just as they turned to leave, Anna spotted something. A faint light flickered deep in the jungle.
"Luka… look! There's a light over there."
Luka frowned.
"What the hell is a light doing in the middle of the jungle?"
"I don't know… but maybe if we follow it, we'll find someone who can help us," Anna said hopefully.
Luka shook his head.
"No. We can't just follow some random light."
But Anna insisted.
"Come on, Luka. What if it's our friends? What if they lit it?"
Luka sighed, seeing the hope in Anna's eyes.
"Fine. Let's go."
Together, they followed the faint light into the jungle until they disappeared into the darkness.
Elsewhere, Max and Luna walked side by side. Max was nervous, but Luna seemed unusually calm.
Max glanced at her.
"Hey, Luna… aren't you scared at all?"
Luna shook her head.
"No. If we stay calm, we'll find a way. If we panic, we'll just get lost."
Max sighed. "Easier said than done."
A few minutes later, Luna suddenly asked,
"Hey Max… can I ask you something?"
"Ask," Max replied.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" Luna said with a small smile.
Max frowned. "What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer," Luna insisted.
Max hesitated. "Well… yeah. Who wouldn't be scared if a real ghost showed up?"
"And if a ghost appeared right here, right now… what would you do?" Luna pressed.
Max groaned.
"Seriously? What kind of question is that? I'm already scared, and you're asking me this nonsense?"
"I said just answer," Luna muttered, her tone sharper.
"Fine. If a ghost appeared, I'd run. Happy?" Max snapped.
"So… you'd leave me behind?" Luna asked quietly.
Max sighed.
"No. I'd take you with me. We'd run together. Now are you happy?"
Luna chuckled softly, leaving Max confused by her strange questions. Still, he ignored it, and they kept walking.
Back with Louis and Luna, the forest grew darker. Suddenly, they heard a sound coming from the bushes.
Luna gasped.
"What was that? Is… is someone coming?"
"Stay behind me, Luna. Don't be afraid—I'll protect you," Louis said firmly, grabbing a wooden stick from the ground.
The rustling grew louder, closer, until something finally emerged from the shadows…