"Yash, I thought we shouldn't go there. It's too dangerous." Ray's voice was a timid whisper, fear clinging to his words. The recent news, whispered amongst the villages, had painted grim pictures of the mountains.
"Oh, come on, don't be such a loose ball. Nothing will happen to us. Haven't you heard, most of them were girls? Doesn't that convey who is doing those murders and why?" Yash retorted, his voice laced with a cruel bravado. The rest of the group exchanged nervous glances. Their parents had warned them against venturing deep into the mountains, but a morbid curiosity, a morbid pull, tugged at them.
"But…" One of them started to object, but Yash cut him off instantly.
"No buts! If you don't have guts, then you can return to your home and never come to play with us again. I don't want cowards in my team." Yash, the self-proclaimed leader, stared down the boy. The threat of being bullied, of being ostracized by Yash and his clique, was enough. He capitulated.
"Okay, I will come with you all," he mumbled, but in his mind, he replayed the horrifying image of Aria, a young girl from a nearby village, her body rotten in the water, one side brutally devoured as if chewed alive by a fish or animal. That's what his parents had told him.
Though the cause of Aria's death remained unconfirmed, a chilling theory had taken root: something dangerous lurked deep within the mountains. Even as a theory, it was enough to make the thought of venturing deeper into this unnervingly silent expanse a terrifying prospect, as if the mountain itself would snatch your very soul.
"Excuse me…"
"Aghhh!" Ray shrieked, a raw cry of terror. He had been startled by the sudden voice. Everyone else was in front of him. Sky's abrupt appearance, seemingly out of nowhere, had terrified him. Even some of the other boys flinched, momentarily gripped by panic at Ray's scream, but quickly returned to normal as they saw Sky, casually walking towards them, well-dressed, completely composed.
"Oh God… he scared me."
"Yeah, me too. But thank God he isn't a ghost." The boys whispered amongst themselves.
"What, isn't he a ghost? He's a ghost in human form… Don't you think we've seen someone like him in this area before?" One friend said, a mischievous glint in his eye, enjoying the fright.
"That's possible…"
"Ray, don't believe in his bullshit. He's just a kid, around the same age as ours." The group murmured, while Yash, seeing Sky approaching with an unreadable calm, stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm just a passerby," Sky replied calmly, a faint smile on his lips. Ray's friend immediately whispered into Ray's ear.
"Did you hear what he said? Isn't that what evil spirits always say when they meet humans? Hehe…"
"Oh shit, should we run then?" Ray gulped, his throat dry with fear. Yash, meanwhile, asked again, his tone sharper.
"Reason to approach us?"
"Well, nothing. Just wanted to ask, you seem local here, can you tell me where I can find mushrooms around the mountains?" Sky asked, his voice calm and even.
"Oh… I see. Ahh… you can find mushrooms deep in the forest area of the mountains, as people have already plucked the near ones," Yash said, pointing vaguely into the dense woods. Ray and the other friends' eyes widened in disbelief, but no one dared to raise a voice. Sky simply nodded, offering a quiet thanks, and walked off in the direction Yash had indicated.
After Sky had walked far enough to be out of earshot, Ray turned to Yash.
"Why did you do that?"
"Shut up, little mouse. You don't want to go there, right?"
"No."
"Then isn't that good? We don't even need to go there. We will just wait here. If that guy returns in an hour or two, then there's nothing wrong. But if he doesn't, then our suspicion is right," Yash said, a wide, chilling grin spreading across his face.
"But that's so evil! What if something happens to him?"
"So what? It's not like we sent him there. He asked for directions, and I told him, that's all." Yash's voice brooked no opposition. No one dared to challenge him further.
Meanwhile, Sky smiled to himself, a grim amusement touching his lips. That's really evil. But it's good you did it. I also wonder what is scaring others so much. Is this some village ritual theory or something hidden in this mountain? His thoughts were a blend of detachment and keen observation. He pushed deeper into the dense forest. The trees grew taller, closer, their branches intertwining into a thick canopy. The once-flat ground began to incline sharply, forcing Sky to lean forward to maintain balance. He decided it was time to use his powers.
With a barely perceptible flex of his muscles, he launched himself upward, landing lightly on the rough bark of a towering tree. From there, he began to leap, an impossible blur of motion, from one tree to another with insane speed.
As he moved deeper, a disconcerting change began to manifest. The distance between trees grew, forcing him to jump longer and longer distances. The surrounding area grew darker, but it wasn't because of the time of day; only a few minutes had passed since he'd begun his accelerated travel. He pulled out his phone; the time was unchanged.
"Yes, I am right… time didn't move fast. Instead, something is wrong here. The sky is quite open, but surprisingly, not much light is coming into this area." He looked around, and a new, disturbing detail caught his attention. After several more meters, the trees began to appear dry, lifeless, their branches skeletal against the encroaching gloom. It disturbed him profoundly.
The oppressive atmosphere gave him the distinct impression that this land was slowly being drained of its vitality, transforming into a barren wasteland. But how was that possible? It wasn't autumn; there should be no reason for such a dearth of leaves.
Then, as he ventured further into the forest, something else came into view: scattered bones. His eyes widened, a cold clarity settling over him, his senses snapping to their highest alert.