Our team was given an area to search and we split up into a pair and a group of three. Rena had begrudgingly put me alone with Maverick, so we set off in our given parameters and began looking around, the light of our flashlights hazy in the thickening fog. Leaves and twigs crunched loudly underfoot as we ventured deeper and deeper into the forest. Silence was all that was between us until Maverick finally spoke.

"He was my best friend," he said, his voice both monotonous and shocked. "Thomas was my best friend and now he's gone. We were going to finish high school together, you know."

"And college?" I asked.

His jaw clenched even tighter than it already was. "No. He was going to go to college, I would stay behind to play hockey for six more months and then worry about it and everything would work out. But I guess I kind of have to go to college now, don't I?"

"Not necessarily."

"His parents died when he was young," Maverick continued. "He lives with me and my parents now- lived, anyway. They wanted one of us to go to college. If we don't find him, I'll have to."

"I'm sor-" A horrifying shreik split the air and we both stopped in our tracks, covered in snow and submerged in fog from the knees down. It had come from the direction that Rena and her group were supposed to have searched. My arms tensed up, my knuckles white against the handle of the flashlight.

"It's probably just an animal," whispered Maverick, stepping forward and narrowing his eyes against the darkness and snow. The weather had gotten progressively worse and much, much colder. The shriek sounded again, this time nearer. Now that it was at close range it sounded distinctly human, like the person who made the noise was practically tearing their lungs out, but human nonetheless. "I think we should go. Now."

I nodded my head in agreement and we headed through the trees, walking at a pace that was so fast it was almost a run. Neither one of us wanted to admit that we were scared, but it was evident through our breathing that we were both terrified out of our minds.

We had almost reached the edge of the forest when I heard it. Whispering. I turned to Maverick to see if he heard it too and the expression on his face said that he had. "Was that you?" He questioned, though he probably already knew the answer.

I shook my head no, turned around in circles to assess my surroundings, and when nothing was there, froze. It was hard to make out what the voice was saying, but it was definitely words. It sounded as though somebody was talking backwards and I caught a glimpse of what they were saying: one word that sounded like Rena and one that sounded like ruins.

"Rena's gone missing," I whispered to myself. I didn't know how I knew but was certain that it was true. We had just met but she was the only friend that I had and I wasn't about to lose that.

"Rena? We just saw her. I'm sure she's fine," comforted Maverick, his voice betraying him with an unsure tone.

Though my friend had gone missing, I couldn't bare to stay another minute in that forest. Maverick and I took off, breaking branches and trampling bushes as we made our way out of the woods. We only stopped running once we had reached the safety of the area that the search party originally met at.

We both looked at each other, hands on knees, as we heaved for breath. "You okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah. You?"

Maverick nodded in response and stood up, gazing out through the trees like he expected something to jump out at him. "Where's the Sheriff?"

"With another group, I think."

Maverick cursed under his breath, shaking his head. "I don't want to go back into that forest without the Sheriff, but I have to find Thomas," he gazed into the trees, then at the frightened look on my face as if he was deciding which was more important. "You know what, screw it," without warning he pulled a handgun from under his shirt and cocked it. "I didn't want to alarm you but it seems like the forest has already done that."

"It's ok. Guns don't scare me. They're pretty cool, in my opinion, but is this legal?"

"You can own a gun at fourteen in Montana- completely legal," His arm made a slashing motion as if to settle the topic.

"Good."

     We had found nothing when we went back into the forest except a lingering feeling of uneasiness. The place gave off the worst vibes I had ever felt. Even being around the edge of the trees made me feel sick, but I was struck with a curiosity and desire to find Rena and Thomas that overrode everything else.

Our flashlights were now dim because the fog was so thick. We could barely walk through it and come out completely dry, and the air was heavy and hard to breathe in. Snow blanketed the ground in plentiful sheets now and the winds were growing stronger.

"We've searched the entire area and found nothing. Plus, the weather's getting worse. We have to get inside!" Maverick yelled over the howling blast of air that had come into our path.

We both trudged our way through the wind, making it to the Sheriff's office after a twenty minute hike through the woods and on the side of the road. When we finally reached shelter, Maverick slammed the door behind him. Every other member sent out for the search party was there too, except Rena.

"You were right," he said immediately. "Rena isn't here."

According to the other people in our group, they had heard the shriek too. Immediately after that, Rena disappeared. "The search had been called off due to bad weather," said the Sheriff, stroking his gray handlebar mustache vigorously. "You probably couldn't hear us over the wind."

"I couldn't see much either. Once we got out of the forest, the weather let up a little," I interjected. "That place is weird. This place is weird."

"Don't be silly. It's probably just some sort of fluke. Maybe a prank?" Argued the Sheriff.

"If what's happening now isn't related to the forest, then why can't we go in there? What else goes on in there that you wouldn't want us getting caught in? Not a lot happened to us."

The room became silent save for the roaring of the snowstorm outside and the faint shrieking sounding again from the forest.