Both of the young men stepped outside the gate and stretched themselves. Together, they watched a great blockbuster show, that was currently in the entertainment headlines of Busan. Apparently, they enjoyed it. Soobin walked towards the back of the theatre, and Yeonjun followed him. It had been 2 weeks since their visit to that wildlife sanctuary.

"That was so fun!" Soobin muttered aloud, thinking about the movie and laughing as they walked further into the woods. The theatre building slowly disappeared behind the trees, which soon surrounded them.

They looked up at the sky, which resembled a psychedelic painting. The moon was a perfect crescent and the thick shroud of grey clouds saily drowsily in the dark sky. Occasionally, a white flash lit up the sky for a second before thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Fuck! Lemme grab my phone." Yeonjun said and took out his phone, switching on the flashlight.

There so much going on there. A flutter of batwing. Chirping crickets. The hoots of an owl. Even a jackal howled in the distance, adding to the nocturnal sounds. The clouds got darker and the thunder louder. The night was cold and thick with smog. The chill bit at Yeonjun as he followed his companion Soobin into the wastelands, adjoining with the forest.

Within the visible distance, one could see moss on old rocks and tree trunks with little drops of dew, which distracted the blond guy. In one of the tiny drops, he saw his distorted face, looking back at him. The branches of the walnut tree behind them appeared like the twisted tentacles of a monster in the dew drop.

They had had a little too much to drink on the way and now they were travelling later than usual. Out of a sudden, he inquired the other man present beside him.

"But why did we make up for this path?.....when we have the route with the road!" Yeonjun inquired while looking down towards his feet making sure that he didn't get tripped over some bushes. He heard a chuckle from his friend's side.

"People say, there's a ghost roaming around here. All bullshit. I am going to prove them, it's nothing like that."

Yeonjun felt like a surge of air had been forced into his lungs and breathed heavily. It was half past midnight and there was no sign of the driver. His mind screamed, and couldn't think of any matter at that particular time.

"Should w—we really make it? Something doesn't feel right," He murmured. His eyes filled and he fell silent for the next few seconds.

"It's just a story circulated by superstitious people. There is nothing haunting about the forest. Probably some drunk idiot slipped and carved nonsense sharp objects on their body that killed them, which paved the way for the story. Han Yunjin died the same way here." The blood turned to ice as the second Soobin words vibrated through his eardrums. He couldn't believe it. Wasn't she Taehyung's ex? She ended up here, shit! I didn't fucking know.

Soobin, who had a taste for all things paranormal, always wanted to go to the road in the forest, but his guardian would never allow him to do so. Today, he lied to them about the party organised in his batchmate's home. And, now he was here, where his parents never thought him to be.

They made it towards the ongoing way. Just at the end of the forest, a burial site exists along a shore. Soobin stared at those haunted things as if trying to capture the frame in his mind when something behind them appeared to move in the pearly dew drop. However, he shrugged it off. Yeonjun was already scared.

The cold, dry air did not feel soothing anymore and they wished they had worn another sweater. The sound of their feet on the untarred road echoed in their ears as they passed by more trees. All the while, Yeonjun felt like someone was following him.

Soon, they both felt an intoxicated cologne surrounding the forest. Along with it, an undeciphered shadow beneath the bushes. Yeonjun yelled to summon his friend as he kept his eye fixed on that particular object. At first, Soobin thought it was just the shadow of a tree but then he also saw the movement and his eyes popped open wide.

"I...I am leaving. I am going home, it's the ghost,"  Yeonjun whispered and walked away running without turning back. They arrived so deep yet it didn't bother him to not run away.

Soobin finally saw nothing beside him and caught his friends running in between for his life. It was dark and dangerous to be alone, and besides, like Yeonjun he ignited his steps in the same way.

After a few hectares, he held his knees, hyperventilating now and then. When he was out of the clump, he was startled to see that Yeonjun had not made it yet. It was quite strange because it was a straight path and the blond was in sight right until he left that earlier spotted area.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. They were quick. Instinctively, Soobin turned around. He observed a tall and dark figure move back into the shadow of the trees and out of blue, the body seemed to merge into one of the walnut trees. A puzzled Soobin scratched his head when he followed at the exact place of the stranger. He felt something drop on his forehead from above. He wiped off the warm liquid with a finger. It was blood. The young man nervously looked up and saw his friend's body lying on the thorny branches of the tree. He ran for his life, unmindful of the thorns that scratched him as he darted through the trees. His heart pounded as he saw the end of the woods, but before he could reach it, something pulled him back and he fell to the ground.

From there, he saw what he could never explain. As soon as he saw the hallmark of that particular person, his eyes widened and couldn't believe what stood next to him.
"Are y—you,"

The stranger growled and replied without letting him complete, "Yes! It's me fool. How dare you to do all that to Taehyung? I saw your act through my own eyes. You, dickhead."

That unknown person plucked one of the cigarettes from the packet and lit it up. Taking the stick and then flicking between the fingers whispered, "No worries, let me finish all that just like I did to one of your slut, Han Yunjin."

And few tears rolled down his cheek, fear sculpted his features. A gush of terror blew inside his body and soon, an ear-wrenched scream resonated among the woods.

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Thank youuuuu
(1091 words)
-Heyyy? How is the surprise? This is my first time trying something horror concept 🥹
-JIYA