The voice in the dark

The footsteps continued behind them.

Ethan and Jake kept walking, neither daring to look back.

The forest had grown completely dark.

Their flashlights cut through the darkness ahead, but neither beam reached far enough to reveal what was following them.

Neither of them spoke.

The voice from earlier was still fresh in their minds.

"Ethan..."

Jake finally broke the silence.

"Do you think it really said your name?"

Ethan kept walking.

"I don't know."

"You heard it."

"Yeah."

"you said it sounded familiar."

Ethan stopped.

For a moment, he said nothing.

"I don't know why."

Jake looked at him.

"Maybe we should go back."

Ethan turned around.

The path behind them had almost disappeared into the darkness.

"We can't even see the gate anymore."

Jake's expression tightened.

"That's exactly why I'm worried."

Ethan looked down at the black notebook in his hand.

The words were still clear in his mind.

THE FOREST REMEMBERS EVERY NAME.

And underneath them:

DO NOT ANSWER.

"Whatever happens," Ethan said quietly, "don't answer if you hear your name."

Jake nodded.

"Deal."

They continued walking.

For several minutes, there was nothing except the sound of their footsteps.

Then Jake stopped.

"Wait."

Ethan turned.

"What?"

Jake raised his flashlight.

"Did you hear that?"

Ethan listened.

Nothing.

"What?"

"I thought I heard someone walking."

They both stood still.

The forest was silent.

Then—

Crunch.

A dry branch snapped somewhere behind them.

Jake immediately turned around.

His flashlight moved across the trees.

Nothing.

"Probably an animal," Ethan said.

Another sound.

Crunch.

This time...

it came from the left.

Jake's grip tightened around the flashlight.

"Ethan..."

"Don't."

The sound stopped.

For several seconds, nothing moved.

Then a voice came from somewhere between the trees.

"Jake..."

Jake froze.

Ethan looked at him.

Jake's face had gone pale.

The voice sounded exactly like Ethan.

Jake whispered,

"That was you."

Ethan shook his head.

"I didn't say anything."

The voice came again.

"Jake..."

Closer this time.

Jake took a step backward.

"That's your voice."

"I know."

Ethan looked toward the trees.

"Don't answer."

The voice suddenly changed.

It became deeper.

Older.

"Jake..."

Jake's eyes widened.

"That's my grandfather's voice."

Ethan stared at him.

"You're sure?"

Jake nodded slowly.

"I haven't heard that voice in years."

The forest became completely still.

Then the voice whispered again.

This time...

it sounded like Jake himself.

"Come here."

Jake took one step forward.

Ethan grabbed his arm.

"No."

Jake looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because it's not him."

The voice came again.

"Jake..."

Jake's eyes filled with confusion.

For a second, it sounded so real that he almost answered.

Then Ethan remembered the notebook.

DO NOT ANSWER.

"Don't listen to it," Ethan said.

Suddenly, the voice disappeared.

Silence returned.

Jake slowly lowered his flashlight.

"Maybe it's gone."

Ethan shook his head.

"No."

"How do you know?"

"Because it wanted you to answer."

Before Jake could respond...

a faint whisper came from behind them.

"Ethan..."

Both boys turned.

Nothing.

Then another voice came from the opposite direction.

"Jake..."

They turned again.

Nothing.

Then another voice came from the opposite direction.

"Jake..."

They turned again.

Nothing.

The voices began coming from everywhere.

From the trees.

From behind them.

From somewhere far ahead.

Both voices sounded different every time.

Sometimes young.

Sometimes old.

Sometimes familiar.

Sometimes almost impossible to understand.

Jake covered his ears.

"Make it stop!"

Ethan grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't listen!"

Then the forest suddenly went silent.

Completely silent.

Jake slowly removed his hands from his ears.

"What happened?"

Ethan didn't answer.

He was staring at something on the ground.

A few feet ahead...

someone had carved a symbol into the muddy path.

The same symbol from the wooden box.

Ethan crouched beside it.

His fingers hovered above the mark.

He didn't touch it.

"Why is this here?"

Jake looked around nervously.

"Maybe someone made it."

"Who?"

No answer.

A cold breeze passed through the trees.

The symbol seemed to darken beneath their flashlights.

Then Ethan heard something.

Not from the forest.

Not from behind them.

It came from directly beside him.

A whisper.

Very soft.

Almost gentle.

"You came back."

Ethan froze.

Jake stared at him.

"What?"

Ethan slowly turned toward the empty space beside him.

Nobody was there.

"What did you hear?" Jake asked.

Ethan looked at him.

For a moment, he couldn't speak.

Then he whispered,

"Nothing."

Jake frowned.

"You heard something."

Ethan looked down at the symbol again.

He suddenly remembered his grandmother's face when he had mentioned Blackwood Forest.

The fear in her eyes.

The tears.

The way she had refused to explain anything.

Maybe she hadn't been afraid of the forest.

Maybe...

she had been afraid of what lived inside it.

A loud crack suddenly echoed through the trees.

CRACK!

Both boys jumped.

The flashlight in Jake's hand flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then went completely dark.

"Jake?"

"I'm here."

Another crack.

Closer.

Ethan raised his own flashlight.

The beam moved across the trees.

Nothing.

Then...

a tall shadow slowly appeared between two trees.

It didn't move.

It simply stood there.

Watching them.

Jake whispered,

"Ethan..."

"I see it."

The shadow took one slow step forward.

Ethan's breathing stopped.

Then the flashlight flickered.

The darkness swallowed the trees for a split second.

When the light returned...

the figure was gone.

Only the empty forest remained.

Jake stared at the place where it had been.

"What was that?"

Ethan didn't answer.

He looked down at the notebook in his hand.

The pages were turning by themselves.

Slowly.

One after another.

Until they stopped.

A new sentence had appeared beneath the words DO NOT ANSWER.

Ethan stared at it.

Jake leaned closer.

"What does it say?"

Ethan swallowed.

Then he read the words aloud.

"It only speaks to those it remembers."

The forest remained silent.

But somewhere deep in the darkness...

something smiled.

End of Chapter 4.