Elliot forced himself to focus.Case first.
Always the case.
Mrs. Calder’s son.
Start there.
He returned to the tree line in daylight.
It looked smaller now.
Less threatening.
Almost normal.
That made it worse.
He stepped inside.
The shift was immediate.
The air thickened.
Sound dulled.
And the feeling—
Of being watched—
Returned.
Elliot moved carefully, scanning the ground.
Looking for anything.
A sign.
A trail.
Then—
He found it.
Footprints.
Small.
Bare.
Leading deeper into the woods.
Elliot followed.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Like the ground didn’t want him there.
Or wanted him there too much.
The trees grew denser.
Closer.
And then—
He saw it.
A clearing.
At the centre—
The boy.
Standing perfectly still.
Elliot’s breath caught.
“Hey!” he called. “Kid!”
The boy didn’t move.
Elliot stepped closer.
“Your mom’s looking for you,” he said.
Still nothing.
Then—
Slowly—
The boy turned.
Elliot’s stomach dropped.
The face was right.
But the expression—
Wasn’t.
Too calm.
Too empty.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the boy said.
His voice didn’t match his age.
Too deep.
Too layered.
Elliot took another step. “I’m taking you home.”
The boy smiled.
“You don’t have one anymore.”
The trees shifted.
Figures emerged.
Tall.
Thin.
Watching.
Elliot froze.
“They showed me,” the boy said. “What it’s like to belong.”
Elliot shook his head. “That’s not belonging.”
The boy tilted his head.
“It is here.”
The figures moved closer.
Elliot grabbed the boy’s arm.
Cold.
Too cold.
“Let’s go,” Elliot said.
The boy didn’t resist.
But he didn’t help either.
As they moved—
The figures followed.
Silent.
Patient.
Watching.
Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model
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