Chapter 5

I woke up to a cold breeze brushing against my face. My back hurt from lying on something hard. Slowly, I opened my eyes. It was still dark outside, but I could see the shape of a house.

It wasn’t the broken-down house from the woods. And there was no fog.

I blinked a few times, confused.

My eyes widened. I was on the floor of my own balcony.

What? How did I end up back home?

I sat up quickly but flinched as pain shot through my legs, and pretty much everywhere else. My chest tightened, and my heart started beating faster. Then, bit by bit, it all came back.

The forest. The strange beast. The man who saved me.

Was that real? Or just some weird nightmare?

But I did go on that trip. I remembered everything clearly. I hid inside an old house in the woods.

It had to be real.

My dress was dirty and torn at the bottom, and there were dry leaves stuck all over it. My skin was itchy like I’d rolled in dust. This definitely happened. But how did I get home? I drove myself there in my old car.

I looked out into the dark, hoping to spot my car.

Nothing. It was gone.

Panic hit me.

Did I teleport? Or did the man who helped me actually bring me back?

The second one made more sense. But how would he even know where I lived?

I looked around. No one was outside. The street was super quiet. I reached into the small pocket of my jeans and felt my house key still there.

Slowly, I unlocked the balcony door and limped inside, trying not to make any noise. The last thing I needed was my stepmom waking up and asking a bunch of questions I couldn't answer.

The clock on the wall said it was almost 5:00 a.m. Morning was close. My whole body felt heavy and sore.

I pulled off my ripped T-shirt and slid out of my jeans, letting them fall to the floor. My legs were shaking. I needed a shower badly. Maybe the water would help wash away the fear, the confusion, everything.

I turned on the shower, and cold water hit my skin, making me gasp. But it actually helped a little. For a moment, I could almost forget what happened.

Then I felt a sharp sting on my neck. I touched the spot and winced. It burned.

Slowly, I turned to the mirror and switched on the bright light above it. I leaned in closer, brushing my wet hair out of the way.

There was a red mark. It was a little swollen.

I stared at it. It kind of looked like a bite.

My mind flashed back to the pain I felt back there.

“What the heck?” I whispered. “Did that thing bite me?”

Or maybe when it jumped at me, its claws scratched my neck?

A wave of fear hit me, but just for a second. It faded fast, replaced by even more confusion.

I wrapped a towel around myself and walked back to my room. I sat on the edge of my bed, still dripping wet. My head was spinning with thoughts I couldn't make sense of.

Later that morning, I put on some clean clothes and went downstairs. My stepmom was in the kitchen, sipping her tea. She looked up for a second.

“You’re up early,” she said.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

She didn’t ask where I had been. Honestly, she probably didn’t even know I wasn’t home yesterday. She never really paid attention anyway.

I ate a quick breakfast and took some painkillers. Then I rubbed some ointment on the red spot on my neck.

Still limping a little, I forced myself out the door and headed to work.

I walked into the office building, the buzz of morning activity already in full swing. My head still throbbed lightly, and my shoulders were sore.

The memory of last night, the growls, the heavy breathing, the way I passed out, flashed through my mind again.

I shook it off and tightened my grip on my bag. Just focus, Vanessa.

I headed to the Visual Media Department, pretending like everything was fine. Nobody needed to know I was planning to sneak back to the woods again.

I just needed a day. One day to retrieve my car and clear my tracks.

My feet carried me down the hallway to Mr. Maxwell's office. He was my superior. A little too strict, a little too nosy, but fair.

I knocked twice and heard his voice.

“Come in.”

I stepped in, closing the door behind me. He sat at his desk, scrolling through something on his laptop. He looked up.

“Miss Wendell,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re in early. Everything okay?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Actually, I wanted to ask for a day off. I’m not feeling too great—”

“Where were you yesterday?”

His question caught me off guard. My heart skipped.

“I… it was my day off,” I answered quickly.

He leaned back in his chair. “Right. But where did you go?”

I frowned. “With all due respect, sir, that’s personal.”

He didn’t respond at first. Instead, he opened a drawer, pulled out a brown envelope, and slid it across the desk toward me.

“What’s this?” I asked, slowly opening it.

My fingers froze.

Inside was a printed photo. My car. Parked just where I left it, deep in the woods, hidden, or so I thought. The same angle. Same lighting. Someone had taken it not long after I arrived.

Beneath the photo was a letter. Official-looking. I scanned the top: MINISTRY OF FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY.

My skin turned cold.

“They sent this to us early this morning,” Mr. Maxwell said, watching me closely. “They tracked the vehicle’s registration back to you. And since you’re full-time staff at Sightlife Media, they sent the warning to us first.”

I forced myself to speak, though my throat was dry. “I was just… sightseeing. I didn’t go into the restricted area. I walked around a bit, but I made sure not to cross the boundary signs.”

His brow arched. “You sure about that?”

“Yes.” I looked him straight in the eye. “I’m sure.”

He leaned forward, lacing his fingers. “You do realize that forest has a history. People have gone missing there. It’s rumored to be crawling with wild creatures. What were you thinking?”

“They’re just stories,” I said quietly. “Old ones. No one’s ever actually seen anything.”

Lies. Every word of it. Because I had seen something. Heard something. Felt something breathing behind me in the dark.

Mr. Maxwell sighed and opened his drawer again.

I blinked.

He handed me another envelope.

“This came along with the first one,” he said.

I took it slowly, opened it with shaking hands. One look, and my stomach dropped.

The Ministry wanted me in. For questioning.

I hadn’t just been seen, I’d been watched.