Blogtober, Day 5: Escape

 Lucy's Path: Chapter Five


They should have run. Every instinct screamed it. But Mark raised his flashlight like a sword and said, “We’ve come this far. We can’t just bail.”

Sarah shook her head. “Are you insane? That tree moved. Some… thing… laughed.” Her voice cracked. “We need to get out before it decides we’re next.”

Emily clutched the amulet tighter. “If Lucy’s still here, maybe she can’t escape. Maybe that’s why the ribbons keep showing up. She’s… marking the way.”

“That’s nuts,” Tyler muttered, though his eyes darted nervously toward the shadows.

Mark pushed ahead, brushing aside brambles. “Call me crazy, but I don’t want to be the guy who runs home screaming because a tree made a noise. Ten more minutes, we see what’s out here.”

The others hesitated, caught between reason and pride. Finally, with a chorus of nervous sighs, they followed.

The path narrowed, branches clawing their sleeves. Strange shapes appeared between the trees. Bundles of sticks arranged in patterns too deliberate to be natural. Some hung from branches like warning signs. Others lined the trail, leading them deeper still.

Sarah whispered, “This feels wrong.”

Somewhere ahead, the laughter came again. Closer this time. Playful as a skipping rope.


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