The Call of Darkness

That night the woodland was unusually quiet, as though not even the animals dared to break the stifling silence. Maya gripped her lantern firmly and continued walking deeper into the forest, the soft ground beneath her boots muted her every step.

She had been forewarned by the villagers about the curse of the woodland and the darkness that beckoned anybody daring to venture within after twilight.

Maya was stuck, though.

She had seen the signs—broken branches, footsteps, and an undeniable pull toward the center of the forest—when her brother Arin vanished two days prior. Someone or something had tempted him to fall into the chasm. She would confront whoever was in charge tonight.

The trees loomed over her, their gnarled branches extending like bony fingers toward the pitch-black heavens. She felt a chill go up her spine and the cold seep into her bones.

She made an effort to ignore the sensation and concentrated instead on the tiny circle of light her lantern produced. But it didn't really cut through the gloom.

Abruptly, a faint, barely heard voice whispered her name. "Maya."

A beat skipped in her heart. With the lantern swinging in her grasp, she whirled around. Her voice quivered as she yelled, "Who's there?" Stillness.

Was it just the wind rustling the leaves, or was there another sound? Breathing harder, she peered over the treetops, but there was nothing to see because of the darkness.

She whispered to herself, "It's just the wind," but she wasn't really convinced.

Striding forward, she was desperate to locate her brother. But the deeper she went, the stranger the forest became. The darkness felt deeper, the air heavier. And the voice, oh, the voice, it was calling her name, louder with each step that passed.

"Maya..."

It was distorted, like it was whispered through layers of water, and it sounded like Arin. Her heart thumping in her chest, she halted. "Arin?" she muttered, her emotions dueling fear and hope. "Is that you?"

This time, the voice did not answer; instead, a deep, groaning laugh sounded through the trees, giving her shivers. Maya stepped back, trembling in her hands. This was incorrect. It wasn't her brother, whatever it was in this woodland.

Despite her instincts telling her to flee and turn around, something held her firmly in place. The shadows seemed to shift, closing in around her as the laughter got louder and more ominous. She found herself drawn farther into the embrace of the living darkness.

Suddenly, the lantern flickered, and in that brief moment of light, she saw it—a figure standing just beyond the trees. Tall, cloaked in shadows, its eyes gleamed like two burning coals. Maya’s blood turned to ice. The figure raised a hand, beckoning her forward.

“Come,” it whispered, its voice a twisted version of Arin’s. “Come to me.”

Maya stumbled backward, her mind racing. This wasn’t real—it couldn’t be! But the pull, the overwhelming urge to obey, was impossible to resist. She felt her feet moving against her will, drawn toward the figure, toward the heart of the forest.

“No!” she screamed, fighting against the invisible force dragging her forward. “I won’t go with you!”

The figure’s eyes narrowed, its once-human voice now a growl. “You already have.”

Maya’s lantern shattered against the ground as she fell, plunging her into complete darkness. The shadows closed in around her, suffocating, pressing against her from all sides. She could hear the voice again, but this time, it wasn’t calling her name—it was laughing.

The cold wrapped around her like a vice, and just as she felt herself slipping away, she heard it—a faint sound, distant yet clear. Arin’s voice, desperate and weak.

“Maya... help me...”

With the last bit of strength she had, she forced herself to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn’t give in. She couldn’t let the darkness take her. She had to save him.

The forest roared in fury as she ran, the shadows clawing at her, trying to pull her back. But she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Her brother was out there, waiting for her.

And as long as she could hear his voice, she would follow it—no matter where the darkness tried to lead her.