The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silver glow over the quiet town of Ravenshire. The streets were empty, the distant hum of cicadas filling the silence. But for eighteen-year-old Callista, the stillness felt suffocating.
She leaned against her bedroom window, her fingers tracing absent patterns on the cold glass. Beyond the neatly trimmed backyard, a thick stretch of trees loomed in the distance—the woods her mother had forbidden her from ever entering.
"Never go into the woods, Callista. Never."
She had heard those words a hundred times, yet never an explanation. No reason why the trees were dangerous. No whispered warnings of beasts lurking in the shadows. Just a rule—a rule her mother refused to discuss.
Callista sighed, resting her forehead against the glass. Tomorrow was her birthday—her eighteenth birthday. It should have felt special, but instead, a strange restlessness churned inside her, an itch under her skin she couldn't explain.
Maybe that was why she didn't immediately say no when Mia, her best friend, had whispered an idea in school earlier that day.
"One night. One adventure. Come on, Callista, don't you ever wonder what's out there?" Mia's green eyes had sparkled with mischief, her curly hair bouncing as she nudged Callista's arm. "It's just a forest. What's the worst that could happen?"
Callista had forced a laugh at the time, shaking her head. But now, standing here, staring at the dark outline of the trees, she felt the pull.
She had always followed the rules. Always listened to her mother's warnings. But tonight, something deep inside her whispered that she needed to go.
Her heart pounded as she grabbed a hoodie from her chair and slid into her sneakers. She told herself she would only take a quick look. Just step past the tree line and prove to herself that there was nothing to be afraid of.
With one last glance at her closed bedroom door, she lifted the window and climbed out. The night air was crisp against her skin as she landed softly on the grass below. The house remained dark, her mother fast asleep.
Swallowing her nerves, she took slow steps toward the woods, the whispering wind sending chills down her spine. Each step felt heavier, her heartbeat matching the rhythm of the rustling leaves.
And then she crossed the threshold.
The moment her foot touched the forest floor, the world around her shifted. The air thickened, the sounds of the town faded into silence, and an eerie stillness settled around her.
A twig snapped behind her.
Callista froze.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she turned slowly, her breath caught in her throat.
Two glowing golden eyes stared back at her from the darkness.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. A low growl rumbled through the air, deep and menacing. It wasn't human. It wasn't even close.
Her mother had warned her.
She should have listened.
Because in that moment, Callista knew—she was not alone in the woods.
And whatever was watching her… wasn't going to let her go.