I called my friends and told them to wait at the bus stand. After that, I hung up. It was already four o'clock. Mom packed a tiffin box for food and some fruits in a bag.
I headed to the bus stand. When I arrived, I saw Jay and Akash already waiting for me. I went up to them and asked,
"Jay, did you buy the three tickets?"
"Yeah, everything's ready. Let's get on the bus now," Jay replied.
"Yeah, let's go," Akash added.
After boarding, it took almost nine to ten hours to reach Moonveil Forest. The bus dropped us a little far since vehicles don't go directly on that road.
It was nearly 1 AM.
I felt scared. I never go out at night, and tonight we were entering a dense forest—fear was natural. Jay and Akash, however, were cheerful and walking ahead. I followed, my feet feeling like they were frozen in place.
Jay looked back and said,
"Neel, why are you walking so slowly? We need to reach Moonveil Forest on time. Hurry up, and don't forget the tent needs to be set."
Akash laughed,
"Hey Neel, did you put brakes on your feet? Or are you walking slowly so the ghosts can shake hands with you first?"
I squinted at him,
"Don't laugh too much… ghosts tend to target the ones who laugh first at night."
Akash's laughter stopped for a moment, but Jay chuckled.
We continued into the forest. Darkness surrounded us, mist crept into our eyes, and the shadows of the trees seemed to reach out to grab us. My steps were slow; the wet leaves rustling, the wind stirring branches—all amplified our fear. Akash teased occasionally, but Jay's steady confidence helped me keep going.
Finally, we reached a small clearing—a safe spot in the middle of the forest where we could set up the Tent. Jay opened the bag and took out the tent.
We carefully leveled the ground and set the tent slightly elevated so no water would accumulate and it wouldn't touch the cold ground directly. Once the tent was properly set, we all let out a long sigh.
"At least now it feels a little safer… but the night is still terrifying," I murmured.
"Well Neel, after the forest was renovated, I had secretly thought about coming here. Exploring the forest has always been my hobby, but when the picnic came up, I thought of Moonveil Forest," Jay said.
"I've told you before, I see almost the same dream every day. It's mysterious… I'm not very brave, but I planned this carefully. Maybe we'll find some clues in the forest,"
Akash laughed,
"Don't be scared… but keep your eyes open. Anything can happen in this night. Let's eat a bit and sleep; tomorrow we'll explore the whole forest."
I stood near the tent in silence for a while, listening only to the night sounds and my own breathing. Something unknown seemed to be watching us from the forest's depths, sending a shiver of excitement and fear through me. We ate a little and slept inside the tent. Jay checked around with his light for a while before sleeping.
Sleep wouldn't come easily for me. I kept thinking about the forest's mysteries. My grandfather used to visit Moonveil Forest occasionally, but I never knew why. Later, I read in the news that the forest had been newly renovated.
This forest had been nearly extinct. So when my friends suggested a picnic, I mentioned Moonveil Forest. I wanted to see if there was any mystery here. But mysteries only come at night, not during the day. And I was scared—going out alone was out of the question.
The strangest thing was how my dreams seemed connected to this renovated forest. Ever since childhood, I had almost the same dream. My mom mentioned that my grandfather had visited Moonveil Forest once too. But why a nearly extinct forest was restored after 200 years? That remained a mystery.
Tonight, I had to be careful. I thought I'd tell my friends about all this in the morning.
Suddenly, a strange sound cut through my thoughts.
I widened my eyes. The darkness around me seemed to thicken.
"I noticed Jay and Akash fell a sleep… then what was that sound?" I wondered to myself.
A little fear crept in. The sound wasn't like any wild animal—I knew after renovation, no dangerous creatures wandered here.
Then, a whisper-like sound came again. My heart raced. It was definitely some people whispering. Trembling, I turned on my phone's torch and stepped out of the tent to find the source.
The same sound kept repeating, coming closer with each echo. My breath caught in my throat.
This time, I really panicked. To my knowledge, no one should be in this forest at night. So how could there be so many whispers? Or had they also come here like us?
I turned on my torch and cautiously crept toward the bushes. The silence around me was heavy. I tried to listen closely—words floated faintly, unclear, whispering through the darkness.
Suddenly, a sentence pierced my ears, making my eyes widen:
"You don't know… they are coming. No one is safe."
To be continued…