Meanwhile, Luna, Lisa, John, and Max—who were searching for Louis—ran in the direction where the crying voice was coming from.
"I think we're close. The crying is getting louder," Luna said.
"She's right. I can clearly hear it now too," Lisa added.
"But whose crying voice is this? Even though we hear it clearly, we can't figure out who it belongs to," John said.
"Yeah, John thinks it's Louis, but I don't think so at all," Max replied.
"You idiot, this crying sounds like a girl. So, it's definitely not Louis," Luna mocked.
"I never said it was Louis's voice. John said that," Max grumbled.
"I just guessed, guys. It's not a big deal, so stop arguing," John said.
Suddenly, the crying grew louder—so close it felt like the person was nearby. The group stopped running and looked around.
"I think it's coming from somewhere here," Lisa said.
"Let's look around," John suggested.
The group spread out, searching for the person behind the crying.
______________________________________
On the other side—Luna, Louis, Lisa, and John were searching for Max. The group shielded their faces as a sudden blinding light burst out in front of them. Luna, however, saw something terrifying on the ground.
In a few seconds, the light disappeared, and everyone slowly opened their eyes.
"Is everybody okay?" Louis asked.
"Yes, we're fine. But where did that light come from?" Lisa asked.
"Who knows, but I'm just glad we're all okay," John said.
Louis suddenly noticed Luna trembling, her face pale as if she had seen a ghost.
"You okay, Luna?" Louis asked.
She didn't answer—just stared at the ground. The group quickly realized something was wrong with her.
"Luna?" Lisa called gently, but no reply came.
"Hey, are you alright?" John asked, but she remained silent.
Finally, Louis placed a hand on her shoulder. Luna flinched suddenly and looked at him with confusion.
"Are you okay?" Louis repeated.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Luna replied, her trembling voice betraying her composure.
"Don't do that again—we were scared for you," Lisa said softly.
"Yeah… I'm sorry for worrying you, Lisa," Luna said.
"But what happened to you?" John asked.
"I just zoned out in my thoughts. That's all. Nothing to worry about," Luna said quickly.
"If you say so," John muttered.
"But we need to move faster and find Max. Something is definitely wrong in this jungle," Louis reminded them.
"Yeah, like where that strange light came from," Lisa added.
"I'm more worried about Max. I hope he's okay," John said.
"Now that you mention it… we were following his voice before the light appeared," Louis said.
"Yeah, but now I hear nothing—as if it completely vanished," Lisa replied.
"Come on, everyone. We have to find Max," John said firmly.
The three nodded, but Luna only stared at them quietly, still shaken. When the group started walking again, she followed nervously.
______________________________________
Meanwhile, the other four—Luka, Anna, Louis, and Max—had already split into pairs to search for their remaining friends.
The first pair, Luka and Louis, walked through the jungle in silence.
"I still don't think this was a good idea," Luka grumbled.
"Oh, come on, Luka. It's only been five minutes since we split, and you're already giving up," Louis replied.
"I'm not giving up. I'm just worried. What if we don't find the others and also lose Anna and Max?" Luka muttered.
"Like I said, we'll find them," Louis reassured.
"You only say that because you blindly believe everything's possible with your optimism. But I don't think it's that easy. What do you think, Louis?" Luka asked bitterly.
"Well, if we try hard enough, we'll eventually find them. All we need to do is keep searching. Besides, the sun will rise in a few hours. If we don't find them at night, maybe we will in the morning," Louis replied.
"I just hope we don't become prey for wild animals," Luka said.
"Don't worry. We'll stay alert if any animal shows up," Louis said calmly.
"Easier said than done," Luka muttered.
Louis didn't answer. The two continued walking quietly, disappearing deeper into the forest.
______________________________________
The second pair, Anna and Max, walked together. Anna seemed terrified. Max noticed and spoke.
"Don't worry, Anna. I'm here—I'll protect you."
"Well, if ghosts or wild animals show up, I think you'll be the first to run," Anna said nervously.
"You hurt my feelings… but I guess you're right," Max chuckled.
"Wow, big words for someone who might run," Anna mocked.
"I said stop hurting my feelings. I just want you to feel better because you're scared," Max replied.
"I'm not scared," Anna said defensively.
"Yeah, sure. You look like you'll run the moment something shows up. And now you're trying to act all tough," Max teased.
"I said I'm just nervous, that's all," Anna grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," Max smirked.
"You—!" Anna glared at him but quickly stopped, realizing fighting wouldn't help. She composed herself and kept walking silently.
Max waited for her to reply but when she didn't, he sighed and quietly followed.
______________________________________
Back with Luna, Lisa, John, and Max—the group searching for the crying voice looked around the jungle.
"Do you guys see anything?" Luna asked.
"No, nothing," Lisa replied.
"I don't either," John said.
"Me neither," Max added.
The group gathered back together.
"Where the hell is this voice coming from?" Luna muttered.
"I don't know. The voice is clear, but there's no one around. It's mysterious," Lisa said.
"I think we should leave and search for Louis instead. Something is wrong here," John suggested.
"Right. If this crying belongs to a ghost or something… we're done for," Max said.
The group flinched at his words, fear creeping in. They were about to leave when suddenly—the crying grew louder, almost right next to them.
"Guys, I think it's coming from that branch!" Luna pointed at a shaking tree branch nearby.
The group instinctively stepped back.
And then, slowly, the crying figure revealed itself.