Chapter 3
The morning sunlight crawled weakly through the hotel curtains, the kind that doesn't brighten a room so much as subtly remind everyone that dreams are officially over. Ethan woke first this time, blinking at the vague yellow glow and listening to the air conditioner whirr like it was fighting for its life.
He sat up slowly, stretching his arms until his spine popped. Liam was already awake, slumped in a chair by the tiny table with a cup of vending-machine coffee, staring into space like a tragic painting.
"You look emotionally defeated," Ethan said.
Liam lifted the cup. "Hotel coffee. It's a personal attack."
Ethan snorted before swinging off the bed. Caleb was fully dressed already, sitting on the edge of his own bed, elbows on knees, hands loosely clasped. He wasn't looking at anything in particular—just the floor.
It was that stillness again.
That unsettling, too-calm stillness.
"Morning," Ethan said.
Caleb looked up. "Hey."
Nothing odd in the voice. Nothing odd in the face. But Ethan still felt a faint jolt of unease.
Because last night, they both saw something that wasn't normal.
Caleb's ID. In someone else's wallet. On the ground behind the parking lot. Covered in dust like it hadn't been touched in days.
Caleb picked it up, gave no explanation, and just said, "Let's go."
And neither of them spoke about it again.
A sharp knock rattled the door.
"Wake up!" Aria's voice rang through the wood. "We're leaving in ten!"
Jasmine followed immediately with: "And Liam, brush your teeth like a civilized person this time!"
"I ALWAYS brush my teeth," Liam shouted back.
"No you don't," Ethan muttered.
They gathered their stuff, shoved everything into bags in that half-chaotic, half-efficient way you do when you don't care about neatness anymore, and headed out. Aria stood with hands on hips, tapping her foot like a disappointed teacher. Jasmine held two travel mugs, offering one to Ethan.
"Here. You look vaguely dead."
"Appreciated," he said, taking it.
Caleb walked out last, closing the door quietly behind him.
As they approached the car, Ethan slowed his steps until he ended up beside Caleb. He didn't want to confront him. He didn't want drama. But the image wouldn't leave his head.
Caleb's ID. Someone else's wallet. And Caleb simply saying "let's go."
Ethan cleared his throat. "Hey… about last night."
Caleb didn't answer.
"You know," Ethan continued, "the ID thing. Yours being in that wallet. What was that about?"
For a moment, Caleb didn't blink. Didn't speak. Didn't even breathe, maybe.
Then he finally replied, tone neutral:
"Oh. That. It must've slipped out of my pocket earlier. Someone probably found it and put it there. Lucky we noticed it, right?"
Ethan stared. "But why was it behind the parking lot"
Caleb shrugged lightly. "People drop stuff, man."
Jasmine turned from the trunk, overhearing only the tail end. "What's this about?"
"Nothing," Caleb said before Ethan could speak. "Just lost ID drama."
Liam clapped Ethan's shoulder. "Bro, don't overthink it. Road trip rule number one: strange stuff is normal when you're exhausted."
Aria groaned. "Can we please get moving? I want trees. I want nature. I want photos with the trees and nature."
So Ethan let it drop. The morning was warm. The sky was clear. The road was calling.
But he didn't forget.
Liam started the engine with the enthusiasm of someone who believed himself to be a race car driver in a past life.
"Alright," he said, tapping the wheel twice. "Next stop: Meridian Lake."
Aria put on sunglasses. "Road trip sequence, begin."
Jasmine plugged in her phone. "Nobody touch the playlist."
"Power abused is power wasted," Liam said, reaching for it.
Jasmine slapped his hand. "Let. It. Go."
Caleb sat between Ethan and Jasmine in the backseat, quiet but not tense—just watchful, like every movement outside the window held meaning.
They pulled onto the highway. The hotel disappeared behind them. Forest and open sky stretched out ahead.
The road rolled by under their tires in long, lazy stretches. Liam started rambling about conspiracy theories he absolutely did not research properly. Aria corrected him every few seconds. Jasmine took pictures of the sky, the road, the trees, Liam's ear for some reason.
Ethan leaned his head against the window, feeling the cool glass against his temple. The world outside was peaceful—maybe too peaceful. Wide fields. Occasional barns. A hawk circling lazily overhead.
"Hey," Jasmine said suddenly, turning to Caleb. "You okay? You're quiet today."
"I'm fine," he replied. "Just tired."
Aria twisted in her seat, peering back. "Caleb, blink twice if you're plotting a murder."
Caleb blinked once.
Liam choked on air. "Bro you can't do that!"
Jasmine burst out laughing. "Why are you like this?"
Caleb almost smiled. "Because it's fun."
The car filled with laughter, and for a while, everything felt normal again.
Almost.
Ethan watched Caleb from the corner of his eye. Caleb was relaxed now—too relaxed, like someone performing relaxation.
Ethan tried to shake the feeling. He wanted the trip. The fun. The memories. Not paranoia.
But the ID in the stranger's wallet…
No. Not thinking about it. Not now.
By noon, they stopped at a small roadside town consisting of a gas station, a diner, and absolutely nothing else.
Jasmine sniffed the air. "It smells like pancakes and trauma."
Aria perked up. "Pancakes?"
They entered the diner, which looked like it hadn't changed since the 80s. A waitress scribbled on a notepad without looking at them. The walls had old photos of happier people.
They sat in a booth.
Liam scanned the menu. "This place looks haunted."
"That's why the food will be good," Aria whispered.
Caleb didn't take a menu. He just looked at the table.
Ethan glanced at him. "You not eating?"
"Not hungry," Caleb said.
"You didn't eat breakfast either," Jasmine pointed out.
Caleb shrugged. "I'll eat later."
Liam frowned. "You sure? Their hash browns look bomb."
Caleb shook his head.
No one pushed him.
But Ethan noticed the waitress never looked Caleb in the eyes. She took everyone's order without issue—until she reached him. Then she hesitated. Just for a heartbeat.
Like she felt something.
Ethan filed it away mentally.
They continued driving as the afternoon sun softened. The world turned more beautiful, more remote. Trees thickened along the road, tall and endless.
"Meridian Lake is like, the prettiest lake ever," Aria said, scrolling through photos on her phone. "Look at this one!"
Liam glanced over. "Whoa—okay that's actually insane."
Jasmine leaned forward. "We should recreate that picture!"
Ethan nodded. "I'm down."
Caleb looked briefly at the screen, then turned back to the window.
When he spoke again, it was quiet. "We'll get good photos."
Not I'll be in them. Just we'll get them.
Jasmine frowned, but didn't comment.
The car fell quiet again—not awkward, but… thoughtful.
Like everyone felt something subtle shifting beneath the surface.
By the time they reached Meridian Lake, the sky was painted burnt orange, hints of purple sinking behind the treetops. The air cooled, carrying the scent of pine and damp soil.
Liam let out a cheer. "WE MADE IT!"
Aria pressed her face to the window. "It's gorgeous."
Jasmine sighed dreamily. "This is going to be amazing."
They followed the narrow gravel path to their designated campsite. A wide clearing sat near a quiet, glassy lake that reflected the sinking sun.
They spilled out of the car, stretching limbs like freed prisoners.
Ethan breathed in deeply. "Fresh air."
Liam began unloading their gear. "Alright, team. Tent time."
Aria groaned. "Not your tent again."
Jasmine poked Ethan. "Help him before he injures himself."
Before anyone could assign tasks, Caleb quietly picked up a flashlight.
"I'll get firewood," he said.
Ethan looked up sharply. "Alone?"
"Yeah," Caleb replied. "I'll be quick."
Aria called, "Don't get eaten by a mountain lion!"
Jasmine yelled, "If you see a serial killer, scream twice!"
Caleb stopped at the tree line. For a moment, he stood there—back to them, figure darkened by the fading sun.
Then he walked into the woods.
The trees swallowed him.
His footsteps faded.
The forest grew quiet.
Too quiet.
Ethan stared after him longer than necessary.
"Hey," Jasmine said softly. "You okay?"
He forced a small smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."
Liam tossed him a tent pole. "Stop thinking and help me before this kills me."
Ethan caught it mechanically, but his mind wasn't on the tent.
It was on Caleb. And the ID. And the silence in the woods.
The campsite felt peaceful.
But Ethan felt something else.
A pressure in the air. A wrongness he couldn't name.
He didn't believe in gut feelings. Not until today.
Still—he shook it off. He always did.
And the forest around them darkened slowly, shadows settling like something waiting.