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The forest lay ahead, a mysterious place hidden in shadows and silence. Elizabeth and Layla, two determined officers, walked into its depths carefully. The distant echoes of their footsteps seemed swallowed by the tall trees above, their leaves rustling softly.

As they went further, the familiar world outside disappeared, replaced by a heavy feeling that wrapped around them like a cocoon. The trees, with their twisted branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, cast long, scary shadows that moved on the wet ground. Every step was a stand against the strong tension in the air.

A mist, thick and strange, stuck to everything around them, as if the very soul of the forest had turned into a ghostly haze. It touched their skin like a soft touch, leaving a cold shiver behind. The mist's tendrils seemed to whisper about forgotten stories and hidden mysteries, making the path ahead look blurry and twisted.

As night came, the forest's true nature showed itself. Faint whispers came from the darkness, tricky voices that danced at the edge of hearing. The moon, a pale guard in the sky, showed quick glimpses of shapes that moved among the trees, playing with what's real and what's in the mind. Every snap of a twig or faraway hoot of an owl made their hearts race, turning the normal sounds of the forest into something to worry about.

Yet, as they moved on, reality pushed away the fear. The unseen creatures, once scary ghosts in the shadows, turned out to be just the forest's regular animals – small creatures doing their nighttime activities. The twisted trees, even though they looked strange, were just the result of nature's course, not something bad. The mist, though unsettling, stuck around because of the forest's special weather, not some spooky force.

But Elizabeth and Layla's minds were filled with thoughts from their own unease. The darkness of the forest made them feel vulnerable, making even the tiniest sounds seem dangerous. Fear was powerful, changing how they saw things and what was real.

In the middle of their nervous exploring, Layla's voice broke the silence. "Elizabeth."

She sounded amazed and scared. "Yes?" Elizabeth answered, paying attention to the forest around them.

Layla looked up at the tall trees, then back down. "There's no sign, not even a thing that belongs to someone, let alone a missing person. It's like no one has ever been here."

Elizabeth thought about what Layla said, realising that their first ideas might have been wrong. Their excitement had made them think things that maybe weren't true.

"What do you think we should do? Go deeper?" Elizabeth asked with curiosity and doubt in her voice.

Layla thought carefully. "No, that's something a canine should do."

Elizabeth smiled a bit. "We don't have a canine at the local police station, so we'll have to do it ourselves then."

This little joke helped them feel better in the heavy forest. The two officers found bigger branches to use as tools and started looking for the truth.

Elizabeth took out her phone, its dim light showing on her face. She looked at the time – just after 3 pm – and didn't like how dark it was because of the trees. "It's really dark here. Can we search half of the forest before it gets dark?"

Layla thought about it, thinking about their situation. "It's not safe. We won't get help if something goes wrong."

Elizabeth looked at Layla, sure about what she wanted. "That's not the question, Layla. The question is, can we search through half of the forest before it gets dark?"

Layla smiled, feeling excited now. "We can... if we're fast enough. But note one thing, Elizabeth, we are not detectives, we are bound to pass by certain clues without knowing what there are."

They both understood and started walking. Their footsteps sounded loud in the quiet forest, showing how strong they were. They were surrounded by the forest, with its secrets waiting for them. They decided to keep going, facing their fears and finding the truth in the dark forest.

"Elizabeth, what you're feeling isn't real." Layla suddenly whispered.

"Huh? Why are you saying that all of a sudden?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

Layla smiled a bit, finally saying what she wanted to. "This feels familiar, so I wanted to tell you not to trust it. Your mind is making things seem bigger than it looks."

"Uh…okay?" Elizabeth shrugged.

After walking and looking for a long time, they stopped. Layla's eyes seemed unfocused sometimes, and she didn't look like herself, her pupils dilated every once in a while and her usually attentive gaze was nowhere to be found. This unusual behaviour did not escape Elizabeth's notice but Elizabeth refrained from saying anything about it so as to not make Layla uncomfortable, even if Layla didn't remember this place well, she still looked scared.

"Layla?" Elizabeth spoke calmly.

Layla was surprised and looked at Elizabeth for a bit before she laughed sadly.

"I remember someone telling me not to worry because the forest makes things seem bigger." Elizabeth laughed. Her sense of humour was horrible and how she comforted people was even more horrible, but she always tried if it involved someone she truly cared for.

"The irony." Layla laughed, relishing in Elizabeth's horrible sense of humour.

"Fair enough." Elizabeth smiled and turned on her phone and looked at the screen. 

"It's just after five, we can walk a mile or two before it gets really dark." Elizabeth said and smiled at Layla.

The two officers searched and searched, but found nothing. It was already six and they had given up, the forest was really dark now.

"We should go back now." Layla said, hugging herself to feel warmer, her palm slide down her arms in a continuous motion to produce heat.

Elizabeth nodded and turned around, her phone's light flashed on a humanoid silhouette, catching Elizabeth's eyes for a moment. She immediately turned to the figure but no one was there.

"Layla… I think I saw something." Elizabeth said, looking where she saw the thing.

"It's just your mind making things up, Elizabeth."

"No, Layla. This one seems real…much more than anything we've encountered here." Elizabeth said and ran towards where the silhouette once was, but there was no one behind the tree.

Elizabeth ran deeper into the forest, not listening to Layla's frantic calls and screams. The figure she saw was familiar, just like the man she saw in the town's cafe.

Elizabeth stopped running when she realised this fact, she walked slowly into the denser and darker part of the woods. The forest was really quiet in this area, the creeping animals could not be heard and even Layla's calls and screams were silent. She looked back, but Layla wasn't there neither was she following.

"Scaredy cat." Elizabeth chuckled. She took out her flashlight, turned off her phone's light, and turned on the camera. She walked deeper into the dense and dark forest…

If not now then never…

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Elizabeth's note of encouragement: Y'all are special, it's not something anyone can change. Your difference makes you special.

Layla's note of encouragement: Your past does not define you. Your present does.

Strange man's note: Read 'REBORN IN AN ERA OF CATACLYSM'

Written by moon_fire