18. The Hidden Message

*"This place gives me the creeps,"* Harper whispered as they made their way back to the cabin. The path was narrow, the trees pressing in from all sides like silent sentinels. The moonlight barely filtered through the dense canopy, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor.

Ava walked beside her, clutching her flashlight like a lifeline. She'd tried to shake off the sense of dread ever since Tristan's revelation, but it clung to her like a second skin. *"We just need to stay focused. We'll figure this out."*

*"I don't know, Ava,"* Harper replied, her voice trembling. *"I'm starting to think we should've never come here."*

*"Maybe you're right,"* Ava admitted, though she knew it was too late for regrets. They had to confront whatever was haunting them—whether it was an external force or the darkness within themselves.

When they reached the cabin, the sight of the familiar wooden structure didn't bring the comfort Ava had hoped for. Instead, it loomed over them, its once-cozy appearance now sinister in the dim light. The others followed close behind, their expressions tense and wary.

*"So, what now?"* Julian asked as they gathered inside the living room, the door shut firmly behind them. His eyes were scanning the room as if expecting something to leap out of the shadows.

Nate rubbed the back of his neck, his frustration evident. *"We need to figure out what those stories Tristan mentioned are really about. There has to be a reason why people didn't come back."*

Tristan, still carrying the weight of his earlier confession, spoke up hesitantly. *"There's something else I didn't mention. When I was booking the cabin, I came across some old records—like guest logs. Some of them were… weird."*

*"Weird how?"* Ava asked, narrowing her eyes.

*"They had these strange notes scribbled in the margins. It didn't make any sense to me at the time, but maybe they're clues. Maybe whoever wrote them was trying to warn us."*

Harper's eyes widened. *"And you didn't think that was important to mention before?"*

*"I didn't think they meant anything!"* Tristan shot back defensively. *"But now, after everything that's happened, maybe I was wrong."*

*"Where are these logs?"* Nate asked, his tone sharp.

*"They're stored in a chest in one of the bedrooms,"* Tristan replied. *"I didn't look at them too closely before, but they're old. Maybe there's something useful in them."*

Without another word, the group moved as one, heading toward the bedroom where Tristan had mentioned the chest. The cabin was eerily quiet, the only sound their footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. Ava's heart pounded in her chest as they entered the room, the darkness pressing in around them.

Tristan led them to a small, dusty chest in the corner of the room. He knelt and unlatched it, the hinges creaking as he lifted the lid. Inside were several old leather-bound books, their pages yellowed with age.

*"Here they are,"* Tristan said, pulling out the books and handing them to the others. *"Be careful—they're fragile."*

Ava took one of the books, her fingers brushing against the worn leather. As she opened it, the musty scent of old paper filled the air. The pages were covered in neat handwriting, the ink faded but still legible. But as Tristan had said, there were strange notes scrawled in the margins—words and symbols that made no sense at first glance.

*"What is this?"* Julian murmured, flipping through another book. *"These notes… they're like code or something."*

*"Or a warning,"* Nate added, his eyes scanning the pages.

Ava furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of the jumbled words and symbols. They seemed random, but there was an underlying pattern she couldn't quite grasp. Her eyes drifted over one particular note, and something about it caught her attention.

*"Wait,"* she said, leaning closer. *"Look at this."*

The others crowded around as Ava pointed to a passage in the book. The text was ordinary, just a list of supplies, but in the margin was a hastily scrawled note: *"Beware the shadow under the full moon."*

*"That's… ominous,"* Harper whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

*"It's more than that,"* Ava said, flipping through the pages. She found more notes, all cryptic and foreboding, scattered throughout the logs. *"These are warnings. Someone was trying to leave a message."*

Julian frowned. *"But what do they mean? What shadow? And why under the full moon?"*

Nate's expression darkened. *"The full moon is in two days."*

The realization hit them all at once, a heavy silence falling over the room. The full moon—often associated with werewolves and supernatural events—was fast approaching. Whatever was behind the ominous notes, it seemed to be connected to that night.

*"We need to figure this out before then,"* Ava said urgently. *"Whatever's going to happen, we need to be prepared."*

*"If we're even still here by then,"* Harper muttered under her breath.

Tristan looked pale, guilt written all over his face. *"I'm sorry. I didn't know… I didn't think it would be like this."*

*"It's not your fault,"* Ava said, though her voice was tense. *"But we need to focus. We're running out of time."*

Nate nodded, his determination steely. *"We'll go through every book, every note. There has to be something that will tell us what we're dealing with. We can't let whatever's out there take us by surprise."*

As they divided the books among themselves, the group settled into an uneasy silence, their eyes scanning the pages for any clue, any hint that might help them survive what was coming.

But as Ava turned another page, a cold dread settled in her stomach. The notes were warnings, yes, but they were also desperate cries for help—written by people who had faced the same terror they now faced. And those people hadn't made it out.

The full moon was coming, and with it, the darkness that had been stalking them.

Ava only hoped they would be ready when it arrived.