The Message

The first thing Luna noticed was how bright the moon was.

It hung low behind the clouds, spilling a pale, silver light through the twisted branches of the trees. The woods should have been beautiful.

Instead, they felt like they were holding their breath.

Luna had taken this path hundreds of times during the day, but never at night. Tonight, she had no choice. Her phone was dead, the road was nearly a mile behind her, and the shortcut through the woods was the only way home.

She pulled her coat tighter and kept walking.

The trees stretched on either side of her, their bare branches twisting together like skeletal fingers. Every few steps, she glanced up at the moon, using its glow to convince herself she wasn't alone.

Then she heard it.

Crunch.

A footstep behind her.

Luna stopped.

Silence.

She turned around.

Nothing.

Only trees.

She laughed nervously at herself and continued walking.

Crunch.

Another step.

This time, she didn't turn around.

She walked faster.

The footsteps followed.

Slowly at first.

Then faster.

Luna broke into a run.

Branches scratched at her coat as she pushed through the darkness, her breath coming in frightened bursts. Ahead, she could see the faint glow of a streetlamp through the trees.

Home.

She ran toward it.

Then she heard a voice.

Soft.

Almost a whisper.

“Luna…”

She froze.

Nobody knew she was here.

She slowly turned.

At first, she saw nothing.

Then the clouds shifted.

Moonlight poured through the branches, illuminating the path behind her.

And there, standing between the trees, was a woman.

Pale.

Motionless.

Her face was hidden beneath long, dark hair.

Luna couldn't move.

The woman lifted one hand and pointed toward the light ahead.

Then she whispered:

“Don't go there.”

Luna stared at the streetlamp.

It flickered once.

Twice.

Then went completely dark.

Behind her, the woman whispered again.

“It's waiting for you.”

Luna spun around.

The woman was gone.

But something else stood in her place.

A figure.

Tall.

Far too tall.

Its head nearly touched the branches overhead.

And although Luna couldn't see its face, she knew it was smiling.

She ran.

She didn't look back.

She didn't stop until she reached the road, where the lights of passing cars flooded the darkness.

Only then did she turn.

The woods were empty.

For a moment, she thought she had imagined everything.

Then she noticed something lying in the middle of the road.

Her phone.

The screen was still on.

One new message.

From her own number.

You shouldn't have listened to her.

Luna stared at the screen.

Then, from somewhere deep inside the trees, she heard a woman's voice scream.

And this time...

It sounded exactly like her.