Where the Night devours in silence

A beautiful August afternoon, with its gorgeously blazing sun, encouraged them to hit the road and abandon the comfort of their couches and armchairs. Out of the corner of his eye, Garreth admired the lovely surroundings of Woodblacke. • ​It's so beautiful here! - he said aloud to his travelling companions. ​Nick nodded in agreement. Susan had just woken up and began her ritual of stretching in the back seat. • ​We're almost there, just a few hundred metres more and we'll be at our destination - Garreth announced in his usual, calm tone. ​After a few moments, their car parked right by the edge of a forest clearing. Susan and Nick stepped out of the vehicle leisurely, yawning and stretching their limbs. The clearing where they stopped was exceptionally picturesque, situated near the beautiful yet mysterious lake of Seolfrec Mere. At this time of year, it was usually teeming with tourists and visitors, but this time there wasn't a living soul around. They were completely alone. They grabbed their belongings and headed towards the campsite.

• Damn, I think I dropped my hammer! - yelled Garreth. • ​I knew I forgot something. ​He walked back to the car, opened the boot and... suddenly noticed that neither the hammer nor the nails were there. Strange.... - he thought aloud. ​He looked around and saw the hammer and a box of nails lying on the grass right next to the car. -I didn't hear them spill out.

He took the hammer and the box of nails to his friends. Working together, they managed to pitch the tent. It's shaping up to be an interesting evening.

• Nick, did you take the drinks and food?- -Yes, everything should be in Susan's bag. ​They sat down on the clearing, took out the drinks and food, and began to enjoy the moment. ​In the evening, as it started to get darker, they decided to light a campfire. -Have you ever heard the stories about Blackwood forest? -I have, give it a rest, those are fairy tales for the gullible ones who believe in everything. Let's go look for some wood instead. They went off, each in a different direction. After a moment, Garreth and Nick emerged from the forest with their arms full of wooden sticks. However, Susan was not with them. -Where on earth is Susan? Have you seen her by any chance? -No, I haven't, and you?- -Well, neither have I. -We must find her! it's already dark and dangerous. She must have gone in a different direction or lost her path. Both of them turned on their flashlights, including their headlamps, and set off to search for their friend. ​It was dark and strange in the forest, and something unsettling hung in the air. Suddenly, they heard a loud groan in the distance. -Did you hear that? -Is someone else here besides Us? - -Susan?- Let's go check it out!! ​Frightened, yet driven by the obligation to find their friend, they headed towards the place from which a greenish light seemed to be emanating. that unsettling sound, they were completely surprised and terrified. ​A horrifying scene unfolded before their eyes: ​In the sky, they beheld a gloomy moon straight out of vampire movies, at the sight of which both of them got goosebumps. In the central part, right in the middle, stood a large, old tree—but was it really a tree?

It had furious, terrifying eyes, sharp fangs like a werewolf, and... gigantic arms instead of branches, resembling the body of someone mutated, along with massive, huge claws that were squeezing, trapping a young, terrified girl... All around were similar, equally terrifying smaller "trees" that writhed furiously and lashed their branches aggressive. -Susan! It wants to hurt you, run! ​-Susan, however, had absolutely no chance of freeing herself from that horrifyingly strong grip. ​Garreth and Nick stood there for a long moment, completely helpless, not knowing what to do. -I've got an idea! Run to the tent and get my sport crossbow, it's in my backpack inside. ​Garreth stood praying aloud, begging this wooden monster to release their friend from its iron grip. ​When Nick ran back to the scene with the whole bag on his back, Garreth breathed a sigh of relief. He took the crossbow out of the bag, loaded 6 bolts into the magazine, and pulled the trigger. -Damn, I missed! ​Garreth reloaded and chambered another bolt from the magazine onto the guide. ​And so he did several times, missing every single time to his astonishment. He was all the more surprised because he was great at shooting both with a crossbow and a bow.

Only his last shot remained. He pulled the cocking lever, then loaded the next bolt from the magazine onto the guide. He pulled the trigger, and the arrow, like a projectile fired from a catapult, hit right in the center of the mutant tree's massive hand. The monster let out a terrifying scream that startled the birds, which fled in panic from the spot. Blood appeared on the monster's huge paw. ​Susan slid down to the ground, and Nick and Garreth ran up to her quickly to take her away from there. Taking advantage of the fact that the monster was focused on its wounded hand for a long moment, they quickly took Susan under the arm and ran away... ​The vampire moon shifted across the sky at the speed of light. -Are you alright, Susan ?- No, but for a moment I felt faint from that grip. I was really scared, I don't know what I would have done without you. If not for you, I probably would have become its dinner feast ....

The group of friends decided to wait out the night in the tent. The next morning, they packed up and headed towards home, longing to rest after everything they had experienced the previous night. It was simply too much for them; had they had a bit less luck, they might have joined the rest of the missing students who never returned from Blackwood...