Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 22 The Lights Moving Through Blackwood The three of them stood silently on the hillside while the pale lights drifted through the valley below like rivers of glowing insects moving beneath the trees. Fog rolled heavily across Blackwood now, softening the distant lantern glow into wavering lines of pale … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 21 The Trail Back No Longer Existed The fog thickened so heavily around the clearing that the surrounding trees slowly disappeared into pale gray walls of drifting mist. Ryan could still barely see the thing wearing his face standing farther among the pines, calmly holding his wallet while smiling … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 20 The Man Wearing Ryan’s Face The figure stood half-hidden between the trees beyond the scattered photographs, motionless beneath drifting fog and weak gray light filtering through the canopy overhead. Ryan’s breath caught painfully in his throat the moment he saw the face clearly. It was him. Not similar. … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 19 The Photographs Without Ryan For several seconds Ryan simply stared at the photographs scattered across the forest floor, unable to process what he was seeing. Cold fog drifted between the towering pines around the clearing while dozens of images lay half-buried beneath wet leaves and moss at his … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 18 The Direction It Wanted Them to Go The figure on the camera screen remained motionless between the trees, its pale smiling face distorted slightly by static flickering across the footage. The raised finger continued pointing silently toward the darkness deeper ahead in Blackwood. Ryan felt his heartbeat pounding … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 17 The Whistling Inside the Fire The whistle rose slowly from the center of the bonfire, drifting through the clearing beneath the crackling flames. It sounded distorted now, stretched strangely beneath the roar of burning wood, yet unmistakably human at the same time. Ryan felt cold terror crawl through … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 16 The Mannequins Around the Fire The clearing smelled strongly of smoke and wet wood. Flames from the bonfire cracked loudly against the heavy silence surrounding the trees, sending orange light flickering across the endless rows of mannequins standing around the edge of the clearing. Ryan Mercer physically slowed … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 15 The Forest Closed Behind Them Nobody spoke for several long seconds after realizing the other trails were gone. The remaining path stretched north through dense fog between the black pines, narrow enough now that the branches overhead nearly touched each other like closing fingers. Ryan Mercer slowly turned … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 14 The Campfire That Was Still Warm Ryan crouched beside the firepit slowly while thin strands of smoke still curled upward from beneath the damp ashes. The heat rising from the coals felt impossible after the cold silence surrounding the clearing. Someone had been here minutes ago. Maybe less. … Read more
Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 13 The Woman in the Red Jacket The figure stood perfectly still between the trees below the hidden trail, partially obscured by drifting fog and the dense black pines surrounding her. Even from this distance, Ryan could clearly make out the faded red jacket hanging motionless against the darkness … Read more
