Where the Trees Watch – Chapter 8
The Voice That Knew His Name
The voice outside the station sounded identical to Walter’s. Not similar. Not close. Exact. The same roughness in the throat, the same exhausted tone, even the same slight pause before certain words. Hearing it made something deep inside Ryan twist uncomfortably because human voices were not supposed to be copied that perfectly.
Ryan Mercer stared toward the window while the station remained frozen in silence around him. Walter’s face had turned pale beneath the lantern glow, and for the first time since arriving at Blackwood, the old ranger genuinely looked afraid.
Outside, rainwater continued dripping from the roof while fog pressed tightly against the station walls. Then the voice came again from the darkness beyond the glass.
“Walter… open the door.”
The real Walter slowly backed away from the window, gripping the shotgun so tightly his knuckles whitened beneath the lantern light. His breathing had become uneven now, and Ryan could see sweat gathering along the ranger’s forehead despite the cold air inside the station.
Claire whispered carefully, “How does it know your voice?”
Walter swallowed hard before answering. “Because it listens.”
The sentence settled heavily inside the room. Ryan suddenly remembered something Walter had said earlier — once something in Blackwood notices you, it starts learning you.
Outside, footsteps moved slowly across the porch surrounding the station. Not hurried. Deliberate. The thing out there sounded completely calm. Ryan hated that more than anything. Predators were supposed to sound aggressive or violent. Whatever circled the ranger station didn’t sound angry at all.
It sounded patient.
The floorboards outside creaked softly near the front steps. Then silence followed for several long seconds before the copied voice spoke again.
“You left me out here.”
Walter physically flinched.
Ryan immediately noticed it. “You know that voice.”
The ranger stared toward the dark window without blinking. Finally, after several painful seconds, he nodded once.
“My partner,” he whispered.
Claire frowned. “The ranger from the firewatch tower?”
Walter’s eyes lowered toward the floor. “Elliot Hayes. My younger brother.”
Cold uneasiness spread through Ryan instantly. The station suddenly felt much smaller than before.
Walter rubbed slowly at his face before continuing quietly. “He worked Tower Four during the summer of ‘97. We used to rotate shifts between the checkpoints and the northern ridge.” His voice tightened slightly. “Then one night he radioed saying something was walking around the tower in the trees.”
Outside, the copied voice softly laughed again.
Ryan physically felt the sound crawl beneath his skin.
Walter continued speaking anyway, almost like forcing himself through the memory. “Elliot kept saying the whistling was getting closer every night. He said the forest started changing around the tower. Trails disappearing. New trees appearing where there shouldn’t have been any.” The ranger swallowed hard. “Then during the last transmission…” His voice nearly broke. “He said something was standing outside pretending to be him.”
Silence filled the station.
Outside, the fake voice whispered softly through the fog.
“You should’ve come looking for me sooner.”
Walter shut his eyes tightly for one painful second. Ryan realized then that the ranger carried something worse than fear.
Guilt.
Then came another sound from outside.
Scratching.
Slow fingernails dragging gently across the wooden wall beneath the window.
Claire stepped backward immediately while Mason quietly moved closer toward the lantern table. The scratching continued for several long seconds before stopping near the station door.
Then the doorknob slowly turned.