1 Into the dark forest

A girl in her early twenties stumbled through the thick, dark forest. The ground was damp and uneven, with sharp thorns cutting into the soles of her bare feet. Her heart was racing as she looked around, searching for any sign of light. But all she saw was darkness and shadows that seemed to move and shift around her.

Suddenly, she froze as she saw something move in the corner of her eye. She turned to look, her heart in her throat, and saw her mother walking towards her. But something was wrong. Her mother's eyes were empty, her body stiff and robotic as if she was being controlled by something else. Blood was dripping from her mother's left hand, falling onto the ground with a soft plop. And in her other hand, her little brother was held tightly, his small body limp and lifeless.

The girl's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she was seeing. Was it possible for the dead to be alive? She had heard stories about the undead, but she had never believed them until now. She had always thought of hugging her mother if her mother was to ever rise from her grave, but now in this circumstance? All she felt was dread and a strange feeling that was telling her to run away.

As her mother and brother approached, the girl couldn't move. She watched in terror as they passed her by without even looking. The sound of their footsteps on the damp forest floor echoed in her ears. And just as they had passed her, her little brother turned to her and spoke.

"Save me, big sister, save me please..."

His voice was weak and trembling, his lips blue and lifeless. The girl's heart broke into a million pieces as she realized what was happening. Her brother was already dead, but somehow he was here, in this dark and eerie place.

She wanted to run after them, to save her brother from whatever hellish fate had befallen him. But her legs wouldn't move. She stood frozen, staring at her mother and brother's retreating figures until they disappeared into the darkness.

The forest was quiet again, except for the sound of the girl's ragged breathing. She was alone, in the dark, with nothing but the memory of her dead family haunting her every step.

The girl suddenly called out "Mama!", and then pulled her legs forcefully, chasing after her mother and little brother who was still pulled by her mother. She continued to follow the path they had taken into the thick dark forest, her eyes wide with fear and her heart pounding in her chest.

As she moved deeper into the woods, the girl's calls of 'Mama!' grew more desperate and frantic. The trees loomed overhead, casting eerie shadows on the ground. The air was thick with a sense of foreboding, and the girl felt as though something was watching her from the darkness.

As she ran, the trees seems to twist and contort around her, their branches reaching out to grab at her hair and clothes. She stumbled and fell, but quickly picked herself up and continued to run.

Eventually, the girl came to a clearing in the woods, but her mother and little brother were nowhere to be seen. She called out for them, but there was no answer. The only sound she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

Suddenly, the girl felt a chill run down her spine. She turned around and saw a thick fog rolling in, obscuring her vision. She felt a sense of panic rising in her chest and tried to run but her legs felt heavy and slow.

As she stumbled through the fog, the girl saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look, but there was nothing there. She heard a sound, a faint whisper carried on the wind, and then silence.

The girl continued to walk through the fog, unsure of where she was going. She felt as though she had been walking for hours when she finally saw a figure in the distance.

It wasn't her mother and brother she saw, rather it was a girl she knew - her cousin. She saw her cousin walking slowly towards her, an eerie smile etched on her face.

The young lady felt a sense of unease and an unsettling feeling grew in her heart.

"Hello sister, you finally made it here. Did you see them?" her cousin asked her, her gaze intent on her and the young lady's heart skipped a beat.

"Who?" the young lady asked, trying to steady herself.

"Your dead mother and brother!" her cousin spat out, her tone laced with malice and pure hatred. The young lady's heart sank, and then, she gritted her teeth in anger.

"Ahha! That's the feeling, sister... Hate! I hate you, do you not know? And that's why I have taken everything away from you. Every single thing...," her cousin drawled out the last word.

The young lady's hands balled into fists as she glared at her cousin, not saying a word. Her cousin continued, "But now, you have one more thing I want... Your life!" her cousin cackled out loudly. A cold chill ran down the young lady's spine, and she began to take a few steps backward, attempting to distance herself from the dangerous situation. But it was too late.

As the young lady moved backward, she suddenly felt something under her feet. She looked back and saw to her horror that she was at the edge of a cliff. Her blood ran cold as she realized that if she moved again, she would fall to her death.

She looked back at her cousin, who had also stopped moving. Her cousin was grinning with an evil smile, and without warning, she ran towards the young lady with all her might and pushed her off the cliff.

"Ahh!!!" With wide eyes, the young lady screamed as she fell off the cliff. Her arms flailed as she tried to grab onto something, anything to stop her fall, but it was too late.

Her cousin moved towards the cliff and looked down to see her cousin falling. She blew an air kiss, waving goodbye to her. "Goodbye, sister, and die quickly," she said with a smirk. And with that, she turned to move away, leaving the young lady's lifeless body at the bottom of the cliff.