Chapter 1

Turpis had just finished a long shift at the hospital, and he was looking forward to getting some rest. As he arrived at his old house and parked his old Toyota, he noticed something odd in the forest at the back of his house. Despite his weariness, Turpis felt a nagging sense of curiosity, and he couldn't resist the urge to investigate.

He had always known this forest like the back of his hand, having grown up playing and exploring its depths. The trees and foliage were familiar to him, and he had never felt afraid of the woods before. But something felt different now - the forest seemed to be beckoning him, calling out to him in a way that he had never experienced before.

As Turpis walked deeper into the forest, he didn't notice the leaves and branches of the trees slowly moving, as if guiding him deeper into the woods. It was as if the forest was alive and had a purpose, a mission to take him to some unknown destination.

"I don't remember this clearing," Turpis muttered to himself, as he came across a patch of woods he had never seen before. In front of him was a small, circular clearing, with tall, thick trees surrounding it on all sides. The air was still, and the light that filtered down from the canopy above was muted and dim.

Swoosh.

A strong wind hit Turpis from behind, and he turned to see what had caused it. As he did, his eyes dilated in shock as the trees around him twisted and gnarled, their trunks contorting in impossible ways.

He could hear strange sounds in the distance, like the creaking of branches and the fluttering of winds. Slowly, this fluttering of winds became a distorted voice, then a whisper, then the voices became clear, like a choir in an orchestra.

Turpis noticed that the air around him seemed to grow thicker and more oppressive with every passing moment. The sounds of the forest grew louder and more intense, until he could no longer bear it. And then, everything went black for him.

****

When Turpis woke up, he found himself lying on the floor, his head throbbed, and he felt disoriented and dizzy.

As a doctor when encountering some sort of accident he always first assesses his well-being and try to feel if he is injured

"Aside from headaches and dizziness, everything is fine".

As he took a deep breath, Turpis tried to recall the events that had led him here. The oddity in the forest, the twisted trees, and the haunting voices - they all felt like a dream, a nightmare from which he had yet to wake up.

Turpis couldn't remember anything after the blackness. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious or how he had gotten into this cave.

"At least I have my phone"

Turpis pulls his smartphone from his pocket and began to dial 911. Turpis waited anxiously for a response after dialing 911, but there was no answer. He tried again, but still no response. The line seemed to be dead or disconnected.

A normal person would automatically panic in this situation but despite it, Turpis was very calm. He knew that he needed to focus on finding another way out of the cave.

Turpis took a deep breath and looked around the cave, trying to find any clues or signs of an exit. The cave was dark and quiet, and he couldn't see much beyond the light from his phone's flashlight.

He noticed that the cave floor was moist and slippery, and there was a faint metallic smell of dampness in the air.

Turpis continued to explore the cave, using his phone as a source of light. He walked along the damp floor, his footsteps echoing loudly in the cavernous space.

As he walked deeper into the cave, he began to notice strange markings on the walls. They were symbols he had never seen before, carved deep into the rock with what looked like a sharp instrument. Turpis took a closer look at the symbols, trying to decipher their meaning, but he couldn't understand anything.

However, there was one symbol or rather figure that caught his eye, a humanoid figure holding a saber and fighting against what looked like a giant centipede. He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he stared at the carvings.

Undeterred he pressed on, Turpis noticed that the cave was becoming increasingly narrow and winding. He had to crouch and crawl in some places, and the air was getting more and more thick. A feeling of unease started to build up, and his gut was telling him to turn back, but he knew that if he did, the hours he had already spent walking would be wasted.

He decided to take his chances and continue searching for the exit. After all, he didn't have any food with him, only his set of keys and smartphone.

Therefore, he took a deep breath and kept moving forward, trying to ignore the anxiety that was creeping up on him. He knew that he had to stay focused and find a way out of the cave. As he crawled through a narrow passage, Turpis suddenly heard a strange noise. He stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding in his chest. He listened intently, trying to determine where the sound was coming from.

And then he realized that it was coming from somewhere in front of him. Turpis's heart began to race as he slowly made his way toward the source of the sound. His phone's light illuminated the way, but the flickering of the light only added to the eerie atmosphere.

As he got closer, he could hear a faint scream, as if something or someone was growling. Turpis slowed his pace, his heart pounding in his chest. Should he turn back or risk everything and continue? He had second thoughts, but the possibility of finding an exit convinced him to press on.

The growling sound grew louder and more intense with each step he took until he finally saw the source—a torchlight shining through a small opening in the wall.