1 Prologue

** Mirkwood is a place of evil. Mirkwood is a place of sorrow. All who follow its myth disappear in mysterious circumstances, only for their bodies to be found later, maimed, barely recognizable.

It is said that if one truly wishes for a new life, a new beginning, they'll have to find the witch's manor during Halloween.

One must pronounce the witch's name on the day the barrier between realms gets weak.

It is rumored the witch has a price. None have yet lived to tell the tale. Or, as the believers put it, all who paid the price got their wish fulfilled. **

On the night of Halloween, 2018, four teenagers headed into the forest commonly known as Mirkwood.

"What if we actually find the manor?" a girl with short black hair asked. She used the torch in her smartphone to guide their way, filming all the while.

"There's no manor, Sofia," a tall young man said. He smiled at the group. "We're here to prove it's just a myth."

Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Humor me then, what if we find it?" She looked over her shoulder more often than not, as if expecting something to jump at them.

"You're missing the point everyone! This is not about the witch. It's about delivering a promise to our followers, together, for the last time… Can't we just appreciate that?" A young man in a tight T-shirt said. He stood taller than everyone, and had a confident air about him that pulled people to him. He looked at the group expectantly.

"You're right Peter. This is our last night before this asshole leaves us," Sofia said, her eyes glued on the other male in the group.

"Oh cheer up! If my parents want to leave then let them. I don't need them. My only family's right here with me. Now let's focus, we have a show to make," he said then fussed up her hair.

"Ha! That's the spirit, Aaron!" Peter said, excited. He turned to look at the red haired girl in his arms. "Ready, babe?"

"I was born ready," she said.

They headed deeper into the forest as the moon rose above their heads, casting a crimson light against the trees. Peter and Sofia followed the red haired girl with their cameras, while she narrated the script Aaron wrote.

"What's up mythbusters! Karla here from Freetown, Massachusetts in another episode of: Mythbusters: Urban legends edition."

She frowned at Sofia's camera. "Tonight, we're investigating the famous urban legend of Mirkwood." She shivered, looking at the trees with wary eyes. "They say that during the blood moon, powers beyond our world are pulled toward us like magnets."

She looked at Peter's camera lens. "They say that if you pronounce a certain name while the blood moon is above your head, a witch will be summoned. She can offer you a new life, riches beyond your dreams. The price? Rumors say that you have to give up what you value most." She shot Aaron a side glance.

Aaron rubbed the bracelet on his left wrist then walked into the camera's focus. "Others say her price is the blood price, rumors that are further fueled by the bodies found around the forest in the past five years."

Karla turned to him. "A sacrifice, huh? What do you think? Does the witch exist, or is it simply a legend?"

He smiled. "That's what we're here to discover."

"And cut!" Peter said. "That was great guys. S, how was it on your side?"

Sofia nodded. "Solid intro. Can we get to the interesting part now?"

They headed deeper into the forest as the blood moon rose over their heads, casting crimson lights over the forest. The air around them got cooler, and Karla soon found herself shivering. Peter wrapped one arm around her while he kept filming with the other. Sofia led the way with her camera, while Aaron observed the trees around them.

The deeper they went, the quieter the forest grew.

"You didn't answer my question earlier, Aaron," Sofia called out. "What will we do if we find the witch's manor? Don't you wish to escape your parent's place? Will you wish for a new life?"

He shrugged. "Wish granting is just a childish fantasy. I'm not asking a witch to grant me a new life, I'm making one for myself."

"Oh yeah? You think our little show here will make you rich? We barely have two thousand followers," Karla said.

"We can have more if we make this show right! It only takes one post, one video, to make you viral. We're so close to it, I can feel it. We've worked too hard for this one not to work out," he said.

Peter snorted. "I don't know man, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

Aaron clenched his fists. He rubbed the bracelet on his wrist. "You don't get it Pete. You have a loving family. Your sister's still alive and kicking. I can't stay with them anymore. I won't!"

Sofia put a gentle hand on his shoulder. She looked him in the eyes and gave him a warm smile. "I believe in you. Ignore Pete, he just teases people when he gets bored." She gave Peter a hard look.

Peter scratched his head. "Sorry buddy, sometimes I speak before I think."

Aaron was about to reply when Karla squeaked. "Guys! Look at that!"

They followed her index to a clearing a few feet away from them. The blood moon's crimson light fell on the clearing like a giant red beam. A boulder stood erect in the middle of the clearing. Two inscriptions were engraved into it, like ancient runes. One was shaped like the letter S, with three lines in the middle. The other one looked like an elongated S.

"This is the place. See? No mansion," Aaron said. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Did he really wish to find the fabled witch?

"Hold it. We must say her name first!" Peter said. "Ready?"

He looked at Karla, who wrapped her arms around herself and started rubbing at them. "I don't wanna do this anymore," she said.

"Sofia?" Peter asked. "Ladies first."

Sofia scoffed. "Not happening. I'm just the camerawoman."

Peter shrugged. "Up to us then! Watch how real men do it. Aaron?"

Aaron stared at the boulder. The rune got his attention. It pulled him toward it. His hand rested on his bracelet, drawing strength from it.

"Aaron?" Peter repeated, louder.

Aaron's head snapped aside. "What?"

Peter pointed at the rune in the boulder. "Something familiar?"

Aaron shook his head. "It's…" He looked down, hesitant. "I've never seen runes like these. It could just be someone who engraved this gibberish with a knife, but it's too deep for a knife, or for any crude tool anyway."

Karla shivered. "You feel it too, don't you? This place has bad juju."

Sofia snorted. "You're just saying that to spook us."

"Of course I am. Don't you feel it? The chill in the air, the humming of that stupid, ugly rock? I don't wanna do this anymore," Karla said.

Goosebumps filled Aaron from head to toe. 'She can hear it too?'

He couldn't admit it, but the place had a certain air about it. He wanted nothing more but to scream and run away from the forest. He clenched his bracelet harder. 'It's just a myth, telltales!' He kept reminding himself.

Karla turned to Peter with a pleading look in her eyes. "Let's get out of here."

Peter's cheerful expression vanished. "Jeez babe, sure. I didn't think an urban legend would scare you like this."

"She's right Pete," Aaron finally admitted. The whispers were getting louder by the second. "I can hear the hum coming from that rock. It's like it's whispering to me."

He fixated the rock with entranced eyes. His voice had grown monotonous, his pupils dilated.

Peter's eyes darted between Karla and Aaron.

He began laughing. "Oh, brilliant! That's a good one. Come on guys, stop it. Let's say the damned name and finish the show!"

Aaron turned to Peter. "Can't you hear it man? I swear it's getting louder."

Karla pulled at Peter's sleeve. "Babe, please. Let's get out of here!"

Peter shrugged her off. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you hear then?"

"I can hear it, but it's not clear," Aaron said.

"No! Please," Karla sounded on the verge of complete breakdown.

Peter rolled his eyes. "You can't fool me babe. I've seen you act more times than I can count."

Aaron closed his eyes and let the whispers reach him. They came to him in a jumble at first, then he heard them.

"It's a single word, repeating on a loop," Aaron said.

Karla tugged on Peter's sleeve harder. "Babe, we can't stay here. We have to go!"

Peter shook his head. "I'm on to you two!" He gave Aaron a challenging stare. "What's the word?"

"Croatoan!" Aaron said in a deep voice he didn't know he possessed.

He heard a loud crack, like fireworks just went off near him. He opened his eyes to find Peter standing before him, his stomach sliced from side to side, his insides spilling over the tiled ground. He opened his mouth to speak but only blood came out.

Karla screamed while Aaron held his dying friend. "What happened?" he asked with trembling lips. "What the fuck happened?"

Sofia pulled him away from Peter, screaming at his ear all along.

"Aaron, we have to get out of here. The manor, it's real! We fucked up!"