Betrayed by Blood, Bound by vengeance

Life at Ridgewood High was as ordinary as it got until the Woods shattered their reality.

Liam Carter, Jake Monroe, and Ethan Brooks had it all figured out. They were the inseparable trio

Liam, the straight A ace who solved equations before breakfast.

Jake, the basketball phenom and self declared ladies' man.

Ethan, the thrill seeker who chased every dare life threw at him.

Their biggest battles? Surviving Mr. Simmons' torturous biology lectures and gearing up for midterms. They never saw doom coming.

It Was Favor That Led to Disaster

Come on, guys. I need a solid, Jake said, leaning against his locker with a cocky grin.

Prija finally said yes to a date do they realize how long I have waited for this?

Ethan rolled his eyes. Seriously, Jake? She is not a goddess.

She basically is, Jake shot back.

Liam sighed, pushing his glasses up. What exactly do you want?

Jake's smirk turned triumphant. So you know that soil sample run in the Woods? I was supposed to join you. Now? I have got a date.

Ethan scoffed. "Your dilemma is choosing a girl over biology?"

Jake clapped. Exactly. Cover for me."

Liam hesitated. "If Mr. Simmons finds out"

He wouldn't . Say I got food poisoning. Ethan shrugged, Liam mumbled "Fine."

Jake grinned. That is why I love you guys. I have got a date to prep for. And off he went, leaving the other two to face the Woods alone.

They enter Ridgewood Woods

Ethan knew these pines from endless dares. But today, the forest gave off a different vibe one that tasted like fear.

The deeper they ventured:

The canopy thickened, swallowing the sun.

Shadows stretched in impossible shapes.

Silence pressed in, heavier than the humid air.

"Let's grab the samples and bounce," Liam whispered, shivering.

Relax, nerd, Ethan teased, though his gut twisted. It is just trees.

They picked a clearing, knelt to dig, and then heard it:

Snap.

Liam froze. Did you hear that?

Ethan frowned. Probably a squirrel.

Another snap, closer this time.

Liam's pulse surged. Ethan... let's go

Then the growl hit them, a deep, primal roar that rattled their bones.

From the darkness, two glowing yellow eyes emerged, Massive, Silent. Menacing.

Ethan took a cautious step back, hands raised.

Nice doggy...

And then it lunged.

It's Blood and Chaos

The beast tackled Ethan into the undergrowth. His scream split the night as teeth sank into his arm, searing pain that flared white hot. He kicked, thrashed, but the creature's strength was otherworldly.

"Liam!" Ethan cried out.

Liam's horror froze him for a second, then he grabbed a rock and hurled it at the beast's flank. It barely flinched.

Ethan! he shouted, gripping a larger stone.

Before he could throw, gunshots cracked through the trees. Flashlights slashed through the darkness.

Over here! a voice yelled.

Startled, the creature snarled, released Ethan, and vanished into the pines.

Ethan lay sprawled, blood pooling beneath him. Liam scrambled forward, hands shaking.

"Ethan! Stay with me!"

Rescued But Haunted

Uniformed officers and medics swarmed the clearing.

Someone called for an ambulance. Someone else barked about tracking the beast. But all Liam saw was Ethan's pale face and ragged breathing.

Ethan's skin burned to the touch, his vital signs off the charts. Liam pressed Ethan's wrist, voice trembling

"You are going to be okay. Just stay awake."

Ethan's eyelids fluttered. "What... was that thing?"

Liam's throat tightened. He had a terrifying guess, but he couldn't say it. Not yet.

Sirens wailed as they loaded Ethan onto a stretcher. He was rushed to the hospital, alive, but changed forever.

And Ridgewood High would never be the same. Under the shadow of those pines, something ancient had awakened and it had marked one of their own.