The fire crackled softly in the stillness of the night. Lin sat alone beneath the tall pine trees, wrapped in his thick jacket, his eyes fixed on the dying embers. He had hiked far into the mountains to escape the noise of the city, to find a place where silence wasn't awkward but comforting.
But that night, silence wasn't peaceful.
A voice, barely a whisper, slipped through the trees.
"Come..."
Lin froze.
He turned his head sharply, scanning the darkness. Nothing. just the wind.
Probably the wind.
He shook it off laid down inside his tent. But the whisper came again. Closer.
"Come..."
He grabbed his flashlight and stepped outside, his breathe visible in the cold air. The trees loomed like sentinels around him.
Drawn by an invisible pull, he walked deeper. Past the trees. Through brambles and over stones. Until he found a cave.
It wasn't there last time. He was sure.
Inside, it was oddly warm. A soft glow pulsed from within the stone.
He stepped inside and the world went dark