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A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the large trees in the park. The late afternoon sunlight cast long shadows over the grassy field. The distant chirping of birds mingled with the laughter of children playing nearby.
On a wooden bench beneath the shade of a towering oak, a young man sat motionless. He leaned back against the bench, resisting the urge to check his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. His brows furrowed slightly—perhaps out of worry, or maybe just irritation from waiting.
The soft sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Another man walked toward him, an ice cream cone in hand, melting slowly under the golden sunlight.
"Sorry for making you wait," Vany said with a smile, extending the ice cream toward Alan. "Here, it's for you."
Alan's gaze flicked to the ice cream before shifting up to meet Vany’s eyes.
"What? You think I want to eat this with a guy, buddy?" Vany teased.
Vany raised an eyebrow. "Well, I couldn't help it. That guy switched his profession to selling ice cream for couples just because it's trendy now... even though his main job is as an informant. Next time, I'll tell him to sell Corndogs instead." He muttered, plopping down onto the bench beside Alan.
"Anyway, according to the info he gave me, scientists and researchers have been disappearing lately."
Alan narrowed his eyes at the statement, turning to face Vany with an unreadable expression.
"Disappearing?" he echoed.
"Yeah..." Vany hesitated for a moment before speaking again, his voice more serious this time. "And they all had one thing in common—they were researching the supernatural."
Vany glanced down at the ice cream in his hand before smirking slightly. "That’s why the government wants us to investigate this case."
Alan nodded easily, but Vany couldn’t take it anymore. "Al! Aren’t you going to complain about something? Like, 'Seriously… this kind of thing again?' Or 'Why don’t they send another team instead? Why is it always us?' Something like that?"
Alan smiled at Vany's reaction before saying, "You'll get used to it."
Vany sighed in resignation, then muttered, "Alright, maybe it's because the two of us are just easy to work with, quick to get things done. We bark, but don’t bite."
Alan rolled his eyes, reluctantly taking the ice cream from Vany, though he made no move to eat it. "So, what do we know so far?"
Vany pulled out his phone, swiping through a document before showing it to Alan. "Most of the victims were researchers from different fields—biology, astrophysics, archaeology, even mechanical engineering." He paused for a moment before tilting the phone to show Alan a specific photo. "And the latest victim..."
Alan raised an eyebrow at the image. "...Dr. Rowland?"
Vany nodded. "Yeah. A researcher studying supernatural phenomena near Whitemoor Lake, by the Outernet Cliffs. He went missing three days ago. The government wants us to find out what happened."
Alan furrowed his brow in confusion. "And what do they expect us to find? A giant cursor? A user from above? Or some kind of illegal doomsday weapon?"
Vany chuckled. "Who knows? But if they're ordering us to check it out, we don’t really have a choice, do we?"
Alan studied Vany for a moment before shifting his gaze down to the ice cream in his hand. Finally, he sighed and took a bite.
"How is it? Tastes bad, right? I could spread some bad rumors and get him to quit selling it," Vany raised an eyebrow, asking with curiosity.
"...The taste isn't that bad," Alan replied, before standing up. "Get ready, we're leaving tonight."
Vany glanced at him before muttering, "Damn it..." Then, with a resigned sigh, he pushed himself up from the bench.
The two walked out of the park, leaving behind the chirping birds and the warm afternoon sunlight that continued to bathe the quiet scenery
Nightfall arrived sooner than expected, the sky cloaked in an impenetrable black veil. The stars twinkled as though they were watching the movements of the visitors below.
The black SUV cruised down the desolate road leading to Whitemoor Lake. The headlights sliced through the surrounding darkness, revealing thick overgrown woods and the eerie shadows of trees swaying in the cold evening breeze.
Inside the vehicle, the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the rustling of papers as Vany flipped through documents.
"Dr. Rowland was a researcher studying unexplained energy. He used to work with government agencies years ago," Vany said, not taking his eyes off the papers. "And it seems he found something before disappearing."
Alan, who was driving, glanced at him. "Something? What kind of something?"
Vany squinted, then tossed the file over to Alan. "Read it yourself."
With a sigh, Alan removed one hand from the steering wheel to catch the file and opened it. His eyes were immediately drawn to a passage highlighted in red ink.
[ "This energy does not conform to the laws of physics as we know them... it has its own 'will'." ]
Alan furrowed his brows. "What does that even mean?"
"I wish I knew," Vany leaned back in his seat. "But what’s certain is that before he disappeared, he sent his assistant a final message..."
Vany pulled out his phone, scrolling for the message before reading it aloud to Alan.
[ "They’re looking for us... we've gone too far—don’t let anyone get close to... that thing." ]
Alan unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter, an unsettling feeling creeping into his gut.
"That thing..." he murmured. "What the hell is it?"
Vany turned to look out the window, his eyes reflecting the dim light from the dark woods. "I guess we’ll have to find out for ourselves."
"What about Dr. Rowland’s assistant? Did they find out anything more?" Alan asked.
Vany shook his head. "No one’s found his assistant either. They vanished just hours after receiving that message."
Alan muttered under his breath. "This is starting to sound like a horror movie."
Vany chuckled darkly. "If you're scared, you can always go back to town and sip coffee."
"Funny," Alan smirked. "I’m not scared... just getting the feeling something’s not right."
The headlights illuminated an old wooden sign by the side of the road. Its faded letters read:
"Welcome to Whitemoor Lake - Restricted Area"
Alan slowed the vehicle. His eyes fixed on the road ahead, where the surrounding woods grew denser, and the silence became more oppressive.
"We’re here..." Vany murmured.
Alan parked the car by the roadside and turned off the engine before looking over at Vany. "Where do we start?"
Vany pulled up a map on his phone. "According to government intel, Dr. Rowland and his team used a small cabin by the lake as their research base."
Alan nodded. "Then let’s see what they left behind."
Both stepped out of the car, the night air biting at their skin. Alan felt a chill run through him instantly, the earthy scent of damp soil and the lake’s water mingling in the air. But what was more unnerving than anything was the silence — a silence that was deeply unnatural.
No birds, no crickets, not even the sound of the forest’s breath...
Alan furrowed his brow, his body tensing unconsciously. It was an instinctive warning, something deep inside him telling him that something was wrong.
As the cabin came into view, Alan slowed his pace. The old wooden building, nestled in the forest, felt eerily quiet. The lights inside were off, as though no one had been here for a long time.
Vany stepped forward and gently turned the doorknob, finding that it opened easily without being locked. Alan glanced at him briefly before they both entered the cabin.
Inside, the place was surprisingly empty. There were no belongings, not even the research papers that should have been there. The desk was covered in a thick layer of dust, and the wooden floor creaked under their steps.
"It's too quiet," Alan whispered, scanning the room.
They decided to split up and investigate, until Vany stumbled upon a rug that seemed to have been moved slightly from its usual position.
"Alan, come help me."
Alan walked over, and together they pulled the rug aside, revealing a hidden trapdoor beneath it. There were scratches and burn marks on it, as if something violent had happened here.
"What is this..." Alan mumbled before attempting to pry it open.
The door creaked open, revealing a set of old wooden stairs leading down into the darkness below. A musty smell mixed with the scent of metal wafted up.
"Down to the research lab..." Vany said quietly.
They grabbed their flashlights and slowly descended.
As soon as their feet touched the cold concrete floor below, they paused in shock at the sight before them.
The lab, which should have been the heart of the research, was in ruins. Equipment was scattered everywhere, tables overturned, and the large glass wall had cracked, barely recognizable.
But what caught their attention the most were the bodies of the researchers who had supposedly disappeared. They lay unconscious on the floor—some slumped over desks, others leaning against walls. Their bodies were covered in burn marks, but there was no blood.
Alan frowned as he checked the pulse of one of the men. "Still alive, but in terrible condition..."
Before they could do anything more, Vany's gaze fell on something else.
In the corner of the room, behind a broken equipment box, a young boy was sitting, hugging his knees.
His small, pale body was dressed in ragged clothes, and his skin bore the same burn marks as the others. But his eyes—eyes filled with something they couldn't quite read—were staring directly at them.
"That boy..." Vany whispered.
Alan turned to look before cautiously approaching.
"Hey... Al-Anigo wait—" Vany tried to say something, but Alan signaled for him to stop.
The boy didn’t move from his spot. He just stared at them. "Who are you? Are you one of those people in white lab coats?"
Alan remained silent.
"Are you going to hurt me?" The boy asked softly, his voice trembling with fear.
Alan paused for a moment. He couldn’t answer that question immediately. He stared at the boy, who seemed to have been through something terrifying, before responding in a low voice, "No... I won’t hurt you."
Vany stood at a distance, his face filled with doubt. He sensed that something wasn’t right here.
Vany moved closer to Alan, who was still inspecting the boy’s body, noting the wounds all over him. At the same time, he felt the urgency of the situation. They couldn’t wait any longer for answers.
"Anigo..." Vany spoke in a low voice, but full of meaning. "We shouldn't stay here too long. We need to report this to the government about what's happening. This seems to be bigger than we thought."
Alan looked up from examining the boy and met Vany's gaze. "Yes," he replied gravely. "We can't let this be swept under the rug. We need them to come and investigate."
Alan sighed before reaching for the communicator he had with him. He clicked the button to contact the emergency response unit.
"Emergency Research Hotline, this is Officer Anigo from the Data Collection Unit, calling from a suburban forest area..." he said firmly, hoping the information would be processed quickly on the other end.
A voice on the other end responded, "Officer Anigo? Please report the emergency."
Alan surveyed the room filled with destruction and the terrifying environment. "We've found something suspicious at a location. There were abnormal experiments, and now we are in a destroyed lab area. Several researchers have been attacked, and there is a child who may be involved in this experiment..." He rushed through the details, providing the necessary information.
The voice responded quickly, "Understood, Officer Anigo. We will send a team as soon as possible. Please exercise caution and don't stay in the area too long."
"Understood, thank you," Alan replied, closing the communication.
Vany turned to him, "They're sending a team to help, right?"
Alan nodded. "Yes, but we need to leave here first so they can do their work."
They both glanced at the boy huddled in the corner. They could feel the increasing tension in the air.
"We have to take him with us," Vany said with concern. "Otherwise, he won't get any help."
Alan walked over to the boy again. "Will you come with us? We'll take you somewhere safe."
The boy looked at him with eyes full of doubt. "Will I... be safe?"
Alan nodded with confidence. "Yes, you will be safe," he answered firmly.
Once everything was ready, the two of them led the boy out of the lab and back up to the cabin, which remained eerily silent, waiting for the arrival of the rescue team.
Three days after the incident, the government concluded their investigation into the case, which only complicated matters further. Almost all the labs had been destroyed, and the data systems were nearly wiped out.
The government still couldn't confirm who was behind the mysterious experiments. The researchers and scientists who had been attacked and were still unconscious, when they regained consciousness, couldn't provide clear information. Many of them said they couldn't remember anything related to the experiment or only remembered fragmented parts that didn't make sense. No one could provide a clear answer about what really happened.
The suspicion still lingered in Vany and Alan's minds. They both knew that the situation was far from simple, and there was something that might be hidden, waiting
to be revealed in the future. But for now, the most important thing was to ensure the safety of the boy and try to find possible answers from what remained, before another dangerous event occurred.