While hiking through the dense forest near her home, Laura stumbled upon an old, rusted vehicle half-hidden by overgrown bushes. She held her breath as she approached it and wondered how it had ended up in such a remote spot, far from any roads or trails.
With trembling hands, she pulled open the creaky door, only to be met with a sight that made her stomach churn. For a moment, Laura felt like she couldn’t breathe, and then she let out the most blood-curdling scream ever.
She took a step back from the car, but her foot got stuck under the root of a tree, and she fell. Completely panicking, she quickly stood up and ran back into the deep forest. She wanted to get far away from that car as soon as possible. A while later, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She had run faster than ever and hadn’t looked back once, but now she realized her mistake. She checked each of her pockets, desperately wanting to call the police about her discovery, but her phone was gone. She must have lost it when she stumbled back by the car.
Laura turned pale as she realized she needed to go back; she had no choice. Back at the car, she couldn’t help but look inside it just once more, but then she completely froze in fear. You see, just before, when she had looked inside the car, there was a skeleton—a human skeleton. And now, as if it wasn’t scary enough already, it was gone. But whose skeleton was that? How did it end up in the car in the first place, and how could it suddenly have disappeared?
“Oh no, no, no,” Laura whispered, trying to keep herself from screaming at the top of her lungs. She hadn’t thought that this nightmare could get any worse, but it just did. Whatever was going on here, she knew that she wasn’t alone in these woods, and she could very well be in danger. She had so many questions, but she was sure of one thing: she needed to get away from there right now.
She frantically dialed 911, but her call wouldn’t go through. She yelled under her breath as she saw that she had no signal there. She looked around and kept her ears open, ready to run as soon as she heard any noise. The whole time, she couldn’t stop thinking about what kind of person would move a skeleton—and why on Earth anyone would do such a thing.
Laura was just about to leave and go search for a spot where her phone had a signal when she thought of something. This car was hidden so deep inside the forest that it would be difficult to track down, even for the police. So it would probably be useful if she had any photos to show them, right? Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she took some pictures of her surroundings as well as the car. She got as close to the vehicle as she dared and took as many photos as she could without touching anything. The whole time, she heard no other sounds except for her own breathing and the rustling of leaves as she moved her feet around, and quite frankly, she was terrified.
Suddenly, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor inside the car. After thinking about it for a moment, she picked it up. Perhaps this would contain some useful information about the owner or maybe that skeleton. She held her breath as she carefully unfolded it and gasped when she finally saw what it was. She hadn’t expected anything like this: on the paper seemed to be some kind of map. Laura’s eyes widened as she looked at it and tried to understand it, but no matter how long she stared at it, she became none the wiser. She decided not to waste any time on it and just leave; she didn’t want to spend another second near this car if she didn’t need to.
As Laura walked through the woods, she kept checking her phone to see if she had any signal yet. She also had no idea if she was walking in the right direction, but she was just following a path. At some point, she thought she heard a noise behind her, but when she stopped to listen, it remained silent. Eventually, she told herself, “It’s probably just a little animal. Nothing to worry about.” But she wasn’t even sure if she really believed that.
Laura’s heart pounded as she finally saw the bars appear on her phone. She immediately dialed 911, her fingers shaking. “There’s an old car in the woods with a skeleton inside,” she gasped, trying to keep her voice steady. The dispatcher asked her location, and Laura quickly explained where she was and what she had found. “Please hurry,” she added, her voice trembling with urgency.
The dispatcher listened carefully to Laura’s account, asking her for details about the car and its exact location. After she finished, they told her to come to the station. “It’s safer to discuss this in person,” they said firmly. Laura felt a mix of frustration and relief.
“All right, I’ll head there now,” she replied, glancing around nervously before starting her trek back to civilization. Disappointed by their response but understanding their caution, Laura agreed to visit the station. She began her journey back through the dense forest, trying to stay calm. Every rustle of leaves made her jump. “Just get to the station,” she muttered to herself, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. The walk seemed endless, each step taking her closer to safety.
By evening, Laura finally reached the police station, exhausted and anxious. She took a deep breath before entering, hoping for immediate action. The fluorescent lights inside felt harsh after the dim forest. She approached the front desk, her heart still racing.