Rose's Pov
The road ahead looked like a black ribbon swallowed by fog. My car's headlights cut through the darkness, but the mist always returned, wrapping around everything like a secret that didn't want to be told.
I should've stayed on the main highway.
I knew that.
But the forest route was faster, and I wanted to be home before midnight.
Mom's voice replayed in my head: "Don't take the forest road, Rosie. That place isn't safe at night."
I'd laughed it off earlier. "Mom, please. You make it sound like there are monsters in the woods."
She hadn't laughed back.
Now, driving alone through this eerie silence, I almost wished I'd listened.
The dashboard clock blinked 11:42 p.m. My phone had no signal. The radio was static. It felt like the world had shut me out completely.
"Just a few more miles," I whispered to myself, trying to ignore the knot of fear tightening in my stomach. "You're fine, Rose. Just keep going."
The road curved sharply, and that's when I saw a man.
A man?.
Standing right in the middle of the road.
My heart lurched. "What the…"
I slammed my foot on the brake. Tires screeched. My body jolted forward as the car spun. Headlights flashed across the trees, and the man didn't even move.
CRASH.
Metal shrieked. Glass shattered. My head hit the steering wheel, and everything exploded into darkness. An accident is the last thing that should happen to me here!
I came to with a sharp gasp.
The smell of smoke filled my lungs. The airbag hung deflated in front of me, and the windshield was shattered. My chest hurt. My arm burned. Everything was tilted and wrong.
"Okay… okay…" My voice shook as I tried to unbuckle the seatbelt. The clasp was stuck. I pushed harder until it finally released with a click.
Pain shot through my ribs as I turned toward the window. The forest outside looked endless, quiet, and cold. My headlights were still on, glowing weakly against the fog.
"Hello?" I called, voice barely above a whisper. "Is anyone out there?" My nose started bleeding.
No answer. Only the soft hiss of rain on the broken glass. I tried again, louder. "Please! Help me!" I said with the little strength left inside me.
That's when I heard it…
Footsteps.
Slow, steady, coming closer.
"Thank God," I breathed, leaning toward the window. "Please! I had an accident…"
The words died in my throat.
Three figures emerged from the fog. Two men and a woman. At first, I thought they were just travelers or maybe people who lived nearby, but the closer they came, the colder the air felt.
They didn't walk like normal people. They glided…smooth, silent, every step too perfect.
The woman was the first to step into the headlights. Her face was almost too beautiful…pale skin, dark eyes that shimmered like wet glass. The men behind her were just as striking, but something about them made my stomach twist.
"Please, I..I'm hurt," I said, voice trembling. "Please help me?"
They stopped right in front of the car. For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Then one of the men smiled.
That's when I saw them…his teeth.
Long. Sharp. Wrong. Fangs!
My breath caught. "No… no, that's not real."
"Oh, it's very real," the woman said, her voice smooth and cold. "You're bleeding, little human. We can smell it; it smells sweet."
My blood ran cold. "Stay away from me."
They didn't listen. The taller man reached forward, his pale hand gripping the broken car door. With one effortless pull, the metal bent. I screamed as they dragged me out, my knees hitting the gravel hard. My ribs hurt from the accident.
"Don't fight," the woman whispered, crouching beside me. "It will be easier that way."