LOST CITY OF SHADOW PEAKBy TessyThe storm arrived without warning.One moment, the sea was calm. The next, waves as tall as buildings crashed against the wooden boat carrying twenty-year-old Zara Okafor toward the remote island of Nwanyi.Rain hammered the deck.Lightning split the sky.The fishermen operating the boat crossed themselves and whispered prayers.Zara held onto the railing and stared ahead.Somewhere beyond the storm was Shadow Peak, a mountain hidden deep within the island's jungle.According to an old map she had inherited from her grandfather, an ancient city lay hidden there.A city nobody had seen for over two hundred years.Most people believed it never existed.Zara believed otherwise.Her grandfather had spent his life searching for the city.He died before he could find it.Now she intended to finish what he started."Last chance to turn back!" one fisherman shouted over the wind.Zara shook her head."I've come too far."The old fisherman sighed."Then may God protect you."Three hours later, the storm passed.The boat finally reached the island.The fishermen unloaded her supplies and immediately prepared to leave."You aren't staying?" Zara asked.The oldest fisherman laughed nervously."Nobody stays after sunset.""Why?"The man's expression darkened."Because the mountain doesn't like visitors."Before she could ask more questions, the boat pulled away.Soon she stood alone on the shore.Ahead stretched miles of untouched jungle.Beyond it rose Shadow Peak.Dark.Silent.Watching.By afternoon, Zara had entered the jungle.The heat was unbearable.Sweat soaked her clothes.Strange animal cries echoed from unseen places.She followed the map carefully.Hours passed.The deeper she traveled, the stranger the jungle became.Massive trees blocked out the sunlight.Ancient stone carvings appeared along the path.Most were damaged.Others showed disturbing images.Human figures kneeling before creatures with glowing eyes.One carving caught her attention.It showed a city built on top of a mountain.Above it hovered a giant black shape with wings.She took a photograph.A sudden rustling sound interrupted her.She spun around.Nothing.The jungle appeared empty.Yet she felt certain someone—or something—was watching her.Night arrived faster than expected.She set up camp beside a stream.After eating, she sat beside a small fire and studied the map.That's when she heard footsteps.Crunch.Crunch.Crunch.Slow.Heavy.Approaching.Her heart began racing.She grabbed her flashlight."Who's there?"No answer.The footsteps stopped.Silence returned.Minutes passed.Then she noticed something terrifying.Large footprints surrounded her camp.Fresh footprints.Whatever had made them was enormous.At least twice the size of a human.And there were dozens.Circling her tent.Watching.Waiting.She didn't sleep that night.The next morning she continued deeper into the jungle.Around noon she reached a waterfall.Behind it, hidden by rushing water, she discovered a cave.Exactly where the map indicated.Excitement surged through her.This was it.The entrance to the lost city.She switched on her flashlight and stepped inside.The cave stretched downward for hundreds of meters.Ancient symbols covered the walls.Some glowed faintly blue.The deeper she went, the colder the air became.Soon she reached a giant underground chamber.And gasped.An entire stone bridge crossed a massive abyss.The bridge looked centuries old.Far below, darkness swallowed everything.The opposite side contained another tunnel.She carefully stepped onto the bridge.Halfway across, a cracking sound echoed beneath her feet.She froze.Another crack.Then another.The bridge was collapsing.Zara ran.Stones broke away behind her.The entire structure began crumbling.She sprinted toward the far side.A section suddenly collapsed beneath her.She jumped.For one terrifying moment she hung above the abyss.Then her hands grabbed the edge.She slammed into the stone floor.Breathing heavily.Alive.Behind her, the bridge disappeared into darkness.There was no way back.Now the only path was forward.Hours later she emerged from the tunnel.And stopped.The lost city stood before her.It was real.Massive towers rose from the mountain peak.Stone streets stretched into the distance.Golden statues gleamed beneath the sunlight.Nature had reclaimed much of the city, yet its beauty remained breathtaking.Zara could barely believe what she was seeing.Her grandfather had been right all along.She walked slowly through the ruins.Every building contained carvings and symbols.The city appeared abandoned.Yet something felt wrong.Not dead.Sleeping.As if the city was waiting for something.Or someone.Near the center stood an enormous temple.Unlike everything else, it remained pe

THE FOREST OF WHISPERSBy TessyThe rain had been falling for three days without stopping.The small village of Obinna sat quietly beneath dark clouds, surrounded by thick forests that seemed to grow darker with every passing year. Most villagers avoided the forest entirely. Old stories spoke of strange voices, disappearing hunters, and shadows that moved without owners.Nobody dared enter after sunset.Nobody except Chiamaka.At nineteen, Chiamaka was known for her curiosity. While others feared old legends, she laughed at them. She believed every mystery had an explanation.One evening, as the rain finally eased, the village chief called everyone to the square."We have a problem," he announced. "Three hunters went into the forest yesterday. None have returned."Fear spread through the crowd.An old woman crossed herself."They have been taken by the Whispering Ones," she murmured.The villagers immediately began discussing sacrifices, prayers, and ancient rituals.Chiamaka rolled her eyes."There are no Whispering Ones," she said.The square fell silent.The chief stared at her."You are young," he replied carefully. "Some things are older than your understanding."But Chiamaka wasn't convinced.That night, she packed a backpack with food, a flashlight, rope, a knife, and a small notebook.Before dawn, she slipped quietly out of the village.She was going to find the missing hunters herself.The forest greeted her with silence.Not normal silence.The kind that made her feel watched.The trees stood unusually tall, their branches twisting together overhead like giant fingers blocking out the sunlight.As she walked deeper inside, she noticed something strange.There were no birds.No insects.No animal sounds.Nothing.Hours passed.Then she found footprints.Fresh footprints.Three different sets.The hunters.Excited, she followed them.The trail led toward an area villagers called Dead Man's Hollow.A place nobody entered willingly.The air suddenly felt colder.A thick fog rolled between the trees.Then she heard it.A whisper."Chiamaka..."She froze.Her heart skipped a beat.Someone had spoken her name.Slowly she turned around.Nobody was there.The forest remained empty.She swallowed hard."Who's there?" she called.No answer.Only silence.She continued walking.Then another whisper came.Closer this time."Turn back..."A chill raced down her spine.The voice sounded neither male nor female.It sounded like many voices speaking together.She gripped her flashlight tightly."This is just my imagination," she muttered.But deep down, she wasn't so sure anymore.By afternoon she reached Dead Man's Hollow.The place looked exactly as terrifying as its name.Ancient trees surrounded a massive clearing.At its center stood a ruined stone structure covered in vines.It looked like a temple.Or a tomb.The hunters' footprints led directly inside.Chiamaka hesitated.Every instinct told her to leave.Instead, she stepped forward.The entrance was dark.The air smelled old and damp.Her flashlight beam swept across broken walls covered with strange symbols.She opened her notebook and copied some of them.Suddenly—A scream echoed from deep inside.A human scream.One of the hunters.Without thinking, she ran toward the sound.The passage twisted downward.The deeper she went, the colder it became.Then she reached a large underground chamber.And stopped.The sight before her made her blood run cold.The three missing hunters were there.But something was horribly wrong.They stood perfectly still in a circle.Their eyes were open.Yet they showed no sign of life.No blinking.No movement.No expression.Like statues."Hello?" Chiamaka whispered.No response.She approached carefully.One hunter suddenly turned his head toward her.The movement was unnatural.Too fast.Too sharp.Like a puppet being controlled by invisible strings.Then all three smiled.Wide.Impossible smiles.Chiamaka stumbled backward."What happened to you?"The hunters spoke together.Every word emerging from all three mouths at the same time."We are not the hunters."The flashlight slipped from her hand.Darkness swallowed the room.Then something moved behind her.Something huge.Something breathing.Slowly.Hungrily.She turned around.Two glowing eyes opened in the darkness.Far larger than any animal's eyes should be.A deep voice echoed through the chamber."You should not have come here."The ground shook.Dust rained from the ceiling.The eyes began moving closer.Chiamaka grabbed her flashlight and ran.Behind her, dozens of whispers erupted throughout the temple.Thousands of voices.Laughing.Calling her name.Following her through the darkness.She sprinted through twisting tunnels.Her lungs burned.Her heart pounded.Then she saw daylight ahead.She burst out of the temple and r