CHAPTER 8 : SHOULD WE GO BACK ?
1243 Words
CHAPTER 8 : SHOULD WE GO BACK ?
Vihaan’s POV
It was still dirt. Still roots. Still trees clawing at the sky like they’d always been there.
And yet—
Everything felt… wrong
, No one said it out loud, but the path had changed.
. Like the forest had tilted its head and was waiting to see who’d blink first.
I rolled my shoulders and took a step forward.
Yash’s hand shot out, gripping my sleeve tightened . “Don’t.”
glanced back at him. His eyes weren’t wider. but sharp, focused—like he’d already seen the ending and didn’t like it.
“Relax,” I said. “I’m just checking if the ground still exists.”
Aarav snorted weakly “Bold of you to assume.”
Vani hugged her phone to her chest, camera off now. That alone should’ve scared me more than the tremors. “Vihaan,” she voiced tightly, “maybe… maybe we stop here. Just for a minute.”
“For what?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “A team huddle? Group prayer? Emotional support circle?”
Another low vibration shuddered beneath our boots.
The forest answered before she could.
Leaves rattled.
Somewhere distant, something heavy shifted its weight and turned back ,stepped forward again.
The air thickened.
It wasn’t fog—not yet—but pressure. Like walking into water without the courtesy of being wet.
My ears popped. The world dulled at the edges.
Behind me, Aarav muttered, “Tell me you felt that.”
“I felt something,” i admitted . “Could’ve been the mountain judging my life choices.”
Yash exhaled through his nose in irritating voice. “Stop joking.”
I turned walking backward now, facing them , arms spread, forcing a grin . “If I stop joking, I start panicking. Pick your poison.”
The ground ahead dipped slightly—a natural slope leading into denser trees. Shadows pooled there, dark and unmoving.
I lifted my foot.
Yash’s voice cut sharp. “Vihaan. If you cross that—”
“What?” I asked. “I unlock the next level ?”
I stepped down.
The moment my boot touched lower ground, the forest reacted.
Not dramatically.
No thunder.
No screaming spirits.
Just—
The sounds behind me dropped away.
No footsteps.
No breathing.
No Aarav muttering curses under his breath.
I glanced sharply.
They were still there.
All three of them.
Watching me.
But the space between us felt stretched, elastic, wrong.
My heart skipped this beat as feel in fear Like I was looking at them through thick glass.
“Okay,” try to act confidence, forcing lightness into my voice, “either I just crossed an invisible line or you all decided to practice synchronized silence.”
Vani’s lips moved.
My stomach tightened
because i didn't hear her.
I took one step back—
The pressure snapped.
Sound slammed back into place.
“—DON’T MOVE,” Yash screamed in a hoarse voice .
Aarav swore loudly. “That was NOT normal.”
I looked down at my boots.
Same dirt.
Same leaves.
Nothing visibly different.
“That,” Yash said slowly, “was a boundary.”
Vani’s hands trembled as she wiped her palms on her jeans. “I couldn’t hear you. For a second, I thought—” She stopped herself.
I swallowed ,fists cringed . “Thought what?” Even i know what she's saying .
“That you were already gone.”
Silence stretched.
The forest leaned in.
I forced a grin , tried to erased the stree . “Hey. Still here. Mostly intact. See? Crossing first is safe.”
Yash stared at me like he wanted to beat me , pray at the same time. “You don’t understand. If this place has thresholds—”
“—then congratulations,” I said. “We found one.”
Another tremor rolled beneath us, deeper this time.
No one moved.
The path behind us looked ordinary now. Too ordinary. Like it was pretending.
Aarav broke first. “Okay. Real talk. We go back. Right now. No shame. No tragic backstory. We blame bad GPS and live long, boring lives.”
Vani nodded her head with her moisture eyes like she's on crying . “Yes. Please. I will personally edit this into a ‘we survived because we listened to our instincts’ video.”
And Yash didn’t say anything. .
he just stared past me
“At least tell me you feel it too,” Aarav said
to him. “Because I swear the forest just tried to uninstall Vihaan.”
Yash finally spoke. “Going back may not be an option.”
My chest tightened and accused him . “That’s not comforting.”
He knelt, pressing his palm to the ground. The rudraksha beads slipped from his fingers, pooling against the dirt.
“The boundary reacted to him,” Yash continued. “Not us.”
“Huh? Lucky me ,” I said.
“You crossed first fucker ,” his teeth gritted. “That matters .”
Vani hugged herself. “Matters how?”
Yash looked up at me. “You’re marked.”
The word landed heavy.
I laughed once. It came out wrong. “Marked like… spiritually selected? Or marked like ‘do not eat’?”
Aarav rubbed his face. “I hate this place.”
Another low sound echoed through the trees—closer now. Like something massive adjusting its posture.
Vani whispered, “It’s getting nearer.”
I glanced behind me again. The slope seemed steeper than before. Longer.
I took one step toward it.
Yash’s head snapped up. “Don’t.”
“I just want to see if—”
“No,” he didn't let me complete. “If you cross again, it might not let you back.”
That wiped the smile off my face.
“So what,” I said quietly, “I triggered a one-way door?”
Aarav’s voice cracked. “This is exactly how people die in documentaries vihaan.”
The forest shuddered.
Leaves fell. Dust rained softly from branches.
Decision time pressed down on us like a held breath.
I straightened. “Okay. Vote time.”
All three of them stared at me like I'm i***t.
“I crossed first,” I said. “If this place wants someone, it’s already chosen me.”
Vani shook her head violently. “NO ,don'tsay that .”
“But if we turn back,” I continued convince them , “and it decides we’re unfinished business—then we’re slower. Split. Panicking.”
Yash closed his eyes briefly. “And if we go forward?”
I looked into the shadows ahead.
Something watched.
“Then at least,” I said, voice steady despite everything screaming inside me, “we move on our own terms.”
Aarav cursed softly. “I hate that you make sense.”
Vani wiped her tear . “I hate that I followed you.”
I grinned at her. “You love it. Trauma builds character.”
She laughed despite herself.
Then froze. “Did you hear that?”
We all did.
A soft sound.
Not a footstep.
A breath.
Close.
Yash stood up . “Decision’s made.”
I took another step forward.
The forest opened.
Behind us, the path did not follow.
Somewhere deep in the mountain, something ancient smiled without warmth.
- Writer
