The Horrific
223 Words
The first thing Alex felt was the cold—an unnatural chill that clung to his skin, heavier than the morning fog. His body ached, his mind sluggish as he struggled to open his eyes. The sharp wail of sirens cut through the silence, distant voices murmuring. Police lights flashed red and blue, piercing through the mist.
Daniel stirred beside him, his face pale, eyes hollow with exhaustion. For a moment, they simply breathed, trying to piece together the fragments of the night before. But then, reality crashed in.
“Chris… Brandon…” Alex’s voice was hoarse, his throat raw.
Two officers approached, their expressions grave. “You shouldn’t look back,” one of them warned. “Just step out of the car—slowly.”
But how could they not look? Curiosity, dread, something stronger than reason pulled at Alex, urging him to turn.
And then he saw it.
Brandon.
His lifeless body dangled from a tree, the rope biting deep into his neck. The wind swayed him gently, his head knocking against the car door in a rhythmic, hollow thud. The same knocking that had haunted them through the night.
Alex’s stomach lurched. The world tilted.
Daniel’s strangled gasp barely registered as the weight of the truth settled over them.
The knocking had never stopped.
Brandon had been there all along
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