He sat slumped back in his sofa chair in front of the fireplace. The flames flickered licks of light across his glassy stare. This was a common state for him nowadays. For the moment he was sober but he didn’t intend for that to last long.

Find the girl while you can.

Those words flash in his mind and he hears off in the distance her voice calling his name. His eyes dart to the window facing the forest. He jumps up, grabs the lantern and shotgun then rushes out the door. His house sits on the edge of a forest. Into the trees he goes.

He follows the sound, deep into the thick forest. His lantern bathes him in yellow light. Fear of finding her dead tacks its nasty nails into his overworked brain. He must make haste and starts to run.

His lungs burn. His mind is warped. The yellow light from his lantern reflects his mood. The forest has the setting of death. Where is she?

After running and calling for her for some time realization sets in. Suddenly he stops, out of breath and out of his mind he knows he’s done it again. He’s lost in the forest, all alone. The girl was never there. He was running towards nothing.

It takes him hours to find his way back. He trudges into his house, not bothering to remove his mud caked boots. He kicks a crumbled up ball of newspaper into the fireplace as he collapsed back down into his sofa chair. The lantern and shotgun were discarded at the door.

He peers at the newspapers thrown about the room. The headlines detail his failures and ultimate shame.

Girl Found Dead In The Forest

Another Girl Discovered In The Woods

Murders Continue In The Forest

What’s Happening In The Woods?

Lead Investigator Finds No Clues

Community Wants Answers

Angry Parents Protest

Investigator On Murdered Girls Case Resigns

A Killer Goes Cold

After he resigned from the investigation of the murdered girls in the forest, the murders abruptly stopped. He was left without answers and disgraced. The community mourned and moved on, forgetting about the lost girls and him. He still hears those girls calling from the forest though…again and again and again and again.