Chap 1: Mari’s Discovery and the Hidden Door

It started like any boring Saturday.

Mom shoved a bucket into my hands. “Go pick some berries, Mari. Don’t wander off.”

I wasn’t planning to.
Not really.

But the second I stepped into the woods, everything changed.

The air felt… off. Too cold for spring. Too still.
No birds. No rustling leaves. Not even bugs buzzing.

Just dead silence.

Like the woods were holding their breath.

I kept walking. Something in my chest said go back, but my feet didn’t listen.

Then I saw it.

A massive sycamore tree. Way bigger than any I’d ever seen. Its bark was cracked, dark, almost black. The roots exploded out of the ground like they were trying to crawl away.

And right between them… something shiny.

Metal.

I didn’t think. I dropped the bucket and dropped to my knees, digging with my bare hands like something was pulling me in.

Dirt flew. My fingers stung. But I didn’t stop.

Then—thunk.

Wood.

I cleared the rest.

It was a hatch.

Old, rotted. A brass handle crusted with dirt. And one word carved into the top:

ENTER.

My stomach flipped.

I looked around. Nothing moved. No wind. No sound.

It felt like the world had paused.

I grabbed the handle.

It was freezing.

I pulled.

The hatch creaked open—loud, groaning like it hadn’t moved in a hundred years.

Beneath it: stairs. Stone stairs. Leading down.
The air that rushed up was damp and cold, like a basement that had never seen light.

Then—flash.

A blue glow, pulsing deep below.
Like something was alive down there.

I should’ve shut the hatch.

I should’ve run.

Instead, I stepped down.

One step.

Two.

Then—WHAM.

The hatch slammed shut behind me. Hard. I spun around, heart pounding.

Pitch black above.

Stillness below.

Until—

“Mari…”

My name. Whispered. From the bottom of the stairs.

I froze. My hands were shaking. I tried to scream. Nothing came out.

Then I heard it again.

Closer.

“Mari…”

And then footsteps.

Coming up.

Fast.

To be continued……

What would you do? RUN or KEEP GOING?
Comment below 👀🔥