As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I began to make my way back to my room at the hostel. I was lost in thought, my mind still reeling from the strange occurrences of yesterday. But before I could even take a few steps, Chris appeared beside me, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Hey, Gabriel, wait up!" he called out, falling into step beside me. "I've been thinking...we should go into the woods and check it out."
I raised an eyebrow, my heart sinking. "What do you mean?" I asked, already knowing where this was headed.
"The abandoned building, of course!" Chris replied, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Let's go and search for it. Who knows, maybe we'll find something."
I shook my head, my mind racing with warnings from Father Michael. "No way, Chris. Father Michael specifically told me to stay out of those woods. It's not safe."
But Chris was undeterred. "Ah, come on! What's the worst that could happen? We'll just take a quick look around and see if we can find anything. It'll be fun, I promise!"
I hesitated, my resolve weakening. A part of me was curious, wanting to uncover the truth behind the legend. But another part of me was terrified, remembering the eerie feelings and strange occurrences that had been plaguing me.
"Chris, I don't know..." I began, my voice trailing off.
But Chris was relentless, his eyes sparkling with persuasion. "Come on, Gabriel! It'll be an adventure! And think about it - if we do find something, we'll be the first ones to uncover the truth. We'll be legends!"
I sighed, my resistance slowly wearing down. Maybe, just maybe, Chris was right. Maybe we would find something. And maybe, just maybe, it would be the key to unlocking the secrets that had been haunting me.
"Okay, fine," I relented, my voice barely above a whisper. "But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you."
As we stood there, discussing our plans, I felt a sense of trepidation wash over me. Venturing into the woods was a risky move, and I wanted to make sure we did it at the right time.
"Listen, Chris, I think we should do it tomorrow, not today," I said, my voice laced with caution. "We didn't plan this earlier, and I don't want to rush into anything. Plus, we need to make sure we have enough time to get in and out before school dismissal."
Chris nodded, his eyes understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense. Tomorrow morning, then. We'll meet up at the edge of the woods, and we'll go in together."
I nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. But we need to be careful, Chris. No one can know we're doing this. We don't want to get in trouble."
Chris grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Don't worry, Gabriel. Our secret is safe with me. I'll meet you at the woods tomorrow, bright and early. Let's do this!"
With that, we parted ways, each of us heading to our assigned hostels. I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with trepidation as I walked back to my room. What would we find in the woods? And what if something went wrong?
I pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. I had to be prepared for tomorrow's adventure, and that meant getting a good night's sleep. I climbed into bed, my mind racing with possibilities, but my body eventually succumbing to exhaustion.
As I lay in bed, surrounded by the darkness of my room, I suddenly felt a jolt of awareness. My eyes snapped open, and I was met with an eerie silence. The air felt thick and heavy, and I could sense a presence in the room with me. My heart began to race as I fumbled for my flashlight, my hand shaking as I tried to turn it on.
As the light flickered to life, I directed it towards the corner of the room, where I thought I saw the presence. But instead of a figure, I was met with a pair of blazing red eyes staring back at me. My breath caught in my throat as I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.
I tried to move, to speak, but my body felt paralyzed. The eyes seemed to be burning into my soul, and I felt a sense of intense fear wash over me. I tried to flash my torch in the direction of the eyes, but as I did, they vanished. The room was silent once again, and I was left feeling shaken and disoriented.
But as I tried to process what had just happened, I felt a sudden pang in my head. It was as if something had pierced my mind, and I felt a wave of pain wash over me. I tried to cry out, but my voice was silenced by a strange, creeping darkness that seemed to be spreading through my body.
The last thing I remembered was the feeling of my body going limp, and my head hitting the pillow with a soft thud. Everything went black, and I was consumed by unconsciousness.
As my eyes slowly opened, I found myself in a strange, unfamiliar place. I was lying on a cold, hard floor, and my head was throbbing with pain. I tried to sit up, but realized that my hands and feet were tied behind me with thick ropes. Panic set in as I struggled to free myself, but it was no use.
That's when I heard the voice. It was low and menacing, and seemed to come from behind me. "I guess you just keep coming back," it said. "I kill you once every century, yet you just can't stop reincarnating and coming back to this town. Just like the other centuries, I am going to eliminate you again."
I struggled to turn my head, to see who was speaking, but it was no use. My mind raced with questions. Who was this person? What were they talking about? And what did they mean by "reincarnating" and "coming back to this town"?
The voice laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "You don't remember, do you?" it said. "You never do. But I remember. I remember every time I've killed you, every time I've had to eliminate you to protect this town."
I tried to speak, to ask questions, but my voice was hoarse and barely audible. "Who are you?" I croaked. "What do you want from me?"
The voice laughed again. "You'll find out soon enough," it said. "You'll find out when it's too late. Just like all the other times."
Suddenly, the room was filled with light, and I saw the figure behind me. It was tall and gaunt, with eyes that seemed to bore into my soul. I knew then that I was in grave danger, and that I had to find a way to escape, or risk being killed once again.