Streaming |17,132 PCS|

Fiery red and amber leaves drifted on its surface, catching glints of the late afternoon sun. A hush had fallen over the woods—no birds, no rustling creatures, just the steady murmur of the stream. It was almost too quiet, the kind of silence that hangs like a held breath. Sarah paused on the trail, her senses tingling. There was something about the scene that felt... off. Maine’s forests were rarely this still, even in the heart of autumn.

She moved closer to the water’s edge, peering into the depths. The current was gentle, but as she looked more closely, she noticed shapes within the water, faint shadows slipping just below the surface. She squinted, but each time she tried to focus, the shapes vanished, as though they were aware of her watching. A chill crept up her spine, an unspoken warning that perhaps she wasn’t alone in the way she thought. She took a step back, but her gaze remained fixed on the water, heart pounding as a soft whisper drifted up from the stream.