Quietly making her way out of the lot, she looked back once and the man and his lot disappeared. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her, the lack of proper sleep mixed with humming and hours of research were probably getting to her.

Pulling off to a gas station to fill her tank, she decided to search the van, properly survey it. She was so caught off guard by the offer the man had given her, she knew better than to ask anything more of him. She opened the glove compartment and found a dilapidated map covered in writing, though none of it made sense, words and short phrases written across it, exes on each major trail in the area in black and one bright red circle at the center of the “Forbidden Campsite” as she had named it after her experience. Suddenly, the radio lit up, the humming ceased again, though no music played.

She filled the tank, and all was silent, complete silence. Traffic around her had quieted, there were no cars on the road, empty parking lots, eeriness but she was so focused on her own thoughts and breathing, she didn’t pay it any mind.

Her curiosity overtook her discomfort and fear, and almost compulsively, made her way to the Forbidden Campsite. Deciding to give in and visit it again.

She followed the trail again, noticing the closer she was to the site the quieter the hum and the lighter her shoulders felt. She parked at a spot, she deemed ‘close enough’ and shut the van off but the humming returned with vigor, the sound louder than before, it had become whispers. She couldn’t decipher the words but it sounded like a million quiet voices speaking at once.

In a frantic attempt to find silence again she slammed her palm against the radio, and again the whispers quieted. She caved, starting the van again and driving further into the woods. To the heart of the Forbidden Campsite.

Feeling mildly defeated she laid down in her bed at the back of the van closing her eyes, finally finding temporary peace.