The Heart of the Forest

The woods beyond the railway bridge are different from any place you’ve explored before. Older, wilder, with trees so tall they block out most of the sky. The path is barely visible, marked only by occasional railway maintenance markers and the rusted remnants of old equipment.

“According to the map,” Gary says, studying the hand-drawn directions, “we should reach Back Harlow Road in about four hours if we keep up this pace.”

“Four hours,” Tom whistles. “That’s a lot of walking.”

As you push deeper into the wilderness, the reality of what you’re doing starts to sink in. You’re four kids, alone in the woods, looking for a dead body. The adventure that seemed so exciting this morning now feels serious and maybe a little scary.

“Hey guys,” Vinny says quietly. “What if we actually find him? What if Danny is really out there?”

The question hangs in the air. Finding Danny was the goal, but none of you have really thought about what it would actually be like to discover a dead body.