"Come on, get up! We need to continue our climb!"
Hasan's voice broke the silence among the towering trees. He stood up, adjusting the straps of his carrier backpack before turning toward Alya, who was still sitting weakly on the ground.
"Alya, you're coming with Rico and me, okay? How are you feeling now? Are you still dizzy?"
Alya slowly raised her head. She tried to smile, but the pallor on her face only made Hasan even more worried.
"My head is getting even dizzier, San," she replied faintly. "I had a medical checkup yesterday, and everything was normal. My physical condition was fine, too. But why do I feel like this now?"
Her voice was weak, almost drowned out by the wind rustling through the trees.
Hasan furrowed his brow. He could not understand what was happening. Alya had seemed less enthusiastic since the beginning of the climb, but her condition had continued to deteriorate as they made their way toward Post 3.
"Come on, don't think too much about it for now. We'll walk slowly, okay?" Rico said, extending his hand to her.
Hasan stood beside Alya while Rico helped her to her feet. They then continued their journey at the very back of the group, adjusting their pace to accommodate Alya, who was growing increasingly weak.
The trail ahead looked darker than before. Massive trees crowded both sides of the path, allowing almost none of the remaining sunlight to penetrate the dense canopy.
Every now and then, the sound of snapping branches came from the bushes.
Crack!
Alya instinctively turned her head.
"What's wrong, Al?" Rico asked.
"I don't know. I think I heard something."
"Maybe it was just a falling branch. Come on, don't keep looking around. Just focus on the trail."
Alya gave a small nod.
However, after they had taken only a few more steps, another sound suddenly emerged from the trees.
Hehehehehehe…
A woman's laughter.
It was not just one voice, but dozens of voices laughing back and forth from different directions.
The laughter was loud, yet strangely, it sounded both near and far at the same time. It was as if dozens of women were hiding behind the trees, watching them and laughing at something only they understood.
Hasan stopped in his tracks.
Rico stiffened.
Meanwhile, Alya immediately grabbed Laras's arm as the girl walked beside her.
"You can hear that, right?" Alya whispered, her voice trembling.
No one answered immediately.
They had all heard it.
The laughter grew louder and more frequent, as though its owners were enjoying themselves while watching the hikers become frightened.
Rico swallowed hard. He glanced at the trees to his right before lowering his head slightly.
"Forgive us, whoever you are in those trees," he said clearly. "If we've done anything wrong or said something we shouldn't have, we apologize. Please don't disturb us. We only want to continue our journey."
Instantly, the laughter stopped.
Silence.
An unnaturally deep silence.
Rico slowly raised his head.
"Co, who are you talking to?" Hasan whispered.
Rico did not answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the row of trees, which seemed to grow darker by the second.
"I'm just asking permission. Who knows? Maybe we've disturbed someone."
His answer only made the atmosphere more unsettling.
Laras felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She tried to hold back her tears, but they continued to trickle down her cheeks. Thoughts of something invisible began to overwhelm her mind.
What if they really were being watched?
What if that laughter had not been a mere disturbance, but a warning?
"Come on, don't stand here too long," Keenan said as he finally approached them from the front of the group. "We need to reach Post 3 before it gets any darker."
No one argued.
Whether out of fear, exhaustion, or the desperate desire to leave that place behind, they started walking again. As though they had somehow found a sudden reserve of strength, the group continued climbing despite the increasingly steep trail and the night air beginning to bite at their skin.
They had only one goal now.
Post 3.
A place where they could rest, pitch their tents, and hope that all those strange incidents would finally come to an end.
However, not everyone could hide their fear.
"This is all your fault!"
Rengga's voice suddenly rang out sharply.
He turned toward Tissa and Alya, his face twisted with anger.
"Ever since we started this climb, you two have kept talking about things you shouldn't! Especially you, Tissa! And Alya, too! Keenan has warned you over and over, but you still can't watch what you say!"
Tissa fell silent. Her expression darkened, while Alya did not even have the strength to respond to Rengga's accusations.
"Rengga, that's enough!" Keenan reprimanded him.
"But it's the truth, Nan! Just imagine what would've happened if they hadn't spoken carelessly—"
"I said that's enough!"
Keenan stopped walking and stared seriously at Rengga.
"We don't know for certain what's really happening. So stop blaming other people. We need to look after one another now, not make things worse."
Rengga snorted quietly but eventually chose to remain silent.
Keenan resumed walking, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead.
"Watch your steps. There are plenty of large rocks along this path. Don't let anyone slip or fall. We have to be careful not only of things we can't see, but also of wild animals that might be lurking around here."
He paused briefly to make sure everyone was listening.
"Don't panic. Keep praying according to your own beliefs. We came here to climb a mountain, so focus on reaching our destination."
Keenan tried to sound calm, even though deep inside, he had begun to feel an unsettling anxiety that he could not explain.
Ever since they entered that trail, he had felt as though something was following them.
As though they were not the only inhabitants of the forest that night.