ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: the theme song for this book has got to be 'talking in your sleep (2023 remaster)' by romantics. 😭
i hope you enjoy the song if and when any of you decide to listen to it.
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it had been a few days since the unnerving incident with the skull, and y/n had tried her best to settle into a routine. she spent her days engaged in simple maintenance tasks, taking trips into the nearby town, or meticulously scanning the dense forest that surrounded her tower. each day brought her closer to the wild beauty of the woods, fostering a growing sense of vigilance and respect for the unpredictable nature of her surroundings.
tonight though, y/n stood on the balcony of her tower, binoculars pressed to her eyes as she scanned the horizon one last time before turning in. the night was cool, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves in a soothing rhythm. she had grown to find a sense of solace in these quiet moments, even though the memory of the skull still lingered at the back of her mind.
suddenly, her focus was broken by a bright flare arcing into the sky from the distance. the red glow of the flare illuminated the treetops, casting an eerie light over the forest below. y/n lowered her binoculars, her brows furrowed in confusion. "what now?" she muttered to herself. without wasting another moment, she turned and headed back inside, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
as she moved to her radio, the static-filled silence was abruptly broken by a frantic voice. "h-hello? can anyone hear me? please, i need help!"
y/n's heart skipped a beat. she quickly set her binoculars down before sitting in front of the radio, pressing the button to respond. "this is y/n, tower 11. i hear you. what's your situation?"
"oh, thank goodness..." the man on the other end let out a sigh of relief. "i'm lost and i'm...i'm really starting to freak out," he explained.
"you mind telling me just how you ended up getting yourself lost?"
"i...i don't even know where to start!" the lost camper said, sadly, but after a moment, he continued: "i went to explore the area and lost track of time. now, it's dark and i can't remember the trail back to my truck." he stated.
y/n nodded slowly, "what equipment do you have with you?" worst-case scenario, there is nothing that she can do and he'll have to wait until morning, as it'll be easier to find him then. she just hoped he had some decent shit with him to make things easier.
"i have a flashlight, a compass, a fully charged two-way radio, a flare gun, and some of my camping equipment."
"alright..." y/n mumbled under her breath. "can you please describe your current location to me?" she inquired.
"i'm in the middle of the woods, on this trail surrounded by trees. everything looks different at night. i thought shooting a few flare gunshots might get someone's attention, but no one's come yet," he whined. "all it did was light up the trees and make everything look even more scarier. i just want to find a way out of here." he complained.
