Speaker 1: When I was thirteen. The summer we moved, we left
the city behind in a cloud of dust, trading, traffic
and noise for long, empty roads that stretched on forever.
On Newtown, hollow Brock was, for a lack of a
better term, frozen in time. Main Street had a diner,
a single gas station, and a convenience store that doubled
as a bait shop. Everyone seemed to know everyone. My
mom loved it instantly, my dad muttered something about peace
and quiet. Ay hated it. It wasn't just that I
had to leave behind my friends, my school, my entire life.
It was the fact that there was nothing here. No
movie theaters, no arcades, no malls, just houses, trees and
a school that looked like it had been built a
hundred years ago. The first few days were the worst.
Boxes stacked in every room, the smell of fresh paint,
the hum of Cicada's outside. No Wi Fi for the
first two days, which meant I had nothing to do
but help unpack or stare at the ceiling, counting the
tiny cracks in the plaster. Then I met Ethan Jake
and will it happened at the basketball court behind the school.
I wasn't even playing, just sitting on my bike watching.
Ethan was the first one to talk to me. He
had shaggy blonde hair, her red sox cap pulled low
over his face, and a kind of easy confidence that
made it impossible to dislike him. Jake and Will were
always with him. Jake was stocky, with a sharp jaw
and a habit of cracking his knuckles. Will was lanky, quiet,
always a step behind the others. Ethan dribbled the basketball
absent mindedly, squinting at me. So you just moved here, right,
I nodded, Yeah, last week? Where from? Jake added Boston.
All three of them looked at each other, then back
at me. Whoa Edan said, grinning city kid. Yeah, I muttered,
unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Will spoke up for the first time. But it's way
better there, I shrugged. I don't know, I guess. Ethan
passed the ball to Jake, then turned back to me.
You have had a hideout before, I blinked, like a
real one. Jake snored, No, a fake one, I mean no. Never.
Ethan's grin widened. Dude, Then you're gonna love this. Jake smirked.
We gotta hide out. Best spot in town, Will nodded,
deep in the woods. No little kids there. I pugged
up for real, for real, Ethan said, we'll take you tomorrow.
That was how it started. Ethan showed up at my
house after lunch, knocking on the door. Before I even
saw him coming. He had his bike with him, one
foot resting laisely on the pedal. Come on, he said,
we're taking you with us. I berely had time to
grab my own bike before we're off, pedaling through the
quiet streets, cutting through yards, jumping over curve rubs. The
further we went, the fewer houses there were. Soon the
pavement turned to dirt and the town faded behind us,
swallowed by towering pine and at some point Ethan told
us to ditch our bikes. I expected them to stop
at some random part of the woods and then take
a hidden trail, but instead we ended up on a
narrow dirt road, tire tracks worn deep in the ground.
It snaked through the trees, winding up a gentle hill
before disappearing ahead. I squinted, Wait, if there's a road,
why don't you guys just ride your bikes all the way.
Jake chuckled, nudging my arm, where's the fun in there?
Ethan smiked, Yeah, what's cooler walking through the woods to
our secret hideout or rolling up on bikes like we're
going to the grocery store. Will grinned, we're off the gridman,
no roads, kind of I laughed, shaking my head, but
I had to admit it did feel cooler, like we
were heading somewhere no one else knew about. And then
I saw it. Perched in the thick arms of an
old oak tree was the tree house. It was perfect,
the kind of hide out every kid dreams of, big
enough for all of us, but not too big, like
it belonged in some fancy magazine. The wood was weathered
but sturdy, the boards nailed tightly together. A simple rope
ladder hung from the entrance, swaying gently in the breeze.
Ethan climbed up first, followed by Jake and Will. I hesitated,
staring up at it. I'd never been to a place
like this before, never had a clubhouse, a fort, a
secret spot to escape to. In the city. We had
cracked sidewalks and fire escapes. This was different. I grabbed
the rope ladder and climbed inside. The walls were covered
in drawings and initials carved into the wood. A feord
camping chairs were tucked in the corner. A flashlight and
a deck of cards sat on a crate. It smelled
of dirt, pine, and the faint smell of something I
couldn't place at the time. Ethan flopped onto the ground
in the corner. So what do you think, I sat
across from him, still taking it all in. It's awesome,
Jake grinned told you. For a while, we just talked
about nothing, the kind of stupid conversations kids have when
they're bored. Who would win in a fight Batman or
spider Man, if aliens are real, if we'd ever drink
beer when we're old enough. It felt normal, like I'd
always been here. Then Ethan leaned back and stretched man,
I wish we could just stay here all night. I
raised an eyebrow. Why can't you, Jake groaned, tilting his
head back dramatically, Because our parents are lame, Ethan sighed.
They don't like us being out past nine. Will rolled
his eyes, especially after Sarah went missing. That name stuck
with me. I'd heard it before on the news, a
girl from school gone without a trace. I frowned. So
if they think kids are getting kidnapped or something, Jake scoffed, Dude,
parents think everything is out to get you. They hear
about one kid going missing, and suddenly they act like
we're going to get snatched off the sidewalk. Ethan nodded, yeah,
like I get it, but it's annoying. We're not little
kids anymore. Will grinned, knocking his knuckles against the wooden wall.
I mean, come on, we got our own house and everything.
Jake sat up, smirking exactly. We got a house, we
got furniture, we got food. Ethan held up a half
crossed bag of Dorito's rations. Will laughed. We're practically grown ups.
We even cleaned sometimes. I grinned, Yeah, except your house
doesn't have a bathroom. Jake tossed the bald up napkin
at me. Dude, it's called nature. We all cracked up
after that, and for the first time since moving, I
felt like I wanted to be here. As the afternoon
stretched on, the air cooled, and the trees outside cast
long shadows across the forest floor. Sometimes we find stuff
moved around Jake said, after a particularly long stretch of silence.
I looked up. What do you mean? He shrugged, like,
we'll come back in A chair has been moved, and
one of our flashlights is missing. I frowned. You think
someone else knows about this place? Jake shook his head. Nah,
we never told anyone. Will leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
If we started asking around, people might get curious. They'd
come locking, and then we wouldn't have it to ourselves anymore.
Ethan sighed, So we just ignore it. The sun was
beginning to dip behind the horizon when Ethan suddenly checked
his watch. Crap, it's almost nine, Jake groaned, standing up
and dusting off his jeans. Ah, fine, will side. I
guess we gotta be responsible and head back. By my
second week, I couldn't go anywhere without hearing about Sarah.
Her face was still on Flyers taped the telephone poles
pinned up in the school office, stabled to the bulletin
board at the grocery store, missing last scene, Hollowbrook Elementary.
It didn't feel like something people talked about in whispers.
It felt like a weight everyone carried. The teachers looked tired.
Parents were extra careful about pickups, and kids traded stories
in hushed voices at lunch. Things like this didn't happen
much in a small town like this, But there was
one person who didn't carry that heavy energy with him,
mister Harris. He was the kind of guy every kid liked.
Tall and broad shouldered, with a thick mustache and an
easy smile. It wasn't like other adults. He actually listened
when kids talked, didn't yell when someone ran in the hall,
even slipped us candy sometimes when teachers weren't locking. How
are you liking hollow Brook, he asked me one afternoon.
I had stayed after school to grab a notebook I
left in my locker. Mister Harris was mopping near the gym.
I shrugged. It's all right, not too boring for you,
he chuckled. Kids from the city usually think were a
bunch of weirdows. I don't know, I said, I kind
of like it. He nodded, leaning against the mop handle. Yeah,
this town grows on you. Always been real close knit.
I shifted, unsure what else they say? He must have noticed,
because his expression softened. All right, kid, go off, now
make sure to pick up those packages over there, like
Miss Wren asked you to all right, see you, mister Harris,
see your kid. The treehouse became more than just a hideout.
It became home. Anytime I was upset, frustrated, or needed
to be away from the world for a bit, I'd
find myself biking down the dirt road, cutting through the trees,
climbing up that rope ladder. And I wasn't the only one. Ethan, Jake,
and Will used it the same way. If one of
us showed up alone, the others would always come, no
questions asked. We didn't talk about it, but we all
needed the tree house. It was a place where nothing
else mattered. The thing was, the longer we used it,
and the more comfortable we got with each other, the
less we thought about the rules. At first, we were careful,
always watching the time, always heading home before the sky
went dark. But after a few weeks we got comfortable
if the sun set while we were still in the treehouse,
we didn't panic. If we stayed a little later than usual,
no one seemed to notice, so when Ethan joked about
staying overnight, it didn't calm as a surprise to anyone.
We basically live here anyway, he said, stretching out one
of the old cushions. Jake laughed, Yeah, we got food,
we got supplies. We'll like a step away from moving in.
We'll leaned forward. Imagine how cool it a beat to
wake up here? No parents than nag us. I hesitated, Yeah,
but I child off. We all knew what I was
going to say. We weren't supposed to stay after dark,
but no one else seemed worried. Dude, Jake said, shaking
his head. They're all stupid anyway. Our parents just don't
want us out late because they're paranoid. You really think
something bad's gonna happen if we sleep here for one night.
Ethan grinned. I say we do it. Let's prove our
parents wrong, man, prove to them that nothing would happen,
Jake said, in a hush tone. That part got to me.
It made the whole thing feel like a challenge. It
wasn't about breaking rules, it was about proving we could.
I looked around at the others. No one seemed scared.
Finally I nodded, all right, one night. That was all
it took. The plan was set that night, I waited
and til my parents went to bed. I stuffed my
sleeping bag into my backpack, grabbed a flashlight, and quietly
slipped out the back door. The cool night air hit
me as I stepped onto my bike. The town was quiet.
I peddled fast, cutting through the streets, heart hammering for
no reason at all. It wasn't like I'd never snuck
out before. By the time I reached the dirt road,
my pulse had settled up. Ahead. I saw three familiar
figures waiting for me, their bikes already tossed to the side. Ethan, Jake,
and Will. We grinned at each other, no turning back now.
We made our way through the trees, flashlights bouncing off
the trunks, a crunch of leaves the only sound in
the stillness. The closer we got to the treehouse, the
more real it felt this was happening. We climbed up,
one by one, the old wooden boards creaking beneath our weight. Inside,
I was greeted by the same comforting scent we'd all
gotten used to. Jake unzipped his backpack and dumped out
a pile of snacks, chips, candy bars, soda cans, Ethan grinned.
We were all excited. We set up our sleeping bags,
tie on the flashlights, and started telling stories. It felt
like every other night, like we'd done this a hundred
times before, like nothing bad could ever happen. After we
got tired of ghost stories, we played card games by flashlight,
laughed about stupid things, and ate way too much drunk food.
The tree house felt safe beyond words. And then we
heard the rumble of an old engine. I barely noticed
it at first, half thinking it was just the wind
or a plane overhead. But then headlights. Bright beams cut
through the trees, casting strange, stretching shadows through the cracks
of the wooden floorboards. The light flickered as the vehicle turned,
angling toward the treehouse, illuminating the lower part of the trunk.
We froze for a moment. None of us panicked. Ethan
sat up, rubbing his eyes. Is that Jake shifted closer
to the window, squinting. Is that your dad? That made sense?
One of our parents must have noticed we were missing.
Maybe someone woke up, checked our beds, put the pieces together.
I waited for the headlights to cut out, for a
card door to slam for the familiar sound of an
angry dad calling a name. But when the engine turned off,
no one called for us, No voices, just silence. Jake swallowed,
that's not my dad's truck. The air changed. Ethan grabbed
his flashlight over the window sill. Could be a hunter,
he whispered, or someone camping. That didn't feel right. No
one hunted at this spot in the woods. I moved closer,
heart hammering, peering out through the crack in the wooden planks.
The truck was old, dented, covered in dust, and then
a door opened. Someone stepped out. Their footsteps crunched against
the dirt, slow and careful. Will breathed out. Who the hell?
I could barely see them, just the dark outline of
a figure moving through the trees. My stomach twisted. Jake
slowly moved away from the window, eyes wide. Why are
they coming straight here? No one had an answer. The
person reached the base of the treehouse. For a second,
they just stood there. Then the creak over foot and
the first rung of the ladder. Ethan sucked in a breath. Guys,
and second footstep they were climbing. I felt it in
my chest. Now the slow creeping realization that something wasn't right.
Jake turned toward the trap door, eyes darting, what do
we do? And back toward the window. We need to go,
but no one moved another step closer. Now, whoever it was,
they didn't hesitate. They were coming up. I turned back
toward the window, gripping the ledge. My pulse pounded in
my ears. Another step closer, then they spoke a voice, low, familiar.
What the hell? I turned just in time to see
the man's head push up through the trap door. His
face was partially shadowed, covered by a hoodie, but I
could still make out the shock in his expression. Whoever
this was, he wasn't expecting us. His eyes flickered between us,
scanning the room, and then his expression changed, a slow
realization like he had just been handed something he wasn't
expecting but wanted. That was all I needed to see.
I didn't wait. I jumped. I grabbed the windowsill and
threw my myself forward, twisting my body mid air as
I plunged toward the ground. The fall knocked the breath
out of me, pain jolting on my legs as I
hit the dirt, But I was already scrambling forward, arms
pumping above me. Chaos, go go, Ethan yelled. Jake was
already pushing past him, diving for the window. Will hesitated
too long. The man lunged. Ethan jumped, but the man
grabbed for him at the last second. His fingers brushed
Ethan's ankle as he twisted him mid air, the force
throwing him sideways. Then a sickening crack. Ethan's screams ripped
through the trees. I skid it to a stop, chest heaving.
He was on the ground, clutching his leg, face twisted
in agony, my leg His voice was raw broken. I
stepped toward him, about to help, but then a thud.
The man had jumped down, following us. He wasn't waiting.
His boots hid the dirt hard, sending up a cloud
of dust. Then he straightened, staring at us. Jake grabbed Ethan,
trying to haul him up. Come on, dude, we gotta go.
Ethan choked back a sob. I can't. My head spun.
We couldn't carry him, not fast enough. The man took
a step forward. I took a step back. I ran.
I hated myself for it, but I ran branches tore
up my face, leaves whipping past as I bolted through
the trees. My breath was ragged, my legs A blur
beneath me, behind me, a cacophony of noise. I didn't
dare look back. The only thing I focused on was
getting home. The dirt road loomed ahead, glowing faintly under
the moonlight. I tore through it, sneakers slamming against the
packed down earth. The town was a blur street lights, houses,
the distant glow of my own porch. I sprinted up
my driveway, heart in my throat, slamming into the front door.
I banged my fists against the wood, sobbing. Mom Dad
opened the door. A light flicked on inside, A shadow
moved behind the glass. The door swung open, and I
fell into my dad's arms. Son, What is call the cops?
I screamed. My mom was already grabbed the phone. I turned,
chest still heaving, expecting to see a dark figure standing
at the end of the driveway. The police arrived within minutes.
By the time we got to the treehouse, the area
was already swarming with officers. Red and blue lights flickered
through the trees, casting long shadows across the dirt. The woods,
which had always felt like our sanctuary, now felt like
the most unsafe place in the world. I stood next
to my parents, shaking, wrapped in my mom's arms, as
we watched the officers search the area. They moved quickly,
flashlights bouncing against the trees, the radios crackling with updates.
Jake was found first, just at the base of the treehouse.
He was alive, but shaken. His face was streaked with dirt.
His hands were shaking, but he was breathing. Then they
found Ethan. He was curled behind a tree, barely visible
in the darkness. His leg bent at a horrible angle.
When they carried him out on a stretcher, his face
was pale ay He's hollow. He barely spoke, barely reacted,
then came well. For one terrifying moment, I thought he
was gone, But then a radio crackled. An officer had
found him running down the dirt road toward town. He
said he just ran and didn't stop. I didn't blame him.
We all got to go home that night, and for
a while that was enough. I learned the rest from
news reports, police chatter, and hushed conversations between my parents.
At first, no one knew who had done it. The
cops only had bits and pieces. The whole town went
on edge. People whispered about who it could have been.
The stranger had drifted, passing through some local guy. No
one suspected. The answers came. Days later, the police found
the truck again. It had been left in a creek,
half buried in mud, and in the trunk they found Sarah.
She had been missing for weeks. She'd been there the
whole time, cold wrapped in plastic, stuffed beneath a pile
of tarps. But it wasn't until the police tracked the
truck's registration that the real horror set in the name
attached to the vehicle, mister Harris. I remember the exact
moment I found out. I was sitting at the kitchen table,
picking at my cereal while my parents stood by the counter,
talking in low voices. I wasn't really listening until my
mom said his name. For a second, I thought I misheard,
thought she was talking about something else, But then my
dad's sighed, rubbing his face. Jeez. I felt like my
stomach had been ripped out of my body mister Harris
was still on the loose and a curfew was set.
I never saw Ethan Jacob will at school after, so
I don't know what came of them. I kept thinking
about how lucky we were. If we hadn't heard that
truck pull up, would one of us have been next?
Us s