Continue:
The rain had finally slowed, but the air hung thick and heavy, like a warning waiting to be heeded. Beyond the fractured city lights of Madrid's Southern District, where the cobblestones gave way to cracked dirt roads and wild undergrowth, the world lost its shape. Here, the trees grew tall and merciless, their gnarled limbs clawing at the sky like the skeletal fingers of some ancient beast. Thick fog slithered through the underbrush, curling around twisted roots and shattered bones hidden beneath the earth.
Above, crows wheeled in black, ragged circles, their hoarse cries echoing like a death knell through the dense canopy. Their eyes glittered with something unnatural—an intelligence that belonged not to the living, but to the forest itself.
At the edge of the woods, near a rusted bus shelter abandoned to time and graffiti, a small group of teenagers huddled beneath a threadbare tarp. Their breaths came out in shaky puffs, voices barely above whispers as they shared the rumors that had become legend.
Teen #1:
"You guys catch the news last night? Another batch of bodies found deep in the forest. Headless. Dismembered. Like they were sacrificed to something… cruel."
Teen #2:
"And that survivor… the one who made it out? The doctors said her face was melted—like skin burned off with acid or fire. Her mouth was sewn shut with wire fencing, arms twisted and broken, one cut clean off at the shoulder."
Teen #3 (voice trembling):
"They say she's barely alive. Doesn't talk. Doesn't even scream. Just stares… like she's trapped somewhere no one can reach."
A sudden caw made them jump. A crow landed on the shattered glass nearby, pecking relentlessly.
Teen #1:
"Some mad scientist is behind it. Testing or torturing… nobody knows for sure. But the cops are covering it up, like usual."
Teen #2:
"They call the forest haunted. The 'Dark Ones' are said to roam the shadows. Creatures or spirits that drag people in, never letting them leave."
Teen #3:
"Once you're in there, you're dead. Doesn't matter if you make it out alive—some say the forest pulls you back, drags you under, and you disappear for good."
The wind sighed through the branches, rattling dry leaves and making the trees creak like ancient bones. The shadows lengthened, swallowing the small group in darkness.
---
In a cramped apartment not far from the chaos, the television murmured news reports, half-ignored by a city numb to horror.
"Authorities remain baffled after the discovery of multiple bodies in the outskirts forest, victims found dismembered with no signs of struggle. Medical examiners report signs of severe mutilation, including melted skin and other unexplainable injuries…"
"A survivor of the recent forest incident remains in critical condition after horrific injuries, including a severed arm and a mouth crudely sewn shut with fencing wire. Hospital staff refuse to comment on the patient's identity or condition."
"Speculation grows around a possible underground laboratory operating within the forest. Police investigations continue in secrecy, fueling rumors of illegal experiments and human trafficking."
"Residents report sightings of dark figures lurking among the trees, accompanied by unsettling cawing of crows. Local folklore warns of the 'Dark Ones'—entities believed to prey on those who wander too far into the woods."
---
Back outside, the figure with the crescent moon bracelet lingered just beyond the café's reach. Her eyes caught the distant silhouette of the forest where shadows shifted and swayed like living things. The heavy fog wrapped around her like a cloak as she stepped away, disappearing into the night.
Madrid was bleeding, broken, waiting.
The forest breathed darkness, hungry and endless.
And so did the night.