My heart raced as I stood beneath the comforting shade of the tree, my mind racing because of my vision. The warm breeze rustled the leaves above me, a mix of scents from the market filled up my nostrils. I knew that I couldn’t keep this to myself, not for long. I had to share this nightmare with Leigh and Theo.

I knew that they would be supportive, try to help me, but the very thought of telling them my dark vision made my stomach twist into knots. I left the market without saying anything to Frank, and I set out to find Leigh and Theo. I didn’t even leave the market when I spotted them near a stall filled with vibrant fabrics, their heads close together as they laughed about something.

I approached them cautiously, my heart pounding, thinking what is the best way to start the conversation. They turned their attention to me, smiles fading as they noticed how serious I was.

“Hey, Adrian,” Leigh greeted me, concern evident in her eyes. “Is everything alright? Theo and I just wanted to find you and Frank.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “We need to talk guys.”

Theo’s brows furrowed, he shifted his gaze at Leigh then back at me. “Sure, is everything ok?” his tone was gentle.

“I had….I had a nightmare,” I began, my voice shaking slightly. “But it was more than just a dream. It was like I was there, like I was seeing someone else’s memories.”

Leigh and Theo exchanged a quick glance, from their facial expressions I could read them, I didn’t know what they were thinking.

“What do you mean?” Leigh asked softly, urging me to continue.

I took a deep breath, and told them about my vision, I didn’t skip any detail - the small room, the bound tortured figure of Samuel Robertson, and the shadow that seemed to feed on his fear and pain. As I spoke, I noticed the disbelief and shock in their eyes. But I also saw something else, a willingness to believe me, to try and help me.

When I finished, there was a moment of heavy silence. Leigh was the first one to break it, her voice calm and steady, despite the situation.

“Adrian, that sounds terrifying. But are you sure it wasn’t just a really vivid dream?”

I nodded. “I know it sounds crazy, but everything was different, it wasn’t a normal nightmare. I felt everything - the fear, the pain, even the sensation of being there. And then, there is something else. That guy, Samuel Robertson, that was in my vision, he is missing. The newspapers are talking about him, he disappeared here in Brezoville, near the cursed forest.”

The frowned, his arms crossed as he digested my words. “You think your dream, vision, whatever it was, is somehow connected to what happened to this guy?”

I nodded again. “It sounds insane, I know. But something inside me is telling me that I need to do something about this, something weird is going on, more than we understand.”

Leigh reached out and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “It is not that we don’t believe you Adrian, but it is strange.”

Theo sighed, uncrossing his arms. “Alright, let’s say we believe that there’s a connection. What do we do now? How to we even start to unravel this?”

“I think we need to investigate this as well,” I said. “We should start by looking into the forest where he disappeared. Maybe there is something we can find that will shed light on all of this.”

Leigh and Theo exchanged another glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Then, Theo nodded. “Alright, let’s do it. We need to be careful, one of us can go today just pass by to see if anything is there. Don’t forget about Isaac, we need to watch him too.”

“Thank you.” I said, happy that they didn’t call me crazy.

Leigh smiled warmly. “We are in this together Adrian, always.”

I felt bad for not telling them the whole truth, but even a part of it was a good start for now.

Over the next few days, Leigh, Theo, and I threw ourselves into our investigation. The busy market place had transformed into a place of whispers and rumors. All I did was discreetly overhearing conversations, and pieced together fragments of information. The more I learned, the clearer it became that something sinister lurked beneath the surface of our town.

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One evening, as the sun cast long shadows across the square, we gathered in a quiet corner to share our findings.

“First things first,” Theo started. “We got some information about Isaac, so we should meet with everyone else soon to see how they’re going. We will plan that some other time.”

He gave a sign to Leigh to continue.

“There is a pattern here,” she explained. “The forest seems to be at the center of all these mysterious stories. People who ventured in never came back. Some stories are hundreds of years old, we all heard some of them at least once, but it wasn’t a reality for us until The Crow appeared.”

Hearing that name from her almost made me faint.

“This might be false, and I really hope it is, but I think that The Crow is back.” She didn’t look at neither of us, for a moment she wasn’t even there with us.

Theo broke the silence that followed Leigh’s revelation. “Leigh, are you sure about this?”

Leigh’s gaze was still distant, haunted. “Yes, everything is pointing to something him. The only thing we need to realize is how Adrian’s vision is connected with him.”

I cleared my throat. “So, what is our next move? Should we stop with the investigation?”

Leigh’s focus shifted back to us. “We can’t confront something we don’t understand. And confronting him, would be madness. He is not Isaac, this is serious and extremely dangerous.”

Theo nodded in agreement. “She is right Adrian, this is too much for us. I say we continue focusing on Isaac, he is someone we can deal with, and we let the police do their jobs. I am sorry, maybe this vision of yours was only a one time thing.”

“I know,” I replied feeling some weight settle on my shoulders.

“And we need to be careful even when we follow Isaac now,” Theo looked worried. “For the last couple of days he is hanging a lot in the forest, that is not a good sign.”

Leigh still looked lost, and confused. “Agreed. And we shouldn’t say anything to the others for now, or should we warn them?”

“They might be skeptical, so we shouldn’t mention anything to them for now.”

We exchanged glances, the weight of the decision settling heavily upon us. The air was filled with many different emotions.

Leigh finally spoke. “Alright, so we focus on Isaac for now.”

Theo nodded, his expression grim. “We should also consider involving the police discreetly if we uncover anything unusual.”

We were just a group of friends after all, not equipped to face whatever might be lurking in the forest.

It got darker very fast, we were sitting there, sharing a silent moment of unity.

Leigh’s gaze shifted from the ground to meet mine. “Adrian, I know this must be frustrating for you, especially after that vision.”

“I am okay, Theo is right, it was just a one time thing. I appreciate your support, both of you.”

The evening breeze rustled the leaves once more. We parted ways and the shadows continued to stretch, I couldn’t help but glance back at the place we had gathered. Branches from the tree seemed to reach out like protective arms, a silent reminder that maybe me are not alone in this journey.

The problem now is that I believe Isaac now. The Crow is back and Isaac is helping him somehow. A distant memory kept appearing in the back of my mind.

I was running through the forest, the branches were scratching my face because I took a different route. As I was getting closer I slowed down and started walking, trying to catch my breath. I didn’t want him to realize that I was running here. I entered the butcher shop, and I got nervous. The narrow staircase seemed even narrower. I didn’t feel good. My father was sitting in the darkness, then I didn’t notice him. I couldn’t remove my eyes from the chair under the light. On that bloody chair was Isaac, all tied up. I couldn’t believe it. Then, The Crow stepped out of the shadows.

“You seem to be excited.”

I was. I have the person I hate the most in front of me, tied up and helpless.

“May I start?”

“You are impatient my son, we have to wait for him to wake up. I gave him a little bit of that good stuff, he should be waking up any moment now. Now sit down and think.”

“Think about what?”

“What to do with him. He is all yours.”