"What's wrong?"

  Tammy Ray noticed that Ian Smith seemed a bit off. She stepped forward, ready to ask what was happening, when her gaze was drawn to the blood-red writing on the wooden door.

  Liam and Mike, along with Ethan, saw the writing as well.

  In that instant, it felt like everyone's chest was struck with a sledgehammer, making it difficult to breathe.

  Ian Smith gradually snapped out of it, muttering in disbelief.

  "What just happened to me?"

  "Why did I feel so scared?"

  Tammy Ray also recovered, the contempt in her eyes gone. She looked at Ian Smith, who turned to her, and they both nodded solemnly.

  Their instincts were sending warning signals.

  The Death Shack was definitely not as simple as it seemed.

  Ian Smith took a deep breath, slowly pushed open the wooden door, and stepped inside.

  Tammy Ray followed close behind.

  The Guys woke up as if from a dream.

  Liam cursed, "I feel like I just got punched! My chest is all tight."

  Ethan nodded, saying, "I don't know why, but I feel empty inside, like something bad is about to happen!"

  Mike didn't say anything, but that didn't mean he didn't feel anything.

  Those who knew Mike knew he was a very rational person. When he didn't speak, it meant he sensed a threat and his mind was already racing, thinking of solutions.

  One by one, they crossed the wooden door and entered the world within the cabin.

  In that moment, their vision widened, followed by a deathly silence.

  A primeval forest of towering, emerald green trees appeared before them.

  Each tree was as thick as a millstone, with sturdy branches and leaves that formed a canopy blocking out the sky.

  Ian Smith gaped, stammering, "Th-this... this?"

  Tammy Ray, who seemed to read his mind, finished the sentence for him.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "This... this scenery, is it real or... fake?"

  Both of them were filled with awe.

  They had traveled far and wide, visiting countless haunted houses both in the U.S. and abroad, but none of them could compare to the scenery before them.

  It was a natural, primeval forest world, with no visible signs of human construction.

  The Guys were equally shocked.

  While Liam and Ethan argued about whether the trees were real or not, the ever-calm and rational Mike had already shifted his attention elsewhere.

  He crouched down and picked up a bone from the path, gently caressing it and examining it closely.

  "This texture... why does it feel so real?"

  "Could it be..."

  A chill ran down Mike's spine, and he dared not continue the thought.

  He took a deep breath, staring at the path paved entirely with bones.

  "What's wrong?" Ian Smith noticed Mike's pale complexion and had a bad feeling. He quickly asked.

  Mike didn't answer but turned to Liam and Ethan, handing them the bone he had picked up. "Liam, Ethan, I'm not sure, take a look too."

  A moment later, Liam and Ethan exclaimed in unison.

  "These are real bones! Not fake!"

  "What?" Ian Smith whipped around, glaring at them, and snapped, "This is no joke, don't say things you don't mean!"

  Mike shook his head. "We're medical students, others might be wrong, but not us."

  "Are you saying that the bones under our feet are real human bones?"

  Hearing this, Tammy Ray felt nauseous and jumped back like a rabbit.

  The thought of stepping on someone's remains turned her face white.

  She had played in many haunted houses, but those were just props. This was the first time she had faced something so real.

  "If the bones are real, then what about those?" Ian Smith's expression was equally grim as he pointed with a trembling hand at the dried corpses hanging from the branches of the trees.

  "I'll take a look."

  Without a word, Mike strode forward and carefully approached the nearest dried corpse.

  He covered his nose with one hand, circled the corpse a few times, and quickly came to a conclusion.

  "These are real too."

  Mike's first words upon returning to the group confirmed their worst fears.

  Ian Smith staggered backward in disbelief, saying, "Impossible... impossible. There's no way a haunted house in the U.S. would have such a large scale. Even some famous haunted houses overseas wouldn't dare to decorate like this!"

  "Believe it or not, it's all real," Mike replied. "But the most important thing now isn't to dwell on this, but what should we do?"

  "Do we leave here, or continue the challenge?"

  The situation had developed beyond everyone's expectations. For each of them, continuing the challenge might mean facing something more than just the need to be brave.

  Tammy Ray coughed and said with a pale face, "I'm out."

  She was, after all, a girl and couldn't handle it.

  Ian Smith thought for a moment and said, "I'll continue. So what if these things are real? We just have to stay in the Death Shack for an hour, we don't have to do anything else!"

  "Honestly, I'm a little freaked out, but not enough to make me want to kill myself!"

  Mike turned to the other two. "I'm going to continue the challenge too, what about you?"

  Ethan took a deep breath and said, "Although the scenery here is shocking, we deal with bodies every day, so we're not afraid of anything."

  Liam nodded. "It's a little disgusting, but not enough to make anyone want to kill themself, right? I'm going to expose this haunted house's tricks today!"

  Out of the five, only Tammy Ray chose to quit.

  The remaining four walked on the bone path, slowly moving forward.

  Everyone lowered their heads in silence, each with their own thoughts.

  Although no one said anything, silence was the best answer.

  The four who remained no longer had the same swagger as they did outside the haunted house. They had all become very cautious, observing their surroundings with every step.

  Without a word, they soon arrived in front of the Death Shack.