They Landed on a Forbidden Island—Only to Wake the Giants Sleeping Beneath It

Chapter 1: Reunion

Ashley had always hated driving at night, especially through the winding roads that skirted the edge of the forest. The city lights faded behind her, replaced by the dense, looming silhouettes of pine trees. Her knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as she glanced at the clock. Max would be waiting.

A year apart. A year of silence and bitter memories. When she married Max, she thought she knew him. But the night of the murder changed everything. He’d killed a man in a drunken rage—Ashley still remembered the blood, the horror, the way Max had looked at her afterward, as if he were someone else. The trial was quick; the sentence, harsh. One year in prison.

Now, as she pulled into the lot outside the correctional facility, Ashley felt no joy. Only anger and dread. She parked, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the chilly air.

Max emerged moments later, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his face drawn and pale. He didn’t smile. Ashley didn’t either.

“Let’s go,” she said, voice clipped.

They drove in silence. The tension between them was a living thing, crowding the small car. Max stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts. Ashley gripped the wheel, her mind racing with questions she was too afraid to ask.

Chapter 2: The Warning

They stopped at a gas station on the outskirts of town. Ashley filled the tank, shivering in the cold. Max wandered inside the shop, seeking beer and snacks—old habits dying hard.

Inside, a police officer was speaking to the shopkeeper, holding up a missing person’s photo. Ashley caught snippets of the conversation as she paid for gas.

“Another one gone,” the shopkeeper muttered. “It’s those creatures in the woods, I tell ya. Old legends say they’re buried under the pines, waiting to wake up.”

The officer rolled his eyes. “We’re looking for real answers, not ghost stories.”

Ashley glanced at the wall outside the shop, plastered with missing posters—dozens of faces, all vanished near the forest.

Max returned, arms full of beer and chips. Ashley frowned, but said nothing. As they climbed back into the car, a group of hunters eyed them from the parking lot, their stares lingering on Ashley with predatory intent.

Max bristled. “What are you looking at?”

One of the men smirked. “Just a criminal out of jail. Watch yourself.”

Ashley pulled Max away, and they drove off, leaving the laughter behind.

Chapter 3: Collision

The road twisted through the forest, darkness pressing in on all sides. Max cracked open a beer, ignoring Ashley’s glare.

“You just got out,” she snapped. “Can’t you stay sober for one night?”

Max stared at the can, then at her. “You don’t know what it’s like. You weren’t there.”

Ashley’s anger flared. “You killed a man, Max! You ruined everything!”

They argued, voices rising, neither noticing the figure that stumbled onto the road ahead.

The impact was sudden, brutal. Ashley slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The man was thrown to the ground, his body twisted and broken.

They rushed out, panic setting in. The man’s eyes fluttered open, blood pouring from his mouth.

“We have to call the police,” Ashley said, fumbling for her phone.

Max grabbed her wrist. “No! I was drinking. They’ll send me back.”

Ashley shook him off and dialed 911. Max paced, fear etched on his face.

Then, from the trees, something moved. Large, silent, watching.

Rocks flew from the darkness, smashing into the car. Max ducked, but one struck him on the head. He stumbled, then tumbled down a steep slope, vanishing into the night.

Ashley screamed and ran after him, her heart pounding. She found Max floating in the icy river, unconscious. Without thinking, she plunged in, dragging him to shore. She performed CPR, desperate, until Max gasped back to life.

They were safe, for now—but the cold was relentless. Hypothermia threatened.

Chapter 4: The Awakening

Back at the crash site, silence reigned. The man they’d hit lay dying, eyes wide with terror. Then, a massive foot stepped into view—something not human, not animal. The creature towered over the car, muscles rippling beneath matted fur.

With a single motion, it shoved the car into the river, crushing metal and glass. It grabbed the injured man, dragging him into the forest, his screams fading into the night.

Ashley and Max huddled by a hastily built fire, clothes drying nearby. Their bodies shook with cold and fear. For the first time in years, they sat together in silence, united by terror and survival.

Chapter 5: The Investigation

At the police station, Officer Daniels reviewed the latest case. Another missing person, another grieving wife. The stories were all the same—men and women vanishing near the forest, no trace left behind.

Daniels tried to reassure the woman, but doubt gnawed at him. The evidence was mounting, and the explanations grew stranger with each disappearance.

A forensic report arrived: the couple’s car hadn’t simply crashed—it had been shoved into the river by something with inhuman strength. The fingerprints didn’t match any known record.

Daniels frowned. “What the hell is going on in those woods?”

Chapter 6: The Hunters

Ashley and Max wandered deeper into the forest, searching for help. Their clothes were torn, their bodies bruised. Hunger gnawed at them.

Gunshots echoed through the trees. They found the hunters from the gas station, laughing around a campfire. Max approached, begging for help.

The leader sneered. “No cell service out here. You want to use my radio? Too bad.”

Ashley hid behind a tree, watching. Suddenly, she felt a presence—something massive, camouflaged against the bark. The creature plucked a strand of her hair, marking her, then vanished.

Ashley bolted to Max, panic in her eyes. The hunters laughed, but the leader offered clothes and grudgingly agreed to help them out of the forest.

Chapter 7: Death in the Shadows

The hunters split up, searching for game. One wandered off to relieve himself; the other scanned the woods, gun at the ready.

A shape moved among the trees—too tall, too silent. Before the hunter could react, an arrow pierced his throat. He died instantly.

The second hunter rushed to his friend, only to be killed by the creature’s savage strength. The third arrived, found nothing but blood, and screamed for help. The creature appeared, swinging an axe, ending his life in a flash.

The forest grew quiet, the bodies vanished.

Chapter 8: Survival Tactics

Ashley and Max, still with the group, heard strange noises. The hunters grew restless, paranoia setting in. Max snapped, yelling at the group. Tension mounted.

Suddenly, another arrow flew, killing a hunter instantly. Panic erupted. The leader fired his gun blindly, hitting a teammate by mistake. In the chaos, Max was shot and collapsed.

Ashley rushed to him, trying to stop the bleeding. The creature appeared, killing the leader with brutal efficiency. Then it turned to Ashley, but instead of killing her, it dragged Max away.

Ashley, wounded, crawled after them, desperate to save her husband.

Chapter 9: The Witch

Max awoke in a dark hut, surrounded by jars of herbs and animal bones. A twisted woman hovered over him, her nails long and sharp.

She healed Max, removing bullets and tending his wounds. Her face was horrifying, but her touch was gentle.

“There are things in these woods,” she whispered. “Old things. You must kill it, before it kills you.”

Max nodded, fear and resolve mingling in his chest.

Chapter 10: The Ritual

Elsewhere, Officer Daniels attended a strange ceremony. A dying woman lay in the center of a room, surrounded by chanting figures. Daniels drank a strange liquid, visions swirling in his mind. He saw the creature’s face, felt its rage.

One of the ritualists reached into the woman’s stomach, pulling out a mass—her cancer, extracted by hand. Daniels staggered, reality slipping away.

Chapter 11: The Truth

Max found Daniels in the forest, the officer pale and shaken.

“They’re real,” Daniels said. “Not monsters, but ancient humans. Tribes that never evolved. They’re hunting us.”

Max grabbed a weapon. “Where’s Ashley?”

Daniels pointed to the cave. “The creature’s wounded. Now’s our chance.”

They pressed on, the witch’s words echoing behind them.

Chapter 12: The Lair

Ashley awoke in the creature’s lair, surrounded by bones and bodies. The leader of the hunters lay dead beside her. The creature approached, tools in hand, ready to kill.

Ashley fought back, grabbing a gun and firing. The creature roared, its thick skin deflecting the bullets.

Max and Daniels arrived, weapons drawn. Together, they attacked, wounding the creature. But it was relentless, its rage growing with every blow.

Chapter 13: The Final Battle

Daniels was killed, torn apart by the creature’s fury. Ashley and Max fought on, bullets flying, stakes stabbing. The forest echoed with screams and gunfire.

Max was wounded, but in a final burst of strength, he drove a stake into the creature’s heart. It collapsed, lifeless.

Ashley ran to the road, calling for help. Max sat in the mud, exhausted.

Then, an arrow pierced his chest. He looked up, horror dawning on his face.

Dozens of creatures emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with hunger.

Chapter 14: The Reckoning

Ashley screamed as the creatures surrounded Max. He fought, but there were too many. The forest became a graveyard, the bodies of hunters and victims scattered among the pines.

Ashley ran, stumbling through the trees, the sounds of pursuit echoing behind her. She reached the road, flagged down a passing car, and collapsed inside.

The driver stared at her, eyes wide. “What happened?”

Ashley could only whisper, “They’re coming.”

Chapter 15: Aftermath

The town was never the same. The disappearances continued, the police baffled. The legends grew, whispered among the townspeople.

Ashley survived, but the trauma haunted her. She moved far from the forest, but the nightmares followed. She saw Max’s face, the creature’s eyes, the endless rows of missing posters.

No one believed her story. No one wanted to.

But sometimes, late at night, Ashley would hear the wind in the trees, and she’d remember the shadows beneath the pines—the ancient creatures waiting, watching, preparing to rise again.