The footsteps were still audible.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then they stopped.
I stopped too.
Doy, walking behind me, stopped as well. His headlamp beam fell onto the ground a few yards in front of my feet, forming a white circle that trembled slightly.
No one spoke.
I could hear my own breathing.
Short.
Fast.
I tried to steady my breathing so I wouldn't look panicked.
Even though no one was looking at me.
At least, I hoped not.
Several seconds passed.
There was no more sound.
Bon, who was at the very front, finally turned his head slightly.
"It really stopped?"
I didn't answer right away.
Darma called from up ahead.
"Looks like it."
"What do you mean, looks like it?"
"I don't know."
Bon sighed.
"Move."
We started moving again.
I followed Adit's footsteps ahead of me.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I tried not to think about the sound we'd heard.
Maybe a branch.
Maybe a small rock shifting.
Maybe one of our shoes.
Maybe anything.
There were plenty of possibilities.
And I preferred those possibilities.
Because they all made sense.
I still held on to the belief that everything had an explanation.
If we hadn't found the explanation yet, it meant I hadn't looked hard enough.
Simple.
But that night, for the first time, the principle began to feel like something I was forcing myself to believe.
We walked on.
No one spoke.
Then—
*crack.*
The sound of leaves being stepped on came again.
Right behind me.
I stopped.
This time, I didn't need to turn around to know that the sound was too close.
Doy immediately said quietly,
"Don't."
I swallowed.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Good."
I tried to laugh.
Nothing came out.
Darma turned around from up ahead.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
Doy answered,
"Nothing."
Darma nodded.
Bon told us to keep moving.
We obeyed.
I didn't know whether the others had heard it too.
I hoped they hadn't.
Because if only Doy and I had heard it, there was at least still a chance we were mistaken.
Maybe our ears had picked up an ordinary sound.
Maybe it was because it was too dark.
Maybe because we'd heard too many strange stories back at basecamp.
Maybe it was suggestion.
I gripped the carrier straps tighter.
*Don't think about it.*
I repeated the words in my head.
*Don't think about it.*
We walked for about five minutes without hearing anything.
I began to calm down.
My breathing returned to normal.
Footsteps once again became the only thing I paid attention to.
Then I realized something was different.
Not the sound.
Not the light.
The distance.
I had been walking not far from Adit, but now I felt closer and closer to him.
I didn't know whether Adit had slowed down or I had sped up.
I looked ahead.
Adit was still walking normally.
I didn't want to pass him.
So I shortened my stride.
Two steps.
Three.
Four.
I began putting some distance between us.
Then a voice came from behind.
Very quietly.
"Joy..."
My steps stopped.
The world seemed to stop with me.
I didn't move.
I didn't breathe.
I recognized that voice.
There was no mistaking it.
That voice had filled my home for years.
The voice that used to wake me up in the mornings.
The voice that used to call me when I hadn't eaten.
The voice that had scolded me.
The voice that had comforted me.
My mother's voice.
"Joy..."
This time, it was clearer.
Closer.
I felt something cold creep from the back of my neck down my spine.
No.
That wasn't possible.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Maybe I'd misheard.
Maybe someone's voice sounded similar.
Maybe—
"Joy..."
The voice came again.
Right behind me.
I almost turned around.
I really almost did.
My neck had already moved slightly when a hand grabbed my arm.
"Don't."
I jolted.
Doy.
I looked at him.
He was standing beside me.
His face was serious.
"Move."
I couldn't speak.
Doy released my arm.
"Don't answer."
I remained silent.
Darma turned around.
"What's wrong?"
Doy immediately answered,
"Move."
Darma looked at us for a few seconds.
Then he shrugged.
"Okay."
I forced my legs to move.
One step.
Then another.
I didn't dare turn around.
I didn't dare look at whoever was behind us.
Not even when the voice came again.
"Joy..."
I bit the inside of my cheek.
I didn't answer.
I kept walking.
I didn't know how long we walked after that.
Maybe two minutes.
Maybe five.
Maybe ten.
Time felt strange when someone was trying desperately not to do something.
I focused only on the steps in front of me.
Adit's shoes.
Ground.
Roots.
Rocks.
Adit's shoes.
Ground.
Roots.
Rocks.
I tried to make my thoughts as simple as possible.
Don't turn around.
Don't answer.
Walk.
That's all.
The voice didn't go away.
"Joy..."
I didn't answer.
"Joy..."
I held my breath.
"Joy..."
I bit my lip.
Then the voice changed.
"Joy, honey..."
I almost stopped.
That sentence.
The way it was said.
It was exactly the way my mother called me.
It wasn't just the voice.
It wasn't only the intonation.
There was a slight emphasis on the word *honey* that only my mother had.
I'd heard that voice thousands of times.
When I was little.
When I was sick.
When I came home late.
When I left for college.
When I wasn't doing okay.
No one else called me that way.
No one.
My chest felt tight.
For a few seconds, I forgot that I was on a mountain.
It was as if I were back home.
Hearing a voice from the living room.
Hearing Mom calling from the kitchen.
Hearing dishes clatter.
Hearing the television.
Everything felt real.
Too real.
"Joy..."
I closed my eyes for a moment while continuing to walk.
Don't.
I didn't know who I was saying it to.
The voice?
Myself?
Or whatever was trying to pull me back?
I didn't know.
What I did know was that I didn't answer.
Darma was walking a few steps ahead of me.
He turned around.
"Joy?"
I lifted my head.
"What?"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"You're pale."
"I'm tired."
Darma stared at me.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
He looked toward Doy.
Doy slowly shook his head.
"Just keep walking."
Darma nodded.
"Okay."
He turned back around.
I wanted to say something.
I wanted to tell them.
I wanted to ask whether they'd heard it too.
But something held my tongue.
It wasn't just fear.
I was afraid that if I said it out loud, the voice would become real.
As long as I didn't talk about it, I could still pretend it was all in my head.
A few steps later, the voice disappeared.
Just like that.
There was no ending.
No sound of it moving away.
No footsteps following us.
Nothing.
Gone.
I waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Nothing else.
Only then did I realize how tense my body had been.
My shoulders ached.
My fingers were cold.
My throat was dry.
I drew a long breath.
Doy was walking behind me.
I turned toward him.
This time, he didn't stop me.
"You heard it?"
He nodded.
I stopped for a moment.
"Whose voice was it?"
Doy didn't answer immediately.
He looked ahead.
Then he said,
"The same voice you heard."
I swallowed.
"My mom's voice."
Doy was silent.
I waited.
Finally, he said,
"That's why you don't answer."
I stared at him.
"You know my mom's voice?"
"No."
"Then how did you know?"
"You changed."
"What do you mean?"
"When the voice appeared."
I frowned.
"How did I change?"
"You almost stopped."
I fell silent.
Doy continued,
"People usually stop when someone they know calls them."
I looked behind us.
Doy immediately said,
"Don't."
I faced forward again.
"Why?"
"Because we don't know who's calling."
I wanted to laugh.
But I couldn't.
It was exactly what he had said at the food stall.
*Because we don't know who's calling.*
Back then, I'd thought it was just advice.
Not anymore.
We continued on.
No one brought up what had happened.
I didn't know whether Doy simply didn't want to talk about it.
Or whether we were both afraid that discussing it would make the others panic.
Darma started joking again.
Not as cheerfully as before.
But enough to fill the silence.
"Fathur."
"Hm?"
"If you see something later, don't say anything."
Fathur turned around.
"Why?"
"Because I'll freak out."
"You were the loudest one earlier."
"Exactly."
Ozan chuckled.
"You're scared by a voice already?"
Darma pointed at him.
"Don't act tough."
"Why?"
"If someone calls your name later, don't answer."
Ozan smiled.
"What if I do?"
Doy answered,
"Don't."
Ozan turned toward him.
"Why?"
"Because there's no need."
Ozan laughed.
"You're so serious."
Doy didn't answer.
I watched them.
I wanted to say that Doy wasn't joking.
But I didn't know whether I was ready to say it aloud.
We walked for about fifteen minutes.
The mood began to lighten a little.
I started thinking that what had happened might have been a one-time thing.
Maybe it was over.
Maybe the voice wouldn't appear again.
I went back to thinking of logical explanations.
A human voice could carry from far away.
The forest had strange acoustics.
The wind could carry sound.
Memory could affect perception.
The brain could recognize familiar vocal patterns even in a completely different voice.
All of that made sense.
I'd read about things like that before.
The human brain liked looking for patterns.
When it was afraid, it became more sensitive.
The sound of leaves could feel like a whisper.
The shadow of a tree could feel like a person.
A faint sound could turn into the voice of someone we knew.
It was possible.
Very possible.
I began to calm down.
Until the voice came again.
This time, it didn't call me.
"Bon..."
I stopped.
Bon, at the very front, stopped too.
Everyone stopped with him.
Darma looked at Bon.
"You heard it?"
Bon didn't answer.
I looked at Doy.
His face changed immediately.
The voice came from behind us.
"Bon..."
A woman's voice.
Not my mother's voice.
Another voice.
Bon raised a hand.
"Nobody answer."
No one did.
We were all silent.
The voice came again.
"Bon..."
Farther away.
Or maybe closer.
It was hard to determine direction in the forest.
Bon swallowed.
"Move."
We walked on.
I began to understand something.
The voice wasn't just calling me.
It could call anyone.
We walked faster.
Not quite running.
But definitely faster than before.
Darma stopped joking.
Ozan was silent.
Fathur lowered his head.
Alin moved closer to Eka.
Adit checked our surroundings several times.
I focused on the path ahead.
Doy remained behind us.
The voice disappeared.
It was gone.
I started thinking that maybe we'd made it past it.
Then—
"Fathur..."
Fathur stopped immediately.
His face went pale.
I looked at him.
He didn't turn around.
He didn't move.
Bon turned around.
"Fathur."
Fathur looked at Bon.
"Someone called me."
Bon nodded.
"I know."
"My dad's voice."
No one answered.
Darma stared at the ground.
Fathur rubbed his face.
"My dad's voice."
Bon said,
"Don't answer."
Fathur nodded.
"I know."
"Move."
Fathur started moving.
We walked on again.
No one laughed.
No one thought it was funny.
Because now we all knew.
The voice could sound different to every person.
And maybe that was the most frightening part.
I walked beside Doy.
"Has it happened to you before?"
He didn't answer.
I waited.
"What happened just now?"
Doy remained silent.
I tried again.
"Have you ever heard the voice of someone you know?"
Doy finally said,
"Not now."
"Why?"
"Because we're still inside."
I stopped.
"Inside what?"
Doy looked ahead.
"The trail."
I stared at him.
That answer didn't answer anything.
But I didn't ask again.
We kept walking.
About twenty minutes later, the atmosphere returned to normal.
The sounds of insects came back.
The wind moved.
Leaves rustled.
I even felt relieved to hear them.
The ordinary sounds of nature.
I never thought the sound of crickets could calm me down.
Darma finally spoke.
"When we get up top, I'm going to sleep."
Ozan chuckled.
"You can handle it?"
"No."
"Then?"
"That's why I'm sleeping."
Fathur smiled too.
Bon shook his head.
"Don't stop too much."
"Yeah."
I looked at them.
Everyone was still there.
Nine.
Complete.
I counted again.
Bon.
Darma.
Doy.
Ozan.
Fathur.
Adit.
Eka.
Alin.
Me.
Nine.
I was beginning to hate that number.
We found a section of the trail that was slightly wider.
Bon decided to stop.
"Ten minutes."
Everyone sat down immediately.
I took off my carrier.
My shoulders felt as if they'd been beaten.
Darma immediately sprawled out.
"Heaven."
Ozan opened a bottle.
"You're so dramatic."
"You don't know suffering."
I opened my water bottle.
I drank.
The water was warm from sitting in my bag for so long.
It still tasted good.
Eka sat beside Alin.
His face was still pale.
I moved closer.
"How are you?"
"Fine."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"You heard the voice earlier?"
Eka looked at me.
"What voice?"
"The one calling us."
He shook his head.
"I didn't hear it."
I fell silent.
Maybe not everyone could hear it.
Doy stood not far away.
I looked at him.
He looked toward me.
Then toward Eka.
I didn't know why.
Adit suddenly said,
"You guys want to see something?"
Darma immediately raised his head.
"What?"
Adit pulled out his camera.
"I took some pictures earlier."
Bon came closer.
"Pictures of what?"
"The trail."
Adit turned on the screen.
We gathered around him.
The first photo.
The trail.
Trees.
Headlamp light.
Nothing there.
The second photo.
Darma walking.
The third.
Fathur.
The fourth.
Bon.
Everything looked normal.
Darma laughed.
"Why'd you take a picture of my back?"
"Documentation."
"At least get my face."
"You want me to take another one?"
"No."
We chuckled.
The mood grew somewhat lighter again.
I looked at the next photo.
It showed us walking.
Nine people.
I counted.
Nine.
Nothing was wrong.
Adit turned off the camera.
"Why?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"You were about to show us something."
"Never mind."
"What was it?"
Adit shook his head.
"It's not important."
I didn't press him.
After the break, we stood up.
Bon checked the time.
"It's almost midnight."
Darma sighed.
"Already?"
"That's why we shouldn't stop so much."
"You're the one who keeps stopping."
Bon looked at him.
"Move."
Darma laughed.
We started walking again.
I felt a little more prepared.
Whatever had happened, we were still together.
That was what mattered.
The trail began climbing more steeply.
I had to use my hands to grip roots.
My shoes slipped several times.
Darma began to wheeze.
So did Fathur.
Bon slowed down.
"Easy."
We followed him.
I heard my friends breathing.
This time, there was no other sound.
Good.
Very good.
I almost felt safe.
Then a voice came from behind.
"Joy."
I closed my eyes.
It wasn't my mother's voice anymore.
This time, it was Eka's voice.
I knew immediately.
Eka was walking a few yards in front of me.
I could see his headlamp.
There was no way he was behind me.
The voice called again.
"Joy."
It sounded exactly like Eka.
I clenched my teeth.
Don't answer.
"Joy, wait."
I quickened my pace.
The voice moved with me.
"Joy..."
I didn't turn around.
I didn't answer.
I just kept walking.
Then the voice said,
"Don't leave me behind."
My steps almost stopped.
My throat tightened.
The words sounded so real.
So human.
So desperate.
I wanted to make sure.
I wanted to know whether Eka was okay.
I wanted to turn around.
But Doy touched my shoulder again.
"Don't."
I nodded.
I kept walking.
A few minutes later, the voice stopped.
I didn't know when.
It simply vanished.
I only realized it after we'd passed the incline.
Bon stopped.
"Everyone okay?"
No one answered.
Then Doy said,
"Okay."
Bon looked at us one by one.
"If anyone feels sick, say something."
Fathur nodded.
Darma nodded.
Ozan nodded.
Eka nodded.
Alin nodded.
Adit nodded.
I nodded.
Doy nodded.
Bon nodded too.
Nine.
Complete.
I walked over to Eka.
"Eka."
"Hm?"
"Did you call me earlier?"
Eka shook his head.
"No."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
I stared at him.
He looked confused.
"Why?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
I couldn't bring myself to say anything more.
Eka studied me for a few seconds.
Then he said,
"Joy."
"Hm?"
"If I call you later..."
I immediately looked at him.
"Don't answer right away."
I was silent.
"Why?"
Eka lowered his head.
"I don't know."
Something cold ran through me.
"You heard it too?"
He didn't answer.
I didn't ask again.
We continued on.
I began to realize there might be a pattern.
The voice appeared when someone started letting their guard down.
When conversation stopped.
When things became too quiet.
When someone was a little farther away.
I didn't know whether that was true.
But I began observing.
The distance between us.
The number of people.
The sound of footsteps.
The lights.
Everything.
I counted without realizing it.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
I repeated it.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Complete.
The night grew later.
The cold began to seep through my jacket.
My hands felt stiff.
I slipped them into my pockets for a moment.
Bon walked more slowly.
Darma had stopped joking.
Ozan occasionally asked how far we had left.
Fathur kept his head lowered.
Adit put his camera away.
Eka and Alin continued walking close together.
Doy remained at the very back.
I looked at him.
"You don't want to move up?"
"Why?"
"You're always in the back."
"That's good."
"Why is that good?"
"So no one gets left behind."
I nodded.
It made sense.
Everything could still be explained.
I kept reminding myself of that.
We passed a large rock.
Bon stopped for a moment.
"There used to be an old trail here."
I looked around.
"Which one?"
"To the left."
I looked.
There was no trail.
Only shrubs and trees.
"Can it still be used?"
"Don't."
Bon answered quickly.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"It's an old trail."
"So?"
"It's been closed."
I nodded.
We took the main trail.
As we passed the rock, I saw something.
There was a faded red mark on its surface.
It looked like a number.
I moved closer.
"Bon."
"Hm?"
"What does this mark mean?"
Bon shone his headlamp on it.
He looked.
"I have no idea."
Doy said from behind us,
"Don't touch it."
I turned around.
"Why?"
"It's old."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
I nodded.
We walked on.
I glanced at the red mark one more time.
For some reason, I felt like I'd seen a shape like it before.
But I couldn't remember where.
A few minutes later, Darma suddenly laughed.
"What?"
I turned toward him.
He was smiling to himself.
"I remembered something."
"What?"
"Back at the food stall."
"What about it?"
"Doy."
Doy turned around.
"What about me?"
"You said something about a voice that could imitate people."
Doy was silent.
Darma continued,
"If a voice can imitate someone, does that mean it has to have heard that person before?"
No one answered.
Darma gave a small laugh.
"I'm seriously asking."
Doy looked at him.
"Why?"
"Well, how would it know what Joy's mom sounds like?"
I looked at Doy.
Doy didn't answer.
Darma looked at me.
"Exactly."
I said,
"Maybe it's just suggestion."
"It sounded exactly like your mom?"
I was silent.
Darma stopped smiling.
"Never mind."
He didn't continue.
Neither did I.
The question remained hanging in my head.
How?
If that voice really didn't come from a human...
how could something in this place imitate the voice of someone who had never even been here?
I tried to ignore it.
But the more I thought about it, the harder it became.
I remembered every detail of my mother's voice.
Its tone.
The pauses.
The way she said my name.
Even the little breath before she called me.
It wasn't a random voice.
It was a voice I'd known since childhood.
I rubbed my face.
Maybe my own brain had created it.
Maybe I was too tired.
Maybe I missed home.
Maybe all of this was just a combination of exhaustion, darkness, and suggestion.
I chose to believe that.
For now.
We walked on.
I didn't know for how long.
Maybe twenty minutes.
Maybe thirty.
There were no strange voices.
I began to calm down.
Until I heard something from behind us.
Not a call.
Just footsteps.
I heard them.
Doy did too.
This time, the footsteps didn't match our rhythm.
Our footsteps:
*thud... thud... thud...*
That sound:
*thud.*
Pause.
*thud.*
Pause.
*thud.*
I stopped.
Doy stopped too.
Bon turned around.
"What?"
Doy answered,
"Nothing."
Bon looked at him.
Then nodded.
"Let's move."
I started moving.
The sound moved too.
*thud.*
Pause.
*thud.*
Pause.
As if someone were deliberately keeping their distance.
I didn't turn around.
I didn't dare.
Then the sound stopped.
We continued walking.
Nothing else.
I began to think that maybe the footsteps had been Doy's.
But when I looked at the shadow cast by his headlamp, his steps didn't match.
He was walking normally.
The sound wasn't.
I didn't say anything.
I didn't want to make everyone panic.
Bon suddenly said,
"Let's stop for a moment."
We all stopped.
I lowered my carrier.
Darma sat down immediately.
"Why?"
"Catch your breath."
I looked at my watch.
12:18 a.m.
Time was moving faster than I'd thought.
Bon checked the map.
"Still on course."
Ozan asked,
"How far to the next checkpoint?"
"Not too far."
Darma groaned.
"Your favorite line."
Bon chuckled.
This time, everyone laughed too.
Even Doy.
I felt relieved seeing him laugh.
At least we could still laugh.
We were still human.
Still normal.
I took out my phone.
There was no signal.
I opened the camera.
I didn't know why.
Maybe I wanted to look at the picture from basecamp earlier.
I scrolled through them.
Pictures of us.
Nine people.
I smiled.
I zoomed in on the photo.
All the faces were visible.
Bon.
Darma.
Doy.
Ozan.
Fathur.
Adit.
Eka.
Alin.
Me.
Nine.
I locked the screen.
I put the phone in my pocket.
"Joy."
I turned around.
Adit.
"What?"
"Did you take a picture of us earlier?"
"Yeah."
"The one at basecamp?"
"Yeah."
"Do you still have it?"
"I do."
"Send it tomorrow."
I smiled.
"Okay."
Adit nodded.
Then he said,
"If we make it up top."
I laughed.
"Why would you say that?"
"Just in case."
I lightly punched his shoulder.
"Don't start too."
He laughed.
Bon stood up.
"Move."
We all stood.
This time, I stayed a little closer to Doy.
I didn't want to be too far from anyone.
Not because I believed in ghost stories.
I just felt safer with everyone close together.
We continued on.
The first few minutes were quiet.
Then a voice came from behind us.
"Joy..."
I didn't move.
That voice again.
My mother's voice.
"Joy..."
I kept walking.
"Joy, wait."
I held my breath.
"Joy..."
I didn't answer.
"Joy, Mom's here."
I almost stopped.
The words made my chest feel crushed.
I knew the voice was fake.
I knew.
I'd known for a while.
But a small part of me still wanted to believe it.
Because the voice sounded like home.
And home was the easiest thing to miss when you were far away from it.
"Joy..."
I closed my eyes for a moment while continuing to walk.
Doy said quietly,
"Don't."
I nodded.
The voice drew closer.
"Joy..."
Then it changed.
"Joy, please."
I almost turned around.
Not because I believed it.
Because of instinct.
When someone asks for help, we have to make sure they're okay.
That's what we'd always been taught as children.
If someone calls, look.
If someone asks for help, help them.
If someone needs you, don't stay silent.
But that night, all those simple rules seemed to have been turned upside down.
Because what if the one asking for help wasn't human?
I kept walking.
The voice suddenly stopped.
I waited.
Nothing.
Doy patted my shoulder.
"Good."
I looked at him.
"You know that voice?"
"No."
"Then why say good?"
"Because you didn't answer."
I nodded.
Doy looked ahead.
"Never answer."
I didn't say anything.
We walked on.
I felt relieved.
At least I'd made it through.
But something inside me had changed.
I was no longer afraid of the voice.
I was starting to be afraid of myself.
Because if the voice called me in my mother's voice, I wasn't sure how long I could keep ignoring it.
What if it said something only my mother and I knew?
What if it used my childhood nickname?
What if it remembered old conversations?
What if it cried?
What if it asked for help in that same voice?
I didn't know.
And I didn't want to know.
We walked in silence.
Until Bon said,
"Is everyone still here?"
Darma answered,
"All here."
Bon started counting.
"Joy."
"Here."
"Bon."
Darma laughed.
"You."
Bon shook his head.
"Darma."
"Here."
"Doy."
"Here."
"Ozan."
"Here."
"Fathur."
"Present."
"Adit."
"Here."
"Eka."
"Hm."
"Alin."
"Here."
Bon nodded.
"Nine."
I exhaled.
Nine.
Complete.
For some reason, the count calmed me down.
We continued on.
A few yards.
Then I heard more footsteps.
Not behind us.
Not ahead.
Beside us.
I turned my head slightly.
Doy immediately said,
"Don't."
I faced forward.
The footsteps moved parallel to us.
Among the trees.
*thud.*
*thud.*
*thud.*
I could hear them.
I didn't look.
I didn't ask.
I just walked.
Then the footsteps stopped.
We continued on.
No one spoke.
I began to feel completely exhausted.
Not just physically.
Mentally, too.
I wanted to stop.
Sleep.
Wake up in the morning.
See the sun.
See people.
Hear motorcycles.
Hear the food stall.
Anything that would make the world feel normal again.
But we still had to walk.
I didn't know how much farther we had to go.
Darma suddenly said,
"Joy."
"Hm?"
"You heard that?"
"What?"
"The sound just now."
I looked at him.
"Which one?"
"The footsteps."
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Darma didn't laugh.
"So it wasn't just me."
I was silent.
Ozan spoke too.
"I heard it too."
Fathur raised his head.
"Me too."
Adit nodded.
"Same."
Bon looked at us.
Doy said nothing.
I looked at them one by one.
So it wasn't just me.
Not just Doy.
Everyone had heard it.
The footsteps were real.
Or at least, they sounded real to all of us.
Bon said,
"Don't think about it."
Darma gave a hollow laugh.
"That's easy for you to say."
"It is."
"You're awfully calm."
"Because we're still nine."
I looked at Bon.
His words were simple.
But I understood immediately.
As long as there were still nine of us, everything was fine.
We started walking again.
I no longer counted steps.
I counted people.
Every few minutes.
I made sure all the headlamp beams were still there.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
I began memorizing everyone's position.
Bon at the very front.
Doy behind him.
Fathur.
Ozan.
Darma.
Adit.
Me.
Eka.
Alin.
Nine.
If one light disappeared, I'd know.
Suddenly Alin said,
"Eka."
"Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
Eka nodded.
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
I looked at them.
Eka really did look different.
Quieter.
Paler.
I moved closer.
"Eka."
He looked at me.
"What?"
"Earlier, you said that if someone called..."
He nodded.
"Why?"
Eka didn't answer immediately.
Then he said quietly,
"Because I've heard stories."
"What kind of stories?"
"People who answered."
I waited.
"And then?"
Eka looked at the trail ahead.
"They say afterward..."
He stopped.
"Afterward what?"
"They never came home."
I fell silent.
Darma, who happened to hear, immediately said,
"Don't tell stories right now."
Eka nodded.
I didn't ask anything else.
I tried to distract myself.
I looked at the sky.
There wasn't much to see.
The trees covered everything.
Only a few stars showed through.
I imagined the morning sun.
Light.
Warmth.
I wanted morning to come quickly.
We kept walking.
The other footsteps didn't return.
Neither did the voices calling us.
I began to feel that maybe everything was over.
Maybe it had only been one incident.
Maybe once we passed this particular section, everything would return to normal.
I almost believed it.
Until the voice came one more time.
"Joy..."
I stopped.
This time, it was my mother's voice.
But something was different.
The voice no longer came from behind me.
It sounded right beside my ear.
Very close.
As if someone were standing just a few inches from my head.
I froze.
There was no wind.
No breathing.
No footsteps.
Only a single whisper.
"Joy..."
I held my breath.
Doy was standing a few steps behind me.
There was no way he could be that close.
I knew it.
I could see his light.
He was behind me.
So if the voice was right beside my ear...
then it wasn't coming from Doy.
I felt a cold hand.
I wanted to move.
I couldn't.
Then the voice whispered again.
This time, it was only two words.
"Don't go."
I closed my eyes.
One second.
Two.
Three.
I opened my eyes.
The voice was gone.
I immediately started walking.
Fast.
Until I reached Doy.
He looked at me.
He didn't ask anything.
Maybe he saw my face.
Maybe he knew.
I only said,
"Move."
Doy nodded.
We kept moving.
I didn't turn around again.
No matter what happened.
I wouldn't turn around.
I wouldn't answer.
I wouldn't look for it.
Because that night, I finally understood what the basecamp attendant had meant.
Not because they knew what was in the forest.
Not because they wanted to scare the hikers.
But because maybe there were things it was safer not to confirm.
Time continued to pass.
We went farther and farther.
There were no human voices.
No basecamp lights.
No signal.
Only nine headlamp beams.
Nine people.
One trail.
I kept walking.
And for the first time since we'd set out, I stopped wondering whether any of this made sense.
I had only one thought.
**Don't answer.**
Whatever was calling.
Whoever was calling.
No matter how the voice sounded.
Don't answer.
Then a voice came from behind us.
Not my mother's voice.
Not Eka's voice.
Not anyone I knew.
It sounded like the voice of someone very old.
Quiet.
Hoarse.
Almost a whisper.
"Joy..."
I didn't turn around.
The voice came again.
"Joy..."
I kept walking.
Then the voice said something that almost made me stop.
"If you don't turn around..."
I held my breath.
"...I'll call the others."
I felt as if the blood had stopped flowing through my body.
Darma suddenly stopped up ahead.
Bon turned toward him.
"What?"
Darma didn't answer.
His face was pale.
I looked at Doy.
He was silent too.
Then the voice came again.
This time, it didn't call my name.
It didn't call Bon.
It didn't call Darma.
It called one name.
A name that made everyone in the group fall silent.
"Eka..."
Eka froze.
Alin grabbed his hand.
The voice came again.
"Eka..."
Eka began to cry.
Quietly.
Without a sound.
I stared at him.
He covered his mouth with his hand.
Bon said,
"Don't answer."
Eka nodded.
The voice came again.
Closer.
"Eka..."
Eka closed his eyes.
I looked at Doy.
His expression changed.
For the first time since we'd set out, I saw something that truly resembled fear on his face.
He whispered,
"Don't."
The voice stopped.
The forest fell silent again.
There was no one there.
No footsteps.
No wind.
No sound.
We all stood still.
Nine people.
Complete.
I counted in my head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
I exhaled.
We were still complete.
Then...
from behind us came that same voice.
But this time, it didn't call anyone's name.
It said,
**"Nine..."**
I froze.
The voice stopped for a moment.
Then it continued in a quiet voice, like someone counting.
**"Eight..."**
Darma looked at me.
**"Seven..."**
Bon turned halfway around.
Doy immediately stopped him.
"Don't."
The voice kept counting.
**"Six..."**
I couldn't move.
**"Five..."**
Eka began crying harder.
**"Four..."**
Alin hugged him.
**"Three..."**
I gripped the carrier straps.
**"Two..."**
All our headlamps were still on.
Nine lights.
Nine people.
No one was missing.
No one moved.
Then the voice whispered right behind me.
**"One..."**
And a voice I knew all too well said softly in my ear—
**"Now there's only one left who has to turn around."**
I closed my eyes.
I didn't move.
I didn't answer.
But in the middle of that silence, I heard something far worse.
Footsteps.
Not one.
Not two.
Many.
And all of them...
**stopped right behind us.**
**To be continued.**