Chapter 2 — Ambition Ignited
Chloe
Chloe Marks sat cross-legged on the floor of her cramped apartment, the faint hum of a buzzing fluorescent light her only companion. The air smelled of stale coffee, wafting from the empty mugs scattered around her workspace. The walls were plastered with maps, printouts, and hastily scrawled notes. Her latest obsession—Blackhollow Forest—dominated her modest living space. A meticulously marked map displayed key locations: The Cursed Village Ruins, The Howling Gorge, and other ominous areas annotated in her sharp, purposeful handwriting. Beside the map, a corkboard bore old photographs of villagers, newspaper clippings about disappearances, and grainy images of cryptic symbols carved into trees.
Chloe leaned forward, her piercing green eyes narrowing as she skimmed through an article on a poorly formatted online forum. The page was riddled with grainy photos and wild claims: hauntings, cursed transformations, the whispers of The Pack. Normally, she’d dismiss such amateur speculation, but a chilling consistency in the accounts caught her attention—howls that weren’t quite human, golden eyes gleaming in the dark, and the strange symbols that kept appearing in every story. Her fingers absently fidgeted with the silver pendant resting against her chest, a nervous tic she hadn’t yet outgrown. Its familiar weight grounded her, though she avoided dwelling on the memories it carried.
Her phone buzzed beside her, its screen lighting up with a name: Josh Timmons.
She hesitated, her fingers hovering over the device. Josh was unpredictable. His enthusiasm for the supernatural bordered on obsession, and she knew his energy could either electrify her project or send it spiraling out of control. Still, she needed him. Taking a steadying breath, she answered on the second ring.
“Josh,” she said, her voice brisk. “I’ve got a project. A big one.”
Josh’s boyish voice erupted with enthusiasm. “Chloe! It’s been forever. What’s this about? Finally roping me into one of your schemes again?”
“It’s not a scheme,” she replied, brushing off his teasing. “It’s a documentary. Blackhollow Forest. Disappearances, legends, the works. This could be groundbreaking.”
There was a pause. She could almost hear his grin through the line. “Blackhollow? You mean the cursed forest? People vanishing, weird symbols, golden eyes? You don’t strike me as the paranormal type.”
“I’m not,” she said curtly. “But it’s a story that hasn’t been told the right way. I want to change that—and I need your expertise.”
“My expertise?” Josh’s voice rose half an octave in mock surprise. “You mean my encyclopedic knowledge of all things spooky? My vast collection of paranormal trinkets? My—”
“Your obsession,” Chloe interrupted, her lips twitching into the faintest smirk. “Don’t act like you’re not interested.”
A laugh burst through the line. “Fair point. Fine, I’m in. But you owe me full creative freedom on this one. I’m talking theories, artifacts... maybe even a séance.”
“Let’s not get carried away,” Chloe said, her tone firm. But despite herself, she felt a flicker of relief. “This is a serious project. We stick to facts—at least, what can be documented.”
“Serious is my middle name,” he replied, clearly anything but serious. “When do we start?”
Chloe glanced at her calendar, already packed with deadlines she had no intention of meeting. “Soon. I’ll send you some materials to review.”
“Can’t wait,” Josh said. Then, with a tone that was equal parts teasing and earnest: “You sure you’re ready for this? Legends like this have a way of... getting messy.”
She hesitated, the weight of his question settling in her chest. “I’m ready,” she said, more to herself than to him.
After a few more words, Josh hung up, leaving her phone screen dark. He was her first piece of the puzzle—the enthusiastic wildcard whose passion would add color to her project. Now, she needed the opposite: someone grounded, logical, capable of keeping things from spiraling.
Her mind drifted to Mike Lawson.
She scrolled through her contacts, her thumb pausing over his name. Calling him wasn’t an easy decision. They hadn’t spoken in years, and their last project together had ended with terse words and unspoken regrets. Mike was reliable, though. He was someone who didn’t flinch under pressure, who could navigate chaos with calm precision. And, most importantly, he wouldn’t buy into Josh’s fantasies.
She hit “Call.”
“Yeah?” His voice was gruff, tinged with weariness.
“It’s Chloe,” she said, leaning back against the wall. “I’ve got a gig for you.”
“Chloe Marks.” A pause, followed by a soft laugh. “Haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” she said, though she knew he’d see through her. “It’s a documentary. Blackhollow Forest. Creepy legends, abandoned village, the works. I need someone solid behind the camera.”
Another pause. She could almost hear him weighing the pros and cons, calculating the effort versus the payoff. Mike was pragmatic to a fault, never taking risks unless the reward was worth it.
“Why me?” he asked finally.
“Because you’re good,” Chloe said bluntly. “And because I need someone who won’t lose their mind if things get... weird.”
“Weird like how?” His tone was skeptical, bordering on dismissive.
“Weird like locals warning us off, tech glitches in the middle of nowhere. You know, the usual crap.”
He let out a dry chuckle. “You’re really selling it, you know that?”
“Look, it’s a solid project,” she pressed, her voice sharpening. “It’s not just some ghost-hunting fluff. This could actually mean something. For your portfolio. For my career.”
He sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. “Fine. But I’m not doing this for fun. You better have a budget.”
“Don’t worry about that,” she said, relief washing over her. “I’ll cover expenses.”
“Good. When do we start?”
“Soon,” she said, echoing her earlier conversation with Josh. “I’ll send you the details.”
As the call ended, she exhaled sharply. The pieces were falling into place. Josh, the believer. Mike, the skeptic. And at the center of it all, her vision—a documentary that would not only showcase her talent but cement her career.
She glanced at the corkboard, her gaze lingering on the faded photograph of Hollow’s End. The village’s ruins seemed to stare back at her, a silent challenge. Her laptop screen dimmed, the cursor blinking over an ever-growing outline of notes. She tapped a few keys, refining her plan. The first act would explore the legends—interviews with locals, shots of eerie landmarks. The second act would dive into the forest itself, capturing its unsettling beauty and uncovering its secrets. And the third act...
She wasn’t sure yet. But it had to be something no one could ignore.
A flicker of doubt tugged at her mind, but she shoved it aside. This wasn’t the time for second-guessing. She had poured too much into this to let it fail.
Her hand drifted to her pendant, the cool silver an anchor in the chaos of her thoughts. It had been her mother’s, a keepsake she rarely took off. For a moment, she wondered what her mother would think of all this—of her ambition, her obsession. Would she be proud? Or would she warn her to stop before it was too late?
The thought sent a faint chill down her spine. Shaking it off, she stood, stretching her stiff legs. The apartment was quiet, save for the faint hum of passing cars below. She grabbed a notebook and began jotting a checklist: gear inventory, travel dates, preliminary interviews. There was so much to do, but she thrived on the pressure.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a text from Josh: *This is going to be epic.*
Chloe allowed herself a small smile. Epic, yes. Dangerous, maybe. But it didn’t matter. She was all in.
The shadows outside her window seemed to deepen, casting jagged shapes against the wall. In the distance, a faint, imagined whisper brushed the edge of her awareness. Blackhollow Forest was waiting, and Chloe Marks was ready to answer its call.
