Chapter 3 — The Laughter in the Fog
Summary
While Oskar tries to defy the rules of the woods to rescue his friend, terror takes hold of the group with invisible voices in the mist, forcing a desperate escape toward the village.
— Zeph!
Oskar shouted as he walked among the men.
The fog already covered almost everything.
The lumberjacks were gathered near the carts, some carrying tools, others trying to hastily arrange the logs they had cut.
Three carts.
Two full of wood.
The third carried nets, fish, tools, and some supplies gathered during the day.
The horses were restless.
One of them pulled at its reins, snorting nervously.
Oskar tried to move forward.
— I’m going to get him.
The oldest lumberjack grabbed his arm.
— No.
— Let go!
— You are not going.
— He is in there! I’m going to bring my friend back!
— You’ll just be another one lost in the forest!
— The rule exists for a reason — said the old man.
— Damn the rule!
— No.
The answer came from another man.
— You know what happens when someone strays from the group after the bell.
Oskar stared at the men.
No one seemed willing to enter the fog.
— So you’re just going to leave him there?
No one answered.
The silence weighed heavy among them.
Until the oldest man took a deep breath.
— We are not leaving Zeph.
He pointed to the path to the village.
— We are going back to get help, while we can still see the way back!
— What if he isn’t there when we return?
Everyone fell silent.
— No! We are going to get help, Oskar.
Oskar opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t.
One of the lumberjacks brought a hand to his head.
— Wait…
He staggered slightly.
— I’m feeling a bit dizzy.
Another man frowned.
— Me too.
He wiped a hand across his forehead and took a deep breath.
— My head… feels light.
Oskar looked at them both.
— What is going on?
Then…
A laugh emerged from within the fog.
— Hehehehehe…
Everyone stopped.
It was a woman’s laugh.
Quiet.
High-pitched.
Distant.
One of the men raised his head.
— What was that?
No one answered.
Another laugh emerged.
This time, from the other side.
— Heeheeheehee…
The men looked at each other.
Then a third answered.
Further away.
The silence died.
Now there was laughter everywhere.
To the left.
To the right.
Behind the trees.
They were different voices.
Laughing with one another.
As if they were hidden all around the men.
The horses began to panic.
One of them violently yanked its reins and neighed.
— He’s going to break loose!
Another horse began to stamp its hooves against the ground.
— Dear God…
— What is happening to them?
The animal backed up, eyes wide, snorting desperately.
One of the lumberjacks grew pale.
— The horses…
He looked at the others.
— They are sensing it.
— Sensing what?
The man gripped the handle of his axe.
A new cackle cut through the fog.
This time, so close that some men took a step back.
The youngest man made the sign of the cross.
The word came out louder.
Another began to pray.
— Our Father, who art in heaven…
— Pray louder — murmured someone.
— Holy Mary, mother of God…
Two more men began to join in.
The voices mingled.
— Deliver us from evil…
— Protect us from this night…
— For the love of God…
Axes were raised.
One after another.
Not to attack.
But because no one wanted to be unarmed.
Oskar looked at everyone in disbelief.
— Are you all going crazy?
One of the laughs emerged again.
Now there were several.
Overlapping.
Some seemed distant.
Others seemed to be right behind them.
Oskar turned around.
Nothing.
Only the fog.
Oskar moved forward.
— Don’t mess with me, I’m going to get him!
Two men grabbed his arms.
— Let me go!
— You are not going in!
— HE IS IN THERE!
Oskar tried to break free.
— I’m not going to abandon my friend!
— Do you want to die?
— Let me go!
He struggled.
A third man held him.
— We need to go!
— NO!
For a moment…
The laughter stopped.
All of it.
At the same time.
The men froze.
Then, from within the fog…
a woman’s voice whispered:
— Zeph… He is already dead.
— Liar! You monster! — he bellowed.
Oskar stopped struggling.
The voice came from very far away.
Another answered.
— Zeph…
And another, and another…
The old man closed his eyes.
— To the carts.
— But—
— NOW!
The men ran.
— Leave the tools!
— No! Take the axes!
— Grab the torches!
— And the horses!
Oskar still resisted.
When a fourth lumberjack helped drag him to one of the carts.
— I WILL COME BACK, MY FRIEND!
Oskar was forced into the cart.
One of the men held him by the shoulders.
— You are coming with us, if we stay here, no one comes back to get anyone.
Oskar seemed to have understood that there was nothing he could do at that moment to help his friend.
— Let’s go, boys!
The three carts began to move.
Oskar looked back at the forest.
Forgive me, my friend, there is nothing I can do…
Then…
A laugh echoed behind them.
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire forest seemed to laugh.
The horses bolted, cutting through the mist ahead.
The wheels crushed the damp earth.
The men gripped their axes tightly.
Some kept praying.
No one looked back.
Except Oskar.
He looked.
And, for a brief moment, he saw silhouettes inside the fog.
Watching.
Smiling.
Then the fog closed in completely.
Everything disappeared.
But the laughter continued.
Even when the forest was far behind.
Even when the carts had already taken the path to the village.
And, far behind them…
Dong.
The bell tolled again.
This time… It was lost in the emptiness of the forest.