The Garden of Bones

It was a dark and stormy night as Emma and her friends ventured into the woods, their flashlights cutting through the thick fog that hung in the air like a shroud. The wind howled through the trees, carrying with it the faint whispers of long-forgotten secrets.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Miranda muttered, her voice trembling as she clutched her jacket tighter around her body. "This is insane, Emma."

Emma turned to her friend, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and fear. "Come on, Miranda. Where's your sense of adventure? We've been talking about exploring this place for years."

They had heard the rumors of the old abandoned house deep in the woods, said to be the home of a notorious serial killer who had stalked the area years ago. The tale had become something of a local legend, whispered around campfires and used to scare children into behaving.

As they trudged deeper into the forest, the trees seemed to close in around them, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers trying to grasp at their clothes. The air grew colder, and an oppressive silence fell over the group.

"Did you guys hear that?" Jake whispered, suddenly stopping in his tracks. The others froze, straining their ears.

A faint, eerie melody drifted through the trees, barely audible over the rustling leaves. It sounded like a child's lullaby, but distorted and off-key.

"It's probably just the wind," Emma said, trying to sound confident. But even she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was slowly creeping up her spine.

As they approached the crumbling house, they could feel a chill settle in their bones. The once grand Victorian mansion was now a decaying shell, vines creeping up the walls and windows shattered like gaping wounds. The garden surrounding the house was overgrown and tangled, a macabre collection of dead plants and twisted trees.

"Are you sure about this, Emma?" whispered one of her friends, eyes wide with fear.