S1:E1 - The Curse of The Whispering Pines, Part 1

Early Autumn, 2024   Hunters Dean Remington and his brother, Sam, are investigating the disappearance of fellow hunter and blogger Nathan Russell. Russell went missing after heading to Shadow Falls in Northern California to follow up on rumored disappearances in the area.         Dean and Sam Remington rolled into Shadow Falls just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows across the quaint town.   The brothers, seasoned hunters of the supernatural, were on the trail of Nathan Russell, a fellow hunter who had gone off the grid. Their search led them to this enigmatic town, known for its unsettling legends and mysterious disappearances. Determined to find Nathan, Dean and Sam made their first stop at the local diner, hoping to gather information from the townspeople. Over steaming cups of coffee, they chatted with Alice Lavin, the diner's co-owner, who directed them to the town's only hotel, the Whispering Pines Inn. They also met Deputy Emilio Rodriguez, who welcomed them to Shadow Falls while admiring the brothers' vintage van parked outside.   As night fell, Dean and Sam checked into the Whispering Pines Inn, an old but charming establishment that creaked with the weight of its history. The innkeeper, Mr. Bachman, welcomed them with a knowing glance, his eyes reflecting years of untold stories. When asked about Nathan, Mr. Bachman told them about how Nathan had checked into the inn over a week ago. He stayed at the inn for a few days while he went around town asking locals about the many strange events and disappearances throughout the years. Mr. Bachman added that before he disappeared, Nathan said he was going on a hike into the Whispering Pines. Mr. Bachman said he tried to convince Nathan of the dangers of hiking in the dense forest, but Nathan wouldn't listen. When Nathan failed to return the next day, Mr. Bachman called Sheriff Whitehall. After searching the woods for two days, the Sheriff called off the search. Nathan's car was hauled to the Sheriff's station, where it remains unclaimed.   After talking to the innkeeper, the brothers settled into their room, discussing their plan for the next day. Despite the inn’s cozy ambiance, they couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, a sensation that only grew stronger as the night deepened. Whispers seemed to echo outside their room, and shadows danced in the corners of their vision, but the brothers, accustomed to such phenomena, remained vigilant and undeterred.   Around midnight, Dean decided to break into the room Nathan checked into. Inside, he found a note hidden under the mattress. The note had a crude map of a forest with a small cottage drawn on it, along with three names: Natasha, Allan, and Jaimie.   While searching the nightstand, Dean noticed a Gideon Bible. Closer inspection showed all the pages were violently ripped out of the pages. After searching the rest of the room and not finding anything else, Dean returned to the room he and Sam were staying in.   The next day, under an overcast autumn sky, Dean and Sam decided to hike into the Whispering Pines after returning to the diner for breakfast and getting gas at the town's only gas station.   At the gas station, they learned about last year's strange disappearances of three young people: Nathasha, Allan, and Jaimie. The gas station attendant showed the brothers a missing-person poster of all three who went on a night hike into Whispering Pines after hearing about a rumored haunted abandoned cottage deep in the woods. Despite all efforts, the three were never found.       The forest was thick with ancient trees, their gnarled branches intertwining to create a canopy that blocked out much of the daylight. The air was heavy with the scent of moss and damp earth, and an eerie silence enveloped the brothers as they ventured deeper into the woods. Every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs set them on edge, their senses heightened as they searched for signs of Nathan. The forest seemed alive, watching their every move as if it held secrets it was reluctant to reveal. With determination and a sense of foreboding, Dean and Sam pressed on, hoping to find any sign of Nathan before the darkness of Whispering Pines consumed them all.   After a few hours, they stumbled upon a clearing where an abandoned cottage stood in eerie silence. In front of the cottage were two young people, their forms distorted by dark wisps of smoky shadows swirling around them.   Dean's heart skipped a beat as he recognized them—Natasha and Allen, two of the three missing people from the poster. "Natasha! Allan!" he called out, hoping to reach them, but their response was far from comforting.   Their eyes, void of any humanity, widened in silent screams as they turned and charged toward the brothers with unnatural speed.   Realizing the imminent danger, Dean and Sam bolted, the sinister figures hot on their heels, the oppressive darkness following them as they fled for their lives through the shadowy forest, back to the safety of the town of Shadow Falls.