If you must know a secret pipe, alleyway or fort is most definitely the best place to hide a body

__

__

_The woods were quiet as the fog crept in, curling like fingers through the trees. Max's boots crunched against the leaves, his breath shallow and fast. The weight of the body in the tarp on his back was heavier than it should’ve been. He hadn’t thought this through. It was too late to turn back now. _

__

__

__

_His feet carried him to the familiar spot, a crumbling stone arch hidden beneath the canopy of thick oaks. Overgrown ivy clung to the entrance,and Max was the only one who knew it was there. He’d found the tunnel years ago when he was just a kid, a dare from his friends, and it had become his place of solitude. It was safe here. No one ever came. No one except Max _

__

__

_Max set the body down carefully, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. The man he’d killed—Jason—hadn’t deserved it, but he had to go. He’d pushed Max too far. They all did, one way or another._

__

__

_The tunnel’s entrance was narrow. the stones slick with moisture, but it would do. He’d hidden worse things in worse places._

__

__

_Dragging the body across the dirt floor, he reached the far wall, a small alcove deep within. His hands shook as he wedged Jason’s lifeless form into the corner, tucking it away as best he could. It was cold down here, the smell of earth and decay mixing with the metallic tang of blood. _

__

_Max wiped his face, his fingers trembling. He hadn’t planned on this. He never planned on anything anymore. The world felt so small, the distance between one bad decision and another, just a step away._

__

__

_Standing there in the dim light, Max stared at the body one last time. "No one will ever find you," he muttered to himself. And with that, he turned and disappeared into the dark tunnel, leaving the past behind him in the woods._