Back at the campsite, the rest of the group continued to party like it was the last night on Earth. They’d already gone through half of their booze supplies, and things were starting to get loud.
“Come on, Brandon! Chug it!” Christine shouted, urging him to guzzle his beer. Laughter rippled through the crowd as he tipped the can back too far, beer sloshing over his chin and onto his shirt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this wasted!” Betsy remarked, even though she’d been nursing the same beer the entire night. A worried look overtook her face as she glanced over her shoulder toward the trees. “I wonder where Jennifer and Keith disappeared to.”
“Probably making out somewhere,” Brandon replied with a knowing smirk at Roxy. She rolled her eyes at him and lit a cigarette, turning to talk to Christine.
“I hope they’re okay,” Betsy said, remembering why she’d come out to the lake in the first place. The whole point was to protect her from the sex fiends, and yet half a beer later she’d forgotten all about her mission. She felt as if she’d let Jennifer down, even though she knew Jennifer wouldn’t return the favor in a million years. But it was still the right thing to do, and that was all she could worry about.
“Of course they’re alright. We’re all just having a good time, right?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah, I guess.”
He sat down next to her. “Listen, I know Keith can be a dick and all, but he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”
Betsy nodded, relaxing a bit. Mainly she was just excited Brandon was talking to her. She nursed her beer some more and tried to keep him interested, but as the minutes ticked by without any sign of Jennifer or Keith, she began to grow uncomfortable again. Soon more of the group began to notice their absence.Back at the campsite, the rest of the group continued to party like it was the last night on Earth. Very quickly they’d gone through half of their booze supplies, and things were starting to get loud.
“Come on, Brandon! Chug it!” Keith shouted, urging him to guzzle his beer. Laughter rippled through the crowd as he tipped the can back too far. Beer sloshed over his chin and onto his shirt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this wasted!” Betsy remarked, even though she’d been nursing the same beer the entire night. A worried look overtook her face as she glanced over her shoulder toward the trees. “I wonder where Jennifer and Keith disappeared to.”
“Probably making out somewhere,” Brandon replied with a knowing smirk at Roxy. She rolled her eyes at him and lit a cigarette, turning to talk to Christine.
“I hope they’re okay,” Betsy said, remembering why she’d come out to the lake in the first place. The whole point was to protect her from the sex fiends, and yet half a beer later she’d forgotten all about it. She felt as if she’d let Jennifer down, even though she knew Jennifer wouldn’t return the favor in a million years. But it was still the right thing to do, and that’s all she could worry about.
“Of course they’re alright. We’re all just having a good time, right?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah, I guess.”
He sat down next to her. “Listen, I know Keith can be a dick and all, but he’s actually a pretty decent guy.”
Betsy nodded, relaxing a bit. Mainly she was just excited Brandon was talking to her. She nursed her beer some more and tried to keep him interested, but as the minutes ticked by without any sign of Jennifer or Keith, she began to grow uncomfortable again, and soon more of the group began to notice their absence.
“They have been gone a while,” Eric finally said.
“Maybe we should go look for them,” Stu suggested, draining the last of his beer and tossing the empty can into the fire. He’d decided drinking himself to death was how to make things right, and he was already halfway there.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Christine agreed, the first words she’d spoken in Stu’s direction for some time. “Let’s grab some flashlights and see if we can find them.” Stu shrugged at her, trying to get her to say something, anything else to him, but she ignored him and broke off toward the supplies.
Roxy stubbed out her cigarette on a rock. “Fine, but if I see Keith’s naked ass out there, I’m holding you all responsible.”
“Trust me, no one here wants that,” Eric said, and the rest of the group nodded, though he noticed a slight blush creep into Betsy’s cheeks.
As the group gathered their supplies and headed into the woods, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The darkness closed in around them, swallowing their voices and replacing them with nervous whispers.
“Jen? Keith?” Brandon called out, his voice barely carrying through the dense trees. “You two love birds out there?”
“Where could they be?” Christine bit her lip as they ventured deeper into the woods. She’d spent the last hour feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under her, but now all she could think about was Jennifer and Keith lost in the woods. Or worse, hurt.
“Just stick together,” Roxy warned, the beam of her flashlight darting back and forth. “We don’t need any more idiots getting lost and screwing up our night.”
“Lost,” Eric repeated. “Let’s hope that’s all it is.”
Brandon, Roxy, Eric, Betsy, Stu and Christine headed into the woods to search for their friends. Betsy had considered for a moment staying behind at the campsite, to be there in case Jennifer and Keith came back, but quickly dismissed the idea of being all alone in the woods in the middle of the night. Better to stick together.
“I’m going out for a piss,” Stu suddenly announced to the group, pushing himself away from the trail and into the woods. “Anyone want to join me?”
“Just be quick,” Eric replied. “Now’s not the best time.”
“What can I say? Nature calls.”
Stu fumbled through the brush, feeling the chilly night air on his sweat-slick neck. He sighed, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of his swaying surroundings. The forest had been there long before man, and would be there long after. It was oddly comforting, making his problems seem smaller in comparison. The thought also made him realize just how drunk he was.
As he was about to unzip his pants, something caught his eye—a strange, yellow shape lying on the ground a few yards away. Squinting through the darkness, he hesitated before approaching. As he got closer, he realized what it was.
A yellow sweater had been discarded on the ground, bearing the San Palmo High School logo. It had to be Jennifer’s. “Way to go, Keith,” Stu mumbled with a grin.
In his drunkenness, an idea came to him that struck him as hilarious. He decided to steal the sweater and run off with it, that way Jennifer would freak out when she and Keith returned from their outdoor activities. She’d be forced to come back to camp without it, probably wearing Keith’s jacket, and they could all have a laugh.
He tiptoed over as best he could on wobbly legs and retrieved the sweater, noticing that it wasn’t warm to the touch. That meant she’d had it off for a while. Keith wasn’t really a friend of his, and in fact Stu didn’t like him much, but Stu was already looking forward to the story he’d be telling later.
As he turned the sweater over in his hand, a large stain became visible at the top of it, along the collar. It was thick and dark, not the right color at all for mud. In fact, it was more the color of …
“Jesus Christ!” Stu gasped, dropping the sweater. He took a step back and stared down at the sweater at his feet, a dark blood stain around the neck area. It was so much blood, too much for a simple scrape or nosebleed.
Panic surged through him. His heart raced like a wild animal trying to escape its cage. “Shit, shit, shit,” he said, his own voice sounding distant and hollow.
Scanning the woods, he tried to regain his composure. “Keith? Jen?” he whispered, hoping his friends were okay. But as he stumbled further into the woods, another sight awaited him: a single, torn sleeve from Keith’s jacket, just as bloody as the sweater, maybe even more-so.
“Oh, fuck,” Stu said, his legs nearly giving out. He covered his mouth, trying to hold back the bile rising in his throat. His mind raced. He needed to get back and warn them. Christine, Eric, everyone needed to know.
Stu sprinted back toward the trail. His vision blurred and his chest burned with each breath, but all he could think about was getting to Christine and making sure she was safe.
“Guys!” he screamed as he burst through the clearing, his words coming in breathless pieces. “Jen and Keith … I think … something happened …”
“What are you talking about?” Roxy demanded.
“Jennifer’s sweater. Out in the woods.” He looked at Christine, his eyes haunted. “There was so much blood.” She stared back at him, realizing by his expression that he was telling the truth.
“Dude, are you sure?” Brandon asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Stu shuddered. “It was her sweater. Part of Keith’s jacket, too. Covered in—” He felt sick again at the thought of the word.
Christine’s face drained of color, her eyes welling up with tears. “Are you sure it was theirs?”
“Positive.”
A moment of quiet passed through them before Brandon spoke up. “Alright,” he said, “if they’re hurt we need to find them as soon as possible. Christine, Betsy, Eric, you take the east side of the trail. Stu, Roxy and I will cover the west.”
Everyone nodded solemnly. They didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but they understood that time was the most important thing when someone was hurt.
“Be careful,” Christine said to Stu, clutching a flashlight tightly as she followed Eric into the darkness.
“Same to you,” Stu replied.
Eric, Betsy and Christine crept through the forest, their flashlights casting shadows on the trees. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves made them jump. They didn’t know what was out there, and not knowing made it even worse.
“Eric,” Christine whispered, her breath hot against his neck as she clung to his arm. “Do you think whatever hurt Jen and Keith is still out here?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we have to keep moving. If they’re bleeding we need to find them, quick.”
“Right. Of course.”
“Unless something finds us first,” Betsy whispered, but the other two pretended not to hear her.
“Hey, Christine,” Eric said over his shoulder. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, okay? You’re safe with me.”
She glanced at him a moment, confused, before returning her gaze to the surrounding woods. “Uh … yeah. Yeah, I know.”
Eric smiled quietly to himself, happy he’d ended up in Christine’s group.
Stu’s heart pounded as he pushed through the thick underbrush, branches scratching at his face and arms. He tried to keep his breath steady despite the cramping fear that coiled around his insides.
“Anything?” Brandon whispered from behind, gripping a sharp stick as a weapon.
“Nothing yet,” Stu replied.
In the distance they could hear the hushed voices of Christine, Eric and Betsy as they searched the other side of the trail. Stu couldn’t shake the image of Jennifer and Keith’s bloodied clothes. Worse, he couldn’t stop imagining their dead, lifeless eyes staring into the uncaring night sky. He scolded himself to stop thinking that way. They could be alive but hurt, and sitting around imagining worst-case scenarios wouldn’t help them.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Roxy muttered. “If they’re fucking with us I’ll be so pissed.”
“Quiet,” Stu hissed, coming to a stop. He strained his ears, trying to pinpoint the source of a faint, indistinct sound he’d just heard. It was muffled, but it almost sounded like water dripping into leaves. A slow, steady pit … pit … pit …
“Did you hear that?” Roxy asked.
Stu slowly crept forward in the direction of the sound, the others following close behind. The sound grew louder and louder until it was unmistakable.
“There,” Brandon said, his grip on the stick tightening. “It’s coming from there.” He pointed toward a small clearing where the sound seemed to be loudest. They approached cautiously, pulses racing as they imagined what the dripping sound could possibly be.
As they stepped into the clearing, the beams of their flashlights fell on a chilling sight – Nancy Swanson, their schoolmate, was hanging from a tree. She’d been impaled on a low-hanging branch, her thick glasses askew, with blood trickling from her body and down to the ground.
Pit … pit … pit …
“Oh, shit,” Roxy gasped, nearly dropping her flashlight.
“How did she …?” Brandon trailed off, unable to finish the question. This was no simple accident. The branch she was impaled on was too high up, Nancy hadn’t run into it or tripped and fell on it somehow. It was intentional.
No, it was murder.
“Why was Nancy out here by herself?” Roxy said, her voice trembling, but no one had any answers for her.
Just then someone came rushing out of the woods at them. They all shouted and shrank back in horror, fearing for their lives.
“We found something!” Christine gasped, out of breath. They all sighed in relief, holding themselves. “Sorry,” she added.
But something past them caught her eye, and her gaze drifted up. When she caught sight of a body hanging from a tree, limp and lifeless, she froze.
Then she saw the face, a face that belonged to her friend. A scream escaped her, a sound like she’d never made before. It came from somewhere deep within her. She had the sudden urge to pull Nancy down from the tree and help her, cover her up, hold her. She tried to run to Nancy but the group stopped her from going. They held her as she kicked and screamed, until finally she gave in and cried.
“Who did this?” she asked through tears.
“They’re a monster, whoever they are,” Stu replied.
“Come on,” Brandon said quietly, motioning for them to see what Betsy and Eric had found. As the others cried and said goodbye to Nancy, Stu’s mind raced about what else was waiting for them out there in the woods.
What had the others found? And worse, what if something had found them first?
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