Patty took tiny sips of her juice. Her phone had already shut itself off from low battery.
That icy, being-watched feeling kept getting stronger, leaving her on edge.
She really wanted to climb back into the locked RV—at least the closed space would give her some sense of safety—but she kept hearing Soren's voice in her head:
Never go off alone.
She had no idea where he picked up all these weird rules, but he'd never steered her wrong, so she forced herself to stay with the group and swallow the unease.
Patty kept scanning the treeline, Soren's face flashing in her mind.
If he were here, he'd probably be out scouting the woods right now.
Maybe even striking up a casual chat with whatever demon was lurking out there.
The mental image of Soren throwing an arm around some monster's shoulder and shooting the breeze actually made her tight nerves loosen a fraction.
"Hey! What're you thinking about?"
Scott wandered over with a fresh beer. "C'mon, have a drink. Loosen up. Don't kill the vibe."
"I don't drink." Patty shot him a flat look. "And back off."
Scott's smile froze. A flash of anger crossed his eyes.
Getting shot down again—especially by the girl he liked—was starting to sting.
"Scott, we're all just students. Juice is fine," Micki jumped in, playing peacemaker even though she was holding a beer herself.
Just then, Brad wobbled to his feet, face flushed, and let out a loud burp. "Gotta take a leak."
He brushed grass off his shorts and staggered toward a big tree on the edge of the clearing, disappearing behind it.
The campfire crackled in the quiet night. Kevin sat nearby, still fiddling with his radio.
Minutes ticked by.
Brad still wasn't back.
"Seriously? How long does it take a guy to piss?" Micki set her beer down, starting to look uneasy as she stared toward the tree. "He's a lightweight. You think he passed out?"
"I'll go check," she said.
"Wait." Patty grabbed her bag. "Everybody goes together."
Scott snorted. "Pass. I'm not smelling piss. Guy probably has prostate problems anyway."
Kevin stayed silent.
The two girls walked around the tree.
Nothing. Just a wet patch on the ground and one sneaker lying on its side in the grass.
"Brad?!" Micki picked up the shoe and looked around. "Brad! This isn't funny! Come out!"
Before she finished, something rustled in the bushes a few feet away.
"Quit messing around, Brad!"
Micki walked toward the bushes, annoyed.
The pitch-black undergrowth made her think of every horror movie she'd ever seen, but mostly she was just irritated at Brad's dumb prank.
Patty, right behind her, slipped a hand into her bag.
The second Micki reached the edge of the bushes—
"BOO!!!"
A dark shape exploded out of the grass, arms flailing, tackling Micki to the ground.
"Ahhh!!"
Micki screamed as the shadow landed on top of her.
Patty had already drawn the compact pistol from her bag and aimed it in one smooth motion—then immediately lowered it when she recognized the face.
"Hahahahaha! Scared you, didn't I?!" Brad planted a sloppy kiss on Micki's cheek. "You guys are such babies! Look at you—white as a sheet!"
"Brad!!" Micki snapped out of it and punched his chest, half angry, half relieved. "You asshole! That wasn't funny at all! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry, sorry, my bad." Brad scooped her up, brushing grass off her clothes while giving the most insincere apology ever. He was clearly proud of himself.
"Actually, I saw a rabbit earlier and—"
WHOOSH—
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air behind him.
In Micki's eyes, Brad's smug grin suddenly froze.
A thin red line sliced across his throat.
SPURT—
Hot blood sprayed across Micki's face like someone had turned on a shower head.
She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. The warm, sticky liquid felt like hot water until the metallic smell hit her nose.
"What… the hell?"
She opened her eyes, confused.
In front of her was a headless body. The hands were still pawing at the stump of the neck.
On the grass at her feet lay Brad's head—still wearing that stupid grin, dead eyes staring straight at her.
Time seemed to stop.
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
A blood-curdling scream tore through the night, scattering crows from the trees.
Patty clicked on her flashlight. Behind Brad's body stood a humanoid figure wrapped head to toe in black rags.
It wore a cowboy hat. Under the bright beam, the face hidden in shadow slowly lifted.
Rough, bark-like skin. Blackened flesh. Sharp fangs. A collapsed nose with a slit that twitched open and closed.
It didn't flinch from the light.
Instead, it narrowed its eyes, lips curling into a playful, mischievous grin—like a kid who'd just pulled off the world's best prank.
"SHIT!!"
Scott and Kevin, who had come running at the scream, saw the nightmare scene and froze.
Scott took one look at the headless corpse and the grinning monster, then spun on his heel and bolted.
"Wait for me! Scott!"
Kevin's face went ghost-white, legs shaking. He glanced back at the monster and Patty, torn, but survival instinct won. He stumbled after Scott toward the RV.
"Don't just stand there! Micki, get up!!"
Patty ignored the two cowards. Soren had always said: when death's on the table, people only see their own escape route.
She hauled the shell-shocked Micki to her feet and dragged her toward the clearing.
"Brad… Brad, he…"
Micki's eyes were glassy, voice a broken whisper.
"He's dead! If we don't run, we're next!!"
Patty shouted, half-carrying her terrified friend as they sprinted for the RV.
But when they burst into the clearing, Scott and Kevin were standing frozen again.
Patty looked past them.
On top of the RV, another figure crouched, staring down at them like a predator sizing up prey.
"Monster… MONSTER!!!"
Scott screamed, legs giving out. He fell on his ass and started scrambling backward on all fours.
Patty stood still, blue eyes locked on the new creature.
She had a sick feeling this one was here for her.
Brad had just been collateral damage.