I sit there looking at the home screen of my phone. What the heck was that?
Looking up, I see none of my friends have even looked up from their phones. How did they not hear anything?
"Y'all looking forward to the bonfire tomorrow night?" Ken asks the group.
Adrian lowers his phone. "Heck yeah, I am. It's always the best part of the trip!" He sounds excited about it.
"What made-up story are you gonna tell this time, Adrian?"
"You're just jealous. The girls believe my stories are true."
Adrian and Ken talk back and forth for a while. Conner looks over at me.
"What about you? Are you excited for tomorrow night?"
I look back at him, visibly on edge.
"Hey, you good, dude?" he asks, sounding slightly worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."
He doesn't press further.
I sit there and stare at my phone. I try swiping the screen, but it's frozen.
I just downloaded a virus, didn't i?
Everyone is back on their phones. I decide to head to bed.
I wake up in the middle of the night, body stiff, eyes heavy. I grab my phone. The screen lights up black with just the time: 4:27 a.m.
I look out the window near my bunk at the sky. It's full of stars, and the moon is bright.
My eyes close.
Then I hear it.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It sounds like a fingernail hitting glass.
My eyes open again, looking toward the window, but I don't see anything.
I get out of bed and walk to the window. I hear movement, but I can't tell if it's one of my friends shifting in bed or something else outside.
The window is lit up by the moonlight. The view from my bunk faces the woods.
What was that?
A dark shape stands just inside the tree line, the moon barely giving it form.
I stare at it, waiting for it to move.
Then one of my friends shuffles in bed. I glance over at them for a second, then back at the trees.
The shape is gone.
Where did it go?
An uneasy feeling suddenly washes over me. I head back to bed, trying not to think about it.
It was nothing.
Your eyes were just playing tricks on you.
I close my eyes and fall asleep again.
The next morning, we go out early to help gather wood for the fire tonight.
I look over at our cabin.
"Hey guys, I'll be right back," I say as I start walking toward where the window was.
I stand next to the cabin and look at the tree line where I saw the shape.
It had to be my mind playing tricks.
The forest is still.
I walk toward the trees, looking for any sign that something had been there.
Please font find anything.
My eyes scan the ground for footprints.
I turn my head.
There's a broken branch.
It's high up.
"How did that break?" Ken asks from behind me.
"Don't know, but it doesn't look natural."
I reach for the branch, but it's too high. Ken reaches for it too.
"That's gotta be at least eight feet up."
We stare at the branch for a moment.
"So what could've done this?" he asks.
"I don't know… and I don't wanna find out."
He looks at me.
"It was probably just a bear climbing a tree… right?"
"Yeah, that's gotta be it."
We stand there in silence for a moment, both feeling like something is watching us.
"Let's head back, Joel."
I nod.
We head back to the others. At this point, they've already gathered a lot of wood for the fire.
Adrian spots us.
"Hey, where did you two go off to?"
"You'll—"
I try to speak, but Ken cuts me off.
"We just thought we might find some better stuff back there."
He nudges my side.
"Let's not tell them about the branch. No need to scare anyone," he whispers.
"I guess you're right."
Adrian grabs a stick from Ken.
"Well, doesn't look like you found much."
"Yeah, everything was way too alive down there, right Joel?" Ken says, elbowing me.
"Oh yeah. Wayyyy too alive."
Adrian squints at us.
"Umm… okay? Whatever you say."
I take a look around. Everyone from our class is having fun.
I see Layla with her best friend, Clover.
Layla spots me and gives a slight wave.
I turn and start heading to my cabin. I walk past Conner coming out of it, but I don't stop to talk.
How can she just wave like nothing happened between us?
Even worse, why do i let it bother?
I walk in and drop onto the sofa, letting out a sigh.
I try using my phone, but the screen is still frozen.
"Stupid phone."
I throw it to the side and lay across the couch.
Whats wrong with me, man?
It was almost two years ago.
Why cant i just let it go?
Do i still have feeling for her?
Or do i just hate what she did?
Time passes, and I'm still lying there when the door opens.
It's Ken.
"Yo, dude, we're about to start this."
I shoot up.
"Already?!"
"Umm, yeah, dude. You've been in here for two hours."
Two hours?
How did I lose track of time like that?
"C'mon," he says as he walks back out.
I follow behind him.
Time really had passed. It's getting dark now. The sun is already three-quarters down.
I walk over to the fire pit in the center of all the cabins and sit next to Ken.
The rest of my classmates chat while they wait for the fire to start. Some counselors set up tables with ingredients to make s'mores.
"Everyone ready?" one of the counselors asks.
Everyone shouts loudly.
Then the match is thrown into the pit, and flames burst upward.
"I always forget how big the flames get," I say while Ken stares into the fire.
"Yeah, you're right. It feels like it gets bigger every year."
I stare into the orange flames before noticing Layla sitting with Clover.
They're talking to each other.
Then Layla notices me looking.
She gets up and walks toward the direction of the medical cabin.
I wait a second before getting up and following her.
The sun is almost completely down now.
I turn the corner, leaving the fire pit out of sight.
Layla stands there waiting.
I walk up beside her.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she asks.
I look over at her, moonlight reflecting off her blonde hair.
"Yeah, it is."
"This area by the sheds always has the best view of the stars."
I feel her hand brush against mine.
She's closer than she was a moment ago.
"Yeah, there's no light from the cabins over here. Makes it perfect for stargazing."
She nods, her hand brushing mine again with more intent this time.
Something about this feels off, but I can't tell what.
"Hey, can I say something?" she asks quietly.
"What is it?"
She pauses.
"I'm… sorry for the way things ended. And… I wanna try again, but I've been too scared to ask."
I stand there, not knowing what to say.
My heart starts beating faster.
"Uhm…"
She looks at me, eyes wide.
"You know what? Why don't we try again?"
Her eyes widen even more.
"Really?!"
She jumps toward me and wraps her arms around me.
I hug her back.
"I've missed you," she says softly.
Then I see it.
Standing next to one of the sheds is one of those things from the ad.
Same wooden look.
Arms hanging down near its knees.
It just stands there watching.
"What the…?" I whisper.
Layla hears me.
"What is it?"
I slowly let go of her.
"It's nothing… We should go."
"Why?"
She notices me staring behind her and starts to turn around, but I grab her hand.
"What is it?" she asks again.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
The thing still stands there.
Then a voice comes from one of the empty cabins.
"Layla, come here for a second."
It's Clover's voice.
"Gimme just a sec," Layla calls back. "Hang on, let me go see what she wants."
She starts walking toward the empty cabin.
I look back at the shed.
The thing is gone.
Theres no way i'm about to do this.
I step toward the shed.
Screw it.
I walk over.
There are no footprints where it stood.
I round the back of the shed.
There it is.
Standing over me.
Holy crap.
The thing is tall—eight, maybe nine feet—with long arms and a crooked face.
It's made of wood.
It's a puppet.
"Conditions met," it says.
Its voice sounds like an old radio buried in static.
It slowly reaches forward.
It can't be.
It's holding my phone.
The screen is on, a video already playing.
In the corner of the screen:
LIVE.
I step closer to the phone while the puppet leans in slightly, almost like it wants to watch too.
The video shows the inside of a cabin.
The door opens.
Layla walks in.
Standing behind the door is another puppet.
My heart starts racing.
"What's happening?" I whisper.
The puppet beside me doesn't respond.
I look back at the screen and watch the puppet slowly close the cabin door behind her.
"Hello, Layla," it says in Clover's voice, only now there's static underneath it.
Layla screams.
She stumbles backward into the wall—
right into the second puppet.
"STOP IT!" I shout.
The puppet beside me remains completely still.
The second puppet wraps its arms around Layla as she struggles and screams.
Then the puppet by the door plunges its hand into her stomach.
Her screams weaken.
The puppet stabs its other hand into her and slowly pulls outward, tearing her open.
Layla's struggling gets weaker and weaker until she finally goes limp.
Both puppets slowly turn toward the camera.
Toward me.
Then the video cuts out.
I stand there in shock.
No.
No, no, no.
This can't be real.
I had to be dreaming.
The puppet still stands beside me.
"Wish granted," it says.
Then it steps toward me.
That's when I can finally move again.
I turn and run.
Heavy footsteps thunder behind me, but I don't look back.
The cabin door bursts open behind me, and the other two puppets rush out almost animalistically.
I just have to make it back to the fire.
I turn the corner—
but the fire is out.
Everyone's gone back to their cabins.
The puppets are getting closer.
I see my cabin ahead and sprint as fast as I can.
I slam against the door and start banging desperately.
The footsteps behind me get louder.
Then the door opens.