Jamie
So, maybe this is all going to go to shit.
If there's one thing I've learnt in my twenty-one years on this earth, it's that saying 'sure, why not?' is basically the same as setting yourself up for trauma that you can do without.
Case in point...right now.
I could be in my dorm, under a warm blanket, watching Demon Slayer for like the hundredth time. But no, my best friend Matt thought it was a good idea to 'reconnect with nature.' Apparently, this just meant that we'd be out here in the pitch black woods and camping without wifi, running water or any sign of human fucking civilisation.
The thing I dislike most about this is that there's no Wi-Fi. I can't play my video games and all the goddamn mosquitoes.
"This is gonna be great!" he said, tossing a tent into the back of his car like he wasn't planning to ruin my weekend.
I don't know why I let him convince me that this was a good idea.
Great to Matt Calvry apparently means carrying fifty pounds of gear uphill while mosquitoes treat me like a free buffer.
"Matt!" I call out, almost falling over a rock. "Do we even know where we're going?"
The question is valid because it seems like we are lost. Matt thinks hanging out with a couple of other kids from his drama class in the middle of nowhere is the best idea of fun. I, on the other hand, think this is some form of joke that I'm not in on.
"Of course we do," he says from ahead, which is the biggest lie, obviously. "The guy from the gas station said it's just past the ridge up there," he points and even though I squint my eyes. I can't see the campsite.
Fuck this shit.
I'm not one to be easily upset over things, but Matt set me up, or at least that's what this feels like. I don't want to do this anymore, but we are already here, and we've come all this way.
Matt doesn't seem to be reading my mood, because he laughs, carefree as always, like we're not two idiots trekking into the forest straight out of a missing-person documentary.
By the time we reach a clearing, my legs feel like jelly, and my hoodie is clinging to me like I've run a marathon. The sky above us is dark and full of stars. On another day, I'd admire it and even call it beautiful, but there's just something unsettling about being here. In the wilderness, with no fucking WiFi or cell service. Everything feels too quiet, like the world is holding its breath and watching.
Waiting for something to happen.
Matt drops his bag with an accomplished smile on his face. I see the sign that leads to the campsite, and there's some form of relief inside me. Glad that at least we're going to be in the midst of people from school.
"See, totally worth it."
I shake my head because I don't see the hype. "You mean totally terrifying?"
"Relax, city boy." He grins, already pulling out his lighter. "You're gonna thank me when we're roasting marshmallows under the stars."
He picks up his bag and walks up the hill. Music fills the space as I follow him, and somehow, the anger inside me dissipates. At least for now. "I told you this would be fun," he whisper-yells to me.
I roll my eyes because I'm not giving him any credit for now. We get to the campsite and I recognise a couple of people from class. It's a full-on party slash rager. There's alcohol, loud music and a campfire. "I'm gonna grab a corner to make a tent as promised. Get a drink and chill out," he tells me.
I watch him walk away from me, and all I want to do is go back to my dorm. I'm not a social being, never have been. And I doubt I'd ever be.
"Jamie, you made it," A voice calls over to me, and I look in the direction, recognising Phillip from my Chem class. He is dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a plain black T-shirt, with hiking boots. His blond hair is wavy and flying around because of the wind. I groan because I've reached my socialising quota for the day. Besides, he's not the one who invited me to this thing, so I don't get why he was expecting me.
"Hey Phil," I manage with a fake smile.
He slaps my back playfully with that excited smile still on his face. Matt waves at me from a corner, where the tents are being set up, and I let out a sigh of relief. "I gotta go."
I walk over to the campsite, and Matt chuckles. "Why do you look like you're running for your life?"
I roll my eyes, and his laughter just gets louder. Even with the annoying smirk on his face, I help him set up the tent, at least that's what I think I'm doing as I hold the flashlight while he pretends to know what he's doing. The wind is heavy, and when I look up at the sky, there's a full moon. If this were a movie, I'd be worried. But this is real life, and there's nothing to worry about. Once the tent is set up, Matt and I join the rest in the middle of the fire. I try to interact, and for a while, it's going well, but my mind is still far away from here and the fun I'm supposed to be having.
Once the fire's going, the air feels a little less suffocating. We sit across from each other, beer cans in hand, the fire crackling between us. Smoke curls upward, fading into the night.
For a while, it's actually… nice. The stars. The cold air. The sound of the fire popping.
Matt starts talking about school. His classes, his crush on his new TA, and how he might switch majors again. He's animated, hands waving, eyes bright. I love that about him, how he can find excitement in anything.
After a couple of minutes. "You, I need a bathroom."
He looks up at me with a smirk. "Good thing we're in the wild, you have your pick of a million trees," he says with a chuckle.
My eyes open wide from the shock of his words. "You're kidding, right?"
Does he actually expect me to walk out in the woods on my own? "Come on, Jamie, there's nothing to worry about." he takes a sip of his beer as I glare at him.
"I'm not going out there on my own."
He laughs. "You know, this is what college is supposed to be. freedom. no rules. just living."
I frown. "Yeah," I say. "Living. Until something eats us."
He snorts. "You watch too many horror movies."
"And you don't watch enough."
He scoffs again. "Just go through here," he points to a big three that's at the far end. All I see in front of me is darkness, and I hate to say that I'm terrified. I don't want to go out in the woods on my own, but at the same time, Matt is already distracted talking to a girl, and I know I'm on my own.
I let out a huff and grab the flashlight from the grassy ground. My hands tremble as I walk into the dark, knowing full well that this is a bad idea. There's this gut feeling I've always had. worry for the unknown, and in this moment, I know I should listen to that feeling. But I've had too many soda pops and I need to pee, almost as much as I fear being eaten alive.
Once I'm sure I'm at a place that's private enough, I unzip my fly and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The relief is immediate. There's also regret looming over. Suddenly, every sound in the woods feels too loud. The crunch of leaves under my shoes, the soft hiss of wind through the trees, and I also hear a snapping in the distance.
"Okay, Jamie," I whisper to myself. "In and out. Fast. Like a ninja."
A branch cracks behind me.
My entire body freezes midstream. Why the fuck did I drink so much soda? Why can't I just be a normal person and smoke weed?
Please be a squirrel. Please be a squirrel. Please be—
There's another sound, closer now. Heavier. My flashlight flickers when I raise it, the beam shaking in my unsteady grip. It catches nothing but trees, endless and black.
"Matt?" My voice sounds too small. "Not funny, guys."
This has to be a prank. He's pulling one on me because he knows how scared I am to be out here.
That has to be it.
Silence.
The wind picks up, cold against the back of my neck. Goosebumps rise along my arms. Somewhere deeper in the woods, something moves too fast to be human, too heavy to be an animal, I want to identify.
I swallow hard and zip up, fumbling the flashlight as I start to back away. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope."
I'm not staying here to find out what the fuck it is.
The light flickers again, and for half a second, I think I see eyes. Glowing, gold, low to the ground.
And then it's gone.
I spin around, heart hammering. The forest looks the same in every direction. Panic crawls up my throat. My flashlight beam jumps across the trees, and that's when I hear it, the sound of breathing. Not mine. Not close, but not far enough either.
"Okay," I whisper, voice trembling. "You're fine, Jamie. You're just dehydrated. Or hallucinating. Or dying. Either way—"
Something lunges out of the dark.
I don't see what it is. I only see the motion and light and teeth before it slams into me. Pain rips across my arm, hot and sharp and wrong. I scream, stumbling backwards as the flashlight flies from my hand. It hits the ground, rolling, the beam spinning across bark and shadows and...
Eyes.
Real ones this time. Bright and furious and alive.
I don't remember falling, but the next thing I know, I'm on my back, gasping, blood sticky between my fingers. The world tilts. My body feels feverish, like the bite's burning its way through me from the inside out.
Somewhere, through the haze, I hear that same low growl. And then... nothing.
Just the cold earth beneath me and the echo of my heartbeat in my ears.
Before the darkness swallows me whole, I swear I see movement again, two figures at the edge of the trees. One tall. One animal-shaped.
And then I'm gone.