ghost stories • 5sos

mack // twelve.

The water was cold, and black. Calum and I stood at the edge of the shore, turning in circles as we were trying to see the glow of any flashlights, signaling where our friends were. 

It had been about an hour since everyone went in search of Cameron, and as far as I knew, no one had found her yet. 

I was terrified. One of my best friends was alone in the woods, probably scared out of her mind. What if we never found her? What if she thought no one was looking for her?

No. She knew we wouldn't leave her alone. She knew we would do everything in our power to find her. 

But what if we didn't?

I looked over at Calum, grabbing ahold of his hand and squeezing gently. I couldn't imagine how Ashton was feeling right now. The love of his life was missing in a creepy forest; a forest known for it's brutal murders and outrageous propositions of hauntings. 

I would be absolutely petrified. 

Calum squeezed my hand back, and I bit my lip, asking him the question that had been running through my head. 

"We will find Cameron, Mack. I know we will," he said, cupping my cheek. 

I looked into his big brown eyes and nodded slowly. He was right. We would find her. 

Suddenly, his eyes widened,"Look! Across the water!"

I whirled around, looking across the lake. 

Finally, a light. 

Calum and I called out, trying to project our voices across the water and over the harsh winds to whichever friend of ours was out there. 

It wasn't working. 

I was growing frustrated. We needed to get across the water. Neither of us had reception, I don't think anyone did. We had to get as many of us together as possible. 

I looked to where Calum was only a moment ago to find that he was a few yards away, standing next to a small canoe that I swore wasn't there before.

"Calum, what are you doing?" I asked.

"We can use it to get across the water!"

"I don't think that's safe...at all."

He sighed,"Mack, babe, come on. We need to get to them."

I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something just didn't feel right about this situation at all. The wind was picking up, and we weren't familiar with the lake. Anything bad could happen. 

Either way, I found myself walking over to Calum and the small, wooden canoe. 

He nodded his head towards the canoe, signaling for me to climb in. Once I was situated, he pushed the boat into the water, quickly jumping in. 

I shook from the cold, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. Calum grabbed one of the ores from the bottom of the boat and started to row us towards the shinning light. 

The fog seemed to be growing thicker, the temperature drastically dropping. I whimpered as we hit a rough patch in the lake. Calum cursed under his breath. 

The rough water didn't seem to cease and the boat was wildly rocking back and forth.

"Calum, I'm scared..."

He didn't respond; he just continued to row. 

I sat in silence and stared at the bottom of the boat. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. 

This was all such a mess. This was supposed to be a peaceful weekend. One last adventure with my best friends. It was turning into a nightmare, and I just wanted to go home. 

"Ow, shit!" Calum swore as the boat hit a rock.

The impact from the crash caused the boat to flip, and I felt my body plummet into the dark water. It felt as if needles were pricking my skin, and I was struggling to gain control of my body again. The darkness was consuming me, and I didn't know which way was up. 

My lungs were starting to burn and I could think about was air. I needed air. I opened my eyes, not caring about how uncomfortable it felt, as I tried to get to the surface. 

I caught sight of the moon above me. I started to swim upwards, craving air more than ever before. I was almost there; I was so close. 

But, I felt something grab ahold of my foot. I gasped, water filling my lungs. I tried to cough, I tried to do anything. I was choking. I was going to die. 

And as I passed out, I felt someone's arms wrap around me. 

Calum.