The Lost Civilization

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺: 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙱𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎?

  Victoria was crouched down beside of a pine tree hiding in the bushes and foliage with a smile from ear to ear. I was glad to see that she was okay, but also wanted to strangle her at the same time for scaring us like that. I felt real terror in that moment when she screamed and it was her playing a prank on us.. after we just heard that scream not too long ago?

  "That's f——d up, Victoria! That's so f——d up!" Serenity screamed at her, her voice breaking as she truly felt anger towards Victoria for the brief panic she had caused. "Why would you do that?! Do you think terrifying everyone is funny?"

  "Well.. yes. Sort of. I didn't think you would be this mad over a joke," Victoria replied as she stood up, wiping the leaves from the knees of her leggings and delicately placing her hair tucked behind her ear and out of her face. Maxwell quickly chimed in, "Victoria, stop doing shit like that! Serenity, calm down and take a breather." I stared at Victoria with my arms crossed across my chest. Pondering my thoughts and trying to refrain from speaking out of the mild anger I was feeling towards her in that moment. I couldn't bite my tongue, and I spoke up, "So you really just convince yourself that the things you do like that are a good idea? You act is if some of us weren't already nervous enough to come out here because of-", I was cut off by Violet. "Stop, Alden!" She yelled loudly.

  "No! We were already nervous enough from the Lost Civilization myth that our parents always told us about, and still do to this day quite frankly. To add, we just heard what sounded like a scream and you want to play jokes like that?? Since I was like fifteen I haven't believed in that myth, but it still lingers in the back of our heads! The people.. or creatures.. whatever you want to call them, we're terrifying in those myths! I don't know how anyone else feels, but I'm partially still only continuing this for you, the other half is my own curiosity which is slowly fading away!" I exclaimed. I made sure to put emphasis when speaking about the Lost Civilization myth. She had cut me off twice already when trying to speak about it, but I made sure to get my point across now. "Now, I love you Vic, but stop doing that stupid shit!"

  Serenity was froze in shock with a blank look on her face at the small altercation that had just occurred and Maxwell just watched with a care free look on his face. Maxwell was usually used to Victoria, Serenity, and I bickering back and forth sometimes since early high school. No matter how long or what we bickered about though, we never held anger towards each other for long. We are the best of friends. The thoughts ran through my head like a hamster running on a wheel, that what if I was too harsh just now? Should I have kept my mouth shut? Either way, it was too late to try and take it back now and it had already been done.

  To my shock, Victoria put her hand over her mouth and let out a small giggle. We all three looked at her quite confused while she just stared back at us with a look of shock smeared across her face, "You guys believe in those boogeymen people type deal from the myths that our parents told us about?"

  "It's not that we fully believe in it. We're just cautious. I agree, I think that there's no harm and those were fully myths. Let's not terrify anyone else though that may be iffy about it," Maxwell said softly as he fixed the collar of his sweater. Maxwell always liked to look nice, even in the woods it appeared.

  "Court case closed," Serenity chimed in as she began back walking on our journey on the trail. "Come on. Let's go. Get going, ladies"

  Maxwell helped Victoria back across the pine needle covered tree line draped in foliage and back onto the trail. We continued our walk for another 2 hours, surprisingly making great distance in that time span. We were probably plenty of miles away from the vehicle at this point. Fully engulfed in nature. Pine trees filled the forest leaving just enough space for the sun to kiss over the tops of them and provide light down onto the trail. Shrubbery was scattered everywhere and pine needles covered the forest floor like a thin blanket. Large rocks were common to have to crawl under or over. The sun was starting to slowly fade away for the day, prompting Maxwell to let us know that we needed to find a place to set up our tents very soon. We continued walking, looking for the right spot to do so.

  That was until Serenity pointed out a dim light off in the distance in the forest. It was a faint glow, as the sun was still partially providing light from the sky. It was slightly hard to see, as it was a mild distance away from us and had multiple pines trees and hints of other various trees blocking the view, but she was right. It wasn't sunlight, it was as if there was a house or something in the forest with us providing light. You could faintly see what looked like.. an old, but semi-up kept log building or house perched on a hill?

  In agreement, we turned our attention from the trail to whatever structure that was that sat in the distance.. with working lights? So many questions ran through probably not just my head, but everyone's. Maybe it was someone's house? Had we gone so far through the woods that we possibly came out near a cabin or a community of cabin type homes in the woods? I know that was a stretch because we can only see one small building, but you never know. That couldn't be though. These mountains go on for miles upon endless miles with supposedly no man made structures to be seen inside their forests. The only time I ever heard of their being man made structures in these mountains was from.. well, our parents stories about the Mountains of Arma. I shrugged this idea off and as we made our way through the scattered pine trees and floor of pine needles, constantly having to drag our feet through shrubbery, we could finally make out what the structure was and what was providing this odd source of light..