A Week Away

Chapter 4

Cameron's P.O.V.

What did you think you were doing? You knew who she was, you knew her reputation, and yet you went for it anyways.

I sighed, checking the time on my watch. It was nearly one in the morning, she would've expected me by now. Lizzie. Gosh, she was beautiful. I'd always thought those dudes who ran around gossiping about her were all talk, but they weren't. She really was stunning, and I didn't stand a chance, yet I went for it anyways.

Well, I'd better go apologise.

I slid my feet into my boots, taking my time to lace them up before walking out and towards Lizzie's tent, which unfortunately was on the under side of the camp. I took my time to wander over there. The butterflies in my stomach didn't help, I think they slowed me down even further.

I reached the tent to find the flap open with blood on the corner of it. Panicking a little I cautiously stepped forward, not sure if this was going to be a prank or not. As I got closer I could hear heavy breathing. My heart skipped a beat. The flap was at my feet in no time, and I looked inside, only to find Joseph sitting in the corner, panting as if his life were at risk, and Lizzie across from him with blood over her mouth, watching him in shock. I stepped in, leading to them both gasping and snapping their heads in my direction. Lizzie sighed in relief when she noticed it was me.

"What happened?" I asked. It was a very curious and chilling site, to say the least. Joseph had blood all over his face and hands, and his eyes were wide with shock, as if his life had just flashed before his eyes.

Lizzie reached out for my arm and pulled me in, peaking out of the tent afterwards and letting out a small 'thank God' beneath her breath. She was paler than usual; ghostly pale.

"There's..." Joseph began to speak, his lips quivering. "There's a man out there... he attacked me. I- I was with that quiet Asian chick... I need to go find her." He started climbing to his feet but Lizzie grabbed his arm, yanking him back to his previous spot.

"Joesph... you can't just go out there and look for her. You sound crazy as it is... are you sure you just didn't have a nightmare?" He turned to glare at her, the look in his eyes piercing. I had to admit, I was skeptical as well. How would a man be all the way out here? We were the only group that had booked this camping site in the past month.

"Look, Joseph," I spoke up, "I'll go look for her if you'd like. I'll make sure she's okay." He hesitated, his fists clenching and relieving as he considered it.

"Fine..." he whispered. I nodded and turned around, exiting the tent, with Lizzie following after.

"I'm sorry, he just barged in. I wasn't expecting him." I put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

"It's completely fine. What do you think happened to him, anyways?"

"Well," she started, but bit her lip. "I don't know. Half of me wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, but logically, how could there be a man out here attacking us? There's no civilisation for miles, and who in their right mind would randomly attack him?"

"I agree, but there's a slim chance it could be real." She raised her eyebrows at me, her lips pursed. "Look, if I find that chick and she has the same story then we have a problem. A big problem. There could be a man running around our camp, attacking us... watching us." A shiver flew up my spine at that statement, making me feel quite uneasy.

Lizzie was quiet for a few seconds, taking in what I had said. "You go find the chick he was with, and I'll take him to get cleaned up." She paused, looking down and running her hands through her hair in a frustrated manner. "Let's hope it was just a bad dream."

She stepped back into her tent and off I went in search of a girl I only knew was quiet and Asian, though I had a small inkling I knew who Joseph had been talking about.

I wondered around the camp site for a good ten minutes with no sight of the attacker or the girl. I was about to give up and call bullshit on Joseph's story when I spotted a shadow in the woods. It was a small frame, sitting behind one of the trees, and instinct told me it could be the exact girl I was looking for. I decided to get a closer look, just to make sure.

The trees cast large shadows by the moonlight, making it difficult to tell whether the figure I saw, seemingly sobbing, was actually the girl I was searching for or not. I took a shot in the dark and walked towards her slowly. Whether it was the chick Joseph had talked about or not, the figure appeared to need comforting, and a small spark inside me told me that I should go comfort them.

When they were only metres in front of me I called out. The figure tensed up, turning around. I still couldn't figure out who it was because of the shadows, but their face didn't appear normal. The figure stood slowly, keeping their eyes to the ground. I took a step back, a weird vibe coming from the figure. I was almost about to turn and run as they stepped out from the shadows.

A woman, definitely, with rags covering her body. I would have thought she was a stranded camper had it not been for the gas mask covering her face. Her hair was wild and sticking up in all directions, like it hadn't been washed or brushed in years.

At the same moment I turned to run I felt someone strike me in the back of the head. My vision went black for a moment, and as I tried to run I tripped over something I couldn't see. My face hit the ground with a thud, a small crack coming from some part of my body.

Disoriented, I tried to climb to my feet, but a steel capped boot kicked me in the gut, stopping me from even thinking of moving.

My vision got darker and darker. Light-headed, I tried to stay conscious. As I felt my mind fading out I couldn't help but panic. Joseph was right. And in the moments before I fell unconscious, I heard a scream come from somewhere in the camp.