𝓨𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓑𝓷𝓱𝓪 𝓞𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓼 5

𝓗𝓾𝓼𝓱 {???}

~Summery~
Camping Trip turns sour when Darling's kidnapper escapes the nearby prison
🚧PTSD, Kidnapping, Murder Mentioned, Blood Mentioned, Knife🚧

~♡♡♡~

Tossing the duffle bag over the driver's seat it landed with a light thud on the passenger side floor. Yet your body didn't listen to your brain when it told you to get into your mother's car driver seat. It made you sigh as you tried to gain some composure. 

This is so stupid. Hes in prison for god sake! 

But your brain just couldn't help reminding you though. Reminding you that one of your coworkers, who had always given you a bit of a bad feeling you idiotically tried to ignore for the sake of your job, grabbed you after work and shoved you into his trunk one dark winter night. For three years he held you captive in a cabin forcing you to act like his wife. Your only peace was those hours he went to work, sitting beside your old desk like he wasn't the reason it was empty. But then four months ago while you were having dinner listening to his 'we should start a baby' lecture for the millionth time the door was kicked in and you were saved by a swat team. Now for the last four months, the only place you've been is hospitals, interrogation rooms, courtrooms, therapist offices, and your old bedroom at your parent's house. Anywhere else felt unsafe. 

But out of the blue two weeks ago, after lunch, you got a notification on your new phone. You don't ever really use it so it was shocking enough to get you to look. Your new contact was added to a chat called 'Camping 🏕️' by your old friends. They were begging you to please stop ignoring them, that they miss you and want to see you again. You were hesitant at first of course, but in the end, you felt bad and agreed as yeah you missed them too. Besides your therapist has been nagging you to reconnect with them anyway. Next time you see her she'll be happy to hear about not only you doing so but going out, camping no less.

You reminded yourself that. You miss them. Getting into the car you turned the key, jumping at the sound of the radio coming alive with pop music. You need to do this. He can't control your life any longer.

♡♡♡

It took you maybe too long to arrive but it's been a while since you've driven after all. Pulling into the gravel parking lot of the campsite you saw only two familiar cars parked at the back, which made you feel a little better about the whole thing. You parked next to them yet didn't get out yet, simply observing the group of four that you've known since high school. Christian, her boyfriend Zak, Harper, and her half-sister Nadia. Then you noticed another guy standing beside Naida, great a stranger! You tried not to dwell on it, which was easy because your brain was too busy thinking about how different everyone looked.

Slowly you grabbed your duffle and got out of the car, they all smiled and waved at you. Nobody rushed up or crowded you. Hopefully, they were just as nervous as you and not another set of people treating you like some spooked wild animal just getting domesticated. 

You gave them a shaky smile as you joined the small circle of five

"We were starting to think you weren't coming after all." Zak spoke in a voice deeper than you remembered it being, it made all three give him a dirty look like he just spoke some secret. And you guess he technically did, they didn't want you knowing they were whispering about you ghosting them out of fear. So you laughed to let them know it was ok "I almost didn't if I'm being honest." 

Harper slowly patted your shoulder with a smile "Well you're here, thats all that matters now. Come on, let's go get set up." You couldn't help but frown as they started to walk, they really looked different.