Meet Me in the Forest

Chapter 5: It's Here

Murphy wound up for another swing, aiming the camp stove just above a big knot in the tree. The stove hit with a sharp clink and a scream that was chilling to the bones. Jack ran to him, not caring that he was only in boxer shorts, and snatched the stove from his hands. 

Red-eyed and sweaty, Murphy turned on Jack. His face screwed up into a primal snarl, Murphy balled his fists and swung at Jack. He dodged the blows and slapped Murphy hard across his face. His friend staggered, the light slowly coming back into his eyes.

Murphy slumped to his knees, holding with visor grip onto Jack's arm. He began to cry as the others emerged from their tents. Dana was holding on to Tommy, tears welling in her eyes while Kim sat crouched by the fire pit. Everyone was waiting for Murphy to do something else.

Jack broke the silence first. "Murphy...what is going on? What happened?"

He hiccupped, snot running down his lips, and said, "Someone was here....someone was breaking into my tent. He was going to get me, Jack, he was going to get me!"

Jack sat beside Murphy who was now becoming hysterical, but not violent. He rubbed his shoulders, attempting to make him make sense. "Murph, no one is here, bud. No one is here, just us. Who did you see?"

"I heard footsteps outside my tent. I thought it was one of you." Kim stared at the rocks at her feet, the glowing embers casting a weird shadow on her face. "Murphy started screaming after, but I swore I heard footsteps."

Tommy let go of Dana. "Okay, I think everyone just needs to calm down. We're all a little spooked and we just need to get some sleep." His eyes slid to Kim for a moment, the two sharing a look, and then ushered Dana back into the tent. "Let's just get back to bed. It was probably a raccoon or something, rooting in the trash."

Jack started to lift Murphy from the ground but he wouldn't budge, shaking his head so hard Jack was afraid he'd snap his neck. "No, no, no, you don't understand. There was a man here! Just as real as us, he was going to get me."

"Maybe it was just a bad dream and you were sleepwalking. C'mon, you can sleep in my tent." Jack finally got him to his feet and in the tent, and then Kim tapped on his shoulder.

She looked scared. Just pure terror. "Could it really be a dream? He looked possessed, and ruined the stove. Jack...he was going to hurt you, like actually hurt you." She shook her head, wisps of hair falling into her face. "I've never seen Murphy like that."

Jack pulled her in for a hug, conscious of the fact neither were wearing many clothes. "It's okay, you heard Tommy. It was probably an animal getting into our garbage."

Both peeked into the tent and saw Murphy sound asleep again, like nothing ever happened. Jack zipped up the tent quietly, praying he would stay asleep the rest of the night. 

"I'll stay up for a bit, keep watch. I think everyone would feel better, and I don't want to disturb Murphy."

Kim took his hand, squeezed, and then slipped into her tent. Jack stoked the fire and inspected the damage. A huge gash was scratched into the tree where Murphy hit it, bark peeling off and the wood underneath chipped. The stove probably wasn't repairable; too many important-looking parts were sagging or completely broken. It looked like granola bars and Gatorade for breakfast.

Jack sat on a log by the fire, watching the stars blink in and out above him. He wondered what was going on back home, what TV shows he was missing. He had just started Game of Thrones before he was laid off. He hoped he had locked his doors before he left.

He felt himself nodding off, imagined himself a knight in the medieval times like in his show, and before he knew it he was sound asleep. Nothing startled him awake, nothing creaked or moved, no one sleepwalked. And yet, when dawn's gentle light touched his face, something felt horribly wrong when he woke up. A sense of dread blanketed him even though nothing looked wrong.

He hoped the others would wake soon so they could leave.