In The Woods

The party

   Bright flames danced around in the small firepit licking the rusty, metal sides. My face illuminated with shades of orange. I watched the ashes drift down over my head like snowflakes. White against the navy sky.

   I heard a motor off in the distance, a car rolling over the dirt road. The headlights beamed, as the rays of light scoped every inch of the ground, the grass went from a dark green to a faded bright green. I squinted as Madi stepped out of the slick, black Jeep.

   "What took you so long?" My voice raspy from dehydration.

   "The cabin you found just so happens to be 5 hours away from my house. Who else is gonna be here?" Madi asked.

   "Everyone said they could make it, so there will be... Ian, Isaac, Brendan... Maya... Alyssa, Elizabeth, Emilee... I think that is all."

   Madi stepped closer. Ron got out of the car.

   "I see you brought your boyfriend."

   "Look, I know you have problems with him, but I don't care, and frankly Angela, you haven't even tried to be nice to him."

   I closed my eyes and sighed. I guess I haven't considered the whole being nice option. It is only for a week.

   We began to walk back to the fire before I heard a Harley davidson motercycle pull up. Elizabeth pulled her helmet off and her hair fell over the right side of her head. The wind picked it up playing with her slick red locks. Her leather jacket shined in the moonlight. I noticed a basket in the front of her motercycle weaved out of long bamboo strips. She walked up the driveway and I suddenly notice she was being followed by a small, black wolf no older than 7 months.

   That's when everyone started to show up. After Elizabeth, Emilee showed up, then Brendan, than alyssa, then Isaac, then maya, and last was Ian.

   We put out the fire and went inside after we saw something moving around in the bushes. We went into the upstairs living room and sat on the large red couches, spraying the dust particles everywhere as we sat down. We all shimmered with sweat. My ears perked up as I heard maya turn the sink on in the bathroom.

   A crash echoed throughout  the cabin. Maya screamed loudly. I got up and sprinted to the bathroom still slightly limp from drifting slowly off into sleep. Maya stood over a dead deer draped over the windowsill, it's insides spilling onto the floor with wooden stakes poking out of it eyes. A large smooth rock lay on the chipping gray tile with a message carved into it: I am here even when you can't see me.