The Game

A Trick of the Mind

Chapter 6: A Trick of the Mind

It was just past dawn, and the light crawling from between the trees to the ground, with the early morning silence, caused this time to be even creepier than the night. Perhaps it was just the anticipation threading through my bloodstream, my heart pumping erratically. I was running behind Nate and Greg, who followed Mikey through the forest.

"Why were you all the way out here?" Greg asked, his voice not affected by his fast pace.

"I was dragged." Mikey explained, panting. "A stick scratching my arm woke me up and I found myself being pulled by the leg through the woods."

"And it was Mr. Johansen?" I asked skeptically.

"I'm not completely sure that it was..." Mikey hesitated. "all him. That thing was..." He stopped in his tracks. "Right here." He glanced around, but there was nothing except trees in sight. "I managed to push him and get away. He was on the ground when I ran, so he should be around here."

Greg laughed, "Maybe he just dug a hole and crawled into it. Now that he's also gone crazy and is trying to kill you."

Mikey didn't look amused. He began to suck on his braces, his eyes glancing everywhere. His nervousness set me on edge. What was he so afraid of? The rest of the group was caught up now, spare Allison and Anthony, who must have decided to stay back at the campsite. They looked just as freaked as Mikey, but whereas they were worried that someone was going to attack them, I wanted to know where the man who had always been there for me was. He was the only father I had ever known. So I needed to know where he was and that he was safe.

"Mr. Johansen!" I called out. No one replied, but everyone looked at me in panic. "Mr. Johansen! Daniel?" I screamed out his first name, hoping that would work. Still, there was no reply. I dropped my head towards the ground in despair, and noticed a marking on the ground, resembling a footprint. Near it the dirt and leaves were smeared, as if someone had been dragged. The places where Mikey must have been drug stopped a few feet away, but I followed the footprints further, until they were cut off into the bushes. Twigs were snapped and the forage was pushed away like a drunk man had done it. Certainly Mr. Johansen had gone this way.

"Where do you think he went?" I faintly head Samuel ask somewhere behind me.

I pushed away some of the foliage and looked deep into the bushes, searching for any sign of our hiking instructor. I saw movement just ahead of me and narrowed my eyes, trying to hear or see him in the underbrush. He must have gone this way, if only I could spot some tracks or a sign that he was-

Suddenly the bushes spread apart and wild, red eyes appeared in front of me. A force knocked me to the ground and I shrieked in terror. A beast-like man lied on top of me, holding down my arms and legs. He bared his teeth at me in an animalistic manner, and his gaunt skin stretched around his mouth and inhumanly beady, red eyes. I fought against it, trying desperately to free myself from its grip.

"Get off her!" Nate said, as both he and Greg grabbed the creature and pulled him away. He struggled against them frantically, but they held him down. "Mr. Johansen." said Nate. "Please calm down. It's us. It's Nate."

The man stared up at Nate in fear, and slowly his struggling dissipated, instead his body going limp. It shrank into itself and began to cry in terror, making desperate, painful sounds, like it was a wounded animal.

I held a hand against my beating heart as I stood, keeping my eyes locked on the weeping creature. "Is that...?" I trailed off.

Nate's perfect features disfigured into a grimace as he stared down at the man. "Yea, yea it's him." I began violently shaking my head, stepping away from everyone. That wasn't Mr. Johansen by any means. Mr. Johansen was a kind-hearted, spirited man who enjoyed life. The thing on the ground was a sniffling, murderous mess. It barely resembled something human.