Fear The Light

Hiking

My boots crunched the dried leaves beneath my feet as I stumbled through the brush; I was definitely not cut out for this hiking nonsense. I quickly regretted my plan of winning Travis over by showing him I was just as exciting and in tuned with wild life like he was; the trip was supposed to be just the two of us but somehow it became a group with his best friends Mark, Alex, Sarah and Christina his sister who jumped at the idea of spending one whole week with Alex who she had a 'major crush' on.

"My feet hurt, and I'm all gross and sweaty and there are bugs everywhere!" I whined as I lazily followed the other hikers. Angry at the entire situation.

"We can camp here tonight but we'll have to walk twice as far tomorrow to get to the meadows!" Sarah snapped.

The other hikers groaned and grumbled in agreement.

"we can't keep stopping every few minutes Travis! If she can't keep up then send her home" Mark exclaimed. I gasped dramatically and stomped my foot "Well sorry I'm not a goddamned expert in hiking in the middle of butt fucking nowhere!" I yelled with my hands in the air.
Although the hiking trip was my idea it was supposed to be a hiking/camping date weekend for me and Travis. It has only been a few months but I know he's in love with me!

Mark and Alex both shook their heads as they began setting up camp; Travis told me to go cool off and collect firewood while Sarah and Christina had to find fresh water. I grumbled as my immense dislike of the dirt and bugs grew larger with each passing moment that I trudged around. While gathering large sticks for the fire I hadn't notice how far away I was from the camp. My arms were heavy, a large bundle of sticks and branches lay atop them.

I turned around in a circle as I tried to remember which way I had come; I heard something in the distance. As I focused more closely I recognized the sound. It sounded like screaming. For a moment, I froze. A million different scenarios playing around in my head. Fright flooded my veins as another scream echoed out again and I dropped my bundle. Scrambling in the direction of the screaming and to my terror our camp.

Blood was smeared across trees, and splattered on half built tents. My fingers itched, and my palms sweaty. I dry heaved violently as I stepped over an arm which I guessed was Christina's from the bright bird tattoo on the inner arm. A cold numbing shock was swallowing me but still I stepped forward. Peering behind the half built neon blue tent; I prayed to find nothing.
My tongue felt slimy, as my mouth felt dry. I stared in disbelief at what laid before me. In a puddle of blood Sarah sat hunched over Marks dead body holding him, or what looked like she was holding him, until she turned her face towards me. Her lips swallowing the strip of bloody meat, not bothering to chew, gulping down a mouth full of his shredded flesh. Bile rose so quickly that it burned my tongue, with the taste of vomit, my eyes pooled with terror and tears as I began to walk backwards slowly. Sarah and I still kept our eyes locked on each other. My boot hit my hiking bag that I had sat by a tree when I had left to go get firewood; my bag no longer felt heavy with the amount of adrenaline pounding through me. I wouldn't be surprised if I could have pulled a tree up by the roots and ran with it. And running is what I did, I loved to run not that I did that very often in the city but after I moved I vowed that I would never stop running and I hoped to god that I was in decent enough shape to out run or at least get away from that 'thing'.

My lungs burned, my eyes felt dry, and my limbs felt as if someone had ripped them off but I only ran faster as I heard the stomping boots of Sarah behind me, she was sliding all over the place like the ground was made of ice. I thanked God that the leaves were slippery from the moist ground; for it they weren't then I surely would be dead much like the others. The rumbling sound of rushing water made me turn right just in time to miss Sarah's lunge at me. I broke past the tree line and tumbled down the bank and into the cold rushing water in just seconds. I swam hard to the surface, breaking through the water I swallowed as much air as I could before the current pulled me back underneath. I swam hard against the current as my eyes hurriedly scanned the treeline and the bank for her; my eyes locked on Sarah as she dove into the water and paddled like a mad woman towards me. The water pounded me back first into the rocks as I tried to claw at anything that I could use to pull myself out of the water and get away from her.

A hand gripped my ankle. She pulled me under. I clawed and scratched and fought blindly in the dark water. We both fought each other beneath the water as the current pounded us with debris and slammed us into rocks. A large broken tree branch cracked Sarah in the head knocking her unconscious. I clawed the side bank with the last remaining strength I had and pulled myself up onto the muddy bank.