Mauled - Book 2 of the Close Call Series (Currently Published On Amazon)

Ch.5 A Bump in the Night

Laura finished off her fish and threw her plate and any remains into the fire, Claire followed her lead.
    "Anyone want marshmallows?" Josey asked hopping up.
    "Most definitely," Neka immediately responded with excitement.
    Claire grabbed their roasting sticks from where they'd propped them up on a log. Josey returned with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
    "Oh my God Josey, smores!" Laura squealed, giving him her best man eating grin.
    "Of course," he responded. "Hand me your stick I'll put the marshmallow on it," he said reaching out to her early.
    She handed it over and patiently awaited it's return. He handed it back with a little hesitance, she didn't even notice it and quickly swung her stick around to land over the fire. When the marshmallow was slightly brown she pulled it back and reached for the crackers to make her first smore.
    "Wait!" Josey shouted in alarm, holding his hand up.
    "What?" Laura responded, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.
    "That marshmallows to perfect to smush between chocolate and gram crackers," Josey blurted coyly.
    Laura examined the goop on the end of her stick, "Your right!" She said pulling it off and plopping it into her mouth, her eyes rolled upwards and she groaned in pleasure. Then her face changed and she shouted "Oh my God!" before spitting it out.
    "It's not good?" Neka questioned, looking at Laura inquisitively. It was a marshmallow, how could it not be good?
    "What the hell is this?" Laura exclaimed in a slight panic as she pulled something hard and shiny from the slightly melted and mushy mass.
    Laura's mouth almost fell open as it caught the fires light. She looked up at her friends in amazement, they all had their hands over their mouths. Then she glanced beside her, and her eyes landed on the handsome man kneeling there.
    "Laura, I love you! You're my best friend. You're the most amazing woman I've ever laid eyes on. I've never met anyone so sweet, caring, and strong. You've been through hell but you haven't let it change you, if anything you turned it into an advantage, allowing it to make you an even better person. I can't imagine ever being with anyone else. Will you marry me," Josey asked slipping the ring from her hand and onto her finger, hopeful.
    "Oh my God, of course," Laura squealed, jumping into his arms and knocking him off balance, almost sending then both sprawling into the dirt.
    They stood up and dusted themselves off, then admired the ring sparkling on Laura's hand, still partially covered in marshmallow.
    "Congrats," Neka blurted out, filled with excitement.
    "Come on Neka let's go to bed and give them some alone time," Claire stated finishing off a smore, before standing up and heading to the tent.
    Laura and Josey moved to sit on their sleeping bag, "How long have you been waiting to do this?" Laura asked out of curiosity, as she finally made herself a smore.
    Josey rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know. I bought the ring about eight months ago, but I guess I only really started thinking about it after we went to the fair a couple weeks ago. We just had so much fun that day, I thought to myself, I want the rest of our lives to be like this."
    "Really? Are you -" A blood curdling scream split the air cutting her off, she grabbed ahold of Josey's shirt with both hands and shivered.
    "What was that."
    "I don't know, I'll go see."
    "No, please. Let's just go inside the tent and lay down."
    "It'll only take me a minute."
    "Josey, please!" He looked down at her pleading face, tears were close to spilling over the rim of her eyes. The hell with it. Someone else could see about them, it would break his heart to leave her like that. He knew what she was scared of and he just couldn't put her through the mental torture of him walking away, he was all she had.
    They grabbed their sleeping bag and moved inside the tent, they'd barely made it through the flap when a gunshot was heard. They froze, "Everyone lay down, and don't move. I don't know what's going on out there, but we're less likely to get hit if we're low to the ground," he rushed out as he hit the ground dragging Laura with him.
     They lay still bundled up in their sleeping bags quaking with fear. Laura clung to Josey like he was the only thing keeping her alive, Claire and Neka held onto each other like they were about to be ripped apart. Their were screams and gunshots everywhere, but they  weren't constant. Every time they'd start to relax a little, another one would pierce their ear drums.

     After hours of panic the world fell silent. Claire started to doze off from pure exhaustion, her body just wasn't making enough energy to recover what her fear was burning out. Then there was the pitter patter of tiny footsteps, followed by a small shadow on their tent, Neka gasped and jumped up rushing for the tent flap. But before she could open it the child was gone and she fell back to her sleeping bag, full of disappointment.
    When she looked back to where the small figure had been, there was a much bigger shadow cast on the wall of the tent, accompanied by snorts and grunts. Not a single whisper came from inside as they held their breaths praying the vile creature would move on.

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