The Footprint

Prolouge

          As I walked through the door, I was assaulted by flashing lights and the smell of alcohol. The music was so loud I could hear it about four blocks away when I parked. I was surprised the cops hadn't shown up with a complaint from the neighbors, but once I got there I realized the cops and the neighbors were probably here with the amount of people at the party.

          The party was in full swing, it had started over two hours ago and everyone was already drunk. People swayed with the music, and through the crowd I could see Rebecca. She called me an hour ago, saving me from my family's stupid camping trip. It was much more fun to party anyway.

          My parents insisted that we needed to be closer and it would benefit the whole family, but I knew they were trying to get me in line. I much preferred to get drunk, party, and sleep around, instead of making good grades and hanging out with my family. My parents didn't get that I was sixteen not six. I guessed I changed once I got to high school, but I just wanted to have fun. And fun I had.

         I quickly spotted the drinks, and grabbed some to keep me company on the dance floor. Rebecca stumbled over to where I stood. "Babe!!! You made it! Come danccceee!", she shouted over the music, as she tugged me to the throng of dancing people.

        We danced for about ten minutes, and then headed over to the shots. Rebecca handed me two, and I downed them. A guy with brown hair and green eyes walked up holding two drinks. "Wanna dance?", he asked casually, while giving me one of his drinks. I didn't even answer, just pulled him on the dance floor, and started grinding on him to the song blasting out of the stereos. We made out and drank and danced, until he finally led me into one of the rooms and locked it.

         Oh yeah, I was having fun that night.

**********

        When I woke up, I was sprawled all over Green Eyes, and I had a headache. I got up out of the bed, put on my clothes and searched for my phone. By the time I found it inside my purse, I was already halfway down the staircase. I checked the time, 11:53, no way my family hasn't noticed I'm gone. Oh well, they'll get over it, its not like its the first time. I found my sunglasses in my purse, put them on and stepped out the front door. I stepped over Rylan Johnston's unconscious body on the sidewalk and made my way to my car.

           It was about twenty minutes from here to the creek my parents and little sister camped out at last night but about half the trip was on an unpaved trail through the woods. That's why Mom and Dad liked the area so much, it was secluded so our family could 'be one with nature and each other'. Frankly, I don't really care.

          About twenty minutes later, I swerved and parked next to my mom's SUV and surveyed the area. There was a a fire pit next to the creek and around a few trees to the right there's an area to put tents. We had one of those big conjoined tents that supposedly fit six, but really was more suited to about 3.

         It was strange. Normally Madi, my ten year old sister, was in the creek and my dad was upstream a ways trying to catch fish. My mom always bustled around doing something, where were they? Maybe they haven't woken up yet. As I walked around the trees, I noticed all the flies swarming around. This was exactly why I hated nat-

          I could only scream as I surveyed the scene around me. The once blue tent was now stained tints of bugandy, it was shredded into tiny slivers revealing the most horrifying sight. My mother and father were still laying on their blow up mattress, eyes spread wide open in an expression of pure terror, torsos ripped open and empty of all contents. I couldn't seem to look away and my eyes took in Madi, whose torso and legs were severed, with blood saturating her once purple nightgown. I looked upon my worst nightmare, and with numb fingers called 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

         It was all I could do to say the address as I looked at the human footprint embedded in the ground a few feet away, knowing it was way too big to be my dad's.