"I swear, Janet,we do this all the time. Don't be a chicken."
"I'm sorry Lace, I just don't think playing hide-and-seek in a dark forest is a good idea."
Lacey pursed her lips for a brief second. "I told Anton you were coming. He seemed excited."
Janet cocked her head slightly to the side as she scrunched her eyebrows. "You're a liar."
"I swear, he's coming." Lacey's grin widened, knowing she had successfully pulled her friend in.
"I don't know," Janet said, not wanting to go back on her decision.
"Jaaaanet," Lacey sang.
"Okay...okay," she sighed. She couldn't believe what she was agreeing to.
"Perfect! All right come on. I'll drive."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was a darker night than usual. The moon was nothing more that a silver sliver in the sky. Grey puffy clouds covered the stars.
They pulled into the long gravel driveway of Samantha's house. The vast forest loomed over the roof. The bare branches clattered together, sounding like a mallet hitting the bars of a xylophone.
"You ready to have fun?" Lacey asked, turning off the car. The hum of the engine sputtered out, leaving the two in silence for a moment.
"I guess," Janet replied warily.
"Look, there's Anton," Lacey pointed.
Standing by the edge of the forest line was Anton. He wore a brown leather jacket and a red flannel button up shirt.
Janet felt her cheeks flush as she readjusted her floral blouse.
"Girl you look like Beyoncé, chill." Lacey fixed her brown, curly hair.
Anton noticed them and shot a wave their way. Samantha, John, and Jessica stood beside Anton waving as well.
The two girls exited the car, walking the short distance to the crowd. The fallen leaves crunched underneath their feet as the cool November wind rustled their hair.
"Hey guys," Lacey said with quick wave.
"Glad to see both of you could make it," Jessica said with a grin, flicking her eyes to Janet.
"Happy to be here." Janet forced a smile. Goosebumps prickled her arm as the wind seeped through the blouse.
"Are you cold, Jan?" Anton asked.
"No—I'm fine," she uttered. Anton began shedding his brown jacket. "You really don't have to do that."
"It's cold out."
"Thank you." Her cheeks flushed again as she put on the jacket. The smell of his sweet cologne hung in the cool air.
"Alright, so whose seeking?" John said, passing out a few beers. John offered Janet one, but she turned it down.
"I think the host should go first." Anton smirked, taking a swig of his drink.
"Fine," Samantha said. She knocked her head black, chugging her beer. " Rules for the newbie. It's pretty much like hide-and-seek. You can't go past the marked off area, and whoever gets caught last is it next."
"Sounds easy enough," Janet said nervously.
"Here," Jessica said, hanging out flashlights to everyone.
"I'll count to one hundred and then you all are fair game," Samantha instructed. She turned her back to the woods and covered her eyes.
"Good luck girl," Lacey said. She turned her flashlight on and took off towards the woods.
"98,97,96..."
With her heart pounding, she took off for the woods. The beam of her flashlight lit up the dark woods. Leaves covered the damp ground, muffling the sticks and fallen branches that cracked underneath her feet. Giggles sounded in the distance. Through the dark, she could see the faint glow of the others' flashlights illuminating the black.
A loud hooting above in the trees startled her. She let out a small squeal as she aimed the beam up into the branches. Sitting perched on was a barn owl. It let out an irritated hoot as it's pupils constricted in the light.
"Sorry," she apologized softly.
"Ready or not, here I come!" called a loud voice. The voice echoed off the trees, startling the owl. It flew away in a hurry, dropping a few feathers.
"Crap," Janet muttered. She shone the light around wildly in search of a hiding place. A long, hollowed log lay covers in moss and leaves. A quick glance inside showed it to be empty. Some leaves and a little dirt sat inside .
A loud crack behind her seemed to make up her mind. She got on her hands and knees and crawled into the small space. An earthy smell filled her nostrils.
"This is so stupid," she muttered to herself.
Footsteps grew closer to her position. She quickly shut off the flashlight. Heavy footfalls sounded right behind the log.
Her breathing stopped.
Please don't look in here.
The footsteps walked to the side of the log. A scraping noise followed the steps, sounding as if an object was being drug behind them.
"Find them all." The voice was deep. She didn't seem to recognize it. Maybe it was John's? But why was he seeking? Did he and Samantha switch?
As the steps grew distance, silence filled the night. Every now and then the wind rustled the branches above, playing a spine-chilling melody.
Fifteen minutes had passed when she heard a scream.
"Somebody got caught," she whispered. Maybe it was Lacey. She would love to outplay all the veterans.
A shiver shook her body as the heat from the coat began to fade. The air seemed to grow colder as the evening progressed. She wrapped her arms around each other as her teeth began to chatter.
Ten more minutes passed and she began to get worried. She needed to move soon or she was going to freeze to death. Deciding that no game was worth the risk, she backed out of the log.
She flicked the switch on the flashlight. A beam of light returned to her vision. A thick smell of smoke filled the air.
Maybe they gave up and started a bonfire?
She trudged through the wood, trying hard not to trip over roots. Her limbs moved slower now that they were cold.
Finally she came upon the clearing. Sure enough a large bonfire blazed bright. But the sight she saw was anything but pleasant .
The flashlight fell out of her hand. Her heart froze like the rest of her limbs.
Hanging by nooses tied to a large tree were her friends. Their bodies were bloodied and limp. Lacey was missing one of her legs. Anton an arm. Samantha's intestines dangled past her feet, swaying in the breeze like the branches.
In the middle of the bonfire, a charred figure blazed. Positioned like a scarecrow in a t-pose, the body's arms lay stretched all the way out on either side. At a closer inspection, she saw that another figured was bound to the first one on the opposite side. Jessica and John...
She wanted to scream, but couldn't find her voice.
"Finally, I found you," a voice whispered behind her.
She flew around to find a tall man wielding an axe standing right behind her. Blood covered his overalls. Three deep cuts bled from his face. He flashed her a rotten smile.
Without hesitation, he swung the blood-stained axe straight for her.
