Aim to Engage Short Stories

Fright prompt - Secrets

Laughing and talking they made their way through the forest. Leaves in all shades of orange, yellow and red covered the forest floor and the branches were bare, letting through watery rays of sunlight. The group talked as they walked, remembering all the fun times they had in high school. It was their last summer break together before the five of them all headed off to different colleges. They laughed together, recalling one time Melissa, a tall blonde, had stood up on one of the tables in the cafeteria and protested the long school days. She had gotten three weeks' worth of detention, which she had used it to emphasize her point. Her protest didn't really make a difference, but it did make for one hell of a memory.

'Do you remember that one time with Mr. Frank?' Jason laughed, nodding.

'Of course, I remember, how could I forget!' Donovan barked a laugh, the rich sound filling the otherwise quiet autumn air. Melissa and Amber walked next to each other.

'You okay?' Melissa whispered to Amber, who looked a little uncomfortable. Amber managed a half-smile.

'Yeah, I just... I don't know... I just have this feeling something bad is going to happen,' she whispered. Melissa sighed, taking Amber's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

'We'll be okay. We've been through a lot together, we can get through anything.' Amber smiled, nodding, seeming convinced by Melissa's words. In front of the two duo's Tony turned around, walking backward and facing the group. He spread his arms, cocking his chin up.

'To us! To live! To freedom!' He exclaimed. The five of them laughed and Tony kept walking backward, not paying attention to where he was going. He cheerfully kept chatting with his friends. With the next step he took, his heel caught on something and he tripped. His friends stopped, bursting into laughter as he lay there on the cold ground, a dumbfounded look on his face. He stood up, looking at the ground to see what he had tripped over. A frown etched into his forehead as he picked up a small metal box. His friends stopped laughing, eyeing the box curiously.

'What's that?' Amber asked quietly, feeling a wave of nausea washing over her. Tony shrugged.

'I'm not sure. It just says not to open it.' His finger ran over the words carved into the top of the box. Jason barked a laugh.

'Oh come on! We're not going to let us stop that right? What if it's like a hidden treasure or something? That would be so cool!' Melissa raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Tony didn't say anything, as he opened the box, ignoring Melissa and Amber's warnings not to. He carefully lifted the lid, but as soon as he saw what was inside, he dropped the box like it was made of fire. Inside, was a hand and a note. "Shouldn't have opened the box. This hand belonged to someone you knew. And you're next."

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499 words... That was close

Song: Natural - Imagine Dragons

Hope you enjoyed!

Lots of love, 

Em,