Stay Safe

Chapter 1

"Who's there?" you say nervously. No response. "Look, I have a gun aimed right at you. We can do this the easy way by telling me what you want, or we can do this the hard way." Again, no response, but this time you see the figure's hands raise. "Put any weapons you have on the ground, now." You watched as the figure took off what looked like a belt and threw it on the ground.
"Can I put my arms down now?" the figure asked. You were somewhat startled by the person finally speaking. It was a definitely a boy, but not a grown man.
"Sure, but don't try anything you'll soon regret," you say.
"Can I sit?"
"Uh..sure."
The boy walked over to another log across from you and sat down. Keeping an eye on him, you walk where he was standing and pick up his belt and put it in your backpack. You walked back and sat down on the log you were sitting on before. Your body did a quick shake as you felt the night's cool breeze shiver down your spine.
"You cold?" he said, sounding a little concerned.
"A little. It's not as cold as it has been though. Kinda nice compared to the last few days actually."
"Well, can I make a fire? Or would you like to?" You had no idea how to make a fire. Derrick tried to show you how a few months ago back at the camp, but you could never get it.
"You can," you say.
You watch him as he gets on his knees and looks up at you. "I have matches in a small bag attached to my belt. If you don't mind, I'd much rather use those than some tree branches."
You unzip your backpack and grab his belt. You pull it out and notice a small yellow bag tied around it. You untie it and search for the matches. The darkness made them much more difficult to find, but after what felt like several minutes of searching, you found them and handed them to him.
"Thanks," he says. He lights a match and throws it into a pile of leaves and branches he assembled while you were searching. "I have some paper in there too. It's not much, but it'll last a bit."
The paper was much easier to find. You pulled it out of the bag and handed the small stack of paper to him. He began throwing in piece after piece. You enjoyed the warmth of a fire that you hadn't felt in so long and watching the fire engulf the paper.
You could now see his face. He had somewhat long brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. He wore a sheriff's hat; you almost thought about asking about where he got it, but you saved it for another time. He looked up at you as he smiled. It wasn't a big, happy smile, it was more of a smile you give a stranger as you walked past them. He got up off his knees, brushed off the dirt and grass, and sat back down on the log.
Not enjoying the awkward silence, you introduced yourself. "Well, hi, I'm
(Y/N), and this is my wonderful camp."
He smiled and laughed as he looked around at the surrounding forest. "Nice to meet you. I'm Carl."