Hot Springs Horror #NaNoWriMo2020

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The overflow of alcohol finally took its toll on me—I really had to pee. But to venture out of the springs and towards a spot to take a leak sounded like a horrifying idea. I almost asked Jay to accompany me, but he'd fallen into another spell of silence as his friends rough-housed and took turns hitting on my friends.

Luckily, Jenny whispered that she'd brought a flashlight, and told me to take it from where she'd left it on the platform, next to her discarded bathing suit.

I located the light and slipped into my flip-flops and took off. Tipsy, vision blurry, I thought I was headed towards Millie's car, where I hoped to recompose myself, maybe even grab a little something to eat. But the farther I walked, the more I realized I had no clue where I was going.

The urge to pee was too much to bear, so I found a cluster of bushes, lowered in a huddle, and took care of business.

So many weird sights and smells and sounds surrounded me—shadows shimmied in front of me, a coppery stench filled my nose, and ominous grunts came from nearby.

I hurried to finish so I could wobble to the springs and far from the unknown in my vicinity. What if someone loomed in the darkness, watching me? Waiting for the perfect moment to pounce? What kind of animals hung out around this area, what sort of bugs might crawl up along my legs and chew into me?

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I muttered to myself as I stood and pulled up my swim trunks. I grasped the flashlight with trembling fingers and started walking. More gloomy grunting came from ahead of me, and it definitely didn't sound human, meaning my companions weren't the ones making such sounds.

"Shit... where am I?" I shined the light in front of me, spotting nothing but waves and waves of fields. "Wrong way?" I spun and paused, directing the stream in the other direction, breaths hitching in my throat. Had I gotten lost after walking for no longer than five minutes?

Squinting, I detected faint movement and heard a few squirms and giggles, recognizing Millie's voice. I'd managed to somehow turn myself around and stray in the darkness of this vast, empty desert.

"Ugh." I groaned as I picked up the pace, hastening away from the eerie noises and towards the group of humans who splashed around in the springs.

I felt dirt caking over my toes and my heels kept slipping as I marched, but eventually I made it to the semi-safety of the hot water. And as I dunked into the liquid, I sucked in the steam and relaxed—but only slightly. Under the starlight, I detected Millie sitting on Aaron's lap off to the left, chortling as they shared booze with one another. And Rob, relentless as ever, circled Jenny, speaking of physics and planets, capturing her attention.

Though he'd stuffed himself into a shell, I chose to sit next to Jay again; at least he wouldn't bother me or try to touch my boobs. Sympathy filled my heart for him. He was bullied by his friends, mocked for what he believed in, for the type of documents he liked to read. It wasn't fair.

Seconds after I settled into a comfortable spot, a deluge of thick and warm raindrops unleashed over us.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Shit, where is that coming from?"

I shielded my eyes, unable to recognize who was talking. A bout of strong wind whizzed into our area, knocking me into Jay, who raised his arm to protect us both. "Thanks," I whispered, to which he said nothing, only keeping me sheltered from the whipping gusts.

After a few minutes, the rain subsided and the air stilled as if it had never moved. The desert silence returned and the world seemed to go back to normal.