Deep Dark
Friday came sooner than I expected. As usual, I go through my morning routine of waking up, silently saying profanities against whoever came across the idea of Schools.
I go to my bathroom to wash up. After I'm done, I head to my room to dress up and then I head downstairs for breakfast Coffee included.
Yup, my addiction to the scent and taste of coffee still lingers within me.
I finish up with breakfast and then I exit my comfortable home to go to the Undercover mental asylum called school.
School goes by normally with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Well except for the fact that Zack kept on talking about our little plan for this evening which I was a billion percent not looking towards.
I'm honestly still against this whole idea of going into a dark place, in the night, walking in-between dark trees, with dark murderers still on the loose.
But no, Ace just had to accept Zack's stupid dare and now I have to tag along.
The funny thing is I'm a billion percent sure that Ace is just as scared as I am, I mean who wouldn't be? They freaking found dead bodies, emphasis on the "dead", in the same place we are about to venture into.
I feel like one of those silly horror movies where the main character knows there's something dark and dangerous lurking in whatever place he's about to go into but he still goes in either way.
And from what I've seen watching those movies, they never have a happy ending.
Well enough complaining, it's not gonna save me now anyway.
The school bell rings indicating school's over. I walk out of my classroom praying to God that our night adventure doesn't end up messier than it's intended to.
I walk up to my car and stand beside it as I await my two comrades. I see them coming out of the main hall some minutes later, Zack waving at me and Ace with his hands on a girl's waist.
"Smh"
A minute later, they are already next to me, Zack getting into my car while Ace gives Mrs stranger a goodbye kiss. To think that three years ago he could barely talk to a girl. What kind of monster have we created?
"Who's she?" I ask him as he goes to the passenger side of my car.
"Ashley, she goes to my math class," he replies as he enters my car.
I sigh as I also get into the car.
"You know I still think we should reconsider our little suicide mission," I tell Zack hoping that somewhere in his eccentric mind, he still has a little bit of calm reasoning.
"I honestly think we-" Ace is saying when Zack cuts him off.
"Oh so you've finally proven to be a chicken ayy?" He asks him with a smile on his face.
"Here we go again." I sigh to myself as I place my head on the steering wheel. I look to my right barely lifting my head so I can watch Mcfly explode.
Once again, he doesn't disappoint me.
"Drake, step on it." he orders me pissed that once again, his stupid 'I must prove myself' pride was once again challenged.
"Ai ai captain," I reply as I pull up from my parking space and maneuver my way through the sea of students in the car pack and then zoom off to our man cave, my home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We get home early so we decide to mess around until 8 pm, before we go for our scary event which, may I remind you, I'm still a billion percent against.
8 pm comes sooner than I expected so I leave my comrades downstairs and I head up to my room to put on something more comfortable. I change into a grey T-shirt, a jean pants, and then I put on one of my sneakers.
"Alright, let's do this," I say to myself while looking at my mirror, trying my possible best to trick my mind into being confident.
It doesn't work.
I still head down anyways. Ace is the first to sight me as I come down the stairs.
"Well don't you look Woody this evening, got a date with the wolves?" He teases me as I walk towards the front door.
"Haha nice try, we both know there are no wolves in California," I reply to him, sarcasm filling my tone.
"Well then let's go," Zack says as he gets up from my couch.
"Sure let's go"
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
We finally arrived at the woods and trust me, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.
Based on the gruesome stories I've heard about how the couples who went camping in this same place were killed, I was expecting a Castlevania kinda scene.
Rather it was eerily calm and quite peaceful actually. Too peaceful if you ask me.
"Well, what are you coming out for, let's go," Zack says to me as I stand still, still trying to wonder why this place is so quiet, I mean aren't woods meant to be filled with life?
"I've got a bad feeling about this," I say, my guts agreeing with me a billion percent.
"Sure you do, now let's move" Ace is the one to reply this time. Well, ain't someone suddenly confident?
They start to walk towards the woods while I just stare at them wondering what the heck gave them courage.
A second later I take a deep breath and proceed to walk behind them, my primal instincts telling me something is wrong with this place.
We keep on walking for what seems like 30 mins toward the heart of the woods.
It's then I notice Zack with a map. Wait why the heck is Zack with a map, I thought this was supposed to be a random walk.
"Hey Zack, what's up with the map?" I ask him my right brow raised in confusion.
He smiles at me and trust me if there's one thing I've learned in this life it's that whenever Zack smiles, trouble follows.
"We're headed towards the campsite where the couples were murdered," he says to me still with that devilish smile on his face.
I knew it!
"Zack seriously?!"
"You bloody said this was a test of courage not a fucking suicide mission!" I raise my voice a bit still pissed at him for deceiving me.
He raises his hand in surrender, still smiling at me.
"Did you know about this?" I look in Ace's direction throwing the question at him.
"Uhm, he might have told me yesterday" he stammers back at me.
"Seriously Ace?"
"I expected it from Zack but from you, really?" I say to him, disappointment filling my already angry tone.
"Well, there's no use complaining now let's just go on," Zack says to me still taking this as a joke.
"You guys go on without me, I'm a billion percent sure I don't want to go to jail this night, or worse, death," I say to them.
"Oh come on Drake, we're only gonna take a peep." Zack teases me.
"Nah I'm cool, you guys go on. I wanna take a detour." I say to him and then throw him a smile.
"Okay, suit yourself."
"Let's go Ace." Zack turns to Ace this time signaling him to go.
"Don't wander too far mate." Ace tells me as he walks away.
"Sure."
As they walk further into the woods, I start to feel concerned, wondering how they were gonna get back. Then I remember they have a map so I stop wondering.
"Now I guess I just have to walk straight back if I want to get to the car"
I think as I immediately turn back ready to go back to the car.
There's something about this place and I just don't like it. It only makes my instincts put a single word into my mind.
"RUN"
It's then I notice that this place is too quiet. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of wild animals, especially the ones who like to hunt humans, but this place is just too damn quiet.
I start to walk straight back to my car my pace getting faster with each step I take.
It's then I feel it.
The sudden chill in the air.
The hair on my arm rising up instinctively to the sudden danger.
I then slowly and cautiously turn my head to my side. It's then I see them again, a pair of ocean-blue eyes.
On any other day, I would have been fascinated by how beautiful they are, except this time, they were on the body of a beast.
Sweat beads roll down my forehead as I look at the beast right in front of me.
I can't tell what it is as the trees are aiding its shadowy presence.
I can't say what it is but I know it's dangerous, probably the most dangerous thing I've encountered in my life.
I hear growls, loud ones, coming from whatever monstrosity stood in front of me.
I feel its penetrating gaze on my chest like it wants to rip my heart out. I gulp as the thought of making any stupid moves at this point only plays out one ending in my head.
"Death"
I then do the one thing a prey does anytime it comes in the face of a predator.
I try to survive.
I run.