One Left

“I think this spot is perfect,” Rachel says as she plops her equipment at the only dry space throughout the woods.

“Everything is so wet. How are we supposed to camp if we won’t even be able to start a fire?” Abbie complains.

“This just sucks. It’s going to be miserable,” Katie says as she steps in a puddle of thick mud.

“Where’s Elizabeth?” Claire asks the other girls, who are preoccupied with their own issues.

“I’m over here…”
All five girls are staying the weekend camping together. “Rachel, I’m starving. What did we bring?” Katie groans.

“I brought us all some hot dogs but we need a fire. Maybe you, Abbie, and Claire can go look for firewood and stuff while I set up with Elizabeth.” Katie, Abbie, and Claire head off into the woods to gather the wood.

Steam rose off the trees in the damp and humid woods. The forest floor, squishy from stepping on the fallen wet leaves, contains no dry wood anywhere. Soon enough, the sun settles beneath the tree line and the girls are left in the dark. As they get deeper into the woods, they spot an abandoned building up ahead. “Look! I bet we can find some firewood in there!” Abbie shouts. As the girls look around the inside of the building, they realize it must have been a boathouse at one point. With Katie taking the lead, one by one they peel their heads inside. The house is pitch black. A cool mist sweeps by the three girls as they creak open the door. Light tries to ooze its way into the house through the cracks in the walls. Overwhelmed with curiosity, the girls explore the boathouse trying to stay close together. The farther they travel, Claire separates from Katie and Abbie. “Anybody find firewood?” Katie asks, realizing how much they had become off track.

“Oh…um…no. I forgot to look,” Abbie replies. “Claire, did you find any?” Silence fills the air. Claire wasn’t nearby or anywhere to be seen. Out of nowhere, a bloody scream pierces the two girls’ ears, shattering the silence that surrounded them. “Claire…” Fear quickly fills both girls’ voices. Abbie and Katie charge through the house, desperately screeching her name. Nothing. The only thing to be heard was the heavy breathing of the two girls. Their breath became faster and faster as they approach the fresh, thick smell of blood coming from Claire’s wounded body. Her empty hollow eyes gaze at the ceiling. Blood soaks her clothes. Desperate tears fill Katie and Abbie’s faces, making a blurry trip back to the campsite.

As they approach the campsite, Elizabeth and Rachel aren’t around. Off in the distance, Katie spots Rachel quickly making her way over to them. “Elizabeth and I…” she gasps for breath, “We heard a scream when we were in the woods… We couldn’t find you anywhere! Where’s Claire? What happened?”

“In the woods… Someone has to be out there. Claire’s dead. She’s dead. Neither of us knows what happened; we don’t know what to do,” Katie replies with anguish filling her voice. “Where’s Elizabeth? Is she lost?”

“I don’t think so. We split up a little bit ago to look for you three since you had been gone for a while,” Rachel answers. Abbie and Katie begin explaining about what happened at the boathouse, but they’re too terrified to finish the story. They can’t bare the thought of Claire dead.

Finally, Elizabeth makes her way back to the campsite. She appears with tattered clothes and blood streaked from head to toe. “What…what happened to you?” Abbie asks her. “I uh…” Elizabeth starts, “I fell. I tripped over a big log. I’m fine, really. It’s no big deal,” she replies, making quick side glances at Rachel as she speaks. Rachel keeps her eyes trained on Elizabeth like an animal watching its prey, making sure she doesn’t slip and information.

As the night settles down, the girls gather around the campfire. They meet each other with expressionless faces. Speechless. “Rachel, will you get me a blanket? I’m freezing,” Abbie asks. Rachel grabs the blanket and as she sits down, something sharp pricks her leg. “Ow…” Little specks of blood start to soak in her jeans.

“Are you okay?” Katie asks as she notices Rachel’s pants.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Rachel knew it was the knife gently resting in her front pocket.

Later in the evening, all four girls decide to go to bed after the exhausting day. They tuck their selves in their sleeping bags, all lined up and squished together, wanting the comfort of one another. That next morning, the only one that wakes up is Rachel. The rest of the girls lie there, lifeless.