CreepsMcPasta Creepypasta Radio - "I’m camping with a group of friends.The girl who left is NOT the same who came back" Creepypasta

Episode Date: July 24, 2020

I’m camping with a group of friends, for the first time, in the forest... The girl who left to get firewood is not the same girl who came back.CREEPYPASTA STORY►by Darkly_Gathers: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comm...Creepypastas are the campfire tales of the internet. Horror stories spread through Reddit r/nosleep, forums and blogs, rather than word of mouth. Whether you believe these scary stories to be true or not is left to your own discretion and imagination. LISTEN TO CREEPYPASTAS ON THE GO-SPOTIFY► https://open.spotify.com/show/7l0iRPd...iTUNES► https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...CREEPY THUMBNAIL ART BY- Natalia Bacetti: ►https://www.artstation.com/artwork/2x...►https://www.instagram.com/nataliabace...SUGGESTED CREEPYPASTA PLAYLISTS-►"Good Places to Start"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7YCb...►"Personal Favourites"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEa2R...►"Written by me"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX6RA...►"Long Stories"- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...FOLLOW ME ON-►Twitter: https://twitter.com/Creeps_McPasta►Instagram: https://instagram.com/creepsmcpasta/►Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/creepsmcpasta►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreepsMcPastaCREEPYPASTA MUSIC/ SFX- ►http://bit.ly/Audionic ♪►http://bit.ly/Myuusic ♪►http://bit.ly/incompt ♪►http://bit.ly/EpidemicM ♪-This creepypasta is for entertainment purposes only-

Oh, leung, that I'm in three days. I'm a moose if I're on thinking. Oh, that to seeer that morning off must. I'm all mooh as I'm not on thinking. Oh, this is I'm all moor as I'm on thinking. Have you it mollick at home to come? Give you self then a boost with biocure maxhot liquid. Three op-puppendant plants.

Magnesium, Izer. An energy booster to immediately be able to come out. Bio-cure, Max-Shot Liquid. Foodingsupplement, forcry, by the apotheker. I'm sure of it. That's my first thought, at least. I do tend to jump to Atlantis conclusions. No one else seems to have picked up on any change.

They're all too preoccupied. Messing about with the fire, chatting nonsense. But I see. I always notice the little things. And Emily has changed. Is everything okay, Em? I called over. As I said, my mum.

in these sorts of situations, always jumps instantly to the craziest, most ludicrous, most far-fetched explanation possible as a general rule. But I'm not insane. The sun is setting and the fire has begun to cast strange and flickering shadows across the faces of the people around it. There are six of us here, high school kids. Robbie's just passed his driver's test and he's driven us all into the wild. Our first big outing as a group.

camping in the forest. Emily does not respond. She does not even knock up. She just stands, awkwardly, at the edge of the clearing, staring into the flames. I glance around at the others. They're all chattering away. Robbie's flirting with Ariana, I see, with a stab of sharp jealousy. I don't know if he's getting my hints or if he's just not interested.

And the other two, Kyle and Kai. are both trying and failing to roast their sticks of beef jerky above the fire. Kai swears and grimaces as his piece tumbles pitifully from the stick and is lost to the flames. I sigh and I rise, walking cautiously over to where Emily is standing. Emily? I say softly, reaching out a hand to a shoulder. Emily turns to look at me, expressionless. I'm not sure why, but I'm not sure why. my skin crawls.

It feels like she's looking right through me. Emily is one of my favourite people. She's so funny, so bubbly. She's the one who came up with the whole idea to go camping in the first place. We're in a part of the state I've never been to before, but Emily has. She's been camping here with her parents. She thought it would be really fun for us to come here altogether. And so far, it has been.

been. Emily? I say again, softly. What's wrong? But as before, Emily does not respond. Her face remains completely still. She gives me no body language at all, and I can't help but nervously laugh a little, giving her a playful shake. Talk to me, girl. Hello, are you okay? The sky has begun to fade from a red to a deep purple as the sun disappears below the horizon. Curious, unseen birds chirp in the distance beyond the surrounding, encircling tree line. Okay. Emily replies after a pause, startling me. Another anxious laugh escapes me, and I took a strand of hair behind my ear. So, everything's okay? I ask. Everything is okay, she replies.

"'Sweet,' I breathe. "'Okay, well, that's good. "'But I don't really know what else to say. "'The girl's acting weird as hell. "'Where's the firewood, Em?' "'I ask, gesturing down to her empty hands. "'Emily does not move. "'Emily,' I say, a little louder now.

"'Some of the others turn to look over. "'You're freaking me out. "'Stop messing around. "'Where's the fire?' firewood. The firewood, she repeats quietly. Yo, you didn't bring back any wood, Emily? Kyle calls

over to us. What are you even doing out there? Kai mutters something under his breath and makes a crude gesture, and the boy suppress snorts of laughter and childish giggles. Ariana throws an empty can at him, which he bads away playfully. Emily makes a noise in response, a noise which sets the others off chuckling.

It puts them at ease and they return to their conversations. But I am not at ease. All the fine little hairs across my forearms and up the back of my neck, they suddenly stand on end in terrible, chilling unison. The sound that Emily makes was clearly supposed to be a laugh. The others were only half paying attention, shouting over their shoulders, but I was looking right at her. right at her.

And she didn't smile. Her eyes remained wide open. The laugh was completely, utterly hollow, and it was a carbon copy of my own, forced uncompricingly through Emily's vocal cords. I just stare back at her, and for a moment it is only us. No fire, no sunset sky,

no birds beyond, and no budding star. just me and her. The tension is broken when Ariana calls us over to sit down. Emily turns at the sound of her name and goes to sit by the edge of the fire upon being summoned. My heart is hammering dangerously in my chest and I reach for my pocket, taking a breath from my inhaler. I try to do it subtly.

I hate Robbie seeing me do it, but honestly I've got bigger things to worry about right now. What the hell was that? Is this some kind of sick prank? I guess it could be. I glance around for subtly placed cameras, for carefully angled phones. Maybe the group are in on a joke of some kind.

The thought makes me instantly self-conscious. I've always been insecure about being left out of stuff, but I can't see a thing. And besides, it's getting too dark now anyway. I consider going to sit down with Robbie and Ariana, and now Emily. Maybe get in their way. But I decide against it

and sit down with her boys instead. I only half take part in their conversation. I can't help but to constantly glance over to Emily. She's just sat there, expressionless most of the time, barely speaking.

I just can't for the life of me shake this feeling in my gut that something is terribly, terribly wrong. Hey, Earth to sister, kind knocks me on the shoulder, and I turn to him. You okay, Cassie.

You've gotten so quiet all of a sudden. I've gotten quiet, I reply, perhaps with a bit more force than I meant to, and the guys raised her eyebrows in surprise. I blush a little. Sorry, I say. I'm just... Have you guys noticed anything weird with Emily lately?

Ever since she came back from the woods, she's been acting all different. Kai brushes his long, messy fringe from his eyes and shoots a glance to Kyle An unspoken message seems to pass between the two And Kyle rolls his eyes Kai looks back to me to speak Are you sure you're not just

jealous that she's over there talking to Robbie? I flushed suddenly and swear at him He laughs and I shove him away Shut up, Kai, what are you talking about? Come on Casey everyone knows. Carl whispers behind his hand. I breathe out a sigh of distress.

Does Robbie know? I ask. Carl responds in the negative, but I'm not sure I believe him. From there, the conversation grows and develops in natural little shoots and I get lost in it. I forget for a while about my uncertainty regarding Emily.

I lose track of time. We start to pack up and prepare for bed. Tonight's the settling in night. We'll start on the real under-aids drink in Bonanza tomorrow.

As we're all shuffling around, gathering our things and throwing the last of the sticks onto the fire, hoping that there'll be sufficient embers in the morning to get it started again easily enough.

I decide to speak with Robbie real quick. Just a brief chat. To put me in his mind before he goes to sleep. Hey Robbie, I say to him, pushing out my chest a little

as he turns to me. He looks so good in the glow of the fire. The angles of his face illuminated in rippling orange. Hey Cass, you all sorted for tonight? Yeah, I think so, I say. Do you think that? But he cuts me off. He leans in close. Hey, Cass, did you notice anything kind of weird about Emily earlier? Emily And I realise what an idiot I've been Oh yeah

Yeah I did Where is she now Robbie Where's Emily? I'm not sure He replies Then straightens and calls out Do the bustling shadows be on the fire Hey Emily

Have any of you guys seen M Oh yeah Carl replies She went to get more firewood with Kai Ariana snorts from her position by the logs. Good to see you're actually doing some work. But I don't laugh. In fact, I start to feel terribly cold,

chilled despite the night's latent warmth. How long ago did they leave? I asked desperately. I can't seem to organise my thoughts. Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong. But I just can't vocalise. what that thing is.

Kyle steps closer to the fire and shrugs. I don't know, like ten minutes maybe. I run past him to the edge of the clearing. I squint my eyes, looking out into the darkness,

listening for voices, for a stray beam of a flashlight. But there is nothing. Guys? I call out, guys! And I am answered by nothing but the ripple of the breeze.

through the branches. Emily and Kai are gone. I start to panic a little. I reach from my inhaler, pushing my hair away from my face and taking a deep breath in. Cassie?

Casey, what's the matter? Carl calls out as he jogs over to me. They just walked off into the darkness? I ask, forcing out my words. They didn't even take a flashlight? I don't know. Kai did, I think. Then, why can't we see it through the trees?

I don't know. Chill, Casey. It's fine. And why would they go out looking for firewood now that it's gone dark? Robbie's behind me now too. He puts a hand to my shoulder. His touch feels good. But I surprised myself by shaking him off,

realizing I'm even more stressed than I'd appreciated. Guys, this is serious, I say. Something is not really. right with Emily. She's... I'm unsure how to phrase it. She's... Not a self. I think we need to take her home. I appreciate how painfully uncool this makes me sound.

But someone's got to take charge. The group, as expected, all voice their protests. Whoa, hey, we're not taking her home, Casey, says Robbie. It's the middle of the night. And besides, I get that she was acting off. But... But what are we really saying? suggesting here, that's just having some kind of breakdown or something?

I... I don't know, I reply weakly. A scream from the forest cuts through up a lava like a sharpened blade. We turn as one to stare out towards its source, hearts thumping and all senses suddenly primed and brutally alert. I call it a scream, but it was more of a howl, really. Not like a wolf though, which would have been frightening enough. The sound that echoed through the trees

Was more like Like a howler monkey, I guess You ever heard one of those? A quick series of high-pitched, frenzied grunts and shrieks Strung together and played from note to note As discordantly as could be imagined Through the darkness

It's not a noise one hears in the forests Of the Midwest What the hell was that? Ariana whispers On a feet now And closer to the rest of the group I've been looking out into the woods for a while, away from the fire, and I feel my eyes are starting to adjust. But I can only make out vague shapes and gently waving branches, the smell of pine and smoke heavy in the air.

Robbie, I say, peering into the darkness. Ask me a flashlight. He goes to grab one and hands it to me. I respect the power of night vision, but sometimes you can't beat a solid, beam of welcome light. I click it on and Robbie does the same. And the beams land squarely

and a pale face in the trees. Eyes white and wide and staring back into my own. Jesus! I scream out an alarm and stagger back, dripping over a log and landing with a painful crash. Robbie's light is still

directed at the face and my brain registers it after a quick second. It's stood silently by the edge of the trees, unmoving. We all start swearing at him at once. Kyle bursts into a laugh now, and his face is illuminated briefly by rubbish flashlight as he swings it over,

his face breaking into a grin. What the hell is wrong with you, man? Carl chuckles. You're one scary guy sometimes. The rest of us, however, are not so thrilled. What the hell, Kai? What are you doing this? there, man, I shout up at him.

Very funny, Kai, very funny. So, where's Emily? The others start looking around for her, expecting her to pop out from behind a tree or a tent at any moment. But she does not. I keep my beam fixed on the boy as I clamber to my feet. He does not laugh, and he does not move.

I take a step closer. "'Kai,' I say to him softly. "'He remained silent. "'Kai,' I say again, "'and I find that I am unable to raise my voice "'much higher than a whisper. "'Talk to me, man. "'There's a pause.

"'Then... "'Fire wood,' he replies quietly. "'The warning lights return, "'flashing bright to my head. Emily will bring back the firewood. The breeze blows through the dark forest. I take another step towards him as the others look around for Emily, laughing together now, flashlight beams tracing over the trees beyond.

He watches me approach. Kai, I say, very carefully and very clearly. I'm not going to lie to you, okay? I know, you know, I was freaking out a bit about. Emily earlier and if she's got you in some kind of prank it's just not funny alright it's freaking me out and if you want to make fun of me for being a chicken well that's just fine but please stop okay I'm really genuinely asking you to stop I tense and we stand there in silence regarding each other and then he grins

it's a pretty spooky looking face in the light of the flashlight but But it's a grin I recognize, and I breathe a little easier. You asshole, I mutter shaking my head. Come put some sticks under the fire and go to bed, okay? It's late. He walks towards me. He bursts into a sudden, loud laugh as he passes me by, which makes me jump again. I laugh too in response and push him away.

Chicken, he mutters. Yeah, I know, I know, I replied. rolling my eyes. So, where's Emily then, Kai? Bed. He replies, as he bends down to grab a handful of sticks, stepping over and throwing them carelessly into

the fire. Right, okay, well, that's good, I say, still kind of an edge, if I'm being honest. I'll look back on this moment and realize. I should have checked Emily's tent right away.

I should have just checked. But I don't. Because, why would he lie? It's around 3 a.m. when I wake up. Damn bladder. If you've ever had to rustle yourself out of a sleeping bag and step out into the wilderness to pee, you'll know my pain.

I tried to quietly pull down the zip so as to not wake up the others, and I tiptoe out into the rough forest ground. I'm still pretty freaked out about earlier, so I don't go far. Disappointed to realize that despite our efforts, the fire has gone out anyway. I basically just go to squat behind the tent. Yeah, I know that's gross. Sue me. I finish up. Here is when I realize I never checked on

Emily. And now that the thought has occurred to me, I realize I simply have to make sure she's okay. I won't be able to get back to sleep otherwise. So, I head back into my tent and grab my flashlight, only turning it on when I'm right next to Emily's tent. I whisper her name. No response. I whisper a little louder. Emily, maybe she's fast to sleep. I pulled a zip on a tent slowly and carefully up,

and then the one on the inner lining, and I peek my head inside. I shine the flashlight in two. But she's not there. I scan the beam all over the place, but it's not like there's anywhere to hide. It's a tent I start to sweat

Damn It's okay It's okay Maybe she's taking a pee Like me Just at the edge of the campsite She's probably just a few feet away So still on my hands and knees

I crawl back Turning my flashlight hand And pointing the beam out past the fire To scan my surroundings And the beam Lanz on Kai Stood there in the darkness in the exact same spot I'd last seen him in.

Silent. Still. Staring. The virus breeze ruffles his hair and he looks down at me, unblinking, not even squinting in the beam of the light. A scream

catches in my throat. He's not grinning now. I stare up at him, unable to speak. The silent figure alone in the darkness. Kai I stammer my blood cold

I say his name but receive no response Guys I choke out Then Guys wake up Guys please wake up I keep yelling

refusing to take my eyes away from Kai Even for a second As one by one They groggily awaken Peering out from their tense and confusion I stagger awkwardly to my feet shaking like a skinny branch in the wind.

Casey? Kyle calls over as he rubs his eyes and clicks on his flashlight. Is everything okay? Kai? He was just stood here, guys. Stead here by himself in the middle of the night. I say, fear and anger fighting for control over my voice. Kai!

I shout to him as the others watch. Kai, what is going on? He says nothing. and the others are starting to pick up on the vibe. I can feel it. There, starting to feel it too. The atmosphere is an icy mist that is slowly but surely

and shrouding and suffocating our little campsite. The others start calling him out too, Robbie, then Ariana and Kyle. They tell him to speak up, their frustrations mount, and then. Then Kyle laughs. It's the exact same laugh.

he gave earlier. And I'm looking at his face now. We all are. He does not smile. His body does not move as he produces the sound. Where is Emily? I shouted him. Emily is in bed.

He replies. No, no she isn't in bed. I've just looked in a tent and she's missing. I keep my flashlight pointed at the boy in a trembling hand, but I look to the others. Guys, you need to get your boots on. Emily's not here, and I don't know how long she's been gone.

She could be in real trouble, and we have to go find her. Okay, Kai whispers in response, and the word sends my pulse racing. He looks like he's about to say something else, but I cut him off. No, Kai, no, you're staying here. I don't know what the hell is up with you.

I don't know, if you're going to. You and Emily saw something in the woods, but this has gone on long enough. Right, says Robbie, he starts pulling his shoes on. I get it, I get it. There's something weird going on here. Maybe you're right, Casey. Maybe we should have just headed home. I'm trying really, really hard not to have a full-blown panic attack.

I get the sense that all our collective hearts are currently beating as one. And that we stand, as a group, on the edge of a cliff of emotion. collapse. Robbie straightens and speaks on. Casey, if you come with me, we'll see if we can find Emily. Ariana, you stay here with Kyle. Keep an eye on Kai. I'm not sure if he's sick or if there's something worse going on here.

But we find Emily and we get the hell out of here. Agreed? Despite her fear, I can tell that Ariana is irritated at being asked to stay at the campsite. But she does not protest. I look at Robbie and he nods at me. me, and we head out into the forest. I shoot a glance behind me and watch as Kyle and Ariana try to encourage Kai to sit down, and he does so.

They're anxious, and I can see it in the way they move. The way they're suddenly hesitant to go too near to him, to touch him. Kai's body gives away nothing. Kai, come on, man, you're okay, take a seat, Carl suggests calmly. It's a prank. Chicken, Kai says, as they disappear from earshot. His words have no cadence to them. I shiver and push onward past the branches alongside Robbie, and together we head into the forest. Okay, I admit I was wrong. This is weird. This is really weird. What the hell is up with Kai? Why is he acting so strange?

I don't know, I reply, but he's been acting this way since he went off with. Emily to get firewood. Robbie calls out her name and I do the same. We're following a rough trail through the brush. The one we use to collect fallen sticks another firewood from. I continued. It's like, it's almost like,

what? I don't know, it sounds stupid, but I had this thought about Emily too. It's like they're different people. Robbie says nothing. They barely even seem like people at all, I say quietly. We walk on a little father, calling out for Emily, looking for signs she might have passed, but we see no sign.

Robbie eventually throws out his hand and puts a finger to his lips. He points his flashlight at the ground, and I do the same. Do you hear that? he asks. Hear what? I whisper back. Listen. So I do, tensed, and a branch cracks in the trees off to our right. We lift our lights towards it. Emily, I call out, and a bush beside a tree, tangled amongst the ferns and strawberry, starts to suddenly shake,

shaking beyond what a breeze would warrant, and it rises. And I realised that the light is not showing me the leaves or twigs of a bush at all. It's showing me fur Thick green-brown fur in the dark Attached to an alien shape that quivers in the forest And I scream The noise like the howler monkey The twisted, broken, disjointed call

Of the unknown ape And it starts bounding towards us Run! Robbie roars And he grabs my sleeve And together we sprint off in near blind desperation For our lives oblivious to the scratching of the branches against our skin as we push madly through the thickets of the woods

darting around trees and through the high grass our flashlights clicked off we run and we run and we run oh no oh please no this can't be happening this can't be happening but we sprint and we tumble and stagger through the forest and just when I think the muscles in my legs are going to completely give way

Robbie grabs me and drags me down below a fallen tree where I can just about seem and return the finger to his lips through the gloom. We try as hard as we can to control our heavy breathing. He has primed for any hint as to the terrible and mysterious creatures whereabouts.

But we hear nothing. Remaining as silent as possible, we keep on listening. Listening intently for any kind of sound from behind that fallen trunk, for any kind of warning. Nothing.

Nothing from where we're expecting at least. Because a sound does reach our ears after a while. Once the hammering of our hearts had suddenly begun to steady. A sound that comes from in front, not behind. And I think we both hear it at roughly the same time. It's neither approaching nor growing fainter. But once you hear it, it's obvious. A subtle cracking.

A light tearing. A soft crunching. the occasional snap of something sturdy. It's too dark. I can't see a thing besides the weak light from the moon up above beyond the cluster trees and my very immediate surroundings. The fallen trunk.

The rough outline in shape of Robbie, a pine to my left. Robbie reaches for his flashlight, but I put a hand on his to stop him. Don't, I whisper, as quietly as I can. I have to see. He replies, and I can almost feel the fear in his voice. He cups his hand over the top half of the flashlight, shielding it as best as he can,

and turns it on to the lowest setting, keeping it almost pointed at the ground, carefully scanning it over the pine debris in front of us. And it eventually finds the source of the noise. Robbie freezes. He cannot move. He cannot look away. And neither can I. The light reveals a grotesque imitation of a human, faced away from us and hunched over.

Their legs and back stretched in ways that don't make sense. And the malistic heels push sickeningly out from the back of their calves, the face buried in the carcass of a deer. Eating. The vicar's jaw is distended. And, while it's difficult to see in the shadows, what looks like a set of furry jaws pushes out from the human's gaped open mouth biting quietly, tearing off pieces of the deer's flesh, and it seems to become aware of the light. The jaws retract, suddenly and horrifically,

forced back through its human mouth, the bone cracking back into place, and it swivels around to stare at us, face plain, it's Emily. I watched an unparalleled horror as she regards us with blank white eyes. The colour of her irisie. roll back down from behind her upper eyelids and settle into place.

The thing with Emily's face wobbles to us through the darkness. You're freaking me out, it says. Her voice is low. It has no rhythm, like she's speaking a language she's only ever seen written down. My wrist starts to hurt. I realize passively that Robbie has held it in a tight and painful grip. I hear whimpering.

I realize it's my own. Where's the firewood, Casey? Emily asks, as she begins to crawl slowly towards us over the rough ground of the forest. Emily's head cracks to the side, her face expressionless, the lower half drenched in the thick,

dark blood of the deer. Where is the firewood, Casey? She says again in that broken voice. It does not sound like a question. I stand. I'm not aware of giving the command to my legs, but I rise up nonetheless. I grip Robby's shoulder.

I grab his jacket. I tried to pull him up. Robbie, I say. Robbie, get up, get up, get up! I pull him up to his feet and we started back away. Stumbling a little as we retreat. Flashlights fixed on Emily as she approaches.

Do you remember the way back to the trail? I choke out. Robbie does not respond. Robbie, the trail. Do you know the way back? Yes, he whispers. I take a deep breath and I hurl my flashlight into Emily's face.

It smacks her and she twitches with a disgusting crack. I hear Robbie release a moan of dismay and Emily starts the shriek. She sounds the call, and on hands and knees she bounced suddenly towards us, her jaw distended, and the branch that I picked up in the darkness, the one I hold ready in my right hand, I grab with both, and with all my strength, with every single spark of effort I can summon, swing it mercilessly around, and smash it hard at the side of Emily's head,

the head of the creature wearing Emily's face. The impact vibrates on my hands and arms, and I drop the branch, fingers throbbing, as the creature stumbles and staggers into the dirt, twitching and disoriented, croaking, but not entirely stopped. Now, Robbie, I scream. Run, take us back to the trail. And again we run. I don't know how I can keep doing this.

I feel like I'm going to collapse, that my lungs are going to burst and expire on me as we push through the forest. Please, I think up to anyone that might be listening, please. Please, please help us find our way out to the trail, for the love of God, please. And, as luck would have it, we do. Skidding to a sudden halt as we breach the edge of the trail, we stumble and adjust our course, running hard and back the way we came along the rough path, leaving.

Leaves and skinny branches smack my face and scrape my arms, but they mean nothing to me now. We just have to go. The thoughts of Emily. and God knows what's happening to her flashes through my mind and I release a sob, following as best as I can and wildly panning beam of Robbie's flashlight.

An amber glow appears through the dark branches ahead and I could almost cry in relief. The fire, hits the fire. We're nearly back at the campsite. We stumble into the clearing, shouting as loud as we can from our emptied chest. Robbie dives instantly into his tent in search of,

I presume the keys for his car. But there's no one else here. The flicker of the flames and the gentle rustle of the trees beyond are the only movements. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Hello? I shout out. Hello? Guys, where the hell are you? Casey!

I hear from directly behind me, and I shriek, swearing and stumbling backwards. It's Ariana. her face a picture of terror ariana i manage as i double over try not to throw up as i take in deep shuddering breaths casey she says again squeezing me by the shoulders and leaning close what's wrong did you find emily i feel like i'm going to pass out i take several deep breaths from my inhaler struggling to take in air It takes a great deal of will To stop myself from just breaking down into tears Ariana

We have to go I splutter We have to leave now Grab what you can and leave the rest We just have to go She starts to protest She had a hundred questions of course But I cut her off

You have to trust me on this girl We just We have to go now Where are the others Where are the boys They just went for a pee Ariana stammers. They should be back any time.

But where's Emily? Does she need her help? Ariana, I say quietly. My heart's sinking. Did you let them go off by themselves? Just the two of them? She says nothing. But the expression of her face in the glow of the fire is clear.

This must be hell, I think to myself. Terrible realisation after terrible realisation. with no power to do anything about them. It's too late. Robbie burst out of his tent, holding his bag before him. I can't find the keys, he splutters, but they're in here somewhere. I know it.

I'm sure of it. Guys, come on, let's get the hell out of here. The path back to the car is only a 15-minute walk, but I'm no longer convinced we're going to make it. I turn, jaw clenched towards the way back. And sure enough, Two shrouded figures are standing there, just waiting, waiting at the edge of the clearing and blocking the path.

Robbie and Ariana and I move closer together, and a flashlight is raised to confirm what we already know. It's Kyle and Kai, standing stuck still, expressionless as they return our gaze. No, Robbie whispers. Ariana is whimpering. She doesn't quite get it. She doesn't know what's going on.

And to be perfectly honest, neither do we. But I'm pretty certain of the two people I see stood before me at the treeline are not Kai and Kyle. Not anymore. I see the dark, matted green-brown fur of the creatures in my mind's eye. Kyle? Robbie mutters bitterly. And I take a bold step towards them.

Then another. The others follow, and the boys remain still. Hey guys, I call out carefully. Everything okay? We need to return to the car. You understand, right? Emily's in real trouble, says Kyle, dead-faced. We have to go find her, says Kai.

Yes, yes she is. and reply through my teeth still steadily edging closer but the best way we can do that is return to the car to drive home and get help and come back in the morning we need the light guys

Kai suddenly shouts his body remains still gives no indication that he's shouting at all which only makes the expulsion all the more terrifying wake the hell up he screams at me Casey

wake the hell up. We're close to them now. I'm sweating. My throat is bone dry. Kai silences and Carl's eyes flick from Robbies to mine. I don't know what the hell is up with you. He says, I don't know if you saw something in the woods, but this has gone on long enough. The words just don't sound right. The cadence doesn't fit the context. I clenched my chore and gently. With shaking hands, ever so softly push past the two, easing myself between them, lowering my gaze and trying not to make eye contact.

Robbie and Ariana do the same. I start to walk a little faster. Robbie and Ariana follow. And so do Kyle and Kai. Walking just behind us, keeping pace. Ariana has started to weep. Emily went for a pee. Kyle says, loudly above the breeze.

It picks up and whistles past our ears as we stride along the path through the darkness. Pass me the flashlight, we find Emily and we get the hell out of here. What are you doing? Kyle says angrily. Then his tone changes at once. Where is Emily? Kyle speaks again. We have to go find her.

Where is Emily? We have to go find her, says Kyle. Ariana has begun crying openly, doing her best to stifle her sobs, but with little success. Kyle and Kai keep pace, and I don't know what to do. Should we run?

I'm not sure I have it in me to run much further without collapse. I take a breath from my inhaler. And would that set them off? Running? Would that anger them? I don't know. I just don't know. So, we keep on walking, hastily through the woods, down the forest path and back to the car.

Kai and Kyle continue calling after us. I keep my head down and keep moving, terrified that at any moment the creature wearing Emily's skin is going to burst out from the trees and onto the trail ahead. Robbie, says Kai. Harryana, says Kyle. She sobs, but we keep walking. We keep walking until Ariana lets out a loud shriek and comes to a sudden stop. Robbie and I jump and I suck some thick forest airing through my teeth, wheeling round to face her.

She is standing stock still, staring wide-eyed into the woods, her beam heading off into the trees. Guys? She says loudly. Guys, it's Emily. Terror strikes me. Robbie swears and grabs Ariana roughly by the shoulder and we start to run, dragging her along with us. Kyle and Kai keep easy pace, just behind. Always just behind. Hey, Ariana shouts, struggling.

Did you hear me? It's Emily. She's okay. I just saw her, you guys. I saw her in the trees. Guys, let me go. It's not her, Ariana. I reply, shouting back. you have to trust us, okay? We have to get to the car. But Ariana does not understand. And how could she? She cries with frustration, violently scratching and pushing Robbie away.

He curses and pulls back his hand. And Carl speaks, addressing his words to Ariana. Ariana, please stop okay. I'm really genuinely asking you to stop. And she does so. She stops. She turns to him, panting, tears streaming down a face.

Keep moving, I hiss to her. But she does not. She stands aground. She speaks to Kyle and Kai as we turn and light up their faces with the beams of our lights. Guys, please, she says. What is this? What's happening? Is this a prank or a game?

I can tell from her voice that she does not believe it is. But she's desperate for some kind of answer, for a way out. They're not pretending, Ariana, Robbie says. Just don't speak to them. He tries to grab her by the shoulder again, but she forcefully shrugs them off for a second time. She refuses to move. She stands shaking, her fists clenched.

Ariana, Kyle says, taking a step forward. Emily could be in real trouble. There is what sounds like genuine urgency in his voice. Kai speaks next. You have to trust us, okay? Ariana swivels, looking from us to the boys. To whatever she thinks she's seen in the forest, the beam of her light swinging round with her.

She's beckoning me over, guys, she says to us. She wants me to follow her. We can't leave her behind. I run to her. gripping her shoulder. No, Ariana, that's not her. That's not Emily. It's something pretending.

It's lies. She bursts into sudden tears. Her face contorting with anguish. Whose side are you on? She screams. And before I can react, she pushes me to the ground. Robbie moves to help me up, and Ariana runs off. No!

Robbie shouts. But he is too late. Ariana has sprinted into the forest, calling after Emily, the glow of her flashlight quickly becoming lost amongst the trees in the underbrush. The sound of her footsteps fading. Kyle and Kai watch a go, motionless. Robbie hoists me up and we dart to the edge of the forest. He pulls aside a branch and shines the flashlight into the woods.

But Ariana is gone. There is no sign. and her cries for Emily disappear into the sound of the rising wind. Oh God, I shout, running my hands through my hair. What do we do? Robbie asks desperately. What the hell do we do? I shoot a glance to Kyle and Kai.

They're standing silently, watching. Robbie, I think we have to go after her. We have to try. Casey, he says. I don't know if I can. I don't think I can handle seeing that monster again. I just can't. This is Ariana, Robbie.

We have to just try. We have to. We won't go far, okay? She can't have gone too deep. It's been seconds. We'll just go in 20 feet. 20 feet, Robbie. Come on, we can do this.

Casey lies. Kai whispers from the shadows. I promise Robbie. 20 feet, then we turn back. I say softly, holding his face in my hands. And he nods. So, we leave the path, and we push into the woods, following the rough route that we presume Ariana must have taken.

But she's completely disappeared. I cannot hear her. I cannot see a flashlight. She was seconds ahead of us. Seconds. Half a minute, Max. How could she have? vanish so soon.

Kai and Kyle do not follow. The atmosphere presses down on us, heavy, threateningly silent, but I force myself to call out. Ariana! I shout. Ariana!

But there's no reply. On we walk further into the forest. Robbie is getting antsy, and so am I. I hate this. I want to run to the I want to get the hell out, but we can't just leave her, not without trying, and I know

Robbie feels the same way. Nevertheless, we go deeper than we set out to. He's about to say something, I can feel it. When I grab his arm, I point over to our right. Robbie, look, the light. And sure enough, a faint beam of light can be seen from behind a bush a little ways on from our position, but we're in too far. We run the real risk now of becoming disoriented, of becoming lost amongst the trees, alone with the creatures in the dark.

Ariana? I call. I call again, but nothing. What if she's fallen over, I mutter. What if she's hurt? Robbie wiped sweat from his forehead, glancing back through the branches towards the path. What if this is a trap, Casey? He asks, and you know what? He could well be right, like flies in a web. But I will not leave Ariana behind. Robbie, I say, stay here, right here in this spot. We can't risk losing our way back to the path. Shine your flashlight over towards the glow and I'll follow it. I'll stay within sight and I'll be quick, right? I swear. If she's not there, then I'll come straight back and we'll hightel it to the car, okay? All right, he replies.

Go, Casey, be quick. So I leave him. He marks her place, a way back to the path, and I follow the beam through the ferns and into the branches, grimacing as they scratch my skin. I press forward. Coming up to the glowing light, I start to call out softly again for our own.

Hitting her name as I approach, but she does not respond. But she should, because I'm close now. I'm right by it. I push aside a bush, and I see it. I see her flashlight, sat by itself on the ground, amongst the debris of the forest floor. And Ariana is nowhere to be seen. I reach down and grab it, casting the beam out into the room. the dark, spinning in a circle, looking out for her, for any sign of her, any sign at all.

But there is nothing, nothing, until I lock up. The beam of the flashlight extends high into the trees above, and there is Ariana, suspended upside down. She is misshapen. Her facial features are not in the correct place. Her body twitches and jersearches, and all I can do is stare. Stare in horror. Stare as the body of my friend shifts and crunches above me. Dark fluids leak from her and onto the ground beneath. Thick green-brown fur sprouts from the sockets of her eyes.

Fur that shakes and shifts, as if something behind it is dragging itself around. The fur is pulled back into her head and is replaced by a terrible, shining white. The colors of her iris is red. roll down from behind her eyelids. No, I whisper. Her jaw cracks.

No, she whispers back. I begin to retreat, stumbling backwards through the forest, overroots and through bushes. Ariana's eyes do not leave mine. My stomach lurches, and I feel like I'm going to be sick. Every twitch of the abomination before me

sends ripples of disgust over my body. adrenaline pumps vigorously through my veins. How could this have happened? I can't stop shaking in shock, in terrible disbelief. She'd been gone for minutes, minutes, and we were still too late to save her. Is that all it took? Alone in the forest.

For a few minutes? Robbie. His name flashes through my head. Oh no. Is this it? Have I lured him out here to his death? To mine? What if he thinks I'm one of them? What if he thinks I've done as Emily's done? That I've tricked him into coming out here and then leaving him alone? Oh no. Robbie? I screamed back behind me as I continue my retreat, crying out above the wing of the branches, too terrified to tear my eyes away from Ariana's. Suspended upside down, her arms rigid by her side. They begin to treat her.

tremble now. Her fingers clench and unclench, her bones crack. For a terrible moment, I think Robbie has gone, taken perhaps, or that he has abandoned me, left me behind, alone and lost in the woods.

But I hear his voice. Casey, he calls back. Casey, what's going on? Are you okay? I sob in bitter relief, and my resolve breaks. I turn from Ariana and I see the beam of Robby's light pointed towards me a little ways ahead and I stumble,

sprinting towards him. I hear Ariana call after me. Casey, she warbles. Her voiced a twisted amalgamation of Robbies, of her own, and of something else. Casey, what's going on? I race back to Robbie. He squints and holds a hand in front of his eyes.

as I shine the beam of Ariana's flashlight into his face. We're too late. I'm sorry I left you. The way back, Robbie. Take us back. Is it this way? He doesn't say another word. But he nods,

and we run together back to the forest towards the path. I gripped tight to his arm, to his sleeve, refusing to let go. I've learnt my lesson, okay? I've learned it. I won't let him out of my sight. Staggering back past the branches

and onto the path, I am disturbed, but not surprised, to see Kyle and Kai standing in the exact same positions we left them in, silently watching. We don't stick around. Still, holding tight to him, I race with Robbie down the path towards the car, flashlights shaking and breath ragged. I shoot a look back. Kyle and Kai have begun pursuit, just behind, always just behind, keeping pace, keeping us in their sights. Robbie, Carl calls after us. Ariana could be in real trouble.

We have to go find her. Casey lies, Kyle shouts. Don't listen to them, please Robbie. Don't believe them, I pant. It's okay, we're nearly there. He says through gritted teeth. We're nearly back at the car, I remember. I feel like I'm running across a tight rope,

wavering dangerously from side to side with every step. Kai keeps talking, his words loud, a backdrop to the constant crunching of twigs and pine needles beneath our feet. Why, go, now that it's dark. Robbie, let's go find her, okay? Kyle says. We approached the car, parked under a next door large tree that stands alone in a little clearing, one that connects to the mountain road. We staggered to a stop And Robbie crouches down by the vehicle Shaking and desperately fumbling through his bag for the keys

He carelessly unzips all of the pockets He rifles hastily through the things I run a tongue over my death-dry lips And turn Standing with my back to him And facing ahead to Carl and Kai As they come to a sudden stop They don't seem tired at all

What happened to you guys I whisper, shaking my inhaler in a trembling hand and taking a breath, fear and sorrow flowing through me as one. They stand in silence for a while. The only sound are Robbie's bitter mutterings, the noise of his hands scrambling through his bag, and the breeze in the leaves of the surrounding woods. Kyle takes a sudden step forward and cocks his head, and I jump.

Robbie, I mutter with urgency as he scratches the his bag, sweat leaks down my back and my neck. The dark and merged shapes of the forest around us rustling the wind, the enormous lone tree by the car sighs, and its branches creaks softly. Casey, Kyle says, and behind him, that same grin from earlier, the one that I had first found only curious, but now disturbs me to my core, stretches across Kai's face. I'm not going to lie to you, okay, Casey.

Kai says softly, and my heart hammers. I grip the flashlight tighter in both of my hands. Emily is gone, he says. Ariana is gone. Kyle lifts his arm out to me. I can feel tears begin to stream down my face. Robbie searches through the bag, swearing to himself. under his breath in a rising panic.

But we... ...need to help her, Carl says quietly, holding out his hand. His eyes shine in the reflected light of the beam. You have to trust me on this girl. I want to, Kyle, and reply with a shaking voice. I want to, so badly. But I can't.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hear from behind a grunt of bitter relief, and the sudden welcome sound of the car unlocking. For a moment, the clearing is bathed in flickers of orange light. Kai's chest starts the shake, his mouth rounds into an O, and his jaw cracks. He hollers loudly in a noise that shatters the tension, the call of the unknown ape sounding from his throat. The screams of what I'd like into a howlom monkey from the dark. beyond the trees.

Get in Casey, Robbie bellows, grabbing me and pulling me from my days. Into the car! And we scrambled inside, throwing ourselves through the door and slamming them behind us. With sudden and sickening speed, the boys outside have hurled themselves against the vehicle. Kai up onto the hood and carl against the window, slamming on it with his fists. Drive! I scream. Drive!

Robbie starts the engine. Casey! Carl shouts through the glass as he desperately batters his fist against it. I'm pretending. I'm in real trouble, Casey. Don't leave me here with them. And I look into his eyes as Robbie slams his foot down on the pedal and the car begins to speed away. I see raw fear.

I see terror. But the tumultuous swirlings of my thoughts make no matter. He is left behind. The car roars into life and he stumbles. And as Kai is thrown off the hood to the ground, we speed on and out of the clearing and into the road, the mountain road that lies dead ahead. I turn and look back through the rear window,

chest rising and falling, staring back at the scene we've left behind us. I watch Kai rise to his feet He stands motionless beside Kyle And they shrink into the distance Both still now Two diminishing figures illuminated Only by the pale

Dim light of the moon above And the moonlight Catchers on something else as well Only for a moment Before Robbie spins the wheel And takes us around the first of many corners The first on our way out of the forest but is a long enough moment to see

To see the creature To see the creature sitting in the lone tree Perched on a thick branch Just above the spot where we parked the car It's Emily Her body stretched cruelly and grotesquely To fit the skeleton of another She looks back at me and into my eyes

As we round the corner I watch a form begin to shift and crack back into a human shape. And she disappears from sight and never saw them again. Emily, Kai, Kyle, Ariana. I'll play that night over and over my head a hundred times and then a hundred times more. I still see them when I close my eyes to try and sleep. I see them in my dreams.

I hear them calling out for me. The mountain rescue teams and the police and the helicopter. found no trace of them. They found our campsite. The ash remains of our fire and some empty cans, but all of the equipment and clothes we'd left behind had vanished. Their families are distraught and furious. I don't blame them.

They don't understand the story we tell them. They think the overactive imaginations of a bunch of high schoolers are covering for, or perhaps even hiding from them some secret, traumatic accident, a guilty defense mechanism for why we let them wander off alone into the woods. And in a way, we did. I wonder about Kyle the most, about what he said to me through the window

as the car sped away and left him behind. Was it a trick, or was he telling the truth? You may be interested to know that I ended up in a relationship with Robbie, by the way. There is little passion, if I'm being honest, but we keep each other sane. I've relayed my concerns to him, told him about what Kyle said,

of what I saw in the tree, about whether we did the right things and acted the way we were supposed to, about what might have happened to us if we'd followed Kyle and Kai into the forest. Had they already been... Taken, like Emily, like Ariana, or could we have saved them?

And each time we are forced to concede, that we'll never really know for certain. Because we're sure as hell not going back.