15. Bride-and-Seek

“Did it have horns and a tail?” Chazz asked as he knelt down towards Jemma. She looked up at him and nodded her head no. “Was its eyes glowing? Did it have fangs and hoofed feet?”

“What the hell are you going on about?” Zach asked and Chazz stood to his feet. 

“I told you I saw something but everyone thought I’d gone crazy or something! I just want to know if Jemma saw the same thing, that’s all. Ask her; ask her if this thing had glowing red eyes! Ask her!”

Everyone again turned towards Jemma and I did my best to protect her from their penetrating glares as they waited for her to confirm or deny Chazz’s allegations. “I don’t know what it was ok?” she finally yelled and started to her feet. “I thought it was Knox playing games with me but I was wrong. Whatever it was didn’t seem friendly. I just want to get back to camp ok? Please? These woods are scaring me.”

I wrapped my arm around her again and helped her take a step towards the path leading to camp. Knox grabbed her blanket and the others followed us up as we moved. “Abs, will you stay with me tonight?” she asked as we took seats inside the pit.

“Of course I will Jem.” I watched as everyone milled about. Evian and Chazz came to sit close to us but it was the other three that caught my attention. Knox, Roland and Zach seemed to be discussing something; arguing is more like it. They were speaking in whispered tones but whatever the subject was it appeared rather serious. “Something’s not right,” I spoke low, mostly to myself as I watched the argument heat up.

Zach turned angrily and stormed towards us as Roland and Knox moved to a log on the other side of me and Jemma. “Alright listen up, this shouldn’t have to be said but I want to make sure everyone is on the same page with this alright? None of us should be left alone. From now on we move in groups of two or more that includes the washroom and just general walking around camp. I don’t know what’s going on yet but whatever it is, I want to make sure everyone is safe.”

“I’ll be right back ok Jem?” I told her when Zach turned to head towards his tent. Hurrying after him I caught him just as he unzipped the front and reached inside for his bag. “Is everything ok?”

He looked up at me and I felt my heart skip a beat. Dammit Abby not now. I don’t get how he does that but every time I see those beautiful baby blues of his my body ceases to act as my own. “Yeah Abby, everything’s fine,” he responded with that impossible smile of his. And as much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously out of place.

“That conversation with Ro and Knox? You know something don’t you?” I pushed and waited to see if he would push back or tell me it was just my imagination.

With a sigh he glanced towards the group who didn’t appear to be paying us much attention before getting to his feet. “Follow me ok? I wanna show you something.” He dropped his bag back inside his tent and grabbed a flashlight. I followed after him, moving with every step he made until I found myself standing just at the street line overlooking the trail leading into the campgrounds.

“Why are we up here?” I asked unsure of what he was getting to. I’d been up here a few times this week already with Evian looking for fruit trees but this area seemed barren of anything but a few shrubs and some bird’s nests.

“I’m gonna tell you something Abby but you have to promise me you won’t tell the others back at camp.” His face took on a serious demeanor as he stared at me waiting for me to make that promise and I felt every nerve in my body tense up as I thought over what it was he was asking me. It seemed grave whatever it was and I was beginning to wonder if I even wanted to know.

“I promise,” I felt my tongue react before my mind finished analyzing everything. No turning back now.

“Someone else is out here.” With his flashlight pointed towards the ground, he shined a light on a set of footprints that appeared larger than normal; male perhaps. “Roland and I spotted someone standing here the other day when we went looking for a signal. We chased after him but he was too fast for either of us. I don’t know who he was or what he wanted but he seemed to be watching us.”

“Us as in the camp or you guys when you went for a walk?” I asked suddenly feeling very shy standing out in the open. My skin crawled at the idea someone was watching me as I undressed and I looked around nervously as though I was standing naked in front of a large crowd. Everyone back at camp seemed to be scared but they had no idea what were we really up against. Someone else being out here with unknown intentions was a terrifying thought. “Are you sure he was watching us? Could he be the one that damaged our stuff?”

“I’m not sure and that’s one reason I want you to keep it a secret; I don’t want to scare anyone unless I can say with certainty this is the reason we’re stranded here.” 

I heard rustling behind him and my eyes darted towards the sound. Seconds later a furry raccoon tumbled from the bushes and rolled along the daisies dotted along the trail before scurrying off into the shrubs. I was unsure how to process what Zach was telling me. Was this the same person Chazz and Jemma saw? Was he trying to scare us with costumes or was there something more?

The longer I thought about it the worse the chills became that took over my senses. The area had an even darker feel to it than before and I began to question why we hadn’t just grabbed what we could carry and just start walking out of this place. “It’s not safe here, you know? We should leave; before the storm hits!”

“If that was at all possible we would have done it already Abby. Not everyone would be capable of trekking over fifty miles to town; only the strongest would be able to go. And if we left the rest of you here without protection, what then?”

“Can’t we just, I don’t know, pack a tent and stop every few miles or something for rest as we moved? It seems smarter than sitting on our hands and waiting for whoever you saw to attack us again!”

“It’s a lot of stuff to carry for so long we’d be tired out before long. I don’t know. I’ve never been in this position before. My main concern is keeping everyone safe; I’m not sure what we should do.” The chills returned hearing his confession and I shivered at the thought our strongest couldn’t even protect us. What if he came back but this time instead of damaging our things, he harmed one of us instead? Zach noticed the change in my behavior and gently placed his fingers beneath my chin to bring my eyes back to his. “I’m not gonna let him hurt you Abby, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah?” I asked as he stared into my eyes. His appeared sincere but I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something else going on here and we had only seen the start of it.

“I promise.” He leaned forward and I gasped as I felt his arm slide across my back. Zach licked his lips moistening them until they shimmered beneath the pale blue rays of moonlight. He watched me closely as I quivered in anticipation within his arms. The inch of space between us dissolved with his body pressing against mine. Our lips touched sending an immediate surge of electricity through my whole body that started at my mouth and developed into white heat down my spine. His mouth curved to the shape of my lower lip and a soft moan eased through my nose as I fell against his chest.

My lips parted allowing his tongue to brush against mine and involuntarily I felt my own return the action and I pulled back gently raking his lower lip with my teeth. He groaned in pleasure and my heart did a flip! Oh sweet baby Jesus that sound. Before I could break our contact, Zach pushed forward catching my lips again. A deeper moan escaped through his partially parted lips and his fingers slid up my back, resting just at the base of my neck before he finally pulled away with a smile. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a little while now,” he admitted and I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. “Come on, let’s get back to camp.” Taking my hand in his, he led the way towards the others but I was too busy floating on a cloud of first kiss bliss to notice. 

Years ago Raymond and Wendy, a very young couple, decided to get married. Having come from a wealthy family Wendy’s father offered to host the celebration at his mansion to which the couple agreed. After an expensive and lavish wedding, members of the wedding party decide to play a game of hide-and-seek.

Desperately wanting to win, Wendy slipped inside the house when no one was looking to find the perfect place to hide. It took only about 30 minutes for everyone to be found…everyone but the bride that is. The entire wedding party began searching the house for her, but she was nowhere in sight. Raymond, believing she had second thoughts about the marriage, grew angry and sent everyone home.

But twenty-four hours later, she was still missing and her new husband filed a missing persons report with the police but they had no luck in locating the missing bride. As time went on, Raymond eventually tried to move on with his life but never forgot about her.

A few years later, Wendy’s father died and the mansion was being cleaned. Wendy’s mother was clearing the attic of old items, preparing the house for auction as she no longer needed such a large home. As she was cleaning out the old clothes and junk she saw an old trunk with a lock on it. Curious about its contents she broke the lock and when she peered inside began screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone rushed upstairs to see what was happening and took in the ghastly sight.

Inside the trunk was Wendy’s body, dead after the lid fell on her head crushing part of her skull. Her face frozen in a smile at her little game of hide-and-seek.

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