Skip to main content

"The Camping Trip"

  I stared down blankly at my phone as I awaited the reply back from my mom. I guess I should give you some context. You see, my friends and I were out of town. We were on a camping trip out in the middle of the woods, just a few miles out of town. There was a nice clearing where we were at and knew it would be the perfect place to stay over night.
But as we got there, we began setting up. We joked around as we struggled to set up our tents, especially with all the wind blowing that night. It was strange, as we'd checked the weather every day leading up to today's trip and there was no mention whatsoever of high winds, nor any storms that we'd later be facing that night.
As we crawled into our tents for the night, that's when the rain started trickling down. It pounded against the tops of our tents after a few minutes, nearly drenching us inside. Thankfully we had the waterproof tents, I guess.
But that thankfulness was short-lived, as we began to see flashes outside. They began slow but quickly picked up speed. The lightning was almost like flickering lights out there. We were terrified. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep like this. Besides, we were out in the middle of a huge clearing in the woods. Isn't it possible that at least one of our tents gets struck?
But getting struck by lightning was going to be the least of our worries.
The storm had been going on for about an hour, all of us refusing to leave our tents for fear of being caught in the middle of this twisted storm. That's when we heard the voices out there. Voices we didn't recognize.
And after a single voice, there came plenty more following. What was happening out there?
I could see silhouettes of people standing on the outside of our tents, threatening to break in, threatening to have us removed by any means necessary.
We had to go out there, I decided. We had to see what the hell was going on.
And as soon as I peaked my head outside, I was completely shocked. The sky was clear. I could see the stars twinkling above our heads. And scanning my eyes around the surroundings, there wasn't a single soul outside of our tents. No single living thing to be seen.
I crawled back inside the tent, excited to tell my friends. But going back inside, the horrid storm was still happening. The lights still flickering, the peoples voices still chanting outside.
I tried to tell my friends, tried everything I could to convince them to leave but they wouldn't listen to me. They said I was trying to trick them so they'd get got by the twisted people out there. How could I possibly convince them that I wasn't lying?
So, I called my mom. And waited. And waited. But she never answered. Not until the third time I called, that was. I could hear heavy rain and thunderous booms through the phone speakers. How could this be possible?
I threw my phone down in rage. Surely everyone here was trying to mess with me. I'd show them. I'd leave this place. I'd leave them here. I'd try and find someone else who can talk them into going outside.
And so, I unzipped the front of the tent once again and stepped outside. And was immediately zapped by lightning...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

01 "A Monstrous Storm"

  The shadows crept in through the window is the dark clouds overtook the mid-afternoon sky. A feeling of dread and hopelessness flooded me, tying my stomach into a knot. Looking at the clouds, I saw a streak of purple lightning streaking across the sky until it crashed down somewhere along the skyline with a thunderous boom, followed shortly by the ground rumbling beneath my feet. It was jarring. what started as a regular summer afternoon was quickly turning into something dreadful. The nearby trees were all swaying lightly in the breeze as rain gradually started pouring down, eventually creating a curtain of turrential downpour that threatened to flood the streets. Another flash of light followed by another thunderous boom forced me to look away from the window. It was becoming far too real for me. The oncoming storm was becoming too much to bear. I walked back into my bedroom and sat in front of my television. There was a news guy standing before a weather map. He was po...

"Hooked"

T he summer can be the perfect time to get away, to unwind while kicking your feet into the cool water while the hot sun is beaming down on you. But what if the bright summer sky was hiding behind it something even darker? I had been waiting for today all week. They'd finally opened the stream up for fishing. I was a little upset at the fact they'd decided to raise prices, but I didn't care, it was a nice day outside and I wasn't about to waste it sitting inside when I could be fishing. With my tacklebox in hand and my fishing pole in the other, I made my way to my truck. I threw everything in the back seat. I was about to head to the driver's seat but hesitated when I thought about bringing my cooler. I had one in the back ready for fish, as well as housing some canisters of worms. But what if I brought one along for some drinks? After a few moments I decided it might not be the greatest idea. It would be too much to carry and I didn't trust anyone that...

"Tapping"

T here are some things we are all afraid of, whether or not we choose to admit it to ourselves. Perhaps you feel that the ocean is a safe place, yet when you arrive you find yourself fearing what may be swimming below you. What brushed up against your leg? Can they feel you trembling? Can they smell your fear? There I lay, in bed in an attempt to fall asleep. My television was sitting at a low volume as to not awaken me by surprise as I drift to sleep. I've had the unpleasant experience before. Tonight, I turned to my side, facing away from the harsh light of the television, yet still able to make out almost perfectly what they were saying. What was on right now was a couple arguing in a sitcom. I didn't care much for what they were saying, but the roar of the laugh track after every line or two was somewhat soothing to me. I was so close to drifting to sleep, when across the room there came a tapping on my window. I sat up and turned toward the window. It was pitch black...