- Decisions, decisions.
Username: trans
Link to roll call post: xx
Link to previous form: xx
Prompt response: 1520 words (im so sorry mint pls dont kill me)
despite how calmly you talked before to your friend earlier, now that the hike is starting, you felt your confidence melt like ice cream in the summer heat. pulling your jacket around you as close as you can get it, your eyes move from place to place, never lingering too long and always on the lookout for something lurking in the shadows, waiting patiently for stragglers to fall behind. the thought certainly didnt help any, your nerves ignited once again, and you barely stave off the itch to claw at something to relieve the pressure. to counter your fears, you try to think about other things, eating smores around a campfire, enjoying a nice bowl of ice cream under some shade, swimming in the lake with your friend... you being back at home in the comfort of your room, even.
the wind blew the trees around viciously, and their scarred and mangled roots and bark looked like faces stricken by horror and shock right before their untimely demise, and the clouded sky hid everything that the moon tried to illuminate, leaving the forest blanketed in darkness. only small, thin strips of moon light were permitted through, barely allowing you to even see two feet in front of you. occasionally you'd hear muffled apologies and scuffing, as if someone tripped, or almost tripped, before catching themself on someone else or on some low-hanging branches. the faint howls and snarls of creatures in the distance left many to wonder what really lived inside the forest's farthest reaches, to wonder what kind of creatures prowled the forest floor.
when the group came to the fork in the path, you were fully buying into the theory this was all a cruel hoax meant to scare the kampers. there's no way all these factors could be coincidence, there just wasnt-
you pause as a sharp sound echoes in your ears, asnap, too loud to be just some forest animal wandering through the woods, and you pull your jacket even closer, your nerves feeling as if they were on fire now. you stared at the two paths ahead of you, watching some kampers follow the path that supposedly led to the end of the trail, others daring to defy the route and go down the path with no clear exit or entrance, overgrown by ferns and weeds and torn up by rocks jutting from the earth at every step, and some straggling behind and getting lost, or just plain missing to begin with.
the reality of the situation really sets in at that moment, and you hastily make your way towards the long grass, your feet feeling sore just looking at the rock-ridden path to the other side of you. you arent even sure if this is the right way, you werent paying attention that well, too busy staring at the ground and hoping this hike would hopefully end sometime soon, but you dont have time to ask anyone, you're already heading down the path and through the tall grass.
it tickles at your legs and face, but unlike the comfort of your jacket, it's a feeling you're not welcome to. you shove the brush out of your way as best you can, but it feels suffocating, feels like it's latching onto your ankles and slowing you down, and more than once you've yanked your hand back with a yelp after accidentally touching a sharp prickle burr. the moon is no help, helpless as it remains hidden by the obtrusive clouds, choking any light it could offer you. despite this, the shadows grow no smaller, leaving you feeling like they're closing in.
you pause from your paranoia-induced episode in the middle of the trail when you hear something rustling next to you, among the trees, just a few feet away. other kampers come up behind you to peer at where it came from, fear written clear on their faces. others probably had the same idea as you, that this way would be safer, but you're left feeling like maybe you made the wrong choice as you hurry past the growls and rustling as fast you can. other kampers do the same, while others linger near, trying to figure out the origin of the sounds and what it could be.
the trail seemed to extend far into the distance, far more than any normal trail should have, as you glanced down what you could make out of the trail. swallowing around the lump in your throat, you climbed down from the hill you'd found yourself on as temporary relief from the thickets and brush, and immediately began back on your trip. the wind was chilly even still, as expected, and you hugged yourself in hopes to preserve some of the warmth from the campfire you'd briefly stood near before you left for the hike. the vaguely straight trail, you noticed, began to curve and turn the further you went, looking less like a trail and more like complete nonsense to your addled brain.
you start to lose track of how long you've been going at this, the trail starting to look like the same as it was five minutes ago, the same signs even, and you briefly wonder if you'd gotten stuck in a time loop before you come to a section of the trail where it straightens out again, dirt and grass turning into pebbles and rubble. you follow, despite your better judgement, determined to ignore the howls of the wind and distant creatures lurking in the woods, waiting patiently for one wrong turn, one wrong step.
exhausted, you wonder if this will ever end. you forget where you've been and where you havent, everything blending together into an incoherent mess in your brain. nonetheless, you keep going diligently, determined to reach the end. you have no idea what it'll be like, but you hope it's something good, for all the trouble you've been put through to get there. fortunately, you have an incredible amount of patience for tedious labor.
unfortunately however, the trail keeps going, and going, and going, and then- wait. it just-
stops? it stops completely, and you look up in confusion after heavily scrutinizing the pebble path you'd been following, hoping to find some answers in the dirt and rocks beneath your shoes, or in the trees around you. instead, what you found is... beni... in a bear costume? he looks surprised to see you there, as if he hadnt expected anyone else would make it, or maybe you were late and he thought everyone had already found the exit by now. he shifts the mask so that it's in his other hand before he speaks, and you didnt know you'd be so relieved to see another living person other than your own reflection in passing ponds and streams along the trail.
"oh, you actually made it? i thought you were one of the ones that got lost." he exclaims, clearly not expecting you to have shown up. maybe he hadnt even expected you to go through with it this whole time from the beginning. to be fair though, and in his defense, you would've thought you'd chickened out by now too.
"i did, but. looks like the parties over." you say carefully, examining where the trail ends to find... well, a whole lot of nothing to be honest. beni laughs a little at that, and you glance over at him again curiously, not sure why he's laughing.
"oh it's not you, it's just." he says, then stops, looking pensively at his bear mask before gesturing to the entire area at the end of the hike. "well, you see, we didnt really have anything planned for the end! we focused so much on getting the counselors to pretend to be monsters and set up scary stuff for the hike, we forget to actually do anything for the end! but hey, if you want, we did buy a ton of cookies and stuff for smores anyways. the other kids who finished are already enjoying their snacks back at kamp, just go find one of the stragglers and they'll show you where the super secret snacks are!" he shouts, then puts on his mask again and starts patrolling the borders of the end of the hike.
after he's long since gone, you're honestly not sure what to do. you feel kind of underwhelmed and disappointed, and you cant even enjoy the rewards of your hard labor at finishing the hike. thankfully though, a kind girl with long hair spots you looking around confused and offers to guide you to the snack table, and you follow gratefully. after you have your fill of marshmallows, smores, and girlscout cookies (which were, by the way, absolutely delicious), you start to walk back to the cabins, fully intending to get right into bed and conk out, but not before you hear one last scream from the forest and snicker to yourself.
now that you know the monsters arent actual monsters, you feel a lot better about that hike. maybe you'll write a journal entry on it or something.
