The fire was going out, but no one bothered to stir the embers, or throw on sticks from the pile they'd collected. It was a clear, hot summer night, the stars dimmer than usual around the smallest sliver of gray-white moon. The laughter from the circle of mammals around it faded at a loud echo in the distance. Two of the teens, an identical pair of hyena brothers, glanced at each other, grinning slyly.
"Did you hear that?" the first, Jessie, asked quietly. The others nodded, freezing when the sound came again, this time closer.
"W-What was that?" an ibex named Amber asked, her voice a frightened whimper as she glanced around. Jessie chuckled.
"It could've just been a car going by," he started quietly. "Or it could've been old Cutthroat Jones."
"W-W-Who?" Chelsea's voice shook. She was a llama, the youngest of their little group. Jessie nudged his brother, Tommy, still smiling.
"Carl 'cutthroat' Jones was a psycho in the fifties," Tommy whispered eerily. "He spent almost every night hiding along the highway, waiting for teens to pass by. He'd shoot their tires, then drag them into the woods…and they'd never be seen again."
"Exactly," Jessie copied his brother's tone. "And they say all it takes is for you to say his name, and he'll come after you."
The rest of the group glanced at each other, Topaz, an ocelot, shivering before speaking up.
"I-Is that true?"
Tommy just grinned at her.
"It might not be," he started darkly, then laughed. "Or maybe, just maybe, he's still out there, just waiting to grab his next victim!"
The fire flared as he jumped to his feet, his laughter at their screams cutting off when the sound came again. It was even closer now, loud and angry. They glanced around in the silence that followed, Wesley, a fruit bat, peeking out from Topaz's hood. He gulped, climbing out to perch on her shoulder.
"W-Well, that was freaky," he looked at Tommy. "Is that story really true?"
Tommy shook his head.
"Nah, it's crap. Our dad told the story whenever we went camping," he jerked a thumb at Jessie. "All it ever did was make Crybaby here piss himself."
Jessie growled, punching him.
"Dude!"
Tommy laughed again.
"Chill, guys, it's just-"
He froze when something heavy fell on his shoulder, a harsh voice rasping softly behind him.
"The end of the line."
Insane laughter cut through the following silence, the fire finally going out.