A dark figure silently climbed the crest of the hill shining a dim light around before quickly gesturing to the couple behind him. The couple then scrambled to the top of the hill giggling and screeching in anticipation. Set up before them was a fire pit littered with beer cans and cigarette buts. The man shrugged off his backpack and withdrew an envelope and handed it to the dark figure. Without a word or any sign of acknowledgement the dark figure then started his decent down the cliffs edge as the couple busied themselves for the promise of a fun night.
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Diane hiked her way throughout the brush of the national park as the sun was just peaking over the high point to her right. She breathed in the fresh air as she brushed her short hair from her eyes and focused on the scene before her. She sighed as the morning light exposed the site of another squatter camp. This was familiar for her, despite the fact that she had only been a forest ranger for a couple of months now. The Park was extremely large and there were not enough rangers to go around. Pulling out a trash bag from her cargo pocket she started picking up the trash that was littered around the crude fire pit.
"Diane, come in Diane," Her small radio clipped to her belt crackled loudly as the morning silence was abruptly broken.
"Diane here, what's up home base?" She sighed.
"Did you find that disturbance that we heard last night?"
"Yes sir, I did, just another squatter camp, I'm cleaning it up now and I will be marking the spot on my map in a minute." It was protocol that whenever anything of interest was found in the park the site was marked for future reference.
"OK. Call back before you head out, we got reports of large wildlife out by campground 12."
"Probably just another prank, but OK. See you shortly" Diane sighed again as she reclipped the radio to her belt and continued with the task ahead of her. Sorting through the ashes for more trash something bright caught her eye, it was blood. Brushing off the oddity she finished with the trash and started scanning the bushes looking for anything that didn't belong. She found it alright, there was some yellow fabric caught on a branch of a thorn bush. Diane pushed the branch back and immediately jumped back and started screaming. The branch she had just pushed back was hiding the source of the mysterious blood, the brutally beaten body of a young woman.