Prologue
The sun was out and shining. There was a steady breeze to make sure the day didn't feel too hot. The only sounds were the birds chirping, the occasional insect…and Olivia.
"It's too damn hot," she complained as she followed her boyfriend, Danny through the woods.
"It's like…eighty-eight degrees," he responded after checking his phone. "That's not that hot."
"Well then it's too damn humid," she complained again. "And why are there so many damn flies," she complained again, her voice going from annoyed to practically nagging.
"Because it's the woods, and there a lot of them here. Will you just try and relax and have some fun," he told her.
"Fun? I'm out in the jungle, getting eaten alive by these parasites," she ranted as she swatted away two more flies that were hovering around her. "And I can feel my feet getting blistered, and there was a really big sale today…"
"First off, we're in the woods, not the jungle. Secondly, there's more to life than a sale, Liv," he told her as he turned to face her. "I mean look around, this place is beautiful. There's fresh air, and no annoying noise from the city."
"No electricity."
Danny let out a sigh, and looked around. He loved being outdoors. He was raised in the outdoors practically. But Olivia was a city girl through and through and Danny, try as might, knew it would be an uphill battle to get her to enjoy being out her as much as he did. Especially with the flies, which just seemed to be out in force, he thought.
"Babe," he started before having to swat away another fly. Soon enough, there was a small swarm around them. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked.
"It's the woods," Olivia said in a mockery of Danny's earlier tone.
"Yeah, but this ain't normal," he told her as he began looking around. He saw the general direction that he assumed the flies were coming from by the sheer number flying from that direction. He walked toward it. "Stay here."
He walked a few feet, not watching his footing, and the next thing Danny knew, he was falling over a small drop off.
"Danny," Olivia screamed when she saw him fall. She ran over, making sure to stop where she saw him drop from sight. "Danny, are you okay?"
"Yeah, but, I think –" he stopped suddenly and let out a blood curdling scream.
"Danny, what is it?" Olivia screamed down as she closed a little more distance, doing her best to make sure she didn't go over either.
When she was in a better position to see, she peered over and saw Danny pressing himself against the far wall of the medium sized hole he'd fallen into. His face had a look of pure terror on it and it looked to her like he had turned as white as a sheet. When she looked in the direction he was, she immediately wished she hadn't.
On the ground, about six feet in front Danny, was a body, at least what was left of it. Most of it looked like it had been skinned down to the bones. What flesh was left was shredded and hanging, and most of the muscles were missing. If hadn't been for the face, again, what was left of it, she probably wouldn't even have believed it was a human body under all the maggots.
The next scream came from her, echoing throughout the woods.