"This is the end of your math material," the teacher announced. The class cheered in response. Just as the laughter and excitement wore down, the bell rang, meaning that school was over for the day.
"Pretty awesome, don't you say?" Kate asked, pulling on her bright blue jacket.
"What?" Inbal asked, pulling her backpack over her shoulder.
"No more math," Kate chuckled, picking up her bag.
"Yeah," Inbal shrugged, "I guess."
Kate smiled, before locking arms with her best friend and strutting out of the classroom. As they walked out of the portables, Inbal couldn't help but notice two people walking towards the edge of the school's property, closer to the forest that bordered the football field. Kate recognized them as their friends, Alex and Caleb.
"What are they doing?" Kate muttered, walking down the side of the steps that took them to the field.
"I can't really tell…" Inbal said, squinting through her glasses.
"C'mon," Kate exclaimed, dragging Inbal across the field, towards the boys.
"Hey!" she called out to them as they caught up to them.
"What are you guys doing here?" Alex asked.
"We could all be asking you the same question," Kate replied smartly, looking her friend in the eye.
Alex huffed.
"We wanted to go explore the woods," Caleb answered as Kate and Inbal fell into step with them.
"Can we come?" Inbal asked.
Alex and Caleb looked at the two girls.
"Are you sure you're not going to be scared?" Alex teased, referring to Kate.
Kate chuckled.
"You wish."
They were soon at the fence which separated the field from the dark forest. Kate dropped her backpack by a tree, the others following suit.
"Is anyone else hot, or is it just me?" Inbal asked, taking off her large jacket and throwing it on top of her bag.
Kate nodded in agreement, unzipping her jacket and throwing it on top of Inbal's. The boys threw off their jackets too, hanging them off the thick branches of the surrounding trees.
"Shall we proceed?" Kate asked, starting to climb the fence.
"Wait up!" Alex exclaimed, grabbing onto the chain link and making his way up.
Once they were all over the fence, they began their trek through the thick layer of snow that covered the forest floor.
They were all quiet, each wondering why they had taken off their jackets. It seemed to get colder as they moved further into the forest.
As Kate walked, she noticed something move in the trees. She watched it. It jumped from tree to tree, clinging onto the branches.
"Stop staring at the squirrel Kate," Alex laughed, walking ahead.
Kate rolled her eyes, still watching the squirrel. She walked backwards watching the squirrel move fluently through the branches.
"Ah!"
Kate hit the ground, her body heat quickly melting the snow, letting the water seep through her thick sweater.
"Kate?" Inbal called, obviously ahead as well.
Kate grunted in response, pushing herself up in the snow.
"Kate?" Alex called, walking back to where he had last seen Kate.
"Mmm…" Kate mumbled, holding her head in her hands.
"Are you okay?!" Inbal asked, quickly running over to her friend.
"What happened?" Caleb asked, squatting next to her.
"I-I think I tripped," Kate answered, her back becoming cold and wet.
"Over what?" Alex asked, kicking the ground in front of them. "Ow!"
Kate furrowed her eyebrows.
Alex seemed to be in a trance as he bent down in the snow, swiping his hand across the surface.
"What are you doing?" Caleb asked his best friend.
Alex reached into the snow, pulling out a long, slender, tube, with grooves in the side, like it was meant to be gripped.
"What the fuck is that?" Kate asked.
"I-I don't know," Alex stuttered, letting his hand glide over the silky smooth surface.
Kate pushed herself onto her knees, ignoring the stinging pain of frostbite. She looked at it carefully.
"It looks like one of those lightsabers from Toys R Us."
They nodded. Kate slid her hand over it. There was a slight bit of heat in her fingertips.
"Do you feel that?" Alex asked, looking at the silver tube.
Kate nodded. "It's warm."
"What?" Caleb asked, moving over to them.
"Feel it."
Caleb's fingers brushed the metal tube. His eyes widened.
"But… it's like negative 10 degrees out!"
"Exactly," Kate and Alex muttered, almost in unison.
Inbal bent down next to Kate, curious about what was going on.
"It feels like Paranormal Activity…"
Kate chuckled.
"Yeah, like a fucking demon is going to possess all of us…"
Inbal reached out, hoping to feel the same warmth as her friends. Time seemed to be a blur as Inbal grabbed a hold of the now hot tube.
"Wow…"
They all fell over unconscious…