Prologue
The green jeep strolls along the forest trail, two forest rangers making their rounds. It's been one whole month since the Washington girls disappeared, and not the forest rangers or the police could find even a trace of either of them. Finally, after a month, the search had been called off, and police finally stopped searching the area.
"At least we finally have some quiet. No more cops snooping the area," one of the rangers says.
"Doesn't really make me feel better," the other replies. "I can't believe we never found those girls, not even any bodies. Just nothing."
"Yeah, it's like they vanished. We covered every inch of this mountain, we must've."
"Those poor girls."
"They probably fell in some fucking cave somewhere. I can't even imagine it."
The driver's eyes go to the tree line, "These woods are dense for sure, but you figure we'd see something with all the helicopters and dogs and-."
Something bursts from the trees, stumbling into the trail right ahead of the jeep.
"Watch out!"
"Oh shit!" The driver slams on the brakes.
The figure falls over as the jeep nearly crashes into it.
"What the fuck was that?!" The two jump out of the jeep, coming to the front. Their eyes go to the figure on the ground. A young woman wearing tattered clothes, even in one glance the two could tell she's malnourished and dehydrated. Brown, unwashed and unkempt hair covers her dirty face. She looks at the two, shaking and scared.
"Holy shit. . ."
"Is this who I think it is?"
"Can't be. No fucking way."
The woman tries to speak, but her throat's so parched, she can barely get out the words. "Please. . ." she coughs, "Water."
One of the rangers runs back to the jeep, grabbing a bottle from inside. He hurries back, rushing to her side. He holds it up to her mouth, letting her take all she wants. The woman takes a long drink, before turning and coughing some of it up, having taken too much at once. Her throat feels refreshed, she can breathe without choking. She can speak, though weakly.
"Miss, what's your name? Who are you?" the man asks, looking for confirmation.
The woman, still disoriented, doesn't answer at first. She breathes heavily, still coughing a bit from swallowing too much water. "Beth. . . Washington," she finally says, panting.
"Holy shit it is her," the other man gapes, unbelieving.
"One of em' anyway, call it in! Now!"
The man dashes to the van, fumbling with the radio as he picks it up. "Hey, come in, if anyone's there, come in, this is an emergency, over!"
A voice comes quickly, "Yeah we're here, over, what the Hell has you so riled up? What is your emergency over?"
"We found one of them!"
"One of who?"
"The Washington girls! We found Beth!"
"Christ, does it look like it was foul play?"
"What? No, you don't get it, she's alive!"
"What? How the hell is she alive?!"
"I don't know, but she needs help now!"
"Jesus Christ, I'll send a helicopter right away, what are your coordinates?"
While his partner tells headquarters, the ranger does his best to comfort Beth as she takes another drink of water. "The entire county has been turning over every rock in this damn forest trying to find you girl."
Beth says nothing, she just stares at him blankly.
"What happened? Is your sister around here?"
Beth looks at him, confused, "I- I don't know. I don't remember."
"What? Where'd you just come from?"
"I-I can't remember, I just woke up in the forest like this. I don't know what's happening," she says, still shaking.
"You don't remember anything? It's been a month!"
Beth shakes her head, "No. Wait, my sister's missing?"
"Jesus."
"Something wrong?" asks his partner.
"She's got amnesia. She has no idea what happened."
"Shit. . ."
"She's dead," Beth realizes, "My sister's dead. Oh god."
"You're gonna be ok," the ranger comforts Beth, "It's all over now. You're gonna be fine. You're sure you have no idea what happened?"
"Stupid, stupid," she mumbles.
"What's that? What are you saying?"
Her eyes narrow, clenching her fist in a sudden burst of anger. "Stupid. . . fucking prank."