Marc, Jenn Drew and I have been planning this weekend for months and it is all going to happen in twenty minutes. Waiting for last period to end is like getting your teeth pulled; sluggish and excruciating. Each second seems longer than the last. I know that Mr. Zobrowski is lecturing about something significant, but I cannot focus. I am thinking about a million things at once. Did I forget anything? Do we have enough food? Is Drew's '82 Ford, going to survive the entire trip? Can I really trust Drew alone in the woods? I am a senior in high school; I should be enjoying it, not worrying about everything. I should be excited about spending two days away from everything, just camping with my best friends, but I just cannot seem to relax, something just does not feel right. I'm sure I'm just over-reacting.
"R-I-I-I-I-N-G" Finally!
I meet Marc Jenn and Drew in the parking lot by Drew's car. While walking to the car I could not help but notice how weird our group of friends look. First, Jenn and Marc are polar opposites of each other. Jenn is 5'9, very fit, with gorgeous brown hair and blue eyes, and is about as smart as a dog. Marc, on the other hand, is no taller than 5'6 and is ridiculously skinny, with scruffy blonde hair, and knows everything about technology. I guess he is kind of a nerd, but hilarious nonetheless. Then, there is Drew and I. Drew is the strong silent type. He is built very well with his jet-black hair and ice blue eyes. He rarely shows emotion. In fact, I do not think I have ever seen him get sad, scared, or nervous. Moreover, me; I am one of those people who worry often and I am loud, most of the time.
"Jess! Everything is at my house right? We don't need to pick anything up?" asks Marc
"Yeah. I t should be." I reply.
We all get in the car and drive to Marc's. After loading the trunk, Drew looks at Marc and says
"So where did you hide the stash all night?"
I have no clue what he's talking about. I shoot a puzzled look over at Jenn, but she looks just as confused as I am. I look back at Drew, but he and Marc are already heading towards the backyard. Jenn and I follow, but when we finally catch up, we see Drew and Marc smiling like two little five year olds on Christmas morning. I look down to see what they are smiling at, and at their feet are two thirty packs of Bud Light.
"Oh sweet! Where did you guys get this stuff?" Asks Jenn.
"My brother had a huge party last week when he came home from college, and I just embezzled these when no one was looking." Explains Drew.
"Well let's get this into the car before anyone sees." Pronounces Marc
"If I get caught, I'm dead."
Casually, we form a circle with the beer in the middle and carry it to the trunk of the car.
"How far away is the campsite?" asks Jenn.
"Uh I think about an hour away but it all depends on the traffic." I reply.
I get in the car and finally I am not nervous anymore, and I just zone out.
"That's why I always pull out." Is the first thing I hear when come back to earth.
"Yeah, I have to practice pulling out too; I always hit the curb." Says Marc.
"Oh man! I almost forgot! I got the new PCD album, R.D.I. yesterday." I shout
"Really? I hear it is their best one yet. What do you think Jess?" asks Jenn
"Well, I haven't listened to it yet, so let's listen now."
"Yeah, play that shit, Jess!" hollers Marc. I put in the c.d. and already the first song is amazing. For twenty minutes, we all just sit there in complete silence, listening to the sweet sounds of PCD.
"Fuck! Says Drew under his breath. I look up and I see bumper-to-bumper traffic for as far as I can see.
"Damn! We are close, yet far. It looks like we will be stuck in traffic for at least another hour." I complain.
"Well, while we're just sitting here, let's get into the camping mood." Exclaims Marc
"What are you going to do? Light a fire and cook hot dogs on Drew's floor?" Jokes Jenn. "No!" answers Marc, curtly "I have a scary story, and rumor has it, it's true." "Alright; let's hear it. I'm always up for a good scare." Says Jenn; cuddling up to Marc, showing that she is sorry.
"Allegedly, there is a town called Hellview, with some quite bitter beings in it. There are only 96 people in the entire town, and that number never grows or shrinks. Now this town is somewhat hard to find. It is about twenty miles through the sticks yes, but it connects two incredibly busy cities together. Now this Hellview is a very pretty sight, but not many tourists stop by. Legend has it that anyone who stops in Hellview, even for a short break, gets killed by the people living it."
"Bull Shit!" Interrupts Drew "What do they do with the bodies?"
"Some people say they throw them into the bottom of the lake, others say they stack the bodies high. Kind of like what hunters do with deer and stuff. But one thing I'm sure of is no one gets out alive."
"Whoa man, that's creepy." I say
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. If no one makes it out alive, then how did the story get out? Also, if all of these people are being killed, why haven't the police done anything about it?" rants Drew.
"I don't know man. Believe what you want to believe" replies Marc.
"I hate driving in traffic. I have no patience for it," complains Drew
"Don't worry; our exit is a mile up. We'll be out of this soon" I reply.
"We better be. In school all day, then driving for two hours puts a strain on my eyes," grumbles Drew. After a couple minutes, we finally reach our exit.
"Dude, its 6 o'clock. Weren't we supposed to be at the campsite by now?" questions Jenn.
"Yeah but it's not my fault we hit traffic" says Drew irritated
The town we exit onto is a very outlandish town. Not many houses line the street, and the ones that do look abandoned. I feel the car accelerate, but I do not say anything because I too am tired and want to get to the campsite. I hear Marc and Drew talking about video games, and I quickly fall asleep. The next thing I know, I hear the honk of a semi-truck, and the skidding of the tires, as I am thrown into the door of the passenger seat. All of a sudden, everything goes black.
After a couple of seconds, I open my eyes and see a very bizarre looking man with a pink scar in the shape of a "U" running from the corner of his right eye to the corner of his mouth, looking into my window. The strange man opens the door for me and I slowly get out of the car.
"Are you okay, doll?" asks the man. The way he calls me doll gives me the chills and makes me extremely uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but what happened? Where are my friends?" I ask frenetically.
"Oh don't worry, your friends are fine. They just walked into town to get help. You see, your buddy fell asleep at the wheel, and almost ran into me head on. Luckily, we both got fast reflexes, and swerved out of the way. Unfortunately, it looks like that boy damaged something under his hood. Don't worry doll, it doesn't look serious though" Explains the creepy man. I take a closer look at my surroundings and notice that we are at a fork in the road. Finally, we are close to the campsite. We just have to make a left at the fork, and the campsite should be on the left, just past the convenience store.
A few minutes later, Drew, Marc, and Jenn return with another creepy man carrying a toolbox. This man is about the same height as the other, and wears an old grimy hat with a picture of a boar's head on the front. Jenn runs over to me and gives me a comforting hug.
"I'm sorry I left you Jess," she says. "I just couldn't trust Drew and Marc going into town alone. Who knows where they might have ended up?"
"Don't worry about it." I explain, "I know what you mean. I would have done the same thing."
I walk over to Drew and give him a hug
"Do you know how to fix it?" I ask the strange man in the hat.
"Yeah, if I just re-adjust the carburetor, it just may work." He clarifies. I look up at Drew, and give him a kiss.
"What was that for?" he asks.
"Just for agreeing to come and dealing with all of the problems so far."
Suddenly, I hear the roar of the engine.
"So how much do we owe you?" asks Marc?
"Oh don't worry about it;" Says the man, "It was nothing, really."
"So where are you kids heading?" asks the man with the scar.
"We're going to the Mildemarburg campsite, not too far from here." Explains Jenn
"Aw that place is overrated," Says the man with the scar. "I know of an even better campsite that's even closer than Mildemarburg. It's called Markiew. It's the perfect spot for camping. It's practically unknown by tourists so you wont be bothered by any."
"That sounds interesting. How do you get there?" asks Marc attentively.
"To get there you just got to take a right at the fork, and there should be a Markiew sign. Make a right at the sign; drive through the clearing, and go straight until you pass the lake. That should take you to Markiew," Explains the man with the scar.
"That sounds different! Let's go!" exclaims Jenn
"Alright" I agree
"Well, we better get going. Thanks for the help" says Marc to the two men
"It was our pleasure," replies the man in the hat with a creepy grin on his face.
We get in the car and follow the man's directions. A couple minutes later, I look out the window to my right and see a traffic sign that is mostly covered in branches, except for the last few letters; I-E-W.
"That must be the sign for Markiew, Drew. Turn here" I say.
As we are driving through the clearing Marc suggests opening the window, but a horrid smell permeates through the car, which reminds me of rotting meat. I look around, and I don't see a soul. When the man said that this place is unknown, he really meant it. Hopefully our campsite won't wreak. After we drive past the lake, the smell goes away.
"That was weird. I wonder what makes the lake smell so bad?" questions Jenn.
"This place looks good enough," utters Drew as he parks the car in a clearing. We get out of the car, and check out our area. The clearing is about the size of a football field. Never ending forests surrounds us on three sides, a dead cornfield on the last side, and a full moon up above, which gives the clearing a "Children of the Corn" feel.
"We'll unpack the car while you boys go get some fire wood," suggests Jenn with a cute smile
"Alright" obeys Drew.
The boys leave, and Jenn and I head to the car to get everything ready.
"So, are you planning on anything tonight?" asks Jenn
"Like what?" I reply.
"Come on Jess. You know what I mean. With Drew. Are you planning anything special with Drew tonight?" says Jenn.
"I don't know Jenn. I don't really have anything planned, but we'll see what happens as the night goes on" I explain.
"Alright, but when my tent's a rockin' don't come a knockin'!" jokes Jenn.
"Wow Jenn, you're so lame. Why am I even friends with you?" I laugh.
As Jenn and I are making idiots out of ourselves trying to set up the tents, I hear a strange whispering coming from the forest. I get really paranoid and frantically look around, but I see absolutely nothing. I turn around and then Drew jumps out of the bushes! He scares me so bad that I scream loud enough for the whole world to hear.
"That was classic Drew!" Laughs Marc "oh my god! That was the best reaction ever! That definitely made my life!"
"Shut up Marc, it wasn't that funny. I almost had a heart attack!" I shout.
"Yes it was Jess," laughs Jenn.
"Whatever. Let's get this fire started and the beers open." I say. Once the fire is started, I am much more comfortable than I was before. After about an hour of just hanging around the fire, I hear that strange whispering again. I don't mention it to anyone because I know that they won't believe me. I look around to see if anyone else noticed the whispering, when I catch Jenn's eye. She's giving me the look of approval. I figure that she wants to be alone with Marc so I give her the "I-guess-so" look. I suppose it would be nice to spend some time alone with Drew. Jenn then whispers into Marc's ear, and they both get up with excited looks on their faces and walk into the woods. When they leave, Drew and I begin to talk about school, and other small talk. When I finally get the courage to try to make my move, I hear a horrifying scream. I look towards the car and see Jenn running towards us with blood all over her face. Drew and I stand up to find out what's going on.
"Run! There is someone out there and they just killed Marc!" screams Jenn.
I don't know what to do. I'm in so much shock that I can't move.
"Just split up and run! Anything!" screams Jenn as she runs past us.
Suddenly I just start running. I have no clue where I am or where I am going. I run into the forest and dodge branch after branch. Unexpectedly, I trip and fall to the ground, and I notice that the same stench from the lake is lingering in the air. I turn around to see what tripped me. At first it is hard to make out what it is. I get a closer look and realize that it is Marc with his throat sliced open and blood everywhere. I want to scream, but I can't. I can't do anything. I just sit there in shock.
I hear the sound of branches snapping under someone's foot, which brings me back to reality. I can't keep running. I have to think of a way out of here. Somehow, I have to make my way back to Drew's car. I hear the foot steps getting closer, so I hide behind a tree. Hopefully it is too dark to get noticed. I can see the silhouette of a man walking towards me. I see him stop in front of the tree that I am hiding behind. I don't make a sound I don't even breathe. Luckily, the man walks away. I wait a minute to make sure that he is gone, and then I run in the opposite way.
I'm trying to look for the clearing, but I run into something. I know that it is not a tree because it is soft and is swaying. I look up, and I see Drew hanging from the tree branch. With the full moon gleaming on his face, I understand that this is the last time I will ever see him, but I notice something different; this is the first time I have ever seen fear in his eyes. I scream. I just can't help it. I hear the footsteps again and begin to run.
I hear Jenn scream, and begin to run towards her. I see her being chocked to death. I try to run to her to try to save her, but the footsteps behind me don't stop. There are two killers! I can't stop now, if I want to make it out alive, I have to find that clearing. All of a sudden, that horrid smell comes back as I run by the lake. I recognize that smell this time. It is the smell of decaying bodies. Finally, I reach the clearing, and run to Drew's car. All of the doors are locked, and the footsteps are not stopping.
Once again, I run aimlessly. I turn around to see how far away I am from anyone or anything. The man who is chasing me is about fifty feet away but it is too dark to see what he looks like. I run into the cornfield, but accidentally trip of a fallen stalk of corn. Violently, my arms are pinned to the ground. I look up to see a hat with a boar's head on it. Then another man straddles my legs. I can't see who it is, but I can see a scar running from the man's eye to his mouth. The two men from the side of the road planned this the entire time! I struggle to get loose, but the grip gets tighter and tighter. The man with the scar lifts his hands above his head, and in his hands is a bloody knife. The reflection of the moon in the knife shows the man with this hat's expression. He seems to be enjoying every second of this. I am panicking inside. I don't know what to do, I just start hysterically crying. Then the man with the knife says "Welcome to Hellview, doll" as the cold medal from the knife pierces my skin.
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