Awareness

"Why are we stranding ourselves out here again?" Sam moaned as Spencer parked the RV in an empty spot in the woods. "With no electricity or phone service?"

"Oh my God, he's going to murder us!" Gibby exclaimed.

"I'm not murdering anyone," Spencer said. "We're here on a very important mission."

"Not the speech again," Freddie said.

"The public needs to be up-to-date on the beavcoon activity out here," Spencer said. "So we're here to promote awareness."

"Why does the public need to be aware of an imaginary creature?" Carly asked.

"It's not imaginary!" Spencer yelled. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're going to get a video of a beavcoon and post it on the Internet. Then everyone will have to believe it."

"Yeah, because there's no lies on the Internet," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

"There's food in the blue bag," Spencer said. He looked out the RV window. "Okay, it's pretty dark now. I think we should-"

"Where's the blue bag?" Sam interrupted.

"Ask Gibby, he's the one who brought it," Spencer replied. "Anyway, like I was saying-"

"I didn't bring any blue bag," Gibby frowned.

"What? I told you to grab it when we were heading out the door this morning," Spencer said. "It had all our food for the weekend in it."

"You told me to grab the true bag," Gibby said, pulling an empty, folded paper bag out of his pocket. "I though this was the realest bag you had in you apartment."

"Gibby!" Sam yelled, making a lunge for the boy. "We have no food!"

"Sam, don't kill him," Freddie said, grabbing his girlfriend's waist to keep her from attacking Gibby.

"Dude, we're all going to starve out here!" Sam said. "I know I'm your girlfriend and all, but baby, don't think I'm above eating you if I have to."

"Sam," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "There's no need to threaten canibalism on your boyfriend. Obviously we're not going to stay here. We're going to turn around, stop at a nice restaurant and then go back home."

"What? No way!" Spencer said. "The beavcoon's just begging to be seen tonight!"

"Spencer, are you crazy?" Carly said. "Sam will eat Freddie if we don't get some food, and right now I'm thinking about cooking you up!"

"This is the woods, you guys," Spencer said. "There's food all around us. Freddie, Gibby and I will go out and find us some dinner. I have fishing rods in the back and an edible berry app on my phone."

"Fish and berries?" Sam said, narrowing her eyes at Gibby. "That's what my dinner's become? You better sleep with one eye open tonight, Gibby!"

"You girls stay at the camp site and throw these down on the ground," Spencer said, handing Carly a large bag of wood chips.

"What are these for?" Carly asked.

"They'll attract the beavcoon, duh."

"Baby, if you bring me back some ham I'll go with you to your next AV club so all those guys stop thinking that you're lying about having a girlfriend," Sam said to Freddie.

"Where am I supposed to get ham?" Freddie asked.

"At least bring back a big fish then," Sam sighed.

"I'll try," Freddie said, giving Sam a quick kiss as Spencer handed him a fishing rod.

"Alright guys, let's get going," Spencer said. "And remember, girls, wood chips all around!"

"Is there even a lake around here?" Gibby asked as the guys made their way into the woods.

"According to this map there is," Spencer said, opening a large map. "I think we head North for awhile and then we turn east."

"And do you know how to fish?" Freddie asked.

"It can't be that hard," Spencer said dismissively. "You throw the hook in, you wait a few minutes and BAM! You have a fish. But be on the look out for berries, though."

"Man, it's getting dark," Gibby commented. "This is why I wish you would've let me bring my Safety Man flashlight."

"I brought a flashlight," Spencer said, rolling his eyes. "A manly flashlight. See, it's blue!"

"Well turn it on, I can barely see," Freddie said.

"Can do," Spencer said, turning the device on. The beam of light flickered for a second, and then went out entirely.

"Uh-oh," Spencer said. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Please tell me we have a spare," Freddie said slowly.

"Er..."

"Oh man, we're gonna die," Gibby said, leaning against a tree. "And I had a fight with my therapist right before this and now I'll never get to say I'm sorry!"

"Pull it together, Gibby!" Spencer said, smacking the boy on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. Look, this isn't a big deal. We'll just head back to the RV and get another flashlight," Spencer said.

"You're right," Freddie nodded. He turned around and frowned. "Um...which way will get us back?"

"Good question," Spencer said, looking down at his map, which he could barely see from the darkness. "Okay, I think we're here...or maybe here. And the RV's here...or maybe here..."

"Dude!" Freddie exclaimed. "You got us lost?"

"We're not lost!" Spencer said. "We came from that direction, right? So we'll just head that way."

"Fine," Freddie sighed.

"This isn't how I thought I'd go," Gibby said, following Freddie and Spencer. "I thought I'd die with at least half a beard grown."

"I don't think we're going in the right direction," Freddie said after a few minutes. "I don't remember anything we're passing."

"Well, maybe we should just keep going and hope that we wind up back where we started..." Spencer said. "Come on, let's keep walking."

The guys walked in silence, dragging their aching feet. Finally, the reached the spot where they had first realized they were lost.

"Let's try that direction," Freddie said. "Hopefully that way will-"

Suddenly, they heard a tree rustle, causing all of them to jump.

"What-what was that?" Gibby asked shakily.

"Maybe just the wind?" Spencer whispered.

"Spencer? There's no wind," Freddie said.

The tree rustled again, and they heard a soft hissing noise.

"Ahh!" all three men shouted, and without a second thought, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They ran for what felt like hours, until Freddie finally said, "Hey! I think I see the RV!"

"Oh sweet corn, yes!" Spencer cried.

The guys rushed out of the woods, collapsing on the ground next to the RV.

"What happened to you guys?" Carly frowned, putting down the burger she was eating.

"There is a monster in there!" Gibby panted.

"What?" Sam frowned, setting down her fries and walking over to Freddie.

"We were lost, and then we heard-there was no wind-it was-" Freddie breathed.

"Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?" Carly asked, helping her brother and Gibby to their feet.

"No!" Spencer exclaimed. "It was-wait. Why do you guys have food?"

He was looking at the large bags of burgers and fries that Sam and Carly had sitting on a picnic blanket.

"Oh, well it turns out that that there's a service plaza right across the street from here," Carly explained. "And we figured you guys wouldn't have much luck getting food, so we thought we'd take care of dinner."

"What?" Spencer exclaimed. "So while we were lost in the woods for hours, you two were stuffing your faces?"

"Hours?" Sam said. "It's been like, fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes?" Freddie repeated. "No way, that's impossible!" He pulled out his pearphone. "It's been at least-oh. Fifteen minutes."

"Can we eat?" Gibby asked. "I'm starving!"

"Yes, we brought enough for everyone," Carly laughed.

"So did you see the beavcoon?" Spencer asked, taking the a burger that Sam tossed at him.

"Yeah, a whole army of them came right before you guys ran out and was teaching us the ways of their kind," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Really? And I missed that!"

"He's...he's not too good with sarcasm when it comes to beavcoons," Carly sighed.

...

Later that night, after the five had gone to bed, Sam woke up. She was about to go back to sleep, when she noticed that Freddie's sleeping bag was empty.

"Freddie?" Sam whispered, sliding out of her own sleeping bag. She looked around and saw her boyfriend leaning against the side of the RV.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Sam asked, walking over to him.

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbled.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Freddie," Sam said. "I'm an expert liar. And I know when people lie to me."

"It's just," Freddie sighed. "You must think I'm a complete nub."

"And that's news to you?" Sam frowned.

"I couldn't even handle being in the woods for less than twenty minutes before running out," Freddie said. "I couldn't even catch you a fish to eat for dinner. If there hadn't been a burger place across the street, you would've starved and it would've been all my fault. You must think I'm a huge whimp; not even being able to take care of my girlfriend in the woods."

"Baby," Sam laughed. "I've always known you would never be able to handle yourself in the woods! I mean, look at you!"

"Thanks," Freddie muttered.

"But come on, you think that makes me love you any less?" Sam asked, putting her arms around him. "Do you think I care whether or not you could catch me dinner in the woods?"

"You don't?" Freddie asked.

"No!" Sam said. "I mean, you find me other ways to get me food."

"That's true," Freddie said thoughtfully.

"Besides," Sam shrugged. "You tried, didn't you?"

Freddie smiled and pulled Sam closed.

"So we'll just never go camping on a date," Sam told him. "And if for some reason we do, we won't leave Gibby in charge of food."

"Deal," Freddie chuckled.