Michael awakened just after noon to the sound of a raven cawing nearby.
He turned over to face April, but her sleeping bag was empty and cool to the touch.
Michael got dressed and stepped out of the tent. April was there, sitting on one of the logs, cooking a marshmallow on a stick above the campfire.
"How long have you been awake?" Michael inquired.
April shrugged. "An hour or so. I was hungry so I decided to open up the bag of marshmallows. Want some?"
"Yes," Michael replied as he sat down beside her.
April handed him another stick she had carved with a knife into a point so a marshmallow could be poked onto it.
Michael took a marshmallow out of the open bag between him and April and did exactly that before placing the marshmallow an inch above the highest flames of the fire.
April did the same.
"What happened to nutritious breakfasts?" Michael teased.
"We slept through breakfast," April said. "And rules are made to be broken. Especially when marshmallows are around."
Michael grinned.
After their marshmallow meal April and Michael hiked out once again, moving deeper into the forest with their belongings on their backs.
They were about a half hour or so into the hike when they heard laughter ringing through the trees.
"Do you know where that's coming from?" April quizzed.
"Up ahead," Michael answered, pushing forward.
A few minutes later, they stumbled into a clearing where three young adolescents, a guy and two girls, were talking around a fire.
"Who are you?" the boy demanded as he stood up.
April took out one of her handy fake badges. "We're rangers. I'm Ranger April Dawson; this is Ranger Michael Hughes. You can call us by our first names. What's yours?"
One of the girls, blonde hair in a ponytail, spoke up. "I'm Trisha." She pointed to the Latin girl next to her. "This is my friend Myra and the hot-head is my boyfriend, Jake."
"They could have been anyone Trish," Jake said defensively as he sat back down next to her.
"Have you heard of the deaths occurring here in the forest?" Michael asked.
"Sure," Jake replied. "Coyotes or something have been attacking people, but we came prepared."
He patted the shotgun lying next to his feet.
"Did you know that this area is closed?" April inquired.
Jake and Trisha didn't say anything.
"Are we in trouble?" Myra questioned.
"No," April assured her. "But you all need to come with us. It's not safe here, even with that gun."
Jake was about to protest but Michael cut him off. "It would be wise not to argue with her."
"If they're that worried, we should listen Jake," Trisha decided.
Jake sighed. "Fine. Just give us a while to pack up."
"We're not going anywhere," April promised.
She and Michael helped the three take down their tents and fill their bags with all their gear.
"Where are your vehicles?" April asked after everything was done.
"On the other side of the river," Myra answered. "It took a whole day to hike here."
"And here I was hopping they wouldn't have to spend another overnight here," April muttered, before saying, "Let's go."
They hiked for three hours straight, April leading the way, and Michael at the back of the group, before Myra begged for a break. They sat down in a natural clearing and refueled on water and energy bars.
Once rested up, they continued on.
"So how'd you find us?" Jake inquired as he walked alongside April.
"You got lucky," April told him. "We were searching for you but had no idea where you were."
"Did Myra's parents send you out to get us?" Jake quizzed. "They can be over-protective."
April shook her head. "No. We just wanted to clear the woods."
"You're really concerned about whatever is out here, aren't you?" Myra asked from behind them.
"Yes," April said, stopping in her tracks to turn to face her for a moment. "And you should be too."
Jake, Myra, and Trisha glanced at each other before falling back in step behind her.
"We didn't mean to cause trouble," Trisha said. "We just wanted to take a trip together before we go our separate ways to different universities this fall. We thought we'd be safe. If we'd heard or seen anything we would have left."
"What's out here you wouldn't hear coming," Michael told her.
Myra shivered and whispered to Trisha, "Told you this was a bad idea."