Authors Note: Hey everyone, I would just like to take the time to say thank you for the awesome feedback from the last chapter :) I'm glad you guys are all enjoying the characters and the plot lines so far! Even though only three people reviewed, I got more viewing counts from last chapter than ever before! Anyways, I will stop nagging now. Alright, moving on, this is one of the chapters where you might all get a little angry with me (and maybe goosebumps, as one of the reviews from last chapter stated), especially towards the end. The plot thickens (yay) but there is a, surprise of sorts, at the end. Anyways, I have a few announcements:

1.) My fanfic's website just launched a few days ago. Right now, it's mostly centered about this fanfic, "Midnight Tryst" but eventually I will get in some of my Lachrymose stuff :)

2.) The "Midnight Tryst" video (trailer) is still up for you to view. So check it out. If you have a youtube account, feel free to add me or comment on the video itself.

3.) The playlists that are located at the top of the chapter each time are there because I think that that song fits the chapter wonderfully. If you want, youtube the song, or if you already have it in your music library, listen to it while reading the chapter :) I think it helps me focus more! So I hope you all enjoy the song choices as well.

4.) There is a little bit of language in this chapter, but this story is rated "T" so if you don't like the language, please skip over it because in some places, it can't be avoided.

And, well I can't think of anything else. So, on with it :) Here you go. Chapter Four!

Peace,

- RiP!


Playlist:

This Is The End (For You My Friend) by Anti-Flag.

(This song is used more for the title than the actual lyrics, but it's still good!)


Chapter Four – This Is The End (For You My Friend)

Amber POV

Terrified by what we had just seen and heard, Matt and I walked as swiftly as we could back to the campsite. When we first started our short trek back to the campsite when were able to walk in completely silence as both of us were lost in our own thoughts. But soon, however, that silence was shattered. Matt's love for gabbing and hatred for awkward silence won over in this particular situation.

"I don't think we should say anything to the others right away." Matt said plainly.

I looked over at him as I continued to walk, "What do you mean? Why not?"

"I think it will freak them out too much. I mean, we don't know what it was. It could have been absolutely nothing, our imagination getting the best of us. Or maybe someone playing a joke on us." He explained.

"But Matt, what if it wasn't a joke?" I questioned in a small voice.

His eyebrows rose, "I don't even want to think about that Amber."

"But Matt—" I started to plead.

"No Amber, I don't even want to think about that." Matt said.

I groaned in frustration at his stubbornness, "God damnit Matthew, this is not something we can keep from them!" I hissed.

He stopped and glared, "And why the hell not?" he growled in response.

I sighed and tried to calm my anger, "Because, we could be in danger. They need to be aware of this because this isn't something we can fool around with. I know you don't want to think about that but you have to. For all of our safety, you have to consider the all possibilities."

"So what are you saying Amber? Are you suggesting that we just pack up and leave? We've only been here for a few hours!" Matt protested. I was about to reply but he cut me off, "Are you making all this up because you want to go back home?" He stopped in thought and then spat at me, "This weekend is Bentley's birthday. Why didn't I think of this before! It's obvious that this is why your acting like this? Are you feeling guilty? Wait, don't answer that. Of course you are, you want us all to go home because you feel bad about missing his birthday. Am I right, or am I right?" Matt accused me.

I shook my head, "Well of course I feel guilty. Bentley is my best friend and yes I feel guilty about missing his birthday but I was never suggesting that we leave. That wasn't the point at all. I was just suggesting that we let the other's know about what we saw."

"They won't believe us." He said stonily.

"How do you know that?" I retorted.

He ran his hand through his hair, "Because, they will think we're just seeing things. I can tell you that now. They will."

"Maybe they will but then again maybe they won't. You can't see the future Matt, it's impossible." I snorted out with a short laugh. "Why are you such a pessimist!" I said.

He grinned, "Just to ruin your optimism." I huffed in response but he ignored me, "Come on. Let's hurry back. I don't like standing here in the middle of the woods."

By the time we reached it we saw that the girls had already finished putting up the tents and were currently working on making a small fire-ring made out of rocks around the fire pit so that once we made a fire, the fire would not spread into the grass. It was something we had taken to doing every time we came out here. The one time we didn't make the fire-ring the fire but a little out of control. So now we take all the necessary safety precautions.

I knew that neither Matt nor I had calmed down since we heard that completely chilling voice whisper in the wind to us from the darkening woods. Our short argument hadn't helped things either. I understood why he didn't want to tell the others but we had to. I just had a bad feeling our trip was going to turn south. And I couldn't shake that feeling away. The walk back to camp hadn't helped us one bit. If anything I was growing more and more freaked out by the second. I thought about the voice once again and a series of involuntary shivers were sent down my spinal cord as I thought about how evil the voice had sounded.

"What was that?" Brie asked, noticing my shivers from where she stood, nearly ten feet away from me.

I frowned, "Just a cold chill." I lied.

I looked over at Matt. His eyes were wide with fear and was shaking slightly just like I was. I knew he was thinking about it. Olivia, Roxie and Shay all looked questionably at us as we came into their view but Matt and I just walked in a shaky silence to the fire and set our firewood down without a word.

As I sat down in front of the fire ring I put my head in between my knees and talked quietly to myself. "I'm just seeing things, I'm just seeing things, I'm just seeing things, I'm just seeing things…" I mumbled almost incoherently.

"Amber, what's wrong?" I heard Brie ask as she sat down beside me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at Matt for help but he was too lost in his thoughts to even notice. I panicked. What was I supposed to say, "Well, we were out in the woods when some freaking voice started talking to us through the wind and we kept seeing things move around in the shadows and that was before I saw the blood red eyes and sharp white teeth hiding in the bushes? No I'm not going insane; I really did see those things." I thought as I ran the conversation over and over again in my head but every single time I just thought it sounded like I belonged in a mental institution or something like that. Matt was completely right. We couldn't tell them, at least not straight out, without sounding insane.

Finally I decided to ask a simple question, "Have you ever seen anything weird in the forest before? Something that is out of place and freaky looking but has no possible rational explanation of what you saw except for the possibility of loosing your sanity." I asked all my friends, still slightly dazed with confusion.

"Well, none of us have been in the woods yet. Well, apart from you and Matt." Roxie told me.

I shook my head, "Well not just today—not just this current trip but anytime we have been in the woods. Have you ever felt like someone was watching you but then when you turn around there is nothing there?" I asked softly.

I faintly heard Shay clear her throat and I looked up at her, she was nodding slightly, "Last year when me, you and Roxie went into the woods to explore I swore I saw something blurring in the forest, like it was running a thousand times fasting than anything the human eye can see." Shay confessed while looking down at her feet in embarrassment. "Don't think I'm crazy, I really did see it. More than once." I smiled; I knew exactly how she felt.

My eyes locked with Matt's and I gave him a triumphant smile—so maybe we weren't going crazy after all, Shay has seen it too. "Today when Matt and I were in the woods I kept getting this feeling in the pit of my stomach like someone was watching me in the forest but every time I would turn around too look there was nothing there. But then I heard this tree branch snap and then I saw something blur through the forest—just like Shay described. Matt didn't see it so I didn't say anything about it at first but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me. While Matt was teasing me and that I was just being scared all of a sudden we saw the things blurring as it ran towards us but then it just disappeared." I told them all.

Olivia, Brie and Roxie's eyes were wide open in anxiety but Shay and Matt both nodded in understanding. "I was there—she wasn't just seeing things because I saw them too." Matt confirmed.

"And that is exactly what I saw last year, I'm so glad that I'm not just seeing things. I mean, you guys saw it to!" Shay seconded.

"Are you sure that you guys aren't on drugs? Are you high or something?" Olivia asked skeptically.

"Olivia!" I exclaimed while she just shrugged, "We're not high and we aren't on drugs, we really did see them." I protested.

"There really is something out there." Shay said.

"And what Amber told you guys about isn't even everything—when we were getting ready to leave I was trying to calm Amber down and I said that nothing in the forest was going to bite her and then out of—" Matt started but I cut him off quickly.

"—no where we heard this really freaky chuckling sound coming from the deeper part of the woods and something started whispering to us. It said 'that's what you think.' We both heard it clearly. We got freaked out and decided to leave with the firewood that we brought back and I decided to turn around one last time and when I did I saw—" I was cut off by a scared Matt.

"—blood red eyes and shiny, sharp white teeth hiding in the shadows." Matt finished.

I felt my eyes grow wide, I didn't even know he saw them, "You saw them too?" I asked him.

Matt nodded wordlessly.

"Nice scary story guys but really don't try and freak us out like that." Olivia said with a shaky laugh.

Shay shook her heard furiously at Olivia, "I don't think that Amber and Matt would get so worked up over something that they were just trying to scare us with. I believe them." Shay said. I shot her a small 'thank-you' smile.

"Maybe it was just the wind." Andrea said.

"What about the things we saw?" Matt asked.

"Maybe it was just an optical illusion." Roxie replied.

"I doubt it was either of those things but let's not argue and forget that this ever happened. I'm not letting anything ruin our trip." I said with a forced smile on my face.

The others all nodded their heads in agreement with my statement and then they set to work by situating the wood in a small pile in the fire ring. Shay lit a small fire while I kept an eye on Roxie to make sure that she didn't play with the matches.

"I told you they wouldn't believe us." Matt whispered to me as we got to work.

I glared at him, "Shay believed us. Why don't you shut up and leave it alone."

"No need to get snappy with me," Matt held up his hands in surrender, "I swear, there is too much estrogen in this place!"

I giggled and punched his shoulder, "We'll find you some testosterone one of these days."

"Thank the Lord!" he said as he looked up at the sky.

-x-x-x-

Later, the six of us sat in a circle on the ground around the small campfire. It was becoming twilight now, the stars and moon were beginning to show themselves. I smiled, I always did love nighttime in the forest, it was always easier to look up at the stars. I slowly lowered myself to the ground on my back and began to gaze up at the stars with what I'm sure was a content smile plastered onto my face. This was all that I ever needed—my best friends, us all hanging out and just being together. There was only one thing, or rather person, who was missing. I found myself frowning slightly but I tried not to make it noticeable. I tried to erase that thought from my head, as much as I wanted him there he wasn't really part of my best friends he was just a best friend from school. He was the one person who I knew couldn't come but I still wanted him here all the same.

I was broke through my thoughts when Brie started to speak, "You know I'm surprised Lester didn't come with us, normally he pretty much begs to come with us." Brie said.

All of us nodded in agreement. Lester Harper is twenty-five years old but despite the age difference he is very close with me and my friends. He is sort of like a big brother or father figure to us at times. Lester is also a good friend of all of our families. He always made sure that he would come with us when we went on camping trips. I was surprised that our parents even let us go on the trip without him when he mentioned that he had to go out of town on business two weeks ago and wouldn't be back for a while. Now, Lester was married but none of us had ever met his wife. We knew her name was Grace and that she was extremely beautiful and that her cousin was living with Lester and herself as well but that was all that we knew about them. Even though he is several years older than most of us Lester is a 'little kid' on the inside and gets along with us really well.

All of a sudden Olivia burst into laughter. I sat up slightly and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Oh my god, do you guys remember when Matty and Merce had to play Mary and Joseph in the Christmas play and they had to use a little baby girl to play baby Jesus? I thought Lester and all our parents was going to pop a vein or something when they heard what Matt said!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Wow, random much, Olivia?" Brie said.

I burst into laughter as well ignoring Brie's comment. How could I not remember something like that?

"How could anyone forget?" I asked incredulously, "As soon as I brought the baby out on the stage and Roxie was saying the narrators part, Matt started going out on a rant about how the baby we were using at baby Jesus was a girl and that the real baby Jesus was a boy. Then after he pointed that fact out, we proceeded to say that since we had a girl playing baby Jesus we were basically making Jesus a transvestite or something of that nature." I laughed; I was almost in tears at this point and could hardly breathe.

Matt scowled at me, "I didn't think that the microphone that was standing beside me was on, if I would have known that almost everyone in the audience would hear what I said, I never would have said it." He said while trying to defend himself.

"Even so, why would you make remarks like that? I seriously thought that some of the older people in the audience were going to have a heart attack when you said the stuff about the transvestite." Shay pointed out.

Matt shrugged it off, "Ehh, oh well. They all have to go sometime anyways, they'll forget about it after that." He said.

I felt my jaw drop in shock and reached out to slap him on the arm. Apparently the other girls had the same idea too because we all slapped him at the same time. He let out a slight yelp and then Brie started yelling at him.

"I can not believe you said that. That was very mean Matt." Brie said sternly.

"I never thought that you were the motherly type Brie, just because you are the oldest of us all doesn't mean you have to act all motherly on us. We left that at home." Matt joked.

Brie glowered at him, "You. Suck." She said simply.

Matt shrugged and then started to argue once again with Brie about how it was rude to say that on stage.

I tried to drown out the rest of their conversation after that. I leaned back down and looked up once again at the stars. I tried to find some of the constellations but that was something I was never good at. I gave up after about five minutes of looking and then just let my thoughts wonder after that. Before long my thoughts started to roam back to what Matt and I had seen in the woods today. What kind of animal—creature—has blood red eyes? Certainly not anything human. Was it possible that whatever I had seen was not even human? I sure hoped not. I groaned quietly and then played the scene in the woods over in my head for about the millionth time at day.

I heard the fire crackle and I turned to look at the flames. There was something very moving about the fire. I felt myself focusing only on the red, orange and yellow flames dancing around the fire pit. Every once and a while a blue or white flame would appear but would quickly disappeared moments later. I had been thinking about the blurring movement in the woods when I heard a loud snack and a low menacing growl coming from the edge of the woods by our camp. That brought all my current thoughts to rest. My head snapped up into the direction to where I had heard the snapping sound and what I saw made me terrified once again. I saw a pair of piercing blood red eyes observing out campsite from the shadows of the trees. I almost shrieked in fear. It was too tall to be any type of animal. It had the silhouette of a human but since when did humans have blood red eyes? My eyes locked with the red eyes.

Roxie was sitting beside me laughing as Matt almost choked on a burnt marshmallow that not even five minutes ago he had been roasting over the fire. While still having my eyes locked with the red ones, I felt around with my hand for Roxie and tried to find some way to get her attention without getting anyone else's. I finally felt the back of Roxie's t-shirt and yanked it forcefully. Roxie came tumbling down beside me on her back. She turned to glare at me but I was too busy worrying about the eyes.

Roxie turned to me, her eyes were fuming but I didn't even notice, "What the hell do you think—" Roxie started but I quickly cut her off in my terrified state.

"Not now Roxie." I hissed quietly to her.

She was getting angrier and more confused by the second. "What the hell is your freaking problem Amber!" she whisper-yelled.

Without taking my eyes from those acute red ones I started to speak to Roxie in a low whisper, "Look out on the edge of the woods and tell me if you see anything strange." I told her.

I didn't turn around to watch as Roxie did this but as soon as I heard her soft gasp I knew that she had saw it. I watched as she pointed out towards the eyes with a shaky finger, "Re—re—red eyes." She stuttered in surprise.

I nodded briefly. I felt Roxie move forwards slightly so that she could get a better view of whatever was standing in the woods, watching them with hate filled eyes. I vaguely noticed that the eyes were narrowing at Roxie and I and were becoming a darker burgundy. What kind of eyes change colors that quick? Something was wrong—very wrong.

I heard a small shriek come from behind us and then Olivia's soft voice, "Aww shit—I cut my finger on that knife and it's bleeding pretty bad. Did anyone remember to pack the bandages?" she murmured under her breath slightly.

Before Roxie and I could even think about reacting, six blurs suddenly shot out of the forest with surprisingly amazing speed. So it was the things from earlier? All those things that Matt and I had seen earlier were all connected. Right now was not the time to think though. Roxie and I screamed bloody murder and jumped back towards the fire in surprise.


So, there is Chapter Four :) The funny thing is, the story about the Christmas Play, actually happened to me in real life. It was SO embarrassing!

Anyways, so the surprise, well it was the CLIFFHANGER I left you guys on. So tell me, what do you think was out in the woods? Who do you think it could be? Male or Female? Evil or Nice? This is your excuse to send me a review telling me what YOU think has been stalking the group! Anyways, ALERT/FAVORITE/REVIEW if you please :) Although, it would make my day if you would :)