Halloween Camping

Halloween Camping
The fire crackled as it cast its orange light onto the girls that sat around it. All their eyes were fixed onto the hakutaku woman who loomed over the flame. In the fire light, a wicked grin could be seen on her face as she told her story. “And so, she ran, her husband lying limp in her arms. But no matter how far or how fast the minotaur ran, the slow clanking of metal followed her. ‘~whoooOOOOoooo stooOOle myyy squire~’ the paladin called out from behind her ‘Wheeeereeee iiissss heeeeeee’.” The hakutaku’s ghostly wailing sent shivers up the younger girls' spines. The braver of them tried to look disinterested, but many openly clung to each other as the story continued. “Eventually she stopped hearing the clanking and she thought she was safe, but the chase had left her hopelessly lost in the middle of the night. A new panic started to set in when she spotted an old, abandoned cabin her and her husband could rest in. she forced her way into the old building and she gently laid her man onto the bed. She bolted the rickety door before she sat herself on the ground facing it, prepared to keep watch while her love slept. The hours passed slowly until her heavy eyes drew closed and she drifted off.” The cow-woman’s voice grew softer now, drawing in all the enraptured girls despite their fear or pride. “She woke with a start and looked around the cabin, only to find it unchanged and still as dark as ever. But faintly, she could hear the pounding of metal greaves again. Clank...clank...clank. And as she listened the steps grew louder and louder. Clank...clANK...CLANK. She wanted to hide but she looked to her husband who still slept soundly. CLANK...CLANK...CLANK. Slowly she stood and set herself between the door and the bed. CLANK...CLANK!... it stopped outside the cabin door. She stood stock still and prayed it would move on when the ghostly voice drifted in, ‘Wheeeeeeeere iiiiissssss myyy squiiirrrrrrre’ is asked as the door shook on its hinges. It banged hard against the dead bolt, but the old lock held. ‘Whhhhhhhoooooooo StoooOOOOOooolllleeee hiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmm’ the voice called out again, but the door remained closed. Finally, the infernal shaking stopped, and all was still. The minotaur released a long-held breath in relief. It was then she felt a cold hand on her shoulder…‘YOU DID!!!!!” The Hakutaku yelled as she half lunged for the collected children, eliciting screams from even the bravest of the young ones.  Seeing the results of her expert storytelling, the older woman couldn’t help but laugh. Slowly the girls collected themselves and settled into spatters of relieved giggles, accusing each other of being scared as if they hadn’t screamed too. Except for a small werewolf pup, no older than 10 who still hid behind a dhampir of similar age.
“M-miss Hawthorn, p-paladins aren’t real right?” she sheepishly asked, barely able to peak over her friend’s shoulder.
“Of course, they aren't real, dummy!” answered a slightly older oni whose red skin hid an embarrassed blush.
“Who are you calling a dummy!” shouted the young dhampir who was quick to stand in defense of her cowering friend.
“ALEX!” cried Ms. Hawthorn, leveling a stern glare at the petulant pre-teen who withered beneath it while muttering apologies. The hakutaku’s face quickly shifted to a soft motherly smile as she turned back to the werepup. “Don’t you worry Amy, there’s no such thing as paladins anymore. They only live in scary stories and history books now.” This got the pup to slowly leave her protector's shadow and take her spot at the fire. “I always loved scary stories when I was in the scouts, I was always the best in my troop you know” she began with obvious pride.
“Yes Ms. Hawthorn, we know,” replied a bored hellhound, much older than the children that crowded around the fire. she sat away from the fire playing cards by lantern light with the other two high schoolers on the trip, a cheshire and dullahan.
The hakutaku harrumphed indignantly. “Well it's still true… Anyway, before you guys take over with the stories, I have a surprise, or should I say a treat fufufu.” She wore a conspiratorial smirk as she turned and dug through a large bag she had hidden. “Now I know a lot of you are disappointed at not getting to trick or treat this year,” the discontented grumbling behind her was all the affirmation she needed. “But what’s a Halloween without some SWEEEEEETS!” As she announced this, she raised two bags filled to bursting with candy and chocolates. The girls around the fire completely forgot their previous complaints at the sight of all that sugar. “Don’t tell your mothers about this, and you each can get three pieces.” Her wink was lost to the celebratory clamor, but it wasn’t strictly necessary. The parents knew perfectly well about the sweets, but the troupe leader knew candy tastes so much better when you’re not supposed to be having it. She handed the bags over to the group who to their credit, didn’t descend on it like seagulls on an ill defended cooler. The oldest of them, a lizard girl just sky of being a teenager quickly too command and whipped the younger ones into an orderly line, just as the cow-woman knew she would. Confident the children were taken care of, she walked over to the card game the teenagers were playing. “You know girls,” she started sweetly, “I brought some sweets for you too.” reaching into her coat she withdrew a set of full sized cardy bars with a flourish.
The cheshire girl was the first to speak up with a wide smile. “Awww thanks Ms. Hawthorn!!” she said sweetly as she took the offered chocolate.
The hellhound on the other hand glumly muttered her thanks as she reached for one herself.
“Oh come on Beth, I know this isn’t the ideal for a teenagers Halloween, but these are the nights that you’ll remember most.” reassured the hakutaku, her eyes closed wistfully, completely unaware at the teenager’s eye rolling.
“If you say so…”
“Rachel, what about you?” the woman continued, trying to hand the last bar to the stoic dullahan.
“Thank you miss, but I’m all set,” she answered bluntly.
“Rachel here is on a diet” came the cheshires explanation, whose wide smile somehow grew even wider. “She’s always worried about looking her best now a days for some~” she continued in faux confusion. The hound beside her cackled as the dullahan’s pale face grew purple and angry.
“S-shut it Taylor!” she hissed, but the damage was done. Gone was the laid-back face of an adult trying to connect with a teenager. Now Ms. Hawthorn looked down with pure motherly concern.
“Oh Rachel! You don’t have to do anything silly like that.”
“Wa-wait, no. it’s not-” she sputtered out, desperately trying to cut off the advice that was heading her way.
But there was no stopping it.
“Listen I know you're at that age…” the hakutaku continued unabated. The dullahan groaned as her friends fought back their laughter. “But you just have to trust in yourself and who you are. You’re growing into a lovely woman Rachel.” The lovely woman in question had by now abandoned any hope of getting out of this lecture and resigned herself to hiding her blushing face in her hands. “There’s nothing wrong with looking your best, but any guy that can’t see how wonderful you are already just isn’t worth your time dear. Why I remember when…” before the lecture could turn into a full-blown story, a commission from around the fire drew the hakutaku’s attention. “Oh, I have to get back to the little ones, we’ll talk again later Rachel,” she promised before walking back to the bickering children.
“I hate you too much” the undead girl hissed at the now openly hysterical teenagers. The other two paid her no mind as they gasped for breath between laughs. Embarrassed and more than a little pissed, Rachel angrily grabbed the forgotten candy bar the troop leader left behind and started eating with a pout.
“Ahahaha haaaaa, I’m sorry Rache hehe, I just couldn’t resist.” was the cheshire’s apology when she finally calmed herself down.
“You never can.”
“Awwww don’t be mad, you want my candy bar to make up for it.” The gesture could almost be called genuine if it weren’t for her shit-eating grin. The dullahan just glared at her till she relented, giggling to herself once again. “You don’t see Beth here sulking half as bad.”
“Bullshit camping trip,” the hellhound grumbled as her mood collapsed again. “I should be carrying Luke over my shoulder by now but nooooooo! My parents had to send me into the middle of the dang woods.” For once the cat girl's face showed genuine sympathy as she rubbed her friends back. “Who knows what scank is gonna grab him while I’m stuck with these runts.”
“Don’t you worry about him girl. I made sure every girl in school knows he’s yours. At this point I think he’s the only one in the dark.” The reassurance did a lot to soothe the hellhound who visibly relaxed. “And hey, I got something to cheer you up in my pack,” the cheshire’s smile was back in a flash as the other two leaned in to listen. I snagged a water bottle of booze from my parents, what do you guys say to a… private party after lights out.” The hellhound’s face lit up at the prospect while the dullahan’s was horrified.
“This is why I love you, you crazy bitch!” Alex said as she pulled the cat into a one-armed hug.
“Are you nuts?!” Rachel asked.
“Oh relax. It's not a lot. Just enough for a bit of fun. You don’t have to come if you’re gonna be lame about it.” Taylor challenged, knowing full well the dullahan would take the bait.
“Fine, I’ll go with you,” the cat’s smile impossibly grew even wider and smugger. “But just to make sure you two don’t do anything stupid.”
“You worry too much; everything will be just fiiiine.”
“What will?” came a voice far more mature than any of the girls’. Quickly they all turned to see the tall imposing figure of an arachnea woman looming above them.
“Mm-Mrs. Jirik!” Taylor shouted with a start. “We were… just talking about our midterms,” she lied quickly. “Rachel was just worried about it is all.” To her credit, once the surprise faded the cat’s face revealed nothing.
“Hmmm, well Rachel you’ve always been a fine student,” the spider woman started. If she saw through the lie, she didn’t show it. “I think Ms. Taylor is right, you’ll be just fine.” the other girls just nodded along with forced smiles before pretended with all their might to return to their card game. Seemingly satisfied, Mrs. Jirik turned and skittered over to the fire, making sure to cast a glance at the trio as she joined Ms. Hawthorne as she did. The teenagers talked no more about their plans but shared a single nod to confirm that everyone was still game.
	The campfire didn’t last long after the treats were passed around. And two hours later everyone was tucked warmly into their sleeping bags. Everyone, except for three devious teenagers.
	The girls crept through the woods silently without so much as a flashlight to give them away, trusting their natural night vision instead. “Alright, this should be far enough,” Taylor finally spoke up as they came across a clearing. Brown and orange foliage littered the ground and a massive mossy covered log laid across it. The three sat themselves on the long dead wood and eagerly watched the cat girl rummage through her pack before proudly producing a plastic water bottle, half full of a clear fluid.
	“Jesus Taylor, how much did you take?!” Rachel asked in shock. The Cheshire just rolled her eyes at her friends' worry. “How do you expect your parents not to notice half the damn bottle is gone?!”
	“Relax, my dad never touches the vodka and my mom’s still gonna be preggo for months!” Deciding the matter was settled, Taylor deftly uncapped the bottle before tossing it back haphazardly. She took a single, big gulp before her eyes bugged open and she fell into a fit of hacking coughs. “That’s -gah! - that’s good shit,” she hoarsely spoke through a weak smile before offing the bottle to her friends. While Rachel leaned away after seeing her friend's reaction; Beth was, if anything, more excited and snatched the offered bottle from the cat. She took a swig from it and the others watched as her face screwed tight and a shiver ran all the way from tips of her ears down through her tail.
	“Yo-your turn Rache,” she forced out, trying hard not to fall into the same coughing fit that still held Taylor. The Dullahan hesitated, staring at the bottle with equal parts curiosity and fear. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the bottle from Beth’s hand and took a drink. Her whole body seemed to cringe when the vodka touched her tongue but through gritted teeth, she swallowed it back. Before sputtering and spitting off to the side, desperate to get the burning taste out of her mouth.
	They all sat in awkward silence as they recovered their composure. Rachel was the first to speak. “Well that was fucking awful.” Nobody said a thing for a long moment before all three burst into howling laughter. It didn’t stop for minutes as Beth fell back off the log holding her stomach.
	“I know right?” Taylor managed to ask through her tear-filled laughter. She shakily took the bottle back from Rachel and gave it an appraising stare. “Still though, my parents will kill me when the figure out I took this. Best not to let it be wasted.” She took another swig, falling back into coughing but more manageable by far than the first chug. “It-it gets a bit better the second try.” And so, the girls continued their evening, passing the bottle between them taking sips; at first laughing at each other’s pained reactions but later just laughing just for the sake of laughing.
	The bottle was half finished, and they were all pleasantly buzzed when Beth’s canine ears suddenly perked up. “G-guys, guys… shut up for a sec, I think I hear something.” The hellhound leaned her whole body towards the faint noise she was picking up, nearly toppling over in the process.
“Shit! Is it one of the leaders?” Rachel asked, scanning the trees in a panicked frenzy.
“No, shut up, I'm listening… it, it sounds like voices... boys maybe?” Beth continued uncertainty.
“BOYS?!” Taylor all but shouted as her face lit up.
“I said shut up! I-I think it's coming from over here.” Beth didn’t wait for the others to chime in before walking quickly across the clearing, her ear still turned to the noise only she heard. Rachel tried to object but Taylor was already on her feet and after the hellhound before the words left her throat. Sighing, she picked herself up (quietly pocketing the remaining vodka) before jogging after her friends.
The trio stumbled through the woods like this, Beth taking the lead, and as they walked soon the other two began to hear the noise as well. It started as a vague rumbling but soon it grew more distinct and voices could be heard. Further on they even started to see an orange light in the distance. Eventually they reached a row of thick bushes just before the blazing orange light. By now the muddled voices they were following could be clearly made out. “And as he gripped the door knob his friend took one last look back and said…” Curious, the three girls carefully poked their heads above the bushes just enough to peak over. Before them was a roaring campfire, surrounded by a dozen boys. Most were far younger than them, looking to be middle school age at most. But the storyteller and the two others that flanked him looked to be 11th or 12th grades like they were. “Whatever happens tonight, do NOT open this door. No matter what you see or hear or feel, don’t open it. Even for me.” The girls ducked back behind the bushes and turned to each other. While Beth was certainly interested in their find, Taylor was grinning ear to ear. Rachel however didn’t share their enthusiasm, and just looked uncomfortable.
“They must be a boy scout troop. I don’t recognize any of them so they must be from another town,” Beth remarked in a hushed tone.
“Guys we should really head back,” Rachel whispered back, “If their leaders see us, we’ll be busted for sure. There’s no way they won’t know we were drinking.”
The Storyteller continued his tale over the girl’s mutterings, “At first the night was quiet, until suddenly there was a panicked pounding at the door. From outside, he heard his friends voice cry out ‘quickly! Let me in! Please!’ but remember his friends warning he did not move. The screaming and pleading continued on like this for who knows how long, before suddenly falling quiet again. Soon after there came a steady, rhythmic banging at the door. The banging continued unchanging throughout the night…”
In spite of Rachel’s protests, Taylor is already back above the bushes, watching the boys with interest. “Relax Rache, it looks like the leaders already went to bed, it’s just the boys telling stories. I think actually I know this one. It ends with him finding his friends…” Taylor trailed off as she spoke, her eyes going wide as an epiphany struck her. She turned to Rachel, then to the campfire, then back to Rachel with a devious smirk.
“Taylor… you know I hate that look.” Rachel said as she backed away a bit. Taylor however ignored her and instead leaned over to Beth, whispering into her ear. Rachel couldn’t hear what was said, but Beth’s face soon mirrored Taylor’s, her own smile illuminated by the smoldering flame that grew from her eyes. Frowning deeply, Rachel made to leave when a heavy paw fell onto her shoulder, stopping her retreat. She only managed a quiet squeak as she was pulled into the hellhound’s side. Her and Beth remained squatted behind the bush as Taylor watched from above.
“He didn’t know when or how he fell  asleep, but when he woke up it was morning, and light filtered in through the dirty window,” the story tell continued, growing softer much like Ms. Hawthorne had during her story. Taylor silently lifted her hand up, signaling Beth to ready herself. “Still alone, with no sign of his friend, he shakily got to his feet and approached the door.”
“Get ready,” Taylor commanded Beth, her eyes steely and focused.
“He grasped the handle and sloooooooowly opened it…”
“Allllmost theeeerrrrrrre.”
“And there, tied to door frame, was his friends SEVERED HEAD!”
“Now!” Taylor cried. And before Rachel could reacted, Beth grabbed the head off of her shoulders. In a smooth motion, she stood to her full 6-and-a-half-foot height, wound up, and threw her friends head at the collected boys.
“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!” was all the boys heard as something hit the storyteller square in the gut, sending him to the ground with whatever had hit him in his arms. Groaning and gasping after getting the wind knocked out of him, he looked down to a feminine, pale blue face staring back at him with golden eyes. “Uuuhhh, hello?” Rachel said with a shaky smile. In a second everyone there was screaming, the boys in fear, Rachel from being sudden tossed into the air again. Chaos ensued as the boy scouts panicked, leaving poor Rachel face down in the dirt, quietly fuming.
“WHAT THE HELL is going on out here!” came a booming voice that froze every boy stock still and silent in a second. From out of a tent widely built, grey haired man in a stained undershirt and flannel pajama bottoms. He stomped over to one of the older boys, “Jimmy, explain why the hell I’m being woken up by you nitwits screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night!”
“M-Mister Colson! I-we were…” Jimmy babbled in fear.
“I-it’s my fault sir!” called out the storyteller who had by now recovered from the blow he’d received. “I was telling the younger kids a scary story.”
“Bradly,” the older man began, “I have heard, told, or even invented every ghost story you lot have or will ever know, and there isn’t a one that could get that much screaming! And what in the hell is that!” He was now pointing directly at Rachel’s face down head.
“Oh, uh that’s… uh, that’s just a prop I brought! A Halloween decoration I found at home for the story,” Bradley lied as he hastily went over to Rachel. As he knelt down, he whispered “just play along” Rachel nodded as best as she could from her position and took up her best impression of a (fake) severed head. To her credit as an actress, she barely even flinched as she was roughly picked up by the hair and shown to the scout leader. “S-see, I just thought it would make the story scarier, you know, the one with the...”
“Yeah, yeah the severed head knocking against the cabin,” Mr. Colson interrupted, rubbing his chin, and looking over the proffered head in the dim light. “Well it is a classic,” he continued, seeming to perk up at the subject matter, “I used to tell that one around the fire decades ago, hehe I always got a few screams out of that one. Never thought to get a fake head though…” He smiled wistfully as he reminisced to no one in particular before suddenly shaking his head and scowling at the boys once more. “Well either way, you had your fun, now either keep quiet or its lights out for everyone, understood?”
“Yes, scout leader!” the boys all called in precise unison. Satisfied, he gave them one more dirty look before returning to his tent, muttering the whole way there. No one so much as breathed until the tent flap was securely zipped up.
“Holy shit I can’t believe that worked,” said Brad as he visibly deflated in relief.
“Great it worked, now let go of my HAIR!” hissed Rachel from her position at his hip.
“Ah, s-sorry” he apologized hastily as he gently shifted his grip so he cradled her at chest level. She was very thankful that the low light hid her blush. She made no complaints.
“Wait hold on, why the hell are you apologizing to her! She was the one that caused this shit!” The voice came from Jimmy, who had just recovered from his initial shock. The others nodded along, clearly agreeing who was to blame here.
“No, I… wait I didn’t want too…” Rachel stammered out, only to be interrupted but a crashing from the bushes as Beth suddenly came flying through the bushes, followed soon after by a headless, physically dragging Taylor by the leg. Even without the benefit of a face, it was very clearly pissed. Rachel couldn’t help but snarl at her friends’ reappearance. “Those two are the ones who tossed me like a damn baseball! I just wanted to go back to camp.”
With that, the boy’s collective attention shifted over to the newcomers as Rachel’s body tossed Taylor over next to where Beth laid. Taylor gave the boys her most innocent smile, but it was clear no one was buying it. “Errrrr trick or treat? Hehe…”
“What the hell is wrong with you two idiots!? You could’ve tossed me into the damn fire!” Even disconnected, Rachel’s body mirrored her angry words with stomps and gestures at her prone friends.
“Oh, come on Rache, Beth’s a variety pitch for Maou’s sake.” To emphasize the cat’s point Beth took a moment to flex with pride. “She could’ve made it in her sleep.”
“Yeah!” Beth chimed in, “It’ll take more than a bit of boo-” She was suddenly cut off by a purple cat’s paw over her mouth before she could finish her boast.
“Anyway, sorry for all the trouble, we’ll just be taking back our friend’s head and be on our way.” Taylor apologized quickly, still covering the hellhound’s mouth.
	“Wait a minute…” one of the older boys near Beth and Taylor leaned over and smelt the air. “Have you three been drinking?”
	All eyes went wide at the accusation. “Of-of course not, don’t be stupid… Where would nice Mamano scouts like us even get vodka from?”
	“I never said anything about vodka…”
	“...Shit,” was the only reply she could level. Brad looked down at the head in his hands who shamefully averted her eyes with a blush. As if trying to prove a point, Taylor picked herself up as gracefully as her position would allow her. The point was somewhat diminished when Beth attempted and failed to do the same, instead nearly falling backwards from standing up too hastily.
	“Look guys,” Brad started diplomatically, “they gave us a scare, and everyone is fine, let’s just call it a night before the old man kicks our ass.”
	“Where’s Aaron?” came the small voice of one of the younger kids.
	“What? He was right…” Jimmy tried to answer but as he scanned the campground the words died in his throat. “Where the hell is Aaron?”
	“I saw him run when the head lady flew in!” shouted another middle schooler, pointing into the woods.
“Shit, shit, shit! That cowardly little-” Jimmy fumed as he paced around.
“Well, you guys are clearly busy, so we’ll just be getting out of your hair now” Taylor announced, already pulling Beth back towards the cover of the bush.
“Like hell you will! It's your fault he's out there.”
“Well how are we supposed to find this kid! I’ve never even seen this twerp!”
“Guys!” Jimmy and Taylor both quieted down and turned to Rachel’s head. “We need to search together. Me and the girls don’t know what this kid looks like and its too dark for you guys to find a tree let alone a kid. We can split up and cover as much ground as possible.”
“She’s right,” Brad agreed, “we need to spread out and find him and we’ll have better luck together. Ian, you still have those walkie talkies?” The boy standing nervously next to Beth nodded. “
As much as they wanted to leave, Beth and Taylor did feel guilty over all this. So it was decided, the younger kids would stay behind while the older kids would take the walkie talkies and spread out, Brad with Rachel (her head securely fixed again), Jimmy with Taylor, and Ian with Beth. The groups gave each other a short look at the edge of the woods and started their search.
Meanwhile, deep in the woods, a small boy sat curled up under a great oak tree, tired, scared, and feeling very alone. He was so deep in his misery, that he never even noticed a silent shadow pass over him. By the time he noticed, he didn’t even have the time to scream.
	---
	“Would you slow down?!” Jimmy asked, his eyes glued to the small patch of ground his flashlight illuminated., “Not all of us have night vision you know! Aaron!”
	“And how is it my fault you can’t put one foot in front of the other?” Taylor hissed back at him. Protests aside, she did slow her gait for the sake of her nearly blind partner. They’d been walking for at least 15 minutes by now with nothing to show for it but a few bruises and scratches. “Aaron!”
	“Do you HAVE to always be a bitch about everything?! You’re the reason we’re stuck out here! It's not exactly asking a lot expect you to clean up your own mess.”
	“You think I don’t know that?!” she shouted back, stopping in her tracks to turn around and get into Jimmy’s face. “You think I don’t know that I fucked up? I do. All I wanted was to cheer up my best friend I fucked it up! You know that, I know that, EVERYONE knows that! So let's just shut up and get things fixed. Aaron! Where are you!” The explosive admission left Jimmy stunned into silence as the cat turned back to resume stalking through the trees.
	It was a while before Jimmy was able to talk again. “Sorry, I know you didn’t mean for this. I’m...I’m just worried for Aaron.”
	Taylor sighed heavily, “no, you’re alright, I was being a bitch. It’s just… everyone expects cheshires to be a barrel of laughs 24/7, but the second a joke goes wrong, we’re the bad guys. I’m sorry I tried to weasel out of helping, though.”
	“Heh, yeah, you’re a real Pagliacci.”
	“Alright smart ass, one: I’m not depressed, just stressed, and Two: you’re a nerd.”
	“You’re literally correcting the accuracy of my nerdy ass joke, what does that make you?”
	“It makes me smarter than you, that’s what.” Jimmy didn’t even need to see her face to know her grin was back, nor did he need to see it for it to spread over to himself. They kept walking, in a far more contented silence, only occasionally punctuated with calls for Aaron. “Hey Jimmy, get the radio out, maybe Beth or Rachel have found…” Taylor said as she turned back. But where the teenaged scout once stood was just vast and empty darkness. “J-Jimmy! Oh no oh no oh no” she repeated as she frantically scanned the trees. When with her cat-like vision, there was no sign of the boy. She began to hyperventilate as panic set in. “O-ok girl, stay calm, you probably just walked too fast, that’s all. Humans are slow and clumsy at night. I just have to go back and I’ll find him. It’ll all be ok. Please be ok…” she muttered to herself as she started back the way she came. Never seeing the shadow that moved above her.
---
	“Listen I just don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit here. You said you get along right?” Ian asked as he scanned the woods with his lantern. “I don’t see why your so worried.”
	“I know, and we do, I-I think... but it’s just…” Beth tried to explain herself, the flames framing her coal black face sputtering slightly. “What if I’m wrong, or what if I’m not right for him.
	“Rejection is scary but it’s hardly the worst thing in the world.”
	“Ok, but what if he doesn’t… reject me. What if he says yes? What then? I’ve never done that sort of thing. What if I mess up?”
	“Well, has he had a girlfriend before?” Ian could see Beth shake her head in the dim light. “Then you’ll be on even footing, I guess. I mean, me and my girlfriend didn’t know what we were doing. It’s kind of fun that way. Honestly, It’s not all that different than being friends. It’s just a bit more, you know. Aarooooon!”
“Oh right,” Beth inhaled deeply before bellowing out “AAAAAAARRRRRRRRROOOOOOONNNNNN!” While Ian was nearly knocked off his feet by the shout, Beth just continued unfazed. “Thanks for the advice Ian, I feel like everyone else just tells me the same crap about how I just need to go and grab him or he’d be stupid to say no.”
“No I totally get it, Amy’s Bunyip so I ended up being the one to ask her out. It’s scary. But from what you said I don’t think you need to worry. When you two do get together, we’ll have to do a double date sometime.”
“Really!? That sounds great. But…you don’t think Amy’ll be scared of me do you? I… tend to scare a lot of people.”
“I mean, truthfully yeah, you’ll scare her, but that’s not a high bar to set. You should see her during thunderstorms hahaha… err please forget I told you that.”
“HAHAHA, forget what?” The conversation stopped abruptly as Beth suddenly stood stock still, sniffing at the air. “Hang on, I think I smell something”
“Shit! Is it Aaron? AAAAAARRRRRROOOONNNN!” Ian shouted, suddenly alert and eager as ever.
“I-I don’t know. It’s coming from…. this way!” Beth announced as her flames flared high and bright. She then took off at a brisk pace, guided by her nose. Sniffing the air greedily she finally came to a massive oak tree, easily 6 feet across and unknowably tall. She sniffed at the base of the tree, someone had definitely been there, as far as she could tell they had been very afraid. Unfortunately, she couldn’t pick up any scent leading away from the tree. As if they had just vanished. “Ian! Ian, get the walkie talkie, I think Aaron had been-” was all she managed to say before being overtaken.
---
	“Again, I’m reeeeaaaly sorry about the whole… prop thing. I kinda panicked when Mr. Colson came out yelling and screaming.” Brad said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Rachel marched ahead of him, body stiff and straight as a rail.
	“You don’t have to apologize, it was good thinking on your part,” she said coolly, maintaining her stride and slowly sweeping the woods with her golden eyes. “In the future, however, please take more care with a dullahan’s head, her hair especially,” she added in a matter of fact tone.
	“Heh, ‘in the future’ huh? So, does that mean I can expect your head again in the future?” The dullahan nearly tripped as stuttered mid step. She didn’t show much, but Brad knew that was not a smart move. “W-wait I didn’t mean… I… sorry I just, make a lot of jokes when I’m stressed out.”
	“No, I… understand,” she replied stiffly. She was very thankful in that moment that Jimmy couldn’t see her blushing face, making him assume she was offended by the prospect. The two searched silently for a time. One desperate not to dig themselves deeper, the other desperate to keep their composure. In the end, she was the one to break the stalemate. “I...I wouldn’t hate that.”
	“W-what?”
	“Don’t misunderstand, you...I just. Sorry forget I said anything!”
	“But you-”
	“I said forget it!” she said, suddenly cutting him off. She brought a hand to her head and rubbed het temple, trying to massage away some stress. “Sorry, sorry. I always get a bit… snappy, after getting separated like that. It just makes everything more… intense? Like it’s harder to stay calm.”
	“So, it makes you… lose your head?” Rachel stopped in the track and turned to Brad, incredulous that he hadn’t learned from his past mistake. All he offered was a nervous shrug and a grin. As much as she fought it, Rachel just couldn’t resist the urge to giggle. Partially for the god-awful pun, and partially just from that stupid ‘can you really blame me face’ Brad was wearing. Seeing her relax let Ian release some nervous laughs of his own, his whole body relaxing after the stress his first joke caused.
	It took a few moments for Rachel to open her eyes and quell her laughter. And she did so just in time to spot something moving from one treetop to another: something BIG. No sooner did she spot the movement than something unseen seemed to yank Brad backwards. The Dullanhan exploded into action, all but tackling Brad into a tight hug before throwing both their bodies back and away from the unseen pull. There was a moment of resistance before something broke and the two teenagers fell to the ground in a heap. Brad recovered first, finding himself pinned on his back, staring into two golden lights in the darkness. Rachel wasn’t far behind him though and was far less enthralled. “We have to move NOW!” she yanked them both to their feet and took off away from the tree she saw the thing enter, dragging Brad by the hand.
The two of them weaved through the trees and a breakneck pace. But it seems that the creature had no problem keeping up now that it had forgone stealth. Rachel could hear the trees rustle and shake with its hidden movements. As fast as she ran though, she couldn’t stop that same invisible tug from taking hold of Brad once more. This one was far stronger than the one she had broken before, and as hard as she tugged at Brad’s arm, it held firm. Through this tug of war, she could hear the trees rustle, marking the approach of the creature. Every inch of slack was taken in an instant as it advanced on its prey. Desperate, Rachel tried the moved that freed him before, wrapping her arms around him and twisting with her full weight. But there was no snap this time. Instead the two found themselves rolling over each other, feeling as an invisible string seemed to wrap around with each dizzying flip. By the time they settled to a stop. They found themselves thoroughly bound and immobilized. Unable to do anything but stare at each other and await their fate. Rachel could barely hear over her own beating heart but the rustle of the trees had slowed, but not stopped. Whatever had them, it was confident enough to take its time.
	Rachel continued to thrash with all her might, but the bindings held true and soon even her defiance ran out. She simply slumped forward resting her head on Brad’s shoulder. She tried to summon some words of comfort, for either of them, but nothing came. Brad seemed to be of the same mind and simply rested against her, softly panting from the earlier exertion. Without warning the two found themselves lifted into the air by their feet, slowly being reeled in by their unseen assailant. Somewhere in their bindings, they found one another’s hands, and held tight as they climbed higher and higher into the dense canopy. Both their eyes were shut tight in fear as their ascension came to an end. They hung there for a long moment, before a mature, predatory voice called out. “Well now you two sure don’t waste any time ohohoho!”
	Rachel’s eyes flew open in a flash, to see was staring into four blood red eyes. “M-Mrs. Jirik! You.... How… I-”
	“How? Honestly dear, you three are far less subtle than you like to think,” she answered with a smug grin that put Taylor to shame. I was willing to let you three have your fun until you sent this poor little dumpling running.” Her predatory edge suddenly dropped as she gently rustled the hair of a 10-year-old boy, who sat unbound on her abdomen.
“A-Aaron! There you are!” The fear washed out of Brad’s voice as he saw the young scout safe and sound.
“Yes, I found the poor dear inconsolable. I had intended to just confront you girls, but seeing him in such a state, well… I felt more drastic measures were needed you all of you.” Her explanation given; Mrs. Jirik swung out her arm to showcase the other four silk lined bundles on the nearby trees. Each one tightly bundled with a webbing gag over their mouths. “For what it's worth Rachel dear, you were the only one to give me some trouble, so good work there.” Slowly the spider woman took up each cocoon and strung them together before gently climbing to the ground with them in tow. Now I think that we’ve all had more than enough excitement for one night. Let's get you all back to camp.
“Uh Mrs. Jirik?” Rachel asked hesitantly. “Can you maybe cut me and brad apart first.”
“Sorry dear, no can do. I’m already wasted far too much silk. You’ll just have to manage.” Rachel doubted brad could see it in the darkness, but she could just make out the wink Mrs. Jirik shot her before being the long trek back. The dullahan tried not to let the joy at this show.
“H-hey Brad?”
“Yeah?”
“When we get back to your camp… do you… want to swap numbers?”
“I...Y-yes! Let’s do that! Neither could see it, but they both felt the other smile broadly over each other's shoulders.