A thick cloud of gray smoke poured out from the front of the van. Jeremy emerged from it, hacking and coughing, waving his hand in front of his face as if he could clear the air that way. I stood a few feet away, arms crossed, unable to help the sardonic edge in my voice. "I guess it was only a matter of time," I muttered. Jeremy shot me a look that was half annoyance, half resignation before ducking back under the hood. The sun was beginning its descent, shadows lengthening across the Crystal Lake woods. Here we were, stranded in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't help but think, Is this real life?

We had turned off the main road onto a dirt path, and it had me wondering—did anyone in this town actually live on a real road? Tracy laughed when I mentioned that.

"It's not the first time I've heard that one," she said with a grin. After a few more minutes of driving, the van made an awful clanking noise, followed by a loud pop. Jeremy jerked the wheel in surprise, the van swerving a little before coming to a halt. It wasn't as terrifying as it could've been, but my heart was still pounding.

I walked up behind Jeremy, my footsteps crunching against the dirt. "So, what's the verdict?" I asked.

"Uh, it's totally dead," he replied, pulling his head out from under the hood.

"Obviously. But can you fix it?"

"Fix it?" He scoffed. "Hell no, this thing needs a funeral." He wiped his hands on his pants, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Gonna have to call AAA, I guess."

"Ugh, who knows how long that’ll take? We're losing daylight here." I couldn't help the frustration creeping into my voice. The idea of being stuck out here after dark made my skin crawl.

"Well, we can't just leave it here." Jeremy sighed, staring at the van as if it might magically fix itself. After a moment, he looked over toward Tracy, who was chatting with Adam while Gordon leaned into the attention. "Hey, Tracy!" he called. She turned, squinting against the low sun. "How far are we from your dad's place?"

"Maybe a couple miles or so?" She glanced down the dirt road, as if gauging the distance.

Jeremy nodded. "Is it walkable?"

I frowned. "Walkable?" The question made me uneasy.

"Yeah," Jeremy turned to me, "I'm thinking I'll stay here and wait for AAA. You guys go ahead." He looked back at Tracy. "So?"

She shrugged, half smiling. "I mean, anything's walkable if you're stubborn enough. It's not terrible."

"Great." Jeremy turned back to his phone, dialing the number for AAA. "You guys go ahead—hopefully, by the time they get here, you’ll be done." He gave a half-hearted wave as he began speaking to the agent on the other line.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this. This was such a Jeremy thing to do—always taking one for the team. But the idea of leaving him alone here, in the middle of the Crystal Lake woods, gnawed at me. The unease settled in my stomach, but I couldn’t say anything without sounding ridiculous, so I let it go.

I approached Tracy, Adam, and Levi, stopping briefly to pet Gordon, who gave me a happy nudge. "So, Jeremy’s waiting for AAA," I said.

"And I’m leading you guys on a hike to my dad’s, I gather." Tracy raised an eyebrow.

"If that’s okay," I replied.

She shrugged again. "Sure, why not? Come on, Gordy." Tracy called the dog to her as she moved to the front of the van.

I offered to carry something for Levi and Adam, but they both declined. "I can handle the DAC and boom mic, it’s not heavy," Adam said, giving me a smile.

Levi strapped the camera bag onto his back. He looked at me, his expression serious. "You sure about this, boss?"

"Not in the slightest." I raised my eyebrows. "But we can’t afford to waste hours out here, and Jeremy seemed pretty set on staying."

Levi nodded. "Yeah, I get it." He walked past me to join Tracy and Adam at the front of the van.

I gazed out at the woods. They were serenely quiet, almost deceptively so. The darkness was creeping in, slowly but surely, and I knew it wouldn't be long before it swallowed us. The sun hung in the sky like an aging sentinel, doing its best to keep the world alight, but we all knew it was a losing battle. Once it was gone, we'd be on our own. I joined the others.

"You sure you don’t want Gordon to stay?" Tracy asked Jeremy. "She’s a good guard dog."

"No, no, I’ll be fine. Besides, she’d hate it." Jeremy smiled, reaching out to pat Gordon on the head.

Tracy paused, then grinned. "You’re right. She’d absolutely hate it."

"Ah, she would have learned to love Jeremy," I teased, "like the rest of us did. Eventually. Stress the word 'eventually.'"

Jeremy shook his head, amused. "Very funny. They said they’ll be here in a couple of hours—if they weren’t bullshitting me."

"They were definitely bullshitting you," Adam said with a smirk.

"Yeah, probably." Jeremy shrugged. "Either way, I’ve got a wait ahead of me, and you guys have a walk. Be careful." He turned back to the van but stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh, make sure you text me when you get there so I don’t freak out."

I gave a mock salute. "Will do." Tracy took the lead, and we began walking further down the path, deeper into the woods. The silhouette of the van grew smaller and smaller behind us until it disappeared entirely.

The air around us grew colder, and I shivered involuntarily. We were getting closer to the lake—I could feel the chill coming off the water. I looked over at Tracy. "It’s strange that your father still chooses to live out here," I said.

She gave a small, thoughtful smile. "Yeah, that’s something I’ve asked myself a lot. But then again, I’m still here."

"Yeah? And what’s your excuse?" I asked with a laugh.

She smirked. "It’s 2018, and I’m a waitress slash cook in a very small town. Not many options."

"Ha, point taken." Suddenly, the lake came into view, shimmering under the setting sun. It had a beauty to it, a glow that spoke of what this place must have been before everything went wrong. But in the back of my mind, it was a cold graveyard—a place for lost souls, forever wandering, seeking justice. We all stopped to take it in. I lightly slapped Levi on the arm. "You should film this."

Levi nodded quickly, snapping out of his trance, and pulled the camera from his bag. He moved away from the group to get a better angle. Adam held the boom mic over the water, trying to capture the ambient sound. Tracy knelt next to Gordon, who seemed a little on edge. Tracy noticed me looking and smiled apologetically. "She just wants to jump in," she explained.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"I don’t blame her," I replied, smiling.

"It’s probably freezing," Tracy said with a laugh.

I nodded, looking out across the lake. Faint lights flickered on the far side—too distant to make out clearly. "That’s it over there, right?" I asked.

Tracy nodded, her gaze following mine. "Yep. My dad's house. Boy, is he going to be surprised to see me," she said, her voice tinged with nervousness.

"So why does your dad stay here?" I asked. "Do you know?"

She hesitated, her face clouding over. "I mean, I probably know deep down, but I’ve never asked. It was his family’s house. It fell into disrepair after everything, and he moved back to try to make it a home again. But beyond that..." She trailed off.

"And what do you think?" I pressed gently.

Tracy's head whipped around, her eyes sharp and defensive, like I'd touched on something she didn’t want to acknowledge. She looked away, her voice barely a whisper. "Jason." It all made sense suddenly—the weight she carried, the hesitation. I wondered if we were doing more harm than good by having her lead us here, dragging her back into a past that clearly haunted her. But then again, she’d had plenty of chances to back out. Part of her wanted this, even if she was struggling with it. I understood that. I'd had those moments too—when the hardest thing was to simply take the next step.

The sun dipped lower, almost gone now, and a light mist began to rise off the lake.

"Alright, guys, let’s get moving." I called out to Levi and Adam. They jogged over, and we continued on. The chorus of crickets grew louder, and I tried to match their rhythm to the beat of my footsteps. I knew I was just distracting myself—anything to keep from freaking out. I’d always hated the outdoors, and after this trip, I might never want to see it again. It was ironic; I’d sit in my apartment, complaining about light pollution, wishing for more green in my life. But here I was, missing sidewalks and coffee shops. I was such a... city slicker.

Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, Gordon's barking cut through the stillness, and the dog suddenly bolted into the forest.

"Gordon, no!" Tracy shouted, immediately giving chase. The rest of us scattered, calling after her, our voices overlapping in panic. I found myself alone, the woods seeming to close in around me. Everything looked the same—trees blending into more trees. It was easy to see how people could get lost here, how they could just... vanish.

"Gordon! Bad girl!" Tracy's voice echoed. "Over here, guys!" The others and I converged on her voice, finding her kneeling beside Gordon, trying to calm her down. The dog was whining, her eyes wide as she stared into the dark forest.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

Tracy nodded, though her face was tense. "Yeah, I think something just spooked her."

"Spooked her?" I repeated, exasperated.

"Could have been anything—there are bears out here, you know."

I shivered. "Great. Bears or a mass murderer. Loving these options."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, super comforting."

Levi, in his usual way, tried to lighten the mood. "I mean, technically, a bear is a super murderer, right? Makes you think."

We all glared at him, and even Gordon looked up, her attention diverted from the woods for a moment. Tracy finally stood, giving Gordon one last reassuring pat. "She seems okay now. Let’s keep moving. We basically have to walk around the lake to get there."

I gestured for her to lead the way, and we fell in behind her. By now, the sun had fully set, and we were navigating by the dim light of our phones and the moon. The moon was bright, almost comforting, but I knew it was a false sense of security. It was never enough. As we got closer, the glow I’d seen across the lake earlier sharpened into focus—a large two-story wooden house. It had a wraparound porch, part of it covered in makeshift scaffolding, evidence of renovations in progress. Some sections looked like they hadn't seen love in years—faded, rotted wood standing starkly against newer, polished areas. It was like looking at two different homes fused together—a contrast between what was and what could have been.

"Alright, just hang back for a second," Tracy said, her voice suddenly quiet. She ascended the porch steps slowly, her hesitation palpable. I watched her, feeling a pang of empathy. This was hard for her, harder than she’d let on. She raised her fist to knock but paused, holding it there, uncertainty written all over her face. Then Gordon barked suddenly, and Tracy startled, using it as the push she needed. She knocked.

There was no answer at first, so she knocked again. Suddenly, the door swung open, and a middle-aged man stood there. His dark hair was slicked back, his face weathered and sun-worn, as if from years of working on the house. His eyes squinted at first, adjusting to the dim light, but when they focused on Tracy, they widened, recognition flashing across his features.

"Hey, Dad," Tracy said softly.

----------------------------------------

We made it. How’s the wait?

The text flashed on Jeremy's phone, momentarily illuminating the front dash and rousing him from his restless nap. He rubbed his eyes, yawning as the glow faded. It was boring and freezing out here, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and stayed there. He wasn't much for phone games, and even if he was, he knew better than to drain the battery. With the van unable to start, there was no heat and no way to charge his phone—he was basically tortured on two fronts tonight. He typed a response.

I’m having a blast out here. He hesitated, then added, So what’s he like?

Jeremy stared out the window while waiting for the reply, tracing his finger through the fog that had gathered. He doodled a small, crooked smiley face before giving up and wiping the window with his sleeve. The woods were thick, blocking out most of the moonlight. Outside, everything was vague shapes and shadows, an impenetrable darkness that seemed to shift if he looked too long. He quickly turned away before his imagination could get the better of him, letting the window fog up again. He checked the time on his phone—8:00 p.m. He sighed in frustration. Only an hour had passed since they'd left, but it felt like much longer.

His thoughts wandered to John, their boss. Jeremy couldn’t help but silently curse the man for being too cheap to spring for a better company van. Every time he turned the key and the engine actually started, it was like a minor miracle. When this trip was being planned, Jeremy had warned John about the van, but John just smiled, giving everyone one of those confident, reassuring looks. "It’ll be fine," he’d insisted. "It’s just the next state over, right?" Yeah, right.

Every minute that ticked by, Jeremy had to resist the urge to call John and say, "I told you so." He wasn’t usually this petty, thankfully, but tonight he was tempted. His phone buzzed again, pulling him from his thoughts. It was Kelsey: To be determined, a bit of a reunion going down right now.

Jeremy smirked, quickly typing a reply: Oh yeah? How awkward do you feel on a scale from 1-10?

He set his phone back down on the dash, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He interlocked his fingers across his stomach, humming softly. A song had been stuck in his head all week—a catchy tune he didn’t even know the name of. It had wormed its way in, and now he found himself tapping his foot to the beat without even realizing it.

That’s when he saw it—a shadow against the driver-side window. It was sudden, a dark shape that barely registered before there was a loud crash as a fist punched through the glass. Shards flew everywhere, slicing across his face and chest. The shock was instant, panic rising in his throat like bile.

"Shit!" he yelled, but before he could react further, a hand—massive, powerful—grabbed his head, fingers digging into his scalp. Long, sharp nails tore into his skin, and he screamed, thrashing, kicking wildly as he tried to pry the hand away. It was like fighting against steel, his efforts completely ignored. A second hand shot into the van, grabbing him under his arm, and suddenly he was being dragged out of his seat, the glass around the window frame cutting deep into his arms as he struggled.

The hands shifted, both of them clamping onto his head, yanking him brutally. Jeremy let out a high-pitched scream, his voice breaking with fear. He kicked out, his feet scrabbling against the dashboard, but it was useless. The next thing he knew, he was thrown from the van like he weighed nothing at all. He tumbled down an embankment, his body rolling uncontrollably until he slammed headfirst into a rock.

A sharp, searing pain erupted from his skull, and he felt a cool, wet sensation as blood trickled down his face, blurring his vision. He tried to speak, to call for help, but only a garbled mess of sounds escaped his throat. Heavy, deliberate footsteps crunched against the forest floor, getting closer. Jeremy’s heart pounded in his ears, the fear overwhelming every other sense. He kicked out feebly, desperate, like a wounded animal trying to ward off its attacker.

The mass loomed over him, reaching down effortlessly to lift him by the waist. It grunted as it pulled Jeremy in close, wrapping its arms around him. A bear hug. A death hug. Jeremy felt the pressure instantly, his ribs bending, then cracking. The sound was sickening, the crunch of bones loud in his ears. He pounded at its face, his knuckles breaking open against the hard, cracked hockey mask it wore. He could see the eyes behind the mask—dark, emotionless. The eyes of something that had no humanity left.

The pressure built, and Jeremy let out one final, pitiful gurgle before he felt his spine snap with an audible pop. His body went limp, his head falling forward as blood spilled from his mouth. The creature held him there for a moment, squeezing, crushing the rest of him until all the fight was gone—until Jeremy was nothing but a broken, lifeless shell.

Then it stopped, pausing to look down at Jeremy’s body as if inspecting its work. It swung the limp form over its shoulder without a hint of effort, turning its head to glance back at the van one last time. It stomped off into the forest, its heavy footsteps fading as the darkness swallowed them both. The woods grew quiet again, the only sound the faint buzzing from Jeremy’s phone, still sitting on the shattered, blood-spattered dashboard.

9 and a half. Let us know when the tow gets there, okay?