By: Alicia Chen

A group of friends decided that they would camp in the woods near their apartments.

They didn’t mind that camping wasn’t allowed there.

Bringing a small tent and four sleeping bags, they set out on a misty Saturday evening. When they arrived, nothing was out of the ordinary. Together, they set up the tent, chasing each other around and laughing.

By the time the tent was set up, night had set in. Huddled together in the tent, they began to tell horror stories. Their faces, pale in horror, were illuminated by only a small, flickering lamp.

After telling the stories, all hearts were pounding, and all hands were clammy. It was very late, so they climbed into their sleeping bags and closed their eyes.

In the middle of the night, they were awoken by the sound of a strange rustling, coming from deep within the forest. They decided to ignore it, as their minds were still clouded with dreams and sleepiness.

But just as they laid their heads on their pillows again, they heard the rustling sound once again. This time, it seemed closer. Confused, the group of teenagers decided that two people would get out of the tent to investigate.

They picked two that seemed to be the bravest.

The unfortunate pair stepped outside only to be met with darkness and silence. They had nothing but the flash on their phones, which didn’t prove to be very helpful because of the heavy fog. All the trees seemed to look down on them with sinister expressions, every leaf and twig peeking up at them with disapproval.

With heavy hearts, they decided to venture in. But after about five minutes of walking and still no signs of danger, the two decided that it was likely an animal causing the disturbance. So they turned around, relieved that they would be able to reunite with the others.

To their horror, however, the fog closed in behind them. They were lost. Everything looked the same on all sides of them. Mortified, one of them began to cry. The other, managing to stay more or less calm, decided to trace their steps.

The longer they walked, the more they felt death creeping up, ready to strangle them any second.

But just as all hope seemed to be lost, the two spotted a trail. They decided to follow it, hoping that it would take them somewhere where they could find shelter.

After hours of walking, they reached the end of the trail. What they discovered was not signs of civilization, but rather a spiraling staircase leading up to nowhere.

As they stood there, they heard the rustling sound again. This time it sounded extremely close to them, almost as if it was inside their ears.

When they looked up, they saw a tall, dark figure materializing and walking down the stairs. Its eyes were gaping holes, and its mouth gleamed with rows upon rows of teeth. Black saliva dripped down its chin.

The last thing they heard was a gentle rustle, ready to blow them away.

The entire group of teenagers were declared missing the next week, as none of them had returned from their trip. When the search team examined their tent, they saw that it, aside from the fact that it sat in a pool of black goo, remained unharmed.