Brian found Graham half a mile away steadily chipping away at a tree by hurling rocks at it. The power and accuracy of his throws allowed him to strike the same spot over and over. The bark was chipped off in a sizable divot.

"Couldn't keep your mouth shut?" Graham asked when he noticed Brian inching towards him.

"I didn't think he'd go blabbing about it like that," Brian admitted. It was as close to a true confession as he was likely to give.

Anger seeped through Graham's body, making his hand tighten around the current rock in his clutches. He dropped it before he could do something he truly regretted. "You had no right, none." Graham started back towards the cabin, trying to ignore Brian's half-assed apologies.

Everything had been cleaned up and the windows and doors closed. Phoebe was the only person who was brave enough to approach him and offer a plate of food. The great party they'd all been pushing for turned into quiet beers by the fireplace. Devynn was noticeably absent from the festivities.

They turned in early that night. Graham was glad of that when he woke up to the fading sounds of screaming. He'd been tossing and turning on the couch most of the night. Dreams of his father flashed behind his closed eyelids like a horrible home movie.

His footsteps echoed over the wooden walls as he crept upstairs to the balcony. It overlooked the moonlit lake. The forest was silent, not even the swaying trees made much noise. The footsteps behind him were the only sound he heard.

Gio held out a cold beer to him, a second in his other hand. For a long while they didn't speak. Somewhere in the distance an owl's wings cut through the air as it carried off its squeaking prey. They leaned against the banister trying to pretend like the cold wasn't bothering them.

"So, that thing at the cave, that was pretty weird," Gio finally said.

Graham snorted, beer nearly spraying out of his mouth. "Did you want to ask about the weather next?" he joked.

"Look, I'm just trying to break the ice." They both started laughing at the growing awkwardness. It died off faster than they would have liked. "You don't have to talk about it. I won't ask."

"It's... I thought I'd left it behind me. Apparently moving across the country and changing your last name isn't enough to erase that kind of thing," Graham mused. "My father was not a good guy, at all really. They nicknamed him the Knotted Killer but you can find him just as easily by searching Edgar Lambert." He rubbed absently at his neck and finished the last sip of beer. "Mom tried to shield us for a long time but I didn't think I'd have to worry in the middle of the woods where we can't even get enough cell signal to check the weather."

It was quiet again, for so long the moon had moved halfway across the sky. Graham couldn't bring himself to look at anything besides the still lake. Finally, Gio gripped his shoulder and turned him so they were face to face.

"That really sucks bud," Gio said sternly.

Something about the sincerity in the flippant response made Graham laugh. Tears streamed down his face as he leaned into his shoulder. "Yeah, it definitely sucks."

"Is that why you're out here in the middle of the night?" Gio asked. He wrapped an arm around Graham's shoulders.

"Nightmares," Graham confirmed. Eventually he straightened back up. Both the laughter and the remnants of the nightmare had faded away leaving behind a deep exhaustion. His eyelids drooped as the alcohol gently warmed him from head to toe. With any luck he would sleep steadily through the rest of the night.

They said their goodnights though Graham noted Gio seemed almost reluctant to go back inside. If he remembered correctly he was sharing a room with both Devynn and Brian. He could only imagine the awkward and heavy silence in that room tonight.

As the door to the balcony closed, Graham spotted a large bird swooping over the tree line. Its wings arched up to meet over its back and blocked out the moon before the downstroke. It was out of sight in moments, sinking below the trees.

The morning brought more angry shouting, and once again Devynn's name was at the center of it all. Graham looked up over his steaming cup of tea. No one had seen the idiot since last night. Neither of his roommates could remember him coming to bed, though they did find the blankets of his bed in a crumpled mess.

Most of them assumed he had snuck onto the roof again through the window he'd left open in that room. After Nora had shimmied her way up she confirmed that he wasn't up there either. Despite their general annoyance with him, the worry pushed them to once again split up into search groups.

They split into two this time, spreading out from one another going in opposite directions on either side of the cabin. Everything was silent, probably in part because of their continued shouting and crashing through the underbrush.

"Devynn, stop acting like a child and come back," Amy shouted into the trees. It echoed back in increasingly more fractured echoes. "How long are we going to look for him today?"

"We can't just leave him out there, Amy. He could be hurt," Spencer said. He grabbed a low hanging branch and pulled himself up for a better look. Moira and Scarlet had split up further from the group, staying within sight and the rest slowly began to distance themselves from each other as well.

Graham dragged his fingers through his hair and turned in a small circle. Everything looked the same out here. If Devynn was lost or hurt he would have just as much trouble finding his way back. The guilt he would feel wasn't worth holding onto the anger he still felt. He was sure Devynn would apologize and it would all be fine.

Up ahead, Graham spotted a figure move through the trees. A sigh of relief slipped from his mouth. "Guys! He's over here," he called back. Graham broke into a slight jog to intercept Devynn before he could run off again. He wished he'd stayed mad at Devynn for just a while longer.

The antlers came into sight first. They spread out to either side of the skeletal head that sat like a hat on the man's head. At least Graham assumed it was a man. Though devoid of clothing, he was lacking in any bodily landmarks that might have given a clue. Only the broader shoulders gave some indication.

Every inch of skin was covered in black paint with flecks of red and orange crossing over the chest and neck. Even the eyes had nothing but white. No whites, no iris, no capillaries, just an endless dark void. It took a cautious step towards Graham and didn't flinch away when the screaming started from all around them.

Graham didn't wait for a distraction. He spun and dug his toes into the dirt, launching himself forward. A hand ghosted over his back and jagged nails caught at his shirt but didn't hold him back. He didn't look back. There was no need when he could see another of the antlered people running alongside him. Beyond that were Amy and Spencer in an all out sprint. Another of the antlered was behind them.

They reached the clearing around the camera and spotted the others running from the other side. Most of them anyway. There were noticeably less of them than when they'd split into two groups. Mike reached the door first and hovered there, pushing others in as they got closer. Graham nearly slammed into him as he tried to pull himself to a stop.

"Who's missing?" he said between gasping breaths. Now that so many of them had grouped together, the things looked reluctant to approach. They stalked the edges of the trees, weaving in and out.

"Maya, Brian, and Phoebe split off from us a while back. I didn't see them come in," Mike answered. Not once had his eyes stopped scanning the area. They widened and he inhaled sharply. "Shit, I can see them."

Graham followed his line of sight and spotted Maya and Brian together and Phoebe a little closer. They somehow hadn't been noticed yet and Graham thanked whatever might be out there for that. Perhaps the things were too focused on their cornered prey for now.

The brief moment of hope was crushed when one of them made a shrieking howl, its attention fixed on Phoebe. She was frozen in its gaze. They'd locked onto the only one of them alone as if she was the easiest choice.

"She's gotta run," Graham whispered. He felt Mike try to grab his arm as he pushed forward and jumped the three stairs leading down from the porch. His feet hit the ground in a puff of dirt. Several of them turned back towards him. "Phoebe run, now!"

That was the only urging she needed to shoot forwards like a bullet. She pumped her arms hard, seeming to reach through the air for handholds that might push her forward faster. One of them reached for her and she ducked out of its reach. Another positioned itself to grab her.

Graham grabbed for the first rock he could find. It was smaller than a baseball, nowhere near the regular smoothly rounded shape he had always used. Even still, it flew forward with incredible accuracy and slammed into the side of its head.

Phoebe hurtled herself over its doubled over form, now on a direct line for the door. The collective attention had switched to her.

That must have been why Maya and Brian broke cover. They were fast, faster than Graham would have thought. In moments they had caught up to Phoebe. Graham waved at them, pushing Phoebe up the steps as soon as she was close enough. He followed right after her.

Maya screamed. It wasn't the startled scream they'd all done minutes before. It was pain and fear. She dropped to her knees, clawing at her chest and the sharp jagged blade imbedded there. They converged on her and blocked their view of her in seconds.

Mike and Graham had to grab Brian by either arm to drag him inside. The door slammed shut but couldn't block out the screeching howls.

They sounded triumphant, and hungry.