A light rain pattered against the leaves and branches. It didn't dampen the boys' spirits, though. Not in the slightest. They were finally going the right way.

The beams of their flashlights found landmark after landmark in the mist that they all agreed were the same they'd passed on their way in. Their elation had practically spurred all three of them into a jog, despite Dean urging them to be careful. The last thing they needed was someone rolling an ankle or something the next time a toe caught a root just right.

"It's sooo dark," Arlo mentioned, noting just how inky black the space outside of their lights' reach had grown.

"We've gotta be really close," Chris said.

Dean pulled out his phone. "Yeah," he agreed, face illuminated momentarily by the screen. "It's been about thirty minutes, too."

"Hey," Arlo said, stopping suddenly. "Let me see the keys." He could barely make out the confused look Dean gave him as he dug the keys to their rental out of his pocket.

"What do you need them fo-"

'Honk-honk!' The sound was faint, but they'd definitely heard it.

Chris turned, blinking into the dark. "Do it again," he urged, since this time he knew to look for the flash of head or tail lights.

Arlo pressed the 'lock' button on the key fob again.

"Over there!" Dean pointed, as they all moved their flashlights to concentrate on the orange flash. Something in the distance between the trees was reflecting their light, the metallic surface shining like a beacon of pure hope. "Oh, thank you, Jesus!" Dean said as Chris and Arlo both broke into laughter over just how relieved they were.

It wasn't until they'd gotten much closer to the car though, that they all realized something was very, very wrong. Once they were within twenty feet or so, they stalled to a stunned halt as realization set in.

What they thought had been the car, wasn't their rental at all... Arlo felt his stomach twist, and he almost doubled over. What their flashlights were pointed at was nylon... a tent. And there was another near it.

"What the fuck..." Chris whispered, the cone of light from his flashlight telegraphing every tremble of his hand.

"But... we heard it," Arlo muttered in disbelief. "We saw the headlights flash."

"Gimme those keys," Dean said, snatching them from Arlo's hand before mashing the lock button.

Silence.

No flash... No honk... Nothing but a deafening silence.

Dean tried again, and twice more after that, as the other two huddled close. Chris could feel his arm pressing against Arlo's. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"I guess we see if anyone's home," Dean grumbled. "We need to get out of this damned rain."

Reluctantly, they continued on, and now that they were even closer, they could see the distinct orange glow of a small campfire on the other side of the tents. It would have been easy for anyone to explain away what they'd seen as just them catching glimpses of the flames in the otherwise pitch black of the forest. Only, they hadn't. They weren't stupid. They could tell the difference between blinking car lights and a campfire...right?

This had to be the girls' camp. There were two folding chairs, two tents, and two stools held up a board, which looked to be set up as a temporary tabletop or counter. It all actually could've looked very cozy and inviting, except for the fact that absolutely none of it should be here, and the girls were nowhere to be seen.

"Hello?" Chris called, glancing at Arlo for a second when he nearly tripped over the other boy. His best friend was giving him zero space, and at the moment, with how utterly creeped out he was, he honestly didn't mind.

Dean stepped into the camp, tapping on one of the tents "Hello?"

"Anyone here?" Arlo called, venturing away from Chris just enough to look around a little better. He jumped when he heard the sound of a zipper, and turned just in time to see Dean poking his head into one of the tents.

"Dean!" he whispered harshly.

"No one in here," Dean said, leaning back out.

Chris gingerly pulled back the open flap of the other tent. "Empty."

"I think this camp belongs to those girls we were talking to..." Arlo said.

"How?" Dean snapped. "We walked thirty minutes in the opposite direction of where they said their fucking camp was. We passed parts of the trail I know we came in on."

"I know, but this has gotta be their camp," Arlo insisted, still keeping his voice low.

"How do you know?" Chris asked. "There could be other people camping out here. Maybe they got lost too. Or maybe they're hiking or something."

"With their fire still going?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, maybe they went to go take a leak or shit or something," Chris said, the volume of his voice rising a hair.

"Guys." Both Chris and Dean looked at Arlo, and he lifted something, shining his flashlight on it. "...Wasn't one of them wearing this?"

"Holy shit..." Chris said, cupping a hand over his mouth as he also pointed his flashlight at the pair of faded, light pink denim jeans.

"It looks like all of their clothes are here," Arlo said.

"Hell, no... Who goes out into the woods at night without their clothes?" Dean said, coming over while searching their surroundings with his flashlight.

"...Lesbians?" Chris said after a moment, cringing at himself while he shrugged.

"Shhh!" Arlo said suddenly.

"What? I'm not judging them or anything, I ju-"

"SHUSH! Shh!" Arlo's brows were furrowed, his expression looking far more severe while contoured in the harsh shadows from their flashlights. "...Hear that?" he whispered after a moment.

The other two stayed silent as they listened. After a few more seconds of nothing but the softly crackling fire, they heard a sound.

"Was that a bell?" Dean whispered back.

Chris's brows shot upwards as he heard the sound again, and he pointed in the direction of the chime.

"It sounds like the one we found," Arlo whispered, barely discernible. The three of them again stayed still, listening, until Dean swung his bag off his back and in front of himself to open it and dig out their main camera.

"You're gonna record?" Chris didn't like the idea. Something about it seemed way too unnerving right now—way too horror game-esque for his comfort.

"Just in case," Dean said.

"In case we find two naked girls?" Arlo whispered hoarsely.

"In case some fucked up shit is going on," Dean said. "Naked girls luring men deep into the forest? People disappearing?"

"Bro, that shit's not real," Chris insisted. But even as he said as much, chills broke across his damp skin.

Arlo felt like his heart was beating a million miles a minute. "But... what if some of it is?"

"Man, don't," Chris said. "Not right now. Not while we're out here at night, and don't know where in the hell we are." He swallowed thickly as the chiming floated through the air again.

"But isn't that fucking weird?" Dean interjected. "We knew where we were ten minutes ago."

"We saw the car, Chris," Arlo said. "We heard it. We decided to go this way, instead of the opposite way to stay with those fans at their fucking camp, but somehow we're here. How do you fucking explain that?"

Chris's mind was screaming at him. "I don't know, okay? I'm just really freaked out, and I don't wanna talk about this. I don't wanna stay here. I wanna go home. Now."

"Look," Dean said, drawing their attention as he looked up from the viewfinder at them. "Whatever freaky shit is happening right now, we agree we stay together, and we stay calm. Okay?"

Arlo looked at Chris, guilt squeezing his chest. "Yeah. Agreed."

"Same," Chris said with a sigh.

"Should we just... wait in one of the tents?" Arlo asked. He didn't like the idea. He almost felt more panic staring at the blackness just inside the open flaps than he did looking anywhere else.

"Or by the fire," Chris suggested right before they heard the chime again.

"Where is that coming from?" Dean asked. This time the chime had been joined by another, though this one was a noticeably different pitch. "They playing hide and seek with a wind chime or something?"

"I'm telling you, it came from that way," Chris said, dropping his voice back down to a whisper, but to his horror, Dean began walking in that very direction. "Dean! What are you doing? I thought you said we were staying together!"

"Dean!" Arlo added, but only as loud as he dared.

Dean paused and looked back at them with an expectant look on his face.

Chris shook his head. "I don't wanna go out there."

"We won't go far enough to where we can't see the fire," Dean said, but he could tell that neither of them looked reassured. "I swear."

"What happened to 'we need to get out of this rain'?" Chris countered.

"We've already been out in it. I figure we should at least try to make sure they're okay if we're gonna be staying at their camp," Dean explained.

"That... kinda does make sense," Arlo relented. "I mean...just on the fucked up off-chance that they aren't okay. What are we gonna say if the police or something find out that we were the last ones who saw them, and we were here in their camp?"

Chris's frustrated sigh turned into a growl. "Fine. But we stay close enough to see the fire and the tents."

Shout-outs to ajArnault, playztasnim, MermaidAriel13, booksbyshayy, Di_Rossi, and vanoeuxx!! Thanks so much for your support!