I didn't think I'd be coming back this year. Neither did Melanie. But of course my mother forced me to go. Don't get me wrong, I love her to bits, but sometimes she just doesn't understand. Doesn't understand that what happened at this camp wasn't just a prank. Doesn't understand what really happened here last summer. Doesn't understand the danger we might be in.

"Tom!" I hear.

"Melanie!" I shout back.

Melanie's hair is tied up in a loose bun, and she's still got her headphones hanging around her neck. Her bag draped across her shoulder, and her suitcase rests on the ground beside her.

I run towards her, with my arms wide open. We tightly embrace, just as we did last year. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell something's up.

"Hey what's wrong?" I asked, looking at her with concern.

"It's nothing really, I think my mind is just playing tricks on me or something. But I think I saw something weird when I was driving here."

"What was it?"

"The car was moving quite fast so it might not have been anything important."

"Melanie, with everything that happened last year, we need to keep watch for anything abnormal." I said to her quietly. "Just tell me -"

Just then, the camp leader, Mr. Norris called a camp meeting. He wanted to discuss the new ground rules which he had just added to prevent any more of those mysterious events like the ones from previous years. Just stuff like 'everyone must go back to their cabins as soon as it gets dark', 'don't wander around the grounds unless a member of the camp team knows where you are' and general rules like that. After that, we went to our assigned cabins and got ready to go to bed.

———————————————

The next week...

I find Melanie and Kimberly at the breakfast table, chatting away. I grab a plate, and find Emil at the breakfast buffet.

"Sleep well?" I asked.

"Kind of. But I can't shake off that feeling that we are being watched. I went for a run this morning and found a section of the wire surrounding the camp cut off. A grown man could fit through that gap!"

I looked at Emil and I realise that this might not be a coincidence. We quickly pile some food on our plates and joined the girls at the table. Emil explained our theory to them and their faces simultaneously filled with shock and horror. We made plans to go and check out this gap later that day, which we knew was a risk, but we had to either do this ourselves or tell someone else to do it. If we told anyone, they may go and look for it themselves, but we know much more about it than them, and also, we're a group of four, while they are just one person.

As the day drew closer to our meeting time, Emil and I sat in our bunks and talked about what had happened the previous year. We hadn't really had the chance to talk about it. Ever since I woke up in the sick room after our encounter with the hooded figure, I was constantly more anxious about simple things, just like going to the shops for some milk or going for a run on my own in the park, just like I used to do. I had this confining feeling like I was a target, and the hooded figure would just be waiting for me at any point I wasn't prepared. I wasn't eating, working out, going out or doing as much as I used to because of the constant fear I was enduring.

Emil listened patiently while I confessed to what I was going through. After I had finished, he came over to me and gave me a big hug. I hadn't had a hug in ages, as my parents don't really do hugging. It felt good to just be in each other's company. No words had to be said, as no words will fix what happened last summer. Emil gets that. I'm so lucky to have him as my best friend.

"Right, it's time to go!" declared Emil, jumping off the bunk we were just sitting on, and landing with a thump.

"Great. Can't wait." I replied sarcastically while grabbing my backpack and trying to suppress my laughter at Emil's failed attempt at jumping off the bed.

We walked out and met the girls in the main grounds. I could see their nervousness in their eyes, and they were fidgeting a lot with their bag straps. But we had to do this to help the camp. We don't want anything to happen like last time. It was the only way. And hey, maybe the gap wasn't really anything bad anyway. We just have to seal it up again. Easy!

—————————————

A few hours later...

"Kimberly! Kimberly! Kimberly!"

"Where are you?!"

I look over at Melanie, and her face has gone as white as a sheet. She looks like she's about to collapse. It's been 3 hours since we last saw Kimberly. We were just walking to the gap, we looked round and she was gone. No trace of her. Poof.

I walk over to Melanie and give her a hug, just like Emil had done in the cabin earlier that day. She started crying and couldn't stop, so I held her tighter in my arms.

"Dammit dammit dammit! GUYS! OVER HERE! IT'S KIMBERLY!"

We all bolted towards the voice until we came into a small clearing in the woods. And yes, there in the middle, lay Kimberly.
Her body was limp like a rag doll.
Clothes stained with blood.
Crystal blue eyes still open.
Chest no longer rising and falling.

Dead.

I couldn't hear. I couldn't see. I couldn't think.

Melanie's screams were just echos.
Emils sobs were just noise.
I stood there. Speechless. Horrified. Angry.

Who would do this?! To take away an innocent life! To take away the chance for happiness. For peace. For love...

———————————————

Hey guys!

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your support on this book! I am overwhelmed with all of the lovely comments ❤️❤️

Also, we are on the ranking table for mystery/thriller category!! I can't believe it! 😝😝🎉

Sorry it's taken so long to update this book, with school and exams it's hard to fit it in, but there will be more chapters coming out soon! Keep your eyes peeled :) 👀

Love you guys ❤️❤️

- theEEKstoryteller