Year: 2020
Time Since Attack: 1-year 2-months 3-days
Victims: Eduardo Fraire, Callie Seymour, Jack Hazen
Place: Ho-Chunk Forest Campsite, Nicolet National Forest, Vilas County, WI
I can’t believe he still lives. Was it worth taking my loved one’s life? Was it worth taking my best friend’s life? It’s all over now…..
Three months after therapy and five months after the attack, my life was changed. I forgot about everything that happened in those damn woods. It was at a Friday night football game when I met Catherine Ann Seymour. Everyone calls her Callie, even though her name is Catherine. Now this girl, my girlfriend, changed me. We live together now, she’s my fiance.
I asked her out weeks after I met her at a football game, and she obviously said yes. It was 9 months into our relationship when she asked me if I wanted to go camping with her. My heart dropped all the way to my feet, my breathing got heavy, I felt sick, memories came flooding in, bad memories, everything got quiet, I got dizzy, my vision blurred, I passed out.
I felt a slapping feeling on my face, followed by a splash of water.
“Babe? You passed out. All I did was ask you a question,” Callie said with a soft tone.
“Oh, shit, sorry I... I have to explain something to you” I replied shakily
“What is it?” replied Callie
I stood up, walked over to my desk littered with paper, and pulled out my notebook with shaking hands. In this notebook, I wrote down what happened those days at Paulsin Cabins. It was part of a therapy exercise.
“Take this, please read it.” I told her
She nervously accepted the worn notebook “What’s in it?”
“I don’t want to explain, just read it, it’ll explain why I passed out,” I could barely make out as her soft hand took the notebook. She cautiously made her way to the couch and began to read. I sat next to her waiting for a response. I could see the distress. Tears rolled down her face, causing a dark rivers of mascara on her cheeks. It killed me to have her in such misery. I could feel a panic attack coming up. All I could do was comfort her as she read. Tears pooled in her eyes and had no intention to stop. I hugged her tightly, tears ran down my face as well. I felt her crying ran onto my arms. Our bodies entangled, wet with tears.
“Did that really happen?” she asked with a small shaking voice, already knowing the answer.
“Yes.”
“How are you still….”
“Alive?” I said finishing her sentence “Callie, everyday I ask myself the same question over and over”
