Trouble in the Forest

Vacation Gone Awry: Chapter 6

It was 11:30 PM and the Parkers had been sleeping for about an hour. Once they returned home from their eventful hike, they went for an evening swim as promised and had a delicious dinner together around the campfire. The ominous bloody deer was not mentioned for the rest of the night, and finally, around 10:15 the festivities ended and they prepared for bed.

Currently, the lake house was silent. Only the cool wind could be heard pressing on the windows and doors of the lake house and the moonlight cast a gentle glow over everything. It was as peaceful as peaceful could be. Unfortunately, that would soon end.

Josh awoke with a startle. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and he was breathing heavily, trying to regain his breath. He had just awoken from a nightmare. In the nightmare, he was home alone when he heard a terrified meow from his cat, Willow, coming from outside. He had raced outside only to find his cat was dangling above him, caught in a tree in a trap that matched the deer's trap he had seen the previous afternoon.

Josh screamed for help and looked around for the culprit. He laid eyes on a man dressed in dark clothing with a distinctive dragon tattoo on the right side of his neck. Instinctively, Josh knew he was in danger. The nightmare ended when the mysterious man pulled out a shotgun, aimed it at Willow, and shot her. The last thing Josh remembered before jolting awake was him screeching and sobbing simultaneously as he watched his cat die right in front of him.

Once awake, Josh took deep breaths and reassured himself it was just a dream. Nobody was hurt. Everything was ok. After calming himself down, he tried to go back to sleep but failed. Josh was extremely restless and kept tossing and turning, his mind running in circles. He finally decided he would grab a glass of water downstairs to destress and then try to sleep again after.

Just as Josh began to slip out of his bed, he heard a loud crash downstairs. He automatically closed shut his eyes and pressed his hands to his forehead. I'm hearing things. I'm so startled from my nightmare now I am overly paranoid. Stop it Josh, stop it. You're fine.

When Josh lifted his head again, he was relieved to hear silence. He was just overreacting. Convinced he was okay, Josh left his room quietly and crept down the stairs.

He entered the kitchen and filled a glass with water from the fridge. Josh leaned against the kitchen counter and started to sip little by little at his water. At this moment he noticed something odd. In the dining room a few feet away from him, the slider door was smashed into pieces. Shatters of glass covered the floor, reflecting in the glow of the moon.

That is when Josh saw a figure standing silently in the corner of the dining room next to the broken slider doors.