The rain had been falling since sunset, turning the narrow road into a dark ribbon beneath the headlights as the old car climbed farther into the woods, leaving the last traces of the town behind.
Nobody spoke for several minutes.
The forest seemed to swallow every sound around them, with tall trees bending in the wind and branches scraping against the windows like restless fingers trying to get inside.
Maya stared through the passenger-side window, watching the darkness between the trees, and for a moment she thought she saw someone standing beside the road.
She blinked.
The figure was gone.
"Did you see that?" she whispered.
From the back seat, Jordan leaned forward. "See what?"
"Nothing."
The driver laughed nervously. "Probably just a tree."
Maya turned back toward the windshield, but the uneasy feeling remained.
Ahead, a weathered wooden sign appeared through the rain.
CAMP BLACKWOOD — TWO MILES
The car grew quieter.
Everyone had heard stories about the abandoned camp.
Some said it had been closed for years after a tragedy nobody wanted to discuss.
Others claimed that people who wandered into the woods after dark sometimes heard footsteps following them, even when nobody was there.
Maya had never believed any of it.
Until tonight.
The car finally reached the camp entrance, where an old iron gate stood half-open beneath the shadows of the trees.
The driver slowed.
The headlights illuminated a second sign hanging crookedly from the gate.
WELCOME BACK.
Jordan frowned.
"Back?" he asked. "None of us have ever been here."
Nobody answered.
The rain suddenly stopped.
Not gradually.
Completely.
Maya looked toward the woods.
Somewhere beyond the cabins, a single branch snapped.
Everyone froze.
Then another sound came from deeper inside the camp.
A slow creak.
Like an old cabin door opening by itself.
The driver switched off the engine.
For a few seconds, the only sound was their breathing.
"We should leave," Maya said quietly.
Jordan looked toward the dark cabins.
"We just got here."
Maya shook her head.
"No. Something feels wrong."
A distant bell rang once.
Then again.
The group stared at one another.
The old camp had no electricity.
No staff.
YOU ARE READING
Friday the 13th A New Beginning
HorrorCamp Crystal Lake was supposed to be nothing more than a summer camp filled with laughter, memories, and teenagers looking for one last unforgettable adventure. But the lake has a history. Years ago, tragedy struck these woods, leaving behind a stor...
