The car finally stops in a secluded area. I'm not familiar with our location. Then again, it's night so I probably wouldn't recognize where we were anyway. When Colby asked me to explore with him and Sam, I didn't think they would be this secretive about where we were going or what we were doing. The only thing I know is that I was asked if I would be busy today and tomorrow. It wasn't even until this morning that I was told to wear something warm. It took hours to find something warm that was also comfortable to wander an undisclosed location. Most of my clothes are packed away. We move in a few weeks and it's not cold enough for me to keep my really warm clothes out.
Sam and Colby finish setting up the camera on the dashboard. They talk for a few minutes before Sam turns on the camera.
"What's up, guys! It's Sam and Colby." Colby shouts from the driver seat.
"Today we are going to explore Angeles National Forest with Isabella Rose." Sam points to me in the backseat. I do a little wave to the camera.
"How are you feeling Iz?" Colby ask.
"A little sleepy. It was a long drive." I yawn.
"I don't think you're going to be tired after I tell you this. So I did a bit of research on this forest and apparently in 2002 about 20,000 acres of the forest burnt down in a wildfire. When they were investigating the fire, it was discovered that the fire was set by a cult doing animal sacrifices. Now, it's unsure if they meant to light the forest on fire or what. People have also walked into the forest never to be seen again. Some people say they see the ghost of an animal or the ghosts of lost travelers. At the summit, you can see shadow figures."
"Excuse me, what? I was told none of this." I shot from the back.
"Awake now?" Colby teased.
"I mean, you just said that there is a chance we may not be able to come out alive tonight. So, of course, I'm awake now."
"We're going to be fine. What's your stance on ghosts?"
"I believe they exist, just not in the way we perceive them to be."
"We'll see tonight if your hunch is true," Sam says before shutting off the camera.
We all climb out of the car. I retie my shoes and fix my new XPLR hoodie and gloves. I stand up and close the door. I turn around while putting on my backpack Colby is in front of me holding a beanie. He places the beanie on my head.
"I don't want you to get cold."
"I'm going to get hot while we walk with all the layers I'm wearing."
"You're always hot, babe." Colby has a stupid grin on his face. I playfully push him.
Sam calls us over and Colby and I walk towards him. Sam turns on the camera. All three of us start walking into the forest.
"Colby, pass out flashlights in case we get separated."
"I don't want to get separated," I say sheepishly.
"Both of you need to calm down. We'll be fine." Colby says as he passes out the flashlights.
"You know who says that? The guy who gets killed first in a horror film." I pout as I turn on my flashlight.
"Well, just in case something does happen, meet at the car." Sam walks backward to get both Coby and me in the frame.
"Everything is going to be fine," Colby says before patting me on the head.
We've been exploring for what seems like forever. The empty forest doesn't seem as scary as it did before. It may have to do with the fact that we've been cracking jokes. The boys plugged their merch a few times too. There have been a few times where we turned off our lights when we heard strange noises.
"I hate to be that bitch but we've been walking for hours and if we don't take a break soon we're going to have a problem," I complain. Sam turns the camera back on and faces it at himself.
"Alright guys, we've been walking for a while. Since there's not a specific place to go to, I think its time for surprise number 2. Here, take this." Sam passes the camera to Colby and his flashlight to me.
I watch as Sam pulls out a familiar brown box.
"You fucking brought the ouija board? I thought you two got rid of it." I say stepping back a bit.
"I thought so too, but I guess we didn't." Colby has the camera on me as I hand Sam his flashlight back.
"Well, I'm not touching it. Have fun with— What was that?" I'm cut off by the sound of something hitting the ground hard.
"Pinecones?" Colby suggests.
"These aren't pine trees, babe," I say pointing my light up. Another loud sound appears near us.
"They're rocks," Sam says pointing his light on a rock.
"Flash your lights around us," Colby commands. We shine our lights in the perimeter surround us but nothing but the thick forest can be seen.
"Turn your lights off and run," Sam whispers. Immediately we shut our lights off and begin sprinting.
Walking through the forest with our lights was hard enough. Trying to run the same path without any guides is worse. We passed a ledge to get here and now I'm scared one of us is going to fall off of it.
My foot hits something and causes me to lose my balance and my flashlight. I notice something that I didn't before, its quiet. The only thing I can hear is my own breathing. I don't know when but I lost Sam and Colby. I strain my ears hoping to hear them in the distance but I don't. I pat the ground and look for the flashlight. After grasping at the dirt and leaves my hand wraps around the cool metal. I try to turn it on but it refused to light. Not only did I lose Sam and Colby, but I also don't have a flashlight. I left my phone in the car because I thought it would be better. I am a complete dumbass.
I search my backpack for anything that could help. My fingers brush my vlog camera that I know has a light attached. I swap the camera and the flashlight and put my backpack back on. I fumble around with the buttons to turn the light on and the camera. I manage to get them both on and set the camera to the light to the lowest setting so I don't track attention. I face the camera toward me.
"Hey, guys. I'm hoping that Sam and Colby aren't pranking me right now because I'm absolutely terrified. You're both in deep shit if this is a prank. Just in case this is real and I die I'm just going to explain what just happened." I start walking a bit. Maybe I stumble onto the path that leads back to the car where hopefully are where Sam and Colby are.
"By the way, if I die and Sam and Colby live and find this footage, you have all my permission to use this in the video. Anyway, what basically happened is that I was invited to go on an exploring video with Sam and Colby. I wasn't told what exactly we were going to be doing or where we were going. I honestly thought we would get to go to a hotel because that is safer and there is a bed to sleep on." I look at the ground to make sure I don't fall down the shortish drop near me.
"Jokes on me because dumb and dumber bring me to a haunted forest where apparently lots of people died. We were hiking for over an hour without anything really happening. That's when Sam brings out the fucking ouija board that I thought I watched Colby throw away when I was helping him pack. Suddenly, rocks are falling or being thrown at us or whatever so Sam suggests that we turn off our lights and run. And then I fell and broke my flashlight and realized that I'm alone in a forest without my phone. And here we are." I play with the light so that the camera is still on me but the light is faced in front of me. Some of the light pokes through the back and lights my face up a little bit.
I pause for a second to see if I can hear anything. We can't be that far apart. Hopefully, Colby would have noticed that I wasn't with them sooner than I did. Or maybe it would take him longer because Sam is with him and he'll think I'm with them. Maybe they're already at the car and waiting for me meet them there.
The more time I spend alone the more scared I get. I almost don't want to walk because I'm just waiting for something to jump out at me. I take little steps and call out for Sam and Colby every few steps. Suddenly there's a high pitched scream. My first instinct is to run. Because I don't know where the noise came from I run to my left. All is well until the half-second when I couldn't feel the ground under my foot. It's not until I hit the ground I realize what's happened. I fell over the weird ledge that I spent most of the night avoiding.
"Samuel! Cole! This isn't fucking funny anymore!" I shout trying to get up. A sharp pain shoots up my right leg as I put my foot down. I lean on the wall and grab the camera that remains in perfect condition.
"Izzy! Isabella! Where are you?" I hear Colby shouting from above.
"I'm down here!" I use the camera light to try to get their attention.
"Oh dude, look over there." Says Sam. A few seconds later I see Sam and Colby's heads peek over the edge with their lights pointed at me. I have to squint to be able to see them.
"Are you okay?" Colby's voice is lowered again.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just stuck." I bend the truth a little bit. There's no need to stress them out more.
"Sam, hold my feet," Colby says as he lays down. He's only partly over the edge but enough so that I can grab his arms. I wait until they're ready before slowly climbing up until Colby can pull us both up.
Colby engulfs me into a hug as soon as we're both get back on our feet. I hug him back and don't let go for a while.
"Thank God you screamed. We wouldn't have been able to find you otherwise." Sam says to break up the lovefest. I pull away from Colby and give Sam a puzzling look.
"I didn't scream. I thought maybe one of you two did..."
"Do you honestly think that one of us can scream that high pitched?" My eyes dart between Sam and Colby unsure if they're telling the truth.
"If you guys didn't—" I'm cut off by an out of place female giggle.
"I found you..." an unrecognized female voice appears from the distance. I feel the blood drain from my face.
"Run. Now." Sam says yet again. This time Colby grabs my hand as we start to run. Even though my ankle is hurting I can't stop now. The pain seems the dull the more we run.
I can hear footsteps following behind us. Ahead of us, I can see the trees becoming less and less dense. We must be getting close to the car. Colby's grip tightens around my hand as he runs faster.
I see a hint of red in the distance. It grows bigger the closer we get.
"Colby, unlock the car!" I yell. Colby lets go of my hand the second we hit the pavement and runs over to the driver side. All three of us throw ourselves in the car in nearly perfect unison. I hear the doors lock over our heavy breathing.
"What are you doing? Start the car." Sam says panicked.
"Dude I'm trying! Now is not the time for the car to breakdown." Colby tries starting the car a couple of times before it finally starts. He quickly drives away from the forest.
"Yo... what... the fuck was that?" Sam says panting. I see the camera sat on the dashboard.
"We almost died is what happened," I say as I try to put my seat belt on.
"Everyone one okay? Izzy, you good?" I make eye contact with Colby in the rearview mirror.
"I'm okay, just got some cuts and bruises. Still trying to process what happened. Are you sure this isn't a prank."
"If this was a prank, then why would we continue after you fell? Are you sure you didn't scream?" Sam brings up.
"Positive. I didn't scream but it was so close to me that I fell back in fright and that's how I fell. I have proof."
"Are you sure you're okay?" I still see the concern in his eyes.
"Yes, babe. How about this, I'll tell you the second I don't feel good." I say leaning back into my seat. Colby nods his head and presses his lips.
"Colby, pullover really quick so we can film the outro," Sam says to change the subject. Colby pulls over and Sam repositions the camera.
We've been sitting in the car for who knows how long. Colby has music playing quietly in the background low enough for him and Sam to talk over and for me to sleep if I wanted. But I can't sleep. About twenty or so minutes after we pulled over to film the outro the adrenaline completely wore off and I began to feel every bit of pain on my body. Various parts of my body ache, letting me know that I'm going to be sore for a while. But the most intense pain is coming from my right leg. The pain that I felt when I fell has spread up my leg. My leg started throbbing not that long ago. The pain is unbearable. I've sat for as long as I could, holding my head with my arms resting on my thighs. I feel a familiar sensation in my stomach and salty taste in my mouth.
"Colby, pull over," I say softly hoping to not get sick in the car. I feel Colby continuing to drive.
"Colby," I lift up my head and speak louder, "can you please pull over?"
"What? Why? What's wrong?" Colby questions while still pulling over. As soon as the car stops I swing open the door and limp as quickly as I could far enough away so that the guys couldn't hear me throw up. I couldn't walk without holding anything for support.
After emptying the contents of my stomach, I limp back into the car. I sit down and grab my water from earlier and try to wash my mouth out.
"Are you okay?" Sam ask after I close the door.
"Ye—"
"Why were you limping?" Colby cuts me off and turns around in his seat.
"My leg hurts. I might have sprained it." Colby looks into my eyes and then turns on his phone light.
"Let me see." He shines the light at my feet. I slowly pull up my right let to reveal a very swollen and bruised ankle.
"Oh shit," I mumble under my breath.
"Isabella, why didn't you say anything?" Colby asks while taking his seat belt off. I watch as Colby gets out of the car and heads to the trunk.
"Did that happen when you fell?" Sam asks.
"Maybe. I'm not entirely sure."
Colby enters the car on the opposite side of me and sits down. He has his red first aid kit in his hands. He gently picks up my leg and places my foot on his lap. He carefully takes off my shoe and only stops when I wince. He eventually pulls off my shoe to reveal the darkish bruising a little bit lower.
"It doesn't feel as bad as it looks..." I mumble.
"Oh really?" Colby barely touches it and I yelp in pain.
"Not fair, all fresh bruises hurt when touched." I watch as Sam and Colby share a look.
"I'll wrap it for now but I think it's broken. Sam?"
"Already on it." Sam is back facing forward and on his phone.
"Broken? Badly sprain, yeah, but it can't be broken."
Colby ignores me and gently wraps my foot. I watch as his jaw clench and unclench. He quickly finishes wrapping my foot and grabs my chin and turns my face to the side.
"And you were bleeding." Colby digs back into the bag and pulls out a tube, a bottle, and some gauze.
"What? Since when?" I reach up and touch my cheek to find crusted blood and a cut.
"This is going to hurt," Colby says seconds before she touches the pad to my face with something that makes the cut sting. I bite my lip to stop from crying out or screaming.
He finished doing cleaning and patching up my face and closes the first aid kit. He places it by my foot and slams my door shut. He makes his way back to the driver seat and hands me a water bottle and gum. I take them and Colby puts his seatbelt on and starts driving.
"If you're making us go to the emergency room at this time can we at least drop Sam off at the house so he can sleep?" I plead.
"It's fine. Colby might need me to drive back for him anyway. Izzy, worry about yourself for once."
****
"Well, bad news: it's broken. Good news: it's not severe enough to need surgery. The swelling has also gone down a lot so we can put your cast on now. Why don't you choose a color and I'll be right back." The doctor hands me a ring with plaster colors on it.
The doctor leaves and I turn to Colby who is standing next to me. He still hasn't said a word to me since he found out I got hurt. He only came in a few moments before the doctor did. I texted him to come back to the room after I had my testing.
"Why haven't you said anything?" I asked as Colby sits down.
"I didn't want to fight in front of Sam." He says, cooly.
"We're fighting?" I watch as Colby fidgets in his chairs trying to avoid eye contact.
"No, but we might. I'm really upset."
"With me?" Colby finally looks me in the eyes. He hesitates for a second.
"Yes, actually. I'm only a little bit mad at you."
"Why are you a little mad at me? I'm the one who broke a bone."
"That's exactly why, Isabella. I'm mad that you got hurt. I'm mad you didn't say anything when I asked you if you were okay three times. And I'm mad that I even put you in danger for a video."
"So, it's okay when you and Sam put yourselves in danger every week for your videos then?"
"That's not what we're talking about right now. Don't change the subject."
"I'm sorry. None of this is your fault. You asked if I wanted to go on an exploration with you and Sam. and I said yes. I could have said no but I wanted to go. Things don't always go as planned but we're okay. How were you and Sam supposed to know that there was an insane chick in the forest at the same time we were going?"
"You're right. There's one thing I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"
"...I didn't say anything after I fell because there was no point in telling you in the middle of the forest. I didn't say anything after we ran because it didn't hurt. I didn't say anything in the car because I thought it was a sprain and I could take care of it when we got home. I also was trying so hard not to ruin your video."
"Isabella..." Colby pauses and looks at me. "I wouldn't have cared if you 'ruined' our video. Sam and I would have figured something out or put 'gone wrong' in the title. What's most important is your safety. I mean, our safety is important too, but you were a guest and my responsibility. I love you and I just don't like seeing you put so much pressure on yourself or hurt."
"I love you too, Colbs." Colby comes closer and kisses my forehead.
After what felt like two hours, the three of us drove back to the trap house. We were all hungry so I mad Colby stop at a drive-through. I argued with both Sam and Colby and eventually, I won and paid for the food. It's the least I could do for them for taking me to the hospital. I know it was only common human decency, but I still feel bad about it. We all decided to take the food home. We sit out in the living room and talk about everything, still trying to process it.
"Oh yeah, before I forget. Sammy, here take this." I pull my vlog camera out of my backpack and toss it at him.
"What's this?" He asks while popping a fry in his mouth. He wipes his hand on his pants before he picks up my camera.
"I filmed a bit when we got separated. You can take some of the footage if it helps the video." I take a bite of a fry and drink my milkshake.
"This girl, even when she's in danger she thinks of others," Colby says while playfully ruffling my hair.
We finish eating and talking before the three of us head upstairs and went to bed. Colby helps me change into comfy clothes to sleep in. He climbs in ask he helps me in and cuddles me tight. Like I'll disappear if he lets go.