Chapter 16
554words
But calm was never meant for Camp Hollow Pines.
It started with a scream.
Then another.
Some campers peeked out, cracked their doors open. Others huddled beneath their blankets, praying it was a nightmare. But it wasn’t.
By morning, the second floor of the east wing was soaked in crimson. Blood trailed from wall to wall like ribbons. Guts hung over railings. And bodies—so many bodies—lay strewn across the hallway like discarded dolls.
A full dozen campers. All from Group A. And a few from Group B. Torn open. Hollowed. Eyes wide with frozen terror.
The entire camp shattered.
Some girls dropped to the floor crying, their wails echoing through the halls. Others vomited where they stood, the metallic stench of blood and death curling into their nostrils.
Camp Director Aida fainted once. Then again. The second time she was caught by a panicked counselor.
Even Lucas, Ben, Alex, and Zee stood still, their faces pale, their bodies trembling. They had been trying to stay brave, trying to think rationally—but this? This was slaughter.
Zee’s mind tried to reach out—searching, digging, clawing for thoughts, intentions, anything. But there was nothing. Her power hit a dead wall. No thoughts. No whispers. Just static.
Her magic had limits. And she had reached it.
She grabbed Lucas's arm without realizing it, holding tightly.
"I can't hear anyone... I can't hear anything," she whispered.
Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Even his usual smirk, his teasing charm, was gone. His jaw clenched. His muscles tense.
Alex leaned against a wall, breathing heavily. "They're killing everyone. Group A... they're all gone."
Ben was pacing. Always the rational one. Always the protector. But this time his steps were shaky.
Outside, the sky darkened. And rain fell.
Of course it did.
Camp Hollow Pines had officially turned into a graveyard.
The halls were silent now. The type of silence that clung to your skin like cold sweat.
When Aida finally woke, her voice was hoarse, cracking at every syllable. She stood atop the stairs, clinging to the railing like it was her last anchor to sanity.
"E-everyone... listen to me..."
Campers looked up at her, their faces pale and swollen from crying.
"We’re… We’re going to move everyone to the east wing. It's safer... we think. Y-you must stay in groups. No one goes anywhere alone. N-not even to the bathroom. You hear me?"
Her hands shook. She couldn’t even keep eye contact.
Zee looked around. No one smiled. No one whispered theories.
No one was brave anymore.
And worst of all?
The gates were locked.
And they wouldn’t open until the farewell ceremony—a full day away.
The phones? Dead. The camp Wi-Fi? Useless.
No contact. No escape.
They were trapped.
Zee turned to Lucas, eyes filled with unspoken dread. "We're not going to make it through another night like this."
Lucas stared ahead, the rain dripping off his dark lashes.
"Then we make the next move first."
The four of them looked at one another, the same thought building in their minds—silent, heavy, and full of purpose:
We find the killer. Or we die trying.
