Chapter 7 > No Way Out
752 Words
Morning arrived beneath a blanket of gray clouds.
No one had slept well.
The eerie whistles, the shadow in the trees, and Mark’s disappearance lingered in everyone’s minds.
Susan emerged from her tent, rubbing her tired eyes.
“I don’t care what anyone says,” she muttered. “I’m leaving.”
Caleb nodded in agreement.
“I think we all should.”
Within an hour, the group had packed their tents and loaded their bags into Noah’s SUV and Caleb’s pickup truck.
Other campers watched with relief.
Several families had also decided it was time to go.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Ethan said, slamming the trunk shut.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Caleb climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the key.
Nothing.
The truck leaned strangely to one side.
He frowned and stepped out.
“…Guys.”
Everyone hurried over.
All four tires had been slashed.
Clean, deep cuts ran across the rubber.
Noah rushed to his SUV.
His face went pale.
“My tires…”
“They’re gone too.”
Every single tire had been punctured.
Susan felt her stomach drop.
“This wasn’t an accident.”
Ranger Daniel Hayes inspected the damage.
“Nobody leaves until we figure this out.”
Panic spread across the campground.
Parents hugged their children tighter.
The realization hit everyone at once.
They were trapped.
⸻
Just as fear settled over the campsite, the sound of loud music echoed from the forest road.
Several brightly colored jeeps rolled into the campground.
Around a dozen college-aged campers climbed out, laughing and carrying coolers, speakers, and camping gear.
“Best weekend ever!” one of the boys shouted.
A girl rolled her eyes playfully.
“You say that every trip.”
Another couple couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other, teasing and flirting as they unloaded their bags.
The newcomers were energetic, carefree, and completely unaware of the fear hanging over Black Hollow.
Ethan blinked.
“They really picked the worst weekend to camp here.”
One of the new arrivals—a tall, tattooed guy named Jaxon—walked over.
“Yo, why does everyone look like they saw a ghost?”
Nobody answered.
Instead, Ranger Hayes stepped forward.
“You need to leave.”
Jaxon laughed.
“Seriously?”
“Our tires can handle the road.”
The ranger’s expression didn’t change.
“You don’t understand.”
Susan immediately walked toward them.
“You shouldn’t stay here.”
The boy smirked.
“And who are you?”
“I’m serious.”
“Someone has disappeared.”
Another girl rolled her eyes.
“Oh please.”
A boy with tattooed arms laughed loudly.
“What is this?”
“A horror movie?”
Ethan stepped forward.
“We’re not joking.”
“Our vehicles have been vandalized.”
The tattooed boy looked toward the damaged vehicles.
“Sounds like a you problem.”
His friends burst into laughter.
One blonde girl folded her arms.
“You guys are trying to scare us so we’ll leave and you can have the whole campground.”
“That’s actually pathetic.”
Mia frowned.
“We’re trying to help you.”
The blonde girl scoffed.
“Thanks, but we’ll survive.”
Another teenage boy grinned.
“If some crazy guy shows up, we’ll deal with him ourselves.”
His friends cheered.
Harper shook her head.
“They don’t understand.”
“No,” Susan whispered.
“They don’t.”
Ranger Daniel Hayes spoke again.
“You should leave while you still can and go get help,Everyone here is stranded”.
The tattooed boy laughed in his face.
“Old man, you’ve been watching too many slasher movies.”
Another camper added,
“Maybe the missing guy just got tired of listening to you.”
The group erupted in laughter.
The ranger’s expression remained unreadable.
“I’ve warned you.”
He turned and walked away.
The teenagers shrugged.
“Whatever.”
They began setting up their tents, turning on music and joking as if nothing had happened.
Susan watched them with a sinking feeling.
“They have no idea…”
Caleb quietly stood beside her.
“No.”
“They don’t.”
Far beyond the campground…
Hidden among the towering pines…
The Unknown Stalker watched through his binoculars.
His gaze slowly moved across each new face.
He listened to their laughter.
Then smiled beneath his weathered mask.
“They always laugh…”
he whispered.
“…until they realize they’re trapped.”
- Writer
