Summer Bliss

Khalia shivered when the cool breeze stroked her naked body. Rolling onto her back she opened her eyes. Seeing only darkness, it helped relieve the spinning in her vision. Groaning she them and cursed for getting to fucked up to function. Moving to sit up, a sharp pain pulsed within her body. Whimpering, she froze. Nothing stirred in the forest, its night melody having ceased sometime earlier.

Taking a deep breath, she winced, but it brought enough clarity for her to ransack her memories. She recalled the proposal, the celebration, the impromptu smoke session with Theo, finally...

Heat spread across her cheeks. His animalistic roughness continued to surprise her and greatly turned her on. Rubbing her legs together she sighed at the blooming arousal. The more she fantasized about him the slicker her pussy became.

Speaking of...

"Theo?"

Craning her neck, she cried out at the stabbing pain that exploded in her clavicle. It sent her crashing back down to the ground. Shakily she raised her hand to the area, dragging it across a tacky mess. A gasp filled the air when she touched puncture wounds. She glided her fingers around the large circles that rested just above her right collarbone. They teetered dangerously close to her carotid artery. Hesitant to believe it, she pressed down firmly.

"Ah fuck! Again?"

The pain around the wound extended down her shoulder. Her awareness of it acting like a signal. When it reached her chest, her toes curled. Hugging her knees, she buried her face into them. A fire seemed to wrap around every organ. Constricting them until they burned to ash. No amount of tensing helped, and she found tears rimming her eyes. Adding insult to injury, her tattoo began to itch like mad.

Waiting, she guessed 10 minutes passed before she unfurled her toes. Realizing her eyes weren't going to adjust any further she sighed. The moon did little to break through dense trees. Khalia gritted her teeth as she went to stand, moving like a broken figurine.

"Theo! Are you here?"

Wasting no time for an answer she brushed the dirt and grime off her ass. The blanket the left from the previous night was gone. Dragging her foot across the ground she searched for her clothes. After a few frustrating minutes she groaned. No clothes, no phone, nothing. Anxiety bubbled in her stomach, but it dimmed compared to the rage. Draping an arm over her breast, she started in the direction of camp, at least she assumed.

Using her other hand, she reached out, touching brush and trees. Her feet crunched over the fallen foliage, and she flinched violently when something crawled across her left foot. She vowed to cuss him out and smack him a good once or six. That is, if she finds her way back. She's done many hikes in various degrees of weather. But never at night. She found it sinister to be alone in the woods at night.

"Theo! What the hell? Give me my damn clothes back!"

Khalia let out various grunts and groans while she stumbled throughout the forest. Trying her best not to face plant from raised roots.

"Theoooo!"

Khalia screeched his name till her throat went raw. She was aching all over and the constant stumbling wasn't helping. In fact, it made her sluggish. After walking for ten more minutes, she stopped. Her breath came in quick pants as she leaned against a tree, flinching at a spiderweb.

"H-hello! Theo!" Crying out his name one more time she tilted her head to the left. A voice.

The anxiety she felt earlier raised its ugly head. Something was off, the voice sounded odd. She took a couple steps.

"Let him go fucker!"

"You're a brave one!"

"Trinity run!"

That's Jay!

Khalia strained to hear more as she picked up her pace. She could hear the crashing of branches, the screams of her companions, and horrendous growling. Rounding a tree she shielded her eyes when a white light flashed. Her right foot hooked under a root, and she yelled when it popped. Pitching forward she hit the ground hard, groaning as the air left her lungs.

"Fuck, fuck! I think its broken." Clenching her teeth she hissed before freeing her foot. Already she felt it swelling. Lightening sharp zaps traveled the length of her leg.

The light remained on her. Under it she could see how filthy she was. Blood and dirt mixed with the sticky sweat that coated her. Ticks and other unsavory insects used her like a road map. The sight made her squeal and she rose to stand but collapsed again. This time the light bobbed and moved further away. Muffled voices came from its direction. It clicked to Khalia that it had to be a cellphone. Looking into the blinding light, her voice trembled, "Jay?"

The light twisted left and right.

"....Trinity?"

Again, left to right.

Fear tickled her neck. Her eyes stung and her body trembled softly.

"T-Theo?"

It fell, plunging her back into darkness. Panic shot through her and she started crawling, ignoring the scraps and cuts to her extremities. Fanning out her hands she slid them across the ground. The voices grew louder the closer she came to when he once stood. When her hand grazed a hard plastic surface, she huffed.

Relief briefly touched her. Dragging her hand across the device, excitement shot through her. It's her phone. Picking it up she covered her face at the fresh onslaught of light. Frantically she rushed to turn it off. The blood on her screen made her flinch. Wiping it on her thigh she squinted. The camera was open, displaying her on the ground as a thumbnail.

But I heard...

Hesitantly, she swiped her thumb and Jays bloody face filled the screen. Gasping the phone fell from her hands. She held that pose, trembling, for a while. The phone screen stared at her. Leaning down she tapped the play button.

Jay lay in a pool of blood. His clothing blending in with his shredded flesh. Jagged gashes covered his chest and arms. The skin on his arms were flayed, his legs exposing muscle and sinew beneath. The camera panned over every inch, making sure to capture the horror that she felt.

Four deep lacerations went across his face. They crossed over his left cheek, exposing his gums. His left eye was ruptured, leaving the tissue dangling by a thin nerve. When he wheezed, blood squirted from the wounds.

Khalia wanted to turn away but found herself paralyzed. This wasn't her brother. This is a sick prank, it had to be. She observed Jay's lone eye move erratically, stuck in a cycle of shock. Eventually it landed on her. Their eyes locked, and a strangled cry escaped her.

The camera then panned up, showing a fleeing figure in the distance, before the view flipped. Theo stared back at her; a sardonic grin plastered on his face. His washed out his skin, highlighting the blood and bits of flesh that stuck to his bare chest.

"Liaaa-Baby. If you've found this, you're headed in the right direction."

Shock stole her vocal cords.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't be there when you woke. Your brother came looking for you. By himself though, which is rather strange don't you think? Aren't you in the military Jay? This wasn't very smart. Luckily, you have an amazing Fiancee."

He looked away from the camera to stare down at her brother he assumed. His labored breathing had died down.

No.

"You humans, not the brightest. You especially, thankfully you're a pretty bitch. By the time you make it back your friends should be dead. We'll play it by ear Love."

The video abruptly ended. Khalia stared dumbfounded at the screen until it cut to black. The only sounds that graced her ears were her sobs. Soon a high-pitched scream washed over the forest. It sent a tingle up her spine. Wiping her face with her arms she heard the cracking of branches.

Twigs fell, one hitting her shoulder. Looking up she snatched her phone, crawling back just as the body fell from the tree above. With the light, Khalia took in the mangled corpse, the torn brown skin and low-cut fade. By the time she realized she was screaming, hysterics were in full bloom. Cries for help deafened the nearby area. Her brother...he's dead...and there's a beast in the forest.

*~*~*

"Do you think he found her? It's been close to two hours now. What if he doesn't come back?"

Marcus groaned, bringing his hand up to his chin. The voices switched to a whisper.

"Hear me out. Let Trinity go look for Jay. While she's doing that, we take the car and go to the Station."

"You saw how big that thing is. Plus, Theo is out there too! What is a Ranger going to do?"

"With that beast you think Theo is still alive? Hell, one of those bodies could be his."

"Even so, you want to leave our friends behind. That's not right Joey!"

"Oh, stop with the high and mighty shit! For all we know they're dead. I'm not going to sit and wait to be ripped to shreds by fucking Cujo! We got to act and fast. Are you in babe? Please, I need you."

"You're suggesting we leave them while we run away? Do you hear yourself? Truly, this isn't you!"

"I don't want to fucking die Alexa! This is about survival!"

Marcus cringed in disgust. Fear and paranoia were getting to them and rational thought were now lost. His chin ached and someone brushed his shoulder as they walked by. His eyes twitched and he contemplated opening them. This nightmare it had to end eventually.

"Shit! Alexa! She's gone!" Joeys shrill voice jolted him. Shooting up he winced at the light.

"What?"

Joey barreled from out Trinity's room, tripping over his own feet in the process.

"She's fucking gone!"

"It got her!" Alexa hollered, running to Trinity's bedroom.

"No, I think she left on her own. Her windows open, the screens knocked out!"

"When?"

"I don't fucking know! It's been two hours!" Joey hollered before slamming his fist into the wall, knocking down portraits. He ran to the room he shared with Alexa. Marcus jumped off the couch when he emerged with the Jeep key.

"We're leaving! Now!"