CHAPTER 4
Morning crept into the campsite slowly, slipping through the thin fabric of the tents and warming the air just enough to nudge everyone awake. Birds chattered somewhere above the trees, and the muffled rustle of sleeping bags followed one after another. Liam was the first to crawl out of his tent, hair crushed on one side, hoodie half-zipped, yawning like he'd fought a bear overnight.
"Rise and shine, degenerates," he announced, stretching his arms.
Jasmine groaned. "Why can't you rise and shine quietly?"
Aria shoved open her tent flap next, blinking at the sunlight. Ethan stepped out behind her, pulling on his jacket, still looking half-asleep. Caleb was last, emerging in slow-motion with a sleepy grin.
"Coffee," he mumbled. "Someone tell me coffee exists."
"It exists," Aria said, tossing him a small canned drink. "But only barely."
They packed up the campsite quickly after that, tossing blankets into the trunk, shaking out dirt from the tents, loading coolers and backpacks into place. The morning felt normal—calm, even. Just five friends on a road trip with nothing heavier on their minds than where to stop for lunch.
Once they were all in the car, Liam started the engine. The dashboard came alive with music, soft and casual. "Destination for today: Ridgewater Lake," he announced. "We should reach before evening if the roads don't try to murder us."
"That place better be worth the hype," Jasmine said, tying her hair up.
"It is," Ethan said. "Supposedly. My cousin said the water's so clear you can see your reflection like a mirror."
"Cute," Aria replied. "I can admire my beauty twice."
"Please don't," Liam muttered.
They pulled out of the campsite, the forest fading in the rearview mirror as the road widened in front of them. Hours passed in a pleasant blur—music skipping from loud to louder, jokes that made no sense, Caleb teasing Jasmine about her snack addiction, Aria forcing everyone to play road-trip games even though nobody remembered the rules.
For a moment—just a moment—it felt like everything was exactly the way it should be. No tension. No strange moments. No questions about IDs or wallets or anything else. Just five friends driving toward a lake with sunlight warming the hood of their car.
But as the day dragged on, clouds thickened across the sky, turning the light dull and grey. The cheerful music felt quieter somehow. The conversation thinned until even Liam stopped talking and simply focused on the road ahead.
By the time evening arrived, the landscape had shifted from open roads to lonely stretches of asphalt surrounded by empty fields. The sun dipped behind the hills, leaving streaks of red across the sky.
"We should stop soon," Ethan said, looking out the window. "We're way off schedule."
"There's a gas station about ten minutes ahead," Liam said after checking the map. "We can refill, grab snacks, and push through until we find a motel or something."
"Fine with me," Jasmine said. "I need bathroom, food, and heat. Preferably in that order."
Aria nodded. "Yeah, same."
Caleb stretched in his seat. "Speaking of bathroom, I should probably hit it too. Felt like the coffee tried to murder my insides."
"Charming," Jasmine muttered.
As the car rolled up the lonely road, the gas station finally came into view: a flickering red sign, a small convenience store with one glowing window, and pumps that looked older than all of them combined. The building sat hunched in the emptiness, surrounded by nothing but wind and silence.
"Looks… welcoming," Aria said.
"It looks like the type of place where we die first in a movie," Jasmine whispered.
"Relax," Liam said. "We're just grabbing snacks."
He parked near the entrance. Caleb unbuckled immediately.
"Alright, restroom time," he said, pushing open the door. "Don't wander off without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Liam replied.
Ethan opened his door too. "I'll come with you to buy stuff."
"Same," Liam said. "Let's get something for dinner."
Jasmine and Aria stayed in the car, stretching their legs.
Everything felt normal. Absolutely, perfectly normal.
Until they stepped inside.
The convenience store was dim, lit only by a line of weak overhead bulbs humming softly. Shelves stood crooked, stacked with dusty snacks. An old radio murmured static somewhere behind the counter. The air smelled faintly of oil and something metallic.
"Creepy," Liam whispered.
"No kidding," Ethan replied.
But then they froze.
At the far end of the aisle—near the counter—stood a man. Not a customer. Not an employee talking to someone. No. He stood over another man, the store owner, whose body was slumped behind the counter, neck bent at an impossible angle.
The murderer's hands were stained red.
And he looked up.
For one long, suffocating second, no one moved. Ethan's breath caught in his throat. Liam stepped back slowly, eyes wide. The killer tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable in the dim light.
Then the owner—barely alive—lifted his head a few inches and rasped, "Run… please… run…"
Ethan grabbed Liam by the arm. "We have to go. Now."
But the owner used his last dying breath to shove something across the counter toward them—some kind of button, maybe an alarm, maybe a warning—before the killer turned and drove a knife into his chest.
Ethan and Liam sprinted.
They burst through the door, stumbling into the cold night air. Jasmine and Aria jolted upright in the car.
"What happened?" Aria shouted.
"Start the car!" Ethan yelled. "Start it now!"
Liam raced around the hood, fumbling for the keys. His hands shook as he jammed them into the ignition. Behind them, the store door creaked open—just slightly. Enough.
"Go, go, go!" Jasmine screamed.
The engine roared to life. The car lurched backward.
Just then Caleb burst out of the restroom side door, jogging toward them casually.
"What's happening—?"
"Get in!" Liam shouted.
Caleb threw himself inside, slamming the door behind him.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, breathless.
Aria covered her mouth. Jasmine whimpered. Liam floored the accelerator.
The car shot forward down the road, tires screeching against the pavement. The gas station fell away behind them, becoming nothing but a dying flicker of light in the rearview mirror.
Caleb stared between them, confused and pale.
"Guys," he said slowly. "What… what did you see?"
The road stretched out before them—dark, empty, endless.But behind them, something had just begun.
And Ethan—still shaking—was the only one who saw the shape that stepped into the doorway as they fled.
A shape he recognized.
A shape he could not yet understand.
Yet the black SUV stood there, perhaps it was empty, no one inside. But it felt like it was watching
The night swallowed them.