Run & Hide by Beatrix Hollow

8

“Oh! You all be careful, ‘kay?” The ranger called out to us all. “No one has gone missing yet this summer and people always go missing. Summer is almost over.” He looked out into the woods. “Mothman must be hungry.”

The camp manager watched us go, her eyes steady on us, no longer looking into the woods.

“He didn’t say why they call him Mothman,” Matthias commented as we walked away.

“Maybe he’s a big moth,” Brandon joked, throwing his arm around the other man’s shoulders and tugging him close.

“A moth wouldn’t have taloned feet, glowing eyes, and a bloody mouth,” Caspian commented like he was annoyed with the conversation.

An image rose in my mind. Of something dark, shadows wrapped around its body. Two round red eyes. The image was so strong I barely could see the woods around me anymore. Dizziness came over me and mild nausea roiled up in my stomach. The image in my mind shifted, alive. Massive wings spread out, brown and black patterns. The buzzing grew stronger until it felt like my brain was stinging. I winced, pressing my hands to my head.

“Are you okay?” Caspian asked in concern, feeling the sway of my step. I closed my eyes and shook my head. The buzzing slowly drifted away, the images disappearing into blackness. I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.

“Maybe it’s because he has big wings like a moth,” I said, answering Matthias’ question.

“Hmm,” Matthias said, seeming to genuinely think about it. His arm slipped around Brandon’s waist naturally. Caspian looked down at me with a questioning gaze boring into me.

Matthias and Brandon veered into their camp throwing goodnights over their shoulders. Their attitudes seemed markedly better than before. They almost seemed friendly towards me, smiling and waving as they went. I hadn’t noticed before but they seemed really close to one another.

“What made you say that about the wings?” Caspian asked as we moved towards the dying fire at our campsite. I headed straight for the cooler, tugging out a beer that I popped open and began to gulp. The cool carbonation was rough on my throat but I let it slide down regardless. Trails of beer leaked out around the sides of my mouth, sliding down to my chin.

I didn’t stop until the can was empty, pulling it away from my mouth with a big inhale. I hadn’t even tasted it at all.

“I have no idea. It just came to me,” I mumbled, half lying. That hadn’t been normal imagination. I didn’t want to think about what it was. Quickly, I fetched another beer from the cooler and popped it open, tipping it back and swallowing greedily.

I was drinking too fast, it went to my head right away, making me sway. I flopped in the camping chair and let out a breath, a smile curling up my face as I felt my concern ebbed away by the alcohol.

“You sure?” Caspian asked, looking concerned as he began nursing the fire back to life. A snorted laugh came from me but I didn’t answer him.

My mother's words from the haunted house replayed in my mind: You can't run from it.

That night, I went to bed scared.

During the day I could pretend I didn’t believe in any of this stuff. I could push away strange feelings and weird experiences. I could roll my eyes and scoff.

But when all was dark and quiet, all I could feel was bone-deep belief and fear. The campfire story had bothered me. The missing campers were enough to worry anyone. The monster was what made my gut squirm though.

Before I’d scrambled into my tent, it felt like someone was watching me. No matter how many beers I chugged I couldn’t shake the sensation.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw two round, glowing red eyes and heard a faint buzzing in my head. The burning image that felt forced into my mind left me feeling jumpy. It was as if something ancient really did live in these woods and had opened its eyes and saw me. Me, who couldn’t escape the strange and unusual. Who ghosts called out to and wanted to touch.

I was a beacon for some reason, drawing out things that shouldn’t exist.

“Stupid family curse,” I grumbled into my pillow. My head felt like it was bobbing out on the river nearby, swaying with the current. My thoughts were like melted watercolors, blurring. I drank too many beers and now my mind was getting carried away with stories.

Right now in these woods, it felt as if all things occult could suddenly come to life from the whispering shadows and clutch at my mind, demanding a taste of my acrid fear. I squirmed deeper into my sleeping bag, clutching my bat squishmallow to my chest. I brushed its cashmere texture as if it were a pet cat. I didn’t care at all if someone thought a stuffed animal was a childish tactic for comfort. It was better than climbing in other people’s beds and demanding they let me disturb their sleep.

Except, I was starting to wish Caspian was in the tent with me. Old habits die hard apparently. Even five years of going without him hadn't quenched my thirst for his comfort in the night.

I hadn’t really considered camping as an activity likely to freak me out or trigger my strange ‘ability’. My family was all ghosts ghosts ghosts and those lived in creepy old houses, not dark, creepy woods.

“I’m being so ridiculous,” I mumbled, pretending as if I could just shake off the fear. This was ridiculous. I was letting my family’s mindset taint my logic. My tongue rolled over my dry lips and I pushed a finger into my splinter slightly, giving myself an endorphin rush with a side order of pain to help clear my mind. Even with several beers drowning in my system the wound gave such a sharp spasm of ache that I sucked in a breath and shuddered.

My bladder felt over-filled from all the beer I’d chugged. I’d been holding it for what felt like forever and felt ready to burst. I bundled up my courage like a shield and wiggled from the sleeping bag. I very slowly unzipped the door. The sound of the zipper was loud enough to briefly silence the cacophony of crickets and other night time creepy crawlies.

When the door flap hung loose, I sat still and listened but the only thing to hear was the ambiance of a summer night in nature. I peeled the flap back slowly and swept my eyes across the dark scene in front of me. The fire was out but the moon was big in the sky. It cast the faintest white glow from above. Just enough to see dark shapes and darker shadows.

I grabbed my flashlight, flicked it on, and swept it around quickly.

Nothing was out of place but the flashlight made long, stretched-out shadows. They felt nefarious. I grumbled while slipping from the tent, shoving my feet in sandals, and quickly moving to the street. My eyes slid to the campsite across from us but it was quiet except for the rattling sound of snores coming from their shared tent.

Once around the bend in the street, the bathroom building’s bright yellow light lit up the area. I didn’t dare move my flashlight towards the trees. If I didn’t see anything scary in the woods, it didn’t exist. Everyone knew that.

A high-pitched chittering noise started deep in the trees and my feet glued to the spot. My eyes watered as I stared into the darkness without blinking. The noise grew and I tried to place it.

It was an animal. I knew that. My heart thumped hard in my chest though.

The trees started to shake as if a strong wind had suddenly grabbed them.

There was no wind though.

The chittering was coming closer and getting louder. Multiple animals were coming towards me, I realized. Which felt unnatural. Animals were supposed to avoid humans. These were not. They were almost running towards me like animals fleeing before a raging forest fire.

I felt weak and alone standing in the middle of the street with no cover. My instincts finally clicked on and a single thought burst into my mind: run.

I ran as fast as I could, the noises only growing until they were right to the edge of the forest. I’d disturbed whatever it was, a whole herd of them loudly calling out. The trees shook and a hundred chitters called out around me. I ran sloppy, my body still burning off the alcohol. One sandal tangled with the edge of the concrete sidewalk surrounding the bathroom and I tripped, barely catching myself.

I dove into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Yellow light saturated painted cinder block walls, washing out all the color the bathroom had to offer. My fingers fumbled with the deadbolt then I backed away from the door. My eyes jerked up to the window high on the wall. There was no screen, just an open hole. My mind provided images of faces lurching into view, smiles too wide and cutting, eyes large and pupils blown out in unnatural excitement.

The noise retreated outside until it was all quiet. Then slowly the sounds of bugs and owls returned, everything returning to normal.

I took deep breaths as I went to relieve myself. Then I washed my hands in the sink, trying to avoid the freshly bandaged splinter on my ring finger. Caspian had insisted on examining it. He had tried to push the splinter out himself but my vision had gone black when he bore down on it. He was concerned, even tried to convince me that we should leave tonight to find a local hospital. Finally, we agreed if it got worse in a couple days we would find a clinic.

The strange thing was, it didn’t appear infected at all. Even the red, irritated skin had gone away after I stopped messing with it. My finger looked perfectly fine except just under the surface you could see the tip of the splinter. It looked so close, so grabbable but no matter what I did, it refused to be removed.

As I finished up I thought about the noises outside. It was animals, that was all. They were freaked out by me walking by and warning each other. Either that or purposely scaring me.

Everything at this stupid camp was trying to terrorize me for its own sick pleasure—the ranger telling his stupid stories, the animals in the forest. Even the campground manager freaked me out, always scanning the trees for something and acting nervous.

I cursed them all while flipping the deadbolt and pushing open the door. I pulled my shoulders back and tipped my chin up. I wasn’t going to let fear get to me out here. This trip was the start of me putting fear behind me, leaving it back home with my family and their stupid ghosts. Even if I accidentally brought a piece of a haunted house with me on the trip. I frowned, looking at my finger again.

Outside the bathroom was basked in yellow light. Down near my sandals, long daddy spiders walked in jerky movements. The small street before me curled into the darkness. My eyes burned into the tree line but there was nothing. No noise, no movement.

My dry tongue ran across my lip and I started to head back, clicking back on the flashlight. I needed to drink an entire bottle of water then fall asleep right away. Drunk and scared in the middle of the woods wasn’t a good look on me.

As soon as I made it around the curve the noises started again. Louder. The chitters were all around revealing they had been waiting.

Whatever it was—animals, demons, creatures—it was after me and the noise was so loud it morphed into screeching.

I took off, my sandals pressing into the street and biting into the top of my feet. Terror sliced through me. My back felt ice cold with a million goosebumps. The trees shook, the screeching surrounding me, echoing and joining together.

What if it really was something truly dangerous—something real, not my imagination running wild? What if it was boars that could gut me with their tusks? I didn’t even know if they lived in the area but the image stuck. A whole hoard of bloody snouts, snorting out the stench of rot from their mouths as they trampled me to the ground squealing heinously, greedy mouths snapping open and shut.

It wouldn't take much. They were made for gutting things.

The screeches morphed into the hellish squeals of hogs in my mind. I panted roughly and careened into camp.

The noises abruptly stopped.

The trees didn’t shake. The chittering and screeches were gone.

I took deep breaths of air as I leaned against the SUV, considering pulling open the handle and slipping inside to stay with Caspian. My heart began to slow and I took calmer breaths.

A soft brushing noise of movement made my eyes round to saucers. The sound of plastic and metal came from the picnic table, our items being moved around. I heard the crinkle of a chip bag.

I didn’t want to look but it felt unsafe not to know what the danger was. Breath came staggering from my mouth before I swallowed. My eyes swept the dark shadows around me as the quiet noises of movement continued.

Don’t let fear rule you, I told myself. Slowly and soundless I inched forward, my entire body shaking as I peered around the back of the SUV.

Tiny shining eyes looked over at me and stilled.

Raccoons. Furry bandits shoulder-deep in our food for the week. A whole freaking pack of jerkhole raccoons eating our food after they’d terrorized me on the street. That stupid chitter I’d been hearing in the dark was theirs. Anger bubbled up to eat away the fear. I barrelled forth in a swift rage.

“You little thieves!” I hissed, rushing them. The bastards started gathering my food in their paws, making sure to get as much as possible before running into the forest with it. Everything minus the cooler food was being dragged away by little clawed hands.

As I got to the picnic table I spied the egg cartoon open and half the eggs were missing. The other half were broken shells and the thick liquid inside had been slurped out. The thought of raw eggs sliding into a hungry, suctioning mouth made me feel nauseated.

“Agh!” I cried out at them. The raccoons were just at the edge of the forest, moving slowly with their hoard of our food. I darted into the trees, letting my anger push away any fear. My stomach still pinched and my heart still raced but I didn’t let it reach my mind as I scrambled around with a pack of raccoons, cursing their mothers and fighting them for half-destroyed bags of bread and my boxes of pop tarts.

I lunged at the fat one holding my cherry pop tarts and ended up with a face full of dirt. I looked over and saw a raccoon on its hind legs, waving around my jiffy pop in a taunt.

“You can’t even eat that!” I cried in offense. At this point, it felt personal. I scrambled up and ran towards the jiffy pop raccoon. It dropped to all fours, shoved the handle in its mouth, and ran away.

“No!” I swung around and ran after one holding an unopened chip bag. It leapt away and I chased after it. Twigs smacked my face and I had to spit out a leaf.

This went on for a few more minutes, me collecting leaves in my hair and growing more frustrated as the entire collection of raccoons went chittering deeper into the forest, leaving me panting and stomping the ground. They almost sounded like they were laughing at me.

“I hate raccoons now,” I huffed. They were no longer cute little mischievous fluffballs. They were agents of chaos and destruction and they were rodents—oversized rats.

My eyes swept the area as I grumbled my hatred. Then it hit me... I was in the dense forest, away from my campsite, in the dark with no trail.

The earlier fear slithered up my spine, making my fingers begin to tremble slightly. For a moment, the only thing I did was stand there in complete silence, feeling as if I’d turned into stone. My ears and eyes strained in the darkness and the strong sensation of being watched pressed on my skin, making my heart thump loud in my ears.

This is how people got lost in the woods. They walked in, thinking they could find their way out but got turned around and never made it back out. I didn't even have the benefit of light.

The shapes and shadows around me all looked horrible. Big shadows could be a person, or worse, Mothman with its blood-drenched mouth and horrifying massive body. It’s hungry, I thought. So, so hungry because no one has gone missing yet this year. It would be the type of hunger that drove something to tear into living things before even ending their life.

My eyes latched on to one particularly big shadow. It was shaped like a monster would be. Taller and wider than me. Big. My eyes watered as I refused to blink.

I stood catatonic, my eyes burning into the dark shape, waiting for it to move. I shook my head and took a step back. I was being ridiculous. I just needed to turn around and run back to camp. It should be right behind me. Hopefully right behind me.

Before I urged my body into action, the big shadow shifted.

Flight or fight punched me in the gut and the next thing I knew I was running and screaming so loudly that the entire forest was likely listening to my shrill cries of terror.

I burst through the treeline and nearly crashed into the wooden picnic table. I came to a sharp standstill and panted. Which was enough silence for me to hear something running behind me in the woods. Something big and loud, feet stomping at a fast, frantic pace coming at me louder and louder.

Every inch of skin broke out in goosebumps as I barreled to my car, gasping for breath. My muscles burned, my skin felt electrified.

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

It felt as if hands were reaching out for me and every little half-second counted. I could feel a dark shadow at my back. A person, a thing. I didn't know what it was but it was after me and I could hear it panting.

I grabbed the handle of the door and flew inside the car. Caspian grunted loudly as my body suddenly toppled on his. I scrambled around all elbows and knees, making Caspian grunt and groan some more as I abused him in my panicked haste. I reached out and jerked the door shut, locking it immediately. Then I flung myself around the entire car, pushing the locks down on all of the doors.

Without hesitation, I scrambled up to Caspian, burying my face in his chest and clinging to his shirt.

“Ava? What’s wrong?” His soothing voice washed over me. His arms wrapped around my body, holding me to him. He could feel me shaking.

“There’s nothing out there,” I hissed to myself, not sure if that was true at all.

“What’s wrong?” Caspian repeated, sounding concerned while he held me tighter. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around him, calming myself down. When the adrenaline finally leaked out and I was left an exhausted puddle, I talked. His hand smoothed down my back just like it used to, eliciting a shiver that had nothing to do with fear.

“Racoons were out there messing with me. They were screeching, trying to scare me for their entertainment,” I grumbled in anger.

“For their entertainment?” Caspian asked in amusement.

“Yes,” I hissed, finally lifting my head from his chest. It was so dark I couldn’t make out much. “And they stole our food.”

“Shit,” he sighed in irritation.

“I tried to get some back but then I was in the woods and there was a shape—”

“A shape?”

“Yes, a shape. A scary shadow shape. I got freaked out and ran. Didn’t you hear me screaming?”

“I was dead asleep. Flinging your body on top of mine woke me up though,” his voice turned teasing at the end. I rolled my eyes in the dark and began to detach myself from him. Once we were lying side by side I realized I really didn’t want to be alone. But also, the car was really uncomfortable. There was no padding underneath us, and the hardness bit into my bones.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable in here?”

“It’s okay,” he dismissed.

“Can you sleep in the tent with me?” I blurted out. I no longer cared about any weird sexual tension. I wouldn’t be able to calm down unless I had him next to me. He shifted around to face me and I could make out the briefest outline of his face.

“Of course,” he said with a soft voice. His hand came up and brushed my cheek. I felt myself relax a little more.

Caspian got out of the car and confirmed there was nothing there. Then we packed tight into my tent, two sleeping bags underneath us and sharing a thin quilted blanket. The bare skin of our legs brushed against each other.

Everything was quiet outside. The buzz of wildlife picked back up but I heard no more raccoons—likely they were growing fat bellies on our groceries somewhere under a log.

“Did you think it was Mothman?” Caspian asked. I could feel the heat of his body at my back. I was faced away, eyeing the edge of the tent, and trying to ignore the wetness between my legs.

“I don’t want to talk about that.” I was angry at myself for letting a stupid story about a monster get to me. I felt Caspian shift around, then one of his arms slid around my waist as his chest pressed to my back. My breathing picked up but I tried to act cool.

“Are you afraid of monsters, Ava?” His voice was quiet and smooth, right next to my ear. I felt chills on my neck.

“No,” I said quickly. He hummed and the vibrations traveled over me. I squeezed my eyes shut. Our legs were touching, his shin rubbing against my calf.

“You don’t like monsters, Ava, but maybe they like you,” he whispered as he swiped the hair from my neck. The soft sensation of his lips pressed into the side of my neck and I let out a gasp of shock.

“Stop messing with me." My voice was breathy and I cleared my throat, embarrassed by the way I sounded.

“Do you really want me to stop though?” I could hear the smile in his words. He placed another kiss on my neck and I didn’t like the overwhelming way it made my body light up. I squirmed, pressing my legs tight together.

“Let me tease you some more, Ava. Okay?“ He purred the question in the golden voice that charmed the world. His hand brushed downwards on my body, trailing over my stomach until he found the edge of my shorts. His fingers played with the material’s edge, making my heart hammer in my chest.

“Caspian,” I said in shock. His lips pressed into my neck again. “What are you doing?” My voice was shaky and my neck tingled where his mouth kept pressing. My head felt light, my thoughts swirling into a mess.

“Teasing you.”

“Teasing me,” I repeated in an apprehensive whisper, my body a ball of anticipation. He hummed in response, the sound rolling over me.

“Yes. Do you want me to take it further because I can take it much further,” he promised, his intimate voice against my neck. His fingers pushed inside my shorts and kept traveling lower until finally, I could feel them between my legs. My breath hitched, my legs opening slightly for him. Was this really happening?

The tip of one of his fingers pushed through my folds, playing at my entrance. His breath hitched.

“You’re so wet,” he commented, his voice husky. I felt my face burn in embarrassment. “Wet for your teasing stepbrother,” he taunted while pressing his mouth to my ear, the words rough and thick. The tone didn’t sound playful at all.

“You aren’t my stepbrother anymore.” My voice warbled at the end as his fingertip began to languidly circle around my clit. Why wasn’t I telling him to stop? Why were my legs opening further, my hips pressing towards his fingers?

“Do you want this?” His question wasn’t fair because he swirled his finger around then finally pressed directly where I wanted him. A small sound of relief got caught in my throat.

He continued to rub my clit languidly and a whimper came out before I could stop it. I slammed my hands to my mouth in mortification. Caspian didn’t tease me about it though. I could feel his heavy breath on my neck as his fingers picked up pace, making pleasure climb higher.

“Ava,” he breathed out. His lips pressed to my neck tenderly again. “Answer me. Do you want me to do this?” His talented fingers stuck to a rhythm, making my muscles tense and my pussy throb in need.

I didn’t want him to stop but his fingers slowed when I didn’t respond.

“Yes, I want this,” I whispered and he groaned. I felt a change in him—from passive to active, from teasing to heated. Tension pulsed off him as he pressed my belly to the ground, rolling half on top of me, partially pinning me as if keeping me from escaping.

He put his mouth on the side of my neck as his fingers continued rolling in a wave of pleasure. I felt teeth on me, sharper than they ought to be. I was too distracted to care. Distracted by how he had me suddenly pinned to the ground while his fingers swirled, plucking pleasure from my body with the same skill he had used playing his guitar earlier.

It hit me that I was going to come. Caspian was going to make me come. The thought elicited knee-jerk panic. This is wrong, my mind said—an old concept that still lingered. It wasn’t wrong, I knew that, but I couldn’t stop the ingrained reluctance to accept this as okay.

“Relax, Ava,” Caspian whispered in my ear with that wicked voice he enchanted everyone with. It rolled over me like a languid, warm wave and I realized I’d been whimpering and squeezing his forearm. My hips moved back and forth, my ass pushing into his hip.

His fingers plunged lower, caressing my entrance, exploring and teasing the area. Slowly he sank his fingers inside me, not stopping until he was buried to the knuckle. He groaned against my neck. Two long fingers spread me out, so deep inside that it made me squirm and gasp.

The sensation of Caspian inside me was boggling. Years of resistance to the idea was ingrained into me and yet my pussy clenched down on his dancing fingers all the same. It made me shiver with thrill at the slight wrongness of it—the sudden shift from platonic to sexual was almost too abrupt but more than welcome.

“Tighter, Ava. Squeeze me,” he demanded, warm breath on my ear, body still pressing into mine from behind, pinning me. I clenched, squeezing my muscles as tight as possible, wanting to please him, impress him. He hummed in deep approval, the sound reverberating in his chest. He pushed his fingers even deeper, the edge of his hand tightly crushed against my body.

“That’s good,” he purred. “A pussy like this deserves something special,” he remarked, pulling his fingers out before plunging them back in.

“Cas,” I moaned as the embarrassing sounds of my wetness filled the tent, turning my face hot. I pushed myself up and down on his hand despite that, following his rhythm, fucking myself on his fingers. My clit rubbed against his thumb, creating a dull pleasure punctuated by his plunging fingers inside me.

He hooked his fingers, playing at a bundle of nerves that made me gasp and my walls tighten.

“Fuck,” Caspian murmured in reverence. He was breathing heavily as he pulled his fingers back out and worked my clit faster than before, with almost desperate movements.

Was he turned on? Did he want me?

The building pleasure grew between my legs, stretching deep inside me and rolling up my body to my chest. Caspian’s labored breath was right in my ear, hard and fast, making shivers race up my spine. I felt his hips grind into my side, moving against me. Was he hard?

“Oh god,” I whimpered a moment before an orgasm crashed into me like an angry wave. My insides strained in tension, pleasure rippling down to my toes and up to my ears.

“Fuck, Ava,” Caspian groaned, finally pushing his body on top of mine entirely, making my belly press harder into the ground. His erection pushed against me, trapped between our bodies, rubbing against my ass. His abnormally sharp teeth scratched at my neck. Blanketing bliss rolled over me as I felt a painful pinch where his mouth was.

It hurt. It hurt more than a small bite.

I cried out and tensed, the orgasm blending the sensations of pain and pleasure. Quickly Caspian buried his fingers inside me again, feeling me tighten from his surprising bite. A deep, rumbled groan rolled out of him. The tail end of my pleasure became violent and all-consuming. It brought me higher than I’d ever been before. I stretched my neck for him instead of recoiling like maybe I should.

I moaned as I relaxed. His fingers slipped out of me but then he tightly grabbed between my legs, holding my crotch as if he didn't want to let go. His mouth left my neck and the trickle of warm liquid slipped to my collarbone.

“It’s okay,” Caspian whispered, his lips pressing to the tender spot on my neck that he’d bitten. It was sore already, throbbing.

His hand slid out from my shorts and he settled beside me again, pulling me back into his chest and wrapping his arms around me tightly.

All the fear from before had bled out of me. I felt content, satisfied, and safe. My eyes felt heavy, my muscles relaxed.

I wasn’t sure what to say. Make a joke? Ask why he just did that? He squeezed me to him and it was almost too tight but I was too tired and satisfied to care. My neck hurt, his bite a sharp feeling but none of that felt concerning. It felt good. It felt like he’d wordlessly laid claim and I never realized how much I'd enjoy something like that.

I began to fall asleep. The combination of spent adrenaline, an orgasm, and the tail end of alcohol in my system made me suddenly exhausted. I didn’t even want to move my arms.

“You’re mine, Ava,” Caspian whispered into my ear. I was so tired I didn’t open my eyes, just furrowed my brow. The words were far off, slipping into my mind as I fell into the darkness of sleep.