The night was calm and quiet, but Derek felt an ominous presence in the woods as he sat on the front step of the step of the cabin. So far, summer camp was a complete bust, and he hated every second of it, even though it was only the first day. From the moment his parents dropped him off that very morning, he had the unshakable feeling that he was being watched. The feeling had stayed with him from his first swim in the lake all the way to dinner, and it had been driving him crazy the whole time.

"Hey, Derek," called out Jake as he popped out of the cabin door and smiled at him. "Are you coming in anytime soon? Counselor Charlie says that we have five minutes before lights out." Derek nodded as he looked over at Jake.

"Yes," he told him as he stood up and smiled at Jake. Jake looked around, as if watching to see if anyone was watching them, his eyes shifting side to side like a cartoon character looking to start mischief.

"If we hurry, we might get to hear Bryce tell a campfire story," he said, and Derek frowned.

"But the campfire was put out hours ago," he pointed out, and Jake shook his head.

"It's an expression," he argued as he motioned towards the interior of the cabin. "Come on. Bryce says that it's a camp tradition." Derek sighed and nodded in defeat.

"Alright," he told him as he stood up and made his way to the cabin door.

Before he stepped through the door, he heard a twig snap in the outline of the trees, and he paused to glance out to the woods. The woods were pitch black even though the moon was full and ripe in the sky, and he could see each star twinkling like diamonds on a dark blue canvas. The clearing that composed the camp was peaceful and quiet, lit by the moon in the sky, but the woods were dark and ominous like a thunderstorm casting itself on the outside of a sunny sky.

"Come on, scaredy cat!" called Jake, and Derek snapped his attention back to the warmth of the cabin.

"I'm coming," he said as he followed Jake inside.

Inside the spacious cabin, the other boys had already changed into their pajamas and gathered around one of the beds. Bryce, a thirteen year old boy with red hair, freckles, and abnormally large front teeth. He was native to the area, and he was known as the camp veteran since he was the oldest camper who had been to camp more than three summers in a row. Bryce smiled his buck toothed smile as he shined a flashlight in his face, the light casting eerie shadows across his pale, freckled face.

"This story is a true story about something that happened to a camper last year," he grinned evilly as he looked at each boy individually. His voice was low and monotone, like the narrator of some Indie horror movie, and he waved his hand around as he wiggled his fingers at his audience in an attempt to scare them all. "It was the last night of summer camp, almost an hour after lights out. One of the campers had drank too much soda at the final bonfire and was having a hard time falling asleep when he heard a suspicious noise outside the cabin window. At first, he heard something stomping around on the rooftop, then he heard the stomping from that very front porch." He straightened his arm and pointed at the door, and each of the campers looked at each other anxiously while they smiled at one another, completely enchanted by Bryce's showmanship as he spun his tale.

"The boy made his way to the window to see what had made the strange sound, but he saw nothing," Bryce continued as he pulled a blanket over his head, making himself look like a grim reaper. "Help me…" Every one of the boys jumped when Bryce's voice changed to get into character, and Derek rolled his eyes at the exaggeration while Bryce continued. "The boy ran back to his bunk and threw the covers over his head, hiding like a child from whatever had just spoken. Again, he heard the voice… Help me." Bryce rose to his feet, standing on the bed and looking down at the rest of the boys, who had scrambled off the bed and out of the way as Bryce turned the bed into a stage.

"The boy got back out of bed, and he made his way to the window once again," Bryce continued as he walked across the bed, smiling into the light of the flashlight. "When he didn't see anyone outside, he ran back to his bunk, grabbed a flashlight, and made his way to the cabin door. Being careful to not wake up the other campers, he unlocked the cabin door and made his way outside and into the night." He stood up straight as a board, the smile disappearing from his face as he stared down at each of the campers. "That was the last time he was ever seen." Each of the boys went deathly quiet until one ten year old camper raised a hand.

"So, what happened to him?" he asked, and Bryce knelt down on the bed to look the camper dead in the eye.

"No one knows," he said as he smiled at the camper. "When they realized he was missing the following morning, they sent out a search party that looked for him for three days before they finally gave up. They simply assumed he was dead." He then gave them all a knowing smirk. "I saw what happened, though." The ten year old smiled at him.

"You do?" he asked, and Bryce nodded.

"He was taken," he said, "by a tall, skinny creature with claws and a deer's skull for a head!" As the campers stared at each other in terror, Counselor Charlie came into the cabin.

"Alright," he sighed when he saw the boys huddled around Bryce's bunk. "Enough scary stories, Bryce. You'll give them all nightmares." Bryce threw the blanket off of himself as he stared at Counselor Charlie in frustration.

"Oh, come on," he protested. "They can handle it." Counselor Charlie shook his head.

"It's past lights out, anyways," he said as he looked at each of them. "Off to bed with you all." The boys all groaned and got to their feet before heading over to their bunks. As they all left, Jake shook his head.

"Nice made up story," he said as started towards his bed. Bryce raised an eyebrow at him as he made his way across the room, heading straight towards Jake.

"You take that back!" he shouted as he shoved Jake, and Derek ran to stop both boys before a full fist fight broke out.

"No," Jake smirked as he looked at Bryce. "Admit it, you made it up." He then turned to Derek, who was keeping the two of them separate. "Do you believe him?" Derek thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"The kid probably got lost in the woods," Derek argued, and Bryce shook his head.

"You don't have to believe me," he warned them, "but don't leave the cabin after dark, especially not alone. There is something out there, and it's hungry for blood." Counselor Charlie came out of the bathroom and crossed his arms.

"Go to bed," he ordered as he looked at the three boys, and they obeyed, starting with Bryce. As soon as he made sure everyone was in bed, he turned off the lights, plunging the entire cabin into darkness while the wind blew outside.

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