 The sun had set beneath the horizon, casting the forest in a sad gray light. Moss hung down from the trees, kissing the dirty brown water. Insects chirped through the trees, while frogs croaked in a clamor. The breeze smelled fresh and muddy. We were walking back to our campsite, me and six other friends of mine from college. We were camping out in the Louisiana Woodlands for spring break in a place that couldn't seem to decide if it was a forest or a bayou. A few of them held flashlights towards the front while I walked in the back. I'm not usually one to feel scared out in the woods. I grew up out in them. But for some reason, I just felt off. I looked off at the dirty pond we were walking past bits of trash and driftwood floated atop it. While reeds swayed back and forth from beneath the surface, illuminated only by pale moonlight, my vision hung there for a while. I felt uneasy, but I couldn't place why. I thought I saw movement on the other side of the pond, but it was gone when I blinked. I looked away. No sooner than that, I heard a splash. I jolted my head back to see what happened, but I saw nothing. Nothing at all. Only the swaying of the trees. That was around when I realized that Danny was gone. He'd been walking behind me. I hadn't been thinking about him. I stopped in my tracks and looked back, searching the darkness. My other friends didn't stop. Danny, where you at? I called out. There was nothing. Danny, quit scorn around. No response. I squinted my eyes, peering into the dark trees and the bend of the trail. I only heard the chatter of my friends further ahead. As I peered, I began to see movement. Then it stopped. Then there was a spasm of movement. Then it stopped. My heart began to beat faster. And then I saw a figure of who I assumed was Danny rise up from the ground. But then it spoke, I'm coming, said a horrid, raspy voice. It sounded like gravel. What the hell? I said, there was a cacophony of horse coughs and wheezes. Then the voice that spoke was Danny's. Sorry, I tripped. I'm coming, said Danny. He ran forward and stopped next to me. I could see that it was Danny, that fluffy brown hair, rounded face and skinny frame. It was Danny, all right. Are you okay, dude? You seem kind of tense, said Danny. He had a look of genuine concern. Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I said, let's catch up with the others. Good idea. He said, with that, we ran at the trail. I pushed away the fearful thoughts from my head. We arrived back at the campsite a few minutes later. The four others who remained behind had already started cracking open some beers. The fire was dancing red and hot. One of them voiced his excitement at our return, and so the drinking commenced. I cracked one open and sat on a folding chair near the flames. Danny sat across from me on a bag of wood. He wasn't drinking. That was odd. Danny was usually the first one to start. I pushed it out of my mind. I was just being paranoid. We all laughed and drank and laughed some more. Lucy was already drunk, as usual. Joseph was now pouring whiskey shots. Danny spoke calmly with the others. He hadn't laughed at all. Not even once. I saw him chuckle occasionally, but it always seemed forced, and he still hadn't had a drink. Hey, Danny, why don't you crack open a cold one? I asked. Nah, not really feeling like it. Maybe in a bit. He said, A few more minutes passed. That was around when Danny turned to Joseph. Hey, bro, follow me. I gotta show you something in my car. Said Danny. Yeah, what is it? Asked Joseph. You left something in my trunk, or at least I think it's yours. I just remembered it right now. Said Danny. Alright. Said Joseph. The two stood up and walked into the darkness towards the cars. I watched them go while the others didn't seem to notice. I felt uneasy again. Oddly, even more uneasy than in the forest. You're being stupid, I thought. I saw movement coming from the darkness, and as I got closer, I saw that it was Danny and Joseph. Perfectly fine. They walked up to the fire and sat down. Did you find what you were looking for? I asked. What? Asked Joseph, confused. Oh, yeah, right. It wasn't mine. It was somebody else's jacket. Suddenly, Joseph was seized by a violent fit of coughs. He hacked and wheezed for a solid minute. Joseph, you good? I asked. He hacked once more and spit on the ground. Everyone was looking at him with an expression of concern, except Danny. Yeah, I'm fine. Said Danny. He wasn't asking about you. Said Mary. Oh, my. He stuttered a bit more. I thought I heard my name. I'm fine. Said Joseph. I looked at both of them for a long while. The uneasiness had transfigured into dread. You're just paranoid, I thought. But that didn't matter. Something deep within me was telling me that something was wrong. Something was off. We all went back to drinking and talking. I'd stopped doing both. I just stared into the fire and glanced at both Danny and Joseph. They weren't talking much either. Hey, Colin, said Danny to me. You know, I just remembered. I saw a pretty big pile of sticks out in the woods. Pretty good size, too. Do you mind coming with me to go get them? Everything in me was telling me no, that I shouldn't go with him. I think we've got enough here, wouldn't you say? I said, barely masking the nervousness. Can never make too much firewood, said Joseph. I'll come, said Mary. Me, too. Slurred a drunken Lucy. A look of disappointment seemed to pass over Danny's face, but he nodded and stood up, followed by Joseph and the girls. I watched them recede off into the woods, becoming dark outlines. I felt like I should run, that I should get out of there. 15 minutes passed. 15 minutes I spent nervously staring into the forest. Cory, the guy sitting next to me, asked if I was okay. I reassured him I was fine, and went back to freaking out in my head. Then they returned. They lazily wandered forward, carrying a measly number of sticks which they threw down on the ground. Lucy and Mary appeared like their regular old selves. Lucy still drunk as shit. They sat down by the fire again, without saying anything to anyone. That wasn't a lot of wood, said Cory. Yeah, I couldn't find the spot. Hard to see at night, said Danny. I actually dropped a few on the way back over here. One of them was a big log. You mind coming with me? My flashlight's dead, so I'd love to use yours. Yeah, sure, said Cory. And with that, he followed Danny into the woods. After they left, Lucy stood up and stumbled off away from the fire, drunkenly whooping and laughing. What the hell, Lucy? Come back, yelled Joseph. Would some of y'all come with me to get her? It would ruin our night if her dumbass got lost. Several others nodded in ascent. They got up and ran off after her, leaving me and one other, Hannah, who continued staring into the fire. Something's wrong, something's wrong. I gotta get out of here, I thought. The rational part of my brain was trying to get me to calm down, but something deep and primal was telling me that something really bad was happening. Hannah had a look of fear in her eyes. She looked into the fire, seemingly lost in thought. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. You freaked out too? I asked. She looked up, surprised. No. Why do you ask? I took a deep breath. Don't lie to me. Something weird is going on. I know you feel it too. Hannah averted her eyes, thinking for a moment. It's nothing. Just enjoy the fire. She said. But I couldn't enjoy the fire. Something was wrong. I just couldn't escape that feeling. So I got up and walked to my car. Are you leaving? asked Hannah, concerned. No, I'm just gonna get something. I said, I couldn't quite bring myself to leave. I had nothing solid to go off of. I didn't want to drive off only to find that nothing had been wrong. Instead, I walked to my car and grabbed my knife from the middle compartment. Then I walked back to my chair and sat down, shaking my leg up and down with nervous anticipation. That was about when all of them returned. They came back around the exact same time Danny and Corey emerging from the forest. Danny smiled at me. A smile that seemed malicious. Me and Corey couldn't find the log. Did you all find Lucy? He asked. How did you know Lucy was gone? I asked back. Danny whipped his head back at me angrily. So did Corey. I heard them calling her name. Said Danny. I didn't hear that. I said, well, you must have bad hearing then. Didn't hear them calling for her, Hannah. He asked questioningly. I, I may have said Hannah. See, Colin, you just have bad hearing. Said Danny. Everyone else started to clamor back into their chairs and seating spots. No one even made mention of the search for Lucy. I eyed them all like a scared animal. My body was in fight or flight. I knew something bad was about to happen. There were a few moments of tense silence, like a rubber band about to snap. Then in an explosion of movement, Danny and Corey grabbed Hannah in one synchronous action. Her mouth was covered just after she belted a surprised Yelp. Just as this happened, I dove out of the way of Mary trying to grab me. I jumped up and ran into the forest. I'd like to say that I tried to help Hannah, but there was nothing I'd have been able to do. There were just too many of them. All I heard behind me was the shuffling of arms and legs as they did, God knows what to her. Then I heard the powder of footfalls as they chased after me. Help someone help me. I yelled into the forest. No one came. I ran through the trees and the underbrush as branches and weeds slapped against my face, leaving long bloody gashes down my cheeks and arms. I didn't stop though. I knew I couldn't stop. They were gaining on me. All of them were chasing me a whole stampede of feet trampling through the vegetation. I tried to run faster, but my body was aching. The adrenaline was the only thing that pushed me forward. My foot got snagged on a tree stump. I twisted and stumbled into the muddy water. I found a portion of the bayou. It stank a foul rot. I tried moving forward, but I heard them not far behind me, so I sank deeper into the water. There they were. I could see their dark shapes hovering on the edge of the water, evil forms imposing on the night. I kept myself submerged, desperate not to move an inch. They fanned out on both sides of the bayou, trying to figure out which way I had gone. I was running out of air. I willed myself to remain conscious, but it didn't matter. My vision grew fuzzy and dark. I needed air. I pushed my head above water for a brief moment, and that was all they needed. Not a moment later, multiple hands grabbed me and yanked me out of the bayou. I kicked and screamed, but soon their hands were over my mouth. They slammed me against the muddy earth, laughing with glee as the wind was knocked out of me. Nowhere to go now, said Danny, in a voice that was not Danny's. It was a rough voice, callous and cold. I struggled and screamed, but it was useless. They overpowered me. I was absolutely petrified. Danny stood above me, and that was when I saw his eyes were pure black. Corey grabbed my face and held my mouth open. I began trying to reach for my knife. A thick black liquid began to ooze out of Danny's mouth. It inked its way down his face and into his hand, coalescing into one stinking glob. He began to bring it down to my open mouth. Another body. He said, with all the strength I had left, I jerked my hand into my pocket. I grabbed my knife, and then I thrust it into Danny's side. Every single one of them screamed a scream I'd never heard. It sounded like the screeching of a braking car, but magnified, twisted, and prolonged. Voice that erupted from them seemed to be one. The hands that held me in place loosened long enough for me to break away. I jumped up and ran back in the direction of the campsite where I knew my car was waiting. It didn't take long for them to re-cooperate. They were chasing me yet again. My face was lashed by branches as I ran through the trees, but I didn't stop. Despite my exhaustion, I willed myself to keep running. I could see our dying fire through the trees. I broke out into the clearing of our campsite and ran towards our parked cars. I unlocked my sedan and jumped in. They were on me in a moment, pounding their fists on the windows. Cory was carrying a rock. He threw it at my windshield, shattering the glass and bloodying my face in a rain of knives. I put the car in reverse and ran over whoever was behind me. I didn't even see. I then clicked on my headlights and drove back down that dirt road at the highest speed I could manage. Soon, they were out of sight, and I was driving down the highway fast enough to get pulled over. After a few miles, after I was sure I was a safe distance away, I pulled over on the side of the road. There, I broke down into tears and yelling. I cursed at myself, my friends, and whatever the hell that was that did that to them. After I had let it all out, I put the car back in drive and I drove to the hospital. I spent that night in the hospital. My parents met me there a few hours after. The doctors managed to bring me back to health, although I still have scars across my face from the glass. The police questioned me about what happened and I told them everything, despite their incredulous looks. I didn't mention the black fluids and the change in their voices and eyes because there was absolutely no way they'd believe me. They already weren't entirely buying the story, I told them. None of them have been back since police and rescue services scoured the park and were unable to find any sign of them. I miss my friends. Not a day goes by that I don't think about what happened in those woods, that I don't think of whatever entity it was that stole them away from me.