Campfire Horror 4

The rusty hinges groaned as Sam Slammed the trunk of his beat-up sedan shut. It's been eight years since he'd seen his old friends, and the invitation for a reunion camping trip stirred up a bittersweet mix of nostalgia and anxiety. His siblings bombarded him with warnings – the long drive, the 'unreliability' of his friends. Sam, just looking to reconnect with old friends, ignored their pleas.

He wasn't taking any chances though. As he started the engine, a familiar sound filled the air – his trusty dashcam whirring to life. It would document the drive, a silent witness. Mile after dusty mile, the camera captured their laughter, reminiscing, and even a rekindled spark with his old flame, Sarah.

The campsite bustled with activity. Tents pitched, fire crackling, stories exchanged – it was like no time had passed. Exhausted, Sam drifted off to sleep, Sarah curled up beside him.

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the night. Sam bolted upright, heart hammering against his chest. Disoriented, he fumbled for his phone, the screen illuminating a horrifying scene. Carla was lifeless, her body a grotesque parody of its former self. Panic surged – his other friends, huddled together, met the same gruesome fate.

He scrambled out of the tent, tripping over roots and whipping branches. Every rustle sounded like a predator, every shadow a monster. He reached his car, his trembling hands fumbling with the keys. Finally, the engine roared to life, and Sam sped off, the gravel spraying behind him like a hail of judgment.

His phone remained stubbornly silent. He tried calling the cops or his sister, but he didn't have a signal in the dense wilderness. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a bar flickered on the screen. He dialed his sister, his voice a panicked torrent trying to explain everything that just happened. His sister's voice, strained and distant, cut through the static.

"Sam, slow down," she pleaded. He yelled about the bodies, the horror, but the call abruptly ended. Panic clawed at him. He tried redialing, but only static answered. A speeding car, a blinding flash, a sickening crunch – then darkness. Sam accidentally crashed into another car that he didn't see causing him to hit a tree

Sam awoke to the sterile white of a hospital room. His body ached, his mind sluggish. A detective spoke of his sister's frantic call, a reported car crash, and a recovered dashcam. But the most chilling detail – the campsite. They found it, untouched, serene. No bodies, no struggle, just Sam's tent a single occupant.

The detective played the footage to Sam. It showed Sam laughing and telling stories, it showed Sam alone – talking, laughing, sharing secrets with empty air. Sam in disbelief as to what was happening redacts that he even hooked with Sarah that night. The camera recorded through the night, capturing only Sam, until the horrifying scene he described jolted him awake. No explanation, just a chilling testament to a nightmare only he could see.

The news spread quickly on social media. The families of his friends were all contacted. The chilling truth emerged from one of the parents of his friends - they were all found dead five years ago, slaughtered in a remote campsite, just like it happened to Sam, just like Sam described it. His story, corroborated by the footage, hung suspended between reality and pure delusion.

The investigation closed, and a mystery unsolved. Sam, forever marked by the experience, carries the burden of a truth no one else can see. The campfire reunion, a beacon of reconnection, became a chilling testament to a horror that lurks unseen, perhaps fueled by his fractured memories, or maybe his friends just wanted to play a prank on him.