Trail Closed After Dark

My heart raced as the last of the sun sunk under the horizon.

It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at the campground with my friend, Katie but fate had other plans.

And it all started with the most irresponsible and no doubt, stupidest decision we could have made.

Exploring deep into the trail moments before dark.

We saw the sign posted:

Trail closed from sunset until sunrise.

Of course we ignored it. We weren't going to be venturing out on it for long anyway. Maybe a ten minute walk and we'd head right back.

We ventured out longer than a ten minute walk and I blame my friend Katie's strong sense of adventure for that!

I felt an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Like getting caught out here when we weren't supposed to be was inevitable. But there was also another kind of fear. The eerie kind of fear you get that you are not alone. The very fear that only exists in graveyards and abandoned places.

Surely not on trails after dark.

"You did see that sign back there, right?"

Katie gave a mischievous smile as she glanced back. "Let's just go a little further to that bend then we'll turn around?"

I raised my eye brow at her. One of these days, her bold sense of adventure is going to get the better of her.

"Besides," she added. "We aren't all that far from the campground. If someone says anything, we'll just tell them we were trying to make our way off the trail before dark."

I drew out a sigh of exasperation as the sky shifted from hues of reds and orange to the darkening grays of night. Soon it would be pitch black.

I shuddered. We both had the flashlight on our phones but that didn't make me feel much better.

I turned on my heels before we barely got to the bend. The strangest feeling that we weren't alone fell over me. "Let's just go."

An uneasy feeling crossed Katie's face. "Did you hear that?"

My heart escalated as I scanned the entire perimeter around me. It was becoming more and more difficult to see anything the darker it got.

Dammit, Katie! We shouldn't have come out this far!

"Hear what?"

Katie lowered her voice. I could hear the fear in her voice. "It sounded a footsteps coming from the woods."

I could feel my face go pale as I turned my attention towards the side of the woods Katie was pointing to. I stared out waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I reached for my phone but thought better of it.

"It's probably someone who ignored the trail closed after dark sign like we did," I reassured. But even I was not convinced of my own reassurance.

"We should go now!" Katie exclaimed in a frantic hushed tone. Her bold sense of adventure was gone and fear had taken over.

We both turned around to head off the trail. I caught myself and my heart raced as I tripped on a rock.

A bright light lit up the path as I felt Katie's steady arm to help me up. She held her phone above me with the flashlight on lighting the path.

My eyes grew wide at the now lightened path and I shot a look at the woods on both sides of the trail. I listened intently for the footsteps. I heard the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. The multitude of crickets and locusts. The familiar sounds of the night suddenly felt terrifying.

"Kill the light, Katie!" I said urgently making sure to keep my voice low.

"Are you crazy? How are we going to see to get out of here!" Katie exclaimed, her voice louder than she intended.

She realized her mistake and froze, killing her light.I swear we could both hear our hearts beating.

We couldn't see the trail without our flashlights but we didn't want to draw any attention to what was following us.

If anything was actually following us that is. Was it all just a figment of our overactive imaginations.

My face grew pale as I heard the very footsteps Katie had heard.

We needed to get off this trail now and the only way was with the help of our flashlights.

With a shaky hand, I turned my phone's flashlight on. "You're right. We really don't have a choice. Besides, we're probably scared for nothing."

Katie nodded as she turned her flashlight on and did a slow sweeping motion of the woods.

Nothing but the trunks and branches of trees and overgrowth. I let out a slow sigh of relief. And then she shone her light on the other side of the trail.

My heart raced as I saw of glimpse of something that shouldn't have been there. For a brief second we both saw it as sure as anything!

A man in a ragged torn shirt caked in what horrifying looked like blood standing as still as possible. His face was covered by a mask. In his one hand, he carried an ax. Katie's light fell over him so fast that I couldn't be sure.

We both killed our lights as we were petrified in fear.

He saw us and now it was too late. We should have turned around when we had the chance!