Status: part two coming up!
Masked.
Floating
"Pretty clear over here! What do you think?" Jeff shouts over at his two friends. Tyler and Frank come over with a wave of Jeff's hand and nod their approval for the spot he picked out. Frank sticks the styrofoam cooler into the moist, packed ground. Tyler and Jeff agree to set up the tent in the center of the clearing while Frank gets a cold beer and leans back in the dirt to drink it.
"Don't even want to help, Frank?" Tyler asks sarcastically.
"I think you and Jeff can handle it," the ginger replies smugly. "What's to do here then? Sit in a tent?"
"Well, I need some food first," Jeff states as he pitches the tent. "And we've hiked for like four hours in the dark so... I'm going to sleep after," the dark-haired boy grunts.
"Tomorrow then, there's a beach isn't there? We could go," Tyler suggests with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yeah, okay. Promise you won't be lazy asses in the morning though." Tyler and Jeff knows Frank is smirking, even if they're not looking at him.
"That's going to be the least of mine and Jeff's problems," Tyler says teasingly once the tent is up. He rolls his eyes and gently shoves Frank in his chest.
"Frank, since you didn't help us, you're on fire duty. Dry leaves and twigs; chop, chop," Jeff explains. He claps the shorter guy's shoulder twice as incentive, which works because then Frank hands over his unfinished bottle and turns for the woods.
While he's gone, Tyler and Jeff finish putting up their campsite, tying up their food, and munch on some trail mix. Jeff also checks in with his girlfriend on a satellite phone and Tyler has him check in with his own girlfriend too. Frank comes back though, in a half hour, and they get a fire going to cook the fish they brought along. They sit back, eat the fish and some rice, and laugh at some stories.
Jeff mostly tells stories involving nights out with his co-workers at his law firm. The dark-haired guy has been working there for three years. He always wears a very convincing you-can-trust-me expression on his face and he's good with public speaking, both these things have always yielded him success. The less-than-active job keeps him skinny, a little lean, and he's on the taller than Tyler and Frank.
Tyler tells his traveling with his girlfriend stories. He's made a living traveling by writing articles for several magazines and websites. The blond boy met his girlfriend in his job less than year ago, they've been going anywhere and everywhere together since. He's the fittest of his three in the group of friends, even though he's the smallest in height, because of all the hiking and running he does.
Frank only recalls stories with Tyler and Jeff because he doesn't have other friends or cool co-workers. His job as a teacher suffers a lot because of how much of a prankster and a drinker he is. He has ginger hair and a beer belly, he's chubbier than his friends, but he carries the weight well enough that he doesn't look fat.
They're out here today just for the hell of it. Tyler suggested it; to go camping and hiking in a nature reserve in Florida for two days. Up 'til now, Tyler is the only one enjoying the trip since he hikes regularly, but they're all looking forward to more bonding, more drinking, and the beach.
"I'm passing out," Tyler says. He puts his beer bottle in their trash before climbing inside of the tent. Jeff yawns and walks behind him.
"Wait, Jeff, I need to, uh, use your phone," Franks tells him and he nods.
"Who are you gonna call?" Jeff asks, pulling the phone from his backpack.
"Ghostbusters!" Frank says dumbly. "I'm just kidding. I need to talk to you," he whispers, yanking Jeff closer by the arm.
"God, Frank. About what?" Jeff asks, annoyed.
"I have an idea..."
---
When Tyler wakes up, he's alone in the tent. He can hear Jeff's voice outside, singing to himself, and probably getting a snack to eat for breakfast. The sound stops, but Jeff doesn't come back and Tyler doesn't hear him sit down. As far as he knows, Frank is somewhere in the woods looking for some bugs to eat. Tyler doesn't think much of it at all and so, he lays his head back down. Over thirty minutes later, when he comes out, nobody's still there. He screams their names while stretching, but he only hears bugs. He looks around for a note, but he doesn't find one so he just assumes his friends have gone to the beach early.
Tyler grabs a granola bar and heads for said beach after tying the food back up. He's walking for ten minutes then he hears a weird... never-ending bell sound. The man tries to ignore the sound, but he only moves another 10 paces before it bothers him too much. Tyler has to follow it, it leads him to a much smaller clearing in the forest. It looks prettier though because of the plush, green grass, contrary to the dead grass where they sat.
The sound seems like it's emerging from the trees, but the cover is too thick to see for sure. The sky gets darker suddenly and the sound stops. Tyler can feel that someone's is staring at him from behind, the hair on the back of his neck creep up. He turns around to see a creature walking past the shrubbery. When it comes all the way through, just ten feet from him, Tyler can see that it's wearing a long, black sort of robe, like the grim reaper. More than that, there's a gas mask on it's face, one with a long mouth.
The blond man's palms start sweating, but he composes himself. He can't be that scared, monsters aren't real. The thing approaches him further, it looks like it gliding since its clothes flow past its feet. The creature only stays still in front of Tyler for what feels like several minutes without doing anything. Then it starts talking.
"Are you going with me?" it asks, its voice sounds feminine and smooth.
Tyler takes much longer to answer than expected. "What?" He feels like he's in a trance, but it must just be his head.
"You're dead, Tyler," the creature says. The man gasps. The thing lifts its arms and raises a finger, only bone. If Tyler wasn't shaking, he would know it's fake, a costume piece.
"You wander the earth... You come with me. Your choice." The sound comes back again, even more ear-piercing than before. Tyler shuts his eyes involuntarily and tilts his head upward, feels like he's floating.
"I'll go," Tyler replies in a small voice. The noise around him stops again and he isn't aware of anything because his eyes are still closed. When a human hand pushes him on the chest, he shakes himself out of the trip he's on.
"Wake up, you turd!" Frank yells, laughing hysterically. He's the one in the scary, black robe, he was wearing a mask. Tyler's face goes deep, tomato red.
"What the hell? You asshole!" Tyler screams, pushing Frank harder. The ginger lands on his ass and he grabs his stomach because it hurts from laughing too damn much.
"Don't even want to help, Frank?" Tyler asks sarcastically.
"I think you and Jeff can handle it," the ginger replies smugly. "What's to do here then? Sit in a tent?"
"Well, I need some food first," Jeff states as he pitches the tent. "And we've hiked for like four hours in the dark so... I'm going to sleep after," the dark-haired boy grunts.
"Tomorrow then, there's a beach isn't there? We could go," Tyler suggests with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yeah, okay. Promise you won't be lazy asses in the morning though." Tyler and Jeff knows Frank is smirking, even if they're not looking at him.
"That's going to be the least of mine and Jeff's problems," Tyler says teasingly once the tent is up. He rolls his eyes and gently shoves Frank in his chest.
"Frank, since you didn't help us, you're on fire duty. Dry leaves and twigs; chop, chop," Jeff explains. He claps the shorter guy's shoulder twice as incentive, which works because then Frank hands over his unfinished bottle and turns for the woods.
While he's gone, Tyler and Jeff finish putting up their campsite, tying up their food, and munch on some trail mix. Jeff also checks in with his girlfriend on a satellite phone and Tyler has him check in with his own girlfriend too. Frank comes back though, in a half hour, and they get a fire going to cook the fish they brought along. They sit back, eat the fish and some rice, and laugh at some stories.
Jeff mostly tells stories involving nights out with his co-workers at his law firm. The dark-haired guy has been working there for three years. He always wears a very convincing you-can-trust-me expression on his face and he's good with public speaking, both these things have always yielded him success. The less-than-active job keeps him skinny, a little lean, and he's on the taller than Tyler and Frank.
Tyler tells his traveling with his girlfriend stories. He's made a living traveling by writing articles for several magazines and websites. The blond boy met his girlfriend in his job less than year ago, they've been going anywhere and everywhere together since. He's the fittest of his three in the group of friends, even though he's the smallest in height, because of all the hiking and running he does.
Frank only recalls stories with Tyler and Jeff because he doesn't have other friends or cool co-workers. His job as a teacher suffers a lot because of how much of a prankster and a drinker he is. He has ginger hair and a beer belly, he's chubbier than his friends, but he carries the weight well enough that he doesn't look fat.
They're out here today just for the hell of it. Tyler suggested it; to go camping and hiking in a nature reserve in Florida for two days. Up 'til now, Tyler is the only one enjoying the trip since he hikes regularly, but they're all looking forward to more bonding, more drinking, and the beach.
"I'm passing out," Tyler says. He puts his beer bottle in their trash before climbing inside of the tent. Jeff yawns and walks behind him.
"Wait, Jeff, I need to, uh, use your phone," Franks tells him and he nods.
"Who are you gonna call?" Jeff asks, pulling the phone from his backpack.
"Ghostbusters!" Frank says dumbly. "I'm just kidding. I need to talk to you," he whispers, yanking Jeff closer by the arm.
"God, Frank. About what?" Jeff asks, annoyed.
"I have an idea..."
---
When Tyler wakes up, he's alone in the tent. He can hear Jeff's voice outside, singing to himself, and probably getting a snack to eat for breakfast. The sound stops, but Jeff doesn't come back and Tyler doesn't hear him sit down. As far as he knows, Frank is somewhere in the woods looking for some bugs to eat. Tyler doesn't think much of it at all and so, he lays his head back down. Over thirty minutes later, when he comes out, nobody's still there. He screams their names while stretching, but he only hears bugs. He looks around for a note, but he doesn't find one so he just assumes his friends have gone to the beach early.
Tyler grabs a granola bar and heads for said beach after tying the food back up. He's walking for ten minutes then he hears a weird... never-ending bell sound. The man tries to ignore the sound, but he only moves another 10 paces before it bothers him too much. Tyler has to follow it, it leads him to a much smaller clearing in the forest. It looks prettier though because of the plush, green grass, contrary to the dead grass where they sat.
The sound seems like it's emerging from the trees, but the cover is too thick to see for sure. The sky gets darker suddenly and the sound stops. Tyler can feel that someone's is staring at him from behind, the hair on the back of his neck creep up. He turns around to see a creature walking past the shrubbery. When it comes all the way through, just ten feet from him, Tyler can see that it's wearing a long, black sort of robe, like the grim reaper. More than that, there's a gas mask on it's face, one with a long mouth.
The blond man's palms start sweating, but he composes himself. He can't be that scared, monsters aren't real. The thing approaches him further, it looks like it gliding since its clothes flow past its feet. The creature only stays still in front of Tyler for what feels like several minutes without doing anything. Then it starts talking.
"Are you going with me?" it asks, its voice sounds feminine and smooth.
Tyler takes much longer to answer than expected. "What?" He feels like he's in a trance, but it must just be his head.
"You're dead, Tyler," the creature says. The man gasps. The thing lifts its arms and raises a finger, only bone. If Tyler wasn't shaking, he would know it's fake, a costume piece.
"You wander the earth... You come with me. Your choice." The sound comes back again, even more ear-piercing than before. Tyler shuts his eyes involuntarily and tilts his head upward, feels like he's floating.
"I'll go," Tyler replies in a small voice. The noise around him stops again and he isn't aware of anything because his eyes are still closed. When a human hand pushes him on the chest, he shakes himself out of the trip he's on.
"Wake up, you turd!" Frank yells, laughing hysterically. He's the one in the scary, black robe, he was wearing a mask. Tyler's face goes deep, tomato red.
"What the hell? You asshole!" Tyler screams, pushing Frank harder. The ginger lands on his ass and he grabs his stomach because it hurts from laughing too damn much.