Part 1; Chapter 1
How Much Farther?
Hallie and her family were on a hike to their first AIRBNB. Their AIRBNB was four miles away from any type of road. It was more like a rented private lake house. “How much fartherrrrrrrr” her sister complained from the back of their father. “Oh just about another half mile and we’ll take a break and eat some sandwiches.” her father said cheerfully “Oh, I’m starving” her brother moaned. The group stopped after three fourths of a mile on a split log and mom unloaded lunch. Five sandwiches, five bags of plain potato chips, and a gallon of fruit punch. Her little sister nibbled while her brother scarfed it down, her mother and father picked at their food while trying to locate themselves, Hallie just watched and ate. As they walked Hallie thought she saw a flash of something in the wilderness but then her little sister, Maddie, showed her a shiny rock, distracting her from the figure. While they took in the great wilderness Hallie was paranoid and couldn’t stop looking behind her, until her brother asked if she was ok, but when she looked where the sound came from he was far ahead with her parents. She thought maybe it was a prank, but after seeing how his face was perfectly relaxed she figured she’d just imagined it, and after trying to confront her brother her mother asked if she was overheating.
Chapter 2
Am I Dreaming?
When they arrived at their rented lake house, Father grilled burgers, then started a campfire. Her brother, Anthony, ate six whole s’mores, each of them burnt to a crisp. It was ten o’clock at night before they came inside. At night Hallie was looking out over her window when suddenly a man
emerged from the lakey swamp outside her window, she felt a sudden wave of shock and disbelief wash over her. The man was her dead older brother, Max. She watched her brother very, very, very closely. He looked exactly like he did the day that he went hiking. Only now he was right below her window. He had a smirk on his face. Not the type of smirk you’d want to see from your dead brother standing below your window right after exiting from the lake right next to her AIRBNB. Suddenly he ran back into the woods. After that her eyelids got heavy and she fell into a deep sleep. The next morning she woke up to some pounding on the door and her father answered it He was the man from last night. All the kids recognized him as their missing brother, but their parents said they had no missing brother. They all knew that the guy was off. He said that he was a hiker who got lost from his group but his clothes were nice and clean, the type you’d see a businessman wearing, not the type you would hike in.
Chapter 3
Dad?
During the day the children were weary of their brother but by nightfall they were too tired to care. During the night Hallie heard a creak in the floor. She got up and walked over to her door and cracked it. Outside she was met with a gruesome sight, her brother had grown fangs, claws and had morphed into a black goo, then the creature walked into her parents bedroom. A few moments passed and it came out with her father in its grasp. She wanted to scream, but could not for some reason. The creature unhinged its jaw and swallowed her dad whole with no trace of what had just happened. Hallie crept away from her door and closed it quietly.
Hallie awoke to her mother screaming. She knew that what had happened last night was no dream. Hallie rushed into her parents room and saw only her mother in bed. Hallie wanted to say everything, to tell her mother that the beast that she allowed into their house was a demon, a monster, not a random hiker that got lost. Her mother rushed over and grabbed her by the arms. “Go get your siblings now.” her mother demanded, “We’re leaving.” Hallie scampered down the hallway, turned into the room her brother was in and shook him awake. “What is it, christmas?” “No, but you better get into the living room right now.” Hallie shouted. Her next stop was her little sister. Hallie grabbed her sister and darted into the living room. There she found her mother with a backpack overflowing with food. As they hiked through the eerie wilderness they never looked back. When they got to the parking lot they quickly found their car. “Shoot the keys.” mother snarled. “I can jump it.” her brother offered. “How bout I give y’all a ride?” a male voice said from behind. They all snapped their heads around. A old man in about his mid sixties with a gray fishing hat on, and fish hooks on his vest stood behind them. “No way” her mother spewed before he cut her off “I promise only your destination” “Only” Hallie and her brother said with an edge in their voices. He just chuckled at them. Making Hallie even more paranoid than she already was.
Even though she never said anything she wondered Why was this man in fishing gear with no boat and no lakes? Was he even fishing? Or just playing dress up? Some questions should not be answered, her father used to say. But that is not one of them.
End of Book 1