Chapter 18
516words
Then the scream.
Sharp. Piercing. Desperate.
Feet scrambled. People ran toward the hall. A girl stood there, trembling so violently she looked possessed. Tears ran down her cheeks.
"I-I found someone. Dead. Gutted. In Cabin Nine."
Another camper, pale and wide-eyed, stumbled in behind her.
"Three more. In the east corridor. Gutted too."
A hush swept the room. Then murmurs. Accusations. Fear.
"It’s the counselor... it has to be him."
Camp Director Aida staggered back, face drained. Her lips trembled. Then tears, heavy and silent.
"He was with us... the whole time. We trusted him..."
The crowd erupted. Panic crackled like a wildfire. Someone shouted, "RUN!"
Campers stampeded toward the doors.
They were trapped.
A scream again. A girl sprinting into the hall, soaked in rain and blood.
"WE'RE ALL DOOMED!"
Screams tore through the building. Everyone scattered.
Zee, Lucas, Ben, and Alex bolted as a unit. Breathless. Terrified. Each corner they turned was littered with more death. Blood. Guts. Campers they had just spoken to the night before now lay dismembered.
They ducked into a dim hallway and found a few others hiding.
Thirteen left.
Thirteen survivors.
"We need to think. We need a plan," Alex panted, voice cracking.
Then the banging started.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Someone at the door.
A girl stepped forward, sobbing. "S-Someone’s begging for help. A girl... she's crying."
Zee's eyes widened. "No! Don’t open it!"
The girl twisted the handle. The door creaked open.
A blade pierced straight through her chest. Her scream died instantly. Her head rolled with a sickening thud.
The fake beggar—already dead. Another trap.
Behind them, the figure stood.
Tall. Bloody. Masked.
They screamed. Chaos exploded. The survivors scattered, racing through the campgrounds with the killer giving chase.
Zee ran, trying to tap into her mind-reading gift. Nothing. Her head ached. Her heart thundered. Her magic hit its limit.
She tripped. Crashed.
The killer pounced.
Steel met flesh.
A scream. Hers.
Lucas turned, rage erupting. He tackled the killer, buying Ben and Alex time to drag Zee away, blood oozing from her wounds.
They ran. No destination. Just away.
Into the old storage room.
Lucas cradled Zee, whispering, "Stay with me. Stay with me, baby."
Alex sobbed quietly, holding her hand.
Others trickled in. Now only seven remained.
Among them: Sam, his boyfriend, and one lone girl.
Just when the tension seemed to fade—
Sam’s head flew clean off.
Screams again.
They rushed for the window.
Sam’s boyfriend—down.
The girl—gone, in one brutal slice.
Zee was pulled again by the killer, but Lucas didn’t hesitate.
He gripped her hard and yanked.
The blade plunged into her stomach.
She cried out, blood soaking them both.
Then they tumbled through the broken window.
Out into the storm.
The camp gate stood wide open.
But the killer... was still behind them.
