Short Stories

Before Sundown

I wake with a gasp, the cool wind blowing against my face "Hey, are you feeling ok?" A voice asks, I can tell it's a girl but I don't recognize it. Once I've gotten my barring I jump away trying to get away "No no it's alright we won't hurt you" she says quickly, I turn to see a girl who looks like she's my age she has long black hair, white skin and dark brown eyes. The other girl behind her stays quiet observing us. She herself had darker skin but short black hair almost matching my own which I had pulled up in a ponytail. Her green eyes are soft, almost showing sympathy "My name is Valerie, this is Rebecca, were you on a hike too?" she asks motioning to herself and the other girl. That's when I begin searching my mind trying to remember what has happened, that's when I begin to notice my surroundings. It looks like we're in an old cabin practically empty besides a desk and some chairs, everything graying with age and dust.

"I-I don't remember." I say brushing some of my hair behind my ear. "Are you all alright?" Valerie smiles a little.

"Yes we're alright, we are in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods. Things couldn't be better!" The other girl Rebecca groans clearly frustrated. I see Valerie open her mouth to respond to her but before she can, a type of static fills the room. "The hell is that?"

"Good you're all awake." A voice says through the static "Then listen carefully, You are in a cabin exact 10 miles away from the main road. You will have until Sundown to make it over the fence blocking of the round. After sundown the electric fence will activate and leave you in these woods until sunrise tomorrow morning. If you fail to make it over the fence you will face your death."

"Wait, what?! Who are you?! Why would you want to kill us?!" Rebecca screams at nothing. Valerie has tears coming out of her eyes and is trembling. I'm just frozen I can't say anything.

"The key to the front door is in the top drawer. It is currently 3:15, there will be a number of obstacles, you will go West from this cabin. Good luck you will need it." The voice counties ignore Rebecca's cries. Then it's gone static and the voice is gone and the only noise is Valerie's small sobs and Rebecca's heavy breaths. That is until Rebecca launches herself towards the small desk in the corner aggressively pulling out the top draw the keys jiggling.

"We need to get going." she says her voice shaking, I don't know how she's managing to do anything right now. She should be scared out of her mind.

"Rebecca that's ten miles and we're in the middle of nowhere without any of our gear. A psycho wants to kill us! I think it's safe to say that now is not the time to play cable leader." She says sobbing.

"What our option, stay here and wait for them to come kill us Rae!" She screams back running over to the door unlocking it. Valerie buries her face in her hands for a second before wiping her eyes trying to steady her breathing. I finally break out of my gaze joining the other girls standing. I pull down my sleeves on my sweater. The two of them are wearing exercise clothes and some tennis shoes . They did say they were hiking. I however am wearing a long sleeved shirt, a sweater, jeans and sneakers, I don't think I was hiking.

"Rebecca is right Valerie. We need to try, otherwise..." my voice dies out. But Valerie gets the idea since she nods and we turn towards Rebecca ready to open the door. We have less than three hours.

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We've been walking for about an hour. According to Rebecca's apple watch we've walked about 4 miles. "We need to move faster." Rebecca says panting as she climbs over a particular larger tree that must have fallen.

"Didn't they say that they'd be obstacles?" Valerie asks us as she and I start climbing over the tree, that's when Rebecca screams as something shoots at her it looked like an arrow that went straight through her shoulder. "BECCA!" Valerie screams.

"Get down!" Rebecca says pushing us both back beyond the tree. Valerie is trembling trying to help Rebecca placing her hand on the wound sobbing again.

That's when I realize they haven't shot again, I look over the tree to see what looked like a pressure plate. I grab a rock and throw it over the tree onto the place where she was standing and sure enough another arrow was shot this time zooming right past me and into a tree behind us. I turn towards the other girls both terrified. "Are you alright Rebecca?" I ask softly. She nods a little getting to her feet again. "Well the trap seemed to be attached to pressure plates that activate them so long as we avoid them we should be fine." I explain quietly, she gets to her feet.

"Let's keep moving." she says going back over the tree.

"Rebecca, you're hurt." Valerie says, Rebecca ignores her, she keeps moving, pushing branches out of the way. Despite the current situation it is nice to be out in nature. All of the different shades of greens and the occasional flowers and animals. Though there is an eerie silence besides the crunch of leaves under our feet. I can tell Valerie is still worried and scared, she has a reason to be but we have to keep moving.

"So you two know each other?" I ask her gently. She looks at me nodding a little.

"We've been friends since we were kids, we came out here for a hike but we wandered off the trail and then i'm not sure I think we must have blacked out, Becca says she doesn't remember either." she explains, but then all of a sudden she lets out a gasp "I just realized I don't even know your name!" she exclaims

"Oh um Lindsey" I responded softly "I just wish I could remember what I was doing before I woke up in the cabin with you guys."

"Well after we get out of this, maybe we can all be friends? You can also call me Rae if you want" she says smiling a little. I nod a little.

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We're almost there, the sun is directly in our eyes as we run towards the gate that Rae saw we fell into a couple more traps one causes Rae to climb a tree in order to get Becca and myself out of a net hanging from a tree branch. Which is how she was able to see it, We finally made it to the clearing between the woods and the fence "The sunsets in 10 minutes. We did it, let's go!" Rebecca cheers as she takes off running but that's when I notice the buzzing it almost sounded like....The second Rebecca's hand hits the fence her body starts to shake the sound of electricity shocking her making her screen until it blows her backwards. Her body fully limps and Rae runs to her. "Becca!" she screams her tears streaming down her face, she checks her plus and starts screaming "Lindsey! She's dead! We need to go!" she says running up to me. I shake my head a little.

"No Rae you're out of time." I smile at her.