Family Doesn't End in Blood

Prologue

Grabbing my bathing suit, towel, and travel kit, I left the sauna house, making my way up the hill to join my cousins by the campfire. My flashlight lights the way to ensure I don't trip and fall flat on my face. As I get closer, the smell of smoke invades my nostrils, and I sigh in contentment, a small smile on my face. Even though I just finished taking a sauna, I still love the smell of a campfire at night, especially when I get to spend time with my family, and it's also an excellent time for roasting some s'mores.

Placing my towel and wet bathing suit on the clothesline, I walk up the wooden steps leading to the small red cabin. The cabin isn't too fancy, only two rooms; a sleeping area with two double beds and the other is a small kitchen with a wooden table, benches, and a chair. There's also a futon that can double as a place to sleep, depending on how many people stay.

Upon entering the cabin, the beam of my flashlight lands on the twin bed that I share with my brother, Ethan. My cousins, Kyle and Trevor, sleep on the other bed next to us, and Kyle's twin brother, Luke, had decided to take the futon. Of course, it's not as comfortable as sleeping on a bed, but it still works. I continue to sweep the light over to my left, where I spot my purple suitcase sitting on a wooden chair. Once I place my kit on top of my bag, I start making my way back out to join everyone by the firepit.

"I still can't believe that you went out into the woods by yourself without telling us," Ethan reprimands me just as I sit down in a foldable lawn chair next to him.

"Ethan, I said I was sorry for not telling you guys." I apologize again, grabbing a metal poker stick leaning against the small, dark green camping table.

"Just, don't do it again, alright. We all were worried about you. You were with us one moment and then the next, you were gone," Kyle comments.

"It's like you disappeared," adds Luke.

"Yeah, I know." My eyes cast downwards towards the ground for a few seconds before flicking back up to watch the fire. Placing a soft, white marshmallow onto the stick, I hold it over the fire. "I honestly didn't mean to you all worried. I had found something interesting on the ground that made me want to investigate."

"You did?" Luke asks, looking up from the fire.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, what was it?" questions Trevor. Four sets of eyes turn towards me as I tell them all about the footprints I had found a few feet away from the tent, how they changed into drag marks, followed those markings before they disappeared, and decided to continue going straight until I stumbled upon a clearing. As I looked around, I also told them that all of the trees had claw marks on them like something was marking its territory.

"When I realized that I might be in someone's hunting area, I had decided to make my way back to you guys. But, in the process, I ended up getting myself lost in the middle of the forest," I explained.

"How did you make your way out and back to us?" asks Kyle.

"I listened for a source of water, and once I found the creek, followed it back to Otter Lake," I answer. "Though, ultimately, I didn't need to follow it because I heard you guys."

"So, you never really figured out who or what left the drag and claw marks?" Luke asks.

"Yep, I never did figure it out. It was bizarre, though. The drag marks vanished, and there were no other markings on the ground to signify where they may have gone next. And the claws on the trees were long and sharp, similar to a pair of knives.

"Uh, that's strange," Luke said, taking a bite of his s'more.

"Is there anything else you remember about what you saw?" Kyle asks, leaning in, placing his elbows on his knees.

My eyes wander to the fire, watching the flames lick at my marshmallow, warming it up. Should I tell them the claw marks had blood on them? And the fact that it wasn't dark, but bright red; freshly made, like maybe a few hours before I found them. Then there was the fact that the claw marks were--

"Taylor?" Carson's voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I pause, biting on my bottom lip, debating on what to tell them.

Before I could say anything, Kyle asks, "Were the claw marks spread apart, or did they seem close together?"

"I'm pretty sure they were close together, but I could be wrong," I answer. "Why do you ask?"

"The size and width of the claws can help identify what kind of animal you might be dealing with," explains Kyle. "So, for instance, if it was a bear, their markings will have space in between each of the scratches. If it were a bobcat, theirs would be more close together, compared to a bear."

"Got it," I said as I check to see how roasted my marshmallow was before putting back over the fire.

"So, it could be a bobcat," Trevor suggests. "Especially if the markings are close together."

"Or it could be a cougar since we have had a few sightings in this area," Kyle says. 

"It could be either, but we should consider all possibilities," argues Luke.

I nod my head in agreement, taking my now golden marshmallow off of the stick and placing it on top of a graham cracker, along with three small rectangle pieces of Hershey's chocolate. The warmth of the marshmallow immediately starts melting the chocolate, causing both to combine and create a gooey yet soft final product. I take a bite of my s'mores, relishing the way it warms me up. But, however delicious it is, it hasn't diminished the slight feeling of apprehension that has found its way into my stomach. I know for a fact that whatever created those claw marks was not a bobcat or a cougar. Even the thought that this creature might not be known to us has crossed my mind, which is very frightening to me. Just the idea of something out there that we don't know about, hunting and watching us, sends shivers down my spine. Shaking off the feeling, I take another bite from my s'more.

"So, I guess we will never know what made those markings you saw," Ethan sighs.

"Well, could speculate what this animal might be and what made those drag marks, but yes, Ethan, we really might never know," I affirm.

"And we really will never know why either," Luke adds.

"Really, all we can do at this point is ---," I began to say.

"Speculate," interjects everyone.

"Yes, we know Taylor," Carson said. "We know."

"Well, I know one theory that we can't speculate," grins Kyle.

"What's that?" I ask.

"That these last couple of days we spend here in the Upper Penisula of Michigan will be the best days of our entire life."

Everyone starts cracking up as the sound of laughter drifts into the crisp night air, and even though we end the day on a happy note, I've got this nagging feeling that something's not right. Yet, everyone acts how they should be; no one is out of character. Even the cabin, the car we drove in, and the road trip here look the same. It all feels the same to me, but at the same time, it doesn't. I can't quite put my finger on it. The only thing that I can think of that might be causing this feeling of uneasiness is finding that antique mirror in my attic.