Hunting Season

Home Away from Home

Adira gasped loudly, crawling back until she accidentally destroyed her house of sticks. She was now vulnerable to whatever was outside, and death felt closer than ever.

"I'm not going to hurt you," An old woman's voice cut through the night, and the faint shadow shined a bright light at Adira's horrified face.

Adira didn't know how to feel, still recovering from the shock of her dream and now this. She blinked rapidly, squinting and hoping this wasn't a dream as well. Was she saved by a miracle?

"I-I fell down a hill. I can't find my stuff," she paused for a moment, "Can you help me please?"

The older woman's face was revealed. She appeared to be in her late fifties, had short dark hair trickled with gray wires, and a face so stern it almost seemed to Adira that she wasn't willing to help.

"Not tonight. It's not safe being out here so late," the woman tossed Adira the flashlight and looked her over, raising an eyebrow, "Why are you even out here by yourself?"

"I'm...looking for someone," she merely stated, then corrected herself in hopes that somehow the woman might have clues about Mitch or anything. "I'm looking for my boyfriend, Mitch. He went missing a couple months ago with his friends. They were going hunting."

The woman's lips tightened, and her once stern face seemed to soften a little, "You too?" She motioned for Adira to follow her, yanking out a smaller flashlight from her pocket, "Let's go."

Adira was hesitant. True, she was just saved, but how could she trust the woman? Also, she couldn't just leave her items behind. Some animals would rip their way into her things and ruin everything. Her phone, her gun...if things went south at any point the only way she could have any chance of survival was with those things.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," the woman seemed to read her mind, "I've been looking for my son for over a month now. He went in here with some hikers. Never made it out."

The silence was deafening, and Adira felt guilt as she looked at the woman's hands shake slightly, "I'm sorry...my names Adira by the way. Maybe we can help each other out?"

Her companion didn't speak for what seemed like ages until she stopped and turned with a flicker of hope in her eye, "I'm Jane." She resumed her walk. "There's a few of us living inside a campground just ahead. We are all looking for our loved ones."

Adira was surprised to hear this, and her heart fluttered with hope. Perhaps someone there knew something about her boyfriend, his friends- anything. She began to speed up, walking in sync with Jane, "There's a group of you guys just out here? Do you all go home some days or...?"

"We live here now. Gave up our lives outside of the forest. Not that we had any to begin with when we lost our family." She paused, pointing at a distant light just behind a sea of trees, "That's where everyone is. You're welcome to stay with us for tonight then continue your search on your own. Thats only if you don't feel comfortable with us."

Adira was quick to respond, "Um. I'll stay with you guys. If that's okay?"

Jane nodded silently. For the remainder of their walk, the two were silent. Adira's mind was racing however.

She had taken two weeks off of her work, telling her boss she was going to a family wedding. She would stay for two weeks only, then ask the people for help to get back to the parking lot. Surely, she was bound to find some clues by then.

"There's only about a handful of us," Jane broke the silence, "About six in total. We had a few more but they went back home. Couldn't find any sign of their loved ones, or they did and that was that."

Jane shined her light upon a small trail of rocks, aligned with sticks and small lanterns spread apart. She motioned towards the entrance of what could only be a camp. Inside were cabins spread out, a small playground, and a large fire pit. There were about three people sitting around it, turning when they noticed the upcoming two.

Adira nervously followed behind Jane, giving a quick wave to two women and an older man. They seemed nice, understanding why she was there to begin with. Jane explained anyways, saying she found Adira when out searching for food. "This is Adira. She's staying with us. Her boyfriend is missing along with his companions. Tomorrow morning we have to help her find her things."

"I can only stay for two weeks. Sorry for the hassle, but I'm ready to help." Adira piped in, welcomed with kind smiles.

"She can sleep in the cabin next to mine, Jane. It's been empty since Joshua left."

Adira thanked them for their kindness and was quickly escorted to a cabin on the outer edge of camp.

Jane forcefully pushed open the door of a rather old and dusty looking structure. Inside, there was one thin mattress with a single blanket sitting on top of a wooden bed. A bathroom and shower were readily available as well, to which Adira was eternally grateful. She wanted to thank Jane for everything, but the other cut her off before she could open her mouth.

"There's a watch someone left behind in one of the drawers. Use it, and make sure you go back inside before midnight. There's things out here that are best to be avoided."

A confused Adira was close to asking what she was talking about, but Jane immediately left without another word. She stood there, slowly shutting the door and locking it before retreating to her bunk bed. She sat on the edge, opening up a drawer beside her and noticing an old watch with a sturdy leather band.

The time read 10:54. She thought it was much later than that. With a tired yawn, Adira lazily secured the watch around her wrist and got comfortable in her new bed. Hopefully the next few days were fruitful, and somehow Mitch was alive and well...