"Oh, no. Not another one." A voice welcomed me as I began to awaken from my slumber. The crackling of a campfire catches my attention and I furrow my brows, trying to open my eyes.
Murmurs spread around me as I felt a presence loop in a circle, staring down at me. A warm breath fans across my face, causing me to turn away. "Give her some space," another voice spoke and the breathing ceased as the person backed away from me.
I manage to open my eyes. I could see a few people stare down at me as I laid in the cold, wet grass. I was unable to recognize any of the faces that my eyes met with. I tried to speak, but I was too tired to make any coherent words.
Someone kneels down beside me. "Take it slow, ma'am." I shake my head as I try to force my body to sit up. A few hands grab onto me and help me up. I stumble alongside the people before I'm sat back down, a strong sense of warmth emitting from the fire in front of me.
The warmth was soothing. It gave a sense of safety. I look around me at the group of unknown faces. "Who are you?" I ask them, all their eyes on me.
"That will come eventually," someone tells me as they sit down next to me. I look over at them. "Why don't you tell us your name?"
I didn't feel very comfortable. I didn't want to tell them anything. Anything that happened before waking up here was a blur. It was like this was the beginning of my life. "...Am I dead?"
Sorrow filled everyone's faces. "No, but you'll sure damn wish you were." I felt a spike of fear run through me. I was unsure of what to make of that. Was that supposed to be a threat or a warning?
"You guys aren't going to hurt me, are you?" I felt like I was in the middle of a cult gathering and was about to be sacrificed to a God. "We aren't the threat," a woman says before pointing into the woods. "The threat is out there."
I take in her words and keep silent for a while, unsure of anything else to say. A few new faces suddenly appear at the campfire. They all look at me and have a mix of pity, anger, and sadness. "Another one?" One of them sighs, to which they get a few head nods in response.
I watch as they settle down with the rest of the group. "Where do you come from?" I look up at the person questioning. "Alaska," I respond.
A tall man perks up at my answer. We make eye contact for a moment, although his long hair made it hard to actually see his eyes as it covers his face. "Did you live there, too?" I asked when he doesn't say anything.
"Canada, actually," he responds. I mouth an 'oh' and look away, feeling a bit awkward holding eye contact. I stared into the fire and began to zone out.
I tried to make sense of my new surroundings but every time I felt I was close, it was like something blocked me from knowing the truth; as if I shouldn't know the truth.
My eyes wandered until I stared into the nothingness of the surrounding thick forest. It seemed to go on for miles and miles; never ending. The fog gradually grew thicker until it seemed to be approaching towards me. It gave me a sense of fear, and dread.
Someone taps me on my shoulder. I snap out of my daze and look at the person beside me. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I hug myself and try to take in as much warmth as I possibly could from the campfire.
"Don't lose yourself here, kid," a gruff voice says to me. "You lose yourself, you die. Gotta stay strong to survive." I look at the old man as he smoked his cigarette. He reminded me of a soldier.
"Survive what?" I ask him. I feared the answer, but I wanted to know. He doesn't respond and before I knew it, he vanished into the thick fog.
My eyes widen as three others were now gone as well. "What the-" I look around for them and then stare at the remaining, who seemed unfazed. "Did you guys see that?"
"Yeah, we did. Now quiet down! You'll attract unwanted attention," one woman says.
"Where'd they go?" I ask, acting a bit calmer. "A Trial." I furrow my brows as I looked at another girl. "Like... Hunger Games?"
She shakes her head. "You'll find out fairly soon," another person says to me. I didn't like it here. I looked past the campfire once again. The forest has to end at some point. Surely there is a way out.
I stand up and begin to walk away from the group. "Hey, where are you going?" They all immediately get on-guard. I look back at them. "I don't wanna be here anymore," I say and continue to slowly back away.
"You don't want to go out there!" One of them warns. I shake my head. "Why?" A familiar face pops out from the crowd as she responds, "The Boogeyman is out there."
I look amongst the group as my heart began to race. Maybe they are the actual threat. The way they slowly began to surround me to prevent me from leaving gave me bad vibes.
I wasn't going to be sacrificed by some sick group of people with voodoo magic. I ran into the forest, ignoring their calls for me to come back. Their voices eventually drowned out, as so did the light of the campfire.
