This is a little scary story to whet the appetite.

Into the Deep, Dark Woods

Trashi Ashbe

Midnight

Todd

Todd and Carolyn waved to their friends as they started off on a walk through the woods. Shit, yeah, it was night. But if Todd learned nothing from scary movies, the best time to spend time with a girl was at night, in the woods. Besides, as seniors, this would be their last year to fool around. He didn’t want to sound religious or anything, but he didn’t plan on marrying Carolyn so there was no point in going any further once he hit the road sign headed out of town.

She shivered and moved closer.

He put his arm around her shoulders and urged her closer. Yeah, that vibe. She felt it too but not for the same reason he bet. Most girls were looking for an anchor to hook a guy before college so they had a sure thing if things didn’t work out there.

Not gonna happen to him.

Todd was too smart for that.

Thwack! A branch swept back and hit him in the face as Carolyn went ahead a pace. He growled as he pushed the branch out of his face. Just what he got for letting a girl go first.

Although, he had to say–she looked fine from behind.

“Coming?” Carolyn asked sweetly as she paused to maneuver around a fallen log.

He shrugged. “Sure. Wouldn’t miss it.”

The dark swooped in as they went further in.

The needles on the ground softened and then sprang back with each step. Above, the moon pulsed down. A blood moon. He smiled at the vision of it.

That was when Carolyn moved in. She pinned him against the rough background of a tree and kissed him, long and deep, the bark cutting into his skin.

He shoved at her but she didn’t release him except for his lips. 

“I’ve been waiting all day for this,” she said like some crazed guy who’d been without sex for too long.

He groaned and shoved at her again. “Hey, this isn’t, this isn’t the way I wanted it.”

She giggled. “Am I being too rough?”

His nod made her push him back further into the wood.

“Bad boys have to pay,” she said.

“Okay. Okay. I’m just a little horny. I wasn’t gonna jump your bones unless you wanted it.”

Her giggle rose in volume. “We’re going to play a game.”

“A game?” He swallowed as she pressed tiny kisses along his neck. 

She nodded.

“What kind of game?” He wiggled around and pushed back. “Seriously. Can you come up for breath?”

She shook her head.

“Then can you ease back.”

Again, she shook her head. “No. He won’t let me.”

Todd frowned. “He?”

She moved to the side a bit and he blanched at the sight of something sticky and wet and gray like a rock. It even had mossy, hard edges to it. And leaked liquid over Todd’s body as it dug in. 

His gaze bulged.

“It wanted you from the start,” she said. “And now, here we are.” As the creature’s thousan legs crept down Todd’s stomach, she traced a finger along with it.

He screamed at each bite as it inched along until he could scream no more.

Early Dawn

Tammy

Tammy bent to wipe her seat on the log free of debris. She didn’t want to dirty her jeans. It was part of who she was: the clean freak, the pure girl, the chosen. Or, she was when Rob was around. She pouted. He’d gone off to college last fall. That had severed their relationship. Now, she was getting ready to do the same to Bart. Bart. Her lips drew back.

What an ugly name. It made her want to vomit. So did his face. But in a short notice, he was all she could manage at the last second as date material to attend the camp out. She definitely kept higher standards than this. He was just desperate to get into their circle, her pants.

All guys were like that.

Bart pulled a few daisies from beside the log and handed them to her. “For you.”

She grimaced. What a loser. What had she done in another life to spend this one with him?