Camping Misadventure – Short Story

Dear diary.I know that it was a foolish idea,going on trekking all alone.I shouldn’t have done it,at least not this time.

I packed my bag with all the necessary stuff for trekking,I also put some food that would last for 3 days and I’d return home just in time.But little did I know that future had something different planned for me.
I started early in the morning and went into the forest that was typically used by many other people for trekking,it was a great day,temperature was 11 and I hoped meeting someone from the start but I was alone.
It was afternoon and I had walked nearly 10 kilometers and I decided to take a rest and lie down for a little while and eat something,I picked a spot and ate a protein bar and some snacks since I didn’t wanted to build fire and cook something.I woke up at sunset,realized I had slept for almost 3-4 hours and realized how stupid I was to sleep right in the start,I’d never be able to complete trekking in three days.
I set off again and decided I won’t rest until I get really tired.After walking for almost 3 hours I heard some voices in the trees,it was very dark so I couldn’t see anything but something was glowing,it was fire and there were people around it.I reached the campfire and asked them if I could join them,they said yeah.There were 4 people and one of them was a woman named Irene,she was trekking for the first time along with her friend Michael.The other two were named John and George and they were alone too but they had trekked before.
“So what’s your name?” asked John
I’m David
“Trekking for the first time?Are you?” said Michael
No,no I’ve trekked but yeah I’m doing this one after a long break.
Later we cooked and shared our food and headed off to our tents,Irene wasn’t able to make hers nicely so George helped her.I lay down in my tent thinking of the mistake of sleeping earlier in the day but I was happy because that way I got to meet these people or else I’d have to eat and sleep alone.I don’t know how much time had passed but I was about to sleep and I heard loud scream of a woman and somewhere in my mind I was sure it was of Irene,she was the only woman in here.
I grabbed my torch and came out of tent and saw Michael come out of Irene’s tent and he was numb.
“Irene isn’t here”,said Michael .I heard her shout and came to see her.
I heard her too and came out to see if everything was okay.Does she sleepwalk,I asked.
“No,I don’t know.” replied Micheal.We don’t know each other that long.
I think we should wake John and George and then go see where Irene went off.I went to their tent and woke them up.They were sleeping and hadn’t heard any scream,so I told them what I and Micheal had heard and that we should go and look for Irene.A strange scary feeling passed through me and I was sure the other three were experiencing the same.
“Yes,we should split and go in four directions”,said George.
“No,we must stay together”,shouted Michael.I am not risking losing any other person here.
In the end it was decided that two people would go together in one direction and other two would go in other direction and on finding Irene they would flash their torches and head back to the camp.To be honest I was scared and feared whatever waited for us in the dark.
I and John went into the trees looking for Irene and George along with Micheal into the other side.It had been a while and we heard a second scream.It was a scream of a man who was in extreme pain and we looked at each other scared more than ever.
“I think it was George”,said John
Maybe but it was either George or Micheal,I replied with a shaking voice.
“We should return to the camp”,said John.He started walking towards the camp.
I simply followed him and we came to the camp and there stood Michael his shirt completely red and his hands in blood.
“What did you?What happened?”shouted John
“I didn’t do anything,I swear”,said Micheal crying.He then kneeled on the ground and started sobbing.We got separated in the woods and I heard George screaming and I went looking for him and when I found him he was stabbed,then I heard some footsteps and I ran here.
“Where is Irene?Who stabbed George?”,asked John terrified.
I stood there shocked and benumbed without uttering a single word and staring at Micheal.Suddenly Micheal got up and started saying that it was all his fault he should have been close with George,he started walking towards us while blaming himself.I couldn’t find Irene,there is someone else here besides us he said in a slow voice so that only we heard it.
He suddenly took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed John in the stomach.His cries turned into devilish laughter.
“I killed Irene and I stabbed George” shouted Micheal.
I stood there seeing it all without doing anything,it all happened so fast,I couldn’t react.Before he could push that knife in me,I ran.I ran into the wood into the night.I had never been faster,I ran for my life.I could hear him running behind me,shouting I’ll kill you,I’ll kill you too.I never saw back,I just ran until it was morning and I was out in the open.
I had escaped death and I don’t know what made me run for almost half the night and from where I got the energy but I escaped it.
I know that it was a foolish idea,going on trekking all alone.I shouldn’t have done it,at least not this time.Not ever.

The End.
Jafar Rehman
This was written by me a few minutes ago,I didn’t read it again not even once so it will have mistakes,too many mistakes.Pardon me for those,I just wrote it here and shared it right away.Tell me if you like it,comment.

Combine three of the elements with one of the other short story ideas on this page.-A campfire, a scream, and a small lie that gets bigger and bigger.