Camp Scream (closed for La_Reina)

Camp Glacier Hills…the name says just how the water was of this beautiful lake. Being fed from streams coming from the mountain range and meandering through several hills, the water was cold, refreshing during the summer, but during the winter hypothermia came within mere minutes. This made the camp very popular during the summer time. The first owners were a large group of investors who saw this little piece of uninhabited land as the perfect spot to make money. It was but six miles from the town named Burrough, the town started out as a prospecting camp, grew steadily, collapsed when the gold was gone and the only thing keeping it alive was travellers who took the shorter route from Newton to Strousburg , it wasn’t really a short cut, only taking two hours from your travelling time as it meandered through the hills, but it was a very scenic route with it’s brush and fir, even some pine as well. The streams glinted in the sun, creating the image of silver veins between the lush green, winter rain fell heavily and only fishermen would brave the lake during that time, so the inhabitants were never more than ten a week at the camp. Burrough itself was said to be named after the finding father Alexander Burroughs, other said that the place was actually named Borrow, but that the Office of Registration thought the name to be misspelled and that the agent who worked with the Registration formed was Arthur Burrough and that is how the town became known as Burrough.

When the camp opened, Burrough lifted it’s head again, grocers could get stock, Diners could sell food and summer time brought Burrough back onto the map and so it went on for six whole years. Then tragedy struck, not only the town, but several campers’ families as well, a young boy drowned and his father who was in town for supplies, came to the camp to find out that the one he had doted on most drowned, all because his wife was busy talking to a younger man. This cracked his sanity and he took his hunting knife to his wife, when people tried to stop him, he went at them as well, in his insane rage and grief there was not much anybody could do to stop him. When the Police arrived, he actually stabbed an officer and was shot dead, that left a body count of twenty dead and six in serious condition. The reputation of the camp suffered severely and the owners had to close down the camp after years went by and nobody wished to use the site.

Six years later an oil baron bought out the land, he wanted to refurbish it and donate it to the Boy Scout foundation. Six months into renovation one of the workers came stumbling into town, bloodied and exhausted. It seemed like one of the other workers had gone postal and started killing his mates with a fire axe. The man got away after releasing a pile of lumber posts which was suspended by a crane, to be used the next day on one of the cabins. Police investigated, found thirty dead and a man holding a fire axe in one hand crushed to death under a pile of lumber posts. Now nobody wished to go work there and again the camp fell into disrepair. Six years passed and the oil baron died, leaving Camp Glacier Hills to Chris Redds in his will. Chris Redds haven’t heard from his old school buddy David Readings for years, being included into his will was a shock.

Chris Redds inspected the new grounds he now possessed and started renovation; it took his almost a total of ten months to get the camp ready and fixed. The water was still clear and cold, mists still drifted on the top of the water on chilly mornings, it was a beautiful place, but the name Glacier Hills never was a place that you wanted to visit with your family. Chriss Redds applied for a rename and it was approved, Camp Pine Lake came into being and pretty soon visitors came and the word spread about the camp. It never reached it’s previous fame, but the camp was a quiet get-away for families and Chris Redds made the money back he had spent, he used the rest upgrade the camp, build new cabins and employ a groundskeeper and after he had heard about the reason for the first killing spree, he employed a temporary life guard and things seemed to go quite well at Camp Pine Lake.

Clyde Davidson

Clyde was born to quite a normal family, his father a tax agent, his mother a house wife, he was the only child. From an early age Clyde was fascinated with guns and knives, never did he show any inkling of being unstable, he did well in school, better on the sport field, he graduated with honours and left for college. In college he studied for a chemical engineer, he found that the effects of chemicals on living and dead tissue fascinated him. His fascination grew until one evening he locked one of his fellow students inside of a glass cage they used to test gasses on plants and released a neurotoxin. He studied the effects with glee, unlocked the cage, sabotaged the release button and called campus security. A full investigation was launched and Clyde was removed as the only suspect and the fatality written off as a tragedy, an accident which happened due to equipment failure. This set things in motion for Clyde, he decided to not use chemicals, it could be traced to him and even backlash on him. Guns and knives was his answer and that was what he turned to, the black market wasn’t very difficult to find, he bought an assault rifle, which was legal under constitution, but illegally bought, a hunting rifle and of course enough ammunition.

His killing spree lasted for two weeks, several agencies was looking for him by the time he went to ground, the last person he killed had fought back, leaving him with quite a scar on his face. He knew that hiding away for a few years was his only answer and the man known as “Hunter” suddenly fell from the grid, the law agencies have not forgotten about him and they continued their man-hunt. The only thing that Clyde really liked about the little town he had chosen for his retreat was that it was off the grid, low rent and had been rocked by several setbacks in the past. He had gotten himself a home gym and spent his time working out, by the end of two years he had grown into quite a huge man, where he had been 6’8” with a mass of 240lbs he now stood at 6’8” and 310lbs. When he went out his clothes was baggy, his hood up and a cap with sunglasses. The townspeople have accepted him as a loner; they wondered where he got his money from, but were too thankful for the income to ask.

When the old groundskeeper at Camp Pine Lake left, Clyde applied for the job and soon found himself on the grounds of a place which had struck fear into the hearts and minds of many people twenty and fourteen years ago. Clyde was in his element, he did his work perfectly and was almost never seen, he of course stayed in Burrough, which suited everybody concerned just fine. Every now and then he would see his face in the newspaper or on a television, but nobody ever placed two and two together and so Clyde remained in Burrough, spending his spare time on his home gym and his working time doing everything Mr Redds left on the notice board for him to do. If the fact that Mr Redds never saw Clyde bothered him, he never said so, he just seemed pleased that the work was done, fast and efficiently.

Mia stared at the Dean with a look of total and absolute lack of concern. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours. The silence was deafening to the once super bubbly rising young teacher. The Dean sighed and slid a brochure to her. Mia grabbed it and looked at it with a mixture of disdain and slight hysteria.

"You're sending me to camp?" She asked with that slight edge of mania in her voice. "Like I'm one of your students?"

"Mia, it's a place for you to relax for the summer." He held up his hand stopping her protests. "I know you still have a few weeks left of your classes and that's taken care of. It's been 6 months since Jon was killed in that freak chemical accident. We're all very sorry it happened."

"We were supposed to get married," Mia said softly as tears threatened her vision.

"What?" The Dean asked, but Mia shook her head and promised to go to the camp. Supposedly at this time of year it would be busy, but from the looks of it her rented out cabin would be on the edge of the outskirts. Meaning she'll be miles from the nearest neighbor or child, but still close enough to 'feel' included. Mia was a psychology teacher. She knew what they were trying to do, but she doubted it was going to work. She had felt that Jon was her soul mate and now that he was gone she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

It seemed as if she blinked and she was standing in front of the cabin. Seriously, she was starting to wonder if she was losing her mind. She remembered being in the Dean's office and now she was standing in front of the cabin watching a car drive away that had obviously drove her here. Her heart pounding she glanced at her cell phone glad it got some sort of reception and checked the calendar. She had lost 3 days. What the hell?

Mia was more determined than ever to find a friend. Just one. If she could make that attempt than she could slowly get her life back together. A blackout?! She never had one before and she didn't want to do that again. Maybe she could find another lone woman who wouldn't mind long silences and the peaceful quiet. In the distance she heard a kid scream, but it was shrilly and full of laughter. She was glad she was far enough out that they couldn't bother her. She lugged her suitcases into the foyer and left them.

Her cabin had 2 floors and it seemed every room had a fireplace.It was rustically modern and she was happy to see it was already stocked with food and water so she didn't have to go shopping. Mia smiled. She had a great boss. The Dean went above and beyond to preserve her sanity. Mia made a fire and sat down on the rug looking at the fire.

Mia didn't think she had been there long, but when she glanced out of the window she was shocked to see it was dark. She hadn't blacked out just lost track of time, but to lose hours still scared her. She went to one of her bags and thought she heard a noise. She went out onto her porch and stared out into the darkness somehow finding comfort in it. Just like that she thought to go out for a walk. Insane? Maybe. It wasn't long before she found a small part of the lake that was secluded like her cabin. Seriously, it was like she had her own little pond and as she stared at the water she smiled. It was like she was the old Mia. She pulled off her shoes, socks, and jeans and dove into the water. It felt great.

"Jon would have loved this," she said outloud to herself and just that quick her high was gone. The tears were coming down her face though she didn't make a sound. Instead she ducked her head under the water to rinse them away before slowly padding to her clothes and walking the long distance home.

He had seen the woman arrive, but she seemed dazed, confused and then suddenly came awake. From his vantage point in the shadow of the tool shed he could make out what she looked like. She went inside of her cabin and he continued with his work, it was dark when he got done and as he walked his usual route, he noticed firelight from the cabin. He moved to look through the slightly parted curtains only to find her on her way outside, he slipped to the corner and watched her walk away. He followed her, sstaying in the underbrush, the carpet of needles keeping the movement of his feet quiet. It was just as he had been told. He watched her enjoy the cold water, then got dressed and walked back to the cabin. He stared after her until she disappeared from his view, for some strange reason his hands were curled up, ready to grab hold of a throat and squeazing and with his bulk it would've been easy...he walked back to the town, behind him the lake stirred like some giant beast stirred in it's slumber and then it grew still once more.

The next day found Clyde back at the camp, the woman still on his mind as he carried on with his chores. She seemed...familiar, he mulled this over, not really getting the answer, yet knowing he knew the answer. One of his chores was to float out the collapsable pier and settle it in where the smaller children could swim and be attended after as well. He finished this and by then it was mid-day, he spent his lunch sitting in the shadows of trees and watching the furthest cabin, his mind searching for an answer as to why the woman looked familiar.

Mia slept like the dead. She couldn't believe that in the city she could hardly sleep, but out here she had slept so soundly. Maybe it was the weather or it could be the conscious decision to stop mourning. That was the psychological explanation. Technically she didn't care. She was just happy to have slept with no dreams, no nightmares, and no waking up in the middle of the night crying. Damn, she hated those night.

Mia checked her phone and it was mid day so she made brunch and ate while sitting on the porch. She could hear the children, but today this didn't annoy her as much. Especially since she realized it was the wind bringing the sounds of laughter to her. She wondered exactly how far away she was from the rest of the camp. She decided to go exploring pulling on a pair of boots and deciding shorts and a tshirt was great hiking gear.

Mia hadn't gone more than 20 minutes when she saw that there used to be cabins that were closer. These were the remains of burnt down cabins and her curiosity got the better of her. Apparently this had been the site of a fire, or from the looks of one of the other cabins, bulldozed. Why? And why leave her lone cabin by itself? Still she was grateful that she didn't even have to interact with anyone, but what had happened here? Probably some stupid idiot falling asleep with a cigarette in their hands and burning down a log cabin. People.

Mia yawned and though she had woken up a few hours earlier decided she could do with a nap. She hiked back to her cabin and realized she was getting too used to the country life. She hadn't locked her doors. Still it looked like nothing had been messed with. She kicked off her boots leaving them on the porch and went inside. She had set up the fire in the fireplace once more and curled up on the couch watching the flames, letting them lull her into a deep slumber.

He watched her as she sat out on the porch and as she walked towards the old cabins, a memory stirred in the back of his mind, but he was not sure what the memory was in the first place. He gently shook his head to clear it, as time progressed here close the lake, the more he seemed to get these foggy flash-backs, memories and at times a voice seemed to whisper to him. But he knew it was only the wind brushing through the leaves of the trees and that the others most likely came from the old pictures he had seen in the papers.

He smirked as the woman headed back to her cabin, leaving her boots next to the door, he slipped closer to the cabin. He sneaked up onto the porch, picking up one of the boots it was much lighter than he had thought. He inspected the boot, pulling an old rag from his back pocket, he wiped it clean, then he did the same with the other boot. He inspected them both and then placed them next to the door, but on the other side, neatly and squared, backside of the boots facing the door, just ready to place your feet into them.

He slipped away and went on with his other tasks, a small smirk playing on his lips as he thought of what her thoughts would be and the imagined confusion and even growing paranoia. Things like that made him smile, he enjoyed the little mind games and to watch his prey looking over their shoulder for the attack that never comes.

Mia woke up and checked her phone. The battery was getting low and she had slept for 3 hours. Not bad. She stretched and padded to the kitchen looking at all the food with disdain. It wasn't that she didn't like what was there or cooking, but she didn't feel like cooking. "My haven't I gotten lazy," she said to herself. Her frown deepened. She didn't like how her voice sounded. It didn't sound quite like her yet.

Mia padded upstairs and threw on a jean skirt and black spaghetti strapped shirt. She pulled the dark blue and black flannel shirt off the hanger and put that on as well. She would wear her cowboy boots that she left at the door to complete the outfit. She was going to go into town and get something to eat. Yes, it was nearly an hour walk, but she should get out. The old Mia would have done something like this.

Mia took her ID, one credit card, and some cash and stuffed it into her back pocket. She glanced at her hair deciding it looked okay and walked out of her cabin. She looked over to where her boots should have been and her heart paused. They were gone! Someone took them! Mia turned to go back in the house when she saw her boots ... on the other side of the doorframe ... clean and propped up. Mia blinked. She distinctly remembering kicking her boots off. Hell, she knew herself. She always kicked her shoes off at the door. It was Jon who always straightened them up. Had she channeled Jon somehow and straightened up her boots? But ... when? And where was the dirt and mud she remembered seeing on them?

Mia blinked back tears. Was Jon still taking care of her? "Jon? JON!" Mia clamped her hand over her mouth. She was being stupid. There was no such thing as ghosts. Mia kicked at her boots noting where they fell. One was halfway across the porch and the other toppled on it's side. Mia almost straightened them in case Jon thought she didn't appreciate him, but she knew that was ridiculous. Jon was dead. Ghosts weren't real.

Mia didn't feel like going out and she went back into the cabin leaving the door open, but the screen close so she could get a breeze. She went into the kitchen and opened a can of pea soup and dumped it into a pot. She barely noticed when it was done and she hardly remembered eating the thing. Her mind was stuck on those damn boots. It could have been a passerby, but who would walk this far? Why would they clean up her boots? Why? Why? Why?

He had finished up early and strolled back to town, he took the scenic route, all along the edge of the lake, then one little stream which flowed off towards town, the little stream joined the main river which flowed about half a mile from the town's center, meandering as it went it's merry way. He followed the stream, crossing the river at the junction leading to the town and forking off along the route and the camp. He got home not much later, after a quick snack made of jerky and eggs, he sat in his favorite chair which looked out over the town. How many days had he watched the people through the cross-hairs of his rifle, how easy it would have been...he smiled and closed his eyes.

It was like a dream, he watched as the road passed next to him, the sign said: Welcome to Camp Pine Lake! He watched as the trees stirred and passed him, the lake laid placid and calm, the pier bobbing gently, creating waves of it's own as the gentle breeze pushed against it. A few camp fires glinted over the water, the breeze carried the sound of their voices over to him. The cabin loomed before him, he took a step onto the back porch's stairs, another one, his boot scuffed against something, it was a boot. He ignored it and moved on, his shadow fell on the screen door, illuminated by the faint light of a dieing moon. He pushed against the screen door and it swung open silently, he moved in, closing the door softly behind him. He moved further along the short hallway, he could see her as she sat at the table, a plate in front of her, a frown on her face. He stood there, studying her, why was she so familiar? He slowly retraced his steps after spending a long few moments studying her, outside the cooler air stirred a memory, the boots was back where he had placed them, his brow furrowed, trying to remember...

He woke up and found himself standing at the window, staring out at the bleak moonlight as it washed over the town. It felt like dark tidings was coming Burrough's way and that Clyde was the messenger, the thought made him grin, his teeth reflecting white against the darker window.

Mia blinked and looked down. Her bowl was partially empty and when she brought the spoon up to her mouth it was cold as ice. How long had she been sitting there? Dammit, she was regressing. Mia felt an itch on the side of her face and when she swiped at it she realized it was tears. She sat there and let the tears come. She cried and bawled and when she was exhausted and could cry no more she got up and cleaned up the kitchen.

As she washed dishes she found looking outside into the darkness was soothing. Maybe she had pushed herself too hard. She should try going slower. She'll give herself 3 weeks before going into town. She'll work her way up into being more social. The dishes, washed, dried, and put up Mia suddenly felt trapped. She rushed out onto the porch and took in deep lungful breaths of fresh air. She closed her eyes and felt better after a few minutes.

"Jon. I miss you so much." She turned slowly to see if the porch was big enough for a chair. Maybe she'll just sit outside when she saw her boots... stacked neatly ... as they were before.

Mia clamped a hand across her face as her eyes widen in horror. Her heart race and adrenaline pumped through her. She knew for a fact she had left her boots scattered. She knew this for a fact ... right? She did lose a chunk of time. just now. She couldn't have been sitting at that table for hours as the soup got cold... did she? What had she done? Where was that time?

"Jon, what's happening to me?"

He turned from the window and went about his nightly rituals, it was time to get some rest and he fell into bed, much more tired than usual. It was strange, it was like he have traveled so much more today than usually. Shrugging he turned onto his side and promptly fell asleep.

Next morning

The next morning he woke up quite early, the grey light of the coming day had not even started to infiltrate the dark of night, he got up, had a good, hard workout followed with a nice cold shower, got dressed and went through the things he had stored away, his pretty little vials with their chemical agents, some would explode on impact, some could burn away the skin. He sat for a few hours, going over his collection, a few drops in the town's water supply and he could wipe it out and the happy campers would be so easy to kill off. A cold smile came to his face, he could even murder not just the lake, but the rest of the countryside as well...but that was not what he wanted...what did he really want? He frowned as he thought this question over, a few minutes later found him preparing breakfast and gathering what he needed for the day working at the camp.

Mia had went to bed and stared at the ceiling. She had watched the room get brighter and brighter and then the sun walk across her room and then the room get darker and darker. She had moved only twice. Once to go pee when the feeling got too unbearable and the second to get a glass of water. She hadn't moved since. She stayed in the bed not thinking, not moving, not sleeping.

Suddenly, Mia was in a bright warm clearing. It smelled like springtime and .. and .. Johnny. She knew this smell. It was male masculine scent, mixed with chemicals. She turned in a circle trying to pin point where he was at, but she couldn't. She stared down at herself and saw she was naked. She blinked wondering where her clothes was. She felt his hand on her stomach creeping higher and cupping her breast. She moaned. "Jon!" She could feel him, but couldn't see him. This was his spirit teasing her, touching her, loving her. "Oh Jon!"

Just like that the dream ended. Mia sat up breathing hard with her own hand on her neck. She felt elation that she had been with Jon last night. But her mind wouldn't let her accept that. It rationalized that she had probably slept on her hand until there was no blood going through it and it was cold and alien feeling and she had touched herself and in her grief stricken state had assumed it was her dead lover's hand on her body. Damn her clinical mind. Mia burst into tears and pulled the covers back over her head.

Clyde Davidson

The hike to the campsite took him through the woods, it felt like he was retracing the steps of a dream, a not so long ago dream he had. He arrived at the camp site in good spirits, the day was cool, probably ready to heat up later during the day, there was a scattered cloud cover and he carried a new toy of his. A machete he had found half buried close to the lake. It had taken quite a lot of his skills to remove the rust without damaging the blade too much, the grip was home-made, finely crafted teak with hollows for finger holds. The wood was easy to revitalize, it was strong, well-seated and the rivets keeping it fixed to the machete blade was still in good condition, he had replaced the threadbare leather thong, which was threaded through a hole in the grip, with a ripcord. The edge he had worked days on and now it was close to razor sharp, he had tested it on a two inch bough and it cut cleanly through the wood, leaving the edge basically untouched.

He set to work, stoically ignoring the cabin where the object of fascination, but why was she his fascination? Perhaps because he had no idea was why he stayed away from her cabin today, or perhaps he just stayed away because he would be visiting her soon? He chuckled softly as he tied down the canvas over one of the condolas, most of the campers wasn't out yet and he was quickly finishing his public areas job. By the time the first people ventured outside to sample the fresh morning air with their first or second cup of the day, he was already back in the storage sheds, counting stocks and organizing the foodstuffs in the pantry. Not even the kitchen personnel can say that they have ever seen him face-to-face, in fact nobody at the camp have ever seen his face. Though his bulk was not easy to conceal, the only thing they knew about him was that he was big and that was round about all they knew. He found himself standing just out of sight of the furthest cabin, the boots still placed neatly where he had left them. He sucked on his teeth, his mind trying to place the woman, yet he constantly failed to place her, like she was a trial of smoke you try to pin to a wall.

Mia's stomach grumbled painfully. She pulled the cover from over her face and wiped the crust from her eyes. It was dark in the room. She glanced at her phone, but the battery was dead. She plugged it up and glanced at the time. It was 1:24 in the morning. She sighed and padded down to the kitchen where she grabbed a bag of chips and began munching while looking out the kitchen window.

Mia had no thoughts. She just ran on automatic, placing one hand in the bag, getting a chip, taking hand out of the bag, placing chip in mouth, chewing, swallowing and repeat process. Mia didn't stop into the bag was empty. She leaned over and using a drying cup got herself a cup of water from the sink. She swallowed it all and slowly her mind started to come to. She was slowly going insane and she had to stop it. She took in a deep breath and frowned. She smelled.

A bath was what she needed and she remembered the secluded pond. Without a second thought Mia went to the linen closet retrieved a towel and stepped outside onto the porch. She stopped seeing her boots and picked them both up. She then threw one far out to the right and the other far out to the left. She laughed and went down the steps heading towards the pond.

Mia hadn't thought of a bathing suit, but at this time of night no one should be out, this far out, and could see her. So she easily stripped completely down and waded into the water. The water was cold at this time of night, but she quickly warmed up to the water and sighed. She was floating on her back staring at the stars and she knew she had to have been for at least 20 minutes. She slowly inhaled and let herself sink below the water. She just floated to the bottom. 1 minute went by and she kept her eyes close as she stayed under water, 2 minutes and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest, 3 minutes and her body started to twitch under the water. 3 minutes and 13 seconds and her body forced itself to the surface and she gasped for air. She wasn't trying to kill herself. She just liked the complete silence of being under the water had given her.

Mia shook her head. No, she shouldn't have liked it. She leaned back and continued to float on the water. She was going to have to get better and soon. She just had to come up with a plan and stick to it rigidly.

Clyde Davidson

He ventured off to do more chores, knowing that she was in the cabin, he sat down on a fallen log and wondered why his sudden fascination with this woman, why the sudden urge to kill off a whole town if that town was what kept him safe and hidden? Movement caught his eye and he watched her as she tossed her boots to the sides of the porch, her laugh edging on hysteria, it brought a smile to his face as he watched her walk passed him, down to the side of the lake where very few people came. He was one of the people who did go there.

He waited for her to move out of sight, then moved over to pick up her boots and placed them on the top step, neatly facing down the stairs. His long strides took him across the clearing and back into the woods, he made his way down to the lake, finding her wasn't very hard since she had picked a pond feeding from the lake as the lake itself was far too cold to enjoy at this time of the day. He stood next to a tree looking intently at her as she floated in the water, seemingly lost to her thoughts and world.

Mia wasn't sure how long she was there. She stared at the stars and seeing a shooting star she made a wish. "I wish for Jon to rest in peace and go to where he belongs. I will be okay Jon, my love, move on." Suddenly Mia got that feeling she was being watched. Her heart hammered and she drove her feet downwards suddenly sinking under the water. She splashed to the top treading water as she looked down onto the banks.

"JON!" She screamed. He was gone. Maybe he was here and she sent him away. Mia felt worse actually. She slowly swam back to the bank and walked out of the water. The wind chilled her and she pulled on her shorts dragging it over her wet body before doing the same to her shirt. She shivered slightly in the wind and began the long trek back home.

Once she reached the stairs she saw her boots and this time she wasn't afraid. Jon had been here watching her. She didn't care what her rational mind said. He had been trying to take care of her. She smiled looking at them. "Thank you Jon. I pray you have moved on. This time I promise. I'm going to be okay." Mia felt watched again and then the feeling dissipated. she didn't turn around. She thought it was Jon moving on. She finally felt better.

She was. Going to be. Okay.

Her rapid movement made him step behind the tree,

"JON!"

Jon? Why did that name sound so familiar, he started to add faces of all his victims to the name, some faces was not of people he killed, they seemed new...but older...finally he got the face that suited the name.

John Harker, the lab partner he had killed, he had a girlfriend named Mia, she used to call him Jon. He watched from behind the tree as she got out and got dressed, her naked body gleaming in the night light as it was still wet from the cool water. He could see what Johny saw in her, but apparently it was not just her body that had attracted John, it was her mind. He smirked, that very mind seemed to be straining and ready to break.

He didn't follow her immediately, he waited for her to gain some distance and then quietly followed her, slipping through shadows like a big cat would stalk it's prey. She paused at the boots and he could hear some snatches of her words on the light breeze, he stepped behind a tree, just in case she should turn and find him standing there. He waited for her to enter, he gave her even a few more minutes to settle in and then he moved out from behind the tree, he picked up the boots, scuffing them in the ground at the treeline to pick up dirt again, then he went to place them exactly how he had found them after she had tossed them apart from each other. He smiled at this little game he was playing and then left, his work done for the day as was his little game with the woman who appeared to be Mia, a little bit of his past coming to visit very unexpectedly.

Mia went into the house and felt ... confined, claustrophobic, like it was too much house on her. She turned in a slow circle trying to get her bearings and decided she should go back outside. But she was wet and her clothes were clinging to her in a way that made her seem whorish. She walked up the stairs and grabbed a towel. She had found a nice yellow dress and sighed. This was the first step. The first step. The first step. It was slowly becoming her mantra.

Mia didn't want to go into town, but maybe she'll sit out on the porch, though she already knew she would go for a walk. She walked into the den and grabbed a flashlight. She felt stupid for taking it. She had been out at night what 3 times by now and hadn't taken a flashlight, but now that she was on the path of recovery she was noticing how stupid she had been acting. She hadn't even taken a weapon. What if she was attacked by a bear or something?

Mia hadn't realized she had put down the flashlight as she walked out of the house onto the porch. She looked for the boots, but they were gone. Confused she looked around and saw they were dirty and spread apart. Mia blinked slowly trying to make sense of everything. She saw down on the steps staring at the boots. She remembered they were kicked off her feet just like that, but ... they were arranged in order when she had seen them again. Now they were ... but ... was she crazy?!

Mia felt her mind snapping and just like that she was reacting. She stuffed her feet into the boots not caring that they didn't match her dress and walked into the dark. She was on the road heading not towards the nearest town, but just walking. A car stopped and she got in. She didn't say anything as the driver tried to make small talk. She barely registered it was an older female who kept giving her weird glances. There was a building with a big sign that said BAR. Mia pointed and the woman gave Mia another weird glance and pulled into the parking lot.

"Are you sure dearie? There's bikers and this doesn't look like the place for a girl like you."

Mia shrugged and got out. The woman looked torn as she watched Mia go inside. Mia heard the car pull away as she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the light in the bar. Or lack of light. There were so many pockets of darkness Mia couldn't tell how many people were in the bar or anything. Hell she could barely see 5 feet in front of her and the music was loud. It sounded more like instrumental thumping than any lyrics or the juke box was broken.

Mia went to the bar. "What do you want?"

"A shot of what will make me drunk?"

The bartender looked her up and down and slid her a shot glass and beer. "Swallow that in one gulp and then drink the beer so you won't throw up on my bar." Mia nodded and followed his instructions. She immediately began coughing and choking and ordered another one. She was lucky that in the pocket of her dress she had an old credit card and she started a tab.

Clyde Davidson

He was taking the long route, along the road. Several cars passed him, but since he did not ask for a lift, it seemed that they basically ignored him, or just perhaps his bulk deterred anybody from wanting to pick him up. At the crossing was the darker place of the community, the Diving Weasel Bar, bikers frequented it, but they kept their destruction to the bar and away from the town, so things stayed quiet in town, only the occasional drag race through the town occurred.

A car pulled in as Clyde approached the crossing and even at a distance he recognized the woman as she got out, she was wearing the boots along with a dress and he grinned at himself, obviously she wasn't thinking straight and that worked for him. But when she entered the Bar alone he frowned, that would not do. He walked up to the bar and stepped inside, a general hush went through the Bar, he walked up to the counter at the far side and took a seat,

"Whiskey, straight up."

He watched her as she drank and he paid for his own drink in cash, well then, clearly she was shaken up. That was good. Good for him that is.

Mia was very tipsy and just about drunk. She wasn't talking to anyone though a few men had tried talking to her. She had heard herself being called a bitch for being so damn gloomy or just for not looking at them, but she was lost in thought. Mia turned feeling a general unease come across the bar. She wasn't sure why, but she saw an empty booth.

"Caaaaaaan I's take the bottle oh der,'" she hadn't thought she was slurring, but the bartender got it. He gave her the bottle a small glass and a new bottle of beer. She slowly stumbled over to the booth and sat down with a plop. She poured herself a drink just like she saw the bartender do and then gulped it.

"Hello, sexy!"

Mia turned with a small jump and looked to her left. The booth wasn't empty. It was just dark and she thought it was. "Saaaawy. Thought empty. I go."

"No baby you don't need to go." He slid his arms over her shoulders, but Mia wasn't paying attention. Above the man's head was a tv over the bar muted. There was a news program on and she could read the close captioning. They were talking about her college. She felt the tears start to come as feelings assaulted her.

Clyde Davidson

He saw her looking in his direction, she was clearly not sober anymore, but she wasn't too drunk, just more perceptive to most things than she usually would be. In silence he saw her take a bottle and beer, heading over for a booth, there was a man, by her reaction she clearly didn't know the man was there, but when she seemed oblivious to the man's touch and focused behind him, he turned his attention to the television set. After a few shots of the college and some of the students, then families of his victims spoke to the camera, his mug shot appeared along with a scrolling marque about how armed and dangerous he is.

He smirked as nobody would actually look at the television in here and also his face carried the lovely scars that his last victim had given to him. He sighed and ordered another drink, he hoped that the feeling or foreboding wasn't a lie, he could do with a few screams right now.