Third Short Story - A night at camp

The group had been planning for the camping trip for a while before it actually happened. The date was set in the middle of July when it was sweltering hot so that they could get away from the heat. It would be a nice retreat for a group of friends who liked having each other’s company.

There was Sam,
Jack, Sarah, George, and Katie. They had all been friends since elementary
school and had just graduated high school. They wanted to do something
different and fun before everyone went off to their different colleges and
Sarah had the idea of camping. Everyone else seemed to like it so they made it
happen.

The group drove
in Jack’s pickup to the camping site with all of their gear in the back early
in the morning. They arrived at the site and left the truck in the lot.
Carrying their gear, they ventured into the forest with the sun still above
their heads. They trekked for about half an hour before deciding that they had
found the perfect spot.

They established
camp and set up the tent. They put some stones together in a circle and made
that the campfire. Sam and Jack went out into the forest and picked up some
long logs to use as seats. They brought them over to the site of the fire. Then
they brought over some small twigs and dry sticks and put together a pile
within the stones. Katie took out her matches and started to get a fire going.

The group climbed a few trees and ended up exploring the forest for the rest of the day. They found a lake a few miles off of their camp site and swam for about an hour. After finding some berries that were edible, they headed back to camp. The sun was setting and the air was getting colder than before. With the fire getting brighter, the group sat around on the logs surrounding the fire and fed it with small twigs of their own. They relaxed and talked for a little while.

Before they knew it, it was pitch black everywhere outside of the range of the fire. They ate the dinner that they had previously packed and started to make their dessert. They originally wanted to eat smores but George had forgotten the crackers so they decided to just roast marshmallows. Then Sarah had the idea of telling scary stories. George wanted to go first.

He began by telling a story about a headless horseman. The horseman had been raised from birth to be a knight and was a part of a noble family. However once he grew up, he became corrupted from the temptation of easy money. He began to sell out knighthoods and as he grew in wealth, he gained more power. He became the king’s right hand man and was appointed the general of the nation’s army. One day, there was a large invasion by the enemy and the horseman had to lead his army into battle. He gathered his men and attacked the enemy’s camp. They came out on top but his soldiers wanted a new general. The horseman had publically cut out a man’s tongue for getting stabbed and not continuing the good fight. His soldiers cut off his head in a public manner and chose one worthy among themselves to be the new general. The now headless horseman rides through the darkest part of night in forests everywhere and cuts out the tongue of those who are unsuspecting.

As soon as George finished telling the story, the group heard a gargled scream and turned around. They found a trough of tongues right behind them and screamed themselves. They all ran away except for George. He waited a second before a hooded stranger came out of the shadows. He high fived him and said “nice job man, we got them real good.” Then the stranger stabbed George and cut out his tongue. While George lay on the ground bleeding out, the stranger took off his hood. There was nothing underneath the hood!