Chapter 6 It’s a Feature, Not a Bug #2
“Please,” he begged, his fingers digging into her forearm. “You can’t go alone. He’ll f-find you. He’ll kill you like before.”
The commotion roused the others. Tent zippers opened. Flashlight beams cut through the darkness.
“What’s going on?” Tyler demanded, emerging shirtless from his tent.
“Levi’s freaking out again,” Elliot muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Maddie and Owen appeared next, followed by Jasper. They formed a semicircle around Levi and Zoe, faces illuminated by flashlights and dying embers.
Levi looked from face to face, seeing only confusion and concern. No recognition. No understanding.
“He’s out there,” Levi whispered, still clutching Zoe’s arm. “W-watching us. Waiting for one of us to be alone.”
Six pairs of eyes stared back at him in stunned silence.
“I’m calling this in,” Elliot announced, jaw tight with irritation. He dug into his jacket pocket, pulling out a sleek satellite phone. “My dad’s helicopter can be here by morning. This camping trip is officially over.”
Levi lurched toward him, desperation clawing at his chest. “No! Don’t! He’ll hear you!
“Hear me?” Elliot shoved him away. “The only one hearing anything is going to be the medical team when I tell them you’ve lost your mind.” He punched numbers into the keypad, turning away from the group.
Levi’s mouth opened to protest when a wet, sickening thunk cut through the night air.
Maddie, who’d been standing beside Elliot, stumbled forward. Her body jerked, her face twitching. Levi’s eyes fixed on the hunting knife protruding from the back of her skull, its handle catching the firelight.
Time seemed to slow. Maddie took another staggering step, her hands rising to her head as if trying to understand what happened. Her knees buckled. She pitched forward, face-first into the campfire.
Her hair ignited in a terrible halo of flame that spread across her scalp with unnatural speed. The scent of burning hair and flesh filled the air as her body convulsed once, twice, then went still. The flames continued to consume her, turning her colorful locks to ash and char.
No one moved. No one breathed. The crackling of the fire seemed deafening in the sudden silence.
Elliot’s satellite phone slipped from his fingers, clattering against stone.
Behind where Maddie stood, a tall figure stepped into the firelight. The stranger turned toward Levi. Recognition flashed between them, predator acknowledging prey.
“Boo!” The word escaped the stranger’s lips with childlike glee, a playground taunt that shattered the frozen moment.
Chaos erupted.
Tyler shouted something unintelligible, lunging for the hatchet propped against a nearby log. Owen scrambled backward, tripping over the cooler, glasses flying from his face. Zoe’s scream pierced the night, high and terrified as she bolted toward the tree line.
Jasper stood motionless, mouth hanging open, staring at Maddie’s burning body with glazed eyes.
Elliot backed away, hands raised in surrender. “Wait, wait—my father will pay whatever—”
The stranger moved without hesitation, slashing Elliot’s throat with a second knife that seemed to materialize from thin air. Blood fountained into the firelight, dark and glistening as it sprayed across the stranger’s features.
Elliot collapsed, gurgling, hands pressed to his neck as life poured between his fingers.
Levi couldn’t move. His muscles locked, feet rooted to the ground as terror cascaded through his system. The stranger stepped over Maddie’s burning corpse, advancing toward him with fluid grace.
Tyler swung the hatchet at the stranger’s head.
Without looking, the stranger caught Tyler’s wrist mid-swing, twisting until bones snapped like kindling.
Tyler’s scream cut off abruptly as the stranger grabbed the hatchet with his other hand and drove it deep into his chest, splitting his sternum with a wet crack.
Three dead in seconds.
The stranger’s locked onto Levi again, head tilting with birdlike curiosity.
“You’re different,” the stranger whispered, voice soft and melodic beneath the crackling flames.
A flying object—Levi’s water bottle—sailed through the air and bounced harmlessly off the stranger’s shoulder. Then a protein bar. A flashlight. A shoe.
“Get away from him!” Jasper shouted, rummaging through his backpack, flinging items at the stranger with shaking hands. “Leave him alone, you psycho!”
The stranger paused, turning his head toward Jasper, expression shifting from predatory focus to mild curiosity.
Something in Jasper’s desperate defense broke through Levi’s paralysis. His legs unlocked, adrenaline flooding his system like ice water.
“Jasper,” Levi hissed, stumbling toward him. “We need to run. Now.”
Jasper nodded, still rummaging through his bag. “Just one second, man. I’ve got something—”
“No time!” Levi grabbed Jasper’s sleeve, tugging him toward the tree line where Zoe disappeared.
The stranger made no move to follow. He stood motionless beside the campfire, watching them. The flames illuminated half his face, casting the other in shadow. He looked... confused. As if their flight was an unexpected variable.
Levi and Jasper crashed through the underbrush, branches whipping their faces as they fled deeper into the forest. Levi’s legs burned with exertion, but fear drove him forward, dragging Jasper behind him.
“Wait,” Jasper wheezed after several minutes, doubling over. “Need a break. Smoker’s lungs, man.”
“We can’t stop,” Levi insisted, glancing over his shoulder. “He’ll find us.”
“It’s cool.” Jasper straightened up, pulling something from his waistband. Moonlight glinted off metal. “I found what I was looking for.”
Levi’s eyes widened at the pistol in Jasper’s shaking hand. He backed away instinctively, memories of countless movies flashing through his mind—the accidental discharge, the friend killed by mistake.
“Whoa, be careful with that thing!” Levi raised his hands. Jasper’s finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger, the barrel swinging erratically as he gestured.
“Relax, man. Safety’s on.” Jasper flicked something on the side of the gun. “My uncle taught me how to shoot. We’re good now.”
Levi kept his distance, every instinct screaming danger. “Just... point it at the ground, okay?”
“Let’s go find Zoe.” Jasper nodded, starting forward again. “I think she went this—”
His foot caught on an exposed root. Jasper pitched forward, arms windmilling as he fought for balance. The gun discharged with a deafening crack that echoed through the forest.
Levi watched in horror as Jasper crumpled to the ground, the back of his head blossoming red against his beanie. The gun tumbled from his limp fingers.
“No, no, no!” Levi dropped to his knees beside Jasper’s body. Blood pooled beneath his head, soaking into the forest floor in dark rivulets. Jasper’s eyes stared blankly at the canopy above, mouth frozen in surprise.
Levi’s hands hovered over the wound, shaking violently. The damage was catastrophic. Part of Jasper’s skull caved inward, brain matter visible through the opening.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Jasper’s chest rose and fell in shallow, wet gasps. Blood bubbled from his nose and mouth with each labored breath.
“I can’t—” Levi choked back a sob. “I don’t know how to help you.”
Jasper’s breathing slowed, then stopped altogether. His eyes remained open, reflecting moonlight like glass.
Levi scrambled backward, mind fracturing under the weight of horror. He had to keep moving. Had to find Zoe. Had to find some way to survive this nightmare.
He staggered to his feet, turning to flee deeper into the woods—and felt strong fingers clamp over his shoulders, yanking him backward. He flailed, feet leaving the ground as he was dragged against a solid chest.
“Good,” the stranger’s voice purred against his ear. “The pothead was an idiot. Now we can be alone.”
Levi’s fists connected with the stranger’s chest, each desperate blow landing with the impact of hitting concrete. His knuckles throbbed, pain shooting up his arms as he flailed against his captor. The stranger didn’t flinch, didn’t even seem to register the assault.
“Why?” Levi gasped between punches. “W-why are you doing this to us?”
Every villain had a reason. Every monster had some twisted logic. Something Levi could understand, could process, could maybe use against them.
The stranger seemed to consider the question, lips pursing. His features betrayed no emotion beyond mild curiosity.
“Because you were here,” he said finally, shrugging one shoulder.
Levi’s fists faltered mid-swing. That’s it? That’s fucking it? The absurd simplicity of the answer hit harder than any physical blow. No grand scheme. No complex motivation. Just random, meaningless slaughter.
“That’s not—” Levi renewed his struggle, clawing at the stranger’s face, kicking at his shins. “You can’t just—”
The stranger sighed. “Enough of that.”
In one fluid motion, he gripped Levi’s shoulder and wrist, spinning him around and downward. Levi felt his body leave the ground, weightless for a moment before gravity reclaimed him. The stranger maintained his grip on Levi’s arm as he fell, twisting it at an unnatural angle.
The pop came first—a wet, sickening sound of joint separating from socket. The pain followed a heartbeat later, white-hot agony that shot through his shoulder and down his arm like liquid fire. Levi’s scream tore through the forest.
He hit the ground hard, leaves and twigs pressing into his cheek. The dislocated arm lay useless beside him, bent at a nauseating angle. Each heartbeat sent fresh waves of agony through his shoulder, so intense it made him nauseous.
“Please,” Levi sobbed, his good arm scrabbling at the forest floor, fingers digging into dirt as he tried to drag himself away. “P-please don’t. I don’t want to die.”
The stranger crouched beside him. “What happened to your head?”
“I—I did it,” Levi stammered.
The stranger’s brow furrowed. His fingers reached out, gentle as they traced the wounds. The touch was warm, almost tender. “You hurt yourself.”
The concern in the stranger’s voice was more terrifying than any threat. Levi shrank away, whimpering as the movement jostled his dislocated shoulder.
“Please,” Levi whispered, tears streaming down his face.
The stranger reached out, long fingers brushing Levi’s cheek. He caught a tear on his fingertip, examining the droplet with unsettling fascination. He rubbed the moisture between thumb and forefinger. “Interesting,”
Levi shook, each breath sending fresh waves of agony through his dislocated shoulder. The stranger’s hand moved from his face, hovering over Levi’s chest before pressing down gently against his sweatshirt.
“I can feel your heart beating so fast.” The stranger’s expression softened, almost reverential. His palm flattened against Levi’s sternum, fingers splaying wide as if to capture every frantic thud. “Like a frightened rabbit.”
Levi’s gaze darted past his own feet to where Jasper’s body lay crumpled among the leaves. The gun—Jasper’s gun—rested just beyond his friend’s outstretched hand. Moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting silver highlights on the weapon’s metal surface.
It gleamed like salvation. Like hope.
If I could just reach it...
The stranger’s weight shifted, knees pressing into the forest floor as he leaned closer, still mesmerized by the rhythm beneath his palm. His other hand remained hidden, tucked behind his back.
Levi tensed his good arm, preparing to push himself toward the weapon. One desperate lunge. That’s all he needed.
Sharp, sudden pain exploded in his neck. Levi’s body jerked, his good hand flying to the source. His fingers brushed against a knife handle, the blade buried deep in his throat.
Warm wetness gushed between his fingers.
He tried to inhale but drew in only blood.
It filled his mouth, metallic and thick, spilling over his lips.
Every nerve in his throat screamed as blood poured from the wound.
He could feel his life flowing out with each panicked heartbeat, could taste his own death on his tongue.
Levi’s eyes found the stranger’s face. His features had twisted into disappointment, evident in the slight downturn of his mouth. The hand on Levi’s chest pressed harder, feeling the rapid, stuttering beats as Levi’s heart fought to compensate for the catastrophic blood loss.
“You were going to try something,” the stranger said, voice tinged with genuine hurt. “I saw you looking at the gun.”
Levi couldn’t respond. His lungs burned, desperate for oxygen they couldn’t receive. Blood bubbled from the wound with each failed attempt to breathe. His vision darkened at the edges, the stranger’s face becoming the only clear point in a rapidly shrinking world.
The stranger’s frown deepened as Levi’s heartbeat slowed beneath his palm. “Already? But we just started.”
Levi’s hand fell away from his neck, strength abandoning him. The agony was absolute, consuming every thought except one desperate hope.
Please let this just be a game. Please let me wake up.
The last thing he saw was the stranger’s face and those unnatural eyes staring into his with childlike disappointment.