Darren sighed as he looked ahead while walking along the forest trail. The sun was nearly below the horizon now, its fading light slipping through the trees. Thick clouds hung across the sky, dulling what little sunlight remained.
Why haven't the others come back by now? he wondered.
Darren kept his eyes on the trail ahead. The path was narrow and uneven, a strip of packed dirt winding through the forest. Fallen leaves covered parts of it.
"Man, it's nearly night already," Charlie said beside him, a little irritated. "Why aren't they back yet?"
Charlie was Darren's best friend, and he sounded more annoyed than worried.
"Look… maybe they just— I don't know," Darren replied. "I'm sure they had a reason."
Deep down, he wasn't sure either.
Jenna and her friends were the ones who had invited Darren and Charlie on this camping trip in the first place. And then, not long after setting up the tents, they had said they were going to look for food. They had even asked Darren and Charlie to stay behind and keep an eye on the tents.
"Wait…"
Darren suddenly slowed.
Something stood in the forest not far from the trail on the right side.
He grabbed Charlie's shoulder and pointed.
"What?" Charlie asked, following Darren's gaze.
Then he saw it too.
In front of them stood a deer.
But something about it looked… wrong.
It was big—bigger than any deer Darren had ever seen up close. Its shoulders nearly reached Darren's chest, its body broad and heavy, easily twice the size of a large dog. The fading evening light stretched across its pale brown coat, washing it in a dull gray tint as it stood just beyond a thin line of brush.
It wasn't grazing.
It wasn't moving.
It was just standing there.
Looking at them.
"Oh hey, wow… that's a deer," Charlie said, almost excited. It was the first wild animal they had seen during the entire trip.
Charlie shifted awkwardly. "Hello? Hello…?" he called out, as if the deer might somehow understand him.
But the deer didn't flinch.
It didn't lower its head.
It didn't blink.
It just kept staring.
Seconds passed.
"Okay… that's kind of weird," Charlie said finally. "Why won't it stop staring?"
He waved again.
"Hello?"
Darren didn't think much of it at first. He told himself it was probably normal.
But as the seconds passed, the sun sank lower behind the trees. The light slowly faded, shadows stretching across the trail.
A quiet unease began to creep into his chest.
The deer kept staring at them.
Its head tilted slightly to the side.
Something about it felt… wrong
One minute passed.
Then two.
Crack.
The sound snapped through the woods.
Eventually, the deer turned.
It slipped silently into the trees.
No crashing branches.
No hurried footsteps.
Just… gone.
Darren let out a breath and sighed in relief.
"Man, that was weird, right?" Charlie said, tapping Darren's shoulder. "What did we even do to it? We were just walking by."
"Yeah…" Darren replied. "Its eyes—I don't know…. It… it just didn't feel friendly."
Charlie shrugged. "Probably normal, right? Maybe deer out here just do that to hikers." He laughed softly. "Still weird, though."
Darren nodded and forced a small laugh.
But something about it stuck with him. The way the deer had looked at them—so still, so focused—and the way it had left so smoothly clung to his thoughts longer than it should have.
"Or maybe…" Charlie said suddenly, his tone shifting.
"Maybe what?" Darren asked.
"We're in the Appalachian Mountains, right?" Charlie said. "What if the legends people talk about are real? What if the stuff on TikTok isn't all fake?" He nudged Darren lightly. "You ever heard of the Not-Deer?"
Darren sighed. He didn't believe in that kind of stuff, and he really didn't want to think about it now—alone in the woods, this close to dark.
"Just kidding," Charlie said quickly, laughing it off. "Those stories are just made up to scare tourists. I'm sure it's nothing."
Darren looked at Charlie for a moment.
He didn't really like the joke.
They continued down the trail, heading back toward where they'd set up their tents.
"'Never step off the Appalachian trail at night,'" Charlie added. "People say that like it means something. What's the difference on or off the trail? There aren't even fences." He laughed again.
Then he slowed and sighed. "Anyway… I gotta pee."
Charlie glanced around. "That means I gotta step off the trail. Just…. wait here, alright? I'll be back in a second."
He gave Darren a light tap on the shoulder before disappearing into the trees.
Darren stood there alone.
The wind picked up, cold against the back of his neck. By now the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon. Thick clouds slid over the moon, smothering what little light remained.
He glanced off the trail.
Trees crowded in every direction—tall trunks packed close together, branches heavy with leaves. Beyond the narrow trail, the forest was nothing but shadow.
Too dark.
So dark he couldn't see more than a few feet in.
It felt like the woods didn't end—like they went on forever, closing in the farther he looked.
I shouldn't have come here, Darren thought.
Then something caught his eye on the trail ahead.
Wait… what is that?
A faint glint reflected back at him from the dirt, slightly off to the right side of the path. Just a flicker—easy to miss—but it caught the beam of his flashlight at the wrong angle.
Darren frowned and stepped closer.
The shape became clearer with each step.
He crouched and brushed away the dirt.
Cloth.
There was a hole in the middle, the material bent and worn where something had pressed into it. As more dirt fell away, a badge came into view—metal, dull but unmistakable.
A hat.
A police hat.
It looked new. The fabric wasn't faded, the badge still firmly attached. It couldn't have been here long. Maybe not even a week.
He picked it up slowly and turned it over in his hands.
Something about it didn't feel right.
What would a police officer be doing out here?
Darren exhaled quietly.
Man… I'm starting to worry too much, he thought. Maybe it's nothing.
"Ugh—" a voice came from behind him.
Charlie stepped back onto the trail, laughing. "Dude, the birds out there scared the hell out of me. They just flew off all at once. Didn't even know they were there."
He shook his head, still half-laughing.
"I swear I was just peeing—that's it. Then suddenly they all took off. Like… like me peeing was somehow scary or something."
As Charlie spoke, Darren glanced toward the forest to his left.
Birds were still flying up—lots of them—wings beating hard against the air.
Was that really just from Charlie peeing?
Darren looked at Charlie.
He stared at him longer than he realized.
"Hey, man," Charlie said. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Darren hesitated. "Uh… nothing. I… uh. I was just thinking."
Charlie stepped closer and noticed what Darren was holding.
"Wait… is that a police hat?"
"Yeah," Darren said. "I… I found it on the trail."
Charlie frowned. "Wait.. You don't think—"
"That it's connected to the girl who went missing last week?" Darren finished before Charlie could. "I don't know. West Virginia's big…. It could be unrelated."
But the memory surfaced anyway.
This morning, on the drive up here—two police cars speeding past them.
The news.
A girl named Emma.
Gone.
Maybe this isn't random…
Darren's grip tightened around the hat.
Deep down, he had a bad feeling.
"Come on," Darren said finally, standing up. He glanced once more at the birds still circling and disappearing into the trees, then forced himself to look away.
"Let's go. Jenna and the others are probably already back by now."
Charlie nodded.
They followed the trail until the trees opened slightly.
Their campsite sat just off the path, close to a narrow natural stream. Water slid quietly over rocks, reflecting the dim light of the sky. The tents were pitched neatly, tucked between trees for cover—good views, easy access to water.
Too quiet.
Darren set his bag down and sat beside the campfire ring. After a moment, he struck the lighter and slowly brought the fire to life. Flames flickered, casting uneven shadows across the tents and surrounding trees.
He looked around.
No signs of Jenna or her friends.
They had said they'd only be gone for about an hour or two.
Darren pulled out his phone and checked the time.
7:49 PM.
His stomach tightened.
They had left the campsite around 4 PM.
That was way too late.
Where are they?
Why aren't they back yet?
The fire crackled softly beside him, but it did nothing to warm the growing unease in his chest.
Something was wrong.
And this was only night one.