Chapter Three - Toni
The car ride was starting to feel like a life sentence. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Only an hour and a half in, and we still had another forty minutes to go. Jessica was in the passenger seat, flipping through the radio stations and singing at the top of her lungs to whatever caught her fancy—usually badly. Behind us, Molly and Dana were settled into the backseat, and the dynamic between the four of us was already setting the tone for the trip.
“Jess, seriously, if you don’t find a decent song, I’m going to throw myself out of this moving car,” Dana groaned, her arms crossed as she stared out the window, looking as though she had been sentenced to a week of hard labour instead of a girls’ hiking trip. Her straight black hair was pulled up into a sleek ponytail, and I could feel her icy mood radiating from the backseat, ever the brooding writer.
“It’s not my fault your taste in music sucks, Dana,” Jessica shot back, stopping on a pop station and dramatically lip-syncing to Madonna's Papa Don't Preach. Dana's gaze slowly returned to Jess. “Come on, don't get all Wednesday Adams on us already, we’re on a road trip! We’re having fun Dana.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, fun. We’re stuck in this car for three hours, heading into bug-infested woods to sleep on the floor. Can’t wait.”
Molly, bless her heart, tried to smooth things over. “It won’t be so bad once we’re out there, Dana. The fresh air will be amazing, and just think about the stars at night! It’ll be beautiful. I'm sure something out in the wild could give you some inspiration for your novel”
Molly’s soft, upbeat voice was like a soothing balm on Dana’s snark. Molly was the kind of person who could find the silver lining in a thunderstorm, and her curly blonde hair and oversized glasses only added to her wholesome charm. If she were a cartoon character, she’d have birds singing around her at all times.
How those two became best friends I will never understand. It's like Snow White hanging out with Malificent.
“Yeah, fresh air,” Dana muttered under her breath, not even pretending to be convinced. “And probably wild animals. Maybe I’ll get mauled by a bear. That’d be fun.”
I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, feeling my patience start to fray. I loved Dana, we'd all been through a lot together, but I didn’t want to get into it with her today—not on the first day of the trip—but her attitude was already starting to wear me down. Jessica, on the other hand, was bouncing in her seat like like a bunny, trying to set the tempo single-handedly.
“Hey, at least if a bear shows up, you’ve got three of us to offer it as sacrifices before you have to run,” Jessica said with a wink, twisting around to grin at the backseat.
Dana rolled her eyes again but couldn't help the corner of her mouth turning up in a smirk. Molly gave a nervous giggle. I took a deep breath and kept my eyes on the road. “Let’s just focus on getting there. We’re going to have an amazing weekend.”
And I was going to pretend Dana wasn’t already trying to ruin it.
We finally rolled into Dixon National Park a little after noon, the sun bright and high in the sky. The tension in the car lifted immediately as we turned down the long, winding road that led to the ranger station. The trees here were towering giants, and the scent of pine filled the air. This—this was what I’d been craving.
As we pulled up to the small boom gate at the ranger cabin, we were greeted by the sight of Park Ranger Adam. Who Jess couldnt help but drool over, although we hadn't been hiking in years, Adam also worked at the hardware store in town in the off-season. Jess regularly made up insane reasons she needed to visit and torture the poor guy.
And, oh boy, I had to admit, was he a sight today.
Tall, tanned and muscular, Ranger Adam stood in front of the cabin with a stack of pamphlets in one hand and his ranger hat in the other, which he had removed as he greeted us at the car window. With Adam, It wasn’t his muscles that stood out, or even his perfect calves. It was his legendary choice of shorts. Much like his hardware store uniform, his ranger uniform was standard, except for the shorts.
The obscenely small and tight shorts.
Jessica leaned over, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh my God, Toni, I need to talk to him. I have to.”
Before I could stop her, she rolled down the window and leaned halfway out, her arms pushing her breast together, a lollipop in her mouth. “Hey there, Ranger Adam,” she purred, swirling the lollipop around her tongue as she spoke. “Are those shorts standard issue? Or do you have to special order them in extra small?”
Ranger Adam’s blush deepened to a dangerous shade of red. “Uh… no, ma’am… I mean, yes, Jess, they are…” He stuttered, clearly flustered, as he handed over a few forest safety pamphlets, determined to project a persona of authority, but falling well short. His hand was shaking as Jessica snatched them from him, peering at him hungrily from over her red sunglasses.
“I mean, not that I’m complaining,” Jessica continued, her voice dripping with playful intent. “But they do seem a little tighter than usual today. Maybe you should ask corporate about getting a bigger size.” Her gaze dropped pointedly to the front of his shorts, where—oh my God—Adam was sporting a pretty noticeable hard-on.
Molly and I both tried (and failed) to stifle our giggles. Dana let out a long-suffering sigh, but even she seemed amused, covering her face with her book.
Ranger Adam, now fully aware of the situation, looked down at himself in horror. covering his straining shorts with his ranger hat “Uh… yes, ma’am. I’ll… I’ll look into that. You ladies stay safe and, uh, beware of forest fires!” He all but squeaked the last part before scurrying back toward the cabin, his mortification clear from a mile away.
Jessica formally saluted him with a wink as Adam lifted the boom gate, and we all erupted into laughter as we drove past.
“Fucking hell Jess, I swear you’re going to give him a heart attack one day,” I said, shaking my head.
“Maybe,” she grinned, popping the lollipop back into her mouth. “But at least he’ll die happy.”
By the time we reached our campsite deep in the woods, the sun was beginning to dip behind the trees, casting long shadows across the clearing. We wasted no time setting up, though the usual banter continued.
Molly was already halfway through pitching her tent, her movements precise and efficient. She hummed quietly to herself, probably some jingle from a fabric softener commercial or something. She made everything seem effortless, which was both endearing and a little annoying.
Jessica, of course, was cracking open a wine and providing zero help. “I’m supervising,” she claimed, lounging on a nearby log while I set up our tent. “You’re all doing great. Keep it up, team!”
“supervisor....” I muttered under my breath.
Then there was Dana. She was not having a good time. Between the insects that seemed to have singled her out and her struggle with her tent poles, her mood had shifted from mild irritation to full-blown storm clouds.
“For fuck’s sake,” Dana hissed, wrestling with the nylon fabric. “Why is this thing so damn complicated?”
I looked over, trying to keep my voice even. “Do you need help?”
“No,” she snapped. “I got it.”
I clenched my jaw, biting back a response. Letting it slide,
Toni. Just let it slide.
Molly, ever the peacekeeper, came to the rescue. “Hey, Dana, it’s all about finding the right angle with the poles. I had the same problem my first time. Want me to show you?”
Dana gave a terse nod, and Molly stepped in to help, easing the tension in the air.
The campfire was lit shortly after, casting a warm glow over the campsite. We settled around it, drinks in hand, and Molly pulled out her guitar, strumming a few light chords as we all unwound. I couldn’t help but relax, the crackle of the fire and Molly’s soft melodies providing the perfect backdrop.
After a couple of drinks, nature inevitably called. I excused myself, grabbing a flashlight and wandering off into the trees for some privacy. As I squatted near a cluster of bushes, something caught my eye—a symbol carved into the bark of a nearby tree.
I froze, heart skipping a beat. The shape was unmistakable. It was one of the sigils tattooed on my arm.
A wave of unease washed over me, and I quickly stood, fastening my pants. That’s when I heard it—a twig snapping nearby. My breath caught in my throat, and suddenly, I realised how quiet the forest had become. No birds. No insects. Nothing.
Get back to camp, my brain screamed. I spun on my heel and hurried back to the fire, my nerves buzzing.
When I returned, the girls were laughing about something, oblivious to the growing fear that had rooted itself in my chest. Jessica raised an eyebrow as I sat down, clearly noticing my pale face.
“Toni? You okay?” she asked.
I swallowed hard. “I think… I think we should move camp. It might not be safe here.”
The laughter around the fire stopped. Jessica stared at me, confused. “What do you mean Hon?"
I didnt know how to explain without sounding crazy, was this seriously happening?
"I heard a noise it the bushes" I said
"We’re in the middle of the forest, of course there are noises babe, come sit and have a drink, Molly was about to do a strip tease”
Molly blushed and opened her mouth to protest the suggestion.
“No, it’s not just that,” I insisted. “I saw something. A carving. It matches one of my tattoos. My dad used to say it meant something dangerous was close.”
There was a pause as the girls exchanged glances. Dana, unsurprisingly, was the first to break the silence. “Oh, what, a bigfoot, Toni? Some kids carved graffiti into a tree and suddenly it’s Bigfoot?”
I lifted my chin, fighting back the sting of her words. I didn’t want to lose it, but the day had been long, and my patience was running thin. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but thought better of it, I turned away to retire to my tent, only to hear Dana mutter to Molly under her breath, “Guess crazy runs in the family.”
Something inside me snapped.
Before I could stop myself, I turned and slapped Dana, the sound ringing out in the silence of the forest. Everyone froze, the fire casting flickering shadows over the stunned group. My heart was racing, my hands trembling.
Dana held a hand to her cheek, eyes wide in shock. “What the hell, Toni?”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Dana was being a bitch, but she didn’t deserve that. My emotions were too raw, too close to the surface. Without another word, I turned and stormed off into the forest, needing space, needing to get away.
I walked blindly through the trees, not paying attention to where I was going, or how far from camp I’d wandered. Anger blurring my vision. A twig snapped to my left, and I spun around, startled. My foot caught on a root, and before I knew it, I was tumbling backwards and straight over the edge of a steep ravine.
Pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground hard. Dazed, I blinked up at the sky, stars swirling above me. I tried to move, but the pain was overwhelming.
And then I saw it. A large figure, hidden in shadow, looming over me, red eyes glowing in the blackness.
My vision blurred, and before I could make sense of what was happening, the darkness swallowed me whole.