It was supposed to be a romantic getaway, just an evening out camping with my girl. I looked forward to it for weeks, making plans and proper arrangements. We would spend a night in a tent in the middle of the woods, just the two of us.

As we drove out to the campground, Beth kept checking the weather on her phone.

“Looks like there’s going to be quite a storm,” she sighed. “Should we just turn around?”

I frowned but shook my head. “It’ll be fine. The trees will protect us from any rain.”

Beth looked at me for a few seconds, then went back to her phone. “Do you have a charger? I’m almost out of battery.”

“No,” I said. I was lying, but secretly hoped her phone would die so she’d stop talking about the weather.

We got to the campground, the parking lot empty. I guessed people bailed due to the impending storm, but I didn’t care. We were going camping no matter what.

We grabbed our gear from the trunk of my car. When Beth had her back turned, I checked the side compartment of my backpack to make sure the ring was still in there. Beth knew nothing. It would be perfect.

I closed the trunk and locked the car. Beth was looking up at the darkening sky, its clouds gray and mean. She bit her lip.

“This is a bad idea,” she said. “Let’s just go back to the apartment and watch some Hulu.”

“It’ll be fine,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “Don’t you trust me?”

Beth cracked a smile. “If I get wet, you’re drying me off.”

“I think I can do that,” I winked.

We trekked into the woods as the sky grew darker. I felt raindrops land on top of my head, so I pulled on my hood. The temperature was starting to drop, too. I shivered a little, but I make sure to not let Beth see.

Beth was surprisingly calm as the rain became heavier. The trees helped cover us for the most part, but we were still getting soaked.

The air around us felt cooler by the minute, and my teeth started to chatter.

Then the lightning came.

It was a large flash, illuminating the entire forest. A deafening boom of thunder followed seconds later, and I almost pooped myself.

Beth screamed and jumped back. I held my arms out to keep her upright.

“Let’s go back,” she whimpered. “Please.”

I looked at her wet face, her eyes wide with terror. I started to wonder if she would even say “yes” to my question if I made her suffer through this storm any longer.

But we made it this far. We were so close.

“We’re almost there,” I said. “Just a little farther.”

Beth shook her head. “No. This is crazy.” She shook herself out of my grasp and started to walk back the way we came.

“Beth!” I pleaded. “Come on, we’re so close!”

Beth turned around. She opened her mouth to say something, but then there was another flash of lightning and a thunderous roar.

The tree behind Beth exploded, sending large chunks of wood soaring through the air like missiles. One struck Beth’s head. She landed in a heap on the forest floor.

“BETH!” I screamed. I ran over and felt her neck for a pulse. It was weak.

I pulled out my phone. No bars. I grabbed Beth’s phone out of her pocket, but its battery was dead.

I took off all our gear, including my backpack with the ring, and hoisted Beth over my shoulder. She wasn’t real heavy, but it was hard to keep a good grip since she was soaking wet.

As I struggled to carry her back through the forest toward my car, the storm continued to rage, giving no mercy.

Maybe I deserved it.