Snap.

Moore opened his eyes into complete darkness. For a few velvet black moments he didn’t know where he was. Cold blooded fear uncoiled in his belly.

snap.

Moore tensed then remembering relaxed into polyester uncomfortableness of his borrowed sleeping bag. Yeah I’m camping. I left heat, Wi-Fi, my bed, and actual floors to sleep like an animal, Moore thought bitterly. To Moore’s left, his friend Panda whined in his sleep as if mocking him from dreamland.

Mikey had tricked him into this foray into nature. The four of them, Moore, Mikey, J.K. and Panda, had been thick as thieves in high school. Moore was the classic stoner comic geek, Mikey army brat/ perpetual weird smart new kid, J.K. was a sensitive artist wrapped in a hard hate the world shell and easy going Keith aka Panda just had the misfortune of being Chinese in an all white suburban town.

Freshman year of high school they bonded over being bullied. Moore stayed behind working at the Savalot while his friends went to college. That first year their long late night calls faded into occasional texts.

Shaking away the sadness Moore tried to settle back into sleep. He listened to Mikey shuffling back from woods. Stupid Mikey ate a bag of honey crisp apples after they had vaped some Curious George that night around the campfire and gave himself a righteous case of bubble guts. Back and forth, Mikey had been visiting their makeshift latrine in the pines.

Mikey convinced Moore to come out camping to support J.K. after she finally broke up with the most recent ass hat. Over s’mores Moore discovered Mikey convinced J.K. to come out because Moore was allegedly depressed. He wondered how Mikey had manipulated Panda.

A twig crunched outside as Mikey fished around their campground probably looking for extra toilet paper. Moore hoped Mikey wiped his ass with poison oak for talking them into leaving civilization to sleep deep in the woods.

At the thought of a red rashed butt jokes Moore giggled. J. K. turned in her sleep and her warm hand slapped Moore’s cheek.

“Ouch.” Moore grabbed his face.

“Sorry Or Less I’m so jumpy tonight,” J.K. said.

Out of the darkness J.K. rubbed the sting from Moore’s face. Moore liked at her silly nicknam for him. She smelled of sweet smoke and Hershey chocolate. For the first time Moore considered the appeal of the Great Outdoors.

“I can feel you smiling. What’s so funny?” She asked.

“I just love me some camping.”

“Flirt in the morning idiots!” Mikey shouted from a dark tent corner.

“You call that flirting! I have more exciting night with my Grammy,” Panda said before punching softness into his sleeping bed.

“Who you fooling Pan. Your grandma is the only woman you spend your nights with,” J.K. said.

“Hook up or shut up! Your skunk weed and your apples destroyed me.”

Mikey tossed an apple core hitting J.K.’s head. Moore punched at Mikey’s leg and Pan caught a random elbow. Soon the tent erupted into play fighting.

A low growl rumbled outside.

The four stopped. In the stillness, each person listened. The sound of pacing footsteps were just on the other side of the thin fabric. Inside the tent it was dead quiet. They all held their breath. Someone was waiting.

Snap.