"That's the north star"
I followed the direction of Nellie's finger up to the brightly lit skies. It's night now and everyone is contently settled around the bonfire Jamie had tried clumsily making but Tasha ended up doing.
He retreated, tail tuck between his legs when Tasha effortlessly piled the wood and lit it within a minute when Jamie almost wasted all the matches for nothing.
Now, here we are, full and roasting marshmallows while watching the stars.
It's peaceful and it's so much better than being cooped up inside a room.
Jamie and Janine are giggling, half-drunk with the beers Shane had brought with her.
Tasha is swirling a bottle of vodka, still intent on melting the marshmallows until they're perfect brown before feeding it to Shane who is busy fixing her camcorder that broke by being shoved and squashed inside her almost overflowing pack.
Nellie, on the other hand, had lain a blanket on the grass where we now lay, with me watching the reflection of stars in his eyes and him telling me about them.
"It's said that if you're lost, you just have to follow that star and you'll find your way back home"
He turned his head sideways to stare at me and I immediately looked away.
"Really?" I asked.
He sighed, placing an arm atop his head.
"Really"
"Beautiful" I murmured, not really referring to the star.
"And that one," he pointed to another, clearing his throat when he caught me looking at his face.
"The heart-shaped one. That's the heart nebula but if you look at it using a telescope, it is said to look like a running dog"
"Wow" I heaved a breath.
"Your love for constellations never ceased to amaze me"
Nellie gave a smile.
From the six of us, he's the only one really interested in celestial bodies and studies about the sky.
Oh, and especially the moon.
Jamie had used to tease him about it, calling him our little Neil Armstrong since it's close to his name too.
While the three excelled in sports, Jamie in soccer, Janine in her cheerleading and Tasha in her passion for beating the hell out of someone aka wrestling, the three of us left are the opposite.
Shane with her vlogs, Nellius with his obsession with stars and me with my books and love for philosophy.
It's a wonder, how we all ended up being in the same group sometimes.
"As you had said, they're beautiful" Nellie shrugged.
I held my breath when he propped his head in one arm and stared down at me, giving me his full attention.
"But…" he trailed.
"But?" I asked, raising my brows.
A smile made its way on my lips despite how much I try to hide it.
"But the twinkle of your eyes, Carlisle Logan, marvels even the brightest star"
Laughing, I shoved him on his chest, all the while suddenly feeling shy.
Nellie isn't just my friend and he isn't just my lover too.
We were more than that and despite how many times I look at him or how many times he tries to sway me with his words, I cannot help but to swoon and fall harder.
"That was a good one" I giggled and we shared a laugh.
We both sighed and he bent over to move closer.
However, the loud and excited "aha!" of Shane had us both jumping.
"I've got that on camera" she teased, pointing the camcorder towards us and we both groaned, separating away.
"Ugh!"
From where the two are slouched over, Janine suddenly stood in wobbly toes and clutched her abdomen.
"Tasha, accompany me, would you? I need to piss" she left Jamie who was busy laughing on his own and tipping up a half-empty bottle of beer.
"Fuck no" Tasha grumbled, blowing on the brown marshmallow to cool before handing it over to Shane who happily chewed on it.
"Shane?" she asked but Shane is already shaking her head, too caught up with her camcorder to pay attention to anything.
"Ugh!" Jan threw her hands up.
"Don't tell me you'll refuse me too, Carly"
"Come on then, let's go"
I rose up from the blanket, quickly grabbing a flashlight and accompanied Jan who is fuming.
She gave a middle finger to Tasha who gladly returned it before huffing and kicking the drunken Jamie when he attempted to clutch her leg.
"Babe, where you going?" he slurred.
Jan ignored him and I trailed behind her, watching out in case she goes out of balance.
"Don't go too far!" Nellius shouted and I gave a "Yeah!" before following Jan who is already going down to the direction of the woods.
I shined the flashlight and we went a little bit farther down, finding a rock that shielded us from the rest. In this side, it's far but near enough to see the bonfire and the tall grasses provides a wall from any peeping eyes if there would be one.
"Alright, be quick" I told Jan, turning my back to her and clicking the flashlight off.
I hear shuffling behind me and I tapped my foot to the ground, waiting and looking around at our surroundings. Up here, I can see the head of the redwood trees despite the darkness and…
Wait, what was that?
"Ugh, fucking bladder"
Behind me, Jan grumbled but my attention is on the torches, surrounding and illuminating a clearing down below. There's a bonfire on the middle and it's large enough to illuminate the figures standing around it despite the distance.
There's a pattern with the torches position like two triangles meeting upside down with the large bonfire on the middle.
"Carly, light the flash-"
A sudden, loud chanting interrupted Jan and she paused beside me.
"What the fuck?" she slurred, suddenly roused when the figures began to move around the bonfire, their chants getting louder.
"I thought Jamie said there's no civilization here. We're high up in the mountains" I murmured, looking to Janine who is as confused as I.
We both watched the scene, at the figures chanting a creepy tune that raised goosebumps on my flesh.
There is at least a dozen of them.
"Well, this is giving me the heebie jeebies" Jan commented, hugging her arms to herself.
"Reminds me of 'the ritual'. You know when they sacrificed the travelers to their god and nailed them to the woods"
Elbowing Janine, I scowled when she merely laughed at my bewildered expression.
"What?" she snorted.
"It's probably just a bunch of old people upholding tradition. It's Romania. Come on. Let's just go" she tilted her head to our camp and to the rest who are still oblivious of it.
Her indifference is in contrast with the bad feeling creeping in my gut.
Giving the bizarre scene one last look, I shined the flashlight.
However, I belatedly realized my mistake because as soon as I did, the figures suddenly stopped moving and chanting.
The silence is so much worse and I looked back to see the figures' head turned towards our direction.
All of them.
Despite the distance, I can feel the burn of their stares at the back of my neck.
It's unnerving.
Janine and I shared a look.
"Shit, why are they looking at us like that?" I asked, warning bells ringing inside my head that it's deafening.
I covered a palm to the flashlight's mouth but it was too late. We were spotted. We gained their attention.
That is the first signal, telling me that something is seriously wrong with the place. That something bad is about to happen.
If only I had listened, if only…then I would have prevented five deaths.
But I didn't.