The crunch of gravel beneath our tires signaled our arrival at the campsite. I, Ethan Blackwood, gazed out the window, my eyes scanning the dense woods that seemed to stretch on forever.
"Finally," Alex Chen, my best friend, said, pumping his fist in the air. "We're here."
Our group of friends, all twelve of us, piled out of the two vans, stretching our arms and yawning. We had all been friends since high school and had decided to take a trip together before we went our separate ways.
Aria Taylor, the feisty and independent photographer, snapped pictures of the campsite, her eyes shining with excitement. Lila Patel, her best friend, chattered excitedly beside her, already planning our first hike.
As we set up our tents, Jake "Mac" McCarthy and Ben "B-Dawg" Davis started a fire, while Chris "C-Note" Nguyen and Matt "Mattie" Jackson began to unpack the food.
Emily Lee and Mia Santos worked on setting up the makeshift kitchen, while Sarah Kim and Jessica "Jess" Martin started to gather firewood.
I watched them all, feeling a sense of unease settle in my stomach. Something didn't feel right.
Aria caught my eye, her gaze narrowing. "Hey, Ethan, what's wrong?" she asked, walking over to me.
I shook my head. "Nothing," I lied. "Just tired, I guess."
Aria raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, she turned and walked back to Lila, leaving me to my thoughts.
As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the campsite, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched.
And I was right.