Camping Gone Wrong

A group of friends and two older siblings went camping in a remote forest. There was no phone service, and the campsite was far from the nearest homes. They set up two tents, cooked over a fire, and spent the evening telling stories.

One of the older girls came out of the tent annoyed and said that someone was touching and dragging something along the side of it. The group dismissed it as a branch or a prank because everyone else was gathered nearby. Later, several of them went to sleep.

During the night, I woke to tapping on the tent and soft giggling. The laugh sounded deep, almost like a man’s voice. After a short while the noises stopped, and I convinced myself that they had been caused by a branch or one of the boys trying to frighten us.

The next morning, the group split up. Some people went hiking while the others stayed near the campsite. When we returned, we found both tents slashed open. The cuts looked as if they had been made with a small knife. Everyone ran toward the campsite after hearing us scream.

We decided to leave immediately. One of the vehicles had slashed tires, but the other vehicle was still usable. The driver left with some of the group to reach a place with phone service and contact the authorities. The rest of us began walking toward the main road rather than stay near the damaged campsite.

As we walked, I heard branches snapping behind us in the trees. The sound kept moving closer. I warned the older boy, who began watching over his shoulder while we continued toward the road.

Suddenly, he shouted for us to run. I looked back and saw three tall, hooded figures running toward us. Two of them carried knives. They wore masks, and I could not make out any facial features. We ran as fast as we could while the figures followed us.

After a while, the figures stopped pursuing us. We reached the main road and waited until the driver returned. We told the authorities everything, and the area was searched. No one found the people who had damaged the campsite or chased us, although photographs of the slashed tents remained as evidence.

I still do not know whether the people intended to harm us or only wanted to frighten us. The tapping and giggling may have been the beginning of the same threat. I am grateful that we left when we did and that the older boy noticed the figures before they reached us.