Midnight Hunt

This is a fictional story, not based on true events.

I'm crouching low to the ground and waddling behind the black form of my roommate. She moves slowly through the palmetto branches, and tilts her head sideways to try to see underneath them. She moves a branch out of the way, lets it go, and it hits me in the face.

"What the heck, Traci?" I say.

"Sorry, Mel," Traci says. She makes soft clicking sounds and bends lower to the ground, moving her flashlight around. The batteries are about to die, and the yellow half-moon that appears on the floor of the woods only allows for a few faint traces of pine needles to show at a time. Then, lightly, it starts to drizzle. Thanks, Florida.

We are wandering through the pathless part of the woods by the dorms at eleven at night, searching for a hamster named Mellow, who is kind of illegal (we aren't allowed to have pets in the dorms). Traci claimed he "needed some fresh air," and as soon as the little devil hit the ground, he made a mad dash for the woods and disappeared.

I think Mellow is snake bait, but I don't want to tell Traci that. Traci stops walking, and I bump into her. She spreads out her arms and says, "I heard something."

"What? Mellow?"

"No."

I am silent for a few moments and stop breathing so I can hear … nothing. "Someone told me there are wild boars out here," she says. "I think I hear one." "How do you know it's a boar?" I ask. I think I see her shrug.

The wind moves through the woods, and the water in the leaves drops down on us. One fat drop lands in my eye. I can hear the palmettos rustle and invisible creatures scamper through the woods. The wind dies, and everything is eerily silent, but just for a second. I feel as if we are enclosed in the woods, and we might never be able to leave. "It's freaky out here at night," I say. "Why don't we look around for 10 more minutes, then call it a night?"

Traci looks both ways and behind us and says, "I think we are being followed." "You are just being…" I stop talking, because I can feel someone's warm, moist breath on my neck. Something grabs me by my shoulders and growls in my ear. I shriek, kick at it and jab it with my elbows until I'm free. I scream, "Run, Traci!" I'm already sprinting through the woods.

"Mel!" Traci shouts. I turn around. I see Traci standing next to someone, and I recognize my stupid friend Dan.

I walk back to him and punch him on the arm and say, "You're a jerk. Why are you stalking us, creeper?"

"I just like walking around the woods at night and preying on innocent college girls," he says.

I can see he's trying to hold back laughter. I punch him again. He says, "But, for real. I saw you guys go out into the woods and I wanted to give you a scare, Mel. And I also wanted to protect you two young ladies from the dangerous things that lurk in the woods."

I roll my eyes and say, "Have you seen a hamster?"

"Short guy? Really hairy?" Dan says.

"Wow. That's so funny," Traci says. "Mellow could be eaten up at any moment. You need to help or leave us alone."

"OK. I'll help," Dan says.

I look at his arm and see there is blood dripping from it. "What happened? Did you get cut on something?" I ask him.

"Yeah. There was a branch back there that got me pretty good," he says. We walk in the woods for about five minutes, calling softly for the hamster.

There is a loud flapping sound and a few pieces of bark fall on my face. I see a massive shadowy mess of feathers swoop down and grab a small creature off the ground.

"Mellow!" Traci screams. She runs after the owl, but it's already gone.

I catch up to her, put my hand on her shoulder and say, "Maybe it wasn't him." "I saw white and brown spots." She starts to sob. "I know it was him."

There is a loud rustling sound in the bushes just 10 feet away from us. Traci squeaks and clings to me. "We're going to die out here, just like Mellow."

"We aren't going to die," I say. "Just be still and quiet, and maybe it will go away."

We are all still and listen to the woods. The rustling moves farther and farther away until it stops entirely.

"Are people allowed to camp in the woods?" Dan asks.

I glare at him and say, "This isn't an appropriate time to plan a camping trip, Dan."

"Well, someone is camping out over there," he says.

In a little cove of trees and bushes is the faint glow of a dying campfire, and the black silhouette of a person hunched over and rocking. I can hear a small hum as if the person is murmuring.

"Oh, my gosh," Traci says. "That's so creepy. Who do you think it is?"

"Maybe it's a fired professor," Dan says. "That's not funny. That guy is homeless," I say. "We should be nice."

"Maybe he's seen Mellow," Dan sayss. Traci tears up and says, "Maybe he ate Mellow."

"Traci, don't be gross. Maybe we should…" Dan is already walking up to the guy. Traci grabs my arm and we walk behind Dan. I grab the tail of his shirt and hide most of my body behind him. The homeless guy doesn't look up as we approach. "Excuse me, sir. Have you seen a hamster?" Dan asks.

The man starts to wheeze and convulse, and I think he might be dying, but then I realize he is laughing. The man turns to look at us. The fire reflects in his face, creating streaks of orange and deep shadows under his eyes. The blackness deepens his wrinkles. One of his eyes is clouded over, and the other is black and darts around, never sitting still. "You kids should head back. This isn't a place to be so late at night."

"OK," Traci says, and I feel her pulling me back.

The old man holds out his hand and says, "Little ones should be careful in the woods." Cupped in his palm is the little brown and white furball that is Mellow.

Traci squeals and grips too tightly on my arm. Dan takes th hamster out of the man's hand and gives it to Traci. She rubs Mellow against her face and she kisses him.