Member-only story
Fiction
Between Two Trees
One couple’s camping trip takes a deadly turn
Brad and Cassie were running late when they got lost.
Cassie had taken a few extra minutes to fix her makeup in the truck stop restroom, so Brad insisted they take a shortcut to make up time. For the past twenty minutes, they’d ridden in silence–Brad driving and Cassie staring out the passenger window into the forest. This camping trip was their last chance to save their marriage, and it hadn’t started out well.
The GPS on Brad’s phone said they had forty-five minutes before they reached their campsite. That was forty-five minutes ago. Now, neither he nor Cassie had any signal. Brad’s shortcut plunged them ever deeper into the dark woods.
Their Toyota Camry, loaded with camping gear and most of Cassie’s closet, navigated the humps and bumps of the unpaved road. But with each passing minute, Brad’s confidence in his shortcut and his marriage faded.
“You should’ve asked for directions at the gas station,” Cassie said, staring out her window.
“I had enough time to walk to the campsite while you were changing outfits in the bathroom,” said Brad.
Cassie ignored Brad’s jab and asked, “Can’t we just turn around?”
