Present Day
I set my phone down.
What could she want to talk about?
I lay there, curiosity eating away at my mind. I check the time.
4:43 p.m.
I've still got some time before I have to meet her.
I leave my room, walking down the hallway and downstairs. My dad is still sitting there doing work. He glances over at me, only his eyes moving.
"Did you need something?" he said.
"No," I reply.
His eyes move back to his laptop and papers.
I go to the living room and sit on the sofa. I scroll on my phone, seeing if I can find any new information on the old paper I found last night.
Before I knew it, it was already almost six.
I put my shoes on and head outside.
should i walk or drive?
I thought for a second.
I decided on driving to the park. It was only about a three-minute drive, and I was already cutting it close.
I drive the few minutes through my neighborhood and make it to the park. It was a nice area with benches and trails. It also had a pond where you could fish.
I check the time to make sure I wasn't late.
5:56 p.m. was when I got there.
Looking out, I saw Clover was already here. She was just sitting on a bench, bouncing her leg up and down. She looked nervous.
I get out of my car and start to walk over to her.
She notices me and stands up. She gives me a slight wave.
"Hey," she said.
"Looks like we both got here a little early," I replied.
"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for coming out here on such short notice."
"Yeah, it's no problem," I said. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
She looked hesitant.
She takes a breath.
"Have you noticed anything weird about Layla recently?" she asked.
"Like what?" I said.
"Like has she been weird or quiet or something?" she said.
Why is she asking me this?
I try to think of a response.
"Well, Layla and I broke up almost two years ago, so I don't really talk enough with her anymore to say if she's acting off or not."
She looks up at me and steps closer.
"But what about at camp?"
I try and act normal.
"What about it?" I say.
She looks down.
"Well, Layla was planning to ask for a second chance."
She paused for a second.
"But I guess she never got to."
I stand there staring at her, the image of the cabin flooding my mind once again.
"Sorry, but I gotta go," I say before turning around and starting to walk off.
"Wait!" Clover shouts.
I don't stop.
"I saw them," she said.
I stop in my tracks.
"What did you say?" I said.
"I saw them, Joel."
She's staring at the ground.
"Clover, tell me exactly what you saw," I said.
She looked at me. She was hesitant.
"I saw those weird people things. They looked like they were made out of wood or something. I saw them chasing you."
I was at a loss for words.
Someone else had seen them.
"Joel, they almost got you," she said.
"What? What do you mean?" I asked.
Her expression changed, fear growing in her eyes as she remembered what she saw.
"When you were running back to your cabin, those things were right behind you. When you stopped at the door, they reached out to grab you, but right before they got you, the door opened and you fell through."
I was frozen for a moment.
Clover spoke again.
"Layla was over by the cabins you came running from… but… she wasn't running with you. What happened to her, Joel? I need to know," she said.
I was speechless.
I didn't know whether to tell her what happened or not.
She already saw the puppets, but do I tell her I watched them kill her best friend?
But on the other hand, Layla was at school today, so why would she believe me if I told her?
But what else could I do?
"What I'm gonna say is about to sound crazy," I said.
Her expression changed to one of curiosity.
"Can't be crazier than those things," she said.
I take a deep breath.
"I watched those things rip Layla apart that night…" I said.
She stood there looking confused.
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense. If you saw her die, then how was she at school today?" she said.
I break eye contact.
"I don't know… but I know what I saw, and I saw her die that night, Clover. But somehow she was still at school this morning."
The wind blows. The cool breeze feels amazing.
"Well, I'm not gonna say I don't believe you," she said. "I saw those things behind you, and I never saw Layla come back, so maybe something did happen to her."
"But that still doesn't explain how she's alive," I said.
Clover had gone serious at this point.
"You're right, it doesn't. But she was acting different today, so maybe something happened."
I look at her, obviously questioning what she's trying to say.
"Are you saying that she got replaced?" I said.
"No, but I'm not saying that isn't what happened," she said.
I start walking off.
"Come on," I said, waving her to follow.
"What? Where are we going?" she said, following behind me.
"We have to tell my friends, then find out what's going on."
We reach my car.
"And how are we supposed to do that exactly?" she said, opening the passenger door.
I sit in the driver's seat and look at her.
"Well, you're her best friend, aren't you? You should easily be able to find out something from her."
I start the car.
"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do? Walk up to her and be like, 'Hey, Layla, I heard you got ripped apart by puppets. Did they send you back as a clone or something to kill us all?'" she said.
"Well, kinda. I just need you to see if she keeps acting weird. Then we can decide what to do from there."