The slam of the trunk echoed around the clearing as Dana put the metal box on the floor. "Man, this place really is remote," she said as she looked over the pile of stuff.

"It is a forest, yeah," agreed Lydia as she peered into the trees. "Do you think the guy at the store was right?" 

"Relax," chuckled Dana, "It’s just a local legend, nothing more."

"But those hikers," started Lydia, only to be interrupted by Dana. 

"I said relax. Look, hundreds of people go missing every year. Most of them are people in debt who are going off the grid. Few, if any, are snatched away by witches.” 

"That's not what the locals say," interjected Bonnie as she walked around the car, "And we're going to prove it once and for all." She opened one of the boxes and pulled out a battery. 

"Really?" asked Dana as she looked down at Bonnie, "You believe in this stuff?" 

"What does that mean?" asked Bonnie as she loaded the battery into a camera. 

"I don't know. I just didn't see you as a supernatural believer. I presumed you just thought this would do well with critics." 

"You're suggesting I would pander?" replied Bonnie.

"Hey, I'm not judging," chuckled Dana as she put her hands up. "I get the dance an artist has to do. People eat up supernatural mysteries and true crime, so what better way to get your name out there than combine them?" 

"You're so base," mumbled Bonnie. "I think this is a fascinating case. Hundreds of people have gone missing here due to the witches!" She slid a tape into the camera. 

"Wait, hundreds?" gasped Lydia. 

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah? Over three hundred depending on how you count it." 

"That's a lot," mumbled Lydia as terror filled her eyes. 

"You didn't read the pack I wrote, did you?" sighed Bonnie.

Lydia stepped from foot to foot for a few moments before shaking her head bashfully. "No," she said softly. "The image on the first page freaked me out so I put it down. I never went back to it."

"Right," groaned Bonnie. "It's fine, the less you know the more natural your reactions. Did you at least get to the witches?" 

"W-witches?" stuttered Lydia as Bonnie moved the camera around, making sure the lens was good. 

"Yeah, the local myths say that they haunt this place. A pair of twins apparently lived in the woods after being abandoned by their parents. But, according to legend, they practiced magic. When the harvest failed, the locals blamed it on them and murdered them. So, since the early 1800s, the pair have haunted the place, sweeping up hikers and murdering animals." 

"So, Hansel And Gretel with murder," supposed Dana.

"What?" Bonnie asked as she put her back on and stretched.

"All the local myths seem to be similar to Hansel And Gretel," replied Dana as she grabbed her pack, "Almost like they all come from the same source." 

"Just because they're similar doesn't mean they're fake," huffed Bonnie. "Anyhow, we should get going if we want to get to the camp location before nightfall. I want some sunset shots," she said as she waved the camera around a bit.

"Is that on?" asked Dana as she started to move into the trees. 

"Yeah," replied Bonnie. "I want as must natural footage as possible, so I'll be keeping the camera on as much as possible." 

"We should be on our best behavior then," added Lydia before letting out a loud, obviously fake, laugh, visibly trembling as she followed behind the other two. 

The girls spent the rest of the day walking into the forest, mostly in silence. Despite the reports and legends, the forest was disappointingly normal. It could have been any forest in any part of the country. Every so often, Bonnie would sweet the camera around, hoping to gather up as much B-Roll as the camera would allow. And, at the back of the group, Lydia was jumping at every noise. Her whole body shook and trembled as she looked around wildly. 

When they arrived in a small clearing, Dana turned to the other girls. "We should set up camp here," she said, putting her pack down. 

"What?" replied Bonnie. "But it isn't even sunset yet!"

"Yeah but it will be soon," insisted Dana as she pulled out a map. "Look, this whole forest is dense. This is the first campable clearing I've seen in over an hour. Going further risks us not being able to set up. And, while I'm good sleeping uncovered on the forest floor, I know you're not." Dana looked at the trembling Lydia. "And, you totally aren't." 

"I'm good!" argued Lydia as Bonnie shook her head. 

"But," contested Bonnie, obviously upset at being told what to do, "The cabin the witches lived in isn't here. I wanted to camp right near it!" 

Lydia shuddered. "Their cabin?"

"Didn't that burn down?" asked Dana. "None of the maps in your pack had it marked."

"Locals say you can see the mark on the ground, burned in due to the heat," explained Bonnie. 

"Right, but where is it? Like, I need coordinates." 

"We'll know when we see it!" 

"We won't see anything when the sun goes down!"

"I'm sure we'll find it eventually. We just need to keep going.”

"This forest is over 200 miles wide," growled Dana as she sat down next to a tree. "You could be walking all night and find nothing." 

"Look, I'm sure it's," started Bonnie, only for Dana to cut her off once more. 

"Need I remind you that you brought me on this trip as I'm the only one with actual wilderness experience?" she said, much like a mother scolding her child. "I know what I'm talking about. I'm not going further today. If you want to crack your skull open in the dark, go right ahead. I'm not responsible. But for mine and Lydia's safety, I refuse to go on until morning."

"Lydia, do you agree?" asked Bonnie as she turned to the trembling girl.

"I hate to say it," mumbled Lydia, her voice almost drowned out by the chattering of her teeth, "But I agree with Dana. I don't want to walk around in the dark if we don't know where we're going." 

"Oh alright," grumbled Bonnie as she put her pack down. "Then, you set up while I scope the area." 

"Fine," nodded Dana as she nodded to Lydia. "You unpack the stove and let's get some water on. I'll set up the tents." Dana smiled, calming down, and Lydia quickly got to work. 

Bonnie, however, walked a little deeper into the forest before turning the camera around and pointing it at herself. "So," she said to the lens. "We've walked into the forest that has been the end for many poor souls. So far we've seen nothing of interest, but I think nightfall will change that. Especially tomorrow night as we," she said, only to suddenly trail off. In the reflection on the lens, she could have sworn she saw someone moving in the trees behind her. 

"Dana? Lydia?" called Bonnie as she turned around. She knew the camp was in the other direction but did wonder if they had somehow circled her. 

"What?" came Dana's voice from the direction of the camp. 

"Nothing," replied Bonnie as she shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm just psyching myself out," she mumbled to herself as she walked back towards the clearing. 

As she re-entered the clearing, Bonnie found that Dana and Lydia had set up an impressive camp. All three tents had been erected and a pot of water was bubbling on the stove. Bonnie smiled, amazed at her friends’ camping skills. "Wow, this is great!"

"Thanks," Dana responded, returning the smile. "I'm nothing if not efficient. How did your recording go?"

"Pretty okay," Bonnie replied thoughtfully as she sat down near the stove. "Just a little preamble." 

"Right," nodded Dana as she poured out some water. "I'm going to start dinner, I want to hang the food before night. Scavengers will be coming out."

"Scavengers," whimpered Lydia. 

Dana giggled. "Coyotes, chill. Ain't a threat to us. They'll just make a mess. But if we get food hung up, then they'll not even bother. They're just looking for an easy score." 

"Oh, okay," Lydia said through a sigh, her cheeks flushing red for a brief moment. Once the food was ready, the girls ate in silence. The forest was weirdly peaceful. In fact, if they hadn't been told of the disappearances then they would have considered the forest to be a beautiful and safe place. 

However, as she ate, Bonnie saw more movement in the forest. It was almost like a figure was watching her. "Hey," she mumbled as she motioned to Dana.

"What?" asked Dana. 

"Behind you, is that someone?" 

However, the second Dana turned, the figure vanished into thin air. "No?" replied Dana. "I think you might’ve made yourself paranoid." 

"I guess so," sighed Bonnie. 

"Don't get in your own head. Remember, we're naturally wired to see other humans in everything. It's why people see faces in the clouds and stuff," began Dana as she looked around the forest, "You might see short dog-sized stuff, but that's just a critter. Doesn't want your soul, just your carbs," chuckled Dana, getting a laugh from Lydia in the process. 

"Not if I eat them first," giggled Lydia as Dana nodded.

"If stuff lurked in the forest waiting to pick off campers, I would have vanished years ago," added Dana as she looked around the clearing, "But I should start cleaning up." 

"I'll help," offered Lydia as she started to gather up the cooking utensils. Within the hour, the girls had managed to clean the camp up, leaving just the three tents. 

As the last of the light vanished, Dana put her headlight on and sat outside her tent. "Okay, we all good to sleep?" she asked with a smile. 

"Yeah," replied Lydia.

"I want to be up at sunrise," added Bonnie. 

"We will be," agreed Dana. "If any of you girls need me, just come wake me up, okay?" she added as she ducked into her tent. "Until then, sleep tight." 

"Sleep tight," replied Lydia as she went into her tent. Bonnie turned to walk into hers. However, as she did, she once again saw movement in the trees. She quickly blinked and opened her eyes, only to find that once again the movement had vanished.

"Paranoid," sighed Bonnie as she clambered inside and turned her camera on. She debated talking about what she had seen, wondering if voicing it would make her paranoia worse. However, after a moment of consideration, she decided to go through with it, not wanting to risk losing footage that could come in useful later. 

After talking to the camera for a few minutes, Bonnie turned it off and went to sleep. 

However, Bonnie was soon awoken from her slumber by a strange moaning noise. At first, she tried to brush it off, Dana's comment about critters echoing in her mind. However, the more she listened, the more she realized that the moaning was human. Excited human moaning. 

Bonnie grabbed her camera and dived out of the tent. The second she emerged she realized something was wrong, as there was a strange orange glow coming from the forest. On top of this, Dana's tent was open and no one seemed to be inside. 

"Lydia? Dana?" called Bonnie as she moved towards the light, keen to see what was going on in the forest. However, just as she entered the forest, the light vanished, almost like someone had turned a floodlight off.

Bonnie looked around, a shiver going through her spine as she continued to move into the trees. In the far distance, she spotted a figure standing between the trees.

"Dana?" shouted Bonnie, only for the figure to turn. Bonnie let out a loud scream only to hear a laugh come from the figure. 

"Calm the hell down," echoed Dana's voice as she walked closer. 

"What is going on?" asked Bonnie. "I saw a bright light and came to investigate." 

"Ah, just my headlamp," Dana responded, pointing to the lamp as she walked past Bonnie. "I thought I saw a wolf. Rare to see them these days." 

"But I heard moaning?" asked Bonnie as she followed behind Dana. 

"Yeah, wolf hunting calls. Pretty common," Dana clarified as she slipped back into her tent. "Night." 

"Night," mumbled Bonnie as she stood in the campsite for a few moments. Something felt off. She could feel the hairs on her neck standing up as the darkness of the forest seemed to come close. She spun around quickly and gasped as she saw two human shadows duck back into the trees.

Bonnie looked around and took a deep breath. She told herself she was paranoid, but she didn't really believe it. But at the same time, she didn't want to anger Dana by waking her up. "It's nothing," sighed Bonnie as she climbed into the tent and hid in her sleeping bag.