“Come on, Jeremy, it’s just a hiking trip. You haven’t hung out with us in, what, six months?”

“Yeah, I’ve been slammed at work,” Jeremy closed his eyes, wishing that he’d never answered the damn phone, “You know how it is. A hiking trip, huh? You know I’m not much of an outdoorsman, Cole.”

“So what. Just come. You can even bring your … girl.”

Jeremy could tell that Cole was searching his memory for the name, “Valerie,” he offered, “But, yeah, we broke up a few weeks ago.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“That’s okay. You didn’t know. But listen, I think I’m going to take a pass. Besides, I don’t even own a sleeping bag, much less a tent, dude.”

“So sleep in mine. I have a ton of sleeping bags, too. Come over tonight. You can take your pick.”

Jeremy leaned back against the wall and bounced his head against it. Cole could never take no for an answer. He’s always been that way, but time and distance always made Jeremy forget that little fact. Now he was paying the price, “Who’d you say was coming?”

“Tyson and Margo, Brian, Greg, you and me.”

“Why isn’t Hanna coming?”

“Her and Margo are having a disagreement, apparently. Hell, I’m not even supposed to go, but I’m going anyway. She’ll get over it.”

“You’re taking a chance there, man.”

“It’ll be worth it to get everyone together again, even for a few days. You’re coming, Jer, so get your ass over here tonight and pick out a sleeping bag.”

************************************************************************

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t been this sweaty since high school gym class.” Brian said between gasps for air, as he trailed Jeremy up the trail. What they were climbing wasn’t exactly a mountain, but it sure as hell was a steep ass hill.

“That’s what an office job gets you. Trust me, I know,” Jeremy said. He paused for a moment, letting Brian catch up to him. He nodded up the steep incline, where Greg, Cole, Tyson, and his girlfriend, Margo, were disappearing into the trees, “Guess we should have went to the gym, huh?”

“Yeah, fuck that,” Brian grinned broadly and wiped his face with his bandana, “I should have just insisted that we meet up at a Jojo’s for a good steak dinner instead of climbing this damn mountain.”

“It’s hardly a mountain, Bri,” Jeremy chuckled, “We’re just out of shape and they’re not.”

By the time they caught up with the others, they were already pitching the tents at the small campsite.

“Bout time, assholes,” Cole said, “We figured you were just trying to get out of work.”

“Fuck you,” Jeremy quipped. He dropped his pack and moved to help Cole with their tent even thought he’d set up a tent approximately zero times, “Uh, where exactly does this cord go?” he asked.

“On second thought, maybe you ought to go gather firewood. You do know what firewood is, don’t you?”

“Haha.” Jeremy threw the cord at him. He noticed a picnic table chained to a tree and ambled over to it and took a seat. Even though it was only September, the air already had a chill to it at this high of an elevation, especially with sunset only an hour away. Jeremy got up and brought his backpack over to the table and pulled out his jacket.

Across the way, Margo and Tyson were doing more kissing than they were actually setting up their tent. Jeremy watched them a bit jealously. Tyson had always been the ladies’ man of their group, and, despite being in his forties now, like all the rest of them, he was still a buff gym rat.

“Hey, want to help me here,” Greg asked. He was kneeling on the leaf strewn ground, trying to pound a stake while also keeping the cord pulled taught, “Can you hold this for me?”

Jeremy got up and took the tent cord from Greg. He held the loop on the ground while Greg pounded the stake and then they moved on to the next one. Greg was the only one of the bunch that had kids. Six of them, in fact, with four different moms. Luckily, he had a damn good job at a manufacturing plant to help keep them all fed.

“This tent sure looks like it’s been around the block.” Jeremy mentioned, as he noted the frayed fabric and duct tape around the window.

“My two oldest boys like to set it up in the backyard,” Greg groaned as he got to his feet, “Trust me, it’s been through the wringer, but I didn’t want to buy another one just for one night.”

Once Jeremy got a roaring fire going in the pit, the smoked sausages got tossed on the grate, and the beer tabs got popped as everyone settled down on the split logs that served as seating. This was what made all the rest worth doing, Jeremy thought, as he lazily turned the sausages so the heat could kiss all sides.

“Now, this is what I’m talking about,” Cole declared, “All of us back together, just like old times.”

“Old times just means we’re old.” Brian quipped, as he opened a bag of chips.

“Hey, man, I’m just getting started,” Tyson flexed his considerable arm muscles and winked at Margo, “Not everyone lets themselves go.”

“Yeah, well some of us actually have real jobs.”

“Personal training is a real job, asshole.”

“Are you shitheads actually arguing right now?” Cole glared at them.

“This takes me back,” Greg whispered. He dropped down on one knee by the fire and held out a plate of buns for Jeremy to drop the sausages into, “Some things never change, do they?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Jeremy agreed as he filled the buns, “Food’s ready.” he announced, loudly.

It might have been the food, or maybe it was the beer, but either way, the mood lightened considerably after that. They chatted about their youthful escapades, filling Margo in on all the brave, stupid things Tyson had done back in the day.

“And what about you, Jer,” Tyson was eager to turn the spotlight off of himself, “How about that time we dared you to go in the closet to kiss Tonya Thompson …”

Jeremy, for once, was grateful that Valerie wasn’t here to hear this, “Shut the hell up, Ty.”

“No way, dude,” Tyson winked at Margo, “Turns out, Tonya held up a mop out in front of her, and Jeremy thought it was her, and when we flung the door open, there he was, going in for a big, sloppy smooch with the fucking mop.”

While Jeremy rolled his eyes, the entire camp broke out in hysterical laughter, “Do I need to remind you that it was dark in there?” he asked, defensively.

“Dark or not, I still think I would have known the difference between a mop and a girl.” Tyson chuckled.

“Hey, wasn’t it Tonya that broke up with you in ninth grade?”

“Shut up, Jer.” Tyson growled, warningly.

“Yeah, I think it was. And didn’t she take up with that football player next? What was his name?”

“Tod Benson.” Brian said.

“Oh, that’s right. The Tod Benson …”

“I said shut the fuck up, Jeremy.” Tyson spat.

But Jeremy knew what button to push, and he wasn’t ready to back down, not this time, “Tod Benson, yeah, he went on to become one of the best quarterbacks the NFL ever had, while you went on to become …”

“I’ve got one for ya,” Cole suddenly spoke, “And it’ll make you guys sound like a bunch of pansy asses.”

Every single one of them turned to stare at him. The flickering fire made his somber expression look particularly ominous.

“That’s why I invited you all here, to tell you.”

“Tell us what, Cole?” Greg asked him.

“You guys remember Jonah don’t you?”

“Jonah Connelly?” Jeremy asked, as his mind conjured up an image of their classmate that had went missing during their senior year.

“I killed him.” Cole said, in the same tone that he would announce what time it was.

A collective gasp went through the group.

“You’re joking, right?” Jeremy started to chuckle.

“I killed him. I did,” Cole ran his hand over his balding head, “I killed him and then I threw him in the back of my truck and I drove him up here and I buried him under that tree right over there.”

The group all turned to look at the old pine tree on the edge of their camp that Cole had pointed to.

“Is this like, what … a scary story, right? The classic, tell a scary story around the campfire, kind of thing?” Greg seemed unimpressed, “Cole, I hate to tell you this, but we’re not twelve years old anymore.”

“I used to work at Frost-eeze, remember? Jer, I know you remember. You used to come up there sometimes and get a cone and hang out when I was at work.”

Jeremy slowly nodded. His mind was drifting back, pulling up memories of his youth. He remembered Jonah. He’d been sort of a hotshot back in school because his parents had owned not only the Frost-eeze, but also a music store in their local mall. Early in their senior year, Jonah had went missing. There’d been a rush of support from the community, with multiple search parties sent out, but he had never been found. Most people eventually assumed that he’d run off, and life gradually went back to normal. Jeremy’s eyes met Cole’s again, and another memory came rushing back. He had went to grab a burger from Frost-eeze. He normally ordered at the window outside, but no one had been there to take his order, so he’d went inside. There had been shouting from the kitchen; an argument between Cole and Jonah over a girl they both liked, “Tiffany.” Jeremy suddenly said, aloud, as he remembered.

Cole closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them quickly and nodded curtly, “I knew you’d remember. The son of a bitch knew I had the hots for her. Knew I’d been saving up every damn penny so I could ask her out, take her someplace nice, but he had everything, ya know. Everything just handed to him. Of course she would pick him over me. There he was, riding around in a damn Camaro, throwing his money around. I didn’t stand a chance.”

“Now just a fucking minute,” Greg’s forehead was wet with sweat and he reached up with his forearm and wiped it dry on his jacket, “You guys are talking like this is real or something,” he glanced over at Jeremy, “You two worked this out together, didn’t you? Trying to scare us?”

Tyson suddenly stood up. He grabbed the camp shovel, “Let’s go see, why don’t we?”

“Go ahead, knock yourself out.”

Greg stared at Cole incredulously, “Okay, you win. I’m officially scared. There. Now tell us it’s all a joke, Cole.”

“I didn’t plan it. It just happened, ya know? Just rage. It took me over. I couldn’t control it.”

Jeremy tried to speak but his voice caught. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Why are you telling us, Cole?”

“This is so fucked up,” Brian stood up and marched towards his tent, “I don’t want to be involved in this nonsense. I’m going to sleep.”

Cole shrugged, “Smart man.”

Jeremy looked around. At some point, Greg and Margo had both joined Tyson to dig beneath the pine tree. Greg was wielding a pot lid, and Margo was using a coffee cup. He felt certain that their dig would yield no bones, but he still looked at Cole, uneasily.

“The rage, it just comes over me, like a wildfire,” Cole was staring at the flickering flames of the campfire like he was mesmerized, “At first, I can tamp it down. Hold it at bay. But then, something happens and I start to lose control, and then, BAM!”

Jeremy jumped as Cole’s hands slapped together.

“Get me a flashlight. I found something.” Tyson cried.

Jeremy grabbed the lantern and took it over to them. Tyson took it. He was standing in the pit that he had dug. The light let them immediately pick out the bones that stuck out from the dirt.

“Holy shit,” Tyson breathed, as he bent down, picked something out of the earth, and held it up for them to see, “A skull. It’s a fucking skull.”

They turned as one to stare, agape, at Cole.

“It looks like a human skull, Tyson,” Margo whispered, “I want to leave.”

Jeremy helped her out of the pit.

“Tyson, come on. Take me home.” she was glaring at him, but Tyson ignored her. He started digging some more, stopping every now and then to toss bones up onto the rim of the pit.

Jeremy’s insides were doing somersaults as he put the lantern down next to the rim. He sauntered over to Cole and took a seat on the log facing him, “All right, you did kill Jonah. And, you got away with it. So, why tell us now, Cole? Why not leave it all back in the past, man?”

“Because the rage is building again, Jer,” Cole scrunched his face up, “It’s taking over, and I just …”

“What the fuck?” Tyson bellowed from the pit, “I found another one!”

Jeremy watched Cole’s expression change from agony to anger, as Tyson jumped out of the pit and stomped towards them.

Tyson held the skull right in front of Cole’s face, “How many, Cole?” he cried, “How many am I gonna find in that fucking grave?”

Cole scowled up at him, silently.

“Answer me!” Tyson hollered, as he loomed over Cole, threateningly.

Jeremy stood up, intending to get between them.

“Tyson, just calm down and let’s talk about …”

Suddenly, Cole reached behind his back and brought a gun out from beneath his waistband. He pointed it at Tyson’s face.

Tyson held his arms up and started backing away, “What the hell, man?” he whispered, as, behind him, Margo started shrieking.

“Put it down, Cole,” Jeremy spoke calmly, rationally, even, when he really wanted to shriek right along with her, “Let’s not let this get out of hand, all right. You’re with friends here.”

The gun went off and Tyson dropped to the ground, blood pumping from the hole in his forehead.

Jeremy felt all the blood drain from his head as he stood helplessly watching as Cole got to his feet and walked, nonchalantly, over to Tyson’s body. Standing over him, Cole used his boot to lazily prod him, then bent down and checked for a pulse. He stood back up and looked at Margo, Greg, and Jeremy, “I knew I’d have to kill him first.” he said, softly.

Margo lunged at him, screaming, “You killed him! Oh my god, you killed him!”

Cole raised the gun and fired. Margo’s body slammed backwards jerkily, and then crumpled.

Jeremy’s eyes met Greg’s. They were in trouble.

“Cole,” Jeremy kept his voice soft, “Cole, listen to me,” Cole turned towards him. He looked crazed, or maybe that was just his own take on it, “Put the gun down and let’s sit down and talk about what you’ve been going through. You know, with the rages.”

“There’s no fixing it, Jer. I’ve tried. I have.”

“Still, you need to talk about it. Work through it …”

“No. No, it won’t work, Jer.”

“It will,” Jeremy walked slowly towards him. He put his arm around Cole and gently led him over to the fire, “Come on, let’s sit down and talk. Just talk, that’s all. Let’s start with the second time that … that the uh … rage came over you.”

“Orville Matthews,” Cole grunted, as he dropped onto the log, “He was my supervisor over at Barnico. You remember that place, don’t you?”

Jeremy snatched his eyes off of the gun that Cole had just placed next to him on the log, “Oh yeah, the place that manufactured plane parts. You got that job right out of high school, didn’t you?”

Cole nodded, “I was so proud when I landed that gig …”

Jeremy sat down right beside Cole, close enough that the gun was just inches away from his hand. He just needed to keep Cole talking for another minute, at most.

Suddenly, Brian unzipped his tent and came out. His skin looked pasty in the flickering firelight as he fought to sling his pack over his shoulders. He paused and looked at Greg, “I’m leaving. You should come with me.”

Greg’s eyes widened in alarm. He glanced in Jeremy and Cole’s direction, as if seeking permission.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Cole picked up the gun and Jeremy’s hopes deflated. Cole started chuckling, “That’s rich, Bri. It really is. Did you really think I was just going to let you march out of this camp?”

Brian pivoted away from them, staring into the dark woods that surrounded them. He took a few purposeful steps, and then his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Good choice, Bri.” Cole intoned.

But then, in a move that none of them saw coming, Brian took off, running full bore towards the tree line.

He didn’t make it.

Cole fired the gun with deadly accuracy and Brian never stood a chance.

“Bad choice, Bri.” Cole shook his head, disappointedly.

“Greg, why don’t you come over here by the fire,” Jeremy suggested, mostly because he was terrified that Greg was about to lose it and he couldn’t witness another friend die tonight, “We need to get to the bottom of Cole’s rage so that we can fix it.”

Greg looked at him like he was crazy.

“Greg,” Jeremy said, firmly, trying to snap him back to the futility of trying to run, “Greg, can you help us out here? Please.”

“Yeah, sure.” Greg capitulated. He slowly walked towards them, his terror plain to see.

“Now, Cole, before we were interrupted, you were telling me about your supervisor,” Jeremy seemed crazy even to himself, sitting there, talking calmly to a murderer, but he knew that only by staying calm could he give himself and Greg half a chance to survive this nightmare, “Can you remember when you first became enraged by him?”

***********************************************************************

Jeremy reached out and gently shook Greg. Greg woke with a start, his eyes wild with alarm. Jeremy quickly put his finger to his mouth, warning him to stay silent. Across the way, on the opposite side of the now dying fire, Cole was sprawled out on the ground, finally asleep. They’d talked for hours as he had worked to convince Cole that help could be found for his rages. Eventually, Greg had passed out, but Jeremy had pressed on, encouraging Cole to keep talking until he, too, closed his eyes and didn’t reopen them. Jeremy had wanted to jump up right then, but he’d forced himself to sit there, quietly, for another hour, making certain that Cole really was asleep and not just trying to fool him.

Jeremy gestured for Greg to get up, and after he did, they walked on their tippy-toes towards the tree line. Jeremy had wanted to grab the gun, but it had been lying right next to Cole, and he just didn’t want to risk it. They would have to hope that they could get down the hillside to the parking lot before Cole woke up.

As the dark woods enveloped them, Jeremy felt a tiny wisp of fear drift away from him into the ether. He’d been convinced that, like Brian, he and Greg would never make it past the campsite. They moved quickly, automatically making for the trail that they had climbed up earlier. Jeremy tried not to think about Brian, Tyson, or Margo. He needed to stay focused, anyway.

Suddenly, Greg stumbled over a rock and he cried out as he twisted his ankle and fell to the ground.

Jeremy shushed him as he knelt down beside him. He reached for Greg’s ankle and felt for broken bones, whispering, “I think you just twisted it. Can you stand?”

Greg nodded. Jeremy helped him to his feet and stood by him as Greg tested his weight.

“It’s sore, but I can walk on it.” Greg whispered back.

They started down again, only slower now, and more hesitant.

Somewhere off in the distance, an owl hooted and another creature, a bobcat, maybe, screamed in response, reminding them that they were out in the low mountain wilderness with not a weapon between them.

Eventually, Greg hissed, “I need to rest for a minute. My ankle’s on fire.”

“Yeah, take a minute,” Jeremy whispered, “It’s fine. We’re probably half way down by now.”

Greg sat down and rubbed his ankle, “We’ve got a sizable lead on him, too, so no way he’s catching up with us.”

A twig snapped behind them, and both of them jumped in fright.

“Come on, let’s get moving.”

They started walking again, on edge now, as they each silently grappled with their fears that Cole might have been awake the whole time, and was now, in fact, following them down.

Jeremy slipped a little on the loose dirt and slid several feet before coming to rest against a small boulder. He glanced back at Greg, who was coming down behind him, and frowned when he thought he saw a shadowy figure dart behind a tree. He was seeing things, that was all, he told himself. Cole had been asleep. He was positive of that. There was no way that he could be following that close behind. No way.

Greg caught up to him and Jeremy whispered, “I was thinking we should get off the trail. Follow me.”

Jeremy wended his way through the trees, leading them deeper into the woods, but still angled down hill. He didn’t know how much of a difference it was going to make, though.

They climbed over a few large boulders so they wouldn’t have to go around them and dropped down the other side. Greg cried out in pain as his feet hit the ground.

“You good?” Jeremy asked him, as he glanced up the hill behind them. Nothing but trees, which was reassuring.

“Fucking hurts, but I’ll feel a hell of a lot better once we get to the car.”

“Tell me about it.”

Suddenly, a bullet pinged the boulder and ricocheted off, kicking up a clod of dirt right next to Greg.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, as Jeremy grabbed his arm and they started running down the hill, racing around the trees, praying like hell that they wouldn’t trip on the pinecones or rocks that littered the forest floor.

Another shot rang out, this one bouncing off of a tree just in front of them.

Jeremy shrieked and yanked Greg to the left, behind a large pine. Fuck. At this rate, there was no way they’d get down to his car alive.

“He’s too close,” Greg cried, “We’re not going to make it.”

“I have a plan. Come on, let’s go.” Jeremy hissed, as they took off down the hill again. They ran, crashing through the woods, not even trying to keep hidden, which was all part of the plan. Another bullet pinged the ground at their feet, as they took shelter behind another tree.

Jeremy quickly looked around. He spotted a large, dead branch nearby and grabbed it. It was sturdy enough. It would work. He sucked in a steadying breath, “Greg, I need you to run. Make sure he sees you. Don’t stop, no matter what. Just head for the parking lot.” He tossed him the keys to his car.

“No way I’m leaving you, dude.” Greg shook his head.

“Listen to me, you have kids, man. They need you. Now go. Go!” He shoved Greg, pushing him to run.

With a cry of anguish, Greg started running, waving his hands as he dashed loudly through the forest.

A few moments later, Jeremy heard a loud grunt and the sound of feet running through the pine needles. He hefted the heavy branch, and peered around the edge of the tree. Cole was running straight for him, and Jeremy forced himself to wait until he could hear Cole draw even closer, and then he stepped out from behind the tree and swung the branch with all his might, clocking Cole directly in his face. Cole’s body crumpled to the ground, his gun skittering off into the pine needles and leaves that covered the forest floor.

For a few seconds, Jeremy considered looking for it, but the urge to get away was stronger. He gave one last glance down at Cole’s still body, and then took off running. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, lighting up the forest splendidly as Jeremy finally saw a bit of the parking lot through the trees down below him. He was going to make it. He threw himself over another outcropping of rocks, wincing as his foot landed on a sharp rock that he didn’t see coming. He uttered a string of curse words as he hobbled, favoring his foot.

The parking lot was slowly growing closer. He could see the vehicles now; there was Tyson’s big, black SUV, and Brian’s fancy little sports car. A ping of raw grief brought tears to his eyes. It was impossible to accept that he would never see them again.

Just then, a glint from a windshield caught Jeremy’s eye; it was his car backing out of the parking spot. He’d made it. Greg had made it to his car and was leaving.

The throbbing in his foot had lessened, and Jeremy picked up his pace, eager to get the hell off of the damn hill.

“You should have killed me, Jer!”

A chill ran up Jeremy’s back as he heard Cole’s words. He stopped and turned around. Cole was standing on the rock outcrop. His face was bloody, but he was holding the gun out in front of him with a steady hand.

Jeremy knew exactly how accurate Cole’s aim was. It was possible that he’d be dead before he could even turn around. He turned around anyway, and threw himself down the hill in a mad scramble to put as much distance as he could between himself and Cole.

As he slid and stumbled his way down the steep hill, Jeremy could hear Cole bellowing in outrage behind him. He didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. He heard the roar of the gun, felt a sharp pain explode in his right bicep, but, even then, Jeremy kept going.

The pain was agonizing, but he didn’t dare slow down. He sensed that Cole was gaining on him, and that spurred him on. Suddenly, he lost his footing and he went down on his knees, and he started tumbling head over heels down the hill. Sharp rocks bit into his back, his head, everywhere, and he cried out as his arm slammed against the ground again and again. And then, just as quickly as his uncontrolled roll started, it stopped. He came to a rest at the bottom of the hill, face down on the asphalt.

Jeremy groaned. There was a rock pressing into his cheek. He opened his eyes. He could see Cole barreling down the hill. With a cry of alarm, Jeremy stood up, gasping from the incredible pain that was shooting through his arm. Blood was running out of the hole, and dripping from his fingertips. He looked back up the hill; Cole was getting closer.

An engine roared and Jeremy turned around. Greg was speeding towards him. He spun the car sideways in front of Jeremy and threw the door open.

“Get in.” Greg hollered.

Jeremy jumped into the car and pulled the door closed just as Cole reached the asphalt.

“Get down!” Greg ordered, as he turned the wheel and floored it. The sound of gunfire was almost drowned out by the sound of Cole’s raging voice as the car screeched out of the parking lot.

“Damn, that was close.” Greg whispered.

Jeremy slowly sat upright. He turned and looked out the back window at Cole’s rapidly disappearing figure.

“And, just for the record, I’m never going camping again.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Jeremy said.