Claire was frozen with fear as she waited for whatever was making the sound to emerge from the bushes. The rifle in her hands shook as anxiety built inside her body. To her relief, it was just a squirrel. Claire almost laughed, she was so nervous and paranoid.
“God, I’m such an idiot. What the heck am I going to do now?” Claire thought to herself, lowering her weapon.
There was little point in wandering around the forest, she counted herself lucky she hadn’t already ended up a midnight snack. She’d just have to wait it out, and pray she didn’t encounter those wolf things again.
So, after much deliberation, Claire decided to start back towards where she thought her campsite might be. It was the safest place to wait out the night. And at least she had supplies and a place to sleep there.
But as she made her way away from the lake, she heard noises in the distance. Claire raised her gun and pointed it in front of her. She was ready to pull the trigger, when she saw light from behind a tree. It was another flashlight.
“Hello?” she asked as she saw two large masses appear. For a moment she panicked and thought it was those wolf-things. But then, why would a wolf carry a flashlight?
The two Moon Lake Police officers were careful as they approached the terrified girl. The rifle in her hands shook, and the girl’s eyes were wide with fear.
“It’s alright ma’am, we’re not going to hurt you. Please put the gun down.” one of the officers said.
“Who are you?” Claire demanded. Two strange men rooting around in her tent late at night, that was shady at best. She kept the gun in hand, but lowered the barrel to the ground.
“The police. You need to come with us.” the officer said. His companion was muttering things into a radio on his shoulder. Claire took a step back when they started to creep closer.
“Why? How do I know you’re who you say you are?” Claire knew better than to just assume they were telling the truth. And besides, how did the police even know she was here. As stated before, she told no one where exactly where she was going. And why the hell would they need her?
“Miss, could you please put the weapon down.” the officer asked again.
“Who are you?!” Claire almost screamed, her panic starting to get the better of her.
“Moon Lake police. See?” The officer shined his flashlight on the badge on his chest. Claire had to squint to read it. “MLPD - K9 UNIT” it read.
“K9 unit? Where the hell are your dogs?” she asked confused.
“Not here. Look, we understand you’re scared and lost. We don’t mean you any harm. Just put the gun DOWN, and come with us. Please, we don’t want to do this the hard way.” The officer said, starting to worry the normal couldn’t be reasoned with. And more to the point, he was worried what was on that camera she had hanging around her neck.
“Fine.” Claire finally said, dropping the gun. The officer rushed up, kicked the weapon away, and put a firm hand on Claire’s shoulder. She noted the distinct dog smell on him. He had short, blonde hair, and bright green eyes. Under other circumstances, Claire might have thought he was cute.
“What’s your name ma’am?” the officer asked, while his partner bent down to pick up the rifle.
“Claire.”
“Got a last name?”
“Why? Am I in some sort of trouble?” Claire couldn’t think of another reason the police would come after her.
“Yes, but we can discuss that later. Let’s get out of the forest first, and get you calmed down.”
“Can I ask your name?”
“Officer Ryan Connor Miss.” Connor said. He glanced down at the young woman at his side. She was attractive, he couldn’t deny that. But at the moment he saw her as more of a threat than something nice to look at.