"Yeah good luck with that. I'm gonna get some fresh air." Rachel said, tense and frustrated.
"What, we're in the woods! It's all fresh air." Fiona retorted from where she knelt over the tents that needed assembly.
"Whatever. I meant I want to get some space from you all and think. I'll be back."
Caroline frowned, shaking her head, "I don't think you should Rachel, it's dangerous out there." The other girls nodded in agreement but Rachel had already snatched up the flashlight nearby and turned away, waving goodbye. "Be right back! I'll find water or whatever."
"We've got water!" One of her friends shouted behind her. Goofballs. They really didn't get it. Rachel felt like their energy was going to send her into a panic attack and she wanted to get out of there while they did their girl scout routine. She'd be back before dark in any case.
Walking just a little ways she heard the sound she wanted, the burbling splashing of water. Picking up the pace she moved towards the sound and came to a sudden dead stop. The stream was cute enough, about fifteen feet of pure clean water, but lying in the middle of it, soaking up the afternoon sun was a glistening black and orange salamander the size of a small car.
"What the fu-" Rachel said and then slapped a mouth to her hand as the things eyes snapped open, one looking directly at her. It stared at her for a long moment and then started to thrash, loudly splashing about in the shallow water. Rachel let out a shout and ran back the way she came. After only a few steps a booming voice cried out. "Wait!"
Rachel skidded to a stop. Was that possible? She turned around, still primed to run and stopped. The salamander was gone, as if it had never been there. Instead in the middle of the river was a tanned man who looked to be about fifty, but in fantastic shape. Grey beard and body hair outlined taut muscles. He was wrapping some brown fabric around his waist and stepped forward. "Wherefore art though here, young lady? Thou should depart now. Before the changeable moon arises."
"Wha-" Rachel said, thrown off by his old-timey language.
He shook his head, "This place hath a terrible curse, young lady. Leave while you still can."
Rachel bristled. No matter how jacked and weird some old dude was, he didn't get to tell her what to do. "Listen up boomer, I don't give a shit about whatever hippy shit you think is going on here. My idiot friend crashed her van and now we're stuck here for the night."
The old man glowered, "Thou art rude and foolish. If thou shalt not leave, I shall remove you myself." He stepped towards her, and Rachel let out a loud scream for help, turning to run again. The man cursed and gave chase.
Rachel had spent enough time on the sports field in high school to be fast but winding among the trees away from the stream she heard heavy footsteps closing behind her. She let out another scream just in time to feel a large wet hand, too large and covered in slime, grab the back of her shirt and haul her to a stop. She thrashed and turned, screaming again at what she saw.
Neither man nor salamander, the thing was hunched over but still at least eight feet tall. Dripping thick slimy fluid it was black and orange, with a thick stubby tail protruding from its rear. A massive form somewhere between man and salamander, a were-amphibian. It's wide mouth opened and it grunted. "Thou and thine must leave. Or thou are doomed as I am." It paused, "And I will eat you!"
The thing released Rachel and pushed her, not the way she had been going, but in a new direction. In a panic Rachel ran for several minutes, gasping and panting, until she heard the sound of her friends laughing and she burst into the clearing with them. The other five girls looked at their friend and stood suddenly, rushing to her. "Oh my god, Rachel, what happened?"
"M...monster. Old man. Salamander. Monster. We have to leave." Rachel babbled. Erica and Jill shared a look and sighed, "Oh god, did you bring a flask with you or something? I'm sure you just saw some bear. Come on, you can sit in the van and breath. It's almost dark."
Rachel let out a panicked shout, "No! We have to leave! We have to run!"