The Excursion

CHAPTER I: The Prologue

Thomas Bynsent woke up on the pale morning light filtering through the curtains of his room on Oak Street. The clock read 9:00 AM, a rare moment of sleeping in for him. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he shuffled downstairs, the quiet creak of the wooden staircase echoing in the stillness of the house. The kitchen smelled faintly of coffee left brewing, but the only noise was the faint hum of the refrigerator. Thomas poured himself a bowl of cereal, the clinking of the spoon against the bowl the lone sound breaking the silence. He glanced at the fourth chair at the table—empty as always. I miss him. The thought rose unbidden, followed by a pang of guilt. I’m a terrible brother. I didn’t even say goodbye. He shook his head as if that would clear the heaviness from his chest and focused on finishing breakfast. By the time his parents woke and exchanged brief pleasantries, Thomas was already dressed, backpack slung over his shoulder, and halfway out the door. The crisp morning air bit at his cheeks as he walked to school, the muted sounds of the sleepy street filling the space around him. Bynsent Bloodline Academy loomed in the distance, its imposing structure both familiar and oppressive. The prestigious school had been in his family for generations, but to Thomas, it was a gilded cage. Halfway to school, the stillness was interrupted. A sharp crack cut through the air, unnatural and jarring. Thomas stopped, heart hammering. The echo of the sound ricocheted through the quiet streets, making his pulse quicken. “What the hell was that?” he muttered, scanning his surroundings. The empty houses offered no clues, and there were no cars or people in sight. Dismissing the sound as some fluke—a glitch from a neighbor’s speaker, maybe—he hurried on, the faint sense of unease lingering in the back of his mind. At the school gates, his mother’s voice replayed in his head: “Thomas, I know you liked your old school, but this is your family’s legacy. It’s important you respect that.” Family legacy, Thomas thought bitterly. Great. He handed his signed excursion form to the receptionist, who filed it away without so much as a glance. Her half-hearted “Thank you” barely registered as he trudged toward his classroom. The usual cacophony of teenage chatter filled the room as he entered. Dropping into his seat, Thomas pulled out Trucks by Stephen King. The gritty horror of King’s universe was oddly comforting—it reminded him that fear belonged in fiction. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. “Tom!” A familiar voice jarred him from the page. Gary Thompson plopped down in the chair next to him, his unruly hair bouncing as he grinned ear to ear. “Guess what?” Thomas didn’t look up from his book. “What now, Gary?” “Dude, I Googled it last night. You won’t believe where we’re going!” “Enlighten me,” Thomas replied, still focused on the paragraph he was reading. Gary leaned in, his voice low with excitement. “Orientis National Park. But here’s the twist—it’s where they filmed Friday the 13th Part 2!” Thomas felt a knot form in his stomach. Of course, their school trip would lead them to a real-life horror movie location. “Fantastic,” he said dryly. “Jason Voorhees can’t wait to greet us.” Gary laughed, brandishing an imaginary machete. “Maybe he’ll sign autographs!” Before Thomas could retort, Penny Gardner’s voice sliced through their conversation. “Could you two grow up? Mr. Raymin is starting the roll call.” Gary rolled his eyes. “Buzzkill.” Thomas just smirked, watching Penny meticulously arrange her supplies. If anyone could make school trips feel like work, it was her. When the bell rang for lunch, Thomas wandered outside, seeking refuge from the noise. As he neared the edge of the school field, a flash of movement caught his eye. He squinted toward the bushes lining the perimeter. “Gary,” Thomas called, spotting his friend mid-bite on a soggy sandwich. “Come here.” “What now?” Gary asked, mouth full. “I think there’s someone in the bushes.” Gary glanced over, unconcerned. “You’re imagining things. Probably just a stray cat or something.” But when Thomas approached the spot after lunch, the only thing out of place was a single wet leaf imprinted with a small, muddy footprint. His unease grew as he crouched down, tracing the outline of the mark. Something wasn’t right. The school buses lined up outside as students chattered excitedly. Teachers waved their arms, shouting instructions over the din. Thomas reluctantly boarded, sliding into a seat beside Gary. “You ready for this?” Gary asked, already scrolling through memes on his phone. Thomas didn’t respond. He stared out the window as the bus roared to life and began its journey toward the park. Outside, the last few autumn leaves swirled in the wind, and in the shadow of the bushes near the school gate, a figure emerged. It stood still for a moment, watching the bus disappear down the road. Then, slowly, it receded into the dark woods.

CHAPTER II: The Drive

As the bus drove off from the school grounds, Gary asked Tom “What is the date again? I’m finishing some homework.”. “It’s January 12th of 2006.”. While Gary wrote down his homework, Penny yelled “You Two Need To Have Your Bottom On The Seat!” As She Opened Her Nokia Phone With Precision. As Thomas Was Reading Christine, He Saw a Damaged and Rusty Truck Full of Hunting Supplies Parked To The Side of The Road and Thomas Thought He’d Seen The Same Figure He Saw at Recess Dragging a Blood Stained Axe Away From The Truck and Walked Into The Forest. The sight of the truck lingered in Thomas’s mind, its faded paintwork and broken-down frame, as if it hadn't been used in years. Yet, it seemed oddly out of place on the empty road. The rusty vehicle was tucked just off the beaten path, surrounded by thickets that created the perfect veil of secrecy. Thomas tried to shake the thoughts from his head, but the image of the figure dragging the axe lingered like a bad smell. The figure had disappeared into the trees—its movements slow and deliberate, as if it belonged there. But there was something about it, something that gnawed at his instincts. “Dude, are you okay?” Gary's voice broke through his thoughts. He had put away his homework and was staring at Thomas, his usual grin replaced with concern. “Yeah, fine. Just… felt like I saw something weird,” Thomas said, running a hand through his hair. “Forget it.” Gary didn’t look entirely convinced but shrugged. “You and your overactive imagination. Maybe the road's getting to you. Or you're just sleep-deprived from binge-reading King novels.” “You’re probably right,” Thomas muttered, glancing out the window again. The forest seemed darker, deeper now, as though the trees themselves were crowding in on the road. The flickering movement of shadows outside made him uneasy, but he focused back on Christine. The story was one of his favorites—the possessed car that tormented its owner—now it almost felt like he was reading about his own paranoia. Penny, oblivious to the quiet tension, was at her seat next to him, engrossed in her own world with her Nokia. Her fingers slid over the buttons with precision, her expression too intense for just a game or text messaging. Thomas shifted uncomfortably as Penny seemed more and more like the type who would somehow end up screaming in terror during the field trip’s inevitable chaos. The bus lurched as it hit a pothole, jarring the students back in their seats. For a moment, all that could be heard was the buzzing of the bus's overhead lights, the hum of tires on pavement, and the soft clattering of books shifting in backpacks. Lyle broke the quiet with a loud, obnoxious Burp that made everyone in the bus laugh, the sound reverberating like a whoopee cushion. Even Gary had to choke back a laugh, and even Penny couldn’t hide a grin as she shook her head in mock disapproval. The tension broken, Thomas felt a little more at ease, but the foreboding still lingered in the back of his mind. The bus drove on, its wheels eating up the miles, heading toward the remote part of the state where Orientis National Park sprawled out under the shadow of aged mountains. Outside, the wind whistled and twisted through the leafless branches of tall trees. Thomas pulled the collar of his jacket tighter around his neck and tried not to glance out at the thickening forest. "Hey, guys!" Broderick's voice pierced the calm again as he leaned over from across the aisle. "Check this out." He tapped his phone to show a picture of what looked like an old campsite—wooden, weathered tents that could have easily been left abandoned by a group of hikers. “Nice try, Broderick, but I don’t see how this is supposed to be funny,” Richard Nowell said, leaning forward with his usual attitude, arms crossed. Broderick just smirked, clearly uninterested in Richard’s negative comments. “Just think it’s interesting. Would be cool to explore if we have time.” He tapped another picture—this one was darker. A close-up of a set of bloodshot eyes that almost looked too surreal to be human. There was something unsettling in the eyes, though it was hard to make out if it was edited. Thomas turned his attention away from Broderick’s phone and stared out the window again. The forest stretched wider as they neared the park, a sprawling mass of trees and fog. It was peaceful here, if not for the looming dark presence that surrounded them—something ancient. Suddenly, the bus lurched again, this time even harder, and a loud screech tore through the air. Everyone on the bus yelped and braced for impact. Thomas’s heart stopped as he glanced up, staring out the window. The forest flashed by with unnerving speed, but this time there was something else—the same figure from before, standing tall by the tree line, still holding an axe. This time, though, it wasn’t dragging it—it was holding it high in the air, as if preparing for something. The figure didn’t move. It just stood there, waiting. “Holy crap!” Gary whispered from beside him. “Did you see that?” Thomas nodded, not trusting his voice. The figure remained frozen, disappearing from view as the bus sped on, heading deeper into the woods. "Just ignore it," Thomas muttered under his breath. He needed to focus on the present moment, but every muscle in his body screamed that something was off, like this excursion was not meant to be a fun little trip. It was something else entirely.