The 3 teenagers jumped aback on seeing their dead friend and the dead old lady that haunted them hours earlier. One of the teenagers quickly closed the boot and took continuous backward steps away from the car. The other two had their hands on their heads and began fretting like real mummy’s boys. They swore and blasphemed while they walked round in crooked circles. All this while the sun was going down and it was fast becoming dark.

The teenager who had gone astray suddenly came to his senses and ran back to meet the other two. He ordered them to get in the car while he got into the driver’s seat to start the engine. His hands were shaking terrribly as he frantically attempted to turn on the ignition. Fortunately he was able to start the car first time. He switched the headlights on and then turned the car around to head homebound. The breathing and panting in the car was very heavy and the guy in the back was crying bitterly.

‘Vince is dead! Shit! Oh shit!!! I dont f**king believe this shit!…he’s…’
‘Shut up Simon!’
‘But he spoke to us…he said he was on his way…how the f’**k did he get in the boot with that old lady, huh? Answer me Jake!!! What the f**k is going on!’
‘Put yourself together and let me drive us back home in one piece, okay! Louis, check the glove compartment for the map’.

Simon eventually quieted down and started staring at the monstrous, leafless trees that streamed both sides of the dark, long road. Louis tried to break the unnerving silence by putting on the radio but to everyone’s  surprise he couldn’t tune in to a single radio station. All he got was an irritating high-pitched static.

‘It must be that there’s no signal around here’
‘Just check the map so I’ll know where to turn when we reach a junction. Simon! You okay at the back there? Simon?’

Simon was wide awake but he just kept staring at the side of the road through his window looking dazed. The guys had been going on a straight road for close to 45 minutes when they should have at least been in their county within the hour. Jake told Louis to check the map again but there wasn’t really much point because they hadn’t come to a junction nor were there any signs to help direct them. Jake increased his accelaeration but the journey just seemed to get longer and longer. Something wasn’t right and Simon was the only one brave enough to admit it.

‘Guys,… I’ve been looking at these trees… and there’s this one that looks like…like it has a face in it and…’
‘Huh? What are you talking about? Quit messing around!’
‘Look Jake, whether you like it or not I’ve seen that tree…like nine times already!’
‘Nine? All the trees around here look bloody alike! Shut up if you haven’t got anything better to say!’
‘Can’t you see it? Just wait for it…there! there! that’s another one! Louis did you see it?

‘Yeah! Simon is right. That tree is completely identical to the other one.’
‘Both of you have gone absolutely bonkers! We’ll soon be home.’

Simon and Louis counted up to fifteen face-embedded trees after which Jake couldn’t take the counting any longer and then he came to a screeching halt.

‘Would you guys just shut the hell up!!! I’ve been on this straight road for over an hour now and there’s no signs, no junctions, no cars and no lights ahead! Give me that map, Louis!’
‘We don’t even know where we are, Jake. That map won’t do any good.’
‘Why don’t you just do me a favour and dial for help!’

Simon tried to make a call but his phone had been barred earlier that day after he exceeded his talktime.Louis checked his phone and saw that its battery indicator was blinking – It was almost dead. Jake tried to make a call with his phone but he kept getting an ‘error in connection’ message. Still not satisfied, Jake asked Simon to get Vince’s phone from the boot. Simon abruptly refused and asked him to go. Jake argued that Simon was closer to the boot but Simon didn’t budge. Louis decided to end this verbal tussle and proceeded to open his door. He got to the back of the car and slowly lifted the boot open…with his eyes wide shut. He was bracing himself for the sight of his dead friend and the bloodied old lady…but he gasped seconds later…
‘LOUIS!’, Jake yelled from inside the car. ‘Have you found it?’

Louis was in shock…

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…as he discovered that the two dead bodies

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…had mysteriously disappeared. But there…

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…in the centre of the boot

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…lay Vince’s mobile phone

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…Louis quivered as he picked it up and noticed ‘1 new message’

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…he took a deep breath and opened the message which read…

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***YOU ARE NEXT***
 

Sender: Unknown