*Trigger warnings*

Depression, Divorce, Death/loss, grief
Suicide, Mental illness, violent content
Reader discretion is advised
***

The cool forest atmosphere signified the arrival of dawn, the sun’s rays breaking through the pine tree branches. Birds chirped and greeted the upcoming dawn, evidence of a serene sanctuary of peace and harmony. A nearby hiker from the outside world would look at the sacred forest and believe that nothing out of the ordinary would ever happen. After all, how could it? It breathed and exhaled security, where an outsider would be if they were to escape from their city jungles. It was paradise and its own little world, as squirrels chittered among the birds, breaking through a two-second interval of silence every time.

Despite the settling peace the forest offered, however, a silhouette of what appeared to be a sixteen-year-old girl was limping in the distance. Her raven dark hair caked with dirt and blood, her small-statured body covered in defensive wounds. Her clothes, torn and bloody from tooth-like puncture wounds. The young teen’s breathing was shallow, yet she forced herself to keep walking, no matter how tired or badly bleeding she was. The teen did everything in her power to clutch her blood-soaked left side while holding a gun with her right hand. She knew that the main gravel road was a mere less than a mile away. Or so she guessed. Her body was weakening with every step, her focus was hazy, and she continued on with small moans escaping her lips.

She knew if she dared to let herself rest, or become much slower in her walking, the light in her hazel eyes would wink out. She could feel her entire body getting weaker from the loss of blood, knowing it would be a matter of time before the strength and life within her would drain. Exhaustion began to overtake the young teen, her will to live beginning to disappear. She considered the idea of lying down and joining her mother in death. She took two more shaking steps before she simply stopped walking. The teen stood there for a few seconds, waiting for her own body to give out. It would have been the end of a survivor for a sixteen-year-old girl with the hell she suffered in the past twenty-four hours.

Despite her failing strength, she managed to see a nearby truck parked conveniently on the road. Her vision, albeit now a little blurry, saw a local ranger car behind the truck that could have been a traffic stop or some sort of stupid mishap a poor unfortunate soul got into. In either instance, she could not care less. She used her remaining strength to take step after step in a quick fashion toward the vehicles. As she got closer to the road and parked vehicles, her right foot bumped against a rock. Her weakened body tripped, and she fell face-first near the road. In her remaining conscious thought, the horrible ordeal and life flashed before her own eyes.

Who would dare to think that a young and brooding teen, Micki, would get caught in a horrible ordeal a mere day ago that would be an eternity in the evergreen forest? The thought never crossed her mind as she sat in the passenger seat, determined not to speak, or acknowledge her mom. In her stubborn silence, she felt that this forced trip was a waste of time. Ever since her dad committed suicide after the divorce a year ago, it changed the close relationship she had with her mom. Micki suffered immense grief and depression. She blamed herself for everything her dad faced. She expected both her and mom to comfort each other despite their loss. Instead, her mom became withdrawn and distant, leaving Micki alone to cope. This enraged Micki to the point of feeling abandoned to deal with her grief alone. To this day, she felt abandoned and justified to punish her mom however she could.

The surrounding forest matched Micki’s sullen mood inside her at the time. The towering pine trees carried an ominous presence, as if it were too sacred to allow anyone in. It’s a sight that the forest would easily fit into old folklore told as a cautionary tale. If Micki desired to punish her mother further, all it would take would be an act of fateful opportunity. The horror movies, documentaries, and urban legends Micki enjoyed would prepare her for worse than a stupid forest. Being lost in a spooky forest, to her, would be a godsend vacation compared to her mom’s idea of what it should be.

“You seem quiet,” her mom said, bringing Micki’s La La Land fantasy to a crashing halt. Micki did not dare answer her mother or say a word. Her mother sighed as silence hung in the air. As far as Micki was concerned, there is nothing her mom could do to make everything okay. The tension between the two became too much to bear than the sound of silence.

“Mick, I know you’re upset with me. Maybe this trip would be good for us . . . to get away from everything,” her mom finally replied, as Micki did not bother to respond. “Besides, this will be a good chance to enjoy nature, s’mores, and share scary stories by the campfire. I’ve told Paul about your stories, and I know he will enjoy it,” her mom added with a smile. 

Micki couldn’t take it and glared at her mother.

“Yeah, I’m sure you did. Tell me, do you ever miss dad? Of course not. You left dad’s memory behind the moment you met Paul,” Micki said, each word dripping with venom and hatred, watching for any reaction. 

With nothing to defend herself, her mom could only be silent as her smile faded. It made Micki give a small grin, satisfied, even if her mom did not say a word or show any trace of hurt in her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why we’re really on this road trip, so you can make Paul stepdaddy. Well, guess what? Never will happen. You know what would make this stupid road trip better? If I never saw you again,” Micki added as she spent all her energy in malicious words. She turned her head once more toward the trees.

“Mick, I..” her mom began to say. She took her eyes off the road while focusing on her dear child. The moment her mom focused back toward the road was too little, too late. She barely had enough time to react to the deer in their path. “Shit!“ her mom screamed before swerving quickly and avoiding hitting the innocent animal. All Micki’s teenage angst left and now, replaced with fear in her eyes. All she remembered from that moment was the sound of the car rampaging through the grass, crashing into a nearby tree, and hitting her head on the back of the passenger seat, immediately rendering her unconscious.**If you or someone is experiencing a mental health crisis or has been experiencing severe loss and depression, call 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727), the national suicide prevention lifeline (1-800-273-8255), text CONNECT or HOME to the crisis text line at 741741, or call 911**