The

The It was the last week before I had to head back to college and my first week before I had to head back to college, and my friends, Jess, and Katie, decided that we needed one more adventure before the summer officially ended.

We planned a light hike through the woods and an overnight camp out, but nothing too intense.

No pun intended for those who just got my intense joke.

Anyways, we just wanted enough of a getaway to feel like we'd done something for our summer

besides working and binge watching Netflix. And the day started out exactly how we helped.

We packed up the car with our gear, grabbed some snacks, and hit the road with music blasting in the windows down.

I think we played wrecking ball by Miley Cyrus at least seven times. And the hike we chose was about an hour away, and a spot Jesse's older brother had told us about.

It's pretty secluded, he said, but it's beautiful and you'll practically

have the place to yourselves. And that sounded perfect to us. On the way, we decided it wouldn't be

a real camping trip without some beers, so we pulled into a gas station to try our luck. Now,

none of us were 21 yet, but Katie, with her usual confidence,

strode into the store to give it a shot. Jess and I waited in the car, laughing and chatting,

but when Katie came back out empty-handed and shaking her head, we knew that it was a no-go.

In an annoyed voice, she said, the stupid guy wouldn't even entertain the idea.

And Katie sighed as she slid back into the driver's seat. I could tell that she was slightly

embarrassed. Katie wasn't used to hearing no, I guess. And just as we were about to give up on the

beer idea, a guy who had been filling up his tank walked over to our car.

And he looked normal enough. He was of average height and a little scruffy, maybe in his mid-20s.

He was wearing this nice purple flannel that didn't look ragged or gross. Most noticeable, though,

was that he had this friendly smile. But something about the way he was so quick to approach us set off a tiny alarm bell in my head.

In a deep and almost bellowing voice, he says, hey, and then he started leaning down to Jess's window.

...