The fire burned brightly as four teenagers huddled around it. There was Marco, Andrew, Camille, and Priscilla. Andrew, a dark haired youth with feathered hair, poked into the fire with a stick. Priscilla stared blankly into the flames. The kids have endured an arduous trek up the mountain just outside of town as a last hurrah before they each go their own way for college. Still, she was pissed at Marco for dragging them all the way up this green inferno. Marco didn't even like hiking!

It was Camille who broke the awkward silence. She was the sole outsider in this gathering, really. She wasn't exactly the friendly type but upon Priscilla's insistence, she came along for the trip. They've shared the same classes since pre-school but aren't really that close. Priscilla spent most of her time garnering the awe of her peers while Camille was happy just to get by.

"Marco," she said. "Got any stories for us?"

He cocked his head slightly to the side and gave Camille a confused smirk.

"Hmm?"

"You said you're a ghost story pro. Tell us one."

Andrew nudged Marco on the arm with his below to egg him on.

"Yeah, man. This is the perfect place and time!"

"Come on, Marco..." chimed in Priscilla.

Marco raised his hands in defeat, hushing the group. He looked at each of them. Slowly, a wicked-seeming grin formed on his face.

"Do you guys know the legend of the Mountain Man?"

The girls shook their heads, intently listening while Andrew leaned back knowing exactly what story Marco was going to tell.

"Every small town has a legend," Marco continued. "The Mountain Man is ours.

"There's a reason why no one goes up these mountains. Several years ago, right on this very night, a young boy was camping with his mom and dad up in these parts. Dad was the adventurous type, you see, and that's what turned Mommy on.

"That's what turned a lot of women on to dear old Dad, actually. You see, Mommy found out just before the trip that Daddy was having an affair with his supple young secretary. Mommy brought a gun with her to off her husband in his sleep, which she promptly does on the first night of camping. As the young boy looked on in shock, Mommy dragged the body up the cliffs," Marco pointed upwards to his left. "To drop him on to the rocks below -- Mommy's a poor planner, so bear with me.

"Right as she was dropping Daddy's corpse, it turns out that he was still alive. At the last second, he grabs on to his wife's leg, and she goes down with him.

"The thing is, the boy saw the whole thing, and he was no older than 5. He didn't know how to fend for himself or get back into town. But right at that moment, he knew blood. Something in him clicked -- snapped. He started with smashing small animals with rocks and feasting on them raw. As he grew, he then graduated to bigger animals. Eventually, new people came along. On one occasion, there was another family with a kid. Before this family came along, he was just content to creep and stalk from a distance, having forgotten what human civilization was like.

"So, this little girl from the family that I mentioned -- she wanders off from the camp. Her parents hear a guttural animal cry and a piercing shriek of fear from their daughter. They never saw her again...well, in one piece anyway.

"And so, the legend of the Mountain Man was born. After that, anyone who goes camping here goes missing or turn up in bits and pieces. Authorities tried but are never able to turn up any leads. Hell, some of them go missing too for their troubles.

"Some say his depraved experience awakened a bloodlust in him that can only be satiated...with camper blood!"

The girls and Andrew stared at Marco in silence. Even Andrew, who has heard many renditions of this tale before had to admit that Marco's rendition and the optimal atmosphere created by the evening made for a really creepy telling. Just then, they heard the snapping of twigs nearby.

To be continued...

© Dustin Julian Domingo