By Janine Pipe
Prologue
Come on, just a few more minutes.
Kelly was desperate. She tried to convince herself that her bladder was not about to explode all over her new Ford Escort.
Please, please, please.
She hadn’t planned to leave quite so late and had in no way intended to take the winding, no-cats-eyes route through the forest.
It was about fifteen minutes at least until she would arrive home.
Duran Duran’s latest hit blasted out from the radio.
Lady Luck was not on her side. She felt a sharp pain and realised with annoyance that not only did she need to pee, but her sanitary pad was now sodden too.
She pulled the car over.
God damn it!
She sat for a moment considering her options. She in no way wanted to do what she was now considering. She was not uncouth.
Yet, if she didn’t get out and change her now useless pad, she risked leaking menstrual blood all over the cream interior of the new car.
Needs must.
She grabbed her bag and a bottle of water and turned the headlights on to full beam. It was pitch black in the woods and she hadn’t seen another car for miles. With the added light of her open driver’s door, she would be able to pee, change her pad, bag it up, rinse the ground and her hands and be on her way. Desperate times, desperate measures. She would never speak of it.
She stepped out onto the grass verge, pulled up her dress and squatted.
Relief was short-lived.
Crack.
She froze, knickers around her ankles, pad in hand.
What the—
Kelly didn’t even get the chance to scream.
***
‘Have you got all the cameras, the batteries, the extra batteries? Everything is charged and ready to go?’
‘Yes,’ Felicity replied, feeling exasperated. They had already gone over this several times.
‘Tent, maps, torches, food? I really don’t want to get stuck out in the woods tonight without adequate provisions.’
‘It is all sorted,’ she promised, rolling her eyes.
‘And we know where Loz is waiting for us?’
‘Yes, Becky! Loz is exactly where she said she would be, like we have discussed. Chill!’
She was looking forward to their overnight adventure in the woods. It seemed a bit cliché, rite-of-passage, but the girls thought it would be good for their book research.
Becky, however, was getting a little fanatical about what they were taking with them. She was not an outdoorsy type of person and was paranoid that they would forget some ‘can’t spend the night without’ essential.
She was dressed as if she was off to a party rather than hiking through the forest. Low-rise jeans with a floral peasant top might be perfect for a night at the Student Union, but not so great for traipsing through the woods. At least Felicity had managed to convince her she needed hiking boots, to protect her from twisting an ankle.
Growing up with three older rough-and-tumble brothers, Felicity had spent many days climbing trees; and many evenings camping as a Brownie. She had chosen sensible cargo trousers and a ribbed turtleneck sweater. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail under a Von Dutch baseball cap.
She did feel some trepidation. Only insofar that whilst researching several of the so-called local legends of the area, she had discovered that there were many tales regarding unexplained disappearances. But she was a sceptic. Despite thoroughly enjoying digging through the old lore, she didn’t think anyone could just vanish. Truth be told, she was just hoping to get some good photos. One might prove worthwhile for the cover of her book, if it were to ever be published of course.
Sighing deeply, she listened as Becky continued to fret about whether they had packed enough food for the one-night sleepover and making sure they didn’t have anything that would attract ‘wild animals’.
Felicity snorted. ‘I’m pretty sure there aren’t any bears or wolves in Dorset. Maybe a nosey pony?’ She checked the bags and camping apparatus were secure under the trailer tarpaulin and got into the Range Rover she was borrowing from her dad for the trip.
‘Just get in!’ she ordered, and as always, Becky dutifully obeyed her. Sometimes it was more like having a puppy than a best friend.
‘You certain you know where we’re going?’ Becky asked as Felicity put the 4x4 into gear and tore off the pebbled driveway.
‘Yes, it’s not far. And it’s a huge forest. How damn hard can it be to find? Besides,’ she added, ‘Loz is already there, remember.’
Becky furrowed her brow. She often seemed stressed these days. She fidgeted for a bit and then played with the radio, settling on some classic 80s rock.
Felicity turned and looked at her friend. ‘Try not to think about him, Bex. This is for us. Fuck him.’
Becky blinked a few times, as if fighting back tears. Then she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Her ex had never liked her to smoke.
She put one in her mouth, lit it, and took a long drag.
‘Yeah!’ she shouted. ‘Fuck him! Oh, that reminds me.’ She turned, sighing. ‘Typically, I’ve got my period today. I can’t believe the timing of it! Because being all bloody in the woods is so convenient. Not.’
She concentrated on driving. It was typical that Becky would have to suffer some sort of minor setback on the trip. This was less than ideal, but not the end of the world. I understood what was implied. At least that bastard hadn’t left her pregnant.
They drove on in companionable silence. It took around half an hour to find the start of the woods. It seemed to go on for miles and miles. And as was to be expected, the GPS and mobile phone coverage was now intermittent.
‘So’, she said, glancing over at Becky, who was holding the map, frowning. ‘Where exactly is Loz?’
Becky turned the map upside down, and then gave an exasperated sigh. ‘I just don’t know!’ she whined. ‘You’re the expert – you find her.’
So, Felicity continued to drive down the windy dirt path, until they came to an area that seemed as though it had been used by campers before. And there, thank goodness, was Loz’s battered Mini. She parked the car and hopped out, enjoying a luxurious stretch as she did.
‘This should be it.’ She could see a well-trodden path in front of them, and the trees appeared to be a little sparser in the distance. They didn’t want to traipse too far in. Hopefully they’d soon spot Loz who had texted earlier that morning to say she was on the way, but her phone was about to die. Typical of her.
They hauled off the tarp and pulled the heavy packs onto their backs. They grabbed the tent and the foodstuff, and Felicity made sure the Range Rover was secure.
Then off they went into the woods.
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