Cold & Alone.

[ScorpionSplash]

AJ sat up shivering. Her and her family had just moved into their new house and didn't have any heating yet. Just in time for the apex of winter arrived. The wooded area behind their house provided wood for fire but her bedroom was the furthest away from the fireplace in the living room so it was always the coldest. AJ didn't like anything about this move. Packing up and moving across the country away from all of her friends and her boyfriend. But her mom got a big important job that required relocation so there was no arguing.

She took her phone off its charger and unlocked it. She smiled at her background, the last picture she took with her boyfriend Phillip before she left. She closed her phone and sighed. With bad cell reception, there was no way to contact him or any of her other friends. She wrapped a blanket around herself and walked into the living room, sitting by the fireplace.

AJ's mother walked out of the kitchen dressed for work. "Good morning April. Did you sleep well?" She asked in a perky voice. AJ said no and scooted closer to the warmth of the fire. Her mom sighed. "Don't worry dear. There are people coming over later to get the heating working, but you need to be out of the house while they work. So I need you to find something to do." She said. She kissed AJ's forehead and walked out.

"Yeah mom. I'll just go hang out with my friends... Oh wait." She said to herself. AJ sat up and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast then sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, at least that worked. The news was the same things that was always on the news. Break-ins, robberies, but something caught her eye. A couple had gone missing only a few miles away from AJ's house. Their names flashed on the screen for a few seconds, the girl was named Amy but she didn't catch the guy's name. She couldn't help but feel bad for those two.

AJ heard a van pull up outside and knew it was the people working on the heat so she had to leave. Weighing her options she decided to check out the forrest that she heard about in news. Maybe she could find those people. Walking out of her house, she got in her car and drove off. For the first time since the move, AJ was actually excited. The story on the news had made her wonder what about this forest that caused these people to just vanish. After arriving at her destination, she entered the large forest.

After ten minutes of walking, AJ came across a small pond in the dead center of the forest. She sat on the edge, removed her shoes and socks, and put her bare feet into the warm water. Even under her socks her feet were still very cold so the warm water was perfect. AJ thought that she had to come back for a swim. She thought about jumping in with her clothes on. She blushed slightly at her next thought. Taking off her clothes and jumping in. she laughed at the thought, no she could wait to come back with a swim suit. After sitting like that for a number of minutes, she pulled her feet out, put her knee-high socks back on and placed her shoes over them. AJ got up and went back to exploring the forest.

She continued through the forest when she caught notice of a strange bubbling sound. Ignoring it, she continued to walk until she found the source of the bubbling. AJ looked down and saw the ground beginning to get muddy and saw small, thick bubbles rising to the surface before popping, splattering mud all over her socks and skin. She tried to walk away from the strange, bouncy ground but the first step she took sent her foot into the mud up to her ankle. Planting her free foot, she lifted her stuck one hard trying to pull it out. To her shock her foot didn't come out, instead her free foot was driven into the mud as well. Now concerned, she tried pulling on both of her legs to no avail.

"Oh no..." She said to herself when she realized the predicament she was in when her legs would not come unstuck. AJ reached down attempting to dig the mud away from her legs so she could pull them out. Only for the mud to quickly fill into the indents her fingers had made. Little did AJ realize that not only was she stuck, she was slowly sinking as well. She didn't realize until she was up to her knees in it. She began to panic, not knowing that it would only make it worse. "Umm. Is anyone there?? I need some help!" She called out, hoping that there was anyone out there to help her out of the situation she was in. After nobody coming to her rescue, she began to try again on her own only to drive her to her mid-thighs.

AJ was shaking now. Mixed with the cold of the air, the cold of the mud, and the thought of her sinking under in mud terrified her. Now up to her waist. She thought of her phone. Quickly pulling out of her jacket pocket and unlocking her phone, lifting it high in the air trying to find a signal to call anyone. Finally she was able to call someone. Shaking vigorously, she accidentally dropped her phone into the mud. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched the picture of her and her boyfriend sink under the quaking mud, worrying that would become her fate. "Please someone! I don't want to die!" She yelled out.

The mud began climbing her rib cage, the pressure deep below on her legs was so great. Tears fell from her eyes as the mud climbed to just under her chest. "Please... Anyone..." Her pleas reduced to barely audible whimpers as the pressure on her chest made it difficult to breathe. Not wanting to give up, AJ scratched and clawed attempting to escape her prison but the sticky mud held onto her small body tight. It rose over her shoulders and began climbing her neck. AJ knew it was over for her, images of her life before this flashed into her head.

Laughing with her friends, sitting with her family, kissing Phillip on the beach. All gone because of this stupid mud. Then AJ realized, that couple that went missing probably ended up in the same spot that she was in, they fell into this quicksand and sank to their doom. And now AJ was going to end up just like them, a early morning news story about a teen girl going missing. Except they had each other, she was all alone. The mud crept up on her chin now, she tilted her head back to attempt to give herself a little longer of life. Arms flailing over head hoping to grasp onto something, anything that will save her life.

AJ decided to call out one last time, maybe someone was near right now. But as she opened her mouth to scream, mud flowed into her mouth as her face was swiftly sucked under. Panic and fear set in immediately, she knew that as soon as her arms were pulled under, she was done for. Flailing her arms in every direction hoping, begging for anyone to come by and rescue her from her imminent fate. Save her from her own mistake of walking into this. With just her hands above the surface now, AJ thought she could feel someone grabbing her hands, but it was just her mind playing a cruel joke on her.

"I'm sorry mom, Phillip, everybody..." She thought to herself as she felt her fingertips being pulled under. Trying to hold onto life as much as possible but not soon after her arms disappeared. She felt her consciousness slowly slipping away as she slowly blacked out. The surface of the mud going still, any signs of anyone being there was once again gone.


"Coming up on the ten o clock news. Another disappearance has occurred. This time in 18 year old April-Jane Anderson. She is 5 foot 2 with long dark hair. If you have any information on where this girl may be please contact the number provided."

-FINN-