They Watch.

"Keep it up, Damian!" Shouted Mark at the backpacker ten feet behind him

"I'm trying!" Damian gasped. "You try carrying a pack that's forty pounds!"

"It doesn't help that your main diet is cheeto-iceberg salads with a Coke." The tall backpacker by Mark chided.

"Hey, Jason, why don't you shut your mouth and keep walking..." Grunted Damian.

The trio hiked in the mountains for several hours before finding a clearing to rest as the sun was about to set

"I wish I was in better shape for this..." Damian slumped to the ground.

"That would help." Said Jason as he opened a water bottle. "But it's still pretty tiring."

Mark set his backpack down and started to set up his tent. "Keep in mind we haven't done this in a while." He extended his tarp. "We haven't been backpacking for about a year now."

"Yeah, well," Jason wiped the water off his lips, "That's what work does. It keeps us from enjoying ourselves."

Damian gasped for breath but took out his equipment. Looking at a tree in the distance, he saw an owl staring at them. "Anyone else feels like they're being watched?"

Mark and Jason looked at each other, exchanged weird glances, and shrugged. The three friends hadn’t been on an outing since college and were excited to go backpacking. Well, except Damian, he went with whatever they wanted.

“Damian, I think you’re just a little tired. Let’s get our tents out and see if we can make a campfire.” Suggested Mark.

Damian rolled his eyes. “Never wanted to go backpacking anyway….”

“Did you say something?” Asked Mark.

“Nope.”

The trio finished their campsite as soon as the sun was about to set in the mountains. The wind began to pick up, sending a chill through the air.

“It got a bit cold suddenly,” Jason put on his coat as he approached the newly built fire.

“You think that fire will keep us warm?” Asked Damian, extending his arms to the flame.

“It should, but if not, we can always sleep in our coats.”

Damian shuddered and looked around. He could have sworn something watched them, but it was hard to tell under the cloak of night. He jumped as soon as he heard an owl hoot.

“Relax! What’s gotten into you?” Asked Jason.

“N-nothing. Just a little spooked is all….” Damian ran his hands through his hair.

“I think you’ve been listening to too many creepypastas.”

“Yeah.. maybe… Though pasta does sound good about now.”

Jason laughed. “You’re always thinking about your stomach, aren’t you.” He opened a bag of marshmallows and handed one to
Damian. “How about a marshmallow instead?”

Damian gave a hint of a smile. “Alright then.” He grabbed a stick and poked the fluffy candy.

“Remember when we went to a McD's and asked for a cup of sugarless water?” Asked Jason.

“Oh yeah! I remember! It was for some kind of scavenger hunt, right?” Damian piped up.

“Yup. It sounded so stupid. It was so hard not to burst out laughin' in the drive-thru.”

“That lady must’ve been so confused.” laughed Mark. “Wasn’t I the one that asked for it?”

“Yeah. The lady paused, and then you had to say, ‘Can you make it a medium?” Said Jason

“The people there must’ve thought we were on something.” Damian blew on his charred marshmallow.

The friends joked around some more until Jason yawned. “I think it’s time we get some shut-eye. We’ll be hiking and going back home tomorrow.”

“I bet Damian’s missing his dog. What breed was it again?” asked Mark.

“A golden shepherd. It’s a mixed breed of a golden retriever and a German shepherd. Molly’s such a good girl. I bet her tail will wag for days when she sees me.” Damian thought of Molly, her short golden hair and a white line going down her back with pointed ears. She looked more like a blond German Shepherd.

“Who’s taking care of her while you’re gone?”

“Oh, I asked if a coworker could take care of her. She said yes.”

“She, huh?” Mark grinned.

“It’s nothing like that!” Damian blushed. “We’re just friends.”

“Sure, friends. For now.”

“Oh, be quiet.” Damian jokingly punched Mark’s arm.

Damian crawled into his tent and wormed his way into his sleeping bag. Right before he closed them, he could have sworn he heard the flapping of several wings and eyes staring at him through the mesh window.

Once the morning came, Damian woke up with a great yawn and opened up his tent, and what he saw was horrifying—the tents were covered in red. Something tore the campsite to shreds. Damian was a profound sleeper but didn’t realize he could sleep through something like that!

“M-Mark!?” Damian called out, “Jason!?... Anyone!?” He saw claw marks everywhere on the ground, evidence of sharp talons. Mark’s tent had an opening, but Damian didn’t even dare to look inside. As he looked at the devastation, he looked up at a tree and saw a white owl looking down at him, the slightest hint of red on its beak.
Damian let out an audible scream and sprinted through the trail his friends had been walking the day before. I need to get home! He thought

He ran hard, constantly looking behind him. As he looked back, his foot veered off the trail, slipping down a slope and tumbling ten feet into bushes and sharp rocks. When he finally stopped, Damian groaned and found himself by a large pile of bones. He saw bones of various creatures, from lowly mice to majestic deer to human skulls. As Damian stared at the mound, he heard what sounded like laughing, but not human laughter; it was like a bird had made it.
He looked up, and different owls perched on the high branches. He grabbed a random bone off the pile and waved it at them in self-defense. A couple of owls swooped in. Damian tried to hit them, but they were too agile. They dodged, and their claws made it to his shoulders and arms, tearing at his flesh. Damian screamed and whacked one of the owls on his arm with a decisive strike. The hit sent the owl flying onto a nearby tree, where it fell limp. The owls noticed this and backed off, but not before a smaller one bit through his right Achilles tendon before flying off.

Damian shouted and reached down to his badly bleeding leg. He ripped a part of his shirt and grabbed a stick, making a makeshift tourniquet for himself. The owls seemed to have retreated, so he thought he was safe. Damian slowly started to walk, but putting weight on his hurt leg was too painful. He broke off a tree branch and walked in the same direction as the trail.
A couple of hours later, Damian finally reached his car. He could feel tears of joy as he grabbed his keys, hoping he didn’t drop them somewhere. He looked into his right pocket, and his heart raced when it wasn’t there. He frantically looked through his left pocket, and there they were. He fumbled around with his keys until he could grab the right one. He tried to open his driverside door, but the alarm screeched at him. Quickly, he shut the alarm off, remembering he had to unlock the passenger side first to disable the alarm. As he went around the other side, he saw flocks of owls glaring at him from the trees.
His adrenaline started to pump as he wiggled the key in and unlocked his car. Instead of returning to the driver's side, he immediately got into the passenger side. He slammed the door, sliding into his seat with the wheel. Damian floored his gas pedal, never daring to look back.

“I’m never going backpacking again,” He shuddered to think about what those things did to his friends but was glad to be alive, even if he may never run again.

After visiting the hospital for his wounds, he returned home to an excited dog. Damian shut the door and hugged his Golden Shepherd, never wanting to let go. He looked out the window and saw a white owl staring at him. He was frozen in fear as the owl gave a slight crooked smile.