"For the millionth time, no, Chanyeol. How many times to I have to reiterate it? We are not stopping until we find a camping spot." Baekhyun shouted, causing birds to fly from the treetops in a rage of squawks and wings.

"But Baek, my legs--"

"Mine are hurting too, but stopping will only slow our progress. I want to get to civilization as soon as possible, ok?"

Chanyeol grumbled in protest, but shut his mouth when he saw Baekhyun sending him a death glare.

At this point, they were even more lost in the a valley in the Rockies than an hour ago and were unable to see the tops of the mountains. Around them, the shadows cast were growing larger and more ominous as the sun set in the pink-orange sky. Soon, the wind began to pick up and the temperature dropped, causing the two travelers to shiver under their thin jackets. As they continued to travel, they realized that camping without maps was not the smartest idea. It could be days, weeks, even months before they find civilization.

"Baekhyun, can I at least get my heavier jacket?" Chanyeol stopped abruptly,  whined and stomped his feet like a child -- it was an infuriating habit.

"Fine, fine, but don't take too long."

As Baekhyun spoke, the two suddenly stumbled across a short, gravel path, branching off from the main, dirt trail to a house that was most definitely awake. From where they stood, they noticed a figure standing in the window, waving at them. At first, Baekhyun hid behind Chanyeol, fear taking over. Then, the window opened and out called a kindly old woman.

"Hello? Is someone out there? Are you cold? I have some pie and a crackling fire!"

Chanyeol laughed and began walking up the path, "Baek, you're scared of an old lady!" Reluctantly, Baekhyun followed behind.

"Sh-shut up! It's dark and creepy, ok? You know I don't like the dark." Baekhyun retorted and smacked Chanyeol's arm, only causing the latter to laugh uproariously.

"Boys? Aren't you cold?" The old woman called out again.

"Chanyeol..." Baekhyun murmured, stopped and clutched Chanyeol's sleeve and slightly tugged it backwards. "She scares me... Like really. I'm getting strange vibes."

"Baekhyun, she's a kind old woman. There's nothing to be afraid of. Plus, she has a fire!"

"You're too trusting! She lives in a freaking valley. How is she supposed to get food?" Baekhyun hissed.

"Who cares? I’m hungry and she has food,” Chanyeol whined and stomped his feet like a child. “Please, Baek?” He made puppy eyes and clasped his hands together tightly. Sighing, Baekhyun began walking up the pathway; he was always weak to his friend’s puppy face and couldn’t say no. Smiling smugly, Chanyeol gripped his backpack straps and happily marched up to the front door, Baekhyun trailing behind with a sour expression.

As they stepped up, the old woman opened the door and in her hands, she held two steaming, hot cherry pies that smelled divine to the travelers. They hadn’t had homemade food in what seemed like eons and they suddenly felt at ease. Even Baekhyun’s shoulders relaxed and he closed his eyes in ecstasy.

“That smells… amazing,” Baekhyun breathed.

“Would you like a piece, deary?” She asked, holding out a plate. Totally forgetting the argument he had with Chanyeol, he nodded enthusiastically and reached for the pie. With a chuckle, she pulled it away and opened the door, inviting them in. With a spring in his step, Baekhyun eagerly dragged Chanyeol into the house where the woman shut the door and they dropped their bags on the mat and took off their shoes. Then they stepped inside and she led them to the couch in front of a roaring fire. She handed Baekhyun his plate first and a fork.

“Thank you!” He exclaimed and dug into the heavenly dish. It was the best pie he had ever put into his mouth, and was most certainly the best food he had eaten in days. As he scarfed down his food, Chanyeol was doing the same. It was so addicting, so once they had both finished their slices, they asked for more and were served another.

While they ate their second piece, the old lady stood in front of them and began to ask questions. The first ones were pretty general, like how old they were, what they were doing in the Rockies, and where they were headed. Then she asked the question, “Are you lost?”

Baekhyun nodded and tried to talk with his mouth full (which became a jumbled mess of crumbs and cherries), but stopped and swallowed when he realized that no one could understand him. He put his plate down on the coffee table and wiped his hands on his pants before speaking.

“Yes, we are because this idiot,” Baekhyun elbowed Chanyeol who almost dropped his pie. “Forgot a map.”

“No I didn’t!” Chanyeol protested, crumbs spewing everywhere. “I swear, I put it in our bags.”

Baekhyun hummed in disapproval, “Whatever you say. Anyway, we were just trying to find a camping spot, or at least some civilization.”

“Well, it’s good I saw you two!” The woman smiled, showing rows of crooked, rotting teeth. Baekhyun quirked a brow at her statement. The house itself was too far from the main trail and in the middle of trees to really see too far, but Baekhyun shrugged it off. He couldn’t, however, shake off this uneasy feeling in his gut.

Baekhyun laughed nervously and nodded, “Yeah, it was. Thank you very much for the food.”

Following there was a moment of silence while Baekhyun pretended not to notice the woman staring at them in a strange way while Chanyeol was oblivious to the danger -- per usual -- that they could possibly be in. He was happily munching down on his pie while humming his favorite nursery rhyme which only added to the ominous mood already there.

Once the silence became too much, Baekhyun stood up abruptly and grabbed Chanyeol’s arm in the process, causing the, now, empty plate and fork to clatter to the floor.

“Thank you, miss, for your hospitality, but I think it’s best we are on our way. We wouldn’t want to burden you any further.” Baekhyun forced a smile, despite dread that was pooling in his stomach. Hastily, he pulled a whiny Chanyeol towards the door and began to put his coat back on and was about the grab the strap of his backpack when the old woman put a gentle hand on his arm.

“Why don’t you two lovely boys stay the night? It gets quite chilly and you have been wandering for days.” She gently took the strap from Baekhyun’s hand and to his surprise, he complied. By this gentle interaction, he felt at ease, and at home. So, with a dazed nod, he linked and secured his hand in Chanyeol’s and followed the woman upstairs.

As he walked up, he failed to notice the strange way the walls almost shook, and so did Chanyeol who was starting to fall over from exhaustion. Both woozy, they somehow stumbled into a small room with two beds, antique dolls everywhere, and small, two pane windows.  They also basically slept walked through the entire process of getting ready for bed -- taking a shower, brushing their teeth, and getting in bed after saying goodnight to the old woman who didn’t look so old anymore, but they were too tired to take note of it.

It was only when Baekhyun’s hand was on the bedside lamp switch when he came back to his senses. Only, it was too late and once he turned the light off, he was cast into a darkness that strangely put him into a very calm sleep. In his dreams, though, it wasn’t so calm. In fact, they were more like lucid nightmares, more than anything. These nightmares consisted of, on many occasions, Chanyeol dying in some horrid way while Baekhyun watched, helpless and crying. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Baekhyun told himself to wake up, he couldn’t. He continuously pinched himself and told himself to open his eyes, but it was as if he was held in by some force that just didn’t want to let him go. So, he endured the pain of watching the one closest to him die over and over again for what seemed like forever.

As Baekhyun and Chanyeol slept not so peacefully, things a around them began to change, and definitely not for the better. Little did they know, the moment they stepped onto th porch of the house, they had already sealed their fates.

Death became inevitable, unless they were strong and brave enough to change it.

Thank you for reading the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed and I hope you continue to read. Thank you.

If you find any grammar or spelling mistakes, or even unfinished sentences, please tell me so I can fix them!