But after meeting Phil, they decided to take on the trail together with Maya’s aunt’s house in Maine as their final destination.

It had been almost a week since they started their hike in New York, and it had been a trying and exhausting one. But they had each other to depend on—and Phil had not let her down.

Maya let out another laugh.

“Phil, we need to get to sleep,” she said as she playfully pushed him off her.

Today was probably their longest hiking day yet and Maya was exhausted. And tomorrow was going to be an exhausting day as well.

Phil reluctantly agreed. He knew she was right, and he lay back down in his sleeping bag while Maya reached for the lantern and turned it off, leaving them in total darkness.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” he said.

She felt his arm reach around her sleeping bag and pull her in closer. He kissed her forehead and then finally settled down.

Maya closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the crickets in the night before finally drifting off into sleep.

***

Maya woke up suddenly to a sound in the distance. She lifted her head up sleepily as she listened carefully, and she could just make out the hum of a motor echoing off the trees. Why would anyone be on the trail this late? she wondered as she reached for her phone to check the time—2 AM.

The sound got closer and Maya reached for a flap on the tent and unzipped it. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness except for headlights. They were moving closer, filtering through the tent and causing the fabric to illuminate in a way that suddenly made her feel exposed.

“Phil,” she said as she turned toward him and gently nudged him awake. “Phil, someone is in the woods.”

He shifted closer to her, half asleep, his eyes barely open, and assured her that it was nothing. But Maya knew what she heard and saw, and she peered out of the tent again to confirm it. The headlights were now even closer, almost near the short pathway they walked earlier that day to set up their tent in the clearing they now sat in. She nudged Phil again.

“Phil, get up!” she whispered loudly.

This time, he opened his eyes and after the haze of sleep cleared in his mind, he sat up, for he heard it too.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“It’s two AM,” Maya whispered, and she watched as Phil’s face morphed into concern.

He moved closer to her, trying to peer out of the tent as well.

They sat in silence, listening, until the four-wheeler shuddered to a halt on the trail, followed by the sound of crushing leaves under footsteps. They could barely see in the darkness, but Maya could just make out a dark shadowed figure, moving amongst the trees—toward them.

Phil could sense Maya’s panic.