Daily Flash Fiction

Campsite Terror

Moss clung to the ancient trees, casting emerald shadows across the campsite. Maya's gaze darted towards the forest wall, fear prickling her skin. Ben snored with bearish gusto, while Jake's breaths were shallow and uneven.

"Wake up! You're snoring," Maya hissed, nudging Ben. "Someone's gotta stay awake."

Ben blinked owlishly. "Dawn?"

"Past midnight," Maya replied, her voice barely audible. "I heard… voices… I think."

Silence, punctuated only by the dying fire. Ben scoffed, but Jake sat up, his face tightening.

"Voices?" he rasped. "What kind?"

Maya couldn't describe them. Guttural, hungry, unhuman.

A twig snapped, followed by a low growl that vibrated through the air. Ben gasped, eyes wide. Maya's blood ran cold.

A monstrous figure lumbered out of the shadows, eyes glowing like hot coals. Ben stumbled, knocking over a lantern. Jake, with desperate courage, charged with a burning log.

The beast swiped, sending Jake sprawling. Maya and Ben fled into the undergrowth, the beast's bellows crashing behind them. They ran blindly, collapsing at a giant oak's base.

"We… can't outrun it," Ben whispered, trembling.

"Then… we fight," Maya choked out.

They huddled, clutching makeshift weapons, waiting for the darkness to claim them.

But dawn came, painting the sky with pale hope. The forest, no longer a threat, hummed with life. The beast was gone. Jake, vanished without a trace.

They never camped again. But sometimes, under the stars, they swore they heard whispers on the wind, carrying the chilling echo of "Wake up! You're snoring."

WORD COUNT: 247 Words
WITTEN FOR: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  | "Winner for 1/24 and prompt for 1/25"  
PROMPT: Write a story that includes the line: “Wake up! You’re snoring.”