Before we start, I'd just like to give a shoutout to Dark Heart 945, who not only designed the cover art and helped me write the summary (I suck at summaries) and story a little, but is also an amazing person and friend, and I'd like to wish her a very happy birthday from here in Boston, Massachusetts.

In the spirit of the start of the summer holidays, Mike and May-Li had taken the residents of Ashdene Ridge on a camping trip, with the promise of making up for the countryside disaster that had taken place during Mike's absence.

Now, it was past 11 o'clock at night, and they had decided to pass the time telling scary stories around the campfire. Or rather, 'scary' stories.

"And then, after the brutal massacre, the young boy fled away into the night, and is still out there to this day," Tyler finished ominously, holding his torch under his chin.

He was met with looks of disinterest and eye rolls.

"Really, Tyler?" Sasha sighed. "Literally everyone knows the story of Jeff the Killer!"

"There's no way it can be really scary," Ryan said. "Cutting off his eyelids? He'd go blind within five minutes!"

"And cutting his face like that has to result in a really bad infection," Jody added. "He'd die eventually."

"The Joker did it," Mo pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's in a fictional story about a millionaire who, instead of donating to charity, chooses to spend his money on crazy gadgets and ridiculous bat costumes," Tee pointed out. "It's not meant to be realistic."

"How about a story that some people say is actually true then?" Mike proposed.

"Mike, these urban legends are rubbish," Bailey said.

"Just here me out," Mike insisted. "For many years, people have been going missing down a mysterious hole..."

"Like Alice in Wonderland?" asked Harry.

Mike seemed to hesitate, "Almost, think of it as a dark, mysterious, terrifying, black pit of doom..."

Ryan scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Shut up Ryan, this seems cool," Sasha hissed.

Mike continued, "Down in the woods, there's police tape around the hole, prohibiting people from going anywhere near it. Most victims of the black oil-coloured pit never return. Those that do ... suffer the most disastrous consequences."

Mike paused for a second, taking in the children's intrigued expressions, before deciding to cut it off there. "I'd tell you more, but you'd probably all have nightmares."

"No, no," protested Tyler. "Tell us more!"

"Yeah, tell us!" Floss insisted.

"Alright, if you say so," Mike said. "Those that are found after falling down the pit ... some have gotten PTSD from being down there-"

"What's PTSD?" Finn interrupted.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," Ryan explained. "It's when you experience something really horrible and then you can get flashbacks to that event, nightmares, constant fear and ..." he swallowed, "... panic attacks."

Finn looked like he was going to ask more questions, but Mike continued before that could happen, for which Ryan was very grateful. He didn't feel like elaborating on the details of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"Thank you Ryan," Mike said. "Anyway, some have gotten PTSD from being down there, some have lost limbs, and some have been rendered utterly physically and mentally disabled. They may have gotten away, but no one makes it out without long-term souvenirs. The same became of the investigators that went down there. That was when the police decided to close the case once and for all."

"Legend has it that the pit is still there in these very woods, to this day, waiting for its next victim ..."

The kids' eyes were all popping out of their heads as Mike finished, "Goodnight, kids. Sleep tight... Don't fall down the pit..."

Jody rolled her eyes, "Same to you, Mike."

"What a load of crap," Ryan commented, slumping down on his sleeping bag in the tent he shared with Bailey and Tyler.

"I don't know, sounds legit to me Ryan," Bailey said.

"What about it?" Ryan asked. "How could a simple pit give you PTSD? Aron Ralston was stuck down in a canyon with his arm literally stuck between a rock and a hard place for over 5 days. Not only did he have to resort to drinking his own pee, but he had to use the rock to break his arm so that he could saw it off with a dull knife. Sans anesthesia."

Tyler cringed. "Sounds familiar."

"The film 127 Hours was based on his story," Ryan explained. "I wouldn't advise watching it though, Tyler, if you find the story of Jeff the Killer scary."

"You watch it then," Bailey scoffed.

"I already have," Ryan said.

What Ryan didn't mention was the fact that he'd been forced to watch the film on a dare when he was 12, and it had - embarrassingly - caused him to retch uncontrollably before fainting out cold. He'd won the dare - but at a price.

"You were going somewhere with this?" Bailey prompted, making Ryan realised that he'd gone off on a tangent.

"If Aron Ralston could go through all that without getting PTSD, how can a simple pit in the middle of the woods give it to people?"

"We're not all Aron Ralston," Bailey said.

"And we don't know what's down that pit," Tyler added. "I mean, what if there are evil monsters down there? What if Slenderman is down there?!"

"He doesn't kill that way," Ryan dismissed. "It's just an urban legend, Tyler, just like Jeff the Killer."

"Alright then," Bailey replied, sitting up straight, spurring his rival to do likewise to match his eye level. "If you're so sure this can't be real, then how about we go into the woods and find it ourselves?"

Ryan frowned, he hadn't been anticipating that. However, before he had time to consider Bailey's offer, Tyler chose to interject.

"This is something," the curly-haired boy snorted. "You two sneaking off into the woods together ... alone ..." He wolf-whistled.

Making his way across the campsite just a minute later, Tyler had an issue to fix.

Ryan giving him the most deadly of death glares had been enough to make him regret his little innuendo and be willing to apologise immediately - but Bailey had grabbed him in a headlock and was messing up his afro before his mouth and throat could form a syllable.

That was why he was going over to Jody's tent now. He usually wasn't for tattling, but he didn't fancy sleeping in the same tent as two people who seemed ready to kill him in his sleep.

Tent doors couldn't knock, so he settled for batting the tarpaulin. The door was eventually unzipped by Carmen, who looked surprised to see him there.

"Oh, hey Tyler," she greeted. "What's up?"

"I can't sleep tonight," Tyler let out. "Ryan and Bailey are out for my head."

"Why?!" she laughed.

"Come in," Jody invited,

Tyler did, despite the fact that there was hardly any more room in the tent for a kitten.

"So, we were talking about Mike's story about the pit, and Ryan kept saying that it can't have been real, so Bailey suggested that they go and check it out for themselves since it's apparently in these woods," Tyler explained. "So I decided to make a joke about them going off into the woods alone together ..."

Tee, Carmen and Jody sniggered.

"Then Ryan gave me a death glare, Bailey grabbed me in a headlock, and now I'm scared they'll kill me in my sleep," Tyler finished.

Jody pursed her lips, before she climbed past her friends and out of the tent, making her way towards the boys' tent, Tyler trailing behind her.

"Ryan, Bailey!" she yelled, whacking the tarpaulin from above. "Open up!"

The tent door was unzipped a few seconds later, revealing an annoyed looking Ryan and a confused Bailey.

"You will not-" Jody was cut off by Ryan's exasperated sigh.

"We're not gonna kill Tyler in his sleep," he said, before discreetly adding: "At least, I'm not going to. I can't speak for Bailey here."

"I'm not going to kill him," Bailey said.

"Good," Jody asserted sternly, before her tone changed. "So, tell us about this plan to check out the pit."

Tyler crawled out from behind her and sat on his sleeping bag in anticipation. Jody followed, plonking herself down beside him.

"Why should we tell you?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jody shrugged. "Maybe I want to join in."

Their eyes widened. "Really?!" Tyler asked, his eyebrows nearly disappearing under his curly hair.

Jody nodded. "I'm interested - it has to be more interesting than gutting fish tomorrow!"

Bailey grimaced in agreement. "Alright, you can come along and check it out with us."

Ryan nodded slightly, before they all looked to Tyler with questioning looks.

Tyler shook his head. "No thanks, guys. I mean, whether the story is true or not, I'm not taking any chances. Better safe than sorry, you know."

Bailey shrugged. "Alright, fair enough. So guys, we go into the woods and try and find this pit."

"We won't," Ryan said. "It's just a story. And if we do, it'll be nothing special."

How very wrong he was.