A Father’s Worst Nightmare: His Son Disappears Into the Dark Woods During a Weekend Camping Trip
Daniel hoped a weekend in the woods would help mend his fractured bond with his son, Caleb. But after a heated argument, Caleb stormed off into the dark forest, leaving Daniel to search for him, finding only vanishing footprints.
It had been over a month since Caleb and Megan moved away, and the weekends that once brought excitement now felt distant. Silence stretched between them, heavy and awkward.
Megan’s new neighborhood, with its neat lawns and cookie-cutter homes, felt foreign. Evan’s car parked beside hers only added to the feeling that it belonged more to them than to Daniel.
Megan greeted him coolly. “Hi, Daniel. Caleb will be down in a minute.” Daniel’s chest tightened at the sight of her. “How are you?”
Before she could answer, Evan appeared, wiping flour off his hands. “Hey! You must be Daniel. Want a cookie?” He was unremarkable in appearance, but his easy-going demeanor made Daniel resent him.
Megan handed Caleb’s packed bag to Daniel as though eager to send him away. “There’s extra socks and his allergy meds.” “Thanks,” Daniel muttered, feeling the tension. “I guess we’ll head out then.”
As they drove off, Daniel caught sight of Evan standing behind Megan, his hand on her lower back. It stung. She had moved on so quickly.
The drive to the campsite was strained. Every conversation attempt with Caleb was met with one-word answers.
“How’s school?” “Fine.” “And soccer?” “Fine.” Daniel glanced at his son, noticing how much he’d changed in the past year. “How’s… things with Evan?” Caleb tensed.
“He’s okay. He helps me with math.” “That’s good,” Daniel said, his stomach twisting. Caleb looked at him. “He’s not that bad.” Daniel forced a chuckle. “That’s a glowing review.”
“At least he’s there,” Caleb muttered, so quietly Daniel almost missed it. “You know I’m trying, right?” Daniel said, his voice tight. “But it’s hard with the distance… it would help if you spent more than five minutes on the phone or answered my texts.”
Caleb rolled his eyes and popped in his earbuds. The conversation was over. Daniel’s fingers clenched around the steering wheel as the road became rougher, winding into the forest.
When they reached the campsite, Caleb looked unimpressed. “This is it?” “This is it. Real camping, like we used to do,” Daniel said. “They say this is one of the oldest parts of the world.”
Caleb grunted. “We used to camp in state parks. With bathrooms.” Ignoring the jab, Daniel unloaded the car. The tent was new—an upgrade from the old one Megan had taken after the divorce, along with most of their camping gear.
While Daniel set up camp, Caleb kicked rocks, uninterested. Daniel tried to spark some nostalgia. “Remember when we saw those baby raccoons a few years ago?”
Caleb shrugged. “Sort of.” “Your mom was worried they’d get into the cooler, but you wanted to feed them hot dogs.” “Yeah.” “Did you ever camp here with your mom? With Evan?”
“Nah. Some kids said people go missing here… like, forever.” Daniel chuckled. “Let me guess—Bigfoot?” Caleb smirked. “More like things that sound like people, but aren’t.”
“Sounds about right. You gonna help me with this?” Caleb sighed, giving Daniel a minimal amount of help. The tent went up, and Daniel tossed the sleeping bags to him.
“What the hell, Dad?” “Watch your language! Lay out the sleeping bags. I’ll get the fire going.” Caleb muttered under his breath, “…don’t care about me, just dragged me into the forest to boss me around.”
“What did you say?” Daniel snapped. “I brought you here to spend time together. Why act like this?” “You wouldn’t understand,” Caleb said quietly. “You could try,” Daniel said. “I’m your dad—”
“Yeah, when it’s convenient.” That stung. “You weren’t around before the divorce! You were always too busy. Now I’m supposed to make everything right?”
Caleb kicked a tent pole, shaking it. “Now you expect this fancy tent to fix everything?” His eyes were full of anger. “I don’t know where I fit anymore. Mom has Evan. You’ve got… this. Where am I supposed to be?”
Before Daniel could respond, Caleb stormed off into the woods. Daniel waited, hoping his son would cool off. But as night fell, the silence grew unsettling. The firelight barely reached the trees, and Daniel’s calls for Caleb went unanswered.
As he ventured deeper into the woods, the darkness felt oppressive, the air thick and still. Daniel’s flashlight revealed only moss-covered trunks and tangled ferns. He followed Caleb’s footprints, but they vanished suddenly, without a trace.
The forest was eerily quiet, save for the occasional creak of wood. Then, Daniel heard a voice—Caleb’s voice—echoing back at him. But it wasn’t quite right.
“Caleb?” The echo answered. “Caleb.” Daniel froze. It was just the forest playing tricks, he told himself, but doubt crept in. He pressed on, and soon glimpsed something moving in the trees—a figure too tall, unmoving. His heart raced.
“Caleb?” he called again. The figure didn’t move. As Daniel approached, it turned out to be just a twisted tree. But before he could relax, he heard Caleb’s voice again.
Daniel ran toward the sound, but nearly stepped into a hidden gully. His flashlight caught Caleb at the bottom, covered in dirt, pale and terrified. “Dad, help!”
Daniel scrambled down to him. “Are you hurt?” Caleb shook his head. “Something chased me. It wasn’t you calling me. I think… the stories are true.” “Calm down,” Daniel said. “It’s just echoes in the woods.”
But Caleb’s eyes were wide with fear. “No… the things the kids said… they’re real.” The flashlight beam flickered as Daniel swung it around, landing on a shape in the shadows—a deer. But it wasn’t moving like a normal deer. Its joints twisted unnaturally.
Caleb frowned. “Look at it. Maybe it’s hurt.” Daniel raised the flashlight. The deer’s eyes didn’t reflect the light. A chill ran through him. “Let’s go,” Daniel said urgently. “It could be sick. We need to leave.”
They scrambled to escape, but the sound following them wasn’t hooves—it was something dragging itself through the woods. They ran faster, hearing its wet pursuit.
When they reached the campfire, Caleb collapsed, clutching his ankle, grimacing in pain. Daniel threw him over his shoulder and sprinted, not waiting to find out what was chasing them.
At the fire, Daniel tended to Caleb’s ankle, his son looking smaller, vulnerable. “I didn’t mean what I said earlier,” Caleb muttered. Daniel shook his head. “Yeah, you did. And you were right.”
Caleb sighed. “I don’t know where I fit anymore. Everything’s different.” “You fit here. With me. Even when things are messed up.” Caleb looked at him, doubtful. “Even if we don’t see each other much?”
“Even then. I want to do better. Please, just let me.” A quiet understanding passed between them. As they settled into the tent, Caleb quickly fell asleep, and Daniel watched over him, feeling closer than he had in a long time.
Outside, a deer barked.
