Chapter 5 - Slumber Party

Griffith Park wasn't supposed to feel this dark.

"Layla, where are you?" My voice barely carried through the trees. The flashlight in my hand felt too small, too weak, like it could only carve out a sliver of safety in the endless black around me.

We'd only been here for thirty minutes. A spontaneous idea — a little exploring before our slumber party. Our other friend had left early for work, so it was just the two of us. And somehow, that turned into wandering through a barely lit park at 10 P.M.

Finally, Layla's voice echoed back. She jogged toward me, breathless. "Willow, ready to go explore?"

I didn't know why I agreed. Maybe I didn't want to ruin the mood. Maybe I thought nothing bad ever really happened. "Not really," I admitted, "but... knock it 'til you try it."

She grinned. "If anything, weird happens, we turn back. Promise."

We walked deeper into the forest, flashlights slicing through the dark. The sky above was beautiful — stars scattered across a deep blue canvas — but everything beneath it felt wrong. Too quiet. Too still.

An owl hooted from a nearby branch. I screamed before I could stop myself.

"You, okay?" Layla asked.

"Yeah... just startled."

We kept walking, but the deeper we went, the more lost I felt. Every tree looked the same. Every shadow looked like it was watching.

Then we heard it.

A scream.

High‑pitched. Terrified. Human.

We froze. Flashlights off. Breath was held.

Layla's hand found mine, trembling.

After a long minute, we turned our lights back on.

"Layla," I whispered, "I want to go back."

"Yeah... let's go."

We turned around, trying to retrace our steps. Then the scream came again — closer.

Layla didn't hesitate. "Nope. Let's go!"

We ran. Branches whipped past us, dirt kicking up under our shoes. Five minutes felt like an hour, but finally the parking lot came into view. Layla fumbled with her keys, unlocked the car, and we dove inside, locking the doors.

We sat there, shaking.

"I wasn't expecting that," I whispered.

"Me neither," she said. "I hope that girl's okay."

We drove back to her house in Woodland Hills, music filling the silence. By the time we arrived, exhaustion had settled into our bones. We changed into comfortable clothes, picked a movie, and tried to pretend everything was normal.

Forty minutes in, we were both falling asleep.

"Let's finish it tomorrow," Layla mumbled.

"Agreed."

We headed to her room — she took the bed; I took the floor mattress — and sleep finally pulled us under.