#ghostas

great   valley   park   is   a   small   park   in   the   middle   of   nowhere.   however,   if   you're   actually   curious,   it's   a   three   hour   drive   from   sunshine   coast.   the   park   itself   is   beautiful.   if   you   like   camping   as   much   as   i   do,   it's   perfect.   plenty   of   wildlife,   plenty   of   foliage,   beautiful   trails,   even   a   small   pond   to   take   a   little   discrete   dip.   the   weather   was   perfect   while   i   was   there.   i   have   absolutely   nothing   bad   to   say   about   the   park.   if   ghostface   isn't   there,   i'd   say   it's   the   perfect   vacation   spot.

i   first   arrived   in   the   park   in   june.   when   i   arrived,   a   park   ranger   was   quick   to   arrive.   they   introduced   themselves   as   kai,   the   one   who   sent   the   email.   kai   is   .   .   .   in   a   word   .   .   .   odd.   if   you   opened   the   dictionary   to   the   word   boy   scout,   that   would   be   kai.   olive   green   pants.   olive   green   shirt.   bowl   haircut.   super,   mega   dorky.   he's   a   little   shorter   than   me,   seemed   knowledgable   at   first   glance.   however,   as   the   week   went   on,   i   started   to   notice   little   oddities   that   made   me   question   his   qualifications   as   a   park   ranger.   but   why   the   hell   should   i   have   done   that?   who   would   fake   being   a   park   ranger?

they   were   annoyed   by   me.   i   could   tell.   i   would   ask   about   something   like   wifi   or   water   or   even   a   trail   map   and   i'd   be   fronted   with   some   sigh   of   annoyance.   i   then   took   it   as   my   personal   challenge   to   make   kai   like   me.   i   wasn't   expecting   this   from   them   ——   you   see,   my   dear   readers,   i   get   many   emails.   many,   many   emails.   typically,   many   of   you   will   send   a   second   email   to   try   and   get   my   attention.   not   that   i   was   expecting   special   treatment   from   kai,   but   i   wasn't   expecting   him   to   act   like   i   was   the   bane   of   his   entire   existence.   by   monday   i   knew   he   didn't   like   me.   by   saturday,   i   knew   why.

i   spent   a   lot   of   time   hiking.   trying   to   find   this   ghostface,   this   knife-wielding   killer   that   apparently   haunted   and   slayed   multiple   people   all   over   the   globe   and   was   now   squatting   at   the   park.   however,   the   worst   thing   i   found   during   the   majority   of   the   trip   was   a   dead   squirrel.   i   thought   that   i   had   made   the   journey   to   this   beautiful   park   for   nothing   ——   even   if   i   did   enjoy   myself   during   the   beginning   of   the   week.   seriously,   i   cannot   recommend   this   park   enough.   here's   some   pictures   of   my   favorite   spot,   seen   from   my   tent.

on   friday,   kai   came   to   my   tent   with   a   message   for   me:   we   got   some   other   campers   reporting   some   suspicious   activity   in   that   patch   of   woods   over   there.   i   was   going   to   check   it   out   myself,   but   they   way   they   were   talking   about   it   made   it   seem   like   your   kind   of   gig.   i   obviously   lept   at   the   opportunity.   i   love   camping,   okay?   but   by   that   point,   i   was   bored   out   of   my   skull.   i   didn't   come   for   a   week-long   getaway   in   the   mountains,   i   came   to   find   this   supernatural   entity   that   wanted   everyone   dead.   so,   i   didn't   question   anything.   i   didn't   even   hesistate   a   little.   it   was   already   a   little   dark   outside,   so   i   went   ahead   and   grabbed   my   head   lamp   and   flashlight.   i   didn't   need   to   be   snuck   up   on   in   the   australian   wilderness.   he   headed   out   with   me   at   first.   atticus   and   kai,   off   adventuring   in   the   woods   at   sunset.   but   all   of   a   sudden,   kai   disappeared.   i   assumed   it   had   something   to   do   with   ranger   duties,   so   i   thought   nothing   of   it.

the   clues   i   was   given   lead   me   to   a   meadow   ——   a   pretty   meadow   by   all   definition,   but   one   that   is   permanently   ruined   in   my   mind's   eye   until   the   day   that   i   die.   they   heard   some   rustling   in   the   bushes.   swore   they   saw   a   white   mask.   isn't   that   your   kind   of   thing?   kai   told   me.   so   i   went   digging   in   all   these   bushes.   a   ton   of   bushes.   my   fifth   bush,   i   finally   found   something,   but   it   wasn't   something   i   wanted   to   see.   there   was   blood,   lots   of   it.   dried,   but   still   enough   for   me   to   know   that   if   it   were   wet,   it   would   likely   be   pools   and   pools.   some   drag   marks.   was   it   too   late?   did   i   miss   the   ghostface?   i   followed   the   drag   marks,   and   what   i   found   next   was   something   i   never   wanted   to   see.

now   readers,   i   don't   know   how   many   of   you   have   experience   with   dead   people.   for   those   of   you   who   don't,   let   me   sum   it   up   for   you   in   a   word:   don't.   it's   wildly   unsettling,   horrible   to   look   at.   despite   my   line   of   work,   i   have   not   run   into   many   corpses   in   my   day.   unfortunately,   this   day   will   be   added   to   the   days   where   i've   seen   corpses.   his   throat   was   slashed,   body   left   crumpled   and   naked   in   yet   another   bush.   it   was   pale,   cold.   something,   however,   caught   my   eye.   something   resembling   a   patch,   ripped   in   half.   i   squatted   to   look   at   it,   but   didn't   touch.   while   i   normally   like   to   dig   myself   into   cases   like   this,   there's   a   dead   body   involved   now.   that's   way   past   my   line   of   expertise.   anyways,   the   patch,   even   though   it   was   frayed   and   dark   outside,   i   recognized   it   instantly   as   a   national   park   connoisseur.   the   badge   on   the   ground   was   a   park   ranger's   badge.   the   body   i'd   found   belonged   to   the   real   park   ranger.

instantly,   my   heart   sank.   if   this   was   the   park   ranger,   who   was   kai?   who   killed   the   park   ranger?   i   had   so   many   questions   i   needed   answered.   the   second   i   turned   around,   there   was   kai.   but   they   were   different   than   the   park   ranger   i'd   pestered   all   week   ——   i   didn't   recognize   him   with   the   daunting   expression   on   his   face.   even   though   my   headlamp   and   flashlight   were   on   him,   there   was   a   darkness   about   him   that   i   can't   quite   convey.   in   my   line   of   work,   dear   readers,   it's   normal   to   be   frightened.   i   put   myself   in   harm's   way   each   and   every   time   i   write   one   of   these   articles,   even   if   i   don't   convey   it   at   some   point.   but   for   the   first   time   in   my   whole   life,   i   thought   i   was   going   to   die.   i   thought   i   was   going   to   be   left   for   dead   with   that   park   ranger,   and   i'd   started   to   accept   it.

they   knocked   me   down,   held   their   knife   to   my   throat.   i   swore   they   drew   blood   as   they   did   so.   it   was   in   this   moment   i   knew   i'd   annoyed   kai   ——   no,   ghostface   all   week   ——   he   was   going   to   play   with   his   food   whether   i   wanted   him   to   or   not.   i   was   speechless.   you   talked   all   week   and   now   you   have   nothing   to   say.   cat   got   your   tongue?   their   face   was   twisted.   they   were   smiling,   and   smiling   big.   this'll   only   hurt   a   little   .   .   .

i   don't   know   what   being   was   out   there   looking   for   me,   but   i'm   convinced   there   was   something   that   wants   me   alive   and   that's   the   only   reason   i'm   here   writing   to   you   today.   something   crunched   behind   us,   not   immediately   there   but   close   enough   that   they   could   tell   what   was   going   on.   we   wrestled   a   bit.   thankfully,   i'm   bigger   than   them.   i   was   able   to   use   size   to   my   advantage,   and   i   ran.   i   turned   my   lights   off   and   ran   as   fast   as   i   could,   left   my   tent   and   everything   behind   and   sped   away.   

i   wasn't   able   to   return   to   my   apartment   for   weeks.   my   friend   beau   let   me   stay   with   him,   for   which   i   am   eternally   grateful.   i   was   terrified   they   might   find   me,   try   to   finish   what   they   started.   you   see,   dear   readers,   the   kai   i'd   spent   the   week   getting   to   know   was   actually   the   thing   i   was   hunting   —   ghostface.   he   lured   me   there,   tried   to   kill   me   ——   and   i   escaped.   i'm   not   going   to   lie   to   you,   it's   been   harder   than   i   expected   to   get   over   this.   i   have   nightmares.   i   wake   up   feeling   the   cool   steel   of   the   knife   pressed   to   my   throat,   and   it   terrifies   me   all   over   again.   but   i'm   safe.   they   haven't   tried   to   find   me   since   then,   at   least   as   far   as   i   know.   all   i   can   do   is   pray   to   whatever   god   is   out   there   that   he'll   never   find   me   again.   i   don't   know   if   i'd   survive   the   ghostface   a   second   time.

now,   unfortunately   that   will   be   it   for   today,   dear   readers.   but   remember   this   —   it’s   a   scary   world   out   there,   more   than   people   let   on.   few   people   have   imagination   for   reality.