Trapped by Fear359 (f/f, qs, grim) Lois and Anita were hiking in the forest, just like they had always done, but today was different. They both decided that they needed to find somewhere new to hike, so they heard of a hiking trail called Lost Man's Trail. It got it's name because back in 1962 a group of people went out for a hike and were never seen again. The story was that when they got lost, one of the hiker's went crazy and killed everyone and then killed himself, although none of the bodies were ever found. Anita told Lois about the trail, and they decided that they would hit this new trail. They loaded up Lois's Ford Explorer, and they were on the road. The trip would take about two hours, so that would give them plenty of time to check out the maps that they had, and give them a chance to talk about work and their sorry ass bosses. As Lois drove down the road, she asked Anita what she thought about the legend of Lost Man's Trail. Anita said that anything was possible, but found it hard to believe, that anyone could get lost on a trail, and then go crazy. She also said that it was probably just a trick to get people to go there and hike this trail. One big tourist trap. Lois started laughing at her, but she had to agree with her and told her, "No matter what, we do not get sucked into buying anything!" Anita, agreed, and they had a good laugh at the thought of all the people trying to sell them things that they didn't need. One hour, and forty-five minutes later, they were coming up on their turn off to the park. As Lois turned off to get into the park, they could see that it looked like no one had been there in years. As they drove down the dirt road, they thought that they would have seen people out walking around, but instead they found that they were the only two people on the road. Anita, told Lois that this was great, they had the whole forest to themselves. Lois found a parking place and put the explorer in a parking space 100 yards from the trail. Anita jumped out of the 4x4, and headed for the back of it while Lois hit the latch to open up the back. Anita grabbed her back pack as Lois locked the doors and headed for the back of the truck. Anita clicked the straps on her back pack and told Lois to hurry up, that they had some serious hiking to get done. Lois started laughing, and told Anita to cool her jets, they had all day to get this hiking done. Anita said, "I know we have all day, I just want to get started that's all." Lois walked to the back of the truck and grabbed her back pack, locked the straps down, and told Anita, "Let's get going!" The two young ladies started out walking, and they knew that they had about a two mile walk before they got to Lost Man's Trail. They were both walking and talking and looking at the beautiful forest. The trees were at least 150 to 200 feet high, and the smell of the forest was one that was clean and real, not the bad smelling city that they both hated so much. As they came over a small hill, they got to a sign that said, "LOST MAN'S TRAIL - 1/4 MILE AHEAD". Lois looked at Anita, and without saying a word they both picked up their pace, and in less than ten minutes they were standing in front of the sign that said, "LOST MAN'S TRAIL - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK". As Anita looked at Lois, and Lois looked at Anita they looked at the trail and started to take off when they heard a voice from behind them, that almost made them jump out of their skin. When they turned around there was a man walking up to them, smiling at them. When he got about five feet from them he stopped and said, "Good morning ladies, and how are you doing today? I noticed that you are about to enter Lost Man's Trail, and I would like to give you a word of advice. /Don't go!/ People go on that trail and are never seen again!" Lois and Anita just started laughing at him and wanted to know what he was trying to sell them. The man just looked at them and said that he didn't want to sell them anything, he was just trying to warn them about the dangers. Lois told him that they were big girls, and could take care of themselves, and that they would be careful. The man told them, that men said the same thing, but they too disappeared without a trace. Anita then broke in and said, "Look, I don't know who you are, and I don't know what you are trying to pull here, but whatever you are trying to do, it ain't gonna work. Now just leave us alone!" The man said that he was sorry, and that he did not mean to make them angry. He said goodbye, and good luck, and then he turned and walked away. As the girls watched him go back up the hill, he turned back around waved at them and then put his head down, and disappeared over the hill. Anita looked at Lois, and said, "What a freaking psycho, he needs to be locked up and not roaming around trying to scare people!" Lois agreed, and the two started out on the trail. As they walked on the couldn't believe the beauty out here, it was like it was untouched by man, no trash anywhere, and burned out campfires, noting but nature at it's best. The trail led the two deeper into the forest, and the trail was leading down into some kind of valley. They kept on walking until they hit a fork in the road, one branching left, and the other going right. Anita looked at Lois, and said that they should each take a trail. Lois on the other hand kept on thinking about Mr. weirdo back there, and told Anita that it would be best if they stayed together. Anita thought about it for a minute, and thought that Lois was right, that guy could be a rapist or something, and after all there were two of them, and as the saying goes, "There is a strength in numbers." They took the left trail, and it took them deeper into the valley. They could hear running water in the distance, maybe a waterfall of some sorts, and maybe if the water was warm enough they could take a swim, before nightfall. As the two kept on walking the trail once again split into, Lois said, "We took the left trail last time, so this time let's take the right." Anita shook her head yes, and they started off down the right side of the trail. They got about 200 yards down the trail, when they both noticed that the trail was starting to get muddy. As Lois looked to her left she could see that they was a run-off of water coming through the trees, and stopping just short of the trail. She pointed to the water run-off to Anita, who said, "Yeah I see it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it, I paid good money for these boots, and this mud is going to ruin them!" Lois laughed at her, and said, "Ahhhhh, poor baby, looks like you are gonna have to go out and buy some more that's all!" Anita stuck out her tongue to Lois, as they kept on walking. Lois was about a step in front of Anita when she tripped on a log and stumbled forward. Before Anita knew what happened she tripped on the same log, and went stumbling forward. Lois hit a slick spot in the trail and slid sideways off the trail. Anita hit the same slick spot, and followed Lois sideways down the trail. Lois, and Anita were both screaming like scared rabbits, as they skidded out of control down a muddy side trail. After what seemed like forever both the girls came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the hidden grass covered trail. Lois got up, looked around, and then looked down at Anita who was about two feet behind her, and after looking at Anita, and then herself, Lois broke out in to a big laugh, because the both of them we covered in mud. Anita got up, and joined in the laughter, and told Lois that they might want to go find a stream or a river, and get cleaned up. As the two started walking forward to find a stream neither one of them was paying attention to the the way the ground was getting softer with each step that they took. As they passed through two trees, Anita asked Lois why she was slowing down, when the ground that they were walking on seem to open up and pull them in. Lois got mad and tried to pull her feet out of the mud, but found out that for some strange reason she could not. and she asked Anita for some help. But the response Lois got was not the one she thought that she would get. Anita had told her that she was also stuck in the mud, and that she had sank up to her ankles, and it felt like they were trapped in some kind of super glue mud. No matter how hard she tried the mud wouldn't let her go. Lois tried pulling her left foot out, only to lose the right one more to the mud. Getting madder by the minute, Lois started pumping her legs as hard as she could, when she heard Anita say something, but she didn't understand what she was saying until, the mud loosened up, beneath her, and she sank up to her knees, in seconds. Anita was screaming, "Stop, Lois! I think that this is quicksand! Stop struggling!" But Anita's warning came toop late, as they both were mired up back their knees. As Lois tried to stop struggling, Anita tried to think of a way to get them out, and that's when they heard a voice, and when they looked to their right, there was that man that had told them not to go in the first place. "Ladies, I told you to be careful, and not to come in here. Now you are trapped in the quicksand of Lost Man's Forest!" Lois looked at him, and told him to pull them out of the quicksand. He gave them a funny look and put his head down, and began to speak and what he said chilled them both to the bone. "I cannot save you because I am already dead! I sank in the very same quicksand that is claiming you two right now. I sank in it 37 years ago, and like you I did not take the warning seriously, and now you both are doomed to walk this forest until someone takes your advice and does not enter this forest!" Anita, and Lois couldn't believe what they were hearing, they would have to wander around this forest as the undead until they save someone from coming in here. Anita felt the quicksand pull her in past her waist, and then she lost it. She started bucking and thrashing around, pulling her in faster. Lois felt Anita moving around and started to do the same, she was trying to loosing it up enough to somehow pull herself out, but as they both struggled, against the quicksand, it just pulled them in more, and more. Then Anita looked up, and asked, "If you knew the quicksand was in here why couldn't you just say that, and save yourself?" "I cannot tell why it is dangerous, I can only tell you that it /is/ dangerous. If I could have told you, believe me I would have to you, but it is forbidden! Now if you two will excuse me, I have to go back into this deadly mire." As Lois, and Anita watch in horror the man steps back into the quicksand, and sinks in a matter of seconds. The girls where so in shock they didn't feel the quicksand pull their toes down, until it was too late. Lois screamed that her feet were pointed straight down, and when Anita moved her feet she found that her feet were also pointed down, and they knew that it was the end. The quicksand pulled them both more, and they both struggled to get free, but they both knew that all it was doing was driving them in deeper. Lois had sank up to her breast, and as she tried to turn around and she how far Anita had sunk in she could see that with all of Anita's wild struggling she was up to her neck, and before Lois could say anything, Anita's head was sucked into the quicksand in one quick pull. As Lois tried to struggle one more time, she felt the quicksand pull on her more, and before she could scream for help she was gone, sucked in by the quicksand, and she and Anita were doomed to walk this forest until they can stop someone from entering Lost Man's Forest.