The Ambush

So, this story takes place outdoors, on a camping trip. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Nevermind, the names have been changed, but there are no innocent. A large group of us were camping, and this kind of camping was the best kind. We were camping at a well developed campsite and had hired a camping company to set up camp, prepare meals, and clean up after us. It had everything that makes camping great: tents, campfires, and s'mores; but with things you wish you could have while you are camping: full hot meals and daily showers. So, in reality it wasn't "camping" camping, but it was still fun. Back to the story, so three of us decided that it would be really fun if we played a prank on our fellow campers. Two of us would encourage and acompany some people to go on a short hike while the third one hid in the bushes and set up an ambush for the group. When the time was right, the "ambusher" would jump out scare the life out of everyone. It was brilliant.

I volunteered to be the "ambusher" (anyone who knows me knows that I will not pass up a chance to scare someone) while my other two friends, let's call them Joe and Brandon, led the sheep to the slaughterhouse (mwhaaa-haaaa-haaa!) We agreed on a tentative route for the hikers and I told Joe and Brandon that I would make animal sounds and throw rocks near the group in the hopes that it would keep the hikers on edge. We were so excited. Joe and Brandon walked around asking, "does anyone want to go on a hike?" Once Joe and Brandon had a large enough group they started heading out on the hike. By this time the sun had started to set. The sun was already bellow the horizon, but there was still some lingering sunlight.

The group started out on their hike. I waited about five minutes and then ran down the trail. It was pretty easy to find the group. They were talking loudly and were wearing such a mix of colors that they stood out clearly from the surrounding green and brown. I maintained a distance of about 25 yards, close enough to know what was going on, but not close enough to be spotted. What I heard was a lot of complaining about wanting to go back and that it was starting to get dark. I had to set the stage for my ambush. I started throwing rocks ahead of the group and making random sounds. I could hear the hikers asking, "Did you hear that?" I kept throwing rocks and making sounds to create a tense atmosphere. At one point I realized that the group was going to turn around and head back to camp. I sprinted down the path back towards the camp. I saw an opening in some bushes next to the path. I decided that this is where I would pounce. I knelt down and waited for my unsuspecting victims.

By now it had gotten dark. I was almost certain no one would be able to see me. I could hear the group approaching my position. I was tense and excited. So much work and planning had gone into this and if I could pull this off, it would be awesome! The group was almost on top of me, it was now or never.  I jumped out onto the path, let out a roar, and waved my hands in the air. I could tell I startled some of the group, but there was one individual who, in their attempt to flee, had fallen on their back. It was Joe! No one else in the group was as scared as Joe. I asked if I had scared anyone and they informed that they had figured out that my "animal noises" were not from animals, but from a person. They had been expecting something. I approached Joe and asked him why he had been so frightened. He, of all people, should not have been scared, he knew I was going to jump out at some point. He explained that from the moment the group started on the hike he had been expecting me to scare them. As the hike continued and I still hadn't jumped out, Joe began to get nervous. The longer I waited to jump the more he got anxious. He said the suspense had been killing him. He knew I was going to pounce, but he didn't know when. In Joe's mind, every little sound he heard was potentialy me springing my trap. It must have been one of the worst hikes ever for Joe.

I hope you enjoyed the story. There will be more stories about Joe in the near future.