Rationale: Nick and Gatsby are UCSC students who are on their way to their dorms after finishing their classes but decide to take an unexpected detour. I choose to do a modern day version of Gatsby with a twist of horror because I was inspired by watching a lot of horror movies.This story stills involve the same characters from the original book.

One Friday afternoon, Nick and Gatsby were on their way to their dorms after finishing their classes. They went to UC Santa Cruz, both twenty two year olds majoring in business.Their campus was enormous and covered in trees, so it took a lot longer to get to the dorms. Gatsby turned to Nick and asked if he wanted to go through the woods since it would be faster than walking on the trail. Nick was hesitant at first because there had been stories that people tended to go missing in woods. Legend said that in 1925, before UC Santa Cruz was built, a man named George Wilson lived there with his wife before finding out his wife cheated on him with his friend. Wilson grew so mad that his wife and best friend has been secretly having an affair that he went out to his house and slashed his and her throat in their sleep.

“Are you sure you want to go through the woods?” Nick warned.What if we get lost?”

“We’ll be fine, Nick. There’s nothing to worry about,”Gatsby admitted.Plus, didn’t you want to get home quickly because you wanted a good night rest?”

Gatsby was always the daring one out of the two.

“Yeah, but you know the legend,” Nick added.

“That’s just a story the senior class tells to scare you. nobody believes that crap, you know,” Gatsby admitted.

“Yeah, you right. Let’s go,” Nick sighed.

Nick and Gatsby started walking through the woods in the eerie night. All they could hear was their heavy breathing and the faint chirps in the far distance. Nick stayed back a little to tie his shoes as Gatsby continued on. Once Nick finished, he ran to catch up with Gatsby, but soon stopped when he heard rustling in the trees above him. Something moved along the tree line. Something big – something fast. Nick tried to look for what it was but saw a dark figure standing way out in the forest. As he began to approach it, he heard a noise behind him and turns around but it was just a squirrel climbing up the tree he turned back around but the figure disappeared. He ignored it thinking it was just him being really tired and seeing things. He caught up with Gatsby and continued walking,they both began hearing strange sounds getting clearer the further they walk.

“Cheater, cheater, Cheater,”it called out, getting louder and louder.

Nick and Gatsby ran through the woods as fast as they could till they stumbled upon a small cave to hide in. Nick pulled out his phone and switched on the flashlight, illuminating the cave.Written on the walls were strange looking symbols and writing. In the far back of the cave laid an old wooden box with a lock. Gatsby believed someone must have hid some secret stash of money in it, but Nick felt it wasn’t something to be messed with. Yet Gatsby was so insistent on figuring out what was inside in the box that he went out to look for something to break the lock.

He came back ten minutes later with a huge rock and started striking the rusty padlock. The lock shattered as the box creaked open and we were finally able to see what’s inside. Within the box held many photographs of a man and women that seemed to be married. In one of the photos was of a wedding picture where the man and woman looked lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Nick turned the photo around and read what was written.

“To the love of my life, Myrtle. May our love forever stay strong, G.W.,” Nick murmured.

Nick set the photo down and looked at the others which had the same man, G.W., but this time he was standing right beside a man. In the photo, G.W. and the man were wearing beige colored suits with their hair combed back. G.W. had his arm around the man, both smiling widely at the camera.They seemed to be really close judging by their posture.

Nick flipped the photo, “To my loyal friend and best man,Tom.Thank you for being there,” it said.

Nick kept looking through the photos and found a crumpled up note on the back of the box. He picked it up and read what was written:

Dear George,

I have something to confess. I’ve been seeing and spending some time with Tom lately because you haven’t been giving me the attention I needed. I’m sorry but my love for you has faded, and by the time you receive this letter, I’ll be gone and with all of my belongings.

Sincerely, Myrtle

he bottom of the page had a couple of blood splatters.

“Nick check this out,” Gatsby called out a few feet away.

“What is it now Gatsby?” Nick uttered.

“Look,” Gatsby pointed his flashlight at the wall.

Written on the walls had a list of names which appeared to be written in blood but got dry over time.

“Tom Buchanan,Myrtle Wilson,Meyer Wolfsheim,Stiles Stilinski,Derek Hale,Malia Tate,Lydia Martin,the names went on, there seem to be hundred written on that wall.,”Nick read out,

“Wait,Nick look,” Gatsby pointed to the end of the list.

“Scott McCall and Allison Argent” Nick stammered,”Didn’t we have them last year but disappeared mid year.”

Gatsby nodded.

“I think we should go now, Gatz I’m having a bad feeling,”Nick suggested.

Nick and Gatsby made their way out the cave but hears soft whispers.

Gatsby flashed the light at the dark corner where the whispers seem to be coming from but there was no one.

“There’s no one here,”Nick whispered

At that moment there was loud scream saying Cheater with heavy stomps coming from behind then .Gatsby and Nick ran out the cave but got seperated when running out.

The same voice echoed in Nick ears as he held out his flashlight looking for Gatsby.Just like before,the dark figure appeared but this time he’s motioning Nick to follow.Nick was reluctant at first but he couldn’t help himself,he was too curious to figure out who he is.Nick pushed tree branches out of his way as he continued to follow the figure.He lost his footing and almost fell but regained his balance and kept going.Up ahead was a cluster of giant boulders.He watched as the dark figured appeared on top of one of the boulders and pointed down which was piles of boulders lying about 50 meters below him.He slowly made his way up the boulder where the figure once stand just a couple feet away from the edge.As he about to take another step to his death he felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him back down the boulder.

“Are you crazy?You could’ve died if you took that last step,” Gatsby boomed.

Nick mouth fell open as he noticed Gatsby was standing in front of him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Nick asked still sounding dazed.

“What am I doing?What the hell are you doing? Gatsby still enraged.

“I don’t know, I saw someone but he’s gone now, we have to go down ,”Nick blurted.

“Why,What’s down there?” Gatsby questioned.

“I’m not sure but it must be part of the reason why I almost killed myself,” Nick confessed.

Nick and Gatsby walk down to where the boulders lie.Nick took out his phone as he and Gatsby looked around.Nick was making his way through the boulders but came to a stop when he found a card hidden behind a boulder.He picked it up and realized it was a school Id which belonged to Scott McCall the student who went missing last year.He calls Gatsby over and shows the Id to him.

“We have to keep looking there has to be more,” Nick commented.

Nick and Gatsby continued their search for the last twenty minutes till Gatsby called out to Nick.

“What is it?” Nick asked.

“I think I know what happened to Scott and Allison and the rest of people who went missing.” Gatsby confessed looking straight at something.

Nick looks at Gatsby was looking at and saw a huge pile of bones and clothing and right a part of it was Scott and Allison decomposed bodies.

“We have to leave now,” Nick ushered.

“No, we have to help them,”Gatsby exclaimed.

“Gatz, we can’t right now we don’t have reception out here.We’ll be back but we have to leave now,”Nick argued.

Out of nowhere the boulder that Nick once stood before he was about to kill himself comes falling down almost hitting Nick and Gatsby.

“It’s him” Nick stated

“Him,who Nick,” Gatsby ordered.

“George Wilson,” Nick inform.

“The guy in the Legend”Gatsby laughed,”Nick,I told you it’s just a story.

“I don’t think it is,Gatz,I think there’s a link between the cave and here.”Nick stated,

Gatsby didn’t look to convinced.

“Think about it,the photos with the initials G.W,the letter about his wife cheating on him, the list of names of the people who went missing which we now found.”Nick recalled

“Shit,let’s go,” Gatsby replied

Gatsby and Nick rushed out of the woods but came to a stop when the dark figure Nick once saw appeared in front him.This time there was clearly view of his face.It was Wilson but aged smiling with a malicious glee and a knife in his hand.

“Cheater,Cheater,Cheater,”he said as he took his knife and slaughtered Gatsby and Nick.