From the Woods
Page 1
From the Woods
Synopsis
When Fiona’s friends drag her along on a two-week backpacking trip in the remote Colorado mountains, she’s pleasantly surprised to learn that she’ll be spending that entire trip with their attractive trail guide, Roz.
Once in the woods, however, far from anything resembling civilization, something or someone comes for them.
With their lives in danger, Fiona and Roz are forced to set off on their own to look for help, drawing the threat from the woods and away from their friends but directly toward them.
What Reviewers Say About Charlotte Greene’s Work
Legacy
“Greene does a good job of building suspense as the story unfolds. Strange things happen one by one in increasingly spooky fashion. Background information is revealed a little bit at a time and makes you want to try and solve the mystery. …I recommend this to those who like to read about hauntings, nature, history, DIY home maintenance, violent husbands, scary things in the woods, and water.”—Bookvark
“The characters are well developed, and Greene hit just the right amount of tension between them. …I rarely like every character in a book, but I loved the whole group. The creepiness never let up, the tension built steadily, and…things escalated rapidly. The ending was very satisfying! Horror is definitely Greene’s forte.”—Bookish Sort
“This is a wonderfully scary paranormal novel. The setting is perfect and well described. The characters are well-drawn and likable. The romance between Jo and Andy is especially charming and fits perfectly into the tale. This is just a wonderful story, and I’m so glad I read it, even in the middle of the night. If you love a good scary story, I believe you will love it too.”—Rainbow Reflections
“Greene likes to take her time to work up the suspense, starting with smaller and seemingly inconsequential things that build up a suitably creepy atmosphere. Placing the characters in an isolated setting ratchets things up. This isn’t a gore-fest nor is it relying on jump-scares to set the atmosphere—instead it’s a well paced ghost story with strongly developed characters…”—C-Spot Reviews
“Greene does a great job of establishing a creepy atmosphere by setting a rather slow (but not overly so) pace, taking the necessary time to describe the woods, the uncared-for cabin, the ominous well from the cover, the sounds, the smells, the weather and temperatures…”—Jude in the Stars
“Very fun horror story that just touches on the creep factor without going full blown scary. There’s a lot of really good elements to the book, from the menacing spook, to the mystery, and even the relationship. …Great work!”—Colleen Corgel, Librarian, Queens Public Library
Gnarled Hollow
“Greene has done an outstanding job of weaving in all sorts of layers; mysterious patterns in the gardens, missing rooms, odd disappearances, blandly boring journals, unknown artwork, and each mystery is eventually revealed as part of the horrific whole. Combined with intensely emotional descriptions of the fear the characters experience as they are targeted by the tortured spirit and this book is genuinely a page turner…not only could I not sleep after reading it, I didn’t want to put it down.”—Lesbian Reading Room
“Gnarled Hollow by Charlotte Greene is an awesome supernatural thriller that will terrify and entertain you for hours on end.”—The Lesbian Review
“Gnarled Hollow is a creepy mystery story that had me gripped from the start. There was layer upon layer of mystery and plenty that I didn’t see coming at all.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog
“Scared myself to death, but hauntingly beautiful! had my heart beating at rapid speeds, and my mind working overtime with this thought provoking story. Piecing together the mystery of Gnarled Hollow was both fascinating, and scary as hell. It takes talent to put that much suspense and thrill into words that build the picture so vividly, painting descriptions that you can imagine perfectly and see as you read.”—LESBIreviewed
“I really enjoyed this. This is the fifth book I have read by Greene and by far my favorite. It had some good twists and kept me in suspense until the end. In fact, I was a little sad when it ended. This would be a perfect book to read around Halloween time. …I would absolutely recommend this to paranormal-crime/mystery fans. I really hope Greene takes the opportunity to write more books in similar genres. I would love to read them if she does. 5 stars.”—Lez Review Books
A Palette for Love
“The relationship really works between the main characters, and the sex is steamy but not over the top.”—Amanda’s Reviews
Pride and Porters
“Have you ever wondered how Pride and Prejudice would work if it were two women falling in love with a brewery as a backdrop? Well, wonder no more! …All in all, I would say this is up near the top on my list of favorite Pride and Prejudice adaptations.”—Amanda Brill, Librarian, Rowan Public Library (North Carolina)
“Greene’s charming retelling of Pride and Prejudice transplants the Bennets into the world of Colorado craft beer. …The story beats are comfortingly familiar, with the unusual backdrop of brewing and beer competitions, modern setting, and twists on the characters providing enough divergence to keep the reader engaged. …Feminism, lesbianism, and class are all touched on in this refreshing update on a classic. (Starred review)”—Publishers Weekly
From the Woods
Brought to you by
eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.
From The Woods
© 2020 By Charlotte Greene. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-794-7
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: December 2020
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Shelley Thrasher
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design by Tammy Seidick
eBook Design by Toni Whitaker
By the Author
A Palette for Love
Love in Disaster
Canvas for Love
Pride and Porters
Gnarled Hollow
Legacy
On the Run
From the Woods
Acknowledgments
This was my first time working with a writing group, and it was a great success. Thank you Kristin and Michelle for your kind and thoughtful responses to parts of this novel.
Thanks always to my dedicated, wonderful editor, Shelley Thrasher. You make everything so much better, and I sincerely appreciate your feedback and suggestions at every stage of the writing process.
Finally, to the Bone-Picking Monkey Man, who scared the heck out of me as a child.
Dedication
For my parents, who introduced me to the woods.
Chapter One
“How many times do I have to tell you? This is the chance of a lifetime.”
“You say that every year.”
“Well, this time I mean it. I’m serious. You can’t get a permit for love or money.”
“Why does everything you say sound like a sales pitch?”
Jill huffed and turned back t
o her beer, the high color in her cheeks suggesting strong feelings. Fiona felt a little guilty, but then she remembered the last trip they’d taken together. It had been a disaster in every sense of the word. She’d promised herself at the end of it that she’d never let Jill bully her into going somewhere again. Still, she didn’t want to argue. They’d been friends for a long time, and she knew what Jill was like when she didn’t get her way.
She put a hand on Jill’s. “Look, I’m sorry. But why don’t you let Carol plan it for once? Or Sarah? She’s good at that kind of thing.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “Sarah might be good at weddings, but she can’t plan a vacation to save her life. Don’t you remember Bali? We all agreed: never again.”
Fiona grimaced. “Oh. Right.” Bali had been even worse than Mexico. Fiona played with the condensation on her beer mug, letting the silence drag out. When Jill didn’t say anything, she said, almost whispering, “So why not let me choose this time?”
Jill finally turned her way again, that color still bright in her cheeks. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it—this is a chance of a lifetime. You were so excited about it before—don’t you remember? And they only issue six permits a year. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
Already, Fiona’s resolve was slipping away. She fought against her weakness, desperately trying to hold on to the memories of their last several trips, but they were losing their power in the face of Jill’s anger. After all, it wasn’t as if all the crap in Mexico had been anyone’s fault. Sure, Jill had suggested they eat the fruit from that street vendor in that mountain town, but other people on the tour had eaten it too, and they’d been fine. Everything else—the flat tires, the lost luggage, the stolen passports—had been bad luck. Most of her resentment had settled on Jill because she’d planned the trip, but it could have happened no matter who booked the tickets or where they went.
“I guess,” she finally said.
Jill perked up, clearly sensing a win, eyes bright with excitement now. “Keep thinking about it for a few minutes before you decide. Sarah and Carol will be here any minute. I’m going to tell them all about it, give everyone some details, and then you can decide.”
Fiona nodded, tuning out as Jill chatted with the new server behind the counter. She and Jill had been friends since early teen-hood, and despite widely varying experiences since, they’d managed to stay close. Know someone that long and you realize some things will never change. In their friendship, Jill was and always would be the leader and the decider, and Fiona had understood that the first time they’d met in AP Bio. Sometimes, like now, she resented their relationship, but most of the time she simply accepted it. Putting her foot down now would piss Jill off, and Fiona hated fighting with her more than anything. It would probably be pointless, anyway. Jill would eventually wear her down. Accepting Jill’s plan would avoid all that. And anyway, they’d had good trips together before. Maybe next year she’d finally get to choose where they’d go.
Jill touched the back of her hand and gestured at the new server. “This is Gina. She just moved here from Denver.”
Gina was very young—in her mid-twenties, maybe, with cute light strawberry-blond hair. Fiona could sense Jill’s glee from the stool next to hers even without seeing her face.
Fiona forced herself to smile and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Fiona.”
Gina’s hand was hot and a little sticky from the beer. “Nice to meet you, too.” She held Fiona’s hand slightly longer and tighter than necessary, making direct eye contact, and then she was called by another customer. Gina gave her a quick smile, almost seemed to wink, let go, and walked away.
Jill elbowed Fiona in the side, rough enough to spill her drink. “Huh, huh?”
“Yeah, she’s cute.” Fiona mopped at the beer with a cocktail napkin.
Jill slapped her forehead. “What? Are you kidding me? She’s a knockout!”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “I wouldn’t go that far—like I said, she’s cute, pretty even. But she’s a baby.”
Jill stared after Gina, frowning. “No, she’s not! And anyway, who cares?”
“If you like her so much, why don’t you ask her out yourself?”
Jill gave her a level stare. “You know what your problem is?”
“No. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“You’re damn right I am. You’re completely oblivious. Gina is totally into you, and you immediately find reasons to reject her. I’m not telling you to marry her or anything, but why not ask her out for drinks? Have some laughs?”
Fiona opened her mouth to reply, but Jill was suddenly turning and waving wildly behind them. Fiona spun her stool to spot Sarah and Carol coming through the door. It had been a few months since she’d seen them, and her stomach dropped. She’d thought she’d be okay with it by now, but she’d been fooling herself.
Jill launched herself off her stool and ran over to them, giving both a big hug, and Fiona followed, forcing a bright smile.
“You guys look great!” Jill said. “Don’t they look fantastic, Fiona?”
She nodded, hardly able to meet their eyes.
“You been working out or something?” Jill asked them.
Sarah nodded. “CrossFit. We started right after the honeymoon. Carol’s brother got us a year’s membership.”
Jill whistled. “Wow. Well, it shows. Come on—let’s grab a table. Fiona? Can you get us some beer?”
“Sure. What do you guys want?”
Once they told her, Fiona went back to the bar, taking the opportunity to try to center herself again. The last time she’d seen them had been at their wedding, which had been one of the worst days of her life. Having to smile and pretend to be happy for an entire day had been difficult.
Long ago, in college, she’d nursed an unrequited, silent crush on Carol, but that hadn’t been the root of the problem. In fact, a crush would have been easier, an actual motive for why she felt so terrible at their wedding. Instead, as she witnessed their vows, and then after, at the gorgeous reception, she’d felt an utter, empty solitude and crushing sense of doom. What had bothered her then and now wasn’t the fact that an old flame was getting married; it was the realization that the wedding, the reception, all of it, would never happen to her. Throughout their whole wedding, she’d fought a very simple emotion, but one that filled her with shame: jealousy.
Instead of being happy for her friends, she’d been consumed with envious spite. She’d gotten too drunk, though luckily no one she was close with besides Jill actually noticed, and she’d thought it was funny. Still, she’d made a fool of herself. She’d avoided thinking about the wedding since, hoping she’d get past her reaction to it, but she clearly hadn’t. That same jealous resentment was still there, still dark and ugly, festering in her heart.
Gina served her, and Fiona realized as she was paying that she’d been a little short with her when she ordered their drinks. She tried to make up for her curtness with a wide, final smile, but Gina was no longer meeting her eyes, already looking behind her at the next person in line. No matter. She’d meant what she said to Jill earlier—she wasn’t interested.
It took two trips to take the four pints to the table, and she slid into the empty seat next to Jill, unnoticed and un-thanked by any of them. All three were catching up, none of them attempting to bring her into the conversation, and Fiona took this extra time to arrange her face into something like casual friendliness.
She and Jill were sitting across from the others, so she had the chance to take the two of them in at her leisure. Jill was right—they were different. Their faces had slimmed, and their shoulders seemed broader, more defined somehow. Sarah had always been thin, but now her muscles leant her something like solidity rather than her previous, almost ethereal slightness. Her dark-umber skin, always gorgeous, was glowing with a kind of bronzed light, making the black curls of her hair a shimmering halo. Carol, already strong and fit, seemed almost dangerous, th
e muscles in her arms thick and corded, her previous pallor replaced with a healthy tan. She’d let her gray hair grow a little into a kind of rockabilly bouffant on top, and it suited her. It was like sitting with two centerfolds for a lesbian fitness magazine.
Fiona glanced at the mirrors on the walls and almost laughed at herself. There she was, all hundred and ten pounds of her, slunk in her chair like a sickly vulture over her beer. Her hair was a thin, messy pile of short, mousy brown wisps, her skin translucent and almost gray, nearly matching her pale eyes. Jill’s long, blond hair was a radiant crown behind her, her all-American good looks and extroversion a draw for men and women alike. Seeing the others reflected around her was certainly a study in contrasts, and not a good one.
“Hey,” Jill said, elbowing her. “Stop checking yourself out. I want to talk to you guys about what we’re doing this summer on vacation.”
Sarah and Carol groaned, comically and in unison.
“Jesus Christ, Jill,” Carol said. “Not another of your bright ideas.”
“Do you know how much weight I lost last time?” Sarah added. “I’ve never been that sick in my whole life. I still can’t smell cantaloupe without heaving.”
Jill made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Forget all that.” She paused, leaning forward and meeting everyone’s eyes, clearly trying to build suspense. “Fiona already knows, but guys, I got the permit.”
Sarah and Carol reacted as if they’d been slapped, jerking backward in surprise.
“What?” Sarah said.
“You did?” Carol added.
Jill’s self-satisfied grin widened into a smile. “And I got the best one: the end of July.”
Jill didn’t have to explain what she meant. Three years ago, the four of them had independently read an article about a protected, isolated forest that stretched from Northern Colorado into Southern Wyoming. Fiona had read the article while waiting for her skis to be fixed at a local outdoors outfitter. Jill had a subscription to the magazine it was printed in, and Sarah and Carol had seen a link on their social-media feeds. All four of them had been interested but hadn’t thought about it or mentioned it until they’d been at a barbecue at a mutual friend’s house later that week. Fiona had brought up the article, and everyone had immediately started talking about how fascinating they’d found it. By the end of the evening, they’d talked themselves into figuring out a way to go.