“There goes my entertainment for tonight,” Trish groaned. She loved animals more than people. Animals got her, understood her, and respected her. She always had a problem with people. Whether it was finding a girlfriend or making an acquaintance into a friend, she always felt alone in this world. That’s why she didn’t mind going camping alone.
She unraveled her dark blue wilted sleeping bag. The musky smell permeated everything in its radius. She unzipped it and snorted as she turned her head away from it.
“I should’ve washed this before I came out,” she grumbled as she took her brown hiking boots off and placed them next to her backpack. She grabbed the book she brought with her, Scary Stories to Tell Around a Campfire, and slid into the decayed sleeping bag.
She read the first short story as the darkness grew deeper. All of the chipper birds had quieted down, the squirrels no longer ran around, and everything had fallen silent. The only music to her ears was owls hooting and the occasional splash from the nearby stream she’d hiked past earlier.
As she turned the page to the next story, she felt an eerie sense of trepidation as her hands started to shake. She knew that it had followed her into the clearing. How else would it know that I was here? She thought to herself. She debated back and forth if there was a man following her, a demon, or whether she was just being batshit. Maybe it had something to do with the need to cleanse her mind above all else, or maybe her need to be solitary trumped her need for safety. She sat up and took a look around her. She couldn’t see anything past a five-meter barrier around the fire, but she could hear the sound of the river a quarter-mile away that crashed against the cliffs. She pulled her cracked flashlight out and smacked it on as the light descended on the large, old trees that loomed above her. Her flashlight flickered in the clear moonlight; the strobe effect made her eyes squint. She scanned her surroundings as she took in every movement that she could see.
“You can leave me alone now!” She yelled out into the nothingness of the forest and hoped beyond hope that something wouldn’t answer her back. She stood up and stretched, her upper back popped like a symphony, and threw her boots back on, dropping her flashlight onto the ground as she started to tie her shoes.
In the dark, a deep whisper of a laugh enveloped her ears. The voice lingered in her head like a strong cup of dark coffee, a taste that wouldn’t go away for quite some time. It touched her deep in her soul and left her with a shiver she had never felt before. She stood up quickly and left one of her boots untied. She looked behind and in front of her, but she couldn’t see anyone.
“Leave me alone!” She called out sternly as she picked up her flashlight. She swung her flashlight wildly around her as she wanted to catch a glimpse of the man that had been stalking her.
“But you came here to see me, and soon you will. In the meantime, please enjoy your stay. This forest is one of the beautiful marvels that the Earth has to give, untouched by the vermin that is humanity,” the gloomy voice responded, which made her head spin.
“Why are you stalking me?” Trish whimpered, and her breath quickened. She spun around in a circle and pointed her flashlight at anything that moved. Her light hit an owl who sat near the treetop. She screamed and fell backward, her hand sliced open on a sharp twig when she reached out to catch herself. Her palm oozed the deep red liquid of life. Trish shook it and flung the sticky juice on her clothing and the ground beneath her. She winced and pressed her palm against her pants to try and stop the blood from flowing.
“Where did you go?!” She yelled into the deep, damp, nothingness that enveloped her entire being.
She rolled up her sleeping bag and cried. She used some water in her pink insulated water bottle and put the fire out. The smoke wafting up and out of the forest. The smell overwhelmed everything in the clearing. She always knew she was a peculiar girl who had tremendous weird things happen to her, but she just wanted it to stop. She wanted to have a nice hike without the fear of being followed. She needed to have a quiet moment with just her, and her thoughts, a breath of life that one can only get while in the great outdoors, and she just couldn’t find that anywhere.
Her therapist always told her that she just needed some time alone and away from the society at large, and now that she has it, people still won’t leave her alone. She now knew that she was being tracked, watched, and listened to. After he harassed her, she knew that she would never get an ounce of solitude while she was alive.
Trish opened up her backpack and pulled out her measly first aid kit. She doused her wound with alcohol, and sucked in a deep breath as she did, and then unwound her gauze and wrapped it around her palm. It wasn’t a deep cut, but she knew that it could get infected if she didn’t take care of it. Which would make this hike a lot harder than it needed to be. She sighed and shook her head. She wanted to finish this fifty-mile hike for herself, regardless of what it took.
Trish left her flashlight on as she grabbed her rucksack and filled it with everything lying about in the clearing. She picked up her flashlight and left to go and find the trail once more. Trish didn’t care that it was now dark; she needed to get away from the clearing. I need to think happy thoughts, she thought to herself. Trish thought of the beautiful brown rabbit she saw earlier, the ever-flowing stream she hiked past, and the waterfall she was bound to see tomorrow. Trish tried to think of anything and everything except the man following her, but her mind kept circling back around to him and what plans were with her.
She knew she was out in the wilderness, alone, and with no way to contact anyone if she did seriously get hurt…or worse.
Chapter Four
T
he sunlight glistened off of her skin, which drenched her in the warmth of the Summer morning. Trish’s head pounded from lack of sleep and a night of hiking up the trail. Her throat was dry as a sponge that withered on a windowsill. Trish stretched; a deep pain reverberated from her upper back, which was relieved as her spine popped with her muscles' pull. She popped her fingers and grabbed her water bottle from the side pocket of her rucksack, which needed to be refilled, and drank the last of it.
Trish sat against a moss-covered tree and slid her rucksack off of her. She leaned her head against the tree and relaxed. She pulled out her lip balm, the citrus flavor of it a welcome change of the forest, and caressed it onto her dry lips. Trish licked her lips and smiled. I hope that bunny is okay, poor thing, she thought to herself.
Trish threw her backpack on with a grunt and cascaded back down to the main trail. Her feet heavy from yesterday's uphill climb and the night hike; her legs burned with a deep inferno that bothered her with every step. She walked over twigs and stepped in mud, which splashed her pants. Trish made it back to the main trail in good time as the sun was still in its early morning routine. The weeds tickled her nose as the pollen danced in the forest. She sneezed and smacked her head into a low-hung pine tree branch. She laughed out loud to herself and shook her head, pulling out her canteen and allergy pill bottle. She swallowed the pill and took a swing of water.
“I’m so fucking stupid,” she giggled as she started the uphill trek of the trail. The path itself, ten miles into the fifty-mile trip, was still relatively clear. It looked like it had been maintained or cleaned up for the hikers of the Summer season. The trail had a few loose twigs, rocks, and dead leaves, but it was still easy to maneuver. She spotted the stream she’d ran into yesterday and made her way over. She almost slipped on the rugged, wet rocks she had to step on to get closer to the water, but she caught herself at the last second. Trish placed her bag on a wet slab, which dampened the bottom of it. She smelled fresh moss and looked over her shoulder. All of the trees that faced the stream had beautiful lush green moss that reminded her of camping with her grandpa as a child. They used to spend every spring and summer break camping around the United States.
They started camping together when she was approximately five years old. Her grandpa would pick her up, and they would either drive or fly to their cam
ping location. She has been to damn near every national forest that America has to offer. They camped together twice a year every year until he passed. This is her first camping trip without him.
Trish wiped a tear from her cheek as she filled up her water bottle as well as an extra canteen. She placed both bottles into her worn and now wet backpack and cupped her hands into the fresh stream's cool water and drank several handfuls. She dried her hands on her grimy pants and stood up, threw her bag on, and climbed off the wet rocks and back onto the clear trail.
“Hey!” A male called from a distance behind her. Frozen, she ignored it and walked as quickly as she could up the mountainous trail. Her heart pounds within her chest like someone would bang on a bass drum. Trish thought fast as she ducked off the path of least resistance and into the wilds of the forest. She ran rapidly; her feet carried her as fast as she could go. Her footfall light, but the crunch of the leaves beneath her were loud.
“Please wait up!” A woman’s voice yelled behind her. Trish halted and turned around to look behind her. Her vision blurry, and her head swam as she tried to regain her composure.
Two youngish looking people ran up to her and stopped to try and catch their breath. A small emaciated pale blond woman placed a hand on the pine tree next to her while the man used placed a hand on her shoulder. Trish took a few steps back and stood behind a large pine tree.
“We didn’t mean to…scare you…” the woman coughed as she shook her head, her mouth missing several teeth; the few teeth she did have were yellow and black. “We were wondering if you could help us.”
Trish looked back and forth at the two. “What do you need help with?” Her eyes shifted at both of them quickly; she bit her lip and tasted citrus.
“My wife, Cindy, has a gnarly cut on her arm. She just wasn’t paying attention when she ran into a tree. She’s clumsy like that. Anyway, we were wondering if you had some gauze or a band-aid?” the man asked as his back straightened. He smiled with a perfect set of pristine white teeth while his dark hair matted to his forehead. He was tall, Trish guessed around six foot five. His clothing looked like it had been ironed, and his hiking boots shined. His blue eyes a contrast to his dark hair and complexion.
“I noticed you have gauze wrapped around your hand, so we figured you’d have something,” the woman continued, her eyes rapidly shifting between Trish and the man. “Please, I’d rather not have to call it quits this early in the hike. We’re trying to finish at least ten miles of this,” her pale hair waved in the wind as her pale skin glistened with sweat.
“There was a roughly ten-mile hike marker over fifteen miles ago; why didn’t you take that trail?” Trish questioned.
“We wanted to get a little taste of this trail to figure out if we were able to finish it or not,” the man said with a million-dollar smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. Trish noticed that neither of them had a backpack or any kind of hiking gear on them. Trish took a few steps backward behind yet another tree. She slid off her rucksack and pulled out her first aid kit. She tore off a few band-aids and put the kit back into her sack. She slowly stepped towards them and held them out. The woman smiled and hiked up the hill closer to Trish, leaving the man standing behind her. She stuck her hand out, the body odour floated on the wind and smack Trish in the face. It was a rancid beef and tuna smell as if raw meat had been left out in the sun for a week. Trish placed the band-aids in her hand hastily, and made sure not to touch her, taking a giant step backward.
“Here ya go,” Trish stated.
“Hey, thanks so much. We really appreciate you,” the man said smoothly. “Are you out here by yourself?”
“No,” Trish answered.
“Who are you here with?” The woman asked sweetly with a southern tang to it that wasn’t there before.
“Some family,” Trish responded.
“How long are you hiking for?” The man asked as he played with the woman’s dirty hair.
“The full fifty.” She said with finality in her voice.
“That’s crazy! Do you think you can handle it?” The man asked while he looked her up and down.
“Yes, I’m fine. Do you need anything else?” Trish questioned.
The woman looked back and forth between the man and Trish; her dark eyes surveyed them both as the wind wiped through the trees.
“No, I think we’re fine. Thank you so much for the help. Maybe we’ll see you around?” She asked sweetly, a smile curved on her thin lips.
“Maybe,” Trish said.
“We’ll best be going now. We want to find a place to drop a tent before lunch to cook up some food. Maybe you’d like to join us?” The man asked; his sapphire eyes sparkled as his voice deepened.
“No, thank you. I don’t think you’d have enough food to feed my family and me,” Trish stated as she swung her pack back on and stared at them.
“Well, alright then. You take care now!” The woman called as she turned and started out of the brush. The man lingered behind her and smiled at Trish, giving her a slight nod. He turned and followed the woman out. Trish waited behind the tree for a few minutes. She pulled out a granola bar. She ripped open the wrapper and sighed a breath of relief. She took a bite; the sweetness and saltiness of the bar filled her mouth with relief. She finished the bar and tossed the wrapper into her bag. She sat down and plucked out her water bottle, and took a sip.
Was that the man who spoke to me last night? She asked herself. No, the voices don’t match up. It wouldn’t make sense. It didn’t sound like he was using a speakerphone, did it? I don’t think his voice could do that without me seeing him, she continued. Her thoughts racing faster than a horse on a race track. She couldn’t keep up with her thoughts any more than a fowl horse could keep up with full-grown horses in a race.
Trish sat on the ground for a while and enjoyed everything that the forest had to offer. The tall pine trees, cute squirrels always running around, and just the pure and crisp fresh air that enticed Trish no matter where she went. She tried to keep her thoughts away from the couple, especially the man and the voice from last night. Her head was cloudy from a lack of sleep, and her muscles ached.
Trish stood up grabbing her bag, and walked down the steep slope that she ran up earlier. She leaned against some of the trees and let her feet guide her forward. She eventually made it back to the path, her dark eyes darted around the path, and she stepped forward on the trail once more.
~~~
She hiked for a few miles as she hummed and sang loudly to herself. She always loved singing, even if she wasn’t any good at it. After a while, the trail split in front of her. One portion going to the left, and the other one going to the right. Both segments of the trail were semi-clear. The beautiful blue jays sang above her while the crows cawed back. She took a few seconds to decide, as she couldn’t remember the map she looked at previously. She chose to go to the left as it continued uphill. She figured that since it continued up into the forest, there might be a fantastic view at the end of it. She also doubted that the “hikers” from earlier chose the harder path to climb up.
“Easy does it,” she whispered to herself as she grasped a tree root to steady herself. She knew it went uphill, but she didn’t realize that the trail would all but disappear. There was still a semi-visible path, but it was strewn with sharp fallen tree branches and patches of overgrown weeds. She knew that this path was less cared for, and it enticed her even more. It was definitely the harder to the two paths, and she understood where the rangers were coming from when they chose not to upkeep it too much. She felt like she was going on an adventure. A solo adventure. The best kind of adventure. She hoped that her grandpa was watching from above and was proud of her doing this all on her own.
She grunted loudly as she jammed her right foot into an alcove between tree roots as she reached up and grabbed a sturdy branch. Trish pulled herself upwards, dirt and leaves from the tree fell on her every given moment they could and steadied herself. She kept climbing upwar
ds, the incline not so steep where it was completely vertical, but steep enough to where she hugged her body against the Earth. Every few seconds, she threw an arm up to grasp a root or branch, while the other arm stabilized her.
“Come on, ladybug, you can do it,” she whispered to herself. Her grandpa called her that when she was a child because she used to love climbing anything and everything.
Ten miles into today’s hike, about a quarter of the way into the fifty-mile hike, she took a seat on a large stable rock next to the trail that overlooked a medium-sized cliff. Trish’s stomach grumbled as she pulled out a plastic-wrapped ham and cheese sandwich. Her feet dangled off the side of the cliff as the wind blew crisp fresh air into her face. Her shoe laces floated in the breeze as her hair, which was pulled into a loose ponytail, tickled the back of her neck. She took a bite of her crudely-made sandwich; the stale bread scratched the roof of her mouth as she did. The smell of processed cheese wafts as she took another bite. As Trish took a drink from her luke-warm stream water, she heard voices being carried by the breeze off in the distance.
Trish threw what was left of her sandwich into her bag and stood up quickly. Her heart raced, and she tried to hide behind a skinny tree. She looked around her for more hiding options.
“I hope we find her soon; I’m fucking starving,” a woman’s voice complained.
“She looked like she was prepared for this hike, so I know she has food on her,” a man’s voice replied. “You’ll finally get to shut the fuck up and eat something.”
Trish grabbed her rucksack and slung it over her shoulder. She looked around and saw a large boulder a few feet behind her. Trish ducked behind it, even though it balanced precariously against the cliff. The dirt covered her hands and knees as she knelt behind the rock. Her hand stung as dirt made its way into her wound. She tried to breathe softly as she peeked over the rock. Trish saw the same two people who took some band-aids from her earlier walk up the trail as they came around a bend. Trish took a deep breath; the smell of the Earth engulfed her as her hands trembled.
The Cave Page 3