Hidden Truths

by David Horne

  Chapter Eight

  If Geoff thought the trek had been slow going before, he'd had no idea how agonizingly slow hiking could actually be. Branch's legs were fine, but between the drugs in his system, the pain, and the blood loss, Geoff was practically having to drag him along. The terrain was turning steeper, which even he knew meant they were still going the wrong way. He didn't have the will to try and get them on the right path though. He simply wanted a place they could rest and maybe sleep a little. Preferably a place with water so he could replenish their dwindling supply.

  There wasn't much in the way of rocks or caves in these woods, but he thought the hollow of a giant tree might do the trick. They'd moved into the redwoods, with trunks the size of houses, and he managed to find one with a large root system at the surface. It was enough room to build a small cabin and they could easily shelter there and hide from whatever other horrors the forest had in store for them. Unfortunately, he didn't feel comfortable with the idea of building a fire, so the two of them sat down against the tree and huddled together.

  "I'm sorry about all this," Branch mumbled. "We should have never rushed up here without backup."

  Geoff was inclined to agree, but what could he say? He'd agreed to go and hadn't thought to call anyone either. Instead, he simply changed the subject. "What was Dale doing out here? What did he find that compelled him to go into the woods on the other side of the lake?"

  Branch shook his head. "I can't imagine unless it was Gary. I'm pretty sure I heard him say 'we'. Dale hates being out here alone, especially at night. He's a great hiker, but he doesn't care for the woods, doesn't trust them the way most of the locals have learned to."

  Geoff snorted. "Yeah, and how's that working out for you?"

  Branch snorted too, and before long they were both laughing heartily. When they'd finally caught their breaths, they leaned back against the tree. Geoff glanced at Branch to see his brow furrowed in pain and his breath coming a little too quick for his comfort. They fell quiet and he strained his ears to hear anything alarming. Once again, the entire forest seemed to have grown as quiet as they were. It made his skin crawl and he didn't think there was any way he'd be able to get any sleep, even though he was completely exhausted.

  His theory didn't pan out, though. He had no idea how long it had been, but he woke suddenly to a sound he couldn't quite remember. He looked over to see that Branch was asleep too, and felt his stomach do a flip at the fact that neither of them had been keeping watch. He glanced around, not knowing what time it was, but it was still dark. Then he heard the sound again. It was a shrill screech followed by a tittering sound that sent shivers down his spine.

  "Branch," he hissed and gently shook the man awake.

  The Sheriff groaned slightly and lifted his head from against the tree. "What is it?" he asked, shifting into a different position. "Was I asleep?"

  "We both were," Geoff admitted. "And there's something out here with us, now."

  Branch sat up, a little more attentive. "Something?"

  "I don't know. It—" He was interrupted by the sound and said, "There!"

  Branch listened to the odd screech. "It's too high-pitched to be a screech owl." Then he heard what came after it and his eyes widened. "We need to get out of here," he sputtered, getting to his feet.

  Geoff followed suit. "Why? What's making that sound?"

  "I don't know what it is, but nothing good happens when it's around."

  It sounded like the most ridiculous thing Geoff had ever heard, but once again, he bowed to the experience and local knowledge of the Sheriff. The two men climbed out of the root complex and then waited to see if they'd hear the sound again. When they did, it was much closer, and Branch grabbed Geoff's arm, practically dragging him through the woods.

  "Where are we going?" he hissed after a few minutes of crashing through the brush. "Branch! You can't even see where we're going."

  "Away from here!" Branch answered. They began to climb up a rocky outcropping, their feet slipping and sliding in the dark.

  "You're going to get us killed," Geoff pointed out. He wondered what in the world could have his lover so terrified that he'd risk life and limb to get away.

  Branch stopped at the top of the rocks to catch his breath, and then turned to Geoff. "Look, every child raised in this forest knows to stay away from that cackling sound."

  "Why?"

  Branch was taken aback and after staring at Geoff for a moment, shook his head slightly. "I don't know."

  "You mean, no one actually knows what it is?"

  Branch let out a "huh" and then shrugged. "I'm assuming someone did at some point, but now it's just, sort of, become part of local lore. That sound means something bad, that's all we're taught."

  It was Geoff's turn to shake his head. "So, you could have almost killed us for nothing."

  "We're fine, aren't we?"

  "Except for being away from our shelter and even more lost." Even in the dark, he could see Branch's angry expression so he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Don't get me wrong. I can see why you were warned about it. There's definitely something..."

  "Wrong about it?"

  "Yeah."

  The two of them slowly and carefully made their way down the other side of the rocks, trying to ignore the strange sounds they were hearing in the distance. As they climbed down, they came to a spot that leveled off and could just make out something that was even darker than the night.

  "Is that a cave or something?" Geoff asked.

  "I think so," Branch agreed.

  Before they started down to the cave though, Geoff caught up with the Sheriff and put a hand on his shoulder. "What the hell's going on around here, Branch?" he asked.

  Branch sighed and shook his head. "I told you, this forest is...different, somehow. It gives us everything we need, teaches us how to survive, keeps our little town just how we like it. In return...it takes things now and then."

  Geoff shook his head in disbelief, both because of how candid he was suddenly being and because of what he was saying. "You're talking about it like it has some kind of...conscious awareness."

  Branch simply shrugged and then turned back toward the cave. Geoff followed and the two of them climbed over to the opening that turned out to be more of a hole in the ground. Though he'd been avoiding using his flashlight, he slipped in out of the loop in his waistband and turned it on. He knelt at the edge of the opening and shined the light down. What he saw made him gasp.

  "What is it?" Geoff asked from behind him and quickly knelt down beside him. When Branch didn't answer, he glanced down into the cave himself. "Dale?"

  The deputy looked up as the two men scrambled down into what turned out to be an easily accessible cave. He was groggy and starving, but when he realized what he was seeing, his eyes widened in horror.

  "Boss, no!" he croaked.

  Branch looked up at him, the sudden outburst almost causing him to slip and fall. He shined his light on the young man and saw in confusion that his deputy was chained to the cave wall. His light drifted to the side and, in sudden realization, he saw Melissa curled up on the floor behind Dale and Gary gently rocking back and forth beside her. In the back corner was what looked like James' body.

  "Sweet Jesus," Branch breathed and held his arm out for Geoff to stop as the man came up beside him.

  "What the—" Geoff started to exclaim, but as he did so, they heard the screeching noise again, this time right behind them. Both men swung around but didn't have time to do anything. Something dull and heavy was shoved in both of their faces and they fell backwards into the cave. Branch was knocked out immediately, and Geoff only had time to make out a large piece of wood as it flew into his face again.

  ***

  Branch woke up, feeling cold and damp. He thought that morning had finally made it and the sun was coming up, but when he opened his eyes, he realized that it was simply a small campfire. He kept still, looking around as much as he could without moving his
head. He doubted it would have been a good idea either way, considering the throbbing in his forehead. He couldn't make out much beyond the body of James Mulvaney, to which he was lying uncomfortably close. He tried backing away without making any noise but it didn't work very well and he stopped with a cringe.

  "He's gone again," he heard a voice behind him say.

  Branch slowly and painfully sat up to see Geoff sitting against the opposite wall. His face was bloody and swollen, but he seemed all right otherwise. He was surprised to realize that neither of them was chained up. Then he looked around for the others.

  "Dale? You all right?"

  "Yes, sir. I think Melissa is okay and Gary's in shock, but he doesn't seem to be injured."

  Branch scooted toward the woman. His head and chest hurt, but he tried to ignore them. If they were going to get out of this mess, he knew they'd need every bit of focus he could muster. Melissa wasn't moving, but he could see her breathing and now and then hear a soft cry.

  "Melissa? My name is Branch Fouche. I'm the local Sheriff. I'm going to get you out of this, okay?"

  Slowly, Melissa lifted her head, her hair matted and falling in her face. She looked Branch over and then laughed mirthlessly. "How are you going to do that, Sheriff?"

  Branch smiled and nodded. "I know I look a little worse for wear, but I know what I'm doing. See that guy over there?" He nodded toward Geoff. "My friend there is an FBI agent. He's been looking for you for days."

  "I guess you found me," she answered and Branch could tell by the tone of her voice that she thought it was a little too late.

  He made a conscious effort not to look back at James' body, and instead reached up to give her a shoulder a squeeze. Then he glanced over at Gary, who was staring into the distance before he scrounged around for his flashlight.

  "I think he took it," Geoff pointed out.

  Branch growled and scooted closer to Melissa to try and make out what her shackle looked like. "Dale, is there any give on that shackle?" he asked his deputy as he pulled at Melissa's.

  Dale was tired and not terribly strong to begin with but he pulled with all his might. Unfortunately, it didn't do any good. "No, Sheriff. It won't budge."

  "Yeah, this one either." He stopped to think for a moment, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He needed to know more about their captor if they were going to outsmart him. "Has he been feeding you?" he asked no one in particular.

  "Once a day," Melissa answered. "It's disgusting. Some stew crap he made from something he caught out here."

  "Have you been eating it?"

  Melissa cringed, but nodded yes. "James didn't want me to, but..."

  "That's okay. Have you been feeling strange, hallucinating or anything like that?"

  "No, why?"

  "It doesn't matter," Branch quickly replied. "I know this is difficult, but I need you to tell me what happened to James."

  Geoff, who'd been listening from across the cave, finally got to his feet and came to sit down next to Branch. He wasn't worried about the flashlight as his eyes were so swollen he could barely see anyway.

  Melissa was reluctant, but the two men were patient and let her take her time. Eventually, she simply said, "He managed to get his shackle loose from the rock. He was going to try and get us all out, but the guy came back and they fought."

  Branch and Geoff glanced at one another, knowing this rescue wasn't going to be easy. James was a young, able-bodied man, and the two of them were already hurt.

  "We need a plan," Branch pointed out.

  "It's gonna have to be a really good plan," Geoff countered.

  "I don't suppose he left the radios?" Branch asked, feeling around for his and not finding it.

  "I don't think so."

  "He took mine off me before bringing me up here," Dale mentioned.

  "Yeah, we know. We found it in the woods," Branch replied

  "I'm really sorry about this, boss."

  "You were just doing your job, Dale. It was the two of us who shouldn't have come up here without backup."

  "Well, this is turning into a great rescue so far," Melissa grumbled.

  Her attitude was not what Branch had been expecting when he'd seen her curled up and crying. Her response seemed to lighten the mood of the room and he let himself chuckle. He couldn't help but think that leaving him and Geoff unshackled would lead to something, though it still bothered him that the man had done so.

  "Has he said anything?" he suddenly blurted out. "Has he given any indication as to who he is or why he's brought you here? What does he want?"

  "He never says anything," Melissa said. "I'm not even sure he can talk. He ignores everything we say, never even looks at us."

  "Have you seen him around town?" Geoff asked Dale.

  "I'm not even sure what he looks like. He has long hair and keeps his face hidden."

  "This isn't really getting us anywhere," Geoff pointed out.

  Branch looked around at the rest of the cave. The small fire was burning in a makeshift pit and the cave seemed to extend far beyond that.

  "Is it possible he lives here?" he mused.

  "What? In this cave?" Geoff said in disbelief.

  "This cave keeps going. Look," Branch said and pointed to the fire. "The forest is huge. He could have been up here all his life and no one would have known."

  "What we need are weapons," Geoff pointed out, ignoring Branch's interest in the man's life. "He took those too."

  "Well, I imagine they're back there somewhere. Maybe we should go look."

  "You're going to leave us here?" Melissa scoffed. "What if he comes back?"

  Branch thought back to the women he'd helped pull from the lake over twenty years ago. He couldn't help but believe that the two situations were related. He shook his head and stepped back over to Melissa.

  "We have to get out of here," he said gently. "There's no way this man is simply going to let us go."

  "You think he's going to kill us, don't you?" she asked, her voice calm. "What if he gets mad when he finds you gone?"

  "They've got to try," Dale replied.

  Branch nodded at his deputy and then joined Geoff at the back of the cave. Behind the fire was a small opening that the FBI agent could barely fit through. He squeezed in after Branch, barely able to see where he was going. Still, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Sheriff in front of him, easily making his way through. It was a short passage that led to another large cave. The fire did little to light this side of it, leaving the two of them in a bit of a predicament.

  "Damn, it's dark in here," Branch hissed.

  "I'm not sure there's much we can do. It's way too dark to move around in here safely."

  "You can't see anything anyway," Branch teased and bit back a chuckle at Geoff's annoyed huff. He started to move to what he assumed was the wall of the cave when his foot kicked something. He gingerly knelt down and felt around, his mind conjuring all kinds of horrible things he might find. To his surprise, though, what he found were their flashlights. He picked them up and handed one to Geoff. When they turned them on, they were surprised by what they saw.

  The two men slowly swept the beams around what appeared to be someone's family home. It didn't look like a typical home with sofas and chairs and paintings on the wall, but there were cots in one corner, a fireplace and stove carved from the rocks, a couple of pieces of makeshift furniture and a few personal items.

  "Does he have someone else living here?" Geoff asked.

  Branch slowly shook his head. "I don't think so," he said, picking up an old piece of knitted throw. It was worn and dirty and falling apart. "There used to be, though. I think his parents might have lived here."

  "And died here," Geoff added. "We need to find our guns and get out of here. This man's dangerous."

  Branch shook his head. Something about this entire situation didn't compute right with him. It was as if someone had stolen his forest from him, some kind of trespasser was kidnapping and killing people,
and it made him angry. Yet, there was another part of him that thought this person had an even greater connection to the forest, and it was they who were the trespassers.

  The room was small, and it didn't take them long to search it. Unfortunately, they didn't find any of their other belongings. As they were about to make their way back to the other cave, Geoff noticed that the ground under his feet felt different. It reminded him of the trap he'd fallen into and he quickly moved away.

  "What is it?" Branch asked, catching his arm.

  "There's something under there."

  Branch knelt down and brushed the dirt away, revealing some kind of trap door underneath.

  "Who'd build a basement in a cave?" Geoff asked.

  "Maybe it was there all along, part of the cave complex, and he just built a door over it." He found the handle and pulled the door open. There wasn't another room beneath them, but simply a carved-out space to hide things. Branch smiled at the sight of their guns and radios, and the pack he'd been wearing. "See, I told you we needed to look around," he crowed.

  The two men quickly geared up, Geoff grabbing his cell phone from the hole as well. He knew it was pretty much useless on the mountain, but figured he might give it a try anyway. When he tried to turn it on, though, he saw that the screen was completely cracked, and it wouldn't come on. He put it in his pocket anyway and then followed Geoff back through the crack.

  Once they were back in the more open cave, Branch handed one of the radios to Dale and then decided to try out the other one. Even though it was the middle of the night, he knew Gina would have her radio on in case of emergencies.

  "Gina? Are you reading me?" He waited, as did everyone else, with bated breath, but there was nothing but static on the other side.

  Dale decided to follow suit but as soon as he turned it on, a strange whispering voice came out over the receiver. He held it away from him, barely keeping from dropping it.

  "That one's mine," Branch said calmly and stepped over to his deputy. He took the radio from him and tried again. "Gina? It's Branch. We could really use your help out here."