by Gary Lewis
"Then it's settled!" Sarah said, palms to the sky. "Let's finally get the hell out of here."
David followed as Sarah strode toward the left edge and peered down the ravine. One cautious step after another, she slipped beneath the cover of branches and leaves, climbing further down. "You coming?" Her voice was as inviting as the buzz from a hornet nest.
He slowly crouched and turned, placing one foot onto the rough, rocky hillside below and then another, eventually scaling his way down the wet slope until he was surrounded by thick forest. "As long as we stay on a general eastern course we should cross the trail and then come to the road eventually," he said.
"In other words, as long as we can find which way is downhill," Sarah said with a light laugh.
Visibility was a joke as the forest quickly swallowed them in darkness. They continued striding sideways down the hill, often stepping into the unknown in hope of a proper footing.
"Did I mention how much I love your ideas yet?" he asked, propping his foot against a tree on the nearly vertical slope to catch his breath.
"Yes,” she said, the amusement obvious in her voice. “I believe you did."
To his right, Sarah's arm stretched forward, grabbing a soggy tree for support. The dead wood collapsed and she slipped straight down with a scream. David grappled her with both arms and they fell into a slide together down the hill. Bundled together by their arms, they tumbled and shouted, crashing through unseen vegetation, cracking sticks and bumping rigid rocks until they slowed into a controlled slide, finally stopping where the earth leveled out.
They laid against one another, his arm still crammed between the damp hillside and her back. David could taste Sarah's breath as it brushed closely against his face. "Are you ok?" David began feeling around to make sure she wasn't wounded in the fall. The light touch of her fingertips rolled their way up his other arm. Through the darkness, he could see her staring back at him. As her body relaxed and pressed firmly against his, David stared back into her blue eyes. His heart thumped harder. He pushed his forehead against hers and she tilted her head back and started to breathe harder.
A bright light swept through the woods ahead and they both turned to face it. Voices soon followed.
"No. I'm telling you. Those were people."
"People getting eaten alive," another said. "Let's just go already."
Sarah pulled away and they brushed themselves off to head in the direction of the voices.
"There's two of them," Sarah said, marching toward the sounds while David followed.
As he followed the bouncing beams of light between the tree trunks ahead, his mind drifted back to the hillside exchange.
"Earth to David," Sarah said. "I need you paying attention. We don't know what we're walking into here."
"Sorry," David said. "I don't know what got into me back there." He silently awaited a reply, but she didn't say a word.
"Is Jan going to hear about this?" he asked. Still no answer as they got closer to the others.
"Sarah," he spoke louder. "Are we even going to talk about what happened back there?"
Sarah continued striding ahead. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," she snapped at him.
"David?" a hushed voice came from the lights. "Sarah? It's Terry." Terry's voice grew clearer as they pushed closer between soaked trees.
"It's us," Sarah said aloud.
Terry snuck over to them frantically, his complexion sapped from his sheet white skin. "We have to get out of here right now.” He repeatedly shoved his pointed finger away. “You won't believe what my brother and I just saw," he said, swinging his arm toward the roadway.
“Let me guess,” Sarah said as she stared upward as if lost in thought. "A werewolf?" David dropped his head in embarrassment.
"How did you know?" Terry asked with eyes as wide as golf balls.
"Just a wild guess," she said.
"Just cut it out, Sarah," David said.
She swung her arm out as they walked through the dark forest. "I'm just annoyed that everyone else gets to see the damn thing."
"You can have my sighting," Terry said. "I don't want it."
"If we head this way, it should take us to service road forty-one," David said, pointing ahead. "From there, we can head toward Moss Lake and be practically home."
"How much charge is on your phone?" David asked.
Terry tilted the screen toward him. "It's at sixty-two percent so far. But still no signal."
The hills began to level out as they descended, their voices filling the air with the many stories they amassed over the week. Thick, spongy, moss cushioned sections of earth and bark spread throughout as the trickle of a mountain spring could always be heard from somewhere nearby. David pointed forward. "I know we're getting close to the service road. See those clear cuts ahead?"
Blane waved his phone around in the air, looking closely at the screen.
David shook his head at them. "It's no use. A tower must have taken a hit last night. We'll just have to get help in town."
The dark air began to take on a hazy blur as the foursome finally made it to the small dirt road reserved for forestry personnel. David's attention turned to Terry, who smacked his forehead. "What is it, Terry?"
"The lake!" He paused before pressing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turning to face David. "Early in the morning, after the rain. Think about it."
He’s right. It completely slipped David's mind. "We covered a lot of ground," David said with some uncertainty. "Surely we put plenty of distance between us and that thing."
Sarah's face tensed as she turned to them. "What are y'all talking about?"
"Yeah. What's going on?" Blane asked, folding his arms.
Terry stretched his arm ahead. "See for yourself. Out there."
Beyond the clearing of cut timber, the woodline was barely visible beyond the mist of fog that hung in the air.
"That's not bad," Blane said. "I can't even tell up close."
David watched Sarah's eyes widen with concern.
"Wait 'til we get down there, y'all,” David said. “You'll be lucky to see fifteen feet." He turned to Blane. "And those lights won't help you."
"Well,” Sarah said, walking out ahead of them. “We can keep moving toward civilization or we can wait around in the woods in the dark."
"Why does she have to be so stubborn?" David turned to Terry and Blane, only to see that they were also marching forward. He looked back into the forest behind him for a moment. "Hey, guys," he said. "Wait up."
The forest became thicker as the group struggled between small trees packed tightly together.
"Are you guys sure we're not going the wrong way?" Sarah asked, squeezing through the bending saplings ahead.
"I think this is all new growth pine that surrounds the lake," David said just before a thin branch sprung back and smacked him across the face. "Damn. Watch it."
"Oops," Sarah said.
They finally stumbled out into an open parking lot and David saw that the sky was beginning to brighten a bit through the haze overhead.
Dense fog clouded the secluded, paved parking lot, a canvas for the bright white and yellow circles that spread above. The street lamps did little to illuminate the gray mist that surrounded the outskirts of asphalt surface. It wrapped in a hazy blur that concealed the forest just beyond. Frogs and crickets filled the air with noise, an audible signpost for the nearby lake.
David sat on the curb, watching everyone spread out and embrace the open space in their own way.
"I suppose if we wait long enough, someone will pull in," Sarah said.
"I'm down with that plan," Blane said. "My legs are killing me."
David looked toward Terry and his brother. "You two came looking for us with Tony, right?"
"Yeah, yesterday evening," Terry said as he sat in the grass behind the curb, beside his younger brother.
"After that," David said. "Vance came up here with Jake." He thought for a moment.
"So that leaves Tony and Jake still out there."
"What about Vance?" asked Sarah, tilting her head at him with crossed arms.
"What about him?" David went on. "I mean, he's probably the one, anyway." David waited for Sarah's reply, but she just shook her head at him.
Blane and Sarah wandered across the parking lot in search of any sign of life as Terry sat down beside David. "This werewolf..." Terry said as he pressed his glasses up against his eyes. "So, it's a person?"
David paused for a brief moment. "Has to be." He looked in Sarah's direction where her and Blane walked across the dark, empty lot and he lowered his voice before returning his face to Terry's direction. "We found the remnants of Brad's attack. Saw the human footprints become giant wolf paws in the mud."
Terry shook his head up and down. "I see."
David bumped the side of Terry's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Wait. There's more."
He rose to his feet and patted the dirt from his clothes as Terry stood as well, his face still peering for answers. "It's been targeting people we know," David said quietly. "Visiting our homes." He watched Terry fold his arms with a nod. "We set a trap for it and only the people in that room knew all the details," David whispered. "It's one of us."
"Okay," Terry said. "After we get help and rest, let's meet at Willow Baptist tomorrow night."
"Count me out," Sarah said loudly as she walked toward them. "I'm not about to sit around having group prayers with a bunch of Bible beaters." She put her hands on her hips and looked away from them, toward the hanging fog overhead. "Been there. Done that."
David tensed his eyebrows together as he looked at her. I hate how she always brags about how rough her life is.
A powder keg of annoyance at her level of disrespect ignited in David's throat. "Ooh. Sarah gets a chance to brag about how bad her life has been at the expense of others." He waved his hands in the air as he spoke. "They're not bringing you to a damn group home, we're just trying to find a neutral headquarters for your investigation."
"You're such an asshole," she said before stomping off in the direction of the road.
"She's got a point," Terry said quietly to the ground as he and his brother rose to their feet to follow.
"What?" David shrugged before jogging to catch up as they faded into the mist ahead.
Chapter 8
#Vance#
Deep in the forests on the outskirts of town, the crack of dawn transformed the dense fog into a milky, white sheet that concealed anything that lurked within. Vance had been following the tracks in the darkness for what seemed like hours, but time was lost to him in the blur of the dark woods. He knew that his truck was alright, but couldn't say the same for old man Sam's. Images of the mangled deer carcass laying bashed against it beside one of Jake's shoes flashed into his mind.
He was in no rush to return home. "I've got all the time in the world for you," he said. "Where'd you go in such a hurry?" He stalked the paw prints into the gullies that led down toward the lake. That morning, he was going to bag a monster, armed with nothing more than a crowbar and a flashlight. Monster or David. Whichever comes first.
The mist thickened as he descended further between tangled briars and mountain laurel, but he could see it brightening to the rising sun. "Where the hell did you go now?" Vance searched the brush for signs of disturbance while listening carefully. "There," he said, shuffling over to a patch of bent weeds spread open to reveal scratched dirt.
"Looks like you got a lot sloppier here." He continued following the broken foliage onto a forestry service road that hadn't seen a set of tires since long before the rain. A group of shoe prints crossed the path in front of him. Two short males, another tall, but lighter male, and a female had passed through. "Sarah, David..." he slowly whispered to himself as he glanced across the mud. "Terry and Blane." A perfectly shaped paw print pressed over theirs. Vance stretched a half grin across the side of his face. "Looks like I got competition." His firm whisper traveled between the trees, fading into the dense foliage.
Vance examined the direction of the shoeprints down into the dense patch of new growth pine with the beast's impressions following right behind them. "Amateurs," he said with a smirk. He took a right to head further northward along the overgrown forestry road, looking for a quicker path down to the lake.
"I should be glad," he said to himself, glancing side to side through the mist covered forest. "Getting stonewalled in that wall of new growth pine." He huffed as the weight of his thoughts struggled to continue to his breath. "Giving that thing the perfect chance to catch up with you."
His stomach turned with a threat that pushed itself into his legs, now picking up their pace along the road shrouded thick with pine and spruce still dripping about. He knew it would be impossible to rely on sound with the pattering of droplets from all directions. Anything could sneak up on him. But the soaking wet surroundings were also in his favor since he didn't need to remain downwind to hide his scent.
The thick conifer trees began to spread, giving way to oaks, maples and elms where a steep, downward trek led onto pavement that curved a hard left in the direction of the lake. "Now we're talking," Vance said. He started walking along the narrow, faded single lane of pavement toward more familiar surroundings.
A deliberate crunch sounded in the leaves behind. Then another. Vance stopped to listen, unsure if they were just the sound of his own boots. He started stepping slowly, listening as he continued. There it is again. Each time, it stopped when he did. It seemed to come from behind to his left, but just far back enough for the cover of the foggy woods.
Vance's heart thumped harder as he squeezed the crowbar tightly. It was his only salvation alone on the deserted, wet road. All alone... His thoughts creeped from the shadows of adrenaline that inked their way out from their hiding places inside his mind. Nobody would ever know what happened to me. He let out a huff as he continued striding through the mist filled road, surrounded by trees that reached out from the fog. "Just the way I would want it."
A vibrating buzz shook his left pocket. Haven't had service all night. He opened his hand as he looked toward his pocket, but then he paused. Not giving this thing an opening to attack. One boot moved in front of the other as Vance continued his march toward the lake.
After covering some distance and slowing to a brisk walk, he pulled out his phone and saw that it was blowing up with missed messages, the most recent being Janice asking if he was alright. He was about to reply when flashes of red and blue shined through the fog, drawing his attention down the road. "Cops. They seem a ways off." Vance tossed the crowbar onto the side of the road and paced in their direction.
As he got closer, the form of Moss Lake Bridge took shape through the fog. The police car, along with those standing around it, became visible. Voices could be heard as they raised in argument where the bridge began.
"I told you to sit tight. Search and rescue are en route and we don't know what we're dealing with yet."
Vance could hear David and Sarah's voices among others arguing with Officer Benning as he got close enough to make everything out.
Vance cuffed his hands with a deep breath and raised them to his face. "Tony ever catch up to y'all?" Startled glances jumped in his direction from each of them.
"Jesus, son." Officer Benning said. "Don't sneak up like that." After tapping his boots a few times, he walked in Vance's direction.
"You're Vincent Miller's boy aren't ya?" he asked Vance with a deep, challenging stare.
"What's it to you?" Vance replied, forcing his stare right back at him.
"Damn shame about that old barn that burned down the other day," Benning said. "Good thing your father had that property insured, being it wasn't selling." He touched his badge before turning his head back toward the others and returning his stare back at Vance. "Maybe now he can afford the fines from his last DUI," the inquisitive officer continued.
Vance's face got hot as he caught a glimpse of David's smile fr
om the corner of his eye. "You got nothing on me and you know it."
Sarah's voice spoke up from the commotion of the group. "Tony is still missing up there. Can't we worry about him?"
Vance shouted to the others, disregarding Officer Benning's presence. "What about Jake? Has anyone seen Jake Carson, tonight?"
"Last night," David corrected him.
"Run your smart mouth while this guy's here," Vance said tilting his head to the side at Benning who was now marching back to his patrol car.
Sarah's voice cut in. "We thought he went back to you, Vance."
"Update that, dispatch,” Benning said on the radio, leaning casually against the open door of his police cruiser. “We have two missing teenagers up Cliff Mine Road."
While Benning repeated their names on the radio, Vance walked over to the others. Terry spoke up before he had a chance to get a word in with David. "We decided to meet at the church tonight after everyone gets some rest. Is midnight good for you?"
"Sure." Vance nodded as he turned to look across flat blankets of thick fog that concealed the lake. "Don't have practice until next week. Got nothing better to do."
Terry leaned closer to speak quietly. "We all agreed not to talk to the cops about the..." He paused for a moment and whispered, "Werewolf stuff."
Vance couldn't hold back the grin that pulled hard across his face as he turned to glance at Officer Benning. He looked back to Terry with a nod. "Probably for the best."
###
Finally, daybreak dissipated the fog, but it was a long day that Pine Bluff would endure as the sound of helicopters echoed down through the valley. Two more of their own had gone missing. This time it was in the wooded hills just outside of town. A strict curfew went into effect and Moss Lake closed for the week. Rumors spread throughout town that a rabid bear was terrorizing the backcountry and wandering into the streets. For the first time, people were afraid to venture near the wilderness or even walk alone within the city.