The Trees Have Eyes

by Tobias Wade

“We found the girl,” he said sniffing. "We weren’t looking for her, honest. But some monster thing came out the trees. It had a big horned head and went for Scott; he was up the tree seeing if the girl was Mary, you know the missing girl.”

  Sally reached over to a crate and flipped the lid. A second later she handed a shotgun to John and another to Warren.

  “You,” John pointed to Lee. “You're coming with us. I need to know where you saw it. You lot go quickly and catch up with the others. Go!”

  “Wait, who’s got who?” asked a confused Steve.

  John turned to Steve and handed him a shotgun as the old man opened the hatch again.

  “I don't know, but it's got your kids,” he said.

  Twigs snapped underfoot as they passed Warren's teepee. John stopped to survey the area before waving them on. He pulled Lee by the arm and spoke into his ear.

  “Which way?” Lee glanced around nervously and pointed ahead.

  Steve nudged Sally and spoke in a low tone. “What sort of operation are you running here? Allowing a man mad to run loose around your camp?” He hissed the last part to emphasize his displeasure.

  Sally’s eyes never left the forest.

  “It's only happened once before, about seven years ago,” said Warren out the corner of his mouth as Steve’s eyes flicked between the old man and Sally. “We never caught the guy then, but we will now.”

  “And how do you know it’s not this Goatman you talk about?" asked Steve.

  “Pfff, that's just a ghost story John tells the kids,” spat Sally.

  Steve turned to Warren and continued. "We don’t know who or what this thing is. We don't even know if it's the same person who... Well, Look we’ve got to get to the kids before something bad happens again.”

  John moved the group forward.

  “Happens? Again? What happened last time, did someone die?”

  Warren nodded sharply. “Yep, yep, a girl got killed. We nearly got closed down too.”

  John shushed them and spoke to Lee again. The boy pointed a trembling finger off to the right. John cocked the shotgun, and the rest followed.

  Suddenly a loud howl sounded behind them, and they turned as one. The horned man barreled toward them with his head bent like a bull. Steve let off a shot but only managed to scare everyone. The Goatman plowed toward John as he lowered the weapon, but at the last second, he lifted the barrel.

  A horn ripped through John's midriff, flipping him up into the air. Steve let off another shot and managed a partial hit to the Goatman's back. It howled with pain and took off through the trees.

  “What the fuck was that?!” Steve turned to the group; Warren laid flat on the floor, Sally likewise by his side. John's crumpled form twitched in front of them.

  Sally crawled desperately to John's side and pulled up the bloody shirt. A jagged wound exposed his ribcage; a few ribs poked through the torn flesh. Torrents of blood coated Sally’s hands as she tried to stem the bleeding.

  “John, John, hold on. No, hold on, please. We’ll get help, just stay calm, stay with me.”

  John reached up and stroked a strand of hair behind her ear as Steve and Lee knelt beside them.

  “It’s not his fault. He doesn’t understand.” John coughed, and blood coated his teeth.

  “Don’t talk, just stay calm,” she pleaded.

  “It’s ok, it’s ok. I'm sorry; I didn’t tell you the rest of that story. When Credence woke up that night, he came and woke me up too.”

  John coughed up more blood.

  “I watched from the stairs as my little brother opened the door, too scared to come down. The monster stole Credence, and I froze.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “Until our father pushed me out the way to get to my mother.”

  Sally's tears fell onto Steve and mingled with his blood.

  “He came back though, but I knew he wasn’t the same brother I lost. He stood in the fields never coming close to the house. My father saw him too, once. I knew it was Credence, so I fed him when I could. Left cattle tied to a stake in the fields for him. He's a good boy; he's just... just... just.”

  Sally pressed the shirt into the wound, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood as John's eyes fluttered and closed.

  Steve touched her shoulder.

  “He’s gone.”

  Warren pulled her into a rough hug and looked up at Steve.

  “We’ve got to get that bastard before he kills anyone else.”

  Lee picked up the fallen shotgun and cocked it.

  “Now young man, I don’t think it’s right for you to...” Steve started to protest but stopped when Lee shot his teacher a dirty look.

  “My dad takes us hunting all the time. I know how to use this.” As if to emphasize the point he swung the gun around like a movie hero and pointed it towards the trees.

  “This way.”

  It wasn't long before they spotted drops of blood on the leaves below their feet. Quietly they tracked them to a fallen oak tree.

  “Do you smell that?” Sally sniffed and looked around.

  “Smell what?” asked Warren.

  “Smells like copper, and is it me or has it gotten hotter all of a sudden?” she said, pulling at the neck of her top.

  A wet slapping sound echoed around them.

  “Ssssh,” Steve whispered.

  Slowly they crept forward. Lee spotted Credence before the rest in the bowl of a fallen tree and motioned them to stop. No one needed to be told to stay quiet.

  Credence’s horned helmet lay in the dirt by his feet. One horn was still covered with gore. Pieces of white fatty sinews hung from the end. Credence ripped a hunk of flesh from a bloodied bone with his teeth. His lipless chew made the wet smashing sound they had heard. An unrecognizable body lay feet away. Mangled limbs splayed out in the dirt. Bones and tendons poked out with giblets of fat hanging to them.

  Lee gasped at the deck of Pokémon cards that lay scattered by the body.

  “Scott.”

  Lee felt the anger burning away the fear and aimed the shotgun at the back of its head. Although none of them made a sound, something made Credence stop and slowly turn around. Lee lost his nerve.

  It was hard to believe Credence was once human by the sight of his face. The creature before them snorted through the jagged punctures of taut skin across a flat boneless nose. The skin continued up and across its eye sockets rendering it blind. But, still, it knew they were there. The punctures vibrated with every exhalation making a small whirling noise.

  Lee felt a presence enter his mind and probe behind his eyes like the beginning of a headache. The barrel of the shotgun dipped and then swung around to face his teacher.

  Kill.

  “Lee, what are you doing?” Steve hissed as Lee's face contorted.

  “It's not me,” he said. The gun continued to dip and rise, dip and rise as Lee fought whatever was making him do it.

  Kill. Kill. Kill.

  “Stop being stupid and aim at that thing.” Steve pointed the gun at Credence, but Lee's face fell into a stoic stare. Credence snorted, threw the gnawed bone against the tree trunk and roared. The shotgun in Lee's hand quivered.

  “Kill, kill, kill, kill,” echoed in his mind.

  “Lee!”

  The gunshot rang through the trees, and a spray of blood covered Lee's face. A flock of birds disturbed by the shot took off with loud squawks. As the bang died around them, Steve hit the floor clutching a bloody wound in his stomach. Credence's head jittered to the left, and Lee's gun moved down the line. Sally raised her hand. The blast took off three of her fingers before hitting her in the chest. Lee looked on with a glassy stare. Another shot rang out, and Warren screwed up his old pockmarked face.

  Credence jittered again as a spray of dirt showered him from the blast, and then he stepped forwards. Lee felt the pressure in his mind move the gun; he didn't resist it anymore, it made sense. The voice spoke to him with visions and feel
ing.

  Kill.

  Lee saw himself standing in a field; corn spread as far as he could see. A large white house cast a shadow over him, and a man stood on the porch with a shotgun eyeing him wearily. But he didn't fear him. He loved him.

  Kill.

  The vision changed, Lee felt the man lying by his horse, he couldn't see anymore, not with his eyes at least. A smoldering fire kept the darkness at bay as the first rays of sun rose over the tree in the distance. A cow too engrossed in her feeding wandered too close to him and screamed. The man woke with a jolt and snatched at his gun aiming it wildly into the fields.

  He spotted him as the cows bolted away, Lee heard the loud bang and felt the pain in his arm. Scared he ran, he didn't know where to; the pain was like nothing he had ever felt before, he couldn't concentrate on his surroundings. Another loud bang deafened him, and another bright flare of pain erupted in his mind.

  Kill.

  Lee's mind swept along with the sea of visions, a picture formed in his hands, one of himself a few years younger than he was now, a lady in a scarlet dress hugged him tight as she pointed to the other person in the picture. The man who he had seen on the porch and laying by his horse.

  “That's your daddy right there. You listen to me now Bobby. He's remarried, so you can't go looking for him, you hear, not like he can do anything for us anyhow. The medical bills are too high for your treatment. But we'll get by though.” Her smile made all his fears go away even though he had a thousand questions.

  “Okay, Mumma.” She hugged him again.

  Kill.

  Lee's vision blurred and a white door formed in front of him. He pushed the door open with a creak. A lady in a white nightgown startled at the moving door. Before she could scream, he snatched at her. His dirty fingernails tore at her dress, but she managed a scream and pulled away. Lee/ Bobby hit her hard on the head and felt her hit the floor. She was the one who had broken up his family. Even if his father didn't want to know him, she would still pay.

  Lee felt the presence of a small boy treading lightly down the stairs; he fell back into the shadows of the porch. As the boy drew near, he studied his features. So this was his brother then, a bastard brother, but a brother he didn't know he had.

  “Credence? What are you doin—Martha!” Lee/Bobby snatched at Credence before the man—his father—reached the foot of the stairs and tucking the screaming boy under one arm and ran off into the night.

  Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

  Lee squeezed the trigger and Warren fell to the dirt. The shotgun clattered out of Lee's hand and fell amongst the carnage. Bobby snorted and roared, as another slightly smaller horned man emerged from among the tree roots. Lee slowly turned and stumbled along the trail and stood before Bobby. Bobby placed his face inches from his and sniffed; the skin vibrated with a tiny squeal.

  Bobby reached down and picked up the discarded limb he had been feeding on before and gave it to Lee. He raised it to his mouth and tore off a strip of bloodied flesh, his eyes turning white.

  Outback Oblivion

  They say everything in Australia can kill you, but what they don’t tell you is there are things far worse.

  I went looking for gold in the outback of Australia because I heard it’s the richest land in the world for the precious metal, apart from South Africa, and I didn’t want to go there, as it’s too dangerous. The problem was that I went in search of a fortune and lost something more important. It happened the second day I arrived. Like so many before, I’d heard about the gold fields and thought I’d like in on the action. I even got myself a map with a little X on it and felt like a true pioneer with my pickaxe, compass, and other equipment.

  Once I was set, I hired a car and drove to the place marked on my map. It took me a while to get to there as the terrain wasn't easy going, if you know what I mean, and the 4x4 wasn’t the best either. The truck overheated at one point; I must have hit a rock or something or maybe it was just bad luck. I don’t know, but rather than turning back I thought what the hell, I’m here now, I might as well try and make it on foot. I shouldered my gear and opened my map, pulled out my compass and corrected my course, then started out toward the mark.

  After about an hour I rechecked the compass. But when it didn’t read, it just spun back and forth, not settling on any direction, I thought I must have broken it. Not wanting to stay out in the blistering heat I found some shade under a tree and assessed the situation. By my calculation, I wasn’t far from the marking of the mine I was heading towards, maybe an hour tops. Again, I just thought, what the hell, and kept on walking.

  After what seemed like hours in the unrelenting sun, I came across a broken signpost that read “Murdoch’s Mining Co.” The landscape before me opened up to a deep, wide hole with smaller holes riddling the sides; like this quarry had been extensively mined. As I took in the warren of holes and burnished red rocks I noticed a little shack up on an overlook. Because my compass was still useless, I set the broken sign down on the ground, pointing the way I came. I thought it best that I had a way to find my way back.

  The sun was well on its way to the horizon and all the hiking had done a number on me, so I headed to the shack. As I walked over the rocks I noticed a pile of dust-covered clothes. Then I came across another. When I looked around I saw loads scattered around the quarry. It didn't make sense, and the shack—that was the weirdest part. I knocked and when no one answered, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was like someone had just got up and left.

  It was so damn weird. A small table in one corner had a plate with half-eaten food on it next to a glass of water and a coat hung over the back of the chair. The sight of the food sent a pang of hunger through me, but seeing as it wasn’t my food and the person might have just stepped out, I thought it best to leave it. That’s when I noticed a few piles of dust-covered clothes on the shack’s floor. I really didn’t know what to make of it, but as it was getting dark I thought I’d bed down and wait to see if anyone came back.

  But no one did.

  I got up the next morning and excitedly went down to the mining floor with my eyes full of money signs. There were so many holes I didn’t know which one to choose. So I dipped until I settled on a big one to my left. The hole in the side of the rock was big enough for five grown men to stand side by side, and deep too. So I strapped on my head-torch and shouldered my pack and started to explore.

  Within five minutes the sunlight cresting through the hole was almost a pinprick and the darkness drew in. I must have walked down that shaft for thirty minutes before I started picking out signs of life with my head-torch. Although there wasn’t anyone in the mine, there were signs that work had taken place. Numerous old oil lamps hung on the walls, and mining tools scattered the floor like they had been discarded haphazardly. I even came across an old generator, but I didn’t know how to work it so just carried on.

  As I got deeper and the darkness became absolute, I heard what I first thought was wind, but something about it unnerved me. I don’t know what it was about it, but it seemed to have the quality of words. Yet, I didn’t recognize the language and thought maybe it was just the wind. Do you know that feeling when something is on the edge of your hearing and you strain to try to make out what it was? That’s how I felt; the more I listened the more it unnerved me.

  At some point, I realized that my light wasn’t the only thing illuminating the tunnel. I turned off my head-torch and saw another pinprick of light further down the tunnel. When I turned my torch back on and it shone on the wall, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had found it.

  Gold.

  Not enough to fill my fingernail. But gold nonetheless, and it was all mine. I carried on wanting to see if there was more lacing the wall. The tunnel narrowed quickly and I had to hunch over. It got even tighter, and I had to surrender my gear. I took out my hand-pick and pushed on until I came to the source of the light.

  As I wiggled through the small openi
ng I fell into a chamber that bore a striking resemblance to the world outside. It too looked like whoever had been working there had just stepped away. There were a few boxes of mined gold laid against a wall, and piles of dust-covered clothes lying in heaps on the floor.

  A pinprick of sunlight came through a hole overhead and it shone on a drink container in one of the piles. That’s what was lighting my tunnel. There were a few more large passageways littering the wall, but all were dark. I looked into each with my head-torch but didn’t see anything worth exploring, not with the gold in boxes within arm’s reach.

  But what was better than those crates were the walls: gold and other precious gems filled them, I couldn’t believe my luck. Still stunned at my findings I turned to a wall that didn’t have any passageways on it and stopped.

  A large, crude picture of a creature with long arms and legs loomed over me. The more I looked at the thick lines of the creature's body the more I swear it fucking moved. Like it was a snake charmer weaving its magic and I was its snake. I couldn’t tear myself away from its red eyes gleaming down at me. I saw my hand reach out like I was in a dream and touched the wall; then all of a sudden I was back on the mining floor, and it was night.

  I couldn’t explain what had happened, sure I knew I had been underground for quite some time, but to not remember coming out? For some reason, as I pondered what had happened I drew up to the stars above. Have you ever been to a place that has no electric lights and looked up?

  It’s an incredible thing.

  I looked at the heavens, for the first time truly seeing what it offered. More gold and jewels than the mine held sparkled in the heavens above me. I felt truly insignificant and empowered all at once. After a while, I forgot what I was doing standing in the middle of the mining floor, so I went back to the shack and fell asleep.

  There are some things you can never remember even when you try your hardest, and sometimes there are things you wish you could forget.

  The next morning I noticed the food again, but didn’t feel hungry despite not eating the day before. It was like I had already eaten and didn't need the nutrition. I went back down to the mining floor, picked another tunnel and set out again. This time I found stuff a lot sooner. Not gold but the crude drawing of the elongated man scattered on the walls. The pictures showed the same long-legged, long-armed being, only smaller than the one in the last tunnel and amongst them, I saw the effigies of people being tortured.