“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said that evening as Justin suggested his trip idea to her. “You too could do with some time together.”
“Have you given any thought as to where?” Declan asked as he drank his beer and watched the game on television. Not a huge sports fan, he could watch anything and find enjoyment in it.
“There are a few places close by, and a couple a little further away. One place seems really cool. It’s a short flight from here, but there is rafting, hiking trails, and a big cave system that you can get walking tours through,” Justin said, reeling off the information he had seen online. “Remember how much we used to talk about going camping, back when we were kids?”
“Yeah, man that always seemed like fun. Campfires, marshmallows, and ghost stories,” Declan replied, giving a little laugh at the end.
“Exactly. I figured what a better way to start something new than by taking a trip we had always wanted to take when we were younger.” Justin looked across at his brother, who nodded his head before he spoke his reply.
“That sounds cool. When would you want to go?” Declan asked. “I mean, I’m free whenever. I don’t have any pending job applications right now. I got rejected from everything in the last round of things I sent off.”
“Whenever we can get it booked, I guess,” Justin answered.
“Well, let’s take a closer look tomorrow and see what works. I don’t want to get in the way of your home life,” Declan said with a yawn and a stretch. “I think I’m going to turn in for the night. Have a good one, brother.”
“Night, bro.”
With the room to themselves, Justin and Cassie curled up on the sofa and channel surfed until they were both almost too sleepy to make it upstairs and into bed.
Chapter Ten
Justin pushed the last bag into the back of the car and checked that everything was securely fastened in. Only then did he close the rear door, giving it an extra push for good measure, as if there were different levels of being closed.
“Are you sure you have everything?” Cassie asked. She had stood, watching the brothers load the car for the past forty-five minutes, enjoying watching them work as a team to get everything organized. Both seemed genuinely happy and excited about their trip.
In the two weeks since their argument in the backyard, their relationship had moved from strength to strength.
“We’ve got more than enough. We’re camping after all. I doubt we will even get to use half the stuff we have packed.” Justin said, walking back towards the house.
He kissed Cassie on the forehead and once more on the lips. “Are you going to be okay?” It had been a long time since he had left Cassie alone for any period of time, and it was something he did not do lightly.
Her drinking had eased a little in recent weeks, but she was still drinking something every day. He worried that with the kids old enough to look after themselves, for the most part, that she would go off the rails the way she had back before they got married.
“I’ll be fine. Just don’t go falling off any cliffs or getting lost in the caves.” Cassie smiled, but she couldn’t hide the sadness in her eyes.
“I promise not to get eaten by any giant bugs or anything like that.” Justin smiled, heading back to the car where Declan sat in the passenger seat, leaning over to sound the horn in mock irritation.
Pulling away, Justin waved his arm out of the window while Declan arranged the playlist. They weren’t even out of the driveway before Sweet Child of Mine was blasting out of the speakers, and the brothers were singing along even more off-key than Axl acting as a stand in vocal for AC/DC.
The drive took them two days, with a stop at a cheap hotel the first night. Justin had the money to pay for flights, but both agreed the fun was in the entire journey, and a road trip would be much more entertaining. It was the same reason why they chose a cheap motel above anything more expensive. If they were going to be roughing it in a tent, then they needed to start things properly. Although five minutes after closing the door to their shared room, both were questioning their decision, as the room was clearly overpriced. The mold on the walls was thicker than the carpet, and it was hard to find a clean spot on the bedding to lie down. All it took was a single look at the bathroom for them to gather their things and sleep in the car, laughing already at the stories they would be able to tell once they got home.
It was a cold night so the brothers cracked open their sleeping bags to keep warm. It must have been quite a sight for anybody that happened past, to gaze in and see what could only be likened to two dead bodies, packaged up and ready for dumping.
They woke early the next morning and decided to skip a trip to the breakfast room that the motel so proudly boasted about on their advertising board, settling instead for a drive-through meal somewhere close to midmorning.
The early start meant they were early to the park and had all the time to pick the perfect location to pitch their tent. The trip was planned out with enough to keep them busy for the week, and they were planning on pitching up at four different locations through the park, giving them the perfect opportunity to try out the full range of activities.
Their first spot was higher up in the hills that was just failing to qualify as mountains, although they would become them half a state to the north. They had two different cave tours planned, the first one of which held the honor of being the number one tourist attraction in the state. They then had two days of hiking before they moved on to their second spot.
It was mid-afternoon before they saw anybody else arrive, and by early evening, there was only more tent added to the group.
Introductions were short, with Justin and Declan letting the others come to them, not feeling overly inclined to bond with strangers when the goal of the trip was to spend time together.
The other tent had two men that could only be described as hipsters, and who, at first glance, seemed far removed from their natural environment. It surprised the brothers how easily one of the pair put their tent together. After introductions were made, it transpired that one of the two was an experienced camper who had been staying in the park since childhood. His partner was very much the man who went camping to keep his other half happy, rather than as a result of any natural inclination on his part.
They were a friendly couple and had brought beers with them, which certainly went some way to break the ice.
“So, you are really telling me, that this man right there, your brother, is the CEO of Sav-Tech?” the non-camping hipster asked.
“The former CEO,” Justin corrected them as he sat back down around their campfire. “I sold everything a while ago.”
“Hey, where did you go to take a piss?” Declan asked.
“Just behind the camp there. I walked about a hundred meters behind the tents, found a good tree, and just let it flow,” Justin said, laughing. While not quite drunk, each man had a good buzz going.
“I’ll be right back then.” Declan clapped his brother on the shoulder as he stood and walked away.
“So what do you do now?” Trevor, the non-camping hipster, asked.
“I’m working on a few things, but technically I’ve retired already. I loved working in tech, but I love enjoying life even more.” Justin looked around as if needed to soak up the dark scene around them.
“Lucky bastard,” Ben, the other hipster, said, resting back against his back to gaze up at the stars.
“It is beautiful out here,” he said both to the group and to nobody in particular.
“I’ve never been a big fan of the outdoors,” Trevor said. “However, I know you love it, and I love you.” The pair smiled at each other when suddenly the sound of something scurrying through the woods broke up their moment.
“What was that?” Trevor asked, jumping.
“Probably just a small animal or something,” Ben replied, looking over at his partner. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to get attacked by a bear or anything.”
“I
’m not worried about that, but you have to admit, that noise was too close and too large for it to be some small critter.” Trevor was instantly uncomfortable, and from the look on his face in the dancing light of the flames, it would take a lot to bring him back down.
“Maybe it was another camper arriving, or Declan getting lost. He does that from time to time,” Justin said, trying to offer alternative suggestions.
“I do what?” Declan asked, rejoining the group.
“What, oh, nothing. Something was scurrying around out there, that’s all. We told Trevor that it might be you.” Justin drained the rest of his beer and threw the can into the plastic bag they had set up as a bin.
“Wasn’t me, but hey, I did see the other campers. They are further down in the hills. Guess they got here late and didn’t want to hike up or anything.” Declan pointed away from their camp, not that anybody could see anything in the darkness.
“Really, that’s strange. The books all recommend getting up high.” Justin cocked his head.
“Maybe they are high, and we’re just higher,” Declan joked. “But there are about six or seven tents down there and a few campfires too. Maybe we better head down tomorrow morning, early, and then we can all hike back up together.”
“I bet someone local is part of their group,” Ben said.
“Why would that make a difference?” Justin asked, cocking his head.
“Well, locals know this place, know its history. They probably told them the Crawleigh ghost story and got them all scared.” Ben looked around as if checking the darkness to make sure they were alone.
“Oh God, don’t start with that,” Trevor groaned, clearly well-accustomed to hearing the tale.
“Nah, it’s cool. I could go for a ghost story,” Declan said, sitting upright on the log, holding his hands out towards the fire.
“Well, the legend goes back to the founding families, who created a settlement out here by the name of Crawleigh,” Ben started, sliding onto the ground, settling down with his back against the log. “The settlement grew fast, and everybody that arrived prospered. Nobody knew why, but everything just fell into place, and the town grew and grew. Then one day, a little boy went missing. It was the first bad thing to happen in the settlement. They never found him, and then, six months later, another kid disappeared, and then another. Word spread to the other settlements in the area, which unlike Crawleigh, had struggled to find their footing. Disease, crime, you name it, it was rife, and everybody started pointing fingers at those they thought responsible.
“There were witch hunts and lynch mobs, people were executed on sight for their perceived involvement in the disappearances. Things settled down for a while, but then one day, a year to the day since the last disappearance, another child went missing. Now, this is where the story gets weird because there’s a couple of versions. Some say that the father, a widower after his wife died in childbirth, was lead to the body by the ghost of his son. Others say that the child’s screams rang out so loud that the entire township was drawn from their beds. Either way, the father of the missing boy took his buddies and led them straight to the mayor’s house. In his basement, they found all of the bodies. But that wasn’t everything. He had all manner of images and icons drawn onto the walls, in blood, and books about witchcraft and sacrifices.
“It didn’t take long for everybody in the mayor’s group to be hunted down. People wanted them hanged, but instead, they were banished, driven into the mountains, forced to live out the rest of their days in hiding, shunned by Crawleigh and the surrounding communities. The town changed its name, and while it prospered, it also knew dark times; times of famine and sickness. Some people still claim that the descendants of those Crawleigh natives are still living out here, roaming the woods, looking for victims. They live in the caves, beneath them, hiding by day and only coming out once it was dark.”
Ben stopped talking and looked at the brothers. He had told the story with such seriousness and fervor, but now it was done, the laugh was forcing its way to the surface.
All four men broke down, laughing at the tale as the campfire flames twisted and danced in front of them, and the darkness lay in wait, circling them, and drawing ever closer.
“That’s a cool story,” Declan said. “Little original in places, but you get a good grade for the effort you put in.”
“Yeah, he loves that story. Pulls it out every chance he gets,” Trevor said, putting his hand on Ben’s shoulder.
“It’s a cool story, and the kids always love it when we do campouts with the church,” Ben jokingly defended himself.
“Well, what can top off a night of good company better than a campfire ghost story,” Justin said, yawning. Ben nodded and pointed to Justin to show the others that at least one of the group understood it. “I’m going to turn in before it gets so late that the morning is already here.” Justin stood up and stretched.
“I’ll join you,” Declan agreed, draining his beer in one long pull. He was unable to stifle the belch that came thereafter, but nobody seemed to take offense.
As the brothers got into their tent, Trevor and Ben sat together finishing their drinks. They had promised to put out the fire before they turned in, and at least Ben had the experience to know how to do it. They had a bucket of dirt ready to pour onto the flames and had stopped feeding the pile a while before, letting it die down naturally for a while.
Inside the tent, away from the fire, it was cool, but still a nice temperature. The brothers slid into the sleeping bags and without the need to chat further, both fell asleep. The flames of the dwindling fire dancing on the walls of the tent like a child’s mobile, giving their brains something relaxing to focus on as sleep claimed them.
Justin woke first in the morning and lay in the bag, enjoying the warmth. Declan woke a short time later, sitting up and stretching before getting out of the bag without hesitation.
“Be right back, got to take care of the morning ritual.” He disappeared from the tent and came back a few minutes later with a confused look on his face.
“What’s up?” Justin asked. He was up and dressed and packing up his gear when Declan returned.
“Those guys from last night, what was it, Ben and Trevor?” Declan said.
“Yeah, what about them?” Justin looked at his brother.
“They’ve gone”
“Gone? Gone how?” Justin pulled the strings on his back and secured his sleeping bag against it.
“Gone as in, their tent is still there, but there’s no sign of them.” Declan started working on packing his gear. “I mean, they probably just set out down to the others, but I thought we were going to head down together.”
“Maybe they were up early and decided to get a headstart,” Justin said, unconcerned.
“Maybe, but it just seems strange. They were cool guys, and then they just bug out on us.” Declan shook the thought away and finished packing up his things. “Oh well, shall we grab a bite to eat and then head down, or just eat something quick on the go?”
“Well, let’s head down and make some introductions. We can eat a power bar or something on the way,” Justin said.
“Sounds delicious,” Declan teased.
“Asshole,” Justin shot back, smiling.
It didn’t take them long to get everything packed away, taking the decision to move their camp down to the others. They didn’t want to appear antisocial in any way.
“Do you feel that?” Declan asked as they walked down a steep and clearly seldom-used pathway. It was hard to see it in certain places, where the forest had reclaimed it as its own.
“Feel what?” Justin asked, sweat coating his forehead.
“I don’t know, just kind of feels like we are being watched. I thought I saw somebody move through the trees, like a kid or something.” Declan stopped to take a drink of water.
“A kid?” Justin looked back at his brother.
“Yeah, I mean, it was small, you know, kid-sized,” Declan puffed out and r
eplaced the bottle in his pack. “Are you sure we’re going the right way? This path is looking pretty unpathlike.”
“It was probably just a kid. This is a popular hiking and camping spot. There’s bound to be a lot of others out here too,” Justin said, unconcerned. “And yes, I’m sure this is the way.”
Declan followed without argument, pushing through the plants and ferns, his eyes constantly on the trees, where he just knew someone was still watching them. Stupid kids.
A few meters further down, after the ground took a sharp and sudden downturn, they came to a point of lower vegetation and saw the path they should have been following appear to their immediate right. Declan didn’t need to say anything before Justin turned around and gave him a grin.
“Hey, I got us here at least, and we were heading in the right direction.” Moving over to the path, the going became that much easier.
Declan also noticed that the kids that had been following them had also disappeared. It was not as easy to scare someone when they were walking along a trail, rather than forcing their path through the woods.
“I see the others. They are all packed up and look ready to leave,” Justin said as they came to a crossroads on the trail.
They reached the group before they left and were greeted by several surprised faces. The previous evening had been spent getting to know one another, and now a group was arriving late to the party. It threw off the dynamic and earned the brothers a number of slightly hostile looks.
“Sorry, we’re late. We camped higher up,” Justin said as he dropped his pack and wiped the sweat from his brow. It was still early, but the temperature was getting up, and the trek through the woods had not been an easy one.
“Higher up?” a man in full bush-gear asked. He had a name badge that claimed he was called Tim and that he worked for the park.
“Yeah, my brother and I. We arrived early yesterday and hiked up into the hills a little bit more. We camped there with these other guys. Have they not arrived yet?” Justin looked around, expecting to see Trevor and Ben standing among the group.
Cave Crawlers Page 9