“Were there any bodies?” Mackenzie asked.
“Not that I saw. I didn’t stick around though. I was weirded out enough that I just split,” Stuart said. “I walked down the street a few houses and went into a nice-looking home. As soon as I walked in the front door, I seen the same thing as in the first house. I walked in and went into the living room, and it looked like someone had ransacked the place looking for something.”
Mackenzie and Patrick were enthralled with the story and sat perfectly still except when Patrick had to stand up to throw more wood on the fire or adjust the pot of water warming next to it.
“I really wish that I would have taken my rifle with me,” Stuart said. “I was super freaked out by then and wasn’t sure what to do. I dug through the day pack that you’d given me and I found that belt knife in there. I at least felt a little better when I had it ready.”
Patrick asked Stuart to hold on for a minute while he prepared the oatmeal from the boiling water and gave it to him in another bowl.
Stuart had a couple of bites and then continued on with the story, “Even though my foot was killing me, I decided to walk up to the big hotel on top of the hill since something wasn’t right with the houses. I was cold enough that I had to find some place to get out of the wind and crash for the night, but the hike up the hill was terrible. I don’t know how long it took me, but I was froze to death and didn’t think that I could take another step on my foot by the time that I got there.”
Stuart took a few seconds to finish the oatmeal and Patrick took the opportunity to tend to the fire. Mackenzie sat wrapped in the sleeping bag trying to take all in the adventure that her friend had just been on.
Stuart sat the empty bowl of oatmeal down and continued with the story. “I had a heck of a time even getting into the hotel. It’s not huge, but it’s big for a town this size. It had three different buildings to it, but they all had their exterior doors locked except for the main entrance. There were several bodies in the lobby and the hallways. I couldn’t see really well from just the glow light and was just wanting to find a place to crash, so I didn’t check them out too close. I went down the hallway and tried to get into a room, but I didn’t have much with me to break in and didn’t get too far. I tried a couple others and then gave up trying to break into the doors. There was a huge laundry room about halfway down the hall that had a ton of sheets in the machines, so I just emptied the dryers out, piled the sheets in a corner and flopped down into the pile to sleep.”
Mackenzie asked “There weren’t any bodies in the laundry room?”
Stuart replied “Yeah; there was a maid near the door, but I was so tired and cold that I didn’t think much of it.”
“So why did you come back tonight then?” Patrick asked.
“There’s something over there,” Stuart said. His response hung in the air for a minute.
“What do you mean?” Patrick asked.
“There’s something alive over there,” Stuart said clearly afraid and not sure how to explain what he saw. He shifted in the sleeping bag showing that he was visibly uncomfortable. “I was dead asleep in that pile of sheets when I heard a huge bang that woke me up with a start. At first I thought that it was a gun shot, but a couple of seconds later it banged again and I could tell that it wasn’t a gunshot. It happened a few more times before I could talk myself into going and checking it out. By the time that I got to the hallway it had stopped completely. I stood there for a minute and was about to go back to the pile of sheets when it scared the crap out of me.”
Stuart took another drink of his water, but his hand was shaking somewhat as he was recalling the memory to his traveling companions. Mackenzie slid one hand out from her sleeping bag and held his wrist of his free hand in a friendly gesture.
Stuart looked at Mackenzie for a second before taking a deep breath and continuing. “There’s a huge window in the hallway that goes almost from the floor to the ceiling about fifteen feet away from the doorway to the laundry room that I was standing in. Just when I thought I was going back to bed, a creature slammed itself into the window and made the huge boom that I’d been hearing.”
“What did you do?” Mackenzie asked bewildered and aghast.
“At first I jumped out of my skin. Then I just froze and stood there watching it,” Stuart finished.
There was a slight pause while Stuart reflected on the image that was burned into his memory and the other two were trying to imagine themselves in the hotel. Patrick asked “What do you mean it was a creature? Like a big dog or a bear?”
“No. It was almost… human,” Stuart said.
“How so?” Patrick asked.
“It was really hard to see through the window into the darkness, but after it hit the window and I jumped; it looked right at me. I had the glow light with me that was dimming, but it must have been enough for it to see me because it looked right into my eyes.” Stuart paused as he was picturing the creature and trying to explain what he had seen. “The eyes were human. There’s no doubt about it; but the way that it moved just wasn’t right. It was hunched over, and it had long hair on its head that made it hard to see anything in the darkness.”
“Are you sure about what you saw son?” Patrick asked. “You were exhausted, cold, and just woke up to a loud banging.”
“Yeah,” Stuart said without hesitation. “There’s no doubt about it. After we locked eyes, the thing backed up and ran at the window again; but this time it was even more determined and hit it even faster and harder than before. I had been frozen where I was, but when I saw it hurl itself at the glass and heard that boom; I moved. I ran back into the laundry room, grabbed the day pack, and threw the glow stick in the pile of sheets. The creature was crazy and the pounding was twice as quick as it was before: BOOM… BOOM… …BOOM.”
Patrick suddenly had a chill at the thought of this boy and what he had saw, and stood up to put some more wood on the fire. Stuart took another drink of water as he waited for Patrick to sit back down. Mackenzie and Patrick couldn’t think of anything to say to comfort Stuart, but just waited for him to continue.
“Sore foot or not, I ran. As soon as I could tell that the creature had backed away from the window for another run at it, I ran down the hall way and back towards the front door. Even though I was running, my foot was still messed up and slowing me down. It felt like I was running in slow motion; slogging through maple syrup as I heard the booms continuing.” Stuart made his arms move like he was running in slow motion as he told this part of his story. “And then…” he smacked his two hands together out in front of him with his arms extended. “As I came into the lobby, I tripped over something and face planted right on the hard tile floor. I hit hard enough that it rang my bell for a second,” he said as he reached up and gingerly touched a red spot on the side of his forehead that Patrick and Mackenzie hadn’t previously noticed. “The next BOOM brought me to my senses, and I realized that I had tripped over a dead-guy’s boot and his face was like right there.” Stuart raised his palm up to just a couple of inches in front of his face. Mackenzie shivered and drew her hand back into her sleeping bag.
Stuart’s tempo got faster as he continued with the story. “So, I got up and sprinted out the front door. That creature kept it up for a while, because I could still hear thuds as I ran down the hill back towards town. I didn’t stop anywhere and just made a beeline for the boat that I’d seen earlier. I had to crack another glow stick and catch my breath some when I made it to the boat, but I didn’t take long. I drug and pushed it on the trailer down to the river, which ended up being a lot easier than I thought. It took me a little while to figure out how to get it off the trailer in the dark, but I managed. Once I got into the water and off shore, I realized how wiped out I was. It seemed like it took forever to paddle across the river.”
After a couple of seconds, it was clear that Stuart was done with the story. Patrick stood up, walked over to Stuart, and leaned down to put his hand on Stuart’s should
er. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I should have insisted on going instead of you.” Stuart started to protest, but Patrick shushed him and continued. “Mak and I have a ton of questions for you, but right now why don’t you go crawl in my tent in that warm bag and get some sleep. You’re wore out and frazzled.”
“I don’t think that I could go to sleep if I tried,” Stuart replied. “I’m so wired that I don’t think I’ll sleep for a week.”
“Well,” Patrick started. “Why don’t you try anyways? At least rest your body so you don’t catch a cold.”
Mackenzie reached out from her sleeping bag again and patted his arm. “My Dad’s right, why don’t you go lay down at least for a while,” she said.
Stuart somewhat reluctantly got up and hobbled into Patrick’s tent. Patrick helped him lay down and get situated before returning to the fire and sitting down next to his daughter where Stuart had been. He hadn’t any sooner sat down and crossed his legs before they heard light snoring coming from the tent. They looked at each other and chuckled a little bit.
“What do you think it was Dad?” Mackenzie asked.
“I don’t know,” Patrick replied.
“You believe him don’t you?” she asked.
“Yeah. I believe that he believes what he saw,” Patrick said staring into the fire.
The two sat in silence for a while as the sun started to come up and a magnificent dawn came into view.
Part 3 - The Voyage
Chapter 17
The boat that Stuart picked out was perfect for the three of them and their gear. Patrick and Mackenzie spent the morning stowing their gear and lashing their bikes down to the boat while Stuart slept. They both just milled around and waited until Stuart finally awoke in the midafternoon. They finished breaking camp and all gathered in the boat for the next leg of their trek.
Stuart sat in the middle seat with Makenzie’s sleeping bag around him. He still was not feeling well at all and looked exhausted. Mackenzie was in the front seat of the boat rowing from the bow and Patrick was in the rear of the boat paddling some but mostly steering. They weren’t in any hurry as there was a light current in the river that pulled them along slowly.
Stuart used one of the set of binoculars to peer up at the town and the hotel until it was totally out of site. Patrick and Mackenzie both had a ton more questions about Stuart’s adventure, but his somber mood since waking didn’t seem to be conducive to a lot of questions. They pretty much floated down the river in quiet reflection.
When it was near dusk, Patrick began guiding the boat over to a small campground along the shore. When they were almost to the campground, Stuart realized what they were planning and stammered “Not here!”
“What do you mean,” asked Patrick.
“Not here!” Stuart blurted. “You can’t be serious! We can’t stay on this side of the river!”
Patrick still wasn’t sure what Stuart was talking about until Mackenzie said “It’s the creature Dad. He wants to camp on the south side of the river.”
Patrick thought about arguing because the campground was setup for what they needed and there were probably some supplies close by, but he thought better of it. He could see the fear in Stuart’s eyes and didn’t think that it was worth it. Instead he steered the boat back into the river and closer to the other bank. There weren’t any good places to pitch a tent in the area, so they drifted on down the river without saying a word until it was almost dark.
They rounded a small bend in the river and found a good camping spot. The bend had caused silt and sand to build up on a bump-out on the corner that made a beach up to the bluffs along the bank. They guided the boat into the sand along the beach and made a quick impromptu camp as the final light of the sun waned. Patrick broke out the camp stove and was beginning to setup to make some freeze-dried beef and noodles when Stuart announced that he still didn’t feel well and was going to bed.
“Are you sure that you don’t want anything to eat?” Mackenzie asked him.
“Nah. I’m not sure that I could keep it down,” Stuart replied. “I think that I’m just going to crash for a while and see if I feel better in the morning.”
Patrick and Mackenzie took their warm dinner over to a set of rocks on the bluff overlooking the river to eat. The moon was out and they could make out the river and some of the wildlands around it from there. Patrick reminded himself to come back at sunrise as he imagined it would be a beautiful sight.
“We need to get some more supplies,” Patrick said in between bites of noodles.
“Since we’re in the boat and don’t have to pack as light, can we get some non-freeze dried stuff?” Mackenzie asked.
“Sure. That’s a great idea,” Patrick said. “I’m sure that we won’t find a gourmet dinner in cans, but it sure would be a change of pace.” After a few more bites, he added “I’m down to the last can of fuel for the stove, so we need to find a town big enough to have a store with camping supplies.”
“Do you think that he can hear us from here?” Mackenzie asked in a lower tone as she was finishing up her bowl of noodles.
Patrick looked back over his shoulder towards Stuart’s tent to gage the distance and shook his head no. “Not if we keep our voices down,” he said in a low tone as well.
“I’m worried about him Dad,” Mackenzie said. “He’s not the same guy.”
“Give him some time,” Patrick responded. “Whatever he saw, or thought he saw over there has him pretty buggered up.”
“Do you believe his story?” Mackenzie asked.
“I believe that he thinks that he saw something,” Patrick said. “It’s just a pretty tall order to believe it verbatim.”
“I believe it,” Mackenzie said flatly.
Patrick thought for a moment and then said “Then we should take shifts staying guard tonight. I’ll take the first one. Why don’t you go to bed?”
Mackenzie thought about it a few moments more and then said “Goodnight” before kissing her dad on the cheek and walking back to her tent.
Patrick went back to the tent and grabbed his AR and his sleeping bag, and brought them back over to the rock where they had eaten dinner and settled in for the night. He wasn’t really expecting any issues, so he let his mind run rampant thinking about his family, what they should do next, their route home, and Stuart’s story. The longer that he sat there, the less he was sure of what they should do. He just knew that they had to get home. Dawn was breaking before Patrick heard a tent unzip and Mackenzie came out to spell him.
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I thought we were taking shifts,” Mackenzie said still sleepy, but half perturbed.
“Yeah. I probably should have; I’m wiped out. I was just out here thinking,” Patrick said as he was getting up from the ground and realizing how stiff he was from sitting there all night.
“Go get some rest,” Mackenzie said as she hugged her dad with one arm as he was walking by her.
Mackenzie climbed up on the rock and watched the sunrise over the river. It was so beautiful that she was mesmerized by the sight until the strong colors left the sky and the sun was well above the horizon. She went and grabbed the book that she was reading and came back to the rock. She could already hear her dad snoring as she flipped open to the page that she had dog-eared. She never was much of an avid reader, but she really enjoyed this book that her dad found for her. He had said that it was a classic, which didn’t immediately appeal to her but after she had started reading it she realized how good it was and why it was a classic. Even though she normally drifted right into the story and could block out the immediate happenings around her, this morning she couldn’t. After several pages, her mind kept wandering to the rest of her family back home; and then sometimes to the creature that Stuart had described. She wanted to ask him so many more questions about that creature that had terrified him.
After sitting on the rock a little while longer, she decided that she needed to have some physical activity. She kn
ew that her dad would probably kill her for even thinking of such a thing, but she thought that she might go check around for supplies and maybe even find a place to clean up a little. She walked back to camp and found the binoculars that Stuart had been using the previous day. She scanned the horizon and didn’t see much of anything as far as civilization, other than a few farm houses some ways off on the other side of the river.
She steeled her nerves, grabbed her dad’s AR rifle and backpack, and headed down to the river. She loaded up in the small boat and pushed herself off into the wide river. After getting settled in on the middle seat and beginning to row, she thought that she might have bitten off more than she could chew. The river was moving very slowly, but it still moved her off the direction that she was shooting for. She eventually figured out how far upstream that she needed to aim for to make the landing place on the opposite bank that she was hoping for.
It took her longer than she had anticipated, but she eventually landed the boat on the other side of the river where there was a slightly overgrown dirt road that came down close to the water’s edge. She jumped out of the boat and pulled it up onto the bank as far as she could get it before unlashing her bike and pulling it out. With the backpack and rifle slung across her back, she walked the bicycle up the dirt path to the road that she had seen with the binoculars from the campsite. She gave one last look back to the campsite to make sure that Stuart or her dad weren’t up and around yet before she took off pedaling down the dirt road.
It was mid-morning and beginning to warm up. Mackenzie felt herself start to sweat as she stood up on the pedals and pumped her legs in a quick rhythm as her bike flew down the bumpy dirt road. She had never really enjoyed bike riding all that much before this trip, but after sitting around in camp and in the boat all day yesterday the physical exertion felt great.
It wasn’t long before the slight incline that she had been climbing since the river turned into level ground. She could tell that all the ground around here was typically farmed. Even though it was fallow now, she imagined that it normally held rows and rows of corn in the summer. Before long, the dirt road she was on turned into a graveled road at an intersection. She continued straight through the intersection the same way as she had been traveling, but now she sat back down on the seat as the road was a little smoother and easier to ride on.
The Hike (Book 1): Survivors Page 20