Horror in the Woods

by Mountford, Lee

  'No problem,' Henry said, and began to walk, each step causing Craig more and more agony.

  With all he had been through already, part of Craig now just wanted it to end. Thoughts of escape and freedom were futile; he was utterly broken. A quick death now seemed like the best he could hope for.

  But he knew the chances of that one, small mercy were non-existent.

  He fully expected more suffering.

  And he was to be proved right.

  18

  Kim's legs burned from the effort she was exerting as she and Ashley sprinted through the trees.

  The ground was uneven, and gaining traction at speed was difficult. More than once, one of them had taken a tumble. Ashley had fared a little better, but with the slippery moss, and tripping hazard of exposed roots, they weren't moving as fast as they needed to.

  Worse, with no natural light, vision was almost non-existent, and only the thin beam of their flashlights guided the way. She couldn't hear anything behind them, but knew they were being followed. Kim remembered what the thin man had said as they escaped.

  We'll make this fair. You have a full ten-minute head start. Then, we track you down.

  His arrogance sickened her. She had a feeling, however, that in this environment, it was a confidence that was probably justified. The girl had chimed in, too, laughing dismissively as she spoke.

  You don't have a chance, you pair of bitches. Gonna get what's coming. We're going to find you both, then have our fill.

  They continued their taunting as Kim and Ashley fled. Kim didn't know exactly how long it had been since they'd begun their attempted escape -- the concept of time and its passing was now lost in a mix of adrenaline and a need to survive -- but she had a feeling that ten-minute mark was fast approaching.

  If it hadn't already passed.

  They were both breathing heavily, and Kim could feel her chest start to burn. Each breath also caused a stabbing pain in her side.

  Ashley was coping better with the physical exertion, Kim noted, but it wasn't surprising given her keen interest in sports. She was, however, on the verge of tears. Kim could hear it in her breathing.

  'Which way do we go?' Ashley asked, her voice wobbling.

  'We need to find our way back to the trail,' Kim said. 'Then we can follow it back out of here.'

  'If we don't get lost.'

  That was a good point. Tim had taken the lead the whole trip, so they really had no idea which way they were supposed to go.

  'First we need to find the trail,' Kim said. ‘That's all we need to worry about for now.'

  'I have an idea,' Ashley said, and changed direction slightly, pulling them left.

  'Why this way?' Kim asked.

  'We approached the house almost head on, up an incline, right?'

  'Yeah.'

  'And we set off running at about ninety degrees from where we came in. So, we need to angle back left again and we should come across the trail.'

  Kim was impressed. The girl was clearly in a fragile state, hell, they both were, but when confronted with a problem, she had managed to think logically and come up with a plan. Normally, it was left to Kim to act in any kind of situation, let alone one where they were fighting for their lives. Maybe the extreme danger had kicked the mouse into fighting mode. Kim was pleased with that, because they would need to fight to get out of this hell. She followed Ashley's lead, with no hesitation, and both pushed themselves on as hard as they could.

  Kim knew the two lunatics who were following would have no such trouble making their way through the trees. This was obviously their home, their environment, a place they knew well. Kim and Ashley were the fish out of water here, trying not to get caught and served up on a plate.

  'All this time,' Ashley said, her breathing growing quicker.

  'What?' Kim asked, confused.

  'Tim,' she replied, and began to slow down. Kim grabbed her, but Ashley came to a full stop. 'All this time, he was one of those... monsters. All this time.'

  'Don't think about that, Ashley,' Kim ordered, trying to pull her on. She didn't need her friend breaking down and losing it. She needed her friend to show the fight she had hinted at before.

  'But, we were... we've been together,' Ashley said. Kim understood, her own stomach was lurching at the thought of that fiend putting his hands on her friend, so God knows how that made Ashley feel.

  But it still wasn't helping.

  'You had no way to know what he was,' Kim said, taking deep breaths while she could. Part of her was thankful for the break, but a bigger part of her knew they needed to move. 'Forget it. Be sad when we get out of here.'

  'And I said it, Kim. I told him I loved him. He said it too.'

  'He's a liar,' Kim snapped, raising her voice was much as she dared, and as much as her oxygen-starved body would allow. 'If you want to feel anything, feel anger. Feel angry at who he is and what he did. Use that. Channel it and fucking use it.'

  'But-'

  'But nothing. He used you, Ashley. He walked all over you. So what are you going to do about it?'

  Ashley didn't say anything, she began to sob. Maybe giving her a hug would have helped calm her down, but Kim didn't have time for that. She needed to snap her friend out of this, and quick. With an open palm, she slapped Ashley hard across the face.

  Ashley's eyes popped open in shock, and she instinctively brought a hand up to her cheek.

  'What-'

  'Enough,' Kim said, cutting in, not letting Ashley even start. 'No more wallowing. No more letting shit just happen to you, Ashley. You need to start fighting back. And, fuck me, there is no better time to start than right now. Because if you don't, honey, we die. Do you want to die?'

  'No,' Ashley said, 'of course not.' The words still sounded too timid for Kim's liking, so she shoved her friend, hard, pushing her a few steps back.

  'What they hell is wrong with you?' Ashley asked, with a hint of anger. But only a hint.

  'What's wrong with me?' Kim asked, shaking her head. 'I want to get out of this alive, Ashley. And I know we need to fight our way out if we are going to do that. You still sound like you're waiting for someone to come along and save us. Newsflash, that isn't going to happen. We save ourselves or we die. Understand?'

  'Yes,' Ashley said, but again, far too timidly.

  'Then mean it,' Kim said, and pushed her again.

  'Stop it,' Ashley said, clenching her jaw. 'We don't have time for this.'

  'Make me,' Kim said, and pushed again. Finally, Ashley broke. Kim was taken by surprise as Ashley suddenly stepped forward and pushed her in return, with force, causing Kim to topple backwards into her backside. It wasn't enough to hurt, but the strength of her friend shocked her.

  Good.

  'Kim,' Ashley said, bringing a hand up to her mouth, 'I'm-'

  'No,' Kim said, quickly getting to her feet. 'No, you're not sorry. You were standing up for yourself. Don't be sorry. Just stay angry. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?'

  Ashley let her hand fall from her mouth and took a moment. Her jaw set and she tilted her head up and nodded.

  'Yes,' she said, finally sounding like she meant it.

  'Good,' Kim said, and put a hand on her taller friend's shoulder. 'So, what do we do now?'

  'We get the fuck out of here.'

  'Atta girl,' Kim said, with a smile.

  They both set off running again, and within a few minutes they saw something that gave Kim hope. Ashley had been right to bring them this way.

  The trail was up ahead.

  'There it is,' Kim said, keeping her voice low.

  'I see it,' Ashley confirmed, and they continued running until they set foot onto the dirt track.

  'Which way?' Kim asked.

  'Right,' Ashley said, 'that should lead us out.'

  As suggested, they ran to the right, with Ashley pushing up ahead and Kim, not quite able to keep pace, bringing up the rear.

  Again, Kim's legs began to burn and the pain in
her chest and side returned. She found herself losing ground on Ashley, who was keeping a steady pace, pumping her arms and legs with quick, even movements. Kim wished she'd spent more time exercising. She had a natural figure that she never had to work at, whereas Ashley, as self-conscious as she was, worked out all the time. That fitness was now helping her friend, while Kim was struggling.

  Fuck it, Kim thought, if I survive this I'm joining a gym.

  On and on they went. Kim's breathing became loud and erratic and she wanted to throw up. But she knew stopping was dangerous, so she pushed herself harder. They broke through into a clearing, giving them a little more visibility, and Kim finally pulled up, unable to go any farther.

  'Ashley,' she said with a gasp.

  Ashley stopped and turned back. She was red in the face and covered in sweat, but looked like she could easily keep going. 'You okay?' she asked.

  Kim nodded, sucking in air. 'Yeah, I just need to get my breath. Feel like I'm going to pass out.'

  Ashley nodded. 'Be quick,' she said.

  'I will.' Kim bent over and rested her hands on her knees, trying to stop her head from spinning. Her breathing was quick, too quick.

  'Take slow, deep breaths,' Ashley said. 'It'll help.'

  Kim closed her eyes and tried to do just that, though it was difficult. Her natural reaction was to pull in as much air to her lungs as she could, but soon she managed to steady her breathing and things began to settle down. The dizziness dissipated and the fire that burned through her muscles and chest eased, if only a little.

  Finally, she stood back up to full height. Time to get going again.

  Kim had no idea how long it had been since they had left the family behind, but she knew the two lunatics would be closing in.

  The hunt was on.

  That thought in itself gave Kim another burst of adrenaline. 'Okay,' she said, 'time to go.'

  But when she looked over at her friend, she saw a troubled look on Ashley's face.

  'What is it?' Kim asked.

  'I recognise this place.'

  'You mean we've passed through here?'

  Ashley nodded. 'Yeah.'

  'That's good, it means we are on the right track.'

  Kim looked around as well, trying to see if she recognised her surroundings, but not expecting to glean much. To her, one tree looked just like another, especially in the dark. Nothing seemed familiar, so she turned back to her friend, just in time to see her face drop. Ashley held up the torch and pointed it off to their side, and Kim followed the beam of light.

  Now she realised exactly where they were.

  She saw that flap of skin, the yawning face, still hanging from the tree branch.

  They were at the site where they'd found the faceless man.

  The one Tim had killed by crushing his skull.

  An act that now, knowing what they knew, would probably fit Tim's character very well.

  'Okay,' Kim said, 'at least we know we're definitely on the right track. Let's keep moving.'

  Seeing the mask of skin again was still disturbing, but there was no need to stop on account of it anymore. They knew who it belonged to and, likely, the reason for its removal. It should be of no further concern to them.

  'Wait,' Ashley said, moving her beam around. 'Don't you see?'

  'See what?' Kim asked, as Ashley's beam settled on a spot on the ground up ahead. There was nothing of any real interest, just more of the forest floor.

  But then Kim saw the stain; smears of blood.

  'The man,' Ashley said. 'He's gone.'

  19

  Ted kept low as he ran, sweeping over the ground in quick strides. His dull, dirty blade was already drawn, ready to cut and cleave.

  Excitement consumed him.

  Before, he had simply been their tracker, watching his brother lead the group back to the house. Now, his role was different, one he enjoyed so much more.

  Now he was the hunter.

  He and his twin sister, Claudia, would have no problem tracking these two feeble girls down. The only question would be how quickly they would do it.

  To find them, he knew he had to think like them, and scared people were disappointingly predictable people. They would return to the thing they knew, the thing that would give them the best chance of getting free.

  To reach the house, they'd followed the old trail his family had deliberately carved years ago, which meant they would try to find it again and follow it out.

  That meant that he and his sister just had to do the same thing, only quicker, to catch up to them.

  Disappointingly easy.

  Still, they made sure to keep off the trail and stick to the trees, weaving between them silently. If they were on the trail and the girls looked back, they would be seen. Not that it really mattered, their prey would still be caught, but sticking to the shadows allowed them to attack when they were ready, and that would make the capture quick and simple.

  His sister, Claudia, had dropped the torch she had been carrying as soon as they'd set off in chase, and they were both now keeping pace with each other, pushing each other on.

  'Been such a long time since we've done this, brother,' she said to him, quietly. He didn't need to worry about her talking too loudly; they hadn't made up enough ground just yet for the two little rabbits to hear them.

  'Too long,' Ted replied.

  'Family's been getting anxious. Fighting all the time.'

  'That happens the longer we wait.'

  'Stupid, though. Pointless.'

  'It is, sister. But we can't help it.'

  'Can't control it.'

  'No, we can't. It will always rise to the surface. Unless we feed it.'

  'Ever wonder what would happen if we didn't feed it? Just let it take over?'

  'No, sister.'

  'I have. I'd imagine we would end up trying to rip each other to little pieces. Small enough to gobble down.'

  'You might be right. It controls and consumes us. That's just the way of things. But we won't let it get that far. Never have before, never will.'

  'I dunno,' his sister said. 'Sounds like fun. Henry could feed us all for eternity.'

  He laughed at that, louder than he intended, and he quickly admonished himself.

  Stop playing around. Stick to the hunt.

  'You might be right, but Henry would take some effort putting down.'

  'We could do it,' his sister said. 'Together.'

  'Thought about it, have you?'

  'A few times. When things get boring around here, the mind wanders.'

  'Well, the mind has something to concentrate on now.'

  'The hunt.'

  'Yes, sister,' he said. 'The hunt.'

  She giggled excitedly. It was a sweet sound to him, one that spurred him on. He could almost taste both of the little rabbits that hopped on ahead. He tried to imagine the flavour of the redhead.

  He even considered having a little taste before getting them back home.

  His stomach churned in anticipation.

  Soon it would be time to feast.

  20

  Still slung over Henry's shoulder, Craig was taken back down the steps to the basement. He half expected the creaking stairs to give way, but they held, clearly made of stronger stuff than they originally seemed. Henry then walked between the hanging bodies, allowing Craig to see their withered, skeletal faces, and smell their awful stench, as he was carried onwards to the far wall.

  There was a thick, strong-looking wooden door set into the wall, which Henry pushed open, revealing a corridor behind. The walls of the corridor were nothing more than dirt, tunnelled into the ground, held back by timber strutting. Small, electrical lights hung from these struts, giving a small amount of illumination to the corridor.

  Cold air rolled over Craig, as well as a musty, earthy odour.

  A little farther ahead, stone steps dropped sharply down. Henry continued down these steps, eventually coming to an open area.

  Like the tunnel before, th
is room seemed to have been carved out of the earth that surrounded it. He could see the underside of the basement floor high above him, held up by stone pillars. Electrical lanterns were fixed to the walls, lighting the room in a dull glow. Maybe the house had a generator?

  Situated in the centre of the room, and clearly the focal point, was a large, stone table. Its surface was stained with a dirty brown substance -- Craig knew exactly what that was -- and there were small holes lining its surface.

  Just to the right of that, a side table stood empty, as if waiting to take something on it. An old crate sat in one corner of the room and, at the back, set into the floor, was a metal grate. Behind that, against the far wall, there was what Craig assumed to be some kind of honest-to-God occult fucking altar.

  On top of this macabre shrine, with carvings of monstrous, twisted things, there was a human skull, surrounded by smaller skulls; those of animals and, dear God, children. The flat section of the altar held a thick, yellowed book, which stood upright on a perch. It was open and, on its yellowed pages, Craig could make out scribbled writings and sketches, though they were too far away to see clearly.

  Was that what all this was? Were these people some kind of cultists?

  Did anyone really believe things like that in the modern age?

  Unfortunately, for Craig, it seemed that some people still did. It may have been backwards and idiotic, but that still didn't help Craig in his current situation.

  Henry walked towards the large stone table and dropped Craig roughly onto it. Craig squealed in pain, but Henry just laughed, clearly amused.

  Craig was then de-clothed, leaving him completely naked, and his body was forcibly straightened out. He felt another crunch in his spine, and his legs went completely numb. He continued to scream, feeling more mind-shattering pain than he could take.

  The hulking man-child looked down at him.

  'Almost done,' Henry said, smiling. 'Just going to need to tie you up.'

  'Please,' Craig managed to whisper out. 'I'm begging you.'

  'Yeah,' Henry said, 'you are. But the begging is going to get a whole lot worse, I think.'