by S A Jacobs
“Who are you and what happened to Zeke?” I yelled.
“My name is U’tlun’ta. I was brought here to protect. I’m bound to this earth, only able to feed on those who seek. Zeke, he came seeking. That’s how it works, how it has always worked. That man who was here, he seeks too. Yet, you chose to stand between us, denying me what is rightfully mine.”
“How did I deny you anything?”
“You came. You stood between us. You are protected. I am not only bound to this forest. I cannot cross he who has the coin.”
I reached into my pocket and retrieved the gold coin. It felt warm in my hand.
“You mean this?” I asked holding up the coin.
Zeke recoiled at the mere sight of it. He held up his hand and writhed as if it was causing him extreme pain. “Stop! Put that away!”
I complied and put the coin back in my pocket. Immediately, Zeke stopped moving and stood straight again.
“What did you mean when you mentioned my father?”
“Your father was the last person to use that coin. Your father tried to control me. To deny me.”
Zeke stretched out his left hand and waved for me to come closer. I hesitated but stepped towards him. As I moved in closer, I was overwhelmed with his stench. He smelled like a rotting corpse. I could hardly breathe. I wrinkled my nose, trying to avoid inhaling the smell of that thing.
“Come closer. As I said, you are protected. I will not hurt you yet.”
I stepped in even closer. Close enough to stare into the hollow dark eyes.
“I warned your father once, much as I have warned you today. He denied me. He tried to control me. To keep me from my calling. He wanted to choose. He wanted to protect. I warned him.”
“What was your warning?”
“I told him that I will not be denied. That a time would come when he was without that damned coin, and when he was, I would be waiting. My calling is to guard from anyone who seeks. I can see within people. I can feel their intentions. Your father tried to fool me. No matter what he showed everyone else, deep inside, he was a seeker. In the end, he got the punishment all seekers do.”
He paused as if waiting for some knee-jerk reaction from me. I had none.
“I see you are the guardian I have been waiting for,” he said as he began to step backward into the brush. “Do not repeat the mistakes of your father.”
He was gone. By the time his last word was spoken, it was as if he had been absorbed into the forest. I wanted to chase after him, but I knew it would be of no use. I turned to Melanie who had not moved from her spot, staring wide-eyed at the events that had transpired.
“Are you alright?” I gently rubbed her shoulder.
At first she recoiled from my touch before mentally confirming it really was me.
“What was that, David?”
“I’m pretty sure that was Spearfinger… well, Spearfinger in the form of your neighbor. I think it’s safe to assume Zeke was one of her victims.”
“So that thing really did kill your dad.”
“Yup.”
“But that makes no sense. That coin was your dad’s. If he had the coin, he would have been untouchable.”
“That is assuming he had the coin. My dad gave me that coin almost a year before he died.”
I didn’t make the connection until I said it out loud. I was the reason my dad had died. He had given me the coin to protect me, but then he had been without the coin and Spearfinger had punished him. It was a lot to take in, and initially I didn’t feel guilt. I just felt deep sorrow.
“Forget about Spearfinger for a minute. What were you doing down here with Austin?”
“I called you. I came out hoping you’d meet me. I camped out here at the Shack. I was making a fire, and then he snuck up behind me and grabbed me.”
“I will take care of him. If he wants me, fine, but he can leave you out of it!” A rage boiled inside me. I had always hated Austin, but now, after he’d tied Melanie up like an animal, I would not be stopped. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Melanie remained in a shocked state of silence when we arrived at her cottage. As I pulled in and parked, I couldn’t help but stare out at Zeke’s house. I had talked to Zeke in the forest, but he wasn’t Zeke. He was a creature of the forest. I hadn’t really known him before, but it still bothered me. Less than a week ago, he’d shared a beer with me on that porch. Now he was gone. I’d seen him go. I could’ve stopped him. Of course, at the time I’d had no clue what he was getting himself into. It didn’t make it any easier. A part of me felt responsible.
As I stood there staring at his cottage, an image popped into my head. Gordon’s business card in Zeke’s house. Gordon had been there the day Zeke disappeared. He had been in his house. Gordon knew something. Why was Gordon at the center of everything in this forest? And…
“Why the fuck didn’t he show up?” I yelled towards the house. “Why didn’t he call?”
Melanie jumped back at my sudden outburst.
“David? Who are you yelling at?”
I clenched my teeth and seethed with rage. “Gordon! He has something to do with all of this. I called him, but he never even showed up.”
“You don’t need Gordon.” she said as she wrapped her arm around me. “If you ask me, you took care of everything by yourself.”
For a brief moment I was able to relax. My shoulders drooped, and I unclenched my fists. She was right. I had handled it. Yet, that didn’t change the fact that Gordon didn’t show. I was mad, but I could deal with him later. Melanie squeezed me in her arms briefly before grabbing my hand and walking me into her cottage.
Once inside, she grabbed a blanket from the pile in the corner and retreated to the couch. She sat up with her back on the arm rest, put her feet up on the cushion and curled into a small ball. She looked helpless there, still in shock, a blank stare in her eyes. I tried to sit as close to her as I could despite her detached demeanor.
I gently rested my hands on her knees. I looked at her with a somewhat defeated smile in the hope that I could see something in her eyes. There was nothing. After several agonizing minutes, she spoke.
“Austin is in danger, isn’t he?” Her face still bore the emotionless stare.
“From me or that thing in the forest?” I replied in a feeble attempt to bring in some levity.
She didn’t respond, which was enough for me to realize that my humor wasn’t welcome yet.
“Yeah, I think he is. If he ever returns to the forest, anyway… but I think we are all in danger to a certain degree. Hell, your neighbor fell to that thing. It needs to be stopped.”
“She cannot be stopped,” she replied in a monotone voice.
“She will be stopped. I promise you that.” My hands gently rubbed her knees. I didn’t have a clue what was going through her head. There were a thousand plausible reasons for her to be in shock at that moment. It nagged at me that I was clueless to which one it was. “Why don’t you get some sleep. I’ll stay here and try to figure out what to do next.”
She nodded in silent agreement. I moved to let her stretch out her legs. Kneeling next to her, I covered her with the blanket and kissed her on the forehead. I stayed kneeling there in my own distant silence. My stare was broken when I saw Melanie's body gently twitch. She was asleep, very soundly asleep.
I stood up and walked over to the adjoining loveseat where I sat down. My head drooped into my hands as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened in the last day. I pulled my phone from my pocket and looked at the screen. I had a text from Gordon.
David, call me when you can. There is something you need to see, alone.
My fingers tightened around the phone. I was enraged but forced myself to take a deep breath. If I was going to call him, I needed to keep my cool. Melanie was still in a deep sleep. I watched as the blanket on top of her rose and fell with each of her breaths. The calming rhythm helped me to regain my composure. After a few minutes, I stood up and walked
out to the front porch.
I dialed Gordon’s number and took a final deep breath, both dreading the impending conversation but also wanting it over with. It only rang once before I was greeted with his familiar voice.
“David, where are you?” he asked.
“I’m over at Melanie’s”
“Are you able to talk privately?”
“Yeah.”
“No, without Melanie. I can’t have her listening in.”
“It’s fine. She’s asleep.”
“Okay, look, about today…”
“What about today? Where the hell were you?” I balled my fingers into fists as my rage began to boil.
“David, there is something you need to understand.”
“Well, I’m listening.”
“I need to show you. Can you meet me at the substation? I assume you still have the key.”
“Just tell me why I should bother meeting you.”
There was silence on the phone.
“Look, I was there. That is what I need to show you.” he said in a strained voice. “Melanie…. well...she’s not what you think. You are in danger, David.”
At the very least Gordon had succeeded in getting my attention. I didn’t trust him. However, I acknowledged that he certainly had a lot of knowledge that was important to me. I had to play nice with him, and I hated playing nice. I was always much better off being me, which was why I struggled with my job of a lifetime, the TV gig.
If I was going to play nice with Gordon, I figured I needed a plan of my own. When I was convinced Melanie would not be waking up anytime soon, I wrote her a note saying I’d be back in a few minutes and headed to my truck. Behind the front seat, I pulled out my leather jacket and put it on. It was warm, but I hoped that the cool breeze would be enough to make wearing the jacket not seem completely out of place. I unpacked one of the voice-recorders that I’d used in Melanie’s attic and placed it in my jacket pocket.
As I sat down in my truck and started the engine, I giggled at the absurdity of my master plan. An out-of-season jacket concealing a voice recorder in the hopes that Gordon would say something incriminating. I realized that even if he did, I wouldn’t know what to do with the recording. Blackmail was not a part of my repertoire. As insane as the entire plan was, it was the best one I had. Additionally, focusing on my ruse allowed me to not succumb to my rage toward Gordon.
When I reached the substation, Gordon’s truck was already there waiting. I switched on my recorder and walked up the steps to the porch, hearing the familiar creak under my feet. I opened the front door and found Gordon sitting on the couch in the living room, his legs crossed.
“Come, have a seat,” he said.
“I think I’ll stand. You said you have something to show me.”
“I see you started up the clock when you came out here.” He gestured to the clock across the room.
“Yeah, the house didn’t feel right without the constant ticking.”
“You know that clock was very special to your dad. Actually, your entire family.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. It was passed down a couple generations. It was the only nice thing that my family had when they first moved into this house. I’ve heard that story a hundred times.”
“I believe that story is completely true, but did you ever hear the story before that one? The one that explains how a simple man could acquire such a magnificent piece of horology?”
“I haven’t heard it, I’ve seen it! It came from Cloudland… Is this really what you called me for? To talk about the damn clock?”
“Not at all, but I do feel the clock helps build a greater understanding of the situation.”
I was frustrated and impatient, yet I let Gordon continue. I could still appreciate the information.
“Enlighten me.” I sat down in the chair nearest Gordon.
“This clock was built long before your ancestors took possession of it. It was commissioned and built for Robert Mason.”
I perked up at the mention of Mason’s name.
“Ah yes, I assumed you’d be familiar with him,” he said. “It wasn’t for Robert to have in one of his houses. He actually commissioned this clock to adorn the private drawing room at Cloudland where he stayed.”
“Like I said, get to the point. I know this already.”
“Even more interesting is how your family came to take possession of it. The story, as your father told it, started back with your great-great grandfather, Johan Spur. He was a trusted confidant of Robert’s. In fact, Robert had this house built for Johan.”
“Wait, I thought Johan was part of the Forestry Division.” Now he had my attention.
“He was. That role was created by Robert.”
“Okay, so Robert gave him a job.”
“Listen, David. Robert didn’t give Johan a job. Johan had a job working for Robert. Robert had this National Forest created. This was the first substation here and Johan was the first person to live here. Do you know anything about clocks?”
“This historical trip has been great, really, but enough about the damn clock.”
“This clock was not merely commissioned to tell time. It was built to guard secrets and protect them from anyone seeking to find them. Perhaps you are familiar with some of the hidden panels within this clock.”
“Yeah, you know, I think I’m one step ahead of you there.”
“Okay, then tell me this. What can be so important that not only is it hidden, not only do multiple generations of a family strive to protect it, but an entire National Forest is created to facilitate its protection?”
“C’mon Gordon, we both know damn well what is out there. What I don’t know is what you wanted to show me… or better yet, maybe you’d like to answer some questions of mine.”
Gordon furrowed his brow and looked at me with extreme seriousness. I wanted to hold back my cards as long as I could, but he was pushing me over the edge.
“Fair enough. What would you like to know?”
“Why don’t you tell me what really happened to my dad.”
“I’m afraid you know that story already.”
“Yeah, no thanks to you! What I don’t know is why you covered it up.”
“David, what do you think would happen if word got out that some untamable beast was loose in the forest, eating people’s livers? The entire department would be shut down. If the department was shut down, there would be no one to follow through with the purpose for which it was originally created.” Gordon stood up and began to pace the living room. The floor creaked and groaned in response to every step. “Look, I may not have been part of your family’s legacy, but your father was my best friend. When he left, I took on the role of protecting that area of the forest, which is exactly why I called you here today.”
He sat down and rubbed his chin. After a moment, he reached over to a laptop lying on the couch and opened it.
“Look, I told you that I have taken special precautions in protecting that area. I’ve also set cameras up in that area of the forest. I knew someone was there before you even called.”
“Then why the fuck didn’t you do anything?”
“David, not everything is as it appears. I think you need to watch this. I saw what happened when you went into the forest. I saw what you saw. Austin tied up Melanie. But I also saw this first.” He handed me his laptop.
21
There was one video file on the desktop of Gordon’s laptop. He clicked on it, and the video began playing in full screen. The camera angle was of the back corner of the parking lot near the entrance to that trail. The image was black and white, but still remarkably clear. In the bottom corner of the video was a date and time stamp.
“Here, let me fast-forward this a little,” he said as he moved the video forward a few minutes.
I saw Melanie’s Jeep pull into view. She pulled in and parked right in front of the path. She got out of the car and walked to the back of the Jeep and stayed there. The Jeep blocked her from
the view of the camera; however, both sides of her Jeep were clearly visible, so I knew she hadn’t left the frame. A few moments passed until another car pulled up, first slowly driving past her, then parking further down in the lot. It was an old Camaro. It had tinted windows, making it impossible to make out who was driving from the view of the camera.
The door opened and Austin stepped out. As he exited the car, there was a huge grin on his face. He turned around to grab a backpack from inside his car and then walked behind Melanie’s Jeep. While Melanie was still blocked from the camera’s view, I could still clearly see Austin. The two appeared to talk for a few moments before they both walked to the start of the trail together.
I pressed pause on the video player and froze one of the last frames before they stepped out of the camera’s view. Melanie was almost looking directly at the camera at that moment. What surprised me in that image was that she appeared calm and content. It was certainly not the face of someone under duress.
I stood staring at that image, chewing the inside of my lip. I’d spent a large part of this day consumed with rage. Anger against Austin and anger against Gordon. At that moment, the rage inside of me dissipated, leaving me feeling betrayed and stupid.
“So much for sneaking up and holding her at gunpoint,” I seethed.
“I’m sorry David, but now you will understand why I needed to show this to you.”
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t go help them. If you knew they were there, why didn’t you step in? You know exactly what is down in that woods. You’ve always fucking known!”
As I spoke, something deep inside me snapped. The twine holding together every ounce of my sanity quickly unraveled.
“You don’t understand,” he said.
“No, I don’t understand! You sit here on your fat ass and watch people on camera walking towards their death and don’t do a fucking thing about it. You could’ve stopped them. You could’ve stopped Zeke. You could’ve stopped my dad! You spend more time covering everything up than you do actually trying to prevent any of it from happening. All you do is watch like it’s some sick TV show. That’s what really happened when my father died, you sick fuck! You watched him go down there and immediately turned your attention to covering it all up!”