Rampike

by European P. Douglas

  On the ground he saw streaks of blood near a mound of snow and then saw the traces of what must have been Mouse’s escape from the site. Footprints and bloodstains punctured the snow. Thank God he wasn’t still in the vehicle when it was crushed. Joe began to walk in the direction of the trail but it wasn’t long before his joy at the idea of Mouse escaping turned to horror as he saw the slumped shapes that were once the big man’s body lying in a sea of blood beneath some trees.

  Joe stopped moving, terrified and aghast at what he saw. He was not close enough to see clearly (and didn’t intend on getting there) but he was sure Mouse Allen had been torn in two and that could only be done by the same power that crushed the truck. He looked at the trees that over hung the body knowing they had been what killed Mouse but yet not seeing any trace of blood on the limbs. It didn’t make sense, but then what did right now.

  Sense now would be to do everything he could to get out of Mercy and down off this mountain. Once more the idea of leaving alone and just making it out pressed him but he walked back to the jeep and drove back to Mercy to do what he could to get everyone out of here and hopefully to safety.

  Chapter 24

  The tavern was buzzing with raised voices, speculation and arguments that all fell silent when the sheriff entered.

  “Where is he?” Jeff asked with a look of grim acceptance already on his face.

  “Mouse is dead,” Joe said. “Near where I had my incident earlier this evening.”

  “Two dead and one person lucky to be alive!” Jeff called out pointing to Susan. “We’ve all sat around long enough; we need to get out of here!” Voices erupted with opinions once more and Sally had to ring the shrill bell to get everyone’s attention again.

  “Let the sheriff talk,” she said looking to Joe. “How was Mouse killed?” she asked more quietly.

  “I can’t be sure, but it looks like the trees had something to do with it.” Even after all he’d seen he still found it impossible to believe he was saying this. “No man could have done what I saw, and his truck is crushed to a cube too.”

  “So what are we going to do?” Ava’s timid voice asked through the silence that followed what the sheriff had told them.

  “Jeff is right,” Joe said. “We need to get out of here right now. All the way here I was looking at the trees and I can only draw once conclusion from what I saw. Whatever is happening with the trees, they are all dying and that whiteness on them is getting closer to town by the minute.”

  “You expect us to get out of here on foot?” Sally asked and Joe nodded.

  “I don’t see any other way,” he said. “We know what happened to those who tried to leave by the roads.”

  “What about Susan?” Sally asked. “She’s still recovering.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Susan said with an obviously forced upbeat smile on her face.

  “There won’t be any recovering going on here when the trees close in on the town,” Jeff said looking sharply at Sally.

  “Don’t even think about getting on my case, Jeff,” she replied hotly. They looked at one another a few moments more and then Jeff looked back to Joe.

  “I say we have ten minutes gathering what we need and then we go. Anyone not back here by then we leave without them!”

  “Take it easy, Jeff,” Joe said. “We’re not leaving anyone behind.”

  The room fell silent again, and they all looked around at one another. Fear was painted on every face in the room. The feeling that none of them was going to make it out of here alive was powerful but no one gave voice to it. Each one thought of the hardship of traveling to Emerson cross-country in the current snowy, cold conditions. If that wasn’t tough enough on its own, there was also the chance that any tree they passed along the way could grab hold of them and kill them at any moment.

  “Come on, everyone,” Jarrod said taking Ava by the hand. “We can do this; we can get out of here.”

  His attempt to rally fell flat, only Ava even acknowledged him with a thin smile.

  “Sally can you rustle up some flasks of coffee and some food to bring with us — we shouldn't need much?” Joe said. The tavern-keeper nodded.

  “Jeff and Sam, go to your store and house together and get any guns and ammunition you have and some warm clothes. Stay together,” he stressed.

  “What are you going to do?” Sally asked.

  “One more check on the radio and then getting my own ammunition and spare guns,” Joe answered.

  “Should I go with you then?” Jarrod asked. Joe looked at the scared young man and was about to shake his head but thought better of it.

  “Yes, I should heed some of my own advice shouldn’t I?” he smiled at Jarrod and winked at both he and Ava. Jarrod smiled back and Joe felt that smile showed the boost in confidence Joe had intended had been received. “Will you three ladies be alright here for a few minutes?”

  “Go, we’ll be fine,” Sally said speaking for them all. Joe nodded and then looked at the men ready to leave.

  “As quick as we can,” he said. “Don’t try anything alone, if you even think you see something call out for help, got it?” The men all nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  WHEN THEY HAD LEFT, Sally looked at the two younger women and said,

  “How are you feeling?” to Susan.

  “I’m still in a lot of pain,” Susan answered, tears that she’d been hiding up to now coming to her eyes. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it down the mountain.” This last word broke, and she bent forward crying into her hands. Ava was close to her and put an arm around her and Sally came over and added hers to the circle.

  “Don’t you worry,” Sally said. “Those hiking trails are not so bad. I don’t suppose you’ll be happy while we’re moving but once we get to Emerson, we can get you straight to some real medical help.”

  “They’ll fix you up good and proper,” Ava added.

  “I’m sorry,” Susan said. “I shouldn't be thinking about this right now with everything else that's going on around here.”

  “You being hurt is a huge part of what is going on around here,” Sally reminded her. “You survived that attack; you’re tougher than you think.”

  “Emerson is not all that far, anyway,” Ava added, hoping to sound cheerful.

  Sally broke from the hug with a parting squeeze on both of the other women’s arms.

  “We better get set,” she said walking over to start preparations on the flasks and rummaging up some light food for the hike.

  “Do you have clothes that will suit walking in the snow?” Susan asked looking at what Ava was wearing.

  “I don’t think so,” she answered, thinking about this for the first time. They were only supposed to stop off in this place for a bed for the night on their way West and hadn’t packed too much at all.

  “We’ll have to get to mine for some clothes then, you’re not far off my size so we’ll be fine,” Susan smiled through her pain.

  “I guess the sheriff wasn’t thinking of the women when he set off,” Ava smiled back.

  “I guess not.”

  “GOD DAMN IT!” JOE CALLED out in frustration when the radio once more gave no sign of life in response to his switch tripping and turning. It was not that he expected it to work this time; it was just that it was his last hope of getting help to come to them before making this trip down the mountainside. He knew that Susan was not going be able to make any kind of progress at all and they were going to have to practically carry her all the way, but what could he do about that?

  “How long do you think it will take to get down to Emerson?” Jarrod asked when Joe came back to the office where he was waiting.

  “I don’t know, but it will be by light tomorrow I imagine.” Joe moved around the rooms collecting clothes and the small tool belt he usually had when he went for a long hike.

  “Do you know how to use a gun?” he asked Jarrod. Jarrod looked at the pistol in Joe’s hand and nodded slowly,

  “Yes, but only
a rifle,” he said.

  “Well, this is easier,” Joe said thrusting the gun into Jarrod’s hand. “Safety here, hold with two hands, point and shoot, that’s it. The recoil might be stronger than you expect so just watch out for that and don’t point it unless you aim to fire it.”

  Jarrod nodded as the instructions were recited and he let Joe move his arms and hands to mimic what he was instructing.

  “Got it,” he said when the ten second long shooting class was over.

  “Put this on over those clothes,” Joe said handing Jarrod some warm clothes and gun belt.

  Jarrod got into the clothes as Joe got himself sorted for ammunition and supplies.

  “Do you think the guns will be of any use against this thing?” he asked after a long silence.

  “I have no idea,” Joe answered. “But I know I’d rather have the guns than not.” Jarrod nodded; he felt the same way. Deep down he still felt that this had to be the work of a person; and he knew that guns definitely worked against those.

  “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Jeff asked when Sam walked up the middle of the road. They had collected clothes, weapons and tools from their homes and were on the way back to the tavern — or so Jeff thought.

  “We need to get clothes for Susan,” Sam said, “and I imagine there will be at least one more gun there too.”

  “Sally will have clothes for Susan,” Jeff said but even as he was talking he followed Sam. You couldn't have too many guns in a situation like this.

  “Clothes that fit,” Sam said.

  “Fine,” Jeff said coming up beside him. “But we need to be quick.”

  They entered the house, and both men looked around. It was odd how even in such a small community as this the locals had never really been in one another’s houses. The tavern was the usual congregational place and everyone home was mostly private to themselves.

  Sam could smell Susan in there and his heart panged at the thought of what might have been.

  “You look for the guns and I’ll get some clothes,” he said. Jeff nodded and went about his task. Sam walked to the doors that were closed off the hall and opened the first one. It was a bedroom but not the one he was looking for. This must have been where Susan’s father had slept and by the looks of it, the room had been left as had been while he was alive. It was clear that Susan even kept the place spotless with not a sign of dust on any surface.

  The next door was Susan’s room. He stood in the doorway a moment and wondered at it. There was nothing particularly special about it and she didn’t even seem to have anything particularly feminine about the decor. Her smell was strongest here, however, and it overpowered him. He felt tears sting his eyes and his fists clenched in anger at the unjustness of what was happening. He didn’t know if they were going to make it off this mountain but he vowed to Susan in her own bedroom that he would do all he could to make sure they did.

  “Hurry up in there!” Jeff’s voice called out. “I’ve got a hunting rifle and a box of shells here.” Sam could hear the rattle of the shells in the box as Jeff shook them.

  “Coming now,” Sam said, and he bent quickly to the chest of drawers by the bed and pulled out some clothes he thought would be warm. He pooled up a big armful, not wanting her to feel like he’d chosen the wrong things for her. As he stood up, he saw a framed photograph on the nightstand. It was Susan with her father and she was old enough that he thought this was probably the last photograph ever taken of them together. He made space between two fingers and picked it up; he was sure she would want this if they got out of here in one piece. He could imagine her beautiful smile after they were safe and he handed it to her. It was a moment he longed to become a reality.

  EVERYONE WAS BACK IN the Lone Wolf Tavern and they looked at the assortment of clothes and supplies laid out on the tables.

  “We need to get moving fast, so everyone who isn’t already dressed to go, do so now while we pack up this stuff,” Joe said. He could feel his heart racing like he was back in high school just before a big track meet where his father would have expected him to win.

  “So what’s the plan, Sheriff?” Jeff asked as they packed.

  “We’ll use the easy path to the mine opening and start across towards the lake and then down from there. Considering the conditions I think that’ll be the best route, but I’m fresh here,” he smiled. “So if any of you locals know a quicker way that will be passable I’m all ears?” Joe could see that both Sam and Jeff were thinking on this, hoping to find a better route but he didn’t think they would.

  “Sounds about right,” Jeff conceded.

  “We stay together and everyone who can use a gun should have one,” Joe went on.

  “What if we get separated?” Ava asked.

  “We shouldn't, but if somehow we do just follow any trail that goes downhill; that’s about the best I can say.” Joe walked over to Susan. “I know you’re still in a lot of pain and I’m not going to tell you this run down the mountain is going to be pleasant for you, but we will be there to help all the way; you just have to do your best to keep moving, alright?” Susan nodded,

  “I’ll get there,” she said, and she looked to Sally and Ava and smiled.

  “Right!” Joe said addressing the room again. “We need to leave now. We have no idea what we are up against but we all need to keep our eyes open. If we are attacked, shoot if you can but not if you think it will endanger any one of us.”

  “Shoot at what?” Sam said though it seemed like he let it slip by accident.

  “We can only hope that lady luck is on our side tonight,” Joe said and with that, he started for the door.

  Chapter 25

  By the time they reached the old mine entrance it was clear how hard a night was before them. Susan was in agony with every step and any attempt to half carry or aid her seemed to end in even worse pain for her. The trip to this point had taken an hour which was almost triple the time it took on a normal day.

  “You need to go on without me,” Susan said as she drew breath.

  “That’s not going to happen,” Joe answered her. Sally looked down at their tiny town and it struck her eye how black the trees looked around it.

  She cast her eyes up the mountain and saw where the white took over and covered the higher slopes and then she looked down the mountain and saw pockets of white spread out all over. She didn’t know the route Joe had proposed, but she thought it best to point this out to him lest they come through one of those white areas unprepared. She took him to one side, but Jeff saw and walked over.

  “This is no time for secret conversations,” he said. He looked not only angry but almost betrayed.

  “I haven’t even said anything yet,” Sally snapped back. “It was going to be general knowledge in a second, anyway.”

  “Then why tell him first?” Jeff nodded to the sheriff as he said this. Sally didn’t have an answer for this and for the first time in a long time she was stumped.

  “I guess there’s no reason,” she agreed.

  Everyone else was aware of the little spat now and all eyes were on Sally when she turned to face the group.

  “If you look up and down the mountain from here,” she said waving her arms in both directions at once. "You will see that the white stuff is all over the higher slopes but it’s spread about down below.” They all looked and each of them noted that it was true. “I just wanted to make sure none of those white areas on the way down were part of the route Joe had proposed.

  “Are they?” Jarrod asked looking to Joe. Joe didn’t answer for a moment but took in the full vista available to him and then sighed.

  “Some of them are on the route I had in mind,” he said. “But it’s worse than that.”

  “How so?”

  “Those white spots cover all of the routes down that I know of,” Joe said. He beckoned Jeff and Sam over. “Do you know of a way down that avoids all the white parts?”

  Sam and Jeff looked, each man scanning different parts of the forest b
efore slowly turning to look at one another and then to Joe shaking their heads.

  “It’s like it knows the place!” Sam said.

  “There’s only one person who knows the whole mountain and could block off strategic points like that Sheriff, and you know who I’m talking about.”

  Joe nodded but still didn’t want to think it could be the case.

  “Maul,” he said.

  “You guys are going potty if you think Maul can control the trees!” Sally said.

  “This whole situation is insane,” Jeff said. “Maul being behind it is not stranger an idea to me than what has already happened.

  “You think it was him, don’t you Susan?” Sam asked. Everyone looked to the wounded woman leaning against a tree. Mists of uneven exhalations floated from her mouth before she spoke.

  “I wasn’t sure,” she said. “But I think it was him, only not in a form any of us would ever fully recognise him.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Jeff exclaimed.

  “He’s changed,” Susan answered in her still in pain measured tone. She was looking off into the trees. “Something happened to him too, I think something changed him.”

  “Changed him to what?” Ava asked.

  “Something like the trees, whatever evil it is within the trees.”

  No one spoke as they thought on this. It made no more real sense to those who knew Maul than to the young couple who had never lain eyes on him.

  “So what do we do?” Sally asked looking to Joe. He looked slightly frazzled, more so than he’d been so far and Sally felt a little sorry for asking. He was the leader because of his job but she was sure no member of the police force had ever been asked to deal with something like this before.

  “I suppose we head down as far as we can and then do our best to avoid the white sections.” No one came up with a better idea so they set off soberly once more.