TRIBES

by Mia Frances

  Alex stopped, the open area of the ranger station lay ahead. She scouted the clearing, listening for telltale sounds of movement, but there weren't any. It was deserted. She scanned the ground frantically looking for signs of foraging, footprints, or freshly trampled grass. Some evidence that they'd passed this way. But the trail abruptly ended here.

  Alex and Justin zigzagged through the trees looking for some indication of which way the girls had gone, but they hadn't a clue. She tried to recall what Wolf had told her about tracking, but she couldn't remember anything save for that hideous, dangling corpse. Frustrated and angry, Alex slammed her fist into a tree trunk, pain shooting through her fingers and up her arm. She glowered at the forest, despondent, defeated, and on the verge of tears. They were out there somewhere, maybe lost, possibly hurt. She and Justin had to find them before nightfall; before danger and darkness claimed them. What lay ahead was a terrifying maze of towering trees and dense undergrowth. Her face became a mask of confusion. Where should they begin? How could she ever hope to find them? Fighting back tears, she shifted her gaze to the ground, scouring the area for trampled grass. Finding none, Alex slowly surveyed the woods.

  "Look for the obvious," Wolf once told her when she complained about losing a deer's trail. "Don't waste time searching for tracks in a clearing. Check the undergrowth, the brambles and scrub. Look for an opening in the thicket, where the ground is hard and the grass grows low. That's the trail! That's what you follow!"

  He'd been speaking of game and how they made their way through the underbrush. People, on the other hand, generally took the path of least resistance, following established trails where the footing was sure and the obstacles few. Alex looked around again. She wasn't giving up. If the trail was here, she'd find it.

  After searching for more than an hour without success, Alex was nearly hysterical. It was as though they'd been snatched from the face of the earth. They'd combed every trailhead at least twice, retracing their steps, fearful that they might have missed something; but it was useless. It would be dark in less then two hours; if they didn't find the trail soon, it would be too late. Grey clouds were gathering overhead. Rain was coming. By tomorrow morning any tracks would be obliterated by mud and puddling water.

  "What now?" Justin asked in a quavering voice. He was crying.

  "We'll find them," Alex assured him, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "We'll find them."

  What had they missed? She racked her brain, then stiffened. There was only one place they hadn't searched…the road! It hadn't even occurred to her that they'd be stupid enough to go there. She'd warned them to stay away from it at least a hundred times, telling them it was too dangerous. They'd been told to keep to the cover of the trees, never venturing out into the open where they might be seen. Had they foolishly disregarded her warnings? She couldn't discount the possibility.

  "Come on!"

  "Where are we going? Did you find something?" Justin asked, wiping his nose and trying to stem the flood of tears. "We're going to check the road."

  "The road?" he repeated, shocked, "You think they went there?"

  "I don't know. I certainly hope not. But it's worth a try. We've looked everyplace else."

  Anger contorted her face as she stared down at the imprint of a small shoe captured in the mud of a rut. "Damn her," Alex fumed, "I'm going to strangle that little shit when I catch up with her. I can't believe she did this. I can't believe she'd be so stupid."

  Justin looked more worried than ever. "I thought they got lost in the woods and that's why they didn't come home. But how could they have gotten lost on the road? What happened to them?"

  Voice faltering, she whispered a barely audible, "I don't know."

  "Do you think someone saw them, saw that they were alone and..." He couldn't finish.

  "We're going to find them," Alex vowed, the specter of the hanging cadaver taunting her.

  "If anybody's hurt them, if…" he spat the words out, his face contorted in fear and rage.

  "You take the left side; I'll take the right. It's going to be dark soon, we've got to hurry."

  He nodded and together they began to comb the road.

  She kept praying that they'd be found unhurt, envisioning a joyous reunion, but happy endings were the province of fairy tales, not real life, especially now. She tried to stop the dark visions flashing in her head. Not one corpse, but three, tethered to branches, twisting and swaying beneath the leaves. Young naked bodies lying limp and lifeless beside the road, their fragile features concealed beneath grotesque masks of congealing blood. A cold shiver went up her spine, but she didn't falter. Step after weary step she forced herself on. They were depending on her and she wouldn't, couldn't, fail them.

  If only Wolf were here. Swallowing hard, she fixed her eyes on the road ahead. He was gone. She'd known it the moment she looked up and saw that hideous thing hanging above her in the trees. No amount of wishful thinking could resurrect him. Alex had clung to the slim hope that he was still alive, but as the days passed the possibility seemed more and more remote. It had been almost two weeks since supplies stopped appearing at their front door. He'd never stayed away this long before. He would have come, if he were alive. She was on her own now. That's what she wanted…wasn’t it? God, what a fool she'd been!

  Alex stumbled blindly through the darkness, the moon hidden behind a shroud of clouds. They needed light. The pace had grown torturously slow since nightfall, as they picked their way over rocks, ruts, and downed branches.

  "Hold up a minute," she ordered in a loud whisper.

  "What's the matter? Do you hear something?" he asked anxiously.

  "No. We need torches."

  "You think that's safe?"

  "I don't see that we have much choice. It's pitch black out here. You can't see your hand in front of your face. Can't see the road, let alone any tracks. We've got to do something."

  "I suppose you're right."

  "See if you can find me some twigs. Anything that'll burn."

  "Did you bring matches?"

  "No. I've got the magnesium fire starter we picked up at the ranger station and some cotton wadding. I should be able to get a fire going with that."

  "OK. I'll be back in a minute."

  Alex dropped to her knees and quickly removed the necessary items from her jacket, carefully pulling apart the clumps of dirty cotton to fluff the fibers and allow air to circulate between them. When she was done, Alex felt around for bits of twig and dried grass. Laying them beside the tinder, she dug into her pants pocket for the magnesium rod and steel scraper. Holding the rod firmly in her left hand, she raked the steel along its length, trying to coax a spark. It took three tries before the wadding ignited. The tinder burned for only a second, then flickered as the fire died out, leaving a glowing ember. She piled on the twigs and grass and began blowing on it. It smoldered, then smoked, finally bursting into flame again. This time the fire was steady and bright. Little by little she added more fuel, grabbing anything she could find to keep it burning.

  Justin returned with an armload of twigs, which he added to the flames; while Alex went searching for thicker branches, to use as torches. She came back, dragging a large branch behind her, and busily set to work breaking off the smaller twigs and throwing them into the fire. Then, stepping on the thicker ones and quickly pulling up, she cracked off larger pieces, putting the ends of two of them into the flames. When she finished, eight good size pieces lay scattered at her feet.

  "We'll carry one each and pack the others. That way we won't have to waste time finding more when they burn down."

  He nodded, then quickly jerked his head up and spun around.

  "What is it? What's the matter?" Alex demanded.

  "I heard something," he whispered, waving his hand to quiet her. "It came from back in there, just beyond those trees."

  Alex listened, then shook her head in frustration. All she could hear was the crackling fire. "Shit! Are you sure?"

  "Positi
ve!"

  "An animal?"

  "I don't know, but I'm sure it wasn't the wind. It sounded like crying."

  Anxious to find out what it was, Alex bent to retrieve a burning branch. "We better take a look." She handed it to him and after taking her gun from her shoulder, grabbed one for herself. "I'll go first. You stay behind me: And for God's sake, stay close to the trees," she cautioned as she set off, cutting a swath of light through the darkness.

  Justin obediently fell in step behind her.

  Leaves and twigs crunched beneath their feet, brush rustling and snapping around them. Between the light and the noise, if anything threatening was out there, it had been forewarned and knew they were coming. Every few steps they'd stop, taking cover behind the trees, listening for sounds of movement around them. Everything was black beyond the circles of bobbing light. They couldn't see anything. Then they heard it again. It sounded like a muffled sob. Alex peered into the darkness, trying to determine where it was coming from, but before she could pinpoint the location, it stopped.

  "Over there," Alex whispered, pointing. She carefully began moving in the direction of the sound. Their footsteps echoed through the silent night. It started again, then quieted. It wasn't an animal and it definitely wasn't the wind either. There was something out there, something frightened. They were getting closer to it, whatever it was.

  Suddenly there were sounds of movement coming from just ahead. It was trying to escape. Alex waved the torch back and forth, trying to get a glimpse of who or what it was, but couldn't see anything. She broke into a run, pursuing it through the night as it frantically tried to flee. There were panicked cries; then a thud. It was down. She could hear leaves rustling and something scraping against the dirt not more than 30 or 40 feet away. Alex stood perfectly still, lifting her gun, Justin right behind her. She held the light up again and slowly began moving forward. She couldn't see it yet, but knew it was out there. It wasn't moving anymore, just whimpering. The torchlight cast shadows on the trees. Alex strained to see, her heart beating faster and faster. She moved the light from side to side, inching her way closer. There were empty cans scattered on the ground, and, off to the left, she could see a little branch and bark shelter and a tattered blanket. This was someone's camp.

  Then she saw it, a dark figure cowering beside the base of a tree. She stopped, her grip tightening on the gun. Alex took a hesitant step forward, then another, bringing the shadow into the light. She couldn't make out any features, only a mane of tangled hair. Alex edged closer then stopped. The figure was shaking as it moved to face her. They stared at each other a moment, then the woman began to cry. She was clutching a large bundle to her breast. Something about the face seemed familiar. Alex's eyes widened in recognition. "Martha?"

  There was a moment's hesitation then the woman nodded.

  "It's Alex. Do you remember me?" she asked gently.

  Her body convulsed in sobs as her arms fell away from the blanket she'd been cradling on her lap. "She's hurt," she whimpered.

  Alex studied the ragged mound of cloth in confusion. All at once the blanket began moving as though alive. The gun dropped from her hand.

  "I heard the screams. She's only a baby. How could they?" Martha sobbed.

  Alex rushed forward and fell to her knees, jabbing the torch into the ground and pulling back the blanket. Light glinted off the reddish gold curls that lay in disarray, obscuring the features. Her hand was trembling as she gently drew back the hair, revealing the face. "Jesus! No! No!" she wailed, tears welling up in her eyes. The nose and lips were covered with crusted blood and twice their normal size. The eyes were swollen shut and ringed by hideous purple bruises. The once pale skin was no longer visible beneath the discolored welts. She didn't need to ask what happened. It was apparent, she'd been beaten. Cheeks streaked with tears, Alex gathered the child in her arms and cradled her. The little girl began to cry in her sleep. "It's all right Michelle. You're safe now sweetheart. You're safe." A little hand reached out, grabbing a fistful of jacket and clutching it tightly. Her eyes fluttered opened, then closed again.

  Justin stood over them, hands trembling as he held the rifle. "Did they..." there was a long pause.

  Alex looked up at him, horror-stricken, then back down at her niece. Her clothes were torn, smudges of dirt visible on her bare skin.

  A comforting hand reached out and touched her arm. She looked up to see Martha shaking her head.

  "Thank God!" she whispered, holding the little one tight. "And the others," Alex asked, voice choked with emotion. "What happened to the other girls?"

  "Taken north."

  "They're alive?"

  Martha nodded that they were, but volunteered no information as to their condition.

  There was a long silence, punctuated only by the child's moans. "Did they hurt them?"

  Martha couldn't look at her, eyes darting every which way. "I was down by the river, trying to catch some fish when I heard the screams. I knew they were at it again, hurting people." She shuddered, fingers nervously tapping her lips. "I know what they're like, what they're capable of. They came through the camps and drove us out. We hid in the woods, but they came after us. Hunted us down like animals. We had nothing of value, no food, no clothes, only what was on our backs, but they wouldn't let us be. One day, while I was off looking for food, they found our campsite. My husband was sick so I had to leave him there alone. I was just coming back when I heard the gunfire. I knew then that they'd killed him."

  "The girls," Alex pleaded. "What happened to the girls?"

  Martha shifted her gaze to Alex, stammering, "Raped. They raped them."

  Alex froze, her eyes burning with rage.

  "They were screaming for help. Begging those animals to leave them alone. I followed the sound and found them. They'd dragged them into the bushes. The girls were trying to fight them off, but it did no good; they would have killed them if they resisted. They went after the little one because she wouldn't stop screaming, kept hitting and kicking them, trying to make them leave the older ones alone. That's when they started hitting her. When they finished she was laying on the ground bleeding. The men were laughing, hooting and hollering at what they'd done. The older girls wanted to help her, but those bastards wouldn't let them. The little one was quiet until one of the men started beating on the blond, holding her down, ripping off her clothes. The little one went crazy. She jumped up and went after him. One of them had a rifle in his hand and hit her in the head with the butt end of it. The poor thing grabbed her head, staggered, and fell to the ground. She didn't move after that. I saw them hurt that baby and couldn't do a damn thing to stop it," she sobbed. "I couldn't help her. I was afraid. Afraid they'd kill me."

  Alex slowly raised her head to look at the woman. "How many were there?"

  "Five, six maybe. I waited 'til they were gone and then carried her back here. I couldn't have stopped it. Please believe me I couldn't have stopped it," she pleaded.

  "I know. I don't blame you," she said gently. "Where did it happen? How far from here?"

  "About a mile up the road."

  "How long ago?"

  "Four maybe five hours, I'm not sure."

  "That's when they left?"

  Martha nodded.

  "You said they headed north. On the road?"

  "Yes."

  Alex turned to Justin. "Take them both back to camp."

  "Where are you going?"

  "I'm going after them!"

  "Alone? That's crazy! You can't fight them by yourself Aunt Alex! We'll take Michelle back to camp and get Charles."

  "We'd lose too much time," she insisted, "They've got a five hour start on us already."

  "But you don't even know where you're going."

  "You're wrong, I know just where to find them. They're in one of the camps up the road.

  "You don't understand," Martha cut in "There's more than just five or six of them. There's a whole gang of them living up there."

  "I don'
t care how many of them there are. I'll find them," she swore. "They're going to pay for what they did."

  "You can't go there alone," Justin protested "All you're going to do is get yourself killed. Wait for us," he begged.

  "No," she argued. "You've got to get the kids out."

  "What? Why?" He didn't understand.

  "They're not stupid, Justin. They'll wonder where the girls came from. It won't take them long to figure it out."

  "They won't tell," he objected.

  "They don't have to. They're healthy. They look well fed. That means food to those bastards. They're going to come back down here tomorrow and search through every inch of these woods. They won't stop looking until they've found us. We'll be lucky if all they do is burn us out this time."

  He knew she was right. Fear got the better of him and he began to cry.

  "Listen to me. There's no other way. Take Michelle home, then pack up everything you can carry and get out. Take the kids to the garden and wait for me. If I'm not back by tomorrow night, you start walking. You hear me?"

  He nodded. "But where...

  "Go down to the south branch of the Moose River. There's an old man down there named Otis. He'll help you."