Blood in the Woods

by J. P. Willie

  “How much do you owe him?” Krystle giggled.

  “Owe him? I’m not giving Jack one red cent. It was just a joke anyways.”

  “Well HA-HA, you guys shouldn’t be so mean all the time,” Angela said, giving me a coy nudge on the shoulder.

  “We’re not mean,” Jack butted in with that shit-eating grin of his. He was back from celebrating the victory with his team. “We just tell it like it is.”

  “Hey, Jack,” Krystle said, blushing slightly.

  “Hey, Krystle,” Jack replied, trying not to look the girl in the eyes. “So, what’s going on?”

  “We’re just over here to say congrats to you, and better luck next time to Jody,” Angela replied.

  “Oh – I see how it is! Now who’s being mean?” I faked annoyance and gave Jack a nudge in his ribs with my elbow.

  “I said you shouldn’t be mean all the time, there’s nothing wrong with it every now and again,” Angela flashed that perfect smile of hers – the one that never failed to make me go all weak in the knees.

  “Well, maybe we’ll try to be nicer,” I promised.

  “No you won’t. You guys will still stay the same and keep living up to your Bad Boys of Nelson Middle School reputation,” Krystle added.

  “Is that what people call us?” Jack sounded surprised.

  “Hell, don’t look at me, I didn’t give us that name, they did,” I said.

  “Yes, Jack,” Krystle said, moving a little closer to him, “that’s what everybody calls and thinks of ya’ll; they say you guys think your poop doesn’t stink.”

  “You can say ‘shit’ around us, Krystle, we won’t tell on you,” I joked.

  “Wow, you guys are so cool ‘cause you curse. Did you hear that Angela? They said shit,’” Krystle dripped sarcasm.

  “Yep, I heard it. They’re such rebels!” Angela joined in, and they both giggled.

  “Alright, cut the jokes. I know ya’ll just didn’t come over here to bust our berries, so what’s up?”

  “Well, Angela wanted to come over here because she likes –”

  “Krystle!” Angela squealed and grabbed Krystle by the wrist. “We gotta go, guys – see ya later!”

  “Bye Jack, bye Jody!” Krystle tittered as she was unceremoniously dragged away from us and across the basketball court.

  “What the hell what was that all about?” I asked Jack.

  “Seriously, man? You don’t know?” Jack beamed at me like the cat that got the mouse. “Angela likes you.”

  “Get outta here.” I punched Jack in the arm.

  “Uh huh, oh yeah,” Jack sung as he dry humped the air in front of me. “You know what this means.”

  “No I don’t, sure you’re gonna fill me in though.”

  “It means – um huh,” Jack cleared his throat, “Jody and Angela sittin' in the tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G,”

  “Aww, get out of here with that!” I grimaced, fanning Jack away from me as if he was a bad fart.

  “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Jody pushing a baby carriage!” Jack finished his rhyme, and we busted out laughing.

  “Seriously though, Jody. I think Angela likes you – you should ask her out.”

  “You mean, like ask her to be my girlfriend?” I must have sounded real dumb.

  “Yeah, like they do on the soap operas,” Jack said.

  “I don’t know, I’ll think about it.”

  “Come on! I know you like her,” Jack pressed.

  “Can we not talk about this right now?” I asked him. I was sort getting embarrassed, and that was a rare thing for me.

  “Alright – whatever you say,” Jack said. There was a slight pause and then, “Jody and Angela sittin in the –”

  “You bastard!” I snapped, and then chased my best friend in the world around the gymnasium.

  I eventually caught up with Jack by the concession stand, which was on the far-right side by the boys’ bathroom, located next to the bleachers. I put him in a headlock and took him to the ground laughing. Jack quickly got out of that and rolled on top of me. As I rolled over to my belly, I got a good look up into the bleachers, and I noticed a man in a black coat sitting in the upper left hand side.

  “Jack, let go!” I said, panicking.

  “Not until you say uncle.”

  “Let go, damn it!” I demanded, and Jack let go.

  “What’s your problem?”

  I rolled over to my back to face Jack.

  “Look in the bleachers, top left,” I instructed.

  Jack took a look, and I watched his face go in an instant from flustered to terrified.

  “Is it him?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know, you tell me.”

  Jack studied the man the same way a tiger scans it prey, slow and steady and waiting for the perfect moment to go in for the kill.

  “I can’t tell from here,” Jack said, “we need to move closer so we can get a look at his face.”

  “You can go get a look at his face, I’m staying right here.”

  Jack squinted hard, trying to get a good look, ‘cause if it was who we thought it was, he would have that distinctive harelip. But, before Jack could look any further, he was pulled up to his feet by his mother.

  “What the hell are you doing on the floor, boy? You trying to embarrass the hell outta me?” Renee asked him, her voice sharp.

  One thing about Mrs. Renee I forgot to mention – she was absolutely hysterical when she went off on one of her rants. Everything from the way she talked, to the way she dragged out her punctuations and also her mannerisms, were all way too funny. Having said that, I was too scared to laugh at that moment in time because the man who’d tried to kill us was in the gym. And he was watching us.

  “Gayla,” Renee motioned Momma over, “can ya believe they’re over here rollin’ around on the goddamned floor like a pair of animals?”

  “Get your ass up, Jody,” Momma said harshly as she walked over to me.

  “I swear, you boys are gonna give me hemorrhoids. Let’s go, Jack,” Renee vented, as she waited for her errant son to get to his feet. “See ya later, Gayla. I’ll call you later tonight to see what time you wanna go walking.”

  “It won’t be until I get this nut and Hunter into bed tonight, so I say around ten o’clock,” Momma replied.

  “Alright then, you just call me when you’re ready.” Renee went to leave, but turned back as if she’d forgotten something. “Oh, Gayla, Shawn was wondering if it would be alright if he took Jody coon hunting tomorrow night?”

  “That’s fine by me,” Momma said, casting her you’d better not act the fool anymore today or you won’t go look at me. “What time do you want him at yours?”

  “They normally start loading the trucks with the dogs around eight, so I say send him down around seven-thirty. But make sure he’s dressed warm, ‘cause he’ll be out there ‘til about three in the morning.”

  “Don’t you worry, he’ll be good to go.”

  “Alright now, talk to you tonight. Let’s go, boy.”

  Mrs. Renee picked Jack up under the arm and escorted him from the gym. I knew Jack was still terrified at what – who – we’d seen, because he hadn’t gone ape-shit crazy when he found out I was going hunting with him. Instead, he showed no sign of emotion and as he was led out of the gym by his mother, I watched as he kept his eyes focused on the bleachers, trying to stall his mother in order to get one last good look to see if it was that same guy from the mall. Renee, however, just kept on walking straight out the double doors.

  “You ready to go home, Jody?” Momma asked me. I knew we were leaving because she was putting her jacket on, so it was a rhetorical question.

  I stared back up into the bleachers, but I didn’t see the man. Then I looked over towards the exit doors and caught one last look of him before he left, but still I couldn’t tell if it was the same guy. So, I just shrugged it off and decided to wait and ask Jack if he had gotten a better look at him.

  CHAPTER SE
VENTEEN

  WHISPERS IN THE DARK: 1992

  The next night, I bundled up in a flannel jacket, rubber boots, a pair of worn-out pants with some long johns under them and headed over to Jack’s house. Momma dropped me off in the driveway and gave me a kiss goodbye as I rushed up the gravel toward the house.

  Three trucks were already there; one was Mr. Shawn’s (with a new tire!) and the other two were F-150’s with deer racks bolted to the front bumpers. Turned out to belong to some of Mr. Shawn’s friends from work, and I could hear them rummaging around in the back yard.

  I went in through the side door that was under the carport and walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Renee was stuffing coolers full of beer and treats, and Jamie was sitting at the table playing with a Polly Pocket playset.

  “Hey, Jody,” Jamie greeted me.

  “What’s going on, Jamie? Where’s Jack?”

  “I think he’s still in his room getting dressed.”

  “He’s not ready yet?”

  “Don’t think so. He’s been acting weird since yesterday though, I don’t know why.”

  “Oh,” I replied, and figured that Jack must’ve gotten a good look at his face – and it had been our guy. “Well, I’ll talk to you later, Jamie.”

  “Later.”

  I headed down the hallway to Jack’s room and gave his closed-door a rap with my knuckles. I heard Jack say come in so I opened the door, let myself in and closed it firmly behind me.

  “Did you see his face? Was it him?” I blurted out, anxiously.

  “No, I wasn’t able to get a good look at him. How ‘bout you?” Jack was gloomy.

  “I couldn’t tell, either.” I paused and looked over at Jack. He was sitting on his bed tying his shoes and looking depressed. “What’s the matter, man? You okay?”

  “I think I’m still a little shaken up from yesterday, that’s all. When I saw that guy in the bleachers, I felt like I was gonna hurl.”

  “Do you still feel sick?”

  “No,” Jack looked up at me, “but I’m scared alright. I had nightmares again last night.”

  “Hey, man,” I tried to reassure, “it probably wasn’t him anyway. Most likely some poor schmuck who just so happened to look a bit like him, that’s all. Nothing to worry about, trust me.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, and besides, what the hell would the crazy harelip guy be doing at the school gym?”

  “Looking for us?” Jack offered, and the thought sent shivers down my spine. “If it was him, Jody, he was there looking for us.”

  I took a step back and thought about what Jack had just said. It did make some sense. We’d kicked the shit out of the guy and left him bleeding in the mall elevator. If that had happened to me, I’d want to find the kids who beat my ass and give them some kind of payback. Although he’d have to be some special kind of lunatic to come to our school, since he did already try to kill us.

  “That’s bullshit,” I tried to sound brave. “If it was him, he had every chance to do something, and he didn’t. The guy from the mall is either in jail, or dead somewhere on the streets.”

  “I hope so,” Jack said.

  “Jesus, can you not be any less excited about this hunting trip? You’re starting to make me worried.”

  “I’m sorry, Jody, you’re probably right.”

  “Damned right I am!” I put Jack in a headlock and gave him a quick noogie, “Now let’s go pump some coons full of lead!”

  “Alright, alright,” Jack stood up from his bed and walked out of the bedroom with me following right behind him.

  Renee was filling mugs with tea, and let me tell you, Mrs. Renee could make some tea. It was the perfect mix, not too sweet and not too bland; it made you crave more the second you took that first big gulp. She filled four thermoses full of it and another four with either coffee or hot chocolate. As we helped Renee finish packing all the goodies into the cooler, I heard Mr. Shawn bringing the dogs around to the trucks. I glanced out the back door – which was one of those big sliding-glass affairs – and saw Mr. Shawn walking Jack’s favorite dog, Scarlet, to the trucks. She sniffed enthusiastically at the ground, sweeping her head side to side like she’d already picked up a scent. Jack and I darted out the side door and I watched as my friend ran up to his dad and knelt down in front of Scarlet.

  “Scarlet!” Jack said, sweetly and kissed his dog’s face.

  Scarlet kissed him back with an assault of licks, sending gobs of drool running down his chin to make it look like Jack was the one drooling. She jumped up on her back legs, lunged forward and took Jack to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her and the two of them rolled around in the gravel.

  “Quit horsing around, Jack,” Mr. Shawn ordered, “I gotta get her strapped into the back of the truck. You and Jody can ride with her on the way out to the camp.”

  “Okay, Dad.” Jack gave Scarlet one last smooch and got to his feet.

  Mr. Shawn walked Scarlet around to the back of his pick-up, lowered the tailgate and lifted her up into the cab. She sniffed around the back of the truck as Mr. Shawn closed the tailgate and walked around to the side to connect the end of the leash, snapping it onto one of the tie-down hoops.

  “Alrighty, Scarlet. You better tree us some good-sized coons tonight, ‘cause you’re riding first class on the way to the camp,” Shawn gave the dog a good rub on the head, and walked back to the house. “You boys can start bringing the stuff out,” he called over to me and Jack.

  When we got back inside, Mr. Shawn’s buddies were filling their rifles with ammo; one man was loading a .22, another a 4-10. Mr. Shawn opened up his gun cabinet and pulled out a beautiful Remington rifle. Its body was wooden, immaculately lacquered, and it had a long barrel with a scope mounted on top.

  “I’m gonna get me some coons with this baby,” Mr. Shawn said, looking at his gun with pride, “isn’t that right, Jack?”

  “Oh yeah, Dad, you’re gonna make their day with that thing,” Jack replied with a reassuring smile.

  Once the big boys were done loading their rifles and shooting the shit, the rest of Mr. Shawn’s friends went outside to gather up the dogs – another six from the kennel – and loaded them into the back of their F150’s. Once they were done, they came back inside to make last-minute checks on their equipment. Mr. Shawn got up off the couch, walked into the kitchen to give Mrs. Renee a small kiss goodbye on the cheek. Five of the men headed to the pisser to empty their tanks, and Jack and I decided to go empty our bladders on the lawn.

  “You boys ready?” Mr. Shawn asked, and we nodded our heads in excitement, “Well, go on out there to the truck. We’re all about done in here, so we’ll be out in a minute.”

  Jack reached over, pushed me into the kitchen table and then ran outside, hollering like a lunatic. Mr. Shawn stood there shaking his head, probably already regretting inviting me along.

  As I came running out of the house, my rubber boots almost flew off my feet. If you’ve ever worn rubber boots, you know that they’re not designed for running by any means. Nonetheless, I ran up to Jack, who stood next to his Dad’s truck, frozen solid like a statue.

  “Jack? What’s the matter?” I slowed up and walked quietly up behind him.

  My friend didn’t respond and when I looked over his shoulder, I saw why.

  Scarlet hung off the side of the truck with her leash wrapped tightly around her neck. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth, moving along in the cool breeze. I looked closely at her and saw that blood was pouring from her neck, running all the way down her belly and dripping onto Jack’s boots. I could see the inside of her throat, the white and pink tissue split open and the cut was almost to the bone.

  “Scarlet...” Jack muttered.

  My heart beat fast and sour chunks of vomit made their way up my throat. I backed away from Scarlet, and I heard someone whisper my name from the darkness. Jack quit looking at his poor, dead dog and snapped his neck hard to his right; he’d heard the voice, too.

  “
Jack – pssst – you wanna play –” wafted towards us in the wind.

  The voice was faint, almost inaudible, and impossible to tell where it was coming from. It was pitch black in the yard, the only light a shallow glow from the front window.

  “Jody –” the voice whispered tauntingly, “I see you – come and play with us –”

  I looked nervously around the yard and grabbed Jack by the wrist; I needed to know he was there as I was petrified. Jack scanned the yard, trying to locate the source of that eerie voice. I focused my eyes on the fence to my right, the one that Jack’s neighbors owned, horrified, I saw a shadow making its way along the fence and toward the road.

  “Jack,” I whispered, “someone’s by the fence.”

  “Somebody’s across the road, over in the woods, too.”

  I moved my attention to the tree line across the street. There was another person, draped in some kind of dark, heavy robe. They just stood there on the edge of the woods, not caring that they’d been spotted. I glanced back to the fence and scrutinized it all the way to where it ran into the ditch, and I saw a shadow leap over it to join the other one at the wood line. Jack and I stared wide-eyed at their empty, dark faces, hoping they were simply figments of our imagination, until slowly, they faded away into the woods and disappeared into the night.

  “Help!” Jack screamed, breaking the silence, “Daddy, help!”

  “Mr. Shawn, help!” I echoed, finally finding the courage to scream.

  Mr. Shawn and his buddies came running out with fully loaded rifles ready to fire.

  “What’s wrong, boys?” Mr. Shawn’s voice was filled with anxiety.

  “Two people were here – one in the yard and the other across the street. They killed Scarlet, Daddy! They killed her!” Jack cried and ran into his father’s arms, sobbing.

  “Check the woods across the street, guys!” Shawn barked to his friends, and in instant they were off down the driveway, across the street and into the woods. Shots were fired moments later, which made us all jump.

  “What exactly did you see, Jody?” Mr. Shawn asked.

  “Two people, wearing thick blankets or something, they said our names, but it was hard to see them, they looked like shadows.”