The Black Pathway

by Mark C Sutton

  Shark put a hand on Gary's shoulder, just as he was getting back to his feet, having tied up his bootlace.

  "Problems with your boots?" She asked. Gary smiled.

  "Nah, just a loose lace. Nothing to worry about." He replied.

  "Unlike our friend Alex there." Said, Shark, nodding towards the couple in front of them.

  "What do you mean?" Gary asked, slightly puzzled as to what Shark meant.

  "Have you not noticed the hiking boots that he's wearing?" She said. Gary looked at Alex's boots, but failed to see anything wrong with them.

  "They look perfectly fine to me." He commented.

  "Yep, they are perfectly fine, and that's the problem… those boots that Alex is wearing look brand-spanking new." Shark pointed out.

  "Yeah, you're right. He only bought them the day before last. I was with…"

  "So he hasn't worn them in." Interrupted Shark. "Which means, in an hour or two, his feet are probably gonna start to blister." She advised. "Is this the first time that he's worn them, Gary?"

  “Yeah, I think so… he didn't have them on yesterday, down at the pub." Gary replied. Shark rolled her eyes.

  "Oh my word, this is going to be fun." She said. Gary looked ahead again, at Alex's new boots.

  "Maybe he won't have a problem with them?" He wondered, hopefully. Shark gave him a glance that was full of skepticism.

  "I guess that we'll soon find out." She replied. Not too far ahead of them, Howard Trenton was still working his way up the glacial ridge, rising higher and higher above his quarry. Time to make my first move, soon… let them know that they're not alone on the Black Pathway, smiled Howard, looking forward to the hunt that lay ahead.

  Gary Ackley was finding it hard to focus on anything other than Alex Crennell's boots.

  "What should we do?" He asked Shark. "Should we just abandon the walk?"

  "Of course we don't just abandon the walk." Shark replied.

  "But if those boots of Alex's begin to cripple him…"

  "Relax," laughed Shark, "at the very worst, he's going to be hobbling a little bit into Knighton by this evening. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he will be. Then it'll be a simple case of him and Mary catching a bus or taxi back home to Coldsleet."

  "I take it from that then, that you wouldn't be heading back home with the pair of ‘em?" Asked Gary.

  "No way. I'm planning on making it all of the way to Salegate, right to the finish of the trail. What will you do when Alex's blistered feet get the better of him? Go back with them?" Wondered Shark.

  "Nope. I'll be seeing this walk through to the end, just like you." Gary informed her. Shark nodded her head.

  "So, it looks like us two are in it for the long haul then?" She asked.

  "Yep, it looks that way." Confirmed Gary.

  "That's good." Smiled Shark. "I'd rather have some company on this walk, but, if need be, I'd try and do it on my own."

  "Well, you've got more chance than Alex, what with those boots he's wearing." Joked Gary, still unable to take his attention away from his friend, who was walking not too far ahead of him.

  Shark took a backpack from off her shoulder, and pulled out a bottle of water. She unscrewed the lid of the bottle and took a long swig of the liquid inside.

  "Want some?" She asked, offering the bottle to Gary. He shook his head.

  "No, I'm fine, thanks." He replied.

  "What I don't understand about Alex is, why would he wear brand new hiking boots? I mean, he's walked the Black Pathway Trail before, right? So surely he'd know…"

  "Can you keep a secret, Shark?" Gary butted in.

  "Yeah, of course I can." She answered.

  "Promise? Because, if Alex finds out that I've told you what I'm about to tell you, then he'll go fucking ballistic." Warned Gary.

  "I promise. Now just tell me!" Said Shark.

  "Okay. It's Alex. He's been lying to Mary. He's never actually completed the Black Pathway." Revealed Gary.

  "You're joking?" Said Shark, though she didn't look particularly surprised at Gary's revelation.

  "No. We did the walk together, a few summers back. He got as far as Hoffen, but couldn't go on any further." Confided Gary.

  "How come?" Shark wanted to know.

  "He just wasn't fit enough. It nearly killed him… well, not literally, but you know what I mean. Alex wasn't up to it at all." Gary told her.

  "Then what the hell is he doing coming up here, onto the Black Pathway, in the middle of winter?" Asked Shark.

  "Ah, well, it's all to do with Mary. And Howard.” Said Gary.

  “Who the fuck is Howard?” Queried Shark.

  “Mary’s cousin… or something like that.” Answered Gary.

  "Go on." Urged Shark, and Gary Ackley told her all about the reasons behind Alex Crennell's wanting to walk the Black Pathway again.

  ***

  Howard Trenton scaled the glacier-ridge above the flat-lands with ease. For some of that time, Mary, Alex, Gary, and the young blonde woman that he didn't recognise, were in his sight. Other times, when the ridge would twist and turn a little, they weren't. This didn't worry Howard. By the time that he had reached the peak of the ridge, Howard knew that he'd already overtaken the group, and that soon, they'd be coming his way, albeit a couple of hundred feet below him. Neither was Howard particularly annoyed by the fact that Mary and Alex were travelling with another couple. This planet is over-populated anyway… taking out two more people than I'd planned to will be doing the Earth a favour, in the long run, was Howard's reasoning. Yes, it means a bit more work on my part, but what the hell? This'll be my last chance to really party… I just know that that Tom Grogan arse-hole and his piggy pals will be after me anytime now… and they can have me, too, but not before I've taught Mary and Alex a lesson that they'll never have the opportunity to forget…

  Howard Trenton stood at the top of the ridge, his scarf pulled over his nose and mouth, concealing his identity. He looked down, at the Black Pathway, which was devoid of any walkers. It won't be for long though, coz in another five or ten minutes, Mary, Alex and their hangers-on are going to come walking right around the bend of the ridge, and, unless they're all looking down at the ground when they do that, they'll notice me, right up here, staring back down at them, smiled Howard. That'll freak 'em out a bit. Stupid fuckers. Howard listened out, carefully, for any sounds coming along the pathway. There was only silence.

  "Jesus, these idiots are slower than I thought." He mumbled. Then Howard noticed something, approaching fast, from the direction of nearby Coldsleet Moor; a drifting sludge of dirty grey fog and moorland mist, tinged yellow from the sun, which was trying to filter through it. "No! Not now!" Howard Trenton said. "They won't be able to see me if the mist comes down." He whined, but it was too late. Already, below him, the Black Pathway was beginning to vanish under a thickening blanket of fog.

  ***

  Alex, Mary, Gary and Shark had taken a break for lunch, and were sitting on one of the Black Pathway's many wooden benches, when they noticed that the blue sky was darkening and becoming obscured with mist and cloud.

  "Where did the sun go?" Asked Alex, as he watched the moorland mist roll in. "I don't like the look of this." He continued.

  "It's just some mist. Stop being such a fucking wuss." Replied Gary.

  "I'm not being a wuss," argued Alex, "I just don't want to be up here with that stuff coming down."

  "Why not? It's not going to hurt you." Gary tried to point out to his friend.

  "Yeah, it could do. It might make us get lost." Alex responded.

  "We're not gonna get lost though, are we? All we have to do is follow the pathway. It’s not rocket science.” Assured Gary.

  "Yeah, but I seem to remember that the pathway isn't too clear once you're on the moor." Said Alex.

  "Well, we're not on the moor yet, and, if there's still mist down when we do reach it, then we'll just have to take things slowly." Advised Gary.

  "I like it. I think it's cree
py." Smiled Shark, who was enjoying the change in tone that the moorland mist brought to the flat-lands.

  "Weirdo." Commented Alex Crennell. Mary elbowed him in the side.

  "Stop being horrible." She scolded her boyfriend, playfully.

  "Well, it's true." He remarked, and with that, he was rewarded another nudge from his girlfriend.

  Shark munched on a cheese sandwich, ignoring Alex's jibes. She turned to Gary.

  "We haven't seen another soul up here on the pathway so far. Is that normal?" Shark wanted to know.

  "This place doesn't get many visitors during the winter. If we were sat here in, say, three months time, in spring, then we'd probably be moaning about the amount of other walkers up here with us." Answered Gary. "I'd be surprised though, if we didn't see anyone else doing the hike over the next few days."

  "I already have." Said Alex, muscling in on Gary and Shark's conversation.

  "You 'already have' what?" Asked Gary.

  “I’ve already seen another couple of walkers. When we were back by the bridge, and I went for a piss, there was someone walking behind us, in the distance. And just a few minutes ago, there was a person up on the glacial ridge. Maybe it was the same hiker who I saw earlier. I dunno.” Advised Alex.

  “It probably was." Said Gary. “Some hardcore nutter who’s having the time of their lives high up there, on some narrow fucking ledge, in all the mist.” He grinned.

  "Hey, maybe Alex saw the ghost that you were telling us about earlier! The one that hangs out by the bridge.” Joked Shark. Alex gave her a dirty look.

  "It wasn't a ghost, stupid. I know what I saw. It was another hiker, walking the trail." He retorted.

  “I was just kidding.” Pointed out Shark. “Stop being so fucking touchy.”

  "More likely the person that you saw by the bridge was someone from Coldsleet out walking their dog up Leeton Hill." Suggested Gary. "That part of the trail is quite popular with dog owners." He added.

  “No. Whoever it was, they didn't have a dog." Pointed out Alex.

  "Yeah, well Gary, they might well have had a dog, but it was probably running around in some undergrowth or something, maybe having a shit… I don’t know. You just didn't see it." Argued Gary. He took a sip of water from his bottle, and looked up at the glacial ridge that run parallel to the Black Pathway; it's summit had completely vanished under the mist that was now rolling in fast from off Coldsleet Moor.

  The group finished off their lunch, and continued walking along the flat-lands, getting closer to Coldsleet Moor.

  "Right, everybody. We're almost off the flat-lands now… notice how we're beginning to climb again? I know that it's pretty difficult to see much in front of us at the moment, but we're right on the western edge of Coldsleet Moor." Said Gary.

  "Terrific." Replied Alex, sarcastically. He turned to Mary, lowering his voice. "We could all be down at 'The Stagecoach' right now, enjoying a few beers and some pub grub. Instead, we're stuck up here in the mist and the cold." He moaned.

  "Well, it was your idea to do this." Replied Mary, who was slowly beginning to get irritated with her boyfriend’s constant griping. "Look, Alex, we could always just turn back and head home… go out tonight, have a drink or two…" she suggested. Truth be known, Mary Broderick wasn't enjoying herself very much either, and Alex's moaning was just making matters worse.

  "What? Do you think we should?" Asked Alex, who no longer cared about completing the Black Pathway. After four hours of walking, he'd already had enough, and his feet were beginning to hurt, too.

  "Well, the weather's not exactly ideal for this sort of thing, is it?" Mary pointed out. "If you want to call it a day and head back to Coldsleet, then I'm more than happy to agree to that." She continued.

  Gary Ackley and Shark walked close behind the couple, listening in on their conversation.

  "Sounds like Alex is gearing up to quit." Mumbled Gary.

  "Sounds like they're both gearing up to quit." Agreed Shark.

  "I told you, didn't I? I said that Alex wasn't up to this." Said Gary.

  "Yeah, I know. I didn't think it'd be quite this soon though… looks like the prospect of heading up onto Coldsleet moor in all of this mist is really freaking him out." Observed Shark.

  "Well, that's Alex for you… he tries to come across as the hard-man, but he's just a great big pussy." Giggled Gary.

  "You can say that again… he's pretty pathetic, plus he never stops whining." Concurred Shark, and they both began to laugh out loud. Just in front of them, Alex Crennell was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Alex Crennell could sense that Gary and Shark were laughing about him. He looked back, over his shoulder, and stared at the two of them, with suspicion in his eyes.

  "What are you two giggling about?" He wanted to know.

  "Mind your own business." Gary instantly replied, smirking.

  "No, come on, I want to know." Alex went on. "You're laughing about me, aren't you?" He asked, his voice wobbly with paranioa.

  " Like I just said, it's none of your business." Said Gary, standing his ground.

  "Oh, for Christ's sake, just leave it, Alex." Sighed Mary. "They could have been laughing about anything." She tried to reason. Alex turned to his girlfriend.

  "No, Gary was laughing about me. I can always tell when he's taking the piss out of me." He advised.

  "Oh, what a load of crap. HOW can you tell, Alex?” Jeered Mary.

  "I just can!" Was Alex's response. He turned back to Gary and Shark. "So, come on, let's have it, what were you laughing about?" Alex repeated his question.

  "You can ask as many times as you like… it's none of your business." Reiterated Gary Ackley.

  "I told you, Alex, just leave it, they're not doing any harm." Said Mary. Alex didn't like this. My fucking girlfriend should be sticking up for me, not them… he let go of Mary's hand, and then stopped walking.

  "Right, that's it. I've had enough. Let's go home." He declared, calling a halt to the group's hike along the Black Pathway. Alex Crennell had had enough.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alex stood on the Black Pathway and wiped at the sweat on his forehead with his hand.

  "Me and Mary have been talking about it. We think that it's stupid to carry on with this hike, what with the weather and all." Said Alex.

  "It's just a bit of mist. It'll clear." Replied Gary.

  "And what if it doesn't? In a few hours, it'll be getting dark, too…”

  "By which time, we'll have walked over Coldsleet Moor, and be heading into Knighton." Interrupted Gary.

  "Not if we get lost, we won't." Snapped Alex.

  "We're not gonna get lost. I've told you before, Alex, all we need to do is take things slowly, make sure that we're following the track, and…"

  "Well I don't WANT to follow the fucking track, and nor does Mary. We've talked about it, and we want to head back to Coldsleet." Shouted Alex. Gary turned to face Mary.

  "Is this right?" He asked her. Mary gave him a faint smile.

  "It's not much fun, is it? What with the mist and the cold." She replied.

  “Yeah, and the constant fucking whinging.” Added Gary, staring directly at Alex, who didn’t respond.

  Gary turned to look at Shark.

  "What do you want to do? Do you want to head back to Coldsleet with Alex and Mary?" He asked, already knowing what Shark's answer would be. She looked at Alex and Mary.

  "No offence guys, but I'm gonna carry on with the hike. It's nothing personal." She said.

  "Same goes for me." Added Gary. "I'll be walking the Black Pathway with Shark, until we reach Salegate." He advised Alex and Mary.

  "What, so you're just gonna let me and Mary make our way back down to Coldsleet all alone, in this shitty weather?" Asked Alex, slightly outraged.

  "Oh, for fucks sake, Alex. It's just a bit of mist. It's not like we're caught up in a hurricane or something." Gary responded, losing his temper with his friend. "Besides of which, let me remind you
that this whole walk was your idea.” Gary added.

  "And what the fuck has that got to do with anything?" Snarled Alex Crennell.

  "Well, let's face it, if it weren't for your damaged ego, none of us would be up here now." Gary pointed out.

  "What are you talking about, Gary?" Enquired Mary, puzzled by the 'damaged ego' remark.

  "Ask your boyfriend." Gary replied, flatly.

  "No, I'm asking you." Said Mary.

  "Just leave it." Alex said to her, desperate for the truth not to come out. He glared daggers at Alex, in a warning to him to keep his mouth shut.

  "No, I won't leave it. I want to know what Gary meant…"

  "Alex lied to you, Mary." Butted-in Shark. "He's never completed the Black Pathway."

  Mary stared at Alex for a few seconds, before turning to Shark.

  "What did you say?" She asked.

  "Alex lied to you. He's never finished this walk. He had to bail out at Hoffen." Answered Shark. Suddenly, Alex Crennell lunged forwards at the tall, blonde woman, grabbing her by the throat.

  "Shut your fucking trap, you mouthy little bitch!” He roared, pulling his face close to Sharks. Her response was unexpected, but incredibly impressive. She twisted her whole body round in a flash, sliding from out of Alex's grip with ease; in the next instant, the twenty year old found himself being flung over Shark's shoulder, and then flying through the air momentarily, before landing on the muddy ground, just off the pathway. Alex Crennell rolled over a couple of time, and then lay on his back, staring back towards Shark. She strided over to him.

  “Don’t ever touch me, or threaten me in any way again, you whinging little cunt.” She warned, before heading back towards where Mary and Gary were standing. Mary Broderick came walking across to Alex.

  “You asked for that.” She said to him. “Oh, and by the way, we’re finished. I don’t go out with blokes that attack women.” Mary told him.

  “Aw, come on Mary, don’t be like that! That bitch was provoking me.” Pleaded Alex.