The Devil's Woods

by Brian Moreland

  “Have you ever ventured this far out in the wilderness?” Jessica asked as they hiked down the trail.

  “Not since I was tiny,” Shawna said. “I don’t remember what it was like living here. We moved away when I was two. Do you think we’ll come across any bears?”

  “Are you wanting us to?”

  Shawna laughed. “Might be kinda cool. A baby cub, that is.”

  “Where there’s a cub, there’s usually a mama nearby. And you don’t want to get between them. That’s when a bear is most likely to attack.”

  Jessica studied the trees. Luckily, the pines were spaced several feet apart, so she could see quite a ways into the forest. The trail was wide and clear up and down nearly the whole way, except for a few sharp turns. So far, the only wildlife she’d seen were lots of chirping birds, a couple squirrels and a woodpecker.

  Shawna let out a “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!” waving her hand over her head like she was swinging a lasso. “This feels really silly.”

  “Looks silly too.”

  After a ten-minute hike, they finally reached a large pond that glowed like polished copper. Upside-down conifers and mountains reflected across its glassy mirror. The sun was a gold medallion that illuminated from its depths. In the center of the pond, a huge boulder protruded the surface like a partly submerged skull.

  Eager to feel the water’s embrace, Jessica hurried down the hill to a grassy bank. On the trail she had worked up a sweat, and now, out from under the branch canopy, she felt the heat of the sun that was approaching the horizon. An occasional breeze cooled her skin, which offered some relief.

  The width of the pond stretched about fifty yards. The water around the banks was shallow, and Jessica could see rocks and small fish. The center looked dark, murky and deep. It constantly rippled with fish kisses.

  Jessica stepped across the grass and plunged her right foot beneath the surface. Unlike the lukewarm swimming pool back at the campus where she swam laps, this was invigorating.

  “This place is so private,” Shawna said. “Just us and no guys. It’s perfect for a skinny dip.”

  To Jessica’s surprise Shawna removed her bikini. Both her nipples were pierced with silver rods, and she had tattoos covering half her body. On Shawna’s back were large purple fairy wings. And there was an orange butterfly on her shaved pubic area and a piercing that went right through her…

  “All righty,” Jessica said, looking for the nearest rock to crawl under.

  Shawna dove into the water and swam backwards. “Water feels awesome! Let’s be one with nature. Strip down and join me.”

  “No, thanks, I’m good.” Jessica kept her two-piece on. She dove forward and swam. Within seconds, her body acclimated to the cool water. They swam alongside one another. “Shawna, if you don’t mind me asking, what compelled you to get so many tattoos?”

  “I used to date a tattoo artist,” she said, floating on her back. “A guy named Lex. He saw my body as a canvas.”

  “You couldn’t stop at just one or two?”

  “I know I probably look like a freak to you, but every tattoo has a special meaning for me.”

  “I don’t think you’re a freak. I’m sorry if I gave that impression.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m used to it. I am a bit of a freak.” Shawna swam out to the boulder and climbed on top. She looked like a mythical siren, laid out in the sun, her long hair fanning across the rock like golden seaweed.

  Jessica swam laps the width of the pond for several minutes. When she was done with her first set, she treaded water. Tiny waves circled her legs and waist, caressing her body. Feeling at home, she dipped her head back. Gentle currents trickled through her hair as she stared up at the broad sky. “This is heaven.”

  Shawna, who was sitting naked on the boulder and meditating, opened her eyes and stretched. “How do you have so much stamina?”

  “I’ve been swimming competitively since I was a kid. I normally swim an hour, but I’ve gotten out of shape.”

  “Well, you’ve got me beat by about fifty laps. I’d kill to have your grace in the water.”

  Jessica thought maybe Eric’s sister wasn’t so bad after all.

  * * *

  Getting out of L.A. and back to nature was the best decision Shawna ever made. The guys in her band had been getting on her nerves lately. Onstage, the Black Mollies rocked the house. At home, all they did was get stoned and play Xbox games, while Shawna paid the bills waiting tables at a coffee shop. During her off time, she wrote music for their upcoming album. Traveling with her brothers to Canada was a chance to clear her mind and get back in touch with her music. As she meditated on the boulder, the breeze caressing her bare skin, a rustling off in the woods broke her tranquil state. Opening her eyes, Shawna looked across the water at the trees. Dragon flies buzzed, frogs croaked and birds twittered off in the distance. Just a random forest noise. Nothing to be alarmed about. The sun began sinking behind the mountains, casting long shadows across the pond.

  Jessica said, “It’ll be dark soon. Let’s head back.”

  “Fine by me.” Shawna dove into the water and followed Jessica back to the grassy bank. As Shawna bent over, drying her legs with the towel, she heard another noise. The trees around the pond were tangled with brush and provided infinite hiding places for anyone who wanted to peep. She suddenly got an image of a deformed hillbilly creeping through woods, ogling her body. Shawna covered herself with the towel.

  She heard the slightest slapping of branches and then again the forest sounds: birds, frogs, dragonflies. Then faintly, something else. A shuff-shuff-shuff that didn’t seem to belong to the normal sounds of the forest. It was subtle, but definitely out there.

  Shawna pulled up her bikini bottoms and looked at Jessica. “Did you hear something?”

  “No, what?”

  “I thought I heard footsteps.” Shawna scrutinized every tree as far as she could see, which was only about twenty yards or so. After that, the hill inclined and the trees meshed together. She shivered, her body covered in goose bumps. “I can’t believe I’m getting so spooked. It’s probably just a rabbit.”

  The shuff-shuff-shuff came again.

  “That was no rabbit.”Jessica said, quickly pulling up her shorts.

  Shawna tried to think of all the big animals that lived in the wilderness: bears, wolves, wild boar, moose, mountain lions. She couldn’t think of one that she wanted to come across, especially when the forest was getting dark. “Let’s head back.”

  Jessica slid on her tennis shoes. “Whatever it is, don’t panic.”

  “Right.” Shawna’s legs wouldn’t stop trembling. The woods were getting darker by the second. “I wish we’d brought a flashlight.” As the breeze died down, she heard the sounds again, like feet shuffling over a pine-needle floor, legs pushing through clinging branches. “I bet that’s the guys.” Shawna yelled, “Eric, Kyle, is that you?”

  About twenty-five yards into the trees the footsteps ceased.

  “Why aren’t they answering?” Jessica asked.

  “Because they’re trying to scare us. They used to scare me all the time when we were kids, especially Kyle.”

  “Maybe it isn’t them. Maybe it’s a bear.”

  “Oh, that’s reassuring.” Shawna wondered if she could race up the hill fast enough.

  Damn it, why did we hike down here without the guys?

  She remembered Kyle’s advice and started waving her arms. “Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!”

  Jessica joined in. “Go away bear, if you’re in there! Whoop! Whoop!”

  The footsteps moved toward them.

  * * *

  In a shed behind the main cabin, Kyle examined a Coleman generator that was covered in soot and spider webs. “No wonder the power is out. Fuel monitor reads empty.”

  “Where does Elkheart keep the gas cans?” Eric asked.

  “Should be some in the garage.”

  As they walked down the hill, leaves and pine cones blew along the dirt road.
The dark, hollow shacks bordering the main road looked like a ghost town. When they had lived on the reservation as children, there had been over a hundred people living in the village.

  Eric asked, “What happened to the others?”

  “They migrated to a Cree res up in northern Canada.”

  “I know that, but why did they leave?”

  Kyle shrugged. “Dad never told me. Poverty, I guess. Infighting. Alcoholism. We should be thankful Mom moved us away from here.” As they walked a chilly wind blew through, causing one of the abandoned cabins to moan. “Do you get any bad vibes from this place?”

  “Vibes?” Eric laughed and patted Kyle’s shoulder. “Writing horror novels is making you paranoid, bro.”

  Kyle chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  A narrow driveway forked off the main road and led down to the garage. Embedded into a hill, its entrance bordered with pine logs. The two-car garage looked like a mine shaft. Kyle slid open the wide garage door and saw something he hadn’t expected: his father’s red 4x4 Bronco. “What’s Big Red doing here?”

  Eric turned on his flashlight and poked around the garage. “Something wrong?”

  “Yeah. I figured since Dad left the reservation, he would’ve taken his Bronco.” The scratched-up Ford faced them, its windshield caked in dust. “This is so unlike him to leave his truck. He loves this hunk of junk.”

  Eric said, “Remember when Elkheart and Mom used to take us to the lake in it?”

  “Yeah, those were some good times.” Turning on a flashlight, Kyle opened the driver’s side door. More dust covered the dashboard and seats inside. The backseat was down and the cargo area packed with something under a tarp. He opened the Bronco’s back door and lifted the covering. Underneath were tents, bedrolls, kerosene lamps, several boxes of food, digging tools, containers of plaster and a dozen vodka bottles.

  “Why would they leave all this behind?” Kyle said.

  “Yeah, especially Elkheart’s case of Stoli.”

  Kyle glared at his brother. “I mean the camping gear. They should be using all this for their expedition.”

  “Maybe they finished already and came back, and then Elkheart left with his crew.”

  “Then Amy Hanson would have called her father by now. Something’s not right.”

  Eric shrugged. “Then maybe Elkheart and Amy ran off together. I bet they’re down in Cozumel, drinking margaritas.”

  “Get real.”

  “I am. Remember, he got fired from Berkley for sleeping with one of his students?”

  “I’m not buying that’s the case here. Carl Hanson checked with the university. They said Dad came to Lake Akwâkopiy with a crew of archaeologists six weeks ago. They were on an expedition out here, but I have no idea where.” Kyle looked back at the equipment in the Bronco. “It’s like they came to the reservation but never left.”

  “Well, there’s no use worrying about Elkheart. He’ll show up when he wants to.”

  Kyle found three red gasoline cans on a metal shelf. He grabbed a full one. “Let’s get the generator running before the sun goes down. It can get really dark out here at night.”

  * * *

  Shawna backtracked toward the pond next to Jessica. The shuff-shuff-shuff and snapping twigs drew closer. The chin-high grass parted straight in front of them.

  They let out a “Whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop!” and then bolted up the path.

  Jessica scaled the hill faster. Shawna slipped and grabbed a branch, her feet sliding back down. She didn’t dare look back. Instead, she got her footing and barreled up the path. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “Jessica, wait up!”

  Jessica slowed down, waving her arms. “Hurry! Hurry!”

  * * *

  Shawna felt eyes penetrating her back and sensed that the animal was now on the path behind her. She ran harder, not looking back. Afraid if she saw it, she would freeze. She caught up with Jessica. “Let’s get the hell back.”

  Shawna did her best to keep up, but Jessica broke away.

  More noises echoed to Shawna’s left. In the high grass, she saw two places where the tops of the brush were swaying. Unseen predators raced parallel with her. And behind her, the galloping footfalls were gaining.

  Do bears hunt in packs? No, but wild boar do.

  Shawna sped up. Her thighs and calves tightened so taut she thought the muscles would snap.

  Just keep moving.

  She raced around another curve. Jessica was nowhere in sight. Neither was the cabin.

  I can’t keep this up.

  The high grass to Shawna’s left ended, and the forest opened up with trees spaced farther apart. She glanced back. Nothing rushed from the tall bunchgrass. Had they given up?

  From the trail behind her, she heard pounding footfalls and heavy breathing, followed by a series of grunts. She wasn’t going to make it. She could feel the air of the beast’s motion as it moved inches behind her.

  Sobbing, Shawna took a blind curve at a full sprint. A body leaped from behind a tree and grabbed her, growling.

  She broke free in fitful screams, stumbled backward.

  Zack laughed like a goddamned hyena.

  “You fucking asshole!” Shawna slapped his arms and chest. “That wasn't the least bit funny.”

  “Ah, come on, sunshine. It was just a prank.”

  “You could have given me a heart attack. I thought I was dead.” She shoved him.

  “Don’t be mad.” Zack gave her his wounded puppy face.

  “That’s not going to work this time. You know I hate it when you scare me, and you always do it.”

  “That’s because you bite every time.”

  “For once, I’d like to go a week without you pulling your stunts.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll try to behave.” He stroked her arm. “Still mad at me?”

  Shawna stared into his boyish eyes and tried to stay angry. “You can tell Kyle and Eric they can come out now.”

  “Huh?”

  “Don’t play dumb. They were chasing me through the grass while you were waiting to pounce.” She turned back to where the high grass ended. “Okay, guys. Game’s over. Zack caught me. Ha-ha. Score one for the boys.”

  Shawna paced and looked down the hill. She called for her brothers to come out of hiding.

  “Kyle and Eric aren’t out there,” Zack insisted. “I snuck down here alone. Your brothers are back at the village.”

  “I saw the grass moving in two places,” the girl said in a shaky voice. “If it wasn't you, and it wasn’t them, then who was moving through the grass?”

  Zack tickled her ribs and made a ghostly sound. “Wooooo, Shawna, maybe you were being stalked by a pack of hungry wolves.”

  “Fuck off, Zack!” She punched his chest and then stomped up the hill.

  * * *

  Behind the cabin, the generator fired up.

  “Hallelujah!” Eric said, as one of the lights came on inside the cabin. The last thing he wanted was to stay the night out here without any power. He and Kyle went inside and turned on lights in the den and kitchen. Eric was putting beer in the fridge when Jessica came in, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Her dark hair was wet. Damn, she was looking sexy.

  “Hey, babe. Have a good workout?”

  She nodded and leaned against a wall to catch her breath. “Swimming in the pond was wonderful. Then Zack spooked us and I got in a nice run I wasn’t expecting.”

  Kyle flipped on the porch light. “Where are Shawna and Zack?”

  “On the trail,” Jessica said. “They got into a bit of a lover’s quarrel.”

  Eric said, “Good. Maybe they’ll break up and we can send his ass home.”

  “He’s not so bad,” Kyle said.

  “He’s a fucking freak show.”

  Jessica said, “Eric, be nice. Your sister really likes Zack.”

  “Trust me, Jess. She’s got a habit of picking losers.”

  “He has to fly back with us,” Kyle
said. “So we’re better off if they kiss and make up.”

  As Kyle went down the hall and switched on a light in the study, Jessica looked around the den. “Hey, the lights make this place look quite cozy.”