The Devil's Woods

by Brian Moreland

  Shawna bent over the side of the mattress and vomited. Then she buried her face in her hands and cried until she was numb.

  The wolf dogs began barking outside. Distant howls echoed in the forest.

  Ray turned on his stool. “They’re getting close now. Should be here any minute.” He stood. “Well, I best be going. I’m sure I’ll see you around one way or another.” He stepped outside and bird-whistled his dogs. “Get away from there. You know better.” They yipped and circled Ray as he pulled a chain over a branch. Zack’s naked body swung into view. His back and arms had been skinned, the red muscle beneath glistening in the firelight. Blood dribbled down his bare buttocks and legs.

  Shawna screamed then started balling.

  “Your boyfriend’s nothing but meat now, sunshine.” Outside, Ray poured water over the campfire. Soon he and the dogs were just silhouettes in the moonlight. His tall form walked out of view and the three smaller shapes followed. Their footsteps crunched over dried leaves. Ray’s humming voice trailed off.

  Shawna jerked at her chains. One of the wall brackets hung by a loose bolt, but the other held tight. The shackles cut into her wrists. She stretched for a shovel that was against the wall, but her fingers barely touched it. “Goddamn it!” She collapsed in defeat.

  Sounds in the distance, like crows cackling. And then came laughs that sounded like hyenas.

  Shawna watched the doorway for several minutes.

  The ground rumbled with a stampede of running feet.

  No…

  Claws raked the shed’s outside walls. She yelped.

  Some kind of animal leaped onto the roof. There was a thump-thump-thump as the thing’s weight caused the wood planks above her head to buckle.

  Shawna swallowed her urge to scream. And then she saw shadow shapes of things with long stalk-like legs and arms moving outside the doorway. They attacked Zack’s hanging body in a frenzy. Shawna clamped her ears at the feasting sounds. Other creatures fought one another at the shed’s entrance. One of them pushed back the others, shrieking. And then it stooped. A monstrous head peered in at her with luminous white eyes.

  She screamed as its long arm stretched out and touched her.

  * * *

  In the Great House, Kyle sat on his bedroll by the fire, twirling the gold band around his finger. The lucid, dreamlike effects of the purple mushroom he’d eaten were finally wearing down, his senses returning to normal. The roots and vines that had invaded the building were gone. So was the ghost of his late wife. Kyle knew by the lightness in his chest that he was forever changed.

  He couldn’t believe that he had kissed Jessica. He smiled just thinking about it. He had to admit that for a few magical moments she had kissed him back with equal passion. He relished the memory of it, but didn’t know how he was going to face her tomorrow. She must have thought he was a lunatic, grabbing her and kissing her like that.

  And then he thought of Stephanie. The shroom journey just brought her to the surface so he could finally deal with her and move on. He slid his wedding ring halfway off his finger and then stopped. He wasn’t ready. A part of him still loved her. He slid the ring back on.

  Part Six

  The Killing Ground

  There are many challenges I face being in love with a ghost, my limited ability to touch her being the least of them. The hardest part is that my beloved experienced a brutal death, in a darkened wood off Old Blevins Road, an offshoot of a desolate highway that runs through the Smokey Mountains of Kentucky. What Elena experienced there shattered her soul and left her with a rage so fierce, she is compelled to haunt her killer and walk his killing ground among the sticks.

  —Detective Winterbone

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next morning, Kyle retreated to the back porch with his computer and a chocolate banana smoothie. Chaser came out with him and ran after a squirrel. Kyle smiled. There was a lightness in his chest that he hadn’t felt in years. The sun was peeking over the mountains. White butterflies swooped and swirled over the grass and wildflowers. Birds were singing in the trees. For the first time since he arrived, Kyle understood why he had sensed the woods were watching. The reservation land held the spirits of his ancestors. He remembered running with the herd of elk, his legs moving faster than humanly possible. Had that really happened? He had faced his darkest childhood nightmares and confronted his guilt over Stephanie’s death. And somewhere in the middle of last night’s wild journey, he and Jessica had kissed passionately. He was curious to see how she was going to behave around him this morning.

  Kyle noticed Grandfather sitting in his rocker at the far end of the porch, staring at the forest. His lips were moving as if in conversation with a ghost, but Kyle saw no one there. “Good morning, Grandfather.”

  The old man looked his way.

  Kyle walked over to him and touched his frail hand. “Thank you for last night’s ceremony. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.”

  Grandfather spoke in Cree and Kyle remembered how while under the influence of the purple mushroom he had been able to understand the ancient language.

  We are all dream walkers. Souls searching to find our path home. The waking world is only a pinpoint of our true reality.

  Kyle wished he could understand his grandfather. He had so many questions, like were last night’s visions real or hallucinations? Did the truth even matter? Everything he saw and touched was real enough and today he felt like a new man.

  He sat down at a table and opened his laptop. He couldn’t wait to start writing again. He typed fast, the words flowing across the screen. He finished a chapter and started another. The story was taking shape and he could begin to see now how the book would end. In an attempt to save Elena, Alex Winterbone was going to cross over into the spirit realm and battle the Hollowers.

  The back door opened, disrupting Kyle’s concentration. Jessica and Eric stepped out.

  “’Morning, Stephen King,” Eric said in a condescending tone. “Writing another ghost story?”

  “Yeah.” Part of Kyle wanted to make a crack about Eric’s swollen black eye and busted lip, but he held back. He made brief eye contact with Jessica. She looked away. Her sudden shyness told him that last night’s kiss had really happened.

  Eric grinned, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Today Jess and I are celebrating our one-year anniversary. We also have a big announcement. Babe, show Kyle your engagement ring.”

  She held out her hand, but wouldn’t meet Kyle’s eyes.

  He barely gave the ring a glance. “Congratulations,” he said bitterly. “You two are perfect for each other.”

  Eric took Jessica’s hand, and the two walked down the village road with Chaser running alongside them.

  Feeling angry, Kyle watched them. What had he expected? That Jessica would break up with Eric to be with him? That his brother would go along with Kyle dating her? He cursed himself for crossing a line last night. No matter how strongly he felt about Jessica, she would never be his.

  Kyle tried to focus back on his novel. As much as Winterbone loved the Elena character, he was going to lose her by the end of the story. That was the fate of Kyle’s ghost detective. He always walked alone.

  Unable to concentrate on writing, Kyle went back inside the cabin and headed to his father’s study. He needed to get his mind on something other than Jessica and the hole he now felt in his heart. He continued to search for clues as to what might have happened to his father. The study had the atmosphere of a long-forgotten museum storage room. A wall of bookshelves was crowded with books and relics Elkheart had collected over the years. A career of leading expeditions around the world had brought his father full circle back to the reservation. What kind of research had Elkheart been doing?

  On the desk sat the old IBM typewriter his father used to write books. Kyle sat in the duck-taped roller chair and went through all the desk drawers again. Leaning back in the chair, he spotted a wadded-up piece of paper on the floor under
neath a curio cabinet. He had to get down on his hands and knees to reach it. He opened the paper. The heading read, Macâya Forest Expedition. A typed checklist followed of camping supplies, guns and ammo. Another column listed the names of the research team, including Amy Hanson. Four of the names were identified as mercenaries. That’s strange. Elkheart had hired guides for his expositions, drivers, even bodyguards a time or two, but mercenaries? And why exploring Macâya Forest had he thought he needed hired guns?

  Kyle made a quick decision and began filling his backpack full of gear and provisions. He also grabbed one of his father’s deer rifles and a box of ammo. Wearing a pack and rifle slung over one shoulder, he stepped outside just as Eric and Jessica were returning from their walk.

  “Where are you off to?” Eric asked.

  Kyle told them about finding Elkheart’s expedition supply list. “I believe there’s a chance he and his team are camping in Macâya Forest. I’m hiking there to see if I can find them.”

  Eric said, “I’m going with you.”

  Jessica said, “Me too.”

  “Have either of you seen Zack and Shawna?”

  “They’re probably still in bed.” Eric went into the cabin to check, leaving Kyle and Jessica alone together.

  After a moment of awkward silence, she said, “We need to talk about last night.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. I was totally out of integrity. You’re Eric’s fiancée. From now on, I’m going to respect that.”

  “Kyle, I just want you to understand—”

  The back door opened and Eric stepped onto the porch. “They’re not up in their room or anywhere in the cabin.”

  “Have either of you seen them since last night?” Kyle asked.

  Jessica shook her head. “They never came back.”

  Eric said, “I bet they spent the night in one of the other cabins.”

  Kyle walked to the village road and called for Shawna and Zack but got no response. He checked his watch. Already nine a.m. “I really want to get an early start.”

  “Well, leave it to Shawna…” Eric muttered. “They’re probably getting stoned or something.”

  Kyle said, “You two pack some lunches. I’ll go look for them.” He walked around the perimeter of the village and called their names over and over. He searched for thirty minutes, checking the Great House, the barn and every run-down cabin, but neither Shawna nor Zack were in them.

  Worried now, Kyle met up with Eric and Jessica at the main cabin’s back porch. They both had on backpacks, and Eric carried a second deer rifle strapped over his shoulder.

  “They must have camped out in the woods,” Kyle said, annoyed that his sister had wandered off without telling anyone or leaving a note. Angry at himself for going to bed last night without checking to make sure they had returned safely.

  Jessica looked concerned, as well. “Should I stay back and wait for them?”

  Eric tugged her elbow. “No, we’re spending the day together, remember?”

  Kyle said, “Let’s just start hiking. Hopefully, we’ll run into them.”

  * * *

  They reached Kakaskitewak Swamp by midmorning. Kyle and Eric paddled a canoe across the black water, while Jessica and Chaser sat between them. As the canoe reached the opposite bank, the Rottweiler hopped out and started sniffing and marking his territory. Kyle studied the strange animal skulls that lined the trees like macabre totem poles.

  Jessica raised her Nikon and snapped photos. “What are those?”

  Kyle said, “Warnings from our ancestors not to venture past this point.”

  “Lovely.” She looked back at Eric. “Are you guys sure about this?”

  “Hell yeah,” Eric said. “I’ve been curious about this place since I was a kid.”

  “But what about Ray’s warning?” she asked.

  Kyle said, “I’m not afraid of superstitions.” He helped his brother pull the canoe onto the shore. They grabbed their backpacks and rifles. Kyle slung one over his shoulder. Slapping at mosquitoes biting his neck, he sloshed through black mud to the row of totem poles. The vibe they gave off was a steady hum inside his head. One pine was decorated with a dozen small, bleached-white animal skulls. Each had tiny sharp teeth, possibly raccoons or possums. At the top of the column was an elk skull with long antlers.

  Use your gift, spoke Winterbone’s voice.

  Kyle touched the elk skull and concentrated on his father. In his mind flashed images of an expedition team climbing out of two canoes and observing these totems. A couple of videographers stood at the shore, filming their arrival. A pretty young blonde, who must have been Amy Hanson, walked at Elkheart’s side. They looked at one another in a way that suggested their relationship was more than professor and student. His father was armed with a black assault rifle. There was an older man with glasses whom Kyle figured was the other professor who had gone missing. The expedition team wore heavy backpacks with tents and bedrolls. A squad of four soldiers, each one toting an automatic rifle, escorted the scientists and cameramen as they disappeared into the thorny pines.

  Kyle released his hand, wondering what had happened to his father’s team. Had they paid dearly for crossing the sacred border? A few feet from the shore, he spotted a second canoe hidden away in the foliage. He began to get a bad vibe about what they might encounter beyond the pines. “Maybe you guys should wait at the dock. I can go the rest of the way on my own.”

  “Forget that.” Eric aimed his rifle at the forest as if targeting a deer. “We came all this way. We’re going in.”

  Kyle gripped his rifle and stepped past the totem poles. Jessica followed, swatting at mosquitoes. Eric brought up the rear as they wove between the trees, the mud sucking at their boots. Chaser ran ahead of them. They hiked in silence for a hundred yards and then the swamp ended and a hill descended into a vine-choked rainforest. Climbing down beside a waterfall, Kyle’s adrenaline surged at the thought of finding his father.

  * * *

  Rocks tumbled down as Jessica descended the hill. Kyle reached up and helped her the last few feet. She hopped to the ground and stumbled, falling against his chest. The feel of him against her caused her heart to sputter.

  “You okay?” he asked her.

  “Fine.” She looked away so he wouldn’t see she was nervous, more from his presence than the forest. The entire journey here Kyle had not made eye contact or spoken directly to her once. She wished she could talk with him about last night, explain that Eric had sprung this proposal on to her suddenly, and that she was still processing it all. Deep down, she wasn’t sure if she could follow through with marrying Eric. If she had had doubts before, kissing Kyle last night had thrown her into a state of utter confusion. She had tossed and turned all night. She needed time to think, to journal her feelings, but now she felt pressure from both brothers, and she was afraid of hurting either one of them.

  Eric stepped between Jessica and Kyle. “Let’s take a break. I’m getting one bitch of a blister.” He plopped down on a log and pulled off his boot.

  Kyle leaned against a tree, looking off into the woods. He drank from his water bottle.

  Jessica sat next to Eric and munched on a granola bar. She caught Kyle staring at her engagement ring. He looked into her eyes and she saw they were filled with disappointment and questions.

  Eric stuck out his bare foot. “Babe, you got something for that?”

  She dug into her pack and pulled out a small first-aid kit. She swabbed Melalueca cream on the blister and then wrapped a Band-Aid around his toe.

  “Thanks, Jess.” When they stood up, Eric pulled her to him and gave her a firm kiss.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “For being such an amazing fiancée.”

  “Let’s keep moving.” Kyle pulled out a machete and entered the forest first, whacking at hanging branches.

  Jessica followed. As the sunny day darkened, she had the sense they had just stepped through a time portal where the morning tu
rned quickly to dusk. Underneath the canopy there were more shadows than patches of light. A drifting fog hid some of the trees. Jessica hovered close to Kyle, occasionally touching his back. When she glanced back to make sure Eric was keeping up, she could barely see him in the gloom. Those new boots were really giving him problems.

  It got so dark they had to turn on their flashlights. But it was only eleven a.m.

  Chaser kept venturing off and Jessica called him back. “Stay with us, boy.” She wished they had put him on a leash.

  Ahead of her, using his light and machete, Kyle followed the overgrown trail through the rainforest. The damp shirt that clung to his back was already stained with green smudges. Jessica shined her own light back and forth. Creeper vines spiraled up the trees like leafy veins. The giant pines—several over a hundred feet tall—towered above them like ancient gods. Much of the forest floor was covered in damp ferns and mossy-green rocks and logs.