The Devil's Woods

by Brian Moreland

  He felt like he should tell her the truth about Zack—that Kyle had seen his ghost in the woods. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her. Not now at least. She had finally calmed down after what had happened with Ray, and Kyle didn’t want to alarm her again.

  As he held her, he watched the dark woods for any movement. There were no lurking ghosts. Just the branches moving in the wind as the gray between the pines faded deeper and deeper into black. Soon the only details were the spiky trees that bordered the village.

  Flames flared up as Elkheart, Madu and Grandfather Two Hawks lit torches that stood every ten feet. Moments later, a ring of fire surrounded the cabin. Grandfather walked around the circle with a smoking bowl. With an owl feather, he smudged the smoke, speaking in Cree, occasionally singing.

  “What are they doing?” Jessica asked.

  “I don’t know. Let’s find out.” Kyle led her downstairs.

  Scarpetti stood on the back porch with his rifle. The orange dot of a cigarette glowed in his dark face. The mercenary nodded to Kyle and Jessica as they walked down the steps.

  Elkheart and Madu stood in the backyard, surveying their handiwork. They turned when Kyle and Jessica approached.

  “Where’s your brother?” Elkheart asked.

  Kyle shrugged. “I don’t know. He took the Hummer and drove off somewhere.”

  “We got into a fight,” Jessica added.

  “Christ almighty. We need him here.” His father paced.

  Kyle felt guilty for not thinking about his brother’s safety. “He probably drove to the tavern for a drink. Do you want me to go looking for him?”

  “No. Stay put.” The flames flickered in the reflection of his father’s glasses.

  “What are all the torches for?” Kyle asked.

  “Protection.”

  “Against what?”

  His father loaded bullets into a clip. “You two should stay inside.”

  Kyle looked off to the woods. “Have you seen any sign of Ray?”

  “No, but I imagine he’ll be angry that we killed his dogs.”

  “I found several graves behind the shed,” Kyle said. “Did you know that Ray was murdering girls out here?”

  Elkheart shook his head. “I had no idea Ray was capable of this.”

  Jessica looked shocked to hear this. “Murders?”

  Kyle nodded. “You weren’t the first woman Ray has chained up in that shed.” He didn’t explain how he knew this, that he had seen their ghosts. To his father, Kyle said, “We should go into town and notify the Mounties.”

  “No,” Elkheart said with a sharp tone. “I don’t want them involved.”

  “All we have to do is show Inspector Zano the shed and those graves. The Mounties can hunt down Ray and help us search for Shawna.”

  “I don’t trust the police, especially Zano.”

  Jessica said, “Aren’t you worried about Ray coming here tonight?”

  “He’s the least of our problems.”

  Kyle thought about the creature that attacked them earlier. His father had said there were more roaming Macâya Forest, mostly at night. They had killed his crew and abducted Amy, possibly Shawna as well. By the haunted look on his father’s face, Kyle wondered if a part of Jon Elkheart had died in that forest. “Dad, tell me what’s going on. What were you and your team searching for?”

  His father snapped the clip into his assault rifle. He looked across at Scarpetti standing watch and then at Grandfather and Madu painting trees with a dark red liquid. Elkheart looked back at Kyle and Jessica. “It’s better I show you.”

  They followed Elkheart into the cabin’s study. He stepped up to a tall bookshelf. “Once you know the truth, you can never go back.” His father reached high up on the top shelf and pulled on one of the books. The bookshelf rotated sideways, revealing a secret room.

  * * *

  Inspector Zano drove to the center of town where the old church stood. Made of pine lumber and painted white, the house of worship had been built back in 1890 by the hands of Hagen Thorpe and his sons. The bell tower with the high steeple made the church the tallest building in town. Zano pulled into the full parking lot. Several of his Mounties had already gathered out front.

  “What do you want us to do, sir?” Sgt. Larson asked, his voice edgy.

  The inspector could see nervous looks in the eyes of his men. “Everyone hang tight for now.” Zano entered the church and stood at the back. The pews were packed tonight with every man, woman and child of Hagen’s Cove. They cheered and clapped as Mayor Thorpe gave his sermon up onstage. With fire in his eyes, he spoke in the old language, “Are we not children of Lord Father?”

  “Yes!” the congregation shouted.

  “Do we not deserve our place in this world?”

  “Yes!”

  “Do we not want our children to have a future?”

  “Yes!”

  Thorpe paced the stage. “Then, brothers and sisters, we must not live in fear. No. We must stand strong in the presence of evil!”

  Zano walked down the side aisle, passing pews. Men and women glanced his way. The mayor met eyes with the inspector but never lost a beat. “Chloe, could you come up onstage to Papa?” Thorpe kneeled as his four-year-old daughter climbed the steps. He picked her up and smiled proudly. “The love of my life. This, brothers and sisters, is what they will try to take from us. Our children.”

  The energy in the room rose. The townspeople in the pews hugged their children as if to keep them from being snatched away.

  Thorpe pointed over their heads, toward the front door. “They will try to destroy our community. Our families.” He paused to let the weight of his words sink in. “But they cannot and will not break our spirits.”

  “No!” the congregation shouted in unison.

  Zano went up onstage and handed Mayor Thorpe a note.

  Thorpe nodded and turned back to his followers. “Please take each other’s hands.”

  The men, women and children gripped hands, their faces wrought with emotion.

  “Brothers and sisters, in this time of darkness, we must band together, now more than ever. For it is only through our unity that we can survive the evils out there and keep our children safe.” Holding Chloe on his arm, Mayor Thorpe turned to a giant statue of woven sticks. Covering its head was a spiky wreath of antlers. “Tomorrow night Lord Father is returning. And we will show him that his children will do whatever it takes to protect what he built.”

  The townspeople raised their fists and cheered.

  Mayor Thorpe led them into singing the song to honor Lord Father.

  Feeling glory in his heart, Inspector Zano sang along with them.

  * * *

  Five miles from the reservation, Eric followed a heavily wooded road down to the lake. He parked near the moonlit water and killed the engine. This looked like the spot the girl had suggested. On either side of the road were public campsites with picnic tables and fire pits. Thankfully, no campers tonight.

  He checked his wallet to make sure he had a spare condom. Yep, locked and loaded with two Trojans. Eric had learned long ago that the best way to get over a woman was to find an immediate replacement. Despite being a small, backwoods town, Hagen’s Cove had a few Danish hotties.

  In his rearview mirror, headlights approached. His leg bounced with anticipation. A convertible Jeep pulled up beside him. Behind the wheel sat Nadine, the foxy brunette from the boat rental shack.

  She smiled and waved. “Hiya.”

  “Hey there.”

  They both got out and walked in front of their vehicles. Nadine was wearing a halter top and cut-off shorts, which showed off her dark tan. Damn she had nice legs. She brought a twelve-pack of Moosehead, just like he had asked. Maybe this was the girl he should marry. His stepfather would freak if Eric brought home a country girl.

  Eric and Nadine sat on the hood of the Hummer, drank beers and got better acquainted. Girls typically liked to move slow at first, until they felt safe, then
it was anything goes. Safety tip number one: let her pick the make-out spot. Eric understood the female of the species and knew how to play their games. Mostly all it took to seduce a girl was patience and listening skills. Making them laugh always escalated their attraction.

  Nadine was young, ripe and innocent—one of those rare beauties who grew up in a town full of hicks. Those were the easiest girls, because they were always looking for an escape from their boring lives. Nadine giggled at his stupid jokes and kept tucking her hair behind her ear. All good signs.

  “I’m glad you called, Eric.” She had the same accent as all the locals.

  “Did you have big plans tonight?”

  She shrugged. “Just laundry and watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy.”

  Eric slid his finger up her arm. “Well, I’m happy you chose spending the evening with me over Dr. McDreamy.”

  She laughed and sipped her beer. “You’ve watched the show?”

  “Caught a few episodes.” Jessica had DVDs of every season. He wasn’t crazy about the show, but to understand women you have to pay attention to their interests.

  He sat back against the Hummer’s windshield, and Nadine did the same, looking at him sideways. The moon reflected in her large brown eyes. Eric leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back with an eager tongue. His lips moved down her neck, and Nadine moaned in his ear.

  Eric pulled away. “I’m sorry. I’m moving too fast.”

  She touched his arm. “No, it’s okay.”

  “You’re over eighteen, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do I need to check your ID?” he teased.

  She pulled down her halter top, unveiling her ample breasts. “Does this look like I’m old enough for you?”

  This was going to be a good night after all.

  * * *

  Kyle and Jessica followed Elkheart into the tiny room behind the bookshelf. Elkheart hit a button and the shelf rotated and closed behind them. He opened a trap door on the floor. “This chamber has always been kept secret by the elders. Ray doesn’t know it exists. By bringing you in here, I’m fully trusting you’ll keep it secret.”

  “You have my word.”

  “Mine too,” Jessica said.

  Elkheart climbed down iron rungs. Kyle followed. Ten feet down he landed on concrete. As Kyle helped Jessica down, his father hit a switch. Three light bulbs partially lit a narrow passageway that ran about twenty yards.

  Their boots echoed as they followed the tunnel. At the end of it, Elkheart opened a metal door that was six inches thick. He hit another switch, revealing a long, rectangular room with concrete walls.

  “A bomb shelter?” Kyle asked.

  “The elders built it in the Fifties.”

  Kyle and Jessica looked at one another as they stepped into the underground shelter. It was fully stocked with food, a kitchenette, twin beds, a couch and an old TV.

  “It’s quite cozy,” Jessica said, doing her best to reduce the tension, but the fact that his father and grandfather had kept this place secret all these years worried Kyle. What other secrets were they keeping?

  At the far end of the room a second set of rungs led up to a door in the ceiling. It had a round wheel like a submarine hatch.

  “Where does that lead?” Kyle asked.

  “The garage. It’s an escape route.” It was also where his father kept his Ford Bronco parked.

  Elkheart walked to a corner where a tall metal cabinet stood beside stacked wooden crates. He turned the dial of another combination lock. “Before the members of our tribe abandoned this place, they always lived in fear of Macâya Forest. The elders, including your grandfather, kept quiet about what they knew. The people of Hagen’s Cove call Macâya Forest ‘the Devil’s Woods’ and would never talk about it.

  “They know about the creatures too?” Kyle asked.

  His father nodded. “I’ve dedicated my life to understanding the secrets of those woods.” He opened the cabinet. The shelves were stuffed with boxes, video tapes and binders. He pulled out a binder labeled, Macâya Forest.

  “You remember the legend?” Elkheart asked.

  “Yes,” Kyle said. “Back in the 1880s lumberjacks explored a green mist inside Macâya Forest and were slaughtered by some kind of beast. The legend’s true, isn’t it?”

  “The Macâya really exists.” His father opened the binder. It was a photo album of his expedition team excavating a cave. It looked like some kind of subterranean burial ground. In one picture Elkheart was pouring plaster into large footprints in the mud. Kyle recognized the purple mushrooms from the mineshaft. A second photo showed his father and Amy Hanson standing in the rainforest, holding up casts of foot impressions that were long and narrow with spiked toes.

  “Is that from one of those things we saw today?” Jessica asked.

  “Yes. We found footprints like these throughout Macâya Forest, especially down in the caves.”

  Kyle said, “What kind of animal is it?”

  “We don’t know exactly. Our ancestors called the Macâya a shape-shifting devil. A beast that reflects man’s fears. It can form into a human, animal or something in between. The tribe has always respected its territory. Only an elder, like your grandfather, has the spiritual strength to enter the forbidden woods and not be seduced by the Great Trickster.”

  “But you went in there.”

  “Foolishly.” He gazed down at a group photo of archaeologists and mercenaries. His arm was around Amy Hanson. “I should have never taken my team in there, especially Amy. Had I known what we’d encounter…”

  “Did you love her?”

  His father looked up, acting surprised that Kyle knew his relationship with Amy Hanson was more than just professor and student.

  “Amy kept me grounded. I believe she’s still alive in there. Down in one of the tunnels. My men and I have spent the past few weeks trying to find her.” Elkheart sighed and looked at Kyle with humble eyes. “I’m glad you’re here, son. I’ve always wanted you kids to understand my mission.” He flipped to the back of the binder to black-and-white photos from the 1880s. The same ones Kyle and Jessica had seen hanging on the walls at the Beowulf Tavern. “There’s more to the legend than Grandfather and I told you. And no matter how outlandish this all sounds, I need you to believe me.”

  Kyle said, “After what I’ve witnessed these past three days, I’ll believe just about anything.”

  Elkheart tapped his finger on a grainy photo of Hagen Thorpe standing with several bearded men in front of a fallen tree. “When the lumberjacks went into the forbidden woods, Hagen didn’t survive the attack, as the legend goes. The Macâya killed him and then shape-shifted into Hagen. The beast returned to the town where the women and children were waiting. It killed all the boys and started breeding with the women.” Elkheart picked up a crowbar and began prying open one of the wooden crates. “We excavated a burial ground inside Macâya Forest.” He lifted the lid. Inside the crate were monstrous skulls. “These were some of the devil’s offspring.”

  * * *

  At the funeral home, Wynona Thorpe woke in a dark room. She was lying in her bed under the covers, still dressed in her clothes. Still alive! She cried tears of joy. Perhaps Hugo loved his mother enough to convince the others to keep her around. But she knew there was no love in that man’s heart. He needed her to run the funeral home and handle all the domestic duties and that was all.

  Climbing out of bed, she tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack. Hugo was on the couch eating pizza and watching a sitcom. He erupted with laughter.

  Wynona closed the door and locked it. The moonlight shining through the window provided enough to see. If she moved fast, she could escape without notice. She rummaged through her closet, grabbed a loaded .38 Special, checked the six-shot cylinders. Full as the night Jon Elkheart loaded the gun and hid it within a hollow cutout inside her Bible. Wynona snapped the chambers home.

  They won’t stop me this time.

  She tossed
clothes into a small bag and pulled a shoebox full of money from the closet. Over three thousand dollars saved. Enough to start a new life somewhere far away from Hagen’s Cove. Florida maybe. She stuffed half the cash in her bag, the rest in her pockets in case she lost the bag.

  Wynona changed into jeans and a black sweatshirt to blend in with the night, although it wouldn’t make much difference. She slipped on her tennis shoes then tied her hair back. If there was anything Wynona learned from having an affair with a survivalist, it was how to survive. She remembered when she and Elkheart were still together. All the plans they’d made. He had promised to take her away from this godforsaken place as soon he had uncovered the secrets of Macâya Forest. They had talked of moving down to the Florida Keys. But those dreams had shattered the day Mayor Thorpe found out.