I will be posting chapters of The Woods every Tuesday and Friday. This is a first draft (although I do reread and edit before posting, so it’s not a completely rough draft), so feel free to give any feedback.
This story will be graphic at time and may
feature content that some find disturbing or appalling, with that being
said, I’m not writing gore for the sake of gore.
I also want to mention that these chapters will not be very long. Typically in between 1000 and 2000 words (so 4 to 8 pages), so don’t be afraid to dip your toe in! They are nice sized chunks! This book will eventually be self-published once it’s completed.
Onto the story…
* * *
CHAPTER 1
“Please don’t do this,” the girl whimpered. “Not again. Not again. Please don’t. Please.” She didn’t see Father’s smile; her face was hidden in her right arm, that simultaneously covered her naked breasts. Her knees were brought to her chest, at least as close as a six month pregnant woman can get, and she oriented herself away from the door. She made herself look so small in the corner of the gray room. Her left arm jutted out from the compact ball of human flesh. Handcuffed to a long metal pipe that ran several feet across the room, her arm was immobilized and prone to aching pain. But none of this was unusual for her.
Father loomed over the girl. He would tower over a normal man, but he looked like a behemoth next to the cowering, petite girl. His clothes were covered in dirt and grime, a sign of the time he spent climbing through bushes and crawling behind trees. Scrubbing his jeans made no difference, and eventually he stopped giving a shit. Mother didn’t mind that his clothes were worn, she said that they matched his rough face. Father took it in jest, as he did with every jab he got from Mother.
“Oh, princess, no need to beg.” Father said with a grin. His yellow teeth, the dozen he still had, jutting from his mouth. “I’m just bringing you some dinner for now. No need to get all worked up.” He raised the plastic plate that he was holding to gesture his intent, as if the girl was looking at him. He waited patiently for a moment, but the girl made no movement beyond her heaving body and sobs. He took a few step forward, until he stood at the opposite end of the pipe.
“Your dinner is right here.” The plate was small. The minuscule portion, a thin slab of tender, white meat and a chopped up carrot nearly caused the plate to overflow. “Lighten up, you even get a carrot today.” He set her meal on the ground. She could get it when she’s good and ready. He looked at her for a few moments, observing her. He hoped that she would thank him. He, or one of his sons, provided her with food day after day. He may get physical with her every now and again, but she was taken care of. She was nearly prized, but she hadn’t even noticed. The least she could do is thank Father for the meal and give him a pretty smile. Father turned and headed towards the beat up, wooden door.
“Please, let me leave.” She mumbled.
“What was that?” Father stopped. He turned to the girl, his eyes wide. She slowly raised her head to look at Father.
“Please, let me go. Please.” Tears grew at the corner of her eyes.
Within half a moment, Father was next to her. His arm swung back, and his hand thundered against her cheek and jaw. She didn’t have the reflexes to defend herself. She yelped and curled back into a protective ball. She could feel the heat in her face immediately.
“THIS IS YOUR HOME!” He shrieked at the girl, his voice shook the walls. “YOU SHALL NOT LEAVE YOUR HOME AND YOUR FAMILY!” Father’s breathing was rapid and his eyes strained. He looked at the girl with disdain. Contempt. Far from the bit of admiration he felt looking at her supple body only a minute ago.
She wailed, but he didn’t care. He stormed out of the room and slammed the door.
* * *
Between the sound of twigs snapping, leaves rustling, and their backpacks colliding with low hanging branches, Danny had a hard time hearing Ryan’s endless complaints – which was probably for the better. Instead, he just collected fragments of sentences that were hard to piece together. He had stopped trying to understand Ryan hours ago, since he quickly realized that the majority of his commentary was negative and repetitive.
“We should have gone to Lake Murray. We could’ve set up next to the car. We could’ve avoided this six mile hike on this half assed trail. We could’ve played some catch, grilled up some burgers, gone for a swim.” Ryan went on.
“Hey, Ryan?” Thad said, interrupting Ryan’s thirtieth tirade of the day.
“Yeah?” Ryan said.
“Shut the fuck up. We heard you an hour ago. We’re almost there, so we aren’t fucking turning around.” Thad said.
His voice was calm and natural because it truly was natural for Thad to tell people to shut the fuck up. He had that kind of attitude, especially with his friends, and he could get away with it. Thad’s flattering T-shirt hugged his chest and showed off his defined pecs – or what Danny would call his “huge tits”. Thad was stronger than Danny and Ryan, no doubt about that, but he had an intensity that neither of them had. He was a hothead. He had a sort of primal instinct that most people didn’t have in the 21st century. But instead of taking it seriously, his caveman instincts were almost comical due to his average height. Thad stood about five foot nine, but Ryan and Danny towered over him, both around six feet tall.
“I’m starting to think you have no idea where we are.” Ryan snapped. His agitation was clear, and Danny didn’t blame him. They had done a lot of walking, and Thad had made it sound like a much shorter hike.
Thad let out a dramatic sigh. Danny could feel the tension. Unfortunately, the ritual felt too familiar. Ryan complains, Thad gets annoyed by the complaining and makes fun of Ryan, then Ryan gets all pissed off. Repeat the process ad infinitum. Same shit, every fucking day. Danny looked to Victoria who trailed Thad closely. She seemed completely indifferent to the squabble. She was used to Thad’s attitude. Over the last several months, she’d been integrated into their group. She’d seen a dozen verbal spats that didn’t come to blows, and this was more of the same.
“It’s not too far, dude. We’ll be there before it gets dark.” Thad said.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ryan shot back.
Before Thad could throw another jab at Ryan, Victoria reached out and tapped Thad’s arm.
“Hey, babe. It’s really beautiful out here. All the trees are so filled out this time of year! It all looks so lush.” Victoria said. It was clear to Danny that she just felt the need to say anything that would get Thad to not acknowledge Ryan.
As Thad turned his attention to Victoria, Ryan continued to mumble to himself regarding his various ailments including his suspicion of bug bites and his aching feet.
“We’ll be fine, Ry. This isn’t his first time out here, and we have plenty of food and water. Once we set up, you can get some food and rest.” Danny said.
Ryan nodded. He knew he was right, but he refused to verbally concede.
The group made their way forward, following the trail – a loose definition of the term – and admiring the nature around them. The smell of trees and fresh air was unlike anything they encountered in their day to day life back in suburbia. Minutes flew by, Danny enjoyed the mindless walk. As he looked at the birds resting on a tree to his right, he bumped into Ryan. Victoria was stopped on the trail and Thad had taken a few steps off the trail.
“Thad’s taking a piss.” Ryan clarified, seeing the confusion on Danny’s face.
“Got it.” Danny turned to look around and take in the scenery.
“It’s been at least fifteen minutes and the trees ahead look just as thick as before.” Ryan whispered.
Danny’s eyes wandered tree to tree, but something caught his eye. His gaze landed on the trunk of a large tree. He didn’t know why, but something felt off.
“I don’t know if Thad has a fucking clue about this trail.” Ryan continued.
Danny held his gaze on the tree trunk, looking for something, although he didn’t know what. He turned to Ryan. “Yeah, just don’t worry. If we aren’t sitting around a fire in an hour, then I’m with you, but I think he’s got it under control.”
A twig snapped. Danny’s head darted to the right. He stared at the thick tree trunk once again. Something was wrong.
“Did a squirrel just make you shit yourself?” Thad laughed, as he zipped up his shorts. Danny’s eyes were wide, but he couldn’t explain exactly why. He just had a hunch that something was over there.
Danny stammered.
“Chill the fuck out.” Thad said with a laugh. “Jesus fucking Christ, do you ever relax?” Thad shook his head and started back down the trail.
Danny gave the tree trunk a long look, then continued on behind Ryan. It probably was just a fucking squirrel.
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Next Chapter: We’ll meet Mike and Kevin, Father’s sons, and find out what each of them are up to.
Tom Chambers 