CHAPTER 3
Danny could tell that Thad was starting to worry. Since the sun started to go down, something had changed in Thad’s pace and posture. It had not have been long since Thad had reassured them that he knew the route, but it had gotten significantly darker in that short time. For the first time in the day, Danny became seriously concerned that Thad didn’t have half a clue if the forest would ever end.
“How much further do we have?” Danny shouted from the back of the pack, making sure he would be heard over the sounds of branches flexing and leaves rustling.
Thad didn’t immediately look back at Danny or respond. It would’ve been easier if it was Ryan asking for the tenth time this afternoon. Thad could blow him off with a comment or joke without drawing any undue attention. But he couldn’t do the same to Danny. Danny hadn’t show any concerns the whole day – at least until now.
“I’m pretty sure it’s right up here. Five, ten more minutes.” Thad said, the trepidation was clear in his voice.
“Pretty sure?” Ryan asked, with a hint of fear and a touch of disdain.
“The trees are thinning out, so we should be almost through. Just like how the woods were thin when we first started on the trail. Right?” Thad said, looking back at Danny as he thought through the sentence. He hoped to convince Danny with his tone and body language, but the way he sounded didn’t convince Danny. He was reasoning, not remembering. He was walking through logic that led him to the conclusion that the woods were going to open up. He didn’t sound like he knew they would. And Thad ignored that there were times earlier in the day where the woods thinned out; that happened in the middle of the woods. Danny could feel the butterflies in his stomach.
“When did you hike up here last?” Danny asked.
Once again, Thad didn’t answer immediately. Vic glanced over her shoulder at Danny with concern on her face.
“Do you mean this trail or this area?” Thad said, flatly.
“Both.”
“Well,” Thad paused causing both Vic and Ryan to fidget, but they remained silent. “Last month, I walked the trail that was to the right of the woods. You get a good view on that hike, it leads up a big fucking hill. Almost a mountain. You can even see the school from up there.”
“How about this one?” Danny said, trying to keep Thad focused.
“This is my first time on this trail.” Thad said it like it was no big deal, almost with a shrug.
“Hold the fuck up. You haven’t been down here?” Ryan shouted. “You said you scouted this trail out. You’ve been acting like you know where we’re going. What the fuck, man?” Ryan would’ve grabbed Thad by the shoulder and spun him around if Vic wasn’t a boundary between the two.
Ryan’s outburst seemed to somehow give Thad composure. He stopped walking, and everyone followed suit to make an informal circle.
“I did scout it out. I could see these woods from the mountain.” Thad explained calmly. “I could see that they led to a big clearing where the woods open up. All you have to do is walk straight fucking through the woods, which is exactly what we’re doing. It looks like I might’ve thought the hike was a little shorter, but we have to be almost there.”
Ryan was baffled. He silently stammered not knowing what to say, he was clearly upset, but he didn’t know how to respond to that. He looked to Danny. “And you’re okay with this?” Ryan asked.
Danny sighed. “Thad, you should’ve told us that you hadn’t been down here. Come on dude, it’s kinda sketchy and we’re fucking miles deep in this place. The trail could’ve ended two miles ago and then we’d just be mindlessly walking. We easily could’ve been screwed.” Then Danny turned back to Ryan. “But all we can do now is keep going ahead. Let me fucking reiterate, we are fucking miles deep into the woods, we won’t get back to Thad’s car until two in the morning at this rate. So let’s hurry up, find the clearing, and set up are tents. Ok?”
Thad nodded. Danny looked to Ryan and raised his eyebrows to spur some kind of response.
“Ok,” Ryan muttered.
Danny looked to Victoria, but she wasn’t giving them any of her attention. She had been looking behind Thad, gazing at something between the trees and plants. Her mouth was partially open, like she wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say.
“Vic.” Danny tapped her arm. She flinched hard.
“I-I-I,” she looked wide eyed at Danny. Before she could piece together a full thought, Thad had put a hand on her back and steered her towards him.
“What’s going on, babe?” Thad said, sensing her apparent distress.
“I think I saw…a man?” She said it more like a question than a fact. She knew she saw something alive. But it wasn’t a squirrel or a bird. She didn’t get a great look at the thing, since the lighting was getting worse and worse by the minute, but she swore that she saw a sliver of a face. A rough face. A face that you wouldn’t see around in the suburbs, it looked like something out of a history book before people built communities and cities. She thought she saw a man.
“Babe, we’re the only ones out there. We were the only car when we pulled up, and we’ve been walking all day. There’s nobody out this far and nobody you need to worry about.”
“There was a face.” She whispered.
“If you’re looking at anything long enough, you’re gonna imagine some shit. Half these trees look kinda like deformed people if you get the right angle and lighting. And it’s getting dark! You probably just saw something like that.”
She looked unconvinced. Ryan started looking to his left, right where Vic had been looking before.
“Remember Psych? The brain tries to make sense of shit when there’s nothing there. We try to see faces in everything! There’s nothing there.” Thad said, making a rare reference to school.
She still looked timid, but she seemed a little persuaded. Ryan on the other hand had nearly pissed his pants. Thad was ready to turn back to the trail and head towards the clearing, just like Danny had suggested. He showed no sign of concern.
“Thad?” Victoria asked.
“Yes, baby,” Thad smiled.
“Can you take a look, please? I know it’s dumb, but it will make me feel better.”
“No problem,” He rubbed her back up and down, and then turned to where she pointed, taking two small steps off the trail.
* * *
After Vic initially caught a glimpse of Mike, he didn’t hesitate. He started backing up slowly, putting more foliage between himself and the group of teens. By the time Thad decided to take a closer look, Mike was already making his way towards his house, minutes away from the group. His footsteps fell well out of earshot. She may have gotten a better look of Mike than Danny did, but they weren’t going to find a thing.
Boy are those kids drama queens. They have to babble on with their petty jabs and passive aggressive complaints. Usually their arguments are a lot more entertaining, but these kids seemed more and more pathetic the longer he stalked them.
The extra time he spent trailing them did pay off though. He learned a bit more about Danny and the little lady. They were the more reasonable of the bunch. Dan seemed to keep his cool and think about things. Vic seemed to try and keep the peace. That little fight proved that Thad is clearly the alpha and Ryan is a pathetic runt, but it also showed that Danny was willing to challenge Thad a bit. That’s interesting.
The family always finds ways to put our knowledge to use. We can work with this; we can get in their heads. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done it, and it definitely won’t be the last.
All of the quiet stalking didn’t take away from Mike’s jovial feelings. Deep inside, he wanted to shout out. As the spread between himself and the group of teenagers grew, he walked with rhythm in his step.
Boy oh boy! Father is going to be happy when he hears about them! We’re going to have a lot of fun!
* * *
Father stood above the poorly crafted wooden crib. The stilted structure was unpainted and crude, but it got the served its purpose. The rest of the room looked equally as bland; the walls were a faded gray, the littered table had was left unpainted, and the baby’s bedding was a faded blue color from years of use.
Father looked down at the infant with a mix of delight, pride, and lust. His child that would soon bring promise back to the family.
On the surface, Eli looked like a beautiful infant. Without context, one could easily imagine him being the offspring of a loving, young couple that were prepared to give their life to make Eli’s full of promise. The infant had a mesmerizing quality that went beyond the normal, biologically based hypnotizing effect that babies typically have on their parents. He had a unique quality, an aura, that compelled a person – even a dark creature like Father.
The baby’s enamoring aesthetics betrayed the vile circumstances that surrounded every bit of it’s being. From conception, Eli has been a concoction of the worst actions and events that one could plausibly conceive of. Starting with the way Father forced himself onto a captive teenager all the way through her disposal after she produced Eli, Eli’s existence is framed by inhumane atrocities that are almost non-existent in the twenty-first century.
That’s why Eli is so perfect to Father. That’s why Eli will strengthen the family. He is a resource that they can use. With each passing day, Father became further convinced that it was time to use the infant for his higher purpose. Maybe, today would be the day.
Downstairs, the front door of the house swung
open followed by a loud howl from presumably Mike. Father smiled, he
figured that Mike would have good news, or else he would’ve been home
hours ago. Father gave Eli a loving look before leaving the room,
shutting the door quietly, and making his way downstairs.
____
Next Chapter: It sure is getting dark outside. The gang finds the clearing and the Family celebrates Mike’s good news! Let the hunt begin.
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Tom Chambers 