Chapter Nine
This is the most peaceful I have ever felt.
Luke and I took some time to lie back and cloud-gaze while the fire warmed us.
I haven’t done this with anyone since I was a kid.
The sound of the river trickling over rocks starts to lull me to that place right before you fall asleep.
My body feels heavy, like I can’t move but I’m not quite asleep, still able to hear everything going on around me.
Right when I start to drift, I swear the wind whispers my name into my ear.
I can feel the warm breeze blowing across my body.
I gasp, sitting up fast, momentarily feeling dizzy as I look to where I heard my name but see only trees.
They are packed so tightly I can barely tell where one starts and another ends.
It takes me a moment, but I realize that the trees look so close together because it’s darker than it should be around them.
I look up, shocked when I see that the sun has already started to set.
What time is it? I turn toward Luke and gently shake him awake.
“Luke… I think we fell asleep! The sun is going down.” He opens his eyes, jumping to his feet fast.
“Fuck! We gotta go, babe. It’s going to be dark before we get back. I’m sorry, I don’t know how that happened! I’ve been checking the time constantly,” he says as he packs up our picnic in a frenzy.
I stand up and grab his hand, holding onto it firmly. “It’s okay, take a breath. You know how to get us out of these woods and it will be fine. Plus, if anyone is going to freak out, I automatically reserve the right to do so, so you need to stay calm.”
“I always forget about that clause you snuck into this relationship. Stay close and if we keep a steady pace, we can make it out before it gets too late.” He doesn’t let go of my hand as he guides me back out the way we came.
We walk for what feels like a long time, losing the light faster than I was hoping to.
I can feel Luke’s stress growing, which I’m desperately trying not to let trigger mine.
I do my best to keep chatting at him about random things, trying to keep the mood as light as possible when suddenly, he stops.
I wait to see if he is going to say or do anything, but he stays silent and still.
After a couple seconds of stillness, I walk around him so I can see his face.
His lips are a thin line and even in this low light, I can tell he has lost some of his color. His eyes dart down to mine.
“I don’t know where we are. I don’t know how it happened, but I think I got turned around somewhere.
I just need some quiet so I can focus and get my bearings.
Please.” He doesn’t say it frustrated or mean, more like he is stating a fact, but my stomach drops.
I seemingly can’t remember how to breathe so I nod.
Oh my god. We’re lost. As that terrifying thought enters my mind, the trees feel like they’re closing in.
My heartbeat is picking up, heat creeping over my body and I start to get dizzy.
I stumble over to a tree and sit down, so my back is leaning against it, pulling my knees tight to my body.
Luke looks down at me but doesn’t say anything, instead he sets his bag next to me, pulling out a map and two flashlights.
He hands one to me then starts studying the map.
“I’ll get this all figured out, don’t worry.
I’ll fix it.” We still have enough light to see around us but not very far ahead.
I shine my flashlight ahead of me, starting to scan the areas that are obscured by deeper shadows.
Eventually, once I catch my breath, I stand up.
I hear a soft hum coming from somewhere near me.
As I glance around, searching for the noise, I again hear someone whispering my name.
I take a step forward and the humming gets quieter.
When I turn, pointing my flashlight behind me, I can hardly make out what I’m looking at.
As I move the stream of light around, I finally realize it’s a tree but not like any I’ve ever seen before.
It’s gigantic. Luke and I could stand with our arms out, fingertips barely touching and only make up half the width of the trunk.
Along with its size, it's also gnarled and warped, making it look sick. Where there should be bark, instead it is smooth and white like bone. It doesn’t have any branches but rather curves and twists all the way up and at the base is a giant hole.
It looks like a cave that the tree has formed around. A hollow carcass.
A feeling comes over me and I want to get closer.
I need to get closer. As I take a few small steps forward, a smell washes over me.
No, not over me—through me. It’s the same rot that has been following me since we got to these woods.
The humming is so loud now that it feels magnetic.
Almost without control, I take another step closer, but my foot hits something causing me to fall onto my hands and knees.
When I look down, right under me is a shoe almost completely buried in the ground.
The part that is sticking out is dirty and ripped with moss starting to grow up the sides.
The combination of this giant opening and the shoe scares me.
I can’t help but think whoever owned this shoe might be in there.
When I look back up, low to the ground, sitting right next to the tree is a stick figure, just like the one Luke found earlier.
I stand up quickly and stumble a few steps backwards, my light shining into the surrounding trees.
More stick figures and other crude shapes made from twigs are hanging from their branches.
They are scattered around like a shrine to the massive tree itself.
I turn and run back to Luke, but it’s much darker now.
As I frantically shine my light around, I realize I can’t find him. Anxiety is replaced by pure panic as the forest seems to close in around me. I feel myself stop breathing as I start spinning in circles, desperately searching.
“Luke! Where are you?” Silence. Oh my god.
How did I get so turned around? I yell for him a few more times as I start to turn slower, making myself take the time to look at every spot.
When I see the stick figures again, I start walking back to the dead tree.
As my light reaches where the opening should be, I see Luke.
He’s standing in front of the tree, almost touching the dark opening.
I sprint to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and yank him away from it.
“Luke! What the fuck are you doing?” He blinks a few times before smiling at me.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Looking for me? What are you talking about? You disappeared! I was standing in this exact spot just moments ago.”
“Weird. We must have just missed each other. It’s easy to get mixed up out here,” he says like it makes all the sense in the world.
“I was calling you. I was yelling. Didn’t you hear me?” I take a step back from him, needing space as I feel myself getting mad at his lack of concern. He hasn’t even stopped smiling. Why can’t he see how messed up this is?
“I didn’t, Babe. I was looking at the map for one second and then the next, you vanished.
I searched for you for probably 15 minutes before you found me.
” He looks confused and hurt by my reaction.
“I’m sorry.” I take a few moments, internally composing myself.
I can tell he is feeling disoriented and upset, and I don’t want to add to that.
“You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything. I just… got scared.” I reach out and take his hand. “But what IS that?” I point my light back over to the tree.
“I don’t really know but it’s cool. I assume some kind of animal has dug itself a nice home,” he shrugs.
“Cool is not the word I would use, and did you see all the stick figures in the trees? Just like the one from the porch. It’s super creepy.” Luke chuckles softly, ignoring what I said.
“If we come back in the morning, I bet we would find a ton of cigarette butts and beer cans littered around. This is the exact sort of thing I would have loved to find as a kid and turn into a fort.” He looks excited by the thought.
“Okay. Well, teens like you described earlier aren’t building forts.”
“No, but I can’t think of a better spot to hide partying contraband,” he says with a wink.
“Maybe we should see what’s in there. Might find something interesting.
” He turns toward the tree and starts patting his jacket pockets.
“Shit, I can’t find my flashlight. I must have dropped it in all the chaos.
I could have sworn I was still holding it. ”
“That's okay. It’s a good thing I still have mine.” I hold up my flashlight.
“Did you figure out how to get us out of here? I really want to get back to the cabin now.” I become eerily aware of our surroundings again and look around.
He gets serious again with a nod as he pats his pocket again. His eyes go wide for a moment.
“I don’t have the map either.”
“What do you mean? Where is it?”
“I… I don’t know. I had the map and flashlight just a moment ago. I don’t know!” He paces around for a moment before stopping right in front of me. “It’s fine. Before you disappeared I had figured out the cabin should be east from here. So let’s go east.”
“Well, which way is that?” He stares at me and chuckles a little.
“Oh my God, Hanna. The sun sets in the west… so…” He motions for me to take over.
“Are you really judging me right now? I’m stressed. Plus… have I not made it abundantly clear that I’m directionally challenged. That’s why I have you.” He laughs again and takes my hand, leading me away from this haunted feeling spot.