Black Woods: Book 1 (Black Woods Series)

  Erick's thoughts are scattered. He hopes to shoot a turkey, so he can boast about it. He also wants to rub in that he remembered the place. He really should get a job. Maybe go to college? Sooner or later, he needs to grow up. His brain is a tad bit slower than most people's are, making it harder on him in life. Hunting is different. It comes naturally. He would like to have a girlfriend. Last girl he dated was over three months ago. There are no immediate prospects in the future either. Damn my luck, he thinks.

  Bob is staring at the road, watching it go by. This better be a damn good place after a two hour drive, he thinks. He knows the guys believe he lives off his parents, and he lets them believe it too. Actually, he does work for his money, most of the time. He earns what he gets by keeping his grades high, working around the house, and helping at his dad's store. His parents do overpay him, but hey, he didn't ask them to. Bob notices a sign for the forest, two miles ahead. He is ready to have a great time with his buddies. He hopes that it is a hunting trip that they won't forget.

  "Well, we’re here, let’s find a good camping spot," Bob says as they pull into the campgrounds.

  Driving around a small loop to the end, they stop at a site right next to a creek.

  "This looks good," Greg says from the passenger seat.

  Bob shuts down the engine and exits the truck. The rest of the passengers get out of the vehicle and stretch their legs. They are ready to have the time of their lives. Inhaling the fresh air, they know they have arrived.

  "Get everything out and start setting up!" Bob orders before going to find the pay station.

  Greg grabs the extra large tent from the storage area. "Who wants to help with this thing?" he asks.

  "I will," Skinner says.

  After stretching and pulling the tent into shape, they are ready for the poles. Greg looks around and can't seem to locate them.

  "Hey, has anyone seen the poles?" Greg asks.

  "No," Skinner answers.

  "What the hell. . ."

  Greg feels something poking him in his rump. He spins around to find Erick holding the tent poles in one hand. He's grinning like a mischievous child while chasing Greg's butt with the poles.

  Greg struggles with Erick, but eventually he gets the poles. "I should stick this up your ass, but I'm afraid we would lose them."

  "Funny," Erick says.

  Skinner and Greg go back to finishing the tent, sliding the poles through the little tabs. Poof! They have shelter. Now the stakes go into the ground.

  Erick unloads all of the bedding, cooking utensils, and other supplies they need for a week of camping.

  Skinner puts the bedding in the tent, and zips up the tent door tight. It helps to keep the bugs out.

  The camp site is all set, and the boys are ready to explore.

  "It looks good around here. Let's go get some supplies. Must be a store near by," Bob says.

  "Maybe we need to put Skinner on the hood of the truck. He can track down food just like an old hound," Erick jokes.

  "Shut up, Erick!" Skinner shouts.

  The laughter is rolling again.

  They jump into the vehicle, and check out the countryside as they travel. They head straight to the closest grocery store for supplies. It takes about fifteen minutes to locate one.

  "Wait a second, guys," Greg says.

  The group of young men is crawling from Bob’s SUV.

  "Look around here!" Greg gestures with his arms wide open, slightly turning his body in a circular motion as if he was being saved at a revival.

  "What the hell’s wrong with you, man? I don’t see anything," Skinner complains as only Skinner can.

  "All the wildlife we need to hunt is walking around this parking lot." Greg bends over with laughter.

  "You're as dumb as a box of rocks, Greg!" Erick doesn't seem to get Greg's comment. "All I see is an old woman and an ugly chick helping her into the store."

  They all laugh now as Erick looks around again, his laughter joining theirs when he realizes it's a joke.

  Inside the store is a different matter. Bob notices a good looking chick behind the deli counter. She's in her early twenties with soft brown hair, and she has a smile that stretches from ear to ear.

  "Looks like I need to buy some meat," Bob says with a wink to the boys.

  They whistle at him as he walks to the counter.

  "How's the salami around here?" he asks, grinning.

  "Oh, meat's definitely better here than anything from out of town," the girl says. Her cutting remark is obvious, and it burns Bob's ego.

  "Wow, you got some spunk." He looks down at her name tag. "Addy."

  "Well, when you're as good looking as I am, you learn it quick!" she says.

  She smiles again. She enjoys teasing the guys. Flirting is something that comes easily to her. Not that she's easy. She just loves the teasing. As Bob and Addy talk for a little while longer, the other three go shopping for supplies.

  Skinner starts loading up on beer, Greg grabs chips and cookies, and Erick's arms are filled with packs of hot dogs and buns.

  "You boys ready to get out of here?" Bob asks the gang.

  Back in the truck, the boys want to hear all the details about the girl behind the deli counter.

  "Oh, you see, she was hot for me the instant I walked up and asked her about the salami."

  Again, nothing but laughter comes from the SUV. That's all the boys really know how to do--be young and have fun. They decide to go back to the campgrounds for the rest of the day. They'll look for a good area to hunt turkey tomorrow. .

  At the campgrounds, Bob and Greg go for a walk to check out the area.

  "How are you doing in school?" Bob asks.

  "Pretty good. 3.3 GPA, but I'm working to raise it," Greg replies. "What about you?

  "Good. I can't wait for summer break though. I need a rest from the books."

  "I know what you mean, but man, we'll have a good future once we graduate," Greg says.

  "I know. Let's walk around that small lake over there." Bob points to a small lake about a hundred yards away.

  "Sure," Greg says.

  Skinner is still eating on a hot dog while relaxing in a camp chair he has carried to the creek. He watches some little minnows swimming aimlessly around the small stream.

  "You still eating?" Erick asks. He carries a chair to join his friend by the creek. "No wonder you look like the poppin' fresh dough boy."

  "You're just jealous of my great body," Skinner says.

  Both boys laugh.

  "I'm ready to go hunting." Skinner adds. He reaches down to a cooler next to his chair in the sand. "Want a beer?" he asks, handing a cold one to Erick.

  "Sure," Erick answers as he takes the beer. "I'm ready to hunt too. It looks like good woods around this part."

  Erick wants to boast about the trip again.

  "They do look good. Well, you did it, buddy. Remembering about this place, I mean. I think we'll do good here," Skinner tells him.

  Erick has an authentic smile on his face. He is glad his friend gave him credit for the find. The two young men sit idly and chat for some time. They watch as minnows swim and dragonflies land on the water. They swat at themselves as they suffer a few bites from the mosquitoes.

  Suddenly, Erick and Skinner fly from their chairs and hit the water with a loud smack. They bolt upright instantly in the cold, shallow stream before looking around in confusion. Bob and Greg are standing on the bank laughing their asses off. The chairs are still in their hands.

  "Damn you, idiots! This water is cold!" Skinner complains.

  "You needed a bath anyways," Bob tells him.

  The boys walk the short distance to the tent. Skinner and Erick break away to go to the restroom and change their clothing. The boys then begin drinking for the evening.

  Chapter 8

  Friday

  It's Friday. No woods today. There's too much work to be done before tomorrow.

  "Wake up, Dale." I slap him gently
on the back, but there is only moaning and groaning from him. "We have lots to do around here."

  "I know. Just a little longer," Dale pleads. He pulls the covers over his head, acting like a little kid in an old man’s body.

  "Alright, but only a little longer, then I’ll wop you over the head with a frying pan," I say with a smile.

  "Make sure there’s eggs in it first. I could go for breakfast in bed," he jokes.

  "You think you're funny," I say as I walk to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

  While I am cleaning up the breakfast mess in the kitchen, Dale sneaks up behind me.

  "Boo!"

  I spin around, startled.

  "Stop that! Do you want to kill me before our anniversary?"

  We hug and he goes out the door to finish the yard work.

  I get the list from the refrigerator and double check it for all the items needed for the party. I hurry out the door, and then look around to locate Dale on the riding mower. I wave at him as I climb into the car. The grass is just starting to come back to life after the rough winter we'd suffered. It was a winter full of record snow and ice. The most we'd seen in thirty years.

  While I drive to our local grocer, I think about my forty years of marriage. It amazes me that it's been that long. I remember standing at the altar saying yes to Dale like it was yesterday. Now, forty years later, I'm still driving to the same store. This town hasn't changed much. We've gotten a few new lights on Main Street, a couple of new bars, and a restaurant here and there.

  "Hello, babe," I say to Addy, my great-niece, as I enter the store. "Is there anything on sale today?"

  Addy looks up and smiles.

  "Of course. The sugar-cured ham and the smoked turkey are both on sale," Addy replies.

  "Give me two pounds of each."

  I look at her and suddenly realize how much she looks like her mother.

  "How's your mom? I haven't seen her in a few days."

  "Doing good. We’ll be at your house tomorrow," she says cheerfully.

  "Oh, it’s going to be great to have all the family together," I say. I truly mean it. I'm as happy as any old woman can be."Well, I got a lot to do. Tell your sister I said 'hi.'"

  "Will do. Love you," she says.

  "Love you more," I holler at her as I leave to finish my shopping.

  By the time I'm ready to leave the store, I need a backhoe to haul it all to the car. Luckily, the store has a strong young man to help.

  I get all the groceries put away, so I decide to rest a spell and check my e-mails. I head to the computer that my kind brother bought me last Christmas, with a cup of coffee in one hand. The way us two are addicted to electronics, we really need to go to a geek meeting, I think and giggle to myself.

  No real e-mails today just the basic spam. You can enlarge this or that with these, your PC is infected click here, we owe you money, shipment delays… so on and so on. I have better things to do. I go to my Facebook page to check on all my friends and family. I already have a lot of anniversary congratulations posted, so I reply to them all. A couple of friends have birthdays, so I wish them well. Then I have to play a little Farmville game; it’s really such a simple game, which can take up hours of your day, but it's so fun. I post the last total count of mushrooms I've found. I love to keep them up to date on this, or maybe I’m rubbing it in! Only I know that answer, "giggles, wink."

  The phone rings.

  "Hello," I answer.

  "I told you I would call." Julie is speaking on the other end.

  "Okay, let's have it." I lean back in the chair to listen.

  "Well, we only hunted for two hours, but got three pounds, not bad is it, not bad at all."

  "Definitely not, and great for you. Now are you ready to help me?" I sarcastically tease.

  "Sure, I can be there in about an hour," she replies.

  I can hear her shuffling around the house putting her hiking gear away and Chris is saying something in the background.

  "Great! Oh! By the way, I saw Addy today. I swear that granddaughter of yours looks more and more like her mommy."

  "Doesn’t she, though," Julie replies.

  We mumble about a few other things before we hang up.

  I pry myself away from the computer; it gets addicting at times. I look for Dale and don't have to go far. He's done with the mowing; now he's doing his usual thing.

  "Don’t you ever get tired of those shows?" I ask.

  "Well, sometimes, you know that. Then I watch a game," he answers, with no actual feeling, since he looks tired.

  "Go take a nap. I need you to help me later," I tell him, then I stroll to the kitchen to get a bite to eat.

  "Did you have lunch yet?" I ask.

  "Yes, had some mushrooms and a bologna sandwich," he replies as he rises from the couch.

  "I guess I am tired. Wake me in a few hours." Dale heads to the bedroom.

  I'm standing at the refrigerator, door open, staring. This is something I would yell at the kids for. Oh well, they're not here to see me. What do I want? I think to myself. I hear a car pull up in the drive, and I know it is Julie, arriving to help.

  "Hey, girl, help has arrived," Julie says and sets down a beautiful bouquet of hand-picked flowers she selected from her yard.

  I shut the refrigerator door.

  "Good. Maybe you can help me find some lunch." Some days it’s hard to think of something good to eat.

  We dig around in the cabinets as we look for food and there’s so much food, but nothing sounds tempting. Finally, I grab a can of soup, deciding that will do. We do some talking as I eat my lunch. Then we go to work on the chores.

  * * *

  After staying up all night drinking and telling ghost stories, the boys sleep almost 'til noon.

  "Damn." Bob is really pissed they have slept so late. He figures they can’t really find a turkey at this hour.

  "Get your lazy asses up!" he yells, loud enough for the entire campgrounds to hear. Not that it matters that much, only three other campsites are occupied. It’s still a little chilly at night for most people.

  "What, no way," Skinner mumbles, still half asleep. He rolls back over, his head pounding from all the beer.

  More moaning sounds come from the other two men.

  "If you wanted to drink all night and sleep all day, we could have stayed home," Bob tells them.

  This gets their attention and they begin to wake. They are moving slowly, their heads spinning from the beer, and eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

  "Man, what a night! I had a blast!" Skinner says.

  "You always have a blast as long as you're drinking, Skinner, or should I say 'Squirmer'?" Greg laughs before anyone else does; they're still tired and their heads are hurting.

  Close to an hour passes before they go scouting for an area to hunt. Now they're driving down the old roads. They look out the windows for signs of a good spot. The boys notice an area that looks pretty good. Just one truck parked along the road, they pull over to check it out.

  The boys jump from the vehicle, landing on the gravel road, looking like a military unit on maneuvers. All dressed in camouflage clothing from head to toe, with small spots here and there of bright orange coloring. Typical attire for the hunter. With guns slung over their shoulders, they're eagerly ready.

  "Let’s get ’er done!" Erick shouts, probably scaring every turkey away.

  "Shit, Erick!" Greg and Bob both complain about the shout.

  "Do you want to get a turkey or not?" Bob asks.

  "Sorry, just ready, I guess," he replies, feeling stupid as he realizes what he did.

  They enter the forest, ready for a kill.

  Skinner searches for a perfect spot to plant his ass. He likes to lean against a tree and wait for his prey. He locates his perfect spot, now he waits. He's feeling a little uncomfortable, but is not sure why; something in the air is all, a vibration.

  Erick's in a nice area with a good view of the forest floor and he knows
Skinner is close by. He settles in for the wait; he has high hopes he will get a turkey.

  Walking carefully to avoid making too much noise, gun in hand, Bob is scouting out his location; he's in his own zone.

  Plopping his butt down just anywhere, Greg is ready.

  Time slowly goes by; no one is hearing a gun fire.

  Still feeling uneasy for no reason, Skinner searches around the thick forest. He studies the trees surrounding him.

  Crack!

  In the far distance of the forest, something moves. The sound spooks him. He doesn't know why he is having issues with the damn place. It's just a forest, like any other forest, he tells himself. He gets up and looks for Erick, and then he sees him. Skinner walks steadily to his friend, listening to the forest. Must have been all those ghost stories last night, Skinner tries to convince himself.

  "Whatcha doing over here?" Erick asks.

  "Just checking on you. Have you seen any birds?"

  "No, I think this spot's been over hunted today. I saw where others have been in here." Erick rises and stands with Skinner.

  "Let's walk a bit, we've been out a while now," Skinner says.

  They stroll along at an easy pace, softly speaking to each other, as they keep an eye on the forest for a bird.

  "We should get back at the other two for dumping us in the creek last night," Erick says.

  "Yeah, let's think of a really good idea to get back. Hey, what about catching a snake and putting it in their bedding?" Skinner asks.

  "Hell no! You know I'm deathly scared of 'em," Erick replies.

  "Oh, sorry I forgot. We'll come up with something, I know we will."

  Greg relaxes against a tree, stretches out his legs. He gets comfortable for a rest. He didn't have enough sleep last night, so he closes his eyes. The sounds of nature are ringing in his ears, and he lightly sleeps.

  Bob sits on the cold ground. He's getting discouraged about this hunting trip; he hasn't seen a turkey yet. What's the deal, I should have seen something by now, he thinks. Instantly, Bob stiffens when he thinks he hears something growling. He concentrates on listening. A few minutes go by. All is quiet, except the normal sounds in a forest. Shit, what startled me? Must not have been anything, he thinks as he goes looking for Greg.