Chapter 5 – Chap 5

I followed the group, sticking to the middle, next to Josh. Drevon took the lead, as he had the biggest flashlight out of all of us. I was the only one who didn’t think to pack one, so I lamley used my phone’s, trying not to think about how much it would drain my battery. Kas and Eric took up the back of the group, the obnoxious giggling from the two continued as we trekked on. Josh and Drevon chatted eagerly with Josh, excitedly reciting what they knew about “the case,” as they called it, regarding Ronne Ferguson.

While the overall mood of the group was a hopeful type of excitement, I didn’t share in their enthusiasm. Everything from the bark of the trees to the dirt path beneath our feet seemed wrong by every stretch of the imagination. I couldn’t pinpoint why, though.

Yes, someone I had known died somewhere on this very trail, and yes, that should’ve been reason enough to feel uneasy but it wasn’t. This felt like something more. It felt like hallowed ground.

“So,” Drevon said from the front, “You guys know what happened in these woods right?” I looked up from the road and to Drevon. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

“No,” Josh simply said.

“What happened?” Kas asked, her voice somewhat shaking. Through the darkness I could see Drevon smirk slightly. He’d quickly garnered the group’s attention with ease.

“Well,” his voice had deepend like it would if one were telling a story around a campfire, “Back when the town was founded, like the early 1800s or some shit, there was this small group of gypsies that lived just about a mile off the outskirts of town. Now, they kept to themselves mostly, not really interacting with the townsfolk because it’s not like they’d be there for long, right?”

“So one day the folk find this girl’s body in a field. She’s this bloody mess, completely gnarled. The townsfolk blame one of the men of the gypsie families, even though they’ve got no real reason to. That’s just how it was back then, I guess. Anyways, the townsfolk are mad because the police won’t come out and arrest this guy so they decide to enact their own form of justice.”

“They grab this guy, rip him right out of his home, and drag him out into the woods, away from the town. Once far enough out, they beat this guy to a bloody pulp until he finally passes out. One of the townsfolk brought a rope,” he paused, “and they hung him from the branches of the tallest tree they could find, leaving his corpse up there to rot for days.”

We walked without saying anything, letting ourselves take in the story. That was until Josh broke that silence. “I’m guessing that those woods that he was killed in are these woods then?”

Drevon nodded, “You guess right, Josh.”

“Wait,” Eric chimed in now, trying to piece the story together still, “So does he… haunt these woods or something?” Drevon shook his head in annoyance.

“No, man. They say that the man’s widow, in a rage against the townsfolk, hexed the woods of her husband’s place of murder. Damning any member of the town who dares to trespass where her beloved’s life was taken.”

I was actually on-board with the story at first. As a horror fan, I realized that it wasn’t really anything special and it was also predictable. That being said, hearing it in the dark woods, with the high branches looming overhead as the sounds of wildlife moved around us, it wasn’t half bad.

Fun ghost stories aside, it didn’t take me long to realize the implication of the story.

By the logic of the story it meant that Ronnie had met his cruel fate at the hands of…something. An evil something that was supposed to have murdered our classmate. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of that.

I was certain of one thing: if there was something out in those woods, it didn’t want us there.

My unease had reached a boiling point that I couldn’t stand anymore. “What are we trying to find out here anyways?”

Drevon scoffed and looked over his shoulder at me, “What do you mean ‘what are we trying to find out here?’’ he mocked while turning to face the others, “What did I tell you? He’s scared.”

“It’s not that I’m scared!” I rebutted, “I just want to know. You’re talking about all these ghost stories but we’re only out here because Ronnie died. Are you trying to find something supernatural because that’s just ignoring the obvious: he froze to death!”

I didn’t really believe in those words myself, but it seemed like maybe it could be enough to change the group’s mind. Drevon stopped and turned to face me, closing the distance between us.

“Yeah? Then why’d the police cover it up? Does that sound like freezing to death to you?”

It didn’t, but I was getting too angry to think straight or come up with a proper response.

“So you want to end up dead like him? Because if you’re right then you’re a dumbass with a deathwish.”

“Guys,” Eric said from the back. Drevon was only a few inches in front of me now.

“What’d you call me?”

“If you want to die looking for bullshit go right on ahead. You’d be doing the world a favor.”

He reached for my phone, snarling, “Get that damn light out of my face.”

I pulled it away from his grasp just as the rest of the group pulled us apart. Josh held me a few yards away as Eric pulled Drevon away, yelling to Josh, “I told you brining him was a bad idea!”

“What the hell man?” Josh said so that only I could hear him.

My anger faltered with his whisper. I was confused instead. Why was he mad at me? Josh should have been on my side, not Drevon’s. Surely I wasn’t in the wrong here.

In the quick scuffle I hadn’t noticed Kas wonder a little ahead on the trail, staring slightly off of it. I was the first to notice, my rage filled expression turning to one of mild curiosity. Drevon was next, turning over his shoulder to see what was behind him. Eric and Josh must have taken notice too, because they cautiously let us go as we all headed over to the girl.

I saw that her face seemed sad with a frown and somber eyes that looked downward to the ground below. It was a strange contrast from her previously bubly expression. We followed her eyes onto the base of a tree trunk.

There, laying in the shrubbery, barely visible in the darkness, was a lone, small strip of yellow police tape.

This had been what we were looking for, even if we didn’t realize it until just now. This whole night had led up to this very moment, but I don’t think any of us were truly ready for it.

It’s one this to be at a gravesite. It’s another thing completely to be at the place where one’s soul has left their body.

It was the only stump by the path. A plot of land behind it had been cleared of the forestation, almost in a perfect rectangle. It was as though a building had been there, yet now ceased to be. I found myself wondering if Ronnie had taken notice of it on his final night.

All of the tension had now subsided in the group. It just didn’t feel important anymore. Not here, anyways.

“Oh no,” Eric’s voice brought me back to reality. He was facing our left, where two glowing yellow lights sat in the distance.

“Is that a car?” Kas asked.

“Flashlights maybe?” Josh suggested as well.

“Whatever it is,” said Eric, “I’d be willing to bet they heard you two yelling.” He snapped at Drevon and I, “We gotta go.”

Getting arrested for trespassing was not part of the plan. We ran out of the woods and to the car in record time. Eric sped out of the parking lot and hit the main road after just a few minutes.

Finding something was what we wanted to do and we did. Only three of us would ever really know what we actually found that night.

As we drove towards the house I could tell that Josh was mad. He would hardly even look at me. I wanted to say something but couldn’t think of the proper words. Instead I stayed quiet until the car pulled into Kas’ driveway.

I thanked Eric for the ride but gave the rest of the group one collective goodbye as to not make things even more awkward.

As my mother picked me up and drove me away from the house, I found myself feeling regret once more.

I once again stared out of the car window. I thought of Josh, the near fight with Drevon, and I felt like a bastard when my thoughts drifted to Ronnie Ferguson.