“You know what I don’t get? Lumberjacks…” AJ was babbling, in fact he has been babbling for the last ten minutes.
“I mean who wakes up and says, I know what I want to do with my life…I would like to wear funny looking clothes and chop down high trees.” And the thing with AJ is if you ignore him, he doesn’t stop.
“I mean having a huge axe would be cool…” See?
“But even still, I don’t get it...” We were walking in a line, which was odd but that’s just kind of how we ended up. Kevin of course was in the lead, followed closely by Brian, then came Howie, me and lumberjack boy were bringing up the rear.
“I wonder how much lumberjacks make a year.” I know why he was babbling like this. It was because he felt it too. He had to, I think everyone did. We felt like we were being watched. It was an eerie feeling, which I started to feel once we passed that stupid ass tree.
“Or if they live in the woods. Maybe they have their own little huts or something.” I turned to face AJ, and also check to see if anything was coming up from behind us. That’s the other feeling I had, that something was following us and at any minute, whatever it was, was going to pop out of nowhere.
When he saw me turn to face him, he stopped for a second and adjusted the huge bag on his shoulders. I’m sure he did that so I would feel guilty that he was lugging around such a heavy thing while I had a measly little backpack. Yeah…right, I felt horribly guilty…not! I will gladly trade with him, I’ll lug the tent and he can have freaking death wanting his ass!
“What?” He asked me all defensive like. The way he quickly turned himself around only confirmed the fact that I was right. He did feel it to.
“Nothing.” I shrugged at him and then turned back around.
We haven’t really been walking for that long, maybe about 45 minutes tops and not even all that fast, but I was beyond exhausted. Each step I took felt like I was climbing a mountain. “Do you think we are going uphill?”
“Not sure.” Howie answered, without even looking my way.
“It feels like it, doesn’t it?”
He turned around, “I don’t think so.”
I nodded, “Oh.”
“You hanging in there?”
I nodded at him, “Yeah, what about you?”
“I’m okay.” I nodded again and then he turned and picked up his pace. Lord knows we couldn’t get out of our little line formation we had going on.
Once again I had that feeling, someone was watching us, so I turned my head to the left and I saw someone…watching us. I have to say, I didn’t even flinch this time. I was getting good at this whole ‘seeing ghosts’ thing. It was like yesterday’s news for me already. He was a man probably around my dad’s age and he was just watching us as we passed by him. He wasn’t scary or menacing, just dead. That sounded so wrong, but it’s true.
I have a feeling that he’s not the last one I’ll see either.
“I wonder if those lumberjack boots are uncomfortable.”
“AJ, I am putting you on mute!” That was Kevin, screaming from the front of the line. Thank you Kevin! But then again without AJ’s excessive babbling the silence was just plain creepy. So…
“Have you ever wondered why we entrust our winter to a groundhog?” I started babbling.
“Shouldn’t we just fire all the weathermen and replace them with groundhogs then?”
“That’s a great question Nick.”
I looked back at AJ confused, “It is?”
“Yes, I was wondering the same exact thing the other day.”
“You were?”
“No dumbass…God you are so gullible I swear.” He grunted as he shifted the big bag from one shoulder to the other. I rolled my eyes at him but then gasped when I noticed there was an older man pressing the bag down and laughing. This man, in comparison to the other one I saw, didn’t look or seem the least bit nice. He had a meanness to his very dull, black eyes.
When AJ saw me staring past him, he all but freaked out dropping the bag and fleeing from the spot where he was standing. “What is it?” He yelped.
“You’ll never make it out of here you know…” The guy said to me as he continued to laugh. “No one ever makes it out of here!” Then just like that he was gone.
“What is it?” AJ asked frantically again.
“Would the two of you stop fooling around? At this rate we won’t even make it two miles before nightfall.” Kevin scolded as he approached us.
“Yeah…sorry.” I answered as AJ gave me a look, the one I didn’t very much like. It was that ‘get away from me, you’re a freak’ look.
“You feeling okay little man?” I felt Kevin put a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m a little tired though.”
“Nick, we still have a long way to go, at least I think.”
“Why does it feel like it’s so much farther leaving then it was coming?” Brian asked, now making his way back towards where Kevin and I were standing. Our little convoy had come to a halt.
“Probably because now we are all anxious to get out of here.” Howie answered, wiping some sweat from his forehead and taking a drink of water. “I need to get in better shape.”
“Is everything alright?” Brian asked me when I was uncharacteristically quiet.
“I think we should keep moving.” I finally said, taking my bag and once again slinging it over my shoulder. I felt eyes all around us, staring and curious. Now I understood why Casper had told me to stay out of the woods. The quicker we made it out of there the better.
“You sure you are okay?” I was beginning to grow tired of that question.
“Yes.”
“Did something happen?”
“Not now Bri…” I whispered, slightly nodding over towards Kevin. I really suck at being subtle, because he totally saw that.
Kevin shook his head, “okay then…let’s keep moving. If any of you need to stop, just holler and AJ no more lumber jack talk!”
“Aren’t you going to say no more groundhog talk to the jerkalope?”
“Jerkalope?”
“Yes it’s when a jerk and an antelope mate.”
“You scare me more than these creepy woods AJ.” I added. I enjoyed coming off as the sane one from time to time. It rarely happened, but when it did I was thankful.
“You’ll never get out of here!” I heard from the woods again, even though the man had disappeared from my view.
Brian hung back with me as AJ moved ahead of the pack. I guess he didn’t want to be last anymore and I don’t blame him, I don’t really enjoy being last either, but I guess at least I can see if something is coming towards us; he would be totally unaware.
“So what happened?” Brian asked hesitantly. I could tell that he didn’t really want me to tell him at all, but I did anyway.
“They are all around us.”
“Who is?”
“You know…”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Dead people, I have been seeing them every so often, just staring at us as we move along.”
Brian had that same ‘you’re a freak’ look on his face. “Did any of them say anything?”
I nodded, “That no one ever makes it out of the woods.”
“Is Casper?”
“No, I don’t know where he is.”
“Oh well, that’s just great!” Both Brian and I looked ahead of us where the other three had stopped.
“What is it?” Brian asked as he moved forward. I on the other hand, decided to take that as an opportunity to sit down for a little bit. I was really worn out… talk about needing to get into shape.
“We are blocked again.” That made me look up and sure enough there was another huge tree sitting in our path.
“What are we going to do?” I heard Howie ask, at least I’m pretty sure it was him, truth was my head was beginning to throb something awful so I had to close my eyes. I hated getting headaches, ever since I was a little boy I got the worst ones. They would get so bad sometimes that the only thing that helped was having my mother massage my head while I used her lap as a pillow.
Wow, suddenly I really started to miss my mother. What if we never got out of here and I never got to see my family again? I got so sad all of the sudden and actually felt tears in my eyes. I wiped at them while the guys continued to brain storm what to do next.
“We could try to go around it.”
“We could try that.”
“I’ll go check things out over here…AJ come with me.”
“Do I have to Brian?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Kevin and I will check this direction and we’ll see which way is better…you stay here Nicky, okay?”
I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped a bit, but it was only Howie who was squatting down next to me, “Nicky? Are you okay?”
I sighed and nodded, “Yeah, my head hurts a little bit.”
“We are going to go check out that side of the tree and see if it’s passable. Will you be okay alone?” I nodded when I saw Casper standing there.
“Okay, we’ll be right back then.”
“I thought we would be able to get out this way…” I said to my ghost friend without looking up. I still had my eyes closed.
“Nick, I told you that my father will make this journey as hard as possible.”
“I want my mother…” Oh my God did I just whine to a ghost?
“I know you do.” He was sounding very sweet now; even though I wasn’t looking I could tell he was sitting right next to me. He also sounded like he was somehow older then before.
“Are you really just a kid Casper?”
“I’m ageless Nick, I look like a kid to you, because that’s what you are but I look like whatever it is people want to see I guess.”
“You’re name’s not Casper either is it?”
He laughed at me, “No, but to you…it is.”
“How many times have you done this? Helped people like me out of here?”
Now I did open my eyes and look at him, he made me feel so safe, very much the same way that Kevin and the rest of the guys did.
“Quite a few.”
“So that guy was lying to me then? He said that no one ever makes it out of here.”
“He is just a stubborn old man Nick, don’t listen to him.”
“Is he your uncle that no one likes? I have one of those too.” Casper…or whatever his name really was…laughed at me again.
“Don’t you think that’s some freaky ass shit Rok? I mean seriously…” Both Casper and I turned towards AJ and Brian who were emerging from the trees.
“Yes, but maybe the earthquakes made it happen.”
“That many freaking trees? No fucking way man…”
“AJ! I hate when you cuss.”
“Sorry dude.”
“We’re not getting out of here are we?” I asked the air across from me known as death’s son.
“You’ll have to find another way; most likely you’re going to have to climb over them.”
“Them?” He nodded but it was Brian who suddenly explained as if he heard Casper.
“Nick, there’s about thirty trees all this size knocked down. It’s like they are making a solid wall and preventing us from leaving.”
Within seconds Kevin and Howie made their way back towards me too, both with the same news. “It’s almost as if nature has created a wall or something.”
“We’re going to have to backtrack and find another way.” Kevin said looking back towards the way we came.
“We don’t have time…let’s climb them.” I stood up as I said that, even though I was wobbly and a little dizzy on my feet.
“There’s no way buddy…you and Howie will both have trouble getting over those trees and I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“We have to try Kevin, there’s no other way. You have to trust me.” I must have looked desperate because he came over and gave me a hug.
“You’ll be okay kiddo…everything will be okay, but there’s no way you can make it over this. I mean even if we get you over the first one, trust me there’s a ton of them blocking our way.”
“I have to try Kev.”
He pat my head, “Are you sure?” I nodded at him, not really all that sure of anything except knowing that if we didn’t do this, we were never getting out of there.
“Okay then,” He looked over at Howie, “You think you can make it?” Please Howie…don’t wuss out on me. I need you to be strong.
“If he can do it, then I can too.” He said winking at me.
“You have a rough road ahead of you, remember that Nick. It’s going to get even harder as you go along, don’t let yourself quit, that’s what he wants and that’s what happens to the people who don’t make it through the woods. They quit.”
I looked over at Casper and nodded, not being able to say anything because everyone was standing right there. He smiled at me and nodded in his own way. “The people you will see along the way are the ones that never got out. Some are sad, some don’t realize it but most are bitter…watch out for them.”
“Not your uncle then huh?” I said out loud forgetting what I had just said a second before about everyone standing there.
“Huh?” That was AJ, giving me one of his ‘what the fuck’ looks.
“No, not my uncle…” Casper said mid laugh before he just disappeared in front of my eyes.
“What did you just say Nick?” Kevin asked this time.
“Oh, I said… well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”
He laughed now, I’m so glad I amuse everyone, “Why?”
“Just because…so are we ready or not?” Now I was eager to get moving before my body remembered how tired and dizzy it was.
“Okay…let’s go. Nick I’m going to go up first then you follow, I’ll pull you up and help you the best I can…alright?”
I nodded at him as he started to climb up the first log, it was really big. I have never seen trees this huge before. The trunk alone had to be at least five feet high, which might not seem that big but considering there were tons of them strewn throughout our path, it was going to be quite a chore.
He didn’t seem to have much trouble getting over the very first one and before I knew it, all I had to do was reach my hand up to him and he managed to pull me up with help from Brian who was pushing me from the bottom.
Once I got up there I gasped when I saw the huge line of trees that he was talking about, but I also saw a lot more. In the middle of those trees roaming around like a bunch of characters out of a Where’s Waldo book were ghosts. When they saw me staring at them they all stopped roaming and stared right back.
“I don’t think I’m going to enjoy this very much.” I found myself saying as Kevin helped to hoist Brian to the top and then they both helped Howie.
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to get the tent up there…”
“Then leave it behind” That made me look over at Kevin who would never in a billion years leave something that expensive behind. What on earth was going on?
“You sure?”
Kevin nodded and reached out his hand for AJ, once we were all there and got a chance to see what lay ahead there were a few grumbles. The old man who had been taunting us earlier made his way to the tent and sat on it, laughing at us as we started to climb down the first tree trunk.
“You’ll never make it…it’s going to get much worse…”
I know Casper said to ignore him but I couldn’t help but believe him, especially when I saw the look of hatred the ghosts had on their faces as we all began to descend to where they were standing.
Just felt the need to add a muhahahaha lol ;O)
