Monsters in the Woods

Ariché didn’t know why Daddy was in such a hurry to go to the hunting lodge. All he’d say was they needed to hide from the monsters, whom he assured her were ugly and smelly. Of course, Ariché was old enough to know there were no monsters hiding in her closet and wondered what Daddy was keeping from her. They were driving down the road going the speed limit, but they left with hardly enough time to grab an extra set of clothes and whatever canned foods were in the cupboard and Daddy wouldn’t stop to use the bathroom.

Ariché fidgeted around but she had Max for company. Max was a puppy that Daddy bought a couple months before, and it relaxed contentedly in Ariché’s lap. When they arrived at the small town not far from the lodge Daddy had to get gasoline anyway.

Their truck pulled up and stopped at the station, and Ariché jumped out while Daddy did all he could to mind his surroundings while not looking suspicious and ran the pump. Ariché ran inside, and the bell on the door rang sharply as she ran through. She had been to this place many times and was in and out after a minute, noticing the store clerk recognized her on the way through. When she was back at the truck Daddy was almost done with the gas and they both left without saying a word.

“The man inside didn’t ask where we were going, did he?” Daddy asked.

 Ariché found the question strange. “No,” she replied.

Daddy continued his conspicuous silence. After 20 minutes of driving down gravel roads through thick woodland, they were at the lodge. A simple pre-fabricated building with a large propane tank being the only distinguishing feature. Before getting out, Daddy took the revolver out of the glove box and pocketed it.

Daddy did not park in front of the lodge, however, but drove straight past it over the grass to the other end of the clearing, parking inside the woods. This annoyed Ariché as not only did they have to carry their stuff all the way across the clearing, but had to push through bushes just to get out. Ariché complained about thorns as she opened the door and tried to get out, but Daddy said nothing and simply carried most of the stuff himself, leaving only Ariché’s backpack with her personal items. Daddy’s shotgun had a sling, but he carried it in hand and Max followed him.

The lodge itself was as scantly laid out as the last time they were there. They ate dinner and Daddy insisted on bedtime as soon as it got dark. This was well before Ariché’s usual bedtime, so she spent time laying on the air mattress on her phone for a time, which was how she noticed Daddy was up late watching out the window at the path leading to the road.

In the morning Daddy woke her up and he was busy hiding everything they brought with them. They were going on a hunting trip immediately, and Daddy didn’t know when they’d be back so Ariché had to carry as much food as would fit in her backpack. Daddy’s much larger rucksack was equally full and weighed more than Ariché but he shouldered it as if it was all he owned and continued to carry his shotgun in hand.

Daddy had a rifle which he liked better for shooting deer, but why had he not brought it? They turned everything off and locked the door as they found it and the three of them marched off, Max being as happy as ever about everything. They walked for over a mile, through a beaten path trodden by the many people in their extended family allowed to use this hunting lodge. They walked through irregular rocky terrain and woodlands until they got to the overlook, a large outcropping of rock facing the creek where deer would often drink from. However, Daddy turned perpendicular to this and walked straight into the bushes.

“Where we going,” Ariché asked.

“We’re going this way,” Daddy replied.

“Aren’t the deer down there?”

“Today we’re seeing what we can find hiding up here.”

This made little sense, as the woods just got thicker. Deer hide in thick growth but no one Ariché knew though they could catch them unaware. What got even stranger was Daddy walked through a gap in the fence they had seen once before and went onto the neighboring farmer’s property. There were several acres of woodland on a slope before the farmer’s field, and they climbed this slope until Daddy found a flat spot with some bushes to hide in. They lay down in these bushes facing down the slope, which was upwind. However, Daddy kept looking over their shoulders up the slope which was downwind. Daddy had told Ariché before that animal’s sense of smell was very good, and would know you were coming if the wind is blowing in the right direction.

Of course, with the poor visibility of this spot, they didn’t see any animals except a bird and a squirrel all day. Max obeyed Daddy not to wander off and simply snuggled with Ariché who had to remain content petting him. Boredom ensued and they ate pop tarts for lunch. Ariché shed her jacket in the sun and had to defecate on the edge of the farmer’s field. Nothing really happened even when Ariché suggested they go explore, and cold soup from a can for dinner wasn’t particularly joyous either. Ariché was very restless at this point as was Max, especially since she remembered Daddy putting the tent in his rucksack.

“Why can’t we go back?” Ariché asked.

“Because we can’t.”

“It’s getting colder.”

“I KNOW.” There was clear annoyance in his voice.

“We have to get back before dark.”

“If we move it’ll have to be at night, Ariché.”

“Why?”

“Ariché!”

“Can I just go back with Max?”

“You’ll get lost in the dark.”

“I want to go home.”

“So do I, but we can’t.”

"Why?”

He paused then said, “There are monsters back home.”

“You don’t believe in monsters.”

Daddy gave a disillusioned sign. His face had shown worry on the trip over here, but now he was sullen and perhaps depressed. They ended up sleeping in place in sleeping bags. The night was fortunately not too cold, but when Ariché woke up she found her stuff was all damp with dew. They broke open a box of protein bars for breakfast and drank the last of the water they had with them. Daddy realized that he had miscalculated, and in their hurry to leave home, they did not bring any means of purifying the water from the creek below, not even a lighter to start a fire.

This problem was far more difficult for Daddy than it should have been, as he did not want to leave the woods. Ariché’s phone was also near dead from playing mobile games in her boredom, and Daddy asked if she thought she could find her way back. Ariché could, she had been down that path many times. Daddy emptied her backpack and put the empty water jug in it and told her to come back with all the water she could.

Ariché had to carry Max since he did not always follow her when called, but she trudged down the hill and onto the trail. The woods seemed strangely empty to Ariché. The sun shined through fading leaves, and every step made a noise that gave away one's position. There were rarely any signs of life seen or heard in the woods. This desolate place did not seem like the brutal hunting grounds of both man and beast. The beasts included coyotes, hawks, owls, bobcats, and perhaps black bears but those had not been seen nearby in a long time. Men would kill animals quickly and painlessly if possible, but the beasts would feed on them while they were still alive. The struggle for survival eclipsing all other pursuits.

All that brutality was hidden, as nothing that was there wished to be seen as Ariché walked. These woods remained a void on maps as they followed a large river valley, with the irregular rocky terrain being unsuitable for farming. Ariché started getting tired as she got closer to the lodge and put Max down so he could walk with her.

At the lodge, Ariché used the key Daddy gave her to get in and collapsed on the sofa and plugged her phone in rather than do the assigned task. She didn’t sleep but lay there bored with the front door open. She finally got up and started filling the water jug along with a water bottle she found in the closet. After packing all this away, she didn’t leave immediately, as time seemed somehow meaningless. Daddy would be thirsty by now, but Daddy was a tough man who had done many tough jobs and would never let any minor pain get in the way of his work.

Ariché wandered outside along with Max, but Max’s nose turned to the far side of the clearing and he ran off barking. Ariché followed at a leisurely pace intending to fetch him and make their way off. However, as she walked over the gentle rise in the clearing and got closer to the source of Max’s attention she saw a larger diesel pickup truck parked near where Daddy’s truck sat. There were several men spread about, apparently looking through the woods for something, and they each most definitely saw Ariché.

Ariché didn’t think she could run away and didn’t want to abandon Max. As she approached she saw there were three of them; A man with a scar across his neck, a bearded man who looked like he never smiled in his life, and an old man that Ariché recognized. This man picked up Max and held him indifferently.

“You’re Ariché aren’t you?”

Ariché didn’t answer but stared.

“You’re taller than last time we met.”

The other two men stood near each side of Ariché without speaking.

“We’re trying to get in touch with your father, where is he?”

“He’s not here.” Ariché lied.

The old man paused and the other two looked at him for a queue. The old man broke the silence and said “Come on, we know you didn’t come here in his truck by yourself.” After another pause gauging Ariché’s reaction, he asked “What did your father tell you about me.”

Ariché didn’t know what to make of this question, and replied truthfully: “He said you’re his boss, and you helped him when he was in jail.”

“Why did he bring you out here.?

Ariché paused and said, “Daddy says there are ugly monsters hiding near our home.”

The old man let out a sharp exhale of amusement: “He would say that, wouldn’t he. But we just need to visit with him, so where’d he go?”

Ariché was now scared “Daddy doesn’t want me to tell anyone.”

“Yes, but we need to know.” Another pause. “You know what, if you don’t tell us, we’ll hurt your dog until you do.” And he drew a knife from his pocket to this effect.”

“NO, PLEASE, DON’T!” Ariché lunged at the old man and the other two grabbed her and held her back.

Max was undisturbed as the old man gently brushed the cold steel against Max’s ear, but the old man now had clear suppressed aggravation in his voice. “Show us where he went.”

After Ariché’s struggle proved fruitless she fought against the men less, and her panic turned to horror as she looked wide-eyed at the man who looked at the living dog the same as one looked at a skinned rabbit. Ariché quietly said, “Promise you’ll give him back?”

“Of course,” he replied, “I don’t have anything against you or your dog.”

“Why are you looking for Daddy?”

This question gave all three men pause while they considered how to answer. The man with a scar replied, “He stole from us.”

After another pause, the old man said, “After we get out stuff back, we’ll let you all go. We promise.”

Slowly Ariché relented. “Ok,” she said, and the old man gave her Max whom she held tightly. Max’s now humorless resignation made his empathy for the situation apparent.

“It’s this way,” Ariché said nudging them towards the trail and the group began to move.

As they entered the woods the bearded man asked “How far is it.”

“A long way” Ariché replied simply and considered how to get these men lost or how to escape. They walked, all watching each other and the trees, like mice seeking shelter from the birds. The men were very patient with Ariché as they saw the clear trail worn by many footsteps but not marked in any way. Ariché thought these men might actually be afraid of finding Daddy.

They walked over the irregular rocky terrain, with each time they had to climb up or down a rock one of the younger men went first and watched Ariché as she came down. The woods were as silent and empty as ever, taking no notice of the party passing through. Ariché, however, did notice the handgun of the scarred man poking out of his jacket.

They walked farther and eventually came to the rocky outcropping where so many of Ariché’s family felled deer over the years. As they approached, a deer saw them and ran away. She stopped here, looking at the ground.

“Well, where is he?” The old man said.

Ariché did not look up, but quietly said “Down by the creek.”

A shot rang out above them, loud and close. Each man went wide-eyed and drew handguns and yanked Ariché down to the ground with them. They hid, looking about for the source of the shot, and after an adrenaline-fueled minute, they realized whoever it was had not been shooting at them. They each sheepishly poked their heads up and saw Daddy kneeling over the very deer that had run away from them minutes before. His back was towards them and his gun was on the ground as he had begun the butchering process.

The old man raised a finger to his mouth for silence and motioned for the bearded man to hold Ariché while the other two quietly approached Daddy guns drawn. The bearded man kept her low so she could not see what was happening, and all these hours under the sun meant the man’s arm had body odor in Ariché’s face. Ariché soon heard voices of the men talking but couldn’t make anything out even as the bearded man watched attentively.

This situation continued for several minutes but felt like an eternity for Ariché. Without warning, the sounds of the muffled screams of a man were heard, which only got more excruciating. Ariché struggled, but could not get free. Eventually, the yells died down, and after a minute the two men came back. They were each carrying bricks of green paper in plastic wrap, and both the faces of the men and what they carried were speckled with a red liquid. The scarred men would not look at Ariché, the old man looked stern and very angry about something, while the bearded man was subduing any emotion.

They stopped and the old man said “Let her go” and the bearded man did so, but Ariché did not run immediately. They walked back the way they came silently, and after they disappeared over the next spur Ariché got up and looked at where her father was. Max ran over there and sniffed at what he found.

There was a rucksack with its contents emptied out over the ground, and the warm corpse of a deer, its belly split open and organs partially removed from where Daddy stopped his work. In front of it was Ariché’s father, his belly likewise opened up and his organs largely removed.

Ariché’s father was very much still alive. He looked at her making wet gasps for breath as blood and spit spilled out of his mouth. He eyed Ariché, unable to speak or express emotion as his struggle to sit up became weaker. They both stared at each other for what seemed a long while, but Daddy raised his arm and pointed down the trail and seemed to mouth “Go.”

Ariché picked up Max and ran, stumbling over downed trees. Down the trail, she ran until she could run no more, but soon caught her breath and ran again. She wondered why she never encountered the men on her way back, but the woods were large and she took a trail just down the hill of the one they came in on. When she got to the clearing, she stopped and kneeled at the edge of the wood line, peering through the overgrown grass like a small animal.

She saw that both the truck the men came in on and Daddy’s truck was gone. She went into the lodge and saw the door was still open where she left it and the place had been searched but nothing was taken except her cell phone. She still had the water and some protein bars in her backpack and hoped she knew the way into town. She also doubted she’d make it there before nightfall as she was already exhausted.

Ariché was later found by a local farmer walking down the side of the highway in the middle of the night after she missed a turn and ran into the main road rather than the town. The farmer found it strange she was so wide-eyed and seemed afraid of people, nor would she give any explanation how she ended up grass-stained, scratched up all over, and carrying a dog and a water jug in a rural area.

Ariché would never return to the hunting lodge.