Amidst the Ancient Trees.P2

From the Beginning: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2023/01/amidst-ancient-treesp1.html

Essie Vance [Whitney], Peter Graves [Jordan], Phillip Vance [Aaron]

Sunday, 2:30am: Time wasted chasing the gunshot sounds before they set a new camp and crawled into their tent. Phillip on watch ignored Peter’s desire to be waken at 6am and let them sleep a little longer. At least Essie woke revived. Peter still exhausted [per his dream].

[Navigate] Thankfully Essie led them back to their original campsite to resume following the kidnapper’s trail. Phillip at the rear to keep an eye on Peter who ambled along, shuffling his feet… as if a zombie.

9am, Sunday morning: Another 2 hours before Phillip called halt, “Hey, checkout this blood splatter on the brush. Someone stumbled across the path going southwest considering the brush bent in that direction.” But Peter focused on their target, “Gotta be someone else. Forget it, I wanna catchup with my parents’ killers.”

The Dirt Road: They continued on another hour before coming to a dirt road that cut across (east-west). “This must be the road Alistair Lawson (hunter) mentioned. Said the artists’ camp should be somewhere north of here.” Peter got on his knees to check for tracks: see if the wounded man took to the road or crossed it. And that’s when Essie and Phillip heard the rumbling truck approach. They all jumped into the brush to hide as the truck came into sight. [exhaustion triggered his psychosis] Peter stepped into the open, “Dad? What are you doing driving out here?” The driver slammed on his brakes and skidded to a halt just short of Peter. “Crazy fool. Get off the road!”

Peter starred past the driver as if seeing someone in the empty passenger seat before looking at the driver, “Have you seen any men lately with a little girl in tow? No? We’re on the hunt for kidnappers. Mind if I check your truck-bed in case they hiding under the tarp?” James Stanton snarled, “I’m late for Mr. Strong’s construction site. My foreman, Carl White, will dock me if I’m late with these supplies. Now get out of the way!” Peter reached into his vest and pulled out a piece of paper, “I have a signed note from Mr. Strong for 4 sticks of dynamite.” And when James brushed the note aside, Peter drew his sawed-off shotgun, “I won’t be long. Only take 4 as allowed.” Phillip stepped out of hiding to give cover. James protested the ‘holdup’ but was at gunpoint, “Then sign the note so I can explain to my foreman.” As the truck sped off, Phillip was pummeled with kicked-up rocks. Only then did Essie come out of hiding.

Noon: Peter squinted at the flash of sunlight in his eye and suddenly realized it was a glinted reflection from somewhere ahead… maybe 100 yards. “Get Down! Another rifle scope. GEORGE? ALISTAIR? BRIAN?” A shot rang out and clipped the overhead branch. “Turn around and leave me alone!” Peter started to crawl forward till Phillip grabbed his ankle, “Sit this one out, you’re in no shape to sneak.” But Peter resisted, “To hell I am. You can come along too if you want.” Only Essie followed as Phillip stayed to give cover as he yelled out, “Stop or I’ll shot you.” But Phillip didn’t wait and shot anyway, aiming for the man’s leg thru his rifle scope. He hit an intervening tree instead.

[Eugene saw the two crawling closer to him and tried to take another shot… 000: gun jammed.] Peter and Essie were within 70 yards when they heard twigs snapping and the sound of someone running. And saw a man hobbling away, empty-handed. Peter charged and tackled the man, pinning his shoulders as the man clutched his bloodstained gut. Peter saw the glint of gold on the man’s pinky and spit wiped it clean to see the opal stone. Peter tried to remove it but the man’s hand swollen from his infected gunshot wound. Peter pulled out his knife and cut off Eugene’s pinky finger, removed the ring, and put it on his own pinky, “This doesn’t belong to you.” Eugene screamed in pain, “I didn’t do it. I didn’t do anything. It was all Sidney’s idea. He has the girl up in the cabin… Chris watching her as we got the ransom. But Sidney left me... said I was slowing him. How I was supposed to lead any posse away. But a third of that money is mine! I just need a doctor. PLEASE, take me to a doctor!”

Phillip and Essie had just stood and watched Peter torture the man; cutting off his finger. Essie finally approached and knelt beside Eugene Clayton to bandage his stump of a pinky finger. [First Aid] But in the process, up close and personal, saw his chest wound and smelled the festering wound turning gangrene. And realized the man not long on this earth. As she put new dressings on his gut, “You’ll be OK.”

Phillip pulled out his map (provided by the sheriff), “Show us where the cabin is.” Eugene drew a bloody line, “If we’re here, then the cabin should be about there.” Peter shoved his shotgun in the man’s back, “Lead the way.” Not even 30 minutes before Eugene pleaded for water. Phillip knew better but remained silent as Essie offered up her canteen. Eugene painted it with his bloody fingers as he quickly gulped it. Essie snatched it away before all her water gone. And that’s when see saw her new bandaging on the man turn wetter as thinned blood leaked out from his gut-shot wound. Eugene leaned against a tree stump as his eyes fluttered. Peter stepped behind Eugene and pulled out his garrote, “This is for mother.” Essie lost her breakfast in the brush. Phillip remained silent. Peter put the bloody garrote back in his backpack as he spit on the lifeless body, “Good riddance.” Essie cried at the sight of a different side of Peter.

Dusk: They camped off trail with a campfire. Peter crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow. Essie on first watch. [failed Hard-Spot] She didn’t really see anything but had that eerie feeling of being watched. Her arm and neck hairs rose as she scanned the forest for red eyes of wolves or other animals but saw nothing. [the thing slunk off back to its resting place]

Essie was just about to wake Phillip for changing-of-the-guard when they both heard an explosion somewhere to the north-northeast. [Peter slept thru it] They scanned the skyline and soon saw eerie blue lights hover on the horizon before fading away. The sound of snapped branches spun them around in time to see 4 men enter their camp, “Sorry if we surprised you. Have you found anything of those kidnappers yet? We’re giving up; think we have food poisoning. Did you just hear an explosion? What was that all about?” Phillip recognized the other posse team from the sheriff’s brief, “Nothing so far. But we think we are on their trail. We saw a construction truck earlier. They must be dynamiting out at the reservoir dig.” Essie played dumb. The other posse didn’t stick around… they quickly trudged south, “We’ll let the sheriff know you still out here. Good luck.”

Essie gasp at the realization, “Oh my God! What if they come across Eugene?!”

It was a restless night for all 3 of them:

Essie’s dream

Phillip’s Dream

Peter’s Dream His parents stood in the cabin doorway trying to console him. His mother in anguish at Peter killing Eugene. Peter explained,” He deserved it. I got your ring back.” Peter took off the ring and put in his breast pocket.

Monday morning: Essie and Phillip updated Peter on the posse visit last night. And the explosion. They pressed on despite the lingering mental visions of their dreams, made real as the forest canopy thickened, casting dim light across twisted trees while highlighting the undergrowth’s pale-sickly yellow hue. Creeped out when they realized the forest void of any sounds of wildlife. As if the forest dead; not even insects.

Artists’ Camp: A flash of color in distant trees drew them closer to a clearing that turned out to be the reported artists’ camp. Paintbrushes and easels lay crushed and discarded on the ground, along with a collection of paintings. The campfire long since died, tents broken and slashed, signs of struggle. No life. [Sanity check] Each gasped at the paintings on the ground: eerie images that spoke of their own dreams! Inside one communal tent, they found Brain Hall’s ‘big old Texan hat’. 

Outside in the brush, they found an old revolutionary union hat. Inside labeled “Turner”. Peter remembered, “Those ghost stories of the union deserters!” He stuffed both hats into his backpack.

Cabin in the Woods: Continuing north, they came to a fork in the road. They continued northbound along a recently used trail and ignored the northeastern branch. It wasn’t long before they spotted the slanted lines of an old cabin roof deep within the trees. They snuck closer and crouched beside trees to listen. Silence. Interior shutters closed prevented them from seeing inside. A thin wisp of smoke curled from the dilapidated chimney.

Peter brushed at the bird poop that plopped onto his shoulder. He noticed his fingers red. He looked up… and with chest skyward, quickly crab-walked away. The others noticed his movement and followed his sightline up. 

Where they too saw the headless corpse! Essie realized her sudden thirst and raised her canteen to her lips. And saw the bloody fingerprints Eugene had made. [mania: compulsion for cleanliness] She threw the canteen down and wiped her hands on Peter’s shirt.

Peter decided to sneak towards the cabin as Essie gave cover with her bow. Phillip waited till Peter reached the side of the cabin before (using his slingshot) he slung a pebble at the cabin door. A shotgun blast answered the knock, “BLAM!” Followed by someone screaming, “Give her back or get the hell away! Giver her back I say.” Peter edged toward a side window and peeked thru the narrow-slit opening between the interior shutters. Dim sunlight cast rays thru the dilapidated roof slats such that he could make out the red headed man standing before the cabin door with shotgun in hand. Sidney Harris!

And that’s when Essie and Phillip chose to sneak closer. [both 93] A rotten fallen branch snapped under their weight. Another shotgun blast sent splinters bursting forth from the window beside Peter: he saved from injury as the blast projected outwards versus him beside the wall. Peter crouched down as he called out, “Sidney, who has her? Let us in to talk.” But Sidney more nervous, “Whose out there? How do you know my name? You ain’t one of them blue-bellies are you? Don’t sound like them. I ain’t coming out but you can show yourself. You sure they ain’t around?! They came in the night and snatched Chris and the girl. Been trying to grab me too.”

Peter tired of the fruitless conversation and kicked things up a notch: he lit a stick of dynamite and shoved it thru the shotgun blast hole in the window shutter, “Come on out and join us.” From inside, “Oh SHIT! You fool!” Essie and Phillip scrambled backwards. Essie ran into the trees. Phillip angled to get a better view of the front door. Peter moved closer to the door as he could hear furniture being moved. Sidney frantically yanked at the obstacles he’d jammed against the door. He just stepped out when the dynamite exploded, “KBOOM!” Phillip too close to the corner was pierced with splinters. Essie rushed to his side to remove the larger ones. They both ignored the rain of paper shreds [some ransom money bills] blown out from the explosion.

Peter rushed towards Sidney and tackled him. They struggled in failed attempts to pin each other as they tumbled across the yellow leaves. Phillip stepped forward and kicked Sidney in the temple. Which gave Peter the chance to tie him up. Essie came forward to check the man for weapons. She pulled a watch-n-chain from Sidney’s pocket and opened it to find an old picture of a 30ish couple. The man looked awfully like Peter. She handed the watch to Peter, “I think this belonged to your dad.” Sidney shook his head to clear his cobwebs, “Who are you people?!”

EPILOGUE

Essie and Phillip maybe convinced themselves allowing Peter to kill Eugene… the man was about to die from his wounds… Peter was just ending his suffering earlier. But did he have to be so brutal… with a garrote?!

But now, Peter had his hands on a healthy Sidney Harris, even if he the murderer of Peter’s parents:

Phillip: wartime memories flash back of fellow soldiers who’d seen their best friends/buddies killed in the war. Those soldiers capturing German prisoners who raised their hands in surrender… yet your fellow soldiers cold-bloodily shot the prisoners. Yes, temporary relief. But you remember those endless following nights of those men sobbing in the trenches. Broken, worthless, tormented… one suddenly nights later, rushing up and over the trench berm and charging toward the enemy lines across the muddy landscape covered in sickly yellowy leaves, weaponless, yelling as if he wanted to be shot and put out of his misery. Yet instead of being shot, something metallic thrusts out of his chest. Instead of dying, the man stops and almost zombie walks back toward your trench. You flash back to Peter and wonder if he might slip down the same hellhole. What do you do?

Essie: memories flash back of you and Peter cuddling in that ski-slope cabin, reconnecting. Thoughts of the two of you maybe marrying one day and raising kids. But after seeing Peter kill Eugene, see that headless corpse hanging from the tree… another vision flashing before you: the sweet smell of coffee in the morning as Peter brings you breakfast in bed. He lifts the warming cover of your plate to reveal a head nestled in a bed of sickly yellow leaves. The feeling others you can’t see, watching. And Peter smiling… a gentle smile that slowly turns into an evil grin. Is this the man you want to marry? Will killing Sidney really give Peter life-long relief? You cry at the realization you just gave him his father’s pocket watch you found in Sidney’s pocket. YOU now guilty of stoking the fire. What do you do?

Peter: You are in the process of tying Sidney’s hands behind his back, when Essie shows you the watch she found. Opened and revealing the oval faded picture of your parents on the inside. You look to the side and see your parents sitting on the cabin porch. Mother in tears with her hands covering her eyes as she sobs, “That’s not my boy. That’s not Petey.” Your father stands beside her trying to console her, speechless as he wipes a tear from his own cheek. He tries to move in front of her to block the view of what he can only guess you about to do. As you look on, father grins as his skin begins to crack and turn sickly green as a green ooze drips from his empty eye socket. He steps beside mother as the two of them now look on with lifeless, pale and unblinking expressions, “Come with us. Join us in His service. Embrace your new destiny and bask in his eternal glory.” You look at Sidney and suddenly see your own face on his as he offers, “That’s right boy, join my gang of murdering thieves.” What do you do?

TO BE CONTINUED: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2023/01/amidst-ancient-treesp3-conclusion.html