Body In The Woods
It’s late.
That’s what goes through my head as I glance at my phone, checking the time. I’ve just spent the last couple of hours trying - and kind of failing - at working out. The only thing motivating me to get through it being thoughts of making first line.
Standing up from where I just finished doing sit ups on the floor at the foot of my bed, I let out a groan as my body aches. My muscles protesting the amount of work I just put them through. Thoughts of getting some well-deserved sleep are all that’s on my mind as I head to the bathroom connected to my room for my nightly routine. Shower, teeth brushed, face cleansed and moisturized. I repeat the steps in my head like a mantra, it now being my motivation to not collapse on my bed while still covered in sweat.
I’m finishing that last step, moisturizing, when I hear an odd noise but don’t think much of it.
Clack. I hear it again, only louder.
Blinking owlishly at myself in my bathroom mirror. “Please don’t be something weird…” I sigh out, heading downstairs to check out the noise.
I hear another noise once I make my way down there and decide to grab the metal baseball bat we keep in the foyer before I open the front door, slowly peeking out and praying it’s just a stupid animal or something. Please don’t be weird, please don’t be weird, please don’t be weird… I think to myself, walking out further. It’s eerily silent as I make my way onto the porch. My eyes scan the area around me, but I can’t make out anything alarming. I keep my bat in a ready position, just in case.
Suddenly, my best friend’s face is in mine. Upside down.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
We scream. I barely avoid taking a swing at her. Barely.
“Bishop, what the hell?!” I let out in exasperation, letting the bat drop to my side. She seems to be hanging upside down from the rafters of my front porch, her long black hair gently swaying in the slight breeze as it dangles from her ponytail.
“McCall, what the fuck?! Why do you have a bat?!” She has the nerve to question me, her hands held up defensively with an incredulous look on her face.
“Seriously?! I thought you were a predator!” She gives me a look, as if to say that I’m the weird one here. Yeah, right. “Anyways…” Kate says, tilting her head at me while remaining upside down. “You weren’t answering your phone!”
“I was doing my nightly routine, Kate. We have school tomorrow, remember?”
“Yeah yeah, school, right.” She rolls her eyes, dislodging herself from the rafters. “Now, since you weren’t nice enough to return my texts or anything, can I tell you what’s really important?” She gives me a lopsided smirk. I tilt my head, sighing at her dismissal of school. “And what might that be, Bishop?”
She grins. “Well, you see… I might have, possibly, maybe… definitely… eavesdropped on my Dad’s phone call. And, you see, it seems like he and the entire Department along with the State Police are out in the woods tonight… Looking for a body.” Waggling her eyebrows at me, she waits for me to say something. I opt to stand there and just blink at her instead. There’s no way she came and freaked me out this late at night before the first day back at school just to tell me about a creepy dead body found out in the woods.
Kate frowns. “Hellooooo?” She drawls out. “Did you not hear me? I said they found a body in the woods.” She says the last part while cupping her hands around her mouth and leaning towards my face, as if to amplify her words so that they might garner what she deems a proper reaction out of me.
“Kate... Katie… Honey…” I say slowly, quietly.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Smacking her in the shoulder, I groan in annoyance as I roll my eyes at her.
“Ow!” She squeaks out, looking offended. Really? The audacity. “Hey! You’re the one that always says that nothing happens in this town!”
Groaning, I have to admit that she’s right. “Fine… So they really found a dead body?” I ask, curiosity mildly piqued. Of course I’m interested, nothing does really happen in this town. “No, a body of water.” Kate deadpans back. Honestly, why do I even - “Anyways, that’s not even the best part.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “They only found half.” She grins. My eyes widen. For a town where nothing happens, it looks like something finally happened.
“Grab your jacket. We’re going.”
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As we hop out of Kate’s powder blue Jeep and head into the nature preserve, I can’t help but feel uneasy. A chill snakes its way up my spine. The woods seem eerily quiet tonight, and I can’t say I’m a fan of that when we’re out here looking for half of a dead body. “Kate, are you sure we should be out here?” I whisper, coming closer to her. “I really wanted to get some sleep before practice tomorrow.”
“Like we need anything for practice tomorrow. It’s not like Coach ever actually lets us play.” I frown, carefully picking my way after her through the trees. “I plan on making first line this year.”
Kate stops walking for a second before letting out a deep sigh and continuing on. She doesn’t think it will happen. To be fair, she has no reason to think it will, but it still stings a bit. I trudge up a hill after her while pulling my hoodie up around me better, shoving my hand in my pocket for my inhaler as my breathing starts to get more labored. Yeah… She’s probably right. I think to myself as I take a hit off of my inhaler. As a severe asthmatic, it’s not like I really stood much of a chance.
“There they are!” Kate whisper yells as she takes off towards where there are some lights up ahead shining through the trees. “Kate! Wait for me!” Struggling after her, I take another hit of my inhaler before shoving it back in the depths of my pocket.
“Hurry up, slow poke!” She’s not too far ahead when she glances back to check on me, which seemed to be a mistake. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that an officer and his K9 decided to check through this area and he almost runs into her as his dog starts to go berserk. The dog’s straining at the end of its leash, spittle flying from its mouth as it barks threateningly as Kate falls backwards in surprise.
“Oh crap!” I say, ducking behind a tree as the officer tells Kate to put her hands up.
“Hold on, hold on! This delinquent belongs to me.” Sheriff Clint Barton calls out, making his way towards Kate as most of the search party’s flashlights turn on her. “So, do you listen to all of my phone calls?” He asks his daughter in exasperation while helping her back onto her feet. “No!” She lets out in a rather high pitch before mumbling, “Not the boring ones, anyway…”
“We need to have a talk about something called an Invasion of Privacy.” The Sheriff raises his eyebrows at her. “So. Where is your usual partner in crime?” Looking around, he starts pointing his flashlight between the trees. I hold myself tighter against the tree, hoping not to get caught.
“Who? Dianna? Pshht. She’s at home. In bed, probably. Said something about wanting to get a good night’s sleep before the first day back at school tomorrow.” The dark haired girl rambles, teeth showing in an odd but charismatic smile. “She’s gonna make first line, ya know!”
I roll my eyes at her attempt to act natural and not give me away. She’s failing spectacularly at it. Honestly, it would be a miracle if her father believed her.
“Right…” He lets out slowly, eyes glancing back at the unconvincing smile Kate’s giving him before continuing to scan the trees. Not seeing anything, he seems to decide that she’s alone after all. “Come on, then. I’m gonna walk you back to your car, and we’re gonna have that chat on the way.” Clint grabs his daughter’s arm to start leading her back the way she came, Kate complaining and dragging her feet the whole way. My relief at not having been found out is short lived as I realize that I will have to walk home alone.
I sigh in frustration as I head away from the search party, pulling my hoodie up over my head to fight the slight autumn chill. Bringing my phone out to use it as a flashlight now that Kate is gone with hers, I try to find my way through the woods. If I can make it to the road, then I should be able to make my way home.
Quite a bit later, I’m still stuck in the woods. I haven’t found the road, and I’m about to take another puff of my inhaler when I see something. Maybe a red glow?
A second later there’s a herd of deer rushing at me, acting as if they’re being chased, and I panic as I try to scramble out of their way. Managing to trip on a tree root, I stumble and roll down the slight hill as I lose my grip on my inhaler and my phone. I cover my head as the deer continue to run by with a few stragglers coming a bit too close for comfort. Last thing I needed was to get clipped by one of their hooves and be lost in the woods with a head injury.
Once they're gone, I look around and sigh. I can see my phone a couple feet away, the light shining up at the night sky. I go to grab it, brushing dirt off it, when I see it. The body - or rather, half a body.
Well, I guess that answers my internal question of WHICH half… I think as I scramble backwards quickly, letting out a small scream. Staring into the dead blue eyes of a pale man with short dark hair and looking like he missed a shave or two, I try to catch my breath and calm down. Dianna, stop freaking out. Yes, it’s a dead body! Half of one, to be exact… but it’s okay! You found what you came out here looking for! I tried to console myself with the fact that I technically wanted this to happen.
It’s as I’m doing this that I hear a low growl. I freeze. I definitely just heard that. And that most definitely was not a good sign.
Slowly, I turn my head to look at where I heard the growl. There, I see a large animal with red glowing eyes. When it sees me looking at it, it lets out another growl as it pounces on me and bowls me over onto my side and pins me to the ground. I scream and try to crawl out from under it, only to be pulled back and feel a sharp pain as it sinks its teeth into my side. “Help!” I yell, jabbing my elbow at its throat and scrambling to my feet as it backs off.
I take off running faster than I ever knew I could, feeling like the beast is hot on my heels. Whatever it was, I did not want to become its next meal.
In my mad dash for any sort of safety, I manage to stumble out into the road. Honking blares in my ears as an SUV swerves to avoid hitting me. With a glance behind me, I notice that I must have lost whatever the animal was that attacked me. My side where its teeth had pierced my skin feels like molten lava has been injected into my veins, and I lift up my now torn hoodie and shirt to get a look at the damage.
It doesn’t look pretty. Blood is slowly oozing out of the wound, the skin not only pierced but slightly shredded. Groaning in pain, I manage to recognize which part of the road I’m at and start making my way home while clutching my side.
Above me, thunder rings out and the first drop of a storm taps against the back of my neck as my head hangs. As if tonight couldn’t get worse.