Hunting: A Ghost Story, Part I

     The ten point buck made his way toward the edge of the woods, stopping to sniff and taste the wind. He moved slow and languid, stopping every three steps. He sensed something. He elongated his neck and quivered his mouth to nudge a leaf shaking back and forth on a thin vine. He moved on into the clearing of soybeans.

     Leaving the protection of the tree line, the buck broke the woods and slowly wandered out into the field. The wind momentarily died down. There was a creak then a sound he had heard all too often. The arrow thudded into his side, blade cutting its way through. Blood began to spurt from the wound. Its heart raced with fear and adrenaline. There was nothing to know from this point on except abrupt pain and an ever-increasing dark. The woods were its safety and it knew to flee. The buck took flight, but collapsed yards away inside of the woods. The grey-colored lifeless body lay undiscovered as the wind swirled through an ocean of dried leaves. Shadows engulf the dead animal like a dark forbidding vortex.

     Hugh Lorimer sat quietly in his tree stand with his bow in his lap. He watched as the buck ran off after he let his weaponized shaft fly. He knew if he placed his arrow true, the deer would not make it out alive with its life. He was right. Dark fell around him. He breathed the cool dew in. All was quiet. No one would know the drama which had just minutes before unfolded. After twenty minutes, Hugh decided to investigate the whereabouts of his quarry. He unbuckled himself and began to climb down. His hope, the deer was dead and not about to wander away to be lost. He did so hate to track animals in the dark even with the flashlight. After moving down the metal ladder, he slipped and fell. His body crashed onto the ground below, knocking him unconscious.

     Hugh’s hunting companions, Eli Evans and Mich Blake, where located in the woods in the land-managed area abutting private land. There was no gunshot to ring out to let the others know he had downed a deer. No one would know for a while that Hugh lay unconscious at the bottom of his stand.

     Night in the woods has always been a mystery. Off in the distance from Hugh’s body came the sounds of footfall. The high pitched howls and calls of the coyote pack were closing in on his position.

     Hugh awoke with the feeling of someone tugging on his pants. When he regained consciousness, a coyote was trying to drag him off. Hugh came too sharply and looked around. The light of the moon illuminated the eyes of the coyote pack. They were closing in.

     “Get out of here, the lot of you.” He yelled and waved his hands. The coyote moved back to the packs location. The pain in his leg reminded him of his fall. He couldn’t find his bow, nor could he shoot. He yelled for help; silence. Hugh began to shake with the idea of being eaten alive by a coyote pack.

     The coyote pack began to bark out high pitch yips and howls. He closed his eyes in prayer. Hugh wondered why they weren’t attacking. He opened his eyes and in the trees he saw the glow of a figure, standing very still. The soft, transparent body cast an eerie blue light. He could see that it looked like a woman. The terror deep inside began to grow with each breath. What was this thing?

     As the spectre moved closer, the coyotes began to move back into the dark with glowing eyes.

     “Stay away from me. Stay away from me.” Hugh’s body began shaking uncontrollably. He held his breath as he looked away. The spectre crossed the distance then kneeled down over Hugh. Hugh opened one eye to look at the ghostly vision. It was too much. Hugh fainted at the sight of the lace-covered phantom. The last thing he saw was pitiless eyes.

     The spectre moved back and forth over Hugh’s body. It hovered over the broken leg. Rising up, the spectre moved into the forest. Minutes later, it returned with a ghostly deer. The deer Hugh had previously shot. The ghost led the spectral deer to stand over Hugh. Ectoplasmic liquid oozed out of the eyes of the animal spirit. The ghost pointed to Hugh then moved off into the woods. The animal spirit snorted and pawed at the ground. It lowered its head to acknowledge the living man on the ground.

     Eli Evans and Mich Blake did not garner a buck of their own that night. They waited patiently at the front of their trucks listening to the radio.

     “Eli, who are you dating now?” Mich inquired. Mich rubbed bug spray onto his arms. The mosquitoes were fierce down near the swampy area they scoped out for hunting. Mich had a brawny physique and debonair smile. Women always loved him for his teeth and his muscles, which was always in abundance. Green and black face paint marred his usual ecstatic good looks. He was a go-getter and athletic type. His brownish eyes were hidden in the dark but held a religious innocence.

     Eli Evans was staring at the dark. He wondered where Hugh was. It was well past time for him to come in empty-handed, unless he tagged a deer.
     “I’m not dating anyone. Are you still messing around with Rachel Greyowl? I think she’s a real nutter. What do you see in her?”

     Eli pulled out a Prince Albert cigar. It was chocolate. Chocolate was his favorite. He struck up the lighter and burned the end. The ember glowed with each puff. He inhaled then removed it from his mouth to breath out the smoke in a slow, straight stream.

     Eli was a tall and moderately thin with a model’s body. His dark hair sat atop porcelain skin and perfect features. The only thing that showed marring was a scar that cut under one of his eyes. It stood out with a fleshy gold color. He moved into view of the truck lights and his blue eyes flashed for a moment with agitation.

     Mich began to laugh. “Naw man, I stopped dating her. She took up that animal rights activism mess. I don’t find that attractive. The polar opposite thing wasn’t working out for us. Do you think we should go looking for Hugh? He’s sure to be back by now. Maybe he’s lost a deer in the woods?”

     Eli took another roll of his cigar then ripped off the end. He raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

     “Yeah, we better go find him.”

     Eli walked around to the door of the passenger door of the truck to retrieve his flashlight. Mich shut his truck’s ignition off and shut the door. They both walked off down the road toward the field they knew Hugh was set on.

     Eli and Mich traveled down the road until Eli thought he saw something in the distance. They had another five minutes to get to Hugh’s stand. He knew there wasn’t supposed to be anyone else down there. Eli put his hand to Mich’s chest. “Hold up man. I thought I saw something.”

     Mich looked down the road into the dark. He raised his flashlight but didn’t see anything.

     Eli and Mich saw the blue light flicker on and off in the distance.

     “Turn the flashlight off Mich.”

     Eli heard the click as the light was extinguished. In the distance, the glow moved from one spot to the next until it came to rest in the middle of the wet, dirt road.

     Mich began to feel threatened; the firmness in his voice echoed his building panic. He whispered to Eli.

     “Man, my granddad use to tell us stories about those blue lights. He called them wisps. He warned us to turn-tail and run the other way. Nothing good comes from them.”

     Eli stared. “I’m not running from nothing. Hugh’s out there. He could be hurt. Besides, that looks like a person. You’re not chicken shit are you? Let’s go.”

     Mich and Eli made their way to the spot where they saw the blue light before it disappeared. They walked into the woods and found the stand. Hugh was underneath it, lying on his back with a broken leg.

     Mich rushed to where Hugh had landed under the stand. Eli was close behind him.

     “Hugh! Are you alright? Talk to me buddy.”

     Eli examined Hugh’s leg. When he moved it, Hugh came to screaming with pain.

     “My leg!” Hugh whimpered in pain. He was already stiff from lying too long in the dirt.

     Eli sat back and put his hands on his hips.

     “Mich we need to get Hugh back to the truck. Let’s carry him out to the road. I’ll run back and get my vehicle then take him to the emergency room.”

     “Alright, I’ll stay with him. His boyfriend is going to be pissed when he finds this out.”

     Mich reached down to pick Hugh up under his shoulders. Eli stood in between Hugh’s legs to pick them up. Once they got Hugh to a good comfortable position, they carried him out to the edge of the road. Hugh complained the whole time from pain.  Eli ran to get the truck and returned with the 4x4. Once they loaded Hugh in Eli’s truck, Eli backed the truck up.

     Hugh was awake fully from all the indelicate handling. Hugh lunged for the window.  

     “Get my deer. I think it ran just into the woods near the stand. Please.”
     Mich walked over to the window.
     

     “I’ll go back and look Hugh. My truck is still parked down at the opening. If I find it I’ll dress it out for you back at my house.”
     Hugh sat back in the passenger seat. He looked peaked from the wound.

     “Mich, it looked like a ten-pointer. Save the head for me, I wanted to have it mounted.”

     “I’ll get it done for you.” Mich looked at Eli. “Let me know what the Doc says and call me later.”

     Mich patted the truck window to signal Eli to take Hugh on to the hospital. He then walked back into the woods to retrieve the deer.

     Eli began to make his way down the road out of the land managed area. Hugh was in shock. Eli thought Hugh looked like he saw a ghost. Hugh leaned over to turn the radio on.

     “Eli, I saw a ghost. I mean a real ghost. She came right up to me.”

     Eli eyed Hugh.

     “After that fall Hugh, you probably have a concussion.”

     “No I tell you. I saw a ghost. I opened my eyes and she was right in my face. She had holes for sockets and this stringy lace that burned blue then broke off and died like fire embers. It scared the shit out of me.”

     “I think you broke your head.” Eli began to laugh at his friend but given his dire state decided that wouldn’t be prudent.

     “A coyote had me. He started to drag me away and there she was; just standing there.”

     Hugh began to cry. It was just too much for him to take in and now Eli didn’t believe him. Mich would be no better.

     “If it makes you feel any better, Mich and I saw blue lights flickering in the area. I thought it was fireflies. Mich said it was wisps.” Eli laughed out laugh. “Mich can take out a gorilla on his own and he’s worried about a little spooky ambiance shining in the dark. I don’t know how he ever gets laid.”

     “Disco lights.” Hugh laughed but the pain reminded him again of its presence.

     An hour and half went by as Eli drove towards town. Eli pulled his broken Prince Albert cigar out and struck it up with the lighter he fished out his ashtray. He couldn’t get Hugh’s ghost story or the blue lights in the woods out of his thoughts. What was to be made of it?

     He finally pulled up to the emergency room doors and went inside. He came back with a wheelchair to escort Hugh into the waiting room. It was going to be a long night. Once inside, Eli handed Hugh his cellphone.

     “I think you’d better call your boyfriend.” Hugh took the phone and dialed the number.

    

(To Be Continued)

Written by: Angelia Y Larrimore

~Courtesy of the AOFH~