Fire at Dusk: Part 8

Buck and Shirley Sue set out following the glimmer of soft yellow light across a part of the meadow which had rarely been traversed by either of the duo. The clear night sky revealed a spectacular view, clusters of stars delicately balanced in the heavens. The peacefulness of the night was in direct opposition to the feeling of dread which filled the hollow of Buck's stomach. He looked at Shirley Sue. The soft glow of the the waxing crescent moon turned her hair to a gentle silver hue and revealing the soft curves of her face. His heart fluttered for a moment as the beauty of her profile was burned into his mind. His dread was washed away by a serenity he hadn't experienced before.

The two traveled in silence until they reached the forest's edge. A large moss covered boulder sat adjacent to a muddy trail, parts of which were obscured by fallen trees and forest debris. Buck shined his flashlight along the path and observed sets of boot-shaped puddles which traveled down the length of the path, focusing on a recent set which appeared to still be filling up with the muddy water.

“Huh, it looks like he's gone off to the old mill,” said Shirley Sue.

“Why do you reckon he's gone out that way...” Buck trailed off.

“There's only one way to find out,” Shirley Sue asserted as she stepped into the mud, her boots creating fresh silhouettes in the watery earth.

The two travelers sloshed along the swampy path, swishing away swarms of mosquitoes with their free hands. They caught sight of the occasional footprint, but the light of Mike's flashlight had disappeared, obscured by the thick forest. After a while the path began to slope upward and the mud gave way to firm ground.

“We're almost there,” said Shirley Sue.

They continued walking up the path, both relieved from the uneventful nature of their journey. They reached the end of the path and saw the large abandoned mill spread out directly before them. A foul oder hung in the air. The two approached the structure when they heard what sounded like angry shouting coming from inside.

Fire at Dusk: Part 7

The gang stood with their mouths agape, staring toward the door. After a moment of silence, Jessie announced to the room “I'm callin' the sheriff”.

She hurried into the kitchen and picked up the smooth, U-shaped black telephone. It slipped out of her shaking hands and clattered on the counter top she quickly recovered the receiver and began to dial. The pattern of clicks sounded off as she worked the dial on the phone's base.

“Should we go after him?” Shirley Sue said, looking in the direction of Buck and Roger.

“I'll go and find him,” Buck volunteered without considering what he even was saying.

Roger's eyes darted to Buck.

“Have ya lost yer ever lovin' mind? Parker's dead and fer all we know whatever did that to him is still out there. We ain't got any way of figurin' where Mike's run off ta. We should wait for the sheriff to get on out this way. He'll know what ta do,” Roger scolded.

“Maybe you're right Roger, but we just can't leave him out there on his own,” said Shirley Sue. “Come on Buck, well go round him up.”

The duo walked in tandem out the front door. “It's your funeral,” escaped through the doorframe as Buck closed the door, the knob making a clicking noise punctuating Roger's cry as it fastened tightly behind them.

The two began circling the cabin as they looked for signs of which direction Mike had set off in. The breeze from earlier had died down, the cool air only perturbed by the swarming fireflies which had accumulated around the cabin.

“Any idea where he might have gone off to?” questioned Buck.

“He could have gone any-” Shirley Sue stopped mid-sentence and pointed toward the treeline “Look over there!”

A yellow glow blinked into view once more, Mike was out there his flashlight signaling he presence in the distance.

Fire at Dusk: Part 6

The cabin door flew open and four bodies burst in from the darkness.

“It's about time y'all got back. I was beginnin' to think ya got yerselves eaten by Buck's glowin bear,” taunted Mike without tearing his eyes away from the television.

“Mike, Parker's been...” Roger trailed off.

Mike swiveled his head toward Roger. They briefly made eye contact as his friend averted his eyes, stairing into some distant abyss. A chill raced down Mike's spine as he stood.

“What about that fool brother of mine? He gotten himself into some kind of trouble?”

“We found him...” Roger started again. He took a deep breath and continued, “We found him gutted by a branch, hangin' from a tree.”

A steely look waxed over Mike's face. “No, yer shittin' with me. What the fuck kind of prank you tryin' to pull here?” Mike said, the volume of his voice rising as color rushed to his cheeks.

Before anyone had time to react, Mike was standing in front of Roger. Roger remained silent and continued to stare off into the distance.

“It's true,” Buck interjected. “We're so sorry man, we'll...”

“Like hell yer sorry!” Mike grabbed a hold of Roger's shirt with both hands. “Him and Dick put you up to this, didn't they?” He then thrust Roger backward into Dick and Jessie.

Roger regained his balance. His face grew red and for a second an icy glar flickered in his eyes, but then they softened again. “He's dead Mike. I don't know what happened to him, but he's dead.”

“Bullshit! Like hell he is!” Mike yelled as he pushed his way to the door. “I'mma gonna find that bastard!”

The door to the cabin slammed shut. A shudder vibrated through the building. The sound of Mike's voice could be heard echoing through the evening air.

Fire at Dusk: Part 5

Buck began approaching the bushes. He feet grew heavier as he drew closer to the suspect flora, as though the ground had turned to mud and was sucking his feet into the earth after each step. At around a distance of ten paces or so he heard what sounded like muffled crying. His blood froze at the sound, his brain trying to process the situation. However, before he could do anything else, the bush erupted into hearty laughter. The gears slowly started turning again in Bucks mind and he realized that Dick had been attempting to stifle his laughter the entire time.

Buck stomped the remainder of the distance to the bush and careened his flashlight into the foliage. Dick crouched, low to the ground intertwined with the bushes, his glazed eyes locked with Buck's. A shit eating grin was smeared across his face.

“What'n the hell are you doin' out here hindin' in the bushes Dick?” Buck shouted.

Dick stumbled out of the bushes and dusted himself off and clapped Buck on the back. “Take 'er easy bub, I ain't been here long. I wassh on my way back when I heard you folksh comin' and ducked here into these bushessh here. You sshould've sheen yershelvesh, you looked like you were bout ta pissh yershelf there Buck!” Dick punctuated the sentence with laughter and took a swig from the metal flash he grasped in on hand.

Jessie hurried over to Richard and grabbed his arm to steady him. “All right, let's mosey on back to the cabin and finish the game.”

The party began their trip back to the cabin. Dick stopped mid stride and began patting his chest and sides. He broke free of Jessie's grasp and bumbled back to the treeline cursing and mumbling something about his stash.

“Dammit, I guess we better go help him find it,” Buck grumbled.

The cool yellow beam of Buck's flashlight scanned the dense forest floor. His head turned to the ground, searching for his friend's baggy of choice contraband. His head bumped into something and he looked up. As his flashlight beam intersected with the object hanging from the tree, his jaw slackened and his eyes grew wide.

“Guys!” a panicked tone escaped his mouth as he backed away.

Fire at Dusk: Part 4

Jessie wandered in the direction of the forest, calling out for Richard every dozen steps or so. The night air was cool and a breeze caught hold of her hair and tossed it gently across her face, obscuring her vision with the long, straight locks. She pulled the strands away from her eyes and rubbed her bare arms, wishing that she had brought a light jacket with her. It was too late now to go back to the cabin. She knew if she returned without Richard, then Mike and Jim would rib her and claim she had turned 'yella' from the outlandish tale the brothers had drugged up from the forest. She dwelled on it briefly and the image of Richard being attacked by the ghostly creature wormed its way into her imagination. She squared her shoulders as she pushed the story out of her mind, standing straight up and assured herself that it was all just nonsense. She resumed her search with new resolve.

“Hey Jess! Wait up!”

She turned around and saw a pair of floating yellow orbs bobbing in the darkness. The dim glow intensified as the figures which carried them drew closer. Moments later Buck and Roger stepped into her flashlight beam.

Jessie greeted her new companions, “Aw, you two boys didn't need to come on out all this way to help me find Richard. You're gonna to miss the game.”

“After what me and Buck saw earlier, it didn't set right 'bout lettin' you wander 'round out here by yerself,” Roger replied. “'Sides, we reckon he can't be too far 'way.”

The trio moved toward the pitch black line of trees. They called out for their missing friend once more, yellow beams of light tracing the perimeter of the forest.

Buck whipped his attention toward a cluster of distant bushes and spoke in a hushed tone “Ja hear that?”

“Hear what?” Roger and Jessie whispered in unison.

“Dick?” Buck's voice squeaked as he called out for his friend. “That you?”

Fire at Dusk: Part 3

Jessie sat twirling her hair around her index finger, glancing at the door every couple of minuets as the various creaks and shutters of the old cabin being buffeted by the evening breeze reached her ears. Each time her heart fluttered with hope that Richard had finally returned, but he never appeared. She rose from her position on the couch and looked out the window, cupping her hand over her eyes to cut out the glare from the overhead light.

“I'm starting to get worried about Richard,” she said.

Mike sighed and said “Aw, come on Jess, he's a grown ass man. Why can't ya just let him alone a bit? Ya've been like a cat on a hot tin roof since the boys got back. 'Sides this is just like ol' Dick. Just last week he was out rasin' hell and I reckon thats where he's at now.”

“He's been carryin' on about the game all week. Something just ain't right,” Jessie shot back. “We've got to go and look for him!”

“Are you crazy? And miss the game? This is the best they've been doing all season,” Mike hollered back, waving his arms at the television. He sat in silence for a moment, but could feel the burn of Jessie's eyes on the back of his neck. He picked up a flashlight resting on the end-table and tossed it at her. “Look, if yer so worried about him, then maybe you should go and find him yerself.”

Jessie turned to the door as the group's attention returned to the game. “Maybe I will,” she said under her breath.

As she shut the front door behind her, she heard a muffled roar of hoots and cheers from indoors. The porch light flickered and she shivered from a chill in the air. She squinted into the darkness and called out for Richard a few times. Her ears strained for a reply, but only a lone owl called back with it own question. She took a deep breath, turned the flashlight on, and stepped into the darkness.

Fire at Dusk: Part 2

The roar of crashing timber followed closely behind the pair as they broke free from the twisting forest. Neither dared to glance backward as they sprint across the field. They tore through the meadow, up the pathway to the cabin and bolted through the door. There they stood, bent over and panting heavily, propped up by their hands anchored to their respective thighs.

Roger looked up and saw four figures gawking at him and Buck.

“We'll I'll be damned, looks like you two've just about gone to ghost,” said a tall heavy young man with a smoke hanging from his lower lip. “J'all find yerselves a bear or somethin'?”

“Y'all won't believe it, me and Buck were comin' back from the traps,” said Roger between pants, “when suddenly we hear a scream, and we see this glowin' body floatin' out in the middle the woods”.

“You fools been seein' things. I reckon ya'll been smoking somethin' funny and I fancy you worked yourselves up over a coyot screeamin.”

“I swear on my grandma's grave Jim, I ain't been in anything funny and that weren't no coyot howlin' off. 'Sides how you 'splain the glow?” Roger rebutted.

“I'd figure it was Dick,” chimed in a young woman standing by the couch. “We sent him out to find y'all when it started getting late. You know how he likes to horse around.”

“Shirley Sue's probably right. He'll probably burst through the door any minute laughing his ass off. Mike and Jessie just finished fixin' up some snacks fer the game if y'all want to sit down and get some grub in ya,” replied Jim.

The two brothers insisted a little more that their experience in the woods wasn't Dick. However, their protests were only met with ribbing from their peers. Soon their dissent melted into cheers as their team scored against their rival. The hour slipped away as the six friends sat around the television, but there was no sign of Dick.