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Whispers in the Trees

After the loss of her wife, Emona just wanted to escape from it all into the mountains for a while to mourn in peace. If only peace and quiet was what she got.

By Lori HazeltonPublished 6 years ago 30 min read
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Image from StockSnap.io

Crisp leaves crinkled under the heavy work boots clad on Emona’s tired feet. Taking time off to mourn was something she wasn’t used to. Not even the scenery given to her by the beautiful fall Appalachian Trail seemed to help. Sighing, she adjusted the purple scrunchy in her curly dark brown hair and rubbed her face exhaustedly. Everything reminded her of death; the nearly bare trees, the cold air that made her dark skin rise with goosebumps, and the ground decorated with the scattered brown and yellow corpses. The land had lost the once vibrant and adventurous vibe it used to give the two of them.

This also made her feel nostalgic; longing for a time when she could bury herself in Julia’s copper hair. She needed her smile that made her nose crinkle and those deep brown eyes light up when they would both jest about scenarios that would never happen. Julia’s eyes were so different from her own grey ones. How could the universe take away someone so vivacious? Why not her instead?

These thoughts flooded Emona’s mind as she recalled the past week. It had been only six days since her beloved Julia passed on, three days since the funeral, and five hours since she had gotten off the plane and climbed into the rental black Jeep Cherokee to escape it all. It took hours to reach the trail that the two of them had visited so many times over the past seven years. Emona barely kept it together as she stepped out of the Jeep and gathered her pack… and Julia.

Time seemed to be against Emona; it always had been. Not enough time to get their online business together, not enough time to take a breather from her full time job as an EMT, and not enough time with Julia. Emona felt robbed of it. Making how slow time seemed to be passing now all the more cruel. Carrying Julia’s urn up the steep Appalachian Trail made it slow more.

Emona’s sister, Rosanna, and Julia’s mother, Linda, disagreed with her leaving on her own so soon after Julia’s death. Out of everyone in both of their families, Rosanna and Linda were the only ones that made an effort to support their relationship. Or even agreed with it for that matter. Since Julia’s and Emona’s families were both incredibly religious they didn’t approve of their marriage. It didn’t help that most of Julia’s family were prejudiced against people of color. Being an African American woman, Emona was already, unfortunately, used to the type of comments she received from Julia’s family. Emona shook her head trying not to think of those didn’t matter to her. She was here for Julia.

Not them.

It had been about a quarter past five when she arrived at the base of the trail that lead to the cabin. It was a couple of hours' hike from the Jeep, so dusk started to set in as she made her way up the steep footpaths. Emona still had a ways to go until she got there. She didn’t care. She welcomed the dark at this point. As long as she got to her destination she was fine.

Rangers always warned hikers and campers of the dangers of traveling in the mountains at night. It was always tales of mountain lions, bears, and a series of other things regarding the steepness of the trail. Since it was late October she had trouble getting a hold of the owner of the cabin, Carl Terry. He was a rather jolly old man in his early sixties who rarely visited the cabin, so he would rent it out during the summer for a vacation spot. Every summer for the past five years, Julia and Emona, would visit this spot and got to know the owner well.

Carl was incredibly surprised that Julia had passed away so young and was more than happy to accommodate Emona with the keys to the cabin, free of charge. He said that he owed Julia that much. Emona was very appreciative that he would allowed her to do this. It was always so surprising at how kind people would be after the loss of another’s loved one.

The last inkling of light had faded now and the temperature had started to plummet down below forty degrees making Emona’s breath visible even in the low lighting. The sound of the leaves under her boots were emphasized in the dark making her feel a bit more isolated.

With a soft half laugh Emona spoke. “Well, Jules, you always did enjoy a night walk.”

Only the sound of leaves responded as she trekked further.

With a sniffle she continued. “You know… we could have spent more time here this time of the year… The leaves are almost gone, but I know how much you loved them. Heh. The colder weather always did make you more adventurous. You know I hated the cold… anything for you though, Jules.”

Emona stopped for a moment and looked up to the starless sky through the bare branches. Feeling the tears well up in her eyes she placed her hands on her hips and let her head hang as the sorrow took over.

“Damn it, Jules… Why leave me now? You were in remission, damn it!” She felt a hot tear sting her cheeks. Wiping them in reflex, Emona crossed her arms and sighed heavily. Looking up the trail she stood for a moment longer and pushed the lump back down her throat.

“This’ll have to wait… not here.” She shook her head then continued walking.

Her footsteps crunched and rustled up the path as she enclosed on her destination. She listened to them to focus on anything but her thoughts; making deliberate stomps once in a while. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Somehow it was soothing to hear. Every little crackle and skid under her boots sounded like a symphony.

Until another abrupt crunch threw off the tune from behind her.

Emona stopped for a moment and listened. There was nothing to be heard but her breathing.

‘Maybe it’s a deer.’ She thought to herself as she continued, listening to her footsteps once more.

Crunch, crunch, SNAP!

The sound of a twig being snapped pervaded the air. This time the noise made her stop and whip her head around in the direction it was coming from. Squinting her eyes she scanned the darkness of the brush and trees. She was searching for movement.

Nothing.

A sense of dread filled the pit of her stomach and made her throat gain another lump. Something was off.

‘Was it a curious animal? A deer?’ Chills went up her spine as she thought further.

‘Could it be a predator…? Or worse… a stalker?’

Emona shuddered under her evergreen jacket, no longer from the cold, and quickly pulled out a flashlight from her backpack’s side pocket. With a soft click the LED light shone brightly on the trees and leaves making sharp shadows decorate the surfaces behind them. ‘THAT’S not creepy at all!’ she yelled at herself in her head as she scanned the area, listening for any other noises. She saw no movement.

“Good…” she whispered to herself.

Before she could get comfortable the sound of heavy deliberate footsteps rang out from in front of her down through the trees. It sounded like someone—or something—was charging at her.

Swearing under her breath she turned and ran up the trail, flashlight in hand. She didn’t want to find out what it was, nor did she want it to catch up.

Sprinting uphill is never easy, let alone while being chased. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something up the hill, around 30 yards away: a soft yellow-orange light. The cabin! Relief filled her as she, somehow, picked up speed.

The ground became more level, making it easier to run. Unfortunately, she could hear the footsteps behind her gaining speed as well. The gate was wide and she only heard one foot at a time from behind her. That was definitely not an animal! Thinking fast, she reached into her jean pocket and pulled out the keys, using the flashlight and the dim hue from the porch to see which one was to the cabin.

Finding the key with the bear shaped bow, the cabin key, she grasped it in hand, then threw herself against the old wooden door of the cabin, unlocked, opened, then slammed it shut behind her making sure to latch the bolt lock from the other side.

Panting she listened for whoever was following her to run onto the porch then try and get into the door. A few moment passed. Nothing.

Curiously she looked out the window near the door, pulling back the old doily curtains as she did so. For a moment she saw nothing in the tree line. The shadows in the foliage seemed to blend together, until something caught her eye: a pair of reflective eyes standing tall in the trees. Her eyes widened as she felt a jolt go through her body in fear.

There, standing around eight feet tall in the trees, was a black bear standing on its hind legs. It… it was making eye contact with her through the window. She felt it watching her for a brief moment then, without lowering onto all fours, backed up, keeping eye contact with her until it disappeared into the darkness.

“What the ever-loving fuck was that?” She whispered in shock under hear breathe. Shaking, she shut the curtains then proceeded to turn the lights on in the cabin, checking all the locks on the windows and doors.

After twenty minutes of nothing else happening, Emona unpacked her essentials and sat Julia’s bronze urn on the kitchen counter next to her bag. Trailing a single finger along the small epitaph sporting Julia’s name, her birth date, the day she died, a small inscription:

“May she spread joy in the next life as much as she did in this one.”

Swallowing hard she turned and went into the small living room, fidgeting as she did so. Pushing her emotions back down her throat, Emona sighed heavily and plopped down onto the old floral couch to check her phone, kicking off her muddy boots as she did so. After checking the half full battery she allowed her eyes to settle on the single service bar lit up in the upper right of the cheap phones screen; she groaned.

“That’s just… great. Yep, yep. GREAT.” She sat the now useless electronic on her stomach as she lay there and stared at the ceiling. It took moments for her thoughts to swirl into memories of the last summer. The sun would be cascading through the trees onto the ceiling as the sun would peak over the trees. The birds would be heard singing out the tiny kitchen’s window as Emona would relax against the old couch cushions. Julia’s head would pop up into view above her with that bright smile, knocking Emona out of her daydream and into their own heaven.

“Babe, don’t leave me to your thoughts just yet!” She’d lull as she’d plant a gentle kiss onto Emona’s lips. Soft and sweet like the honey she’d drizzle on her pancakes. Julia would climb onto the couch and the two would adjust themselves and just enjoy being held into each other’s arms. The time would slow and pass them by like the blurs outside a car window.

Then the coughing started. Julia would hunch over and cough in large whoops. Emona would pat her back and worry for her. Julia would just remark on how her allergies had gotten worse this year and grab a tissue from the coffee table.

“It’s just a tickle in my throat and lungs… Ugh, this is the only thing I hate about summer!” Julia would shrug it off.

Emona remembered heading into the small bathroom that afternoon to get Julia her allergy medication only to return and see Julia staring at the tissue. Her eyes were glazed over and her face was now drained of any happiness that was there just a moment before, now replaced with shock and fear. As Emona approached she saw the blood staining the white tissue, making her stop in her tracks, then lock eyes with Julia.

“Babe…” Julia’s choked up voice echoed through Emona’s head as she was snapped back to reality by a loud metallic clack.

Sitting up, she scanned the room for what made the noise. Her eyes stopped at Julia’s urn that sat on the kitchen counter behind her. Standing up, she made her way into the kitchen and saw what made the noise: a small bear carving that formerly decorated the wall near the sink. It had landed up against the urn and sat upright, the bear’s head facing the front door.

Emona’s thoughts went back to earlier when the bear chased her into the cabin. Was it still out there? Curiously, she went over and peaked out the same window as before, the bear carving still in hand. The woods were quiet and dark. Wait. The entire area was dark. Had the porch light went out?

A loud knock shook the door making Emona nearly jump out of her skin. She felt frozen, unable to move from the shock of the sound. Who would be up in the mountains, in the off season, after dark, and knocking on a secluded cabin door? Emona’s mind rushed in a million directions then were interrupted by another deliberate set of knocks. This time, a voice rang out from behind the door.

“Park Ranger, open up!” A masculine voice called from behind the door. Unsure if it was a trick Emona called out to him. “Could you step away from the door so I can see you?”

Peeking from the window she watched a tall figure back up into the window’s light, revealing a tall man in his late thirties with dark hair, wearing a park rangers beige uniform. It was a ranger. Not the usual older man with greying hair that she and Julia would see when they would hike along the trail, Frank. Letting out a sigh of relief Emona opened the door, allowing the cold air to rush in, and tried to act natural.

“Sorry about that… I had a bit of a scare earlier… and I guess I’m on edge.” She apologized to the Ranger. His face seemed serious.

“Sorry, to disturb you ma’am but, I came to check on why there were lights on out here in the off season,” he said in a serious and concerned tone.

Emona nodded and shrugged giving him her answer to his concern. “I know the owner, Carl Terry, he allowed me to come up here. He’s an old friend. Didn’t he alert you guys that we…” She pulled back her words and corrected herself, feeling the tears try and fight through her calm façade. “…I would be staying here.” She finished as she crossed her arms feeling the cold air brush her skin. He gave her a quizzical look.

“I recently lost my wife. It’s been hard and… I just needed to get away from it all.” She swallowed those words and felt adjudicated from having to say it out loud. The rangers face soften and he nodded awkwardly as he extended sympathy. “I’m sorry for your loss. Yes, we were notified by Mr. Terry that someone would be using his cabin. I guess it slipped my mind. I just saw the lights and decided to check it out.” He explained giving a smile. She studied him for a moment.

“Where’s Frank?” She asked making the ranger look at her for a moment in surprise.

“Frank?” he asked.

Emona gripped the door. “Frank. You know, the usual ranger that checks the area around here…” Hearing this, the ranger’s eye lit up and he nodded as if in realization.

“Oh! Frank. He usually only works during the summer,” he said, placing his hands on his hips matter-of-factly.

That seemed to make sense at the moment, so Emona smiled politely at him. “Well, that explains it… Thank you for checking up on me. Um, what was your name again sir?” She asked as she stepped back into the room slightly.

It took him a moment to respond. “Luther.” Emona repeated his name then looked up at him with the best smile she could muster. “Well, Luther, thank you so much for checking in on me and I guess I’ll see you around.” She slightly pulled the door near shut to show that she wanted to end the conversation.

“…Have a good night, Emona.” He smiled then walked off into the forest as she shut the door and locked it.

Sighing, she leaned against the door and shook her head.

“I’m too jumpy… I need sleep.” She let off a scoff then tossed the bear sculpture onto the couch. Walking into the kitchen she shut off the lights, then picked up Julia’s urn and brought into the bedroom, setting it down on the nightstand.

Changing into her pajama’s, she plugged in her phone, and laid down on looking at the urn. Pulling the quilt up to her chin, she peaked at the digital clock on the wall near the door that read, 9:47PM. With a sigh she took one final look at Julia’s urn, kissed both her index finger and middle finger, and then gently pressed them against the bronze surface.

“Good night, Jules.” Emona whispered as she snuggled up into the quilt and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

“Emona.”

A hushed feminine whisper breathed against Emona’s ear, making her sit up in the bed with a start. She felt goosebumps form on her arms as the chills went up her spine. In a panic she looked around the room and saw no one in the dark, just the shadows of the trees from the dim moonlight outside. No one. Nothing.

Looking at the clock on the wall it read: 12:03AM.

Covering up nervously with the quilt she tried to calm herself. ‘Maybe it was a dream.’

The comfort of the thought was quickly shattered by a snap of a twig outside the window behind the bed’s headboard. Slowly, Emona turned to look out the window, all of her senses screaming to do otherwise. As the outside came into view, she scanned every inch of the blotched darkness. Looking for any abnormality that would show someone outside. She turned to get a better look, brushing her curly hair behind her ears with her fingers. Something felt off.

It took her a moment to realize that there were no noises; No owls, no wind, not a peep. It was like the world got put on mute.

Emona felt a pit twist up in her stomach as she saw movement from against the lower end of the glass. Four dark, thin, and gnarled twigs were slowly rising closely together from the base of the window. It wasn’t until the fifth digit showed itself from the abnormality that she realized: It was a large hand.

Jumping out of the bed, Emona grabbed her cell phone, and hid in the threshold of the bedroom door. Looking at the window she saw another gnarled hand hit the window making her jump. Someone—or something—was trying to pull itself up to look through the window. As she saw another mass, in the very center of the hands, start to rise up into view Emona shut the bedroom door and stood in the hallway, shaking.

“What the shit… What the shit…” She choked out as she felt hot tears run down her cheeks. That wasn’t a human nor was it an animal. The window in the cabin bedroom were above an incline, making it ten feet up from the ground. Whatever was out there was either an amazing climber or was very very tall.

Hurrying into the kitchen she opened a drawer and grabbed the largest kitchen knife she could. ‘What am I doing?’ she thought to herself as she looked at the knife. ‘The windows and doors are locked… I should be fine…’ Her thoughts were interrupted by something no louder than a hushed whisper.

“…Emona…” A strangely androgynous voice echoed from around the cabin. It neither sounded human nor animal.

Emona gulped hard and, shaking, lifted the knife up as if to stab the sound. Adrenaline filled her veins as multiple whispers surrounded the cabin accompanied by what sounded like dragging nails against the glass. The poor woman’s fear was now in full swing as the whispers continued.

“What the—fuck…? What the fuck? What-??” she breathed frantically, turning in every direction the sound came from. Was she going crazy from grief or was there something actually out there? She didn’t really like the idea of either one those options.

The whispers suddenly stopped.

Listening, Emona stood in place and waited. A few moments passed. Just as she began to feel even a hint of relief a thunderous bang came from the roof of the cabin, directly above her. She began to hear something dragging across roofing and towards the kitchen, behind her. Her gut sank. She didn’t want to look at the window behind her. She didn’t want to see what could be waiting for her to turn.

Eventually, curiosity overtook her and she slowly turned her head to check, a stray tear falling from her eyes. There in the window staring back at her was, the darkness of the forest. She frowned in both fear and confusion. ‘What…?’ she thought to herself as she faced the window completely.

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!!

A series of deafening pounds assaulted the front door to her left making her scream out for a moment and lift the knife in self-defense.

“EMONAAAA!!!!” The voice screamed in fury from the other side. She was now shaking uncontrollably from pure terror.

“What do you want?!” She demanded, attempting to sound intimidating.

The banging stopped.

The voice spoke up again from the other side of the door, this time in a horrifically sweet fashion. “Emoooona… Leeet me in…” it lulled, barely hiding its insidious intent.

“S-screw that!” She growled out then quickly began dialing for 911 with her now fully charged phone. Putting the device up to her ear she listened for the ringing sound only to greeted with a quick and chipper ‘beep’. In horror she looked down at her phone to see that she had absolutely no service.

“God damn it!” She panicked and began pacing the room for even a weak signal as the banging started again, more furious than ever.

“Let me in! Let me in! Let me iiiiiiiiin! EMOOONA!!” It shrieked from the other side.

“Leave me alone! I’ve got a gun, you fucking monster!” She screamed at it as she continued to search the room for a decent signal. Whatever the monstrosity was, it laughed mockingly in it’s resonate multi-voice.

Emona jumped at the sound of palms hitting the window next to the door. The creature was pressing its face up against the window and straining to look through the doily curtains. Her eyes widened as she saw it’s outline; hunching down in the window it was gangly, skeletally thin, it’s hands were horribly claw-like with sharply tipped talons, it’s head was completely bald, antlers poked from the top of its head, and the most horrifying feature of all was its eyes. They were highly reflective like an animal in headlights and shown through the curtain brightly like small orbs.

She dropped to her knees next to the couch and trembled in fear as she began to sob uncontrollably. Emona couldn’t turn her sight away from its own gaze.

“Where’s your guuun…?” it chuckled then tapped the glass with a single index claw childishly.

She had to get away from it. She checked her phone only to see a single bar light up the upper right corner. Letting out a halfway reassured sob she dialed the only number her terrified mind could think off; Carl.

Much to her relief it began ringing.

“Hello?” A groggy male voice answered.

“Oh, thank you, god! Help me! Carl, I’m up in your cabin and somethings trying to get in!”

“Emona? Are you sure it’s trying to get in? Is it raccoon or something?” She could hear him pipe up and the sound of blankets shifting.

“NO! it’s calling out to me! BY NAME! I don’t know if it’s a person or-!” She looked up to the window only to see that the creature’s silhouette was gone.

“Emona? Emona, what’s happening? Is it gone?”

“P-please… send help.” She choked out right before the phone lost signal and dropped the call.

Emona’s eyes darted around the room looking for wherever the creature might be. Where had it gone? A scurrying sound near the back window answered her query making her whip around, only to miss the glint of its eyes moving out of sight. She swallowed hard and wondered how such a monstrosity could exist. ‘Why is it after me?’ she questioned herself as she crept down the dark hall to check on the bedroom. The thing's voice echoed in laughter around the cabin once more as she heard scurrying on the roof and near the windows once more. It was toying with her. Emona felt that if she stayed in one place it would only allow it to easily stalk her. Slipping the phone into her shirt strap, she lifted the knife up, and reached for the bedroom door handle, preparing for the worst.

With a quick swipe and turn she flung the door open and looked around the room, her eyes stopping at the window. The room was empty and the window was untouched, much to her relief. She quickly stepped in and shut and locked the door. It took her a moment to head to the bed and check on Julie’s ashes. The urn was untouched as well. This made her even more relieved. Julia may have been nothing but ashes now, but any form of her presence was good enough for her.

“Jules… What do I do right now?” She sobbed as she clenched the knife close to herself and sat on the foot of the bed hugging her knees, making sure to face the window. The bronze urn remained as it did before, still and not answering.

She remained in that position on the bed listening to the occasional scurrying and calling of her name around the house for what seemed like forever. Looking up behind her at the digital clock on the wall, she saw the time read 1:15AM. It hadn’t been long at all. Maybe she was safe in the room. If it wanted to hurt her then it would have by now… right?

Almost on queue, she heard glass break in the other room. Hesitantly, Emona faced the door of the bedroom, her eyes locking onto the door handle. Her heart sank to see the knob slowly turn then begin to shake as the series of pounding began.

“Emoooonnaaa!!” the creature screamed from the other side of the wooden barrier. Each blow rattling the dresser next to the door making the small knick-knacks rattle. She felt herself nearly faint as terror took her once more. She knew she wasn’t insane. There was an intruder that had been mentally torturing and terrorizing her and was now in the cabin trying to break open the bedroom door. She felt like a scared child trying to hide from the boogeyman under the covers. Defenseless.

She gripped the knife in her hands and got ready. The creature beckoned her once more, calming its rage from the other side. “Emona… Open up… You want to see your wife again don’t you? Hyahahahaha!” It cackled and clawed at the door trying to force it open.

“Fuck you! You goddamn monster!” Emona screamed in retaliation as she stood up from the bed and readied the knife, anger filled her every being. How dare it. How dare it even mention Jules. If it was going to kill her—she was going to take it down with her. Her answer enraged the monster and she could hear it ripping apart the wood of the door on the other side. She knew that at any moment it would come through. She looked mournfully at the bronze urn on the nightstand, kissed her index and middle finger, then pressed them against the epitaph.

“I love you Jules… Looks like I might see you soon…” She whispered as the pale talons ripped through the door and the full horror of the beast became clear: Pale grey skin, sunken in features, jagged human teeth with elongated canines, abnormally long limps, and completely naked.

A sinister grin was plastered across its face as one of its long limbs reached slowly into the hole it made in the door and unlocked the door effortlessly. Emona stood there shaking in both fear and anger as the door creaked open and creature stood in the threshold. Its body looked completely emaciated and shuddered as it chuckled at her effort to appear tough. It slowly took a step towards Emona, its grin growing as it silently approached.

‘This is it…’ Emona thought to herself. ‘I’m going to die.’

As the grinning horror was within arm’s length of her. Something flew across the hall in the darkness and hit the back of its head with a good wooden thwack. The creature lurched in pain and held onto its head making an opening for her to run down the hall. Pure instinct pushed her through the hall and to the front door. With no shoes, no coat, no nothing she ran hearing the front down slam behind her, knife in hand.

The sound of the creature’s scream rang out through the trees as she trudged downhill through the mountain trail. She knew every turn like the back of her hand; dipping, jumping, and sprinting. Hearing the leaves crunch under her heels. She was cold but numb from the rush. She heard it laugh and call out to her from every corner of the wood. Ignoring it she pressed on, unfortunately losing her footing on the trail and then tumbling down the steep hill, the knife flying from her hands.

She rolled down the hill feeling branches, rocks, and hardened dirt hit her on the way. When she finally stopped her body was racked with pain, rolling onto her back she groaned and began to sob quietly. This made her cringe even more feeling a pain shoot through her chest. She could feel it. A rib was broken. Sitting up she held her side. What was she going to do?

“Emoooonaaaa!” She heard the creature call from up in the trail. She was now in in the dark, in unfamiliar territory, injured, and being chased without a weapon.

“Emooonaaa! Come to me Emooona!! Hyahaha!” It cackled from the trail above her. Her eyes widen and a sudden realization hit her: it didn’t know where she was. Good.

Slowly she stood up and began walking barefoot aimlessly, stones and sticks painfully poking into her feet. After a few turns and stepping into a thorn bush she dropped onto the ground hurting everywhere now. Emona began to feel the hopelessness settle in and take root. The only heat she felt now was her tears as she rested her head on a stray branch.

The cold was now chilling her bones. Even in the dark she could see her breathe. She closed her eyes welcoming the dark. Soon she’ll see Julia again. Soon she’ll be gone. Soon she’ll feel no pain. She had completely given up.

She felt warmth brush against her face, but, she felt no fear. ‘Here it is… I’m finished.’ She thought as a warm soft breeze washed over her. Through her closed eyes she saw a dim light. It was different somehow from the creature’s eyes. What was it?

“Babe…” A familiar and comforting voice rang out from the dark.

Emona felt her eyes swell with tears at the sound. Let out a small sob she slowly opened her eyes and saw who it was.

Standing there, as bright as daylight and just as inviting, was Julia. Even in the dark she could see every feature; her red hair, her beautiful brown eyes, and that smile that would make even the sweetest candy taste bland, she was wearing her favorite beige blouse and blue jeans.

“Jules…” Emona choked out in a relieved sob. It couldn’t be. She must’ve died and Julia was just here to receive her. Standing up slowly, Emona felt pain spread through her ribs, putting that theory out of her mind. No. She wasn’t. It had to be a trick. Almost like reading her mind Julia’s face became worried.

“Babe, don’t leave me to your thoughts just yet…” Julia spoke softly then turned and pointed down away from the trail deeper down. Emona followed her gaze and saw nothing only to turn and see that she had gone.

“Jules…” she whispered and began walking in the direction that she had pointed. She heard the monsters let off an angry scream from up the ridge. This snapped her back to her reality and she began running, ignoring the pain filled with a new purpose. She couldn’t give up yet. Julia wouldn’t want her to.

She kept running for what seemed like hours in that direction. Whenever she stopped she could hear the creature closing in. A few times she got lost but the image of Julia would be off in the distance helping lead her back on the path. She didn’t know what was happening. Either it was a divine intervention or she had gone completely off the deep end. She didn’t care.

The sound of the creature sounded faint now as she spotted Julia again. This time when she ran towards her, she didn’t disappear right away. Just as Emona got within five yards, she saw Julia smile then fade, revealing flashing red and blue lights ahead. Sprinting, she called out and ran into the opening, feeling cement under her feet. Without thinking, she ran into the arms of one of the officers that saw her approaching; exhaustion and sweet relief filled her as the world went black.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting in the back of an ambulance having her blood pressure checked while a police officer and Carl question her on what happened. It felt odd being on the receiving end of an ambulance for once.

“So you heard glass break in the living room?” An older woman in a police uniform questioned Emona.

“Yes. I had the kitchen knife in hand. This was after I called Carl.”

“So, then it—the intruder—attacked you?” The police officer asked as he wrote down notes for his report.

“Yes. Then something… hit it.” Emona stopped for a moment remembering that.

“What hit the intruder?”

Emona thought long and hard about what did. She didn’t see what hit the creature. She remembered the sound it made, but, who threw it? Her mind raced.

“Emona. What hit the intruder?” The officer spoke up.

“I don’t know… it was dark. I just saw my chance and ran.” She shrugged and saw a ranger walking towards the ambulance. She recognized him, his salt and pepper hair and happy wrinkled face were hard to miss. He was carrying her backpack from the cabin.

“Frank?” She spoke up in surprise.

“Yes, Emona, who do you expect?” He said with a quizzical face that quickly turned mournful. “Hey, listen, I didn’t know about Julia… I am so sorry.” He said quietly as he fiddled with her backpack.

“Where is Luther?” She asked feeling confused.

“Luther? Luther who?” He remarked making even Carl give her a jumbled look.

“You know, the other ranger?” She searched his eyes for the source of his confusion.

It stood a moment and bit his lips as if contemplating his next move.

“Emona… there is no ranger around here named Luther…”

“What?”

“I’m the only ranger here, other than two women who rotate shifts… And that’s year round.”

Emona felt her heart sink. She opened the door for him. Was it, the creature? She sat there frozen. The officer and Frank exchanged looks then he spoke up.

“Maybe it was your intruder. Uh-hem. Here, I brought you your things and… Julia.” Frank gestured. Emona took the back and opened it to see the bronze urn allowing herself to break down and cry in relief when she saw it. She knew Julia was the reason she was even breathing. She felt her, heard her, saw her. She didn’t feel so alone anymore. Trailing her fingers over the epitaph she saw something red-brown tucked away behind the bronze container. Reaching into the bag she pulled out the item and smiled a tearful smile.

It was the bear carving.

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About the Creator

Lori Hazelton

Creating something that can capture a reader is one of my passions.

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