Hiking trails are meant to be explored, even the hazardous ones. My name is Liara Sansa, and this is my report on the hiking trail in the mysterious forest of Deadman’s Grove. From what I heard, this is the hot spot for hired guns to hide their kills. I don’t know about you, but that all sounds like a load of bullshit. Adventure is out there, and I will explore all that is to see…or at least that is what I used to think before I went to Deadman’s Grove. Trust me when I say this: seeing a dead body was the least of my worries.
Let me start at the hotel where I was staying, Hotel Graves. Waking from my beauty sleep, I dressed and went to my laptop to recap my examination.
“Deadman’s Grove. It’s a popular spot during the day, but at night, camping is prohibited. Strange. They don’t even explain why,” I said with a scuff before closing my laptop and turning to my hiking bag. “Whatever. Every trail has a story to tell, and I want to find them all.”
After collecting my gear and getting my bag, I made my way to the hiking with the help of a taxi. While taking the cab, I could not help but notice him glaring at me through his rearview mirror.
“Hiker?” He asked while stopping at a red light.
“Yes, sir,” I chirped with a bright smile.
“Visiting?” He asked, looking at me while gripping the wheel tightly.
“Yup. Do you know any tales of Deadman’s Grove? No one talks about the trail,” I asked, tilting my head.
“Only one. A monster lives there. Hunting anyone stupid enough to try and explore its home,” The cab driver answered, chuckling lightly.
I shivered at the thought but shook my head to keep my hopes high.
“I ain’t afraid,” I said confidently.
“We’ll see about that. You hikers are all talk until you enter the grove,” The cab driver responded.
I could not help but laugh nervously at the man’s comment before looking outside and the homeless wandering around and making their tents. After a few minutes, I was dropped off at the entrance to Deadman’s Grove and immediately noticed no sign of any homeless around. No trash was on the ground, and there were faint tracks of vehicles entering until I saw a small hut. Walking over towards it, before I even made it in front of the shack, a park ranger walked out, stretching his arms overhead.
“Oh. Hello!” I shouted, raising my hand and waving to the ranger.
The park ranger turned to look at me, only for his eyes to widen.
“Another hiker?” The Park Ranger commented with an annoyed tone.
“Is there a price to take the trail here?” I asked, hoping up and down for joy.
“There used to be, but now it’s free. Do you really want to hike now? When the night is already approaching?” The ranger asked, a worried look on his face. “The only people who come here are those that are either trying to hide something or have nothing to really live for…”
“What do you mean by hide something?” I asked, raising a brow.
“It’s mostly rumored,” He said, returning to his hut to shut everything down while getting his bag. “There will be no rangers on shift at night—rules from the top. One of many.”
“Right. Well, I’ll see you later then. Adventure afoot!” I said, walking past the ranger, who gave a sad salute before turning, walking to his car, and leaving the grove in a hurry.
The trail was easy enough, and I could see it thanks to my flashlight. I had been walking for more than an hour already. However, it put me on edge about how quiet it was in the forest. It was nighttime, and not even a cricket was making a sound. My eyes scanned my surroundings slowly before I heard a car driving into the grove on my right. Curiosity was always my downside as I followed the car’s sound and saw a group of men pulling out a body bag. Five in all, four being bulky, and the last being a skinny man who seemed to be the driver.
“Hurry up, man! I don’t want to stay here longer than needed!” The skinny man whined with a shaky voice as he looked around.
“Shut the fuck up, wuss. What’s there to be afraid of? The rumors? Ghost stories to keep people out of this place. It makes it the perfect spot to dump bodies. Hell, not even the police or swat come in here,” One of the bulky men said before the others chuckled. “Big Brother has been using this spot for years.”
“Who is Big Brother anyway?” The skinny guy asked, staying near the driver’s side.
“Jace. One of the best hitmen in the history of our society,” Another bulky guy answered as they started to dig a hole.
“And nothing bad happens while we dispose of bodies?” The skinny guy asked, looking at the other men who paused.
“Stop asking questions. If you aren’t going to help us. Do us a favor and shut up,” The first bulky guy said, glaring at the skinny man, who flinched and nodded.
I could not help but watch in horror at what I was seeing. Not only was I alone, but in an area used to dispose of bodies. This proved that the rumors were true. The only thing I could do was curse myself for my actions.
“Welp. Nothing worse can happen,” I whispered while trying to sneak away, only to hear a branch snap under my feet.
I closed my eyes tightly at what I had just done before opening them to find all four of the bulky guys had pulled out handguns, with one looking directly at me. When I thought my luck could not get any worse, I heard laughter around us. I watched as the guy staring at me turned his attention to the forest surrounding us. Whatever the laughing was coming from, the guy found it a more significant threat than me.
“Six little mice in my home. Now, that won’t do at all. But I want to have some fun before I tear you all to pieces,” A feminine voice chimed.
The skinny guy was hyperventilating while he frantically tried to open the car door. When he finally opened the door, a thick tree branch had pierced the car’s engine.
“No cheating,” She vocalized.
“What the fuck!?” The skinny man screamed as he crawled out of the car to fall face-first into the ground.
“The game is simple. We are going to play hide and seek. If you can last until the sun rises, you get to live. Fail. And I devour you. Simple, yes?” She asked before laughing again. “I will give you to the count of ten.”
“Yeah? And what’s stopping us from shooting you dead?” One of the bulky guys questioned, preparing his handgun.
“Stay where you are and find out,” She answered before laughing again. “Ten…”
I wanted to avoid discovering what was out there, even though the voice sounded familiar. My body turned, and I started to run down the path I was on, not knowing where I was. All the trees looked the same; no matter how many turns I made, it felt like I was in the same spot.
“Nine,” She called.
“What are you guys doing?! Shouldn’t we be running?” I heard the skinny guy complain.
“What for? Sounds like some girl trying to play hero,” One of the bulky guys said, grinning.
After that, I was far enough away from them that their conversation was gibberish. No matter how far I ran, the countdown was as clear to hear as if I was in an empty room. I could still hear the countdown taking place, and right now, all I needed was a flashlight and phone. Dropping my bag, I hid in an open tree trunk and curled into a ball with closed eyes and tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Zero. Ready or not… here I come,” She chimed before the sound of shooting followed.
“What the fuck is that?!” One of the bulkier guys screamed as more shooting echoed in the forest.
I could only listen as the shooting started to die down with my hands clasped over my mouth. Whatever was out there wasn’t human in the slightest. Running was heard before hands grabbed my hair to pull me out of my hiding spot. I could not help but scream while scratching at whatever grabbed me.
“Ahh, knock it off, you crazy bitch!” The skinny man complained as I opened my eyes.
As my eyes opened, I could see that I had scratched at the skinny man’s hands, seeing blood dripping from them. I could not get a word in before the man threw me to the side and crawled into the hole. I heard a heavy thud behind me when I got off my feet, followed by laughter.
“Has the little mouse been thrown out by the mean rat?” She asked, laughing again.
I should have been afraid, but that phrase about the little mouse and rat surprised me. Only one person would use such a phrase at a time like this. There was no way it was possible as I slowly turned my head and came face to face with a woman. As our eyes met, I was frozen in shock before tears that once were horror now became happiness.
“A-Aunty Joy?” I asked, my eyes looking her up and down.
My aunt, who had gone missing for the past five years, was standing right in front of me. She looked the same before she went missing, my favorite aunty who would defend me from bullies and even bad family members who only wished ill will against me. Her long blonde hair and pale skin made me chuckle until my eyes fell upon her neck, which had a long slit against it.
“Aunty Joy…w-what happened?” I asked with a shaky voice while reaching out with trembling hands to touch her throat.
“Hold on one second, little mouse,” My aunt whispered before walking past me and toward the man who pulled me out of my hiding spot. “Don’t look, little mouse. I do not want you to see this…”
As she asked, I didn’t look; all I did was stare at the ground with my body shaking as the skinny man screamed behind me in terror. The screaming lasted only a second before tearing and gurgling were heard behind me, and eventually, silence.
“C- Can I turn around now?” I asked, closing my eyes.
“Yes, you may, little mouse,” she said, allowing my eyes to open while I turned around.
What I saw was my aunt wiping her bloody mouth and the skinny man on the ground with his throat missing.
“What happened to you?” I asked, looking my aunt up and down, seeing how much blood she had on her dress. “Last I saw you, you were doing a report on some guy named Papi…”
My aunt looked at me and sighed before rubbing the back of her head in thought.
“I died, little mouse,” My aunt admitted, watching as her arms fell to her sides. “But I came back… just not a human…”
“H-How is that possible?” I asked, taking hold of my aunt’s hands into my own. “What are you?”
She only stared at me before chuckling nervously.
“Which part? How did I die? How did I come back? Or what am I?” My aunt asked, trying to smile.
“ALL OF IT!” I exclaimed.
My aunt chuckled at this and looked at me before her eyes drifted past my head. I wanted to turn my head to see what my aunt was looking at, but she stopped me by touching my cheeks. She stared into my eyes and shook her head, telling me not to turn around.
“Close your eyes, little mouse. And do not open them until I say you can, okay?” She whispered.
I could only nod before closing my eyes as I felt my aunt’s cold, wet hands leave my cheeks.
“She is my niece. I will not harm my little mouse,” I heard my aunt shout out as I felt her embrace my form in her arms.
“We have… a deal. You and I,” A raspy voice sounded behind me.
It sounded like an old man with a dry throat.
“And I kept my end of the bargain! I give you entertainment. And I did,” My aunt yelled.
“Those humans… with guns. That was… boring. They… did not run… they fought… as pointless as… it was…” The voice countered.
“What about the skinny one? Was he not entertaining?” My aunt screamed.
“Yes. He was… entertaining. The hope… in his eyes… that you may… have forgotten him. Splendid,” The voice replied before chattering followed, only for it to fade away. “But… it is not… enough.”
“Than a new deal…” My aunt begged.
“What would that…be?” The voice asked.
“Let her live… and in turn… I’ll leave the grove,” My aunt answered.
Silence filled the air.
“Think about it. I’ve been in the grove ever since I died. Unlike the others, I stayed where I was killed. If I leave here… think about all the entertainment I could make for you?!” My aunt added.
There was no reply for a moment until suddenly, chattering surrounded us.
“Deal,” The voice called before a gust of wind took place, causing the chattering to disappear.
A sigh escaped my aunt’s lips before she released her hold on my body.
“You can open your eyes now, little mouse,” Joy said.
I opened my eyes and looked up at my aunt, who was smiling.
“You need to leave here, little mouse, and never look for me,” My aunt said, taking a step back and looking down at her left hand, where she wore a black ring.
I watched as she took the ring off and handed it to me, with tears in her eyes now.
“Take this with you and show it to your parents. If you need cash, then follow the path laid out in mushrooms. They will lead you to my stash,” My aunt said with a giggle, which I joined in.
I look to the ground with my flashlight, seeing a path of mushrooms. Nodding my head, I turn and hug my Aunt Joy tightly.
“I’ll miss you,” I say as she returns the hug.
“I’ll miss you two, little mouse,” My aunt said before pushing me away softly and swaying her hand. “Now go on. Scamper off, little mouse… and stop going on these adventures. You got lucky this time… you might not be next time.”
I nod and follow the mushrooms, which lead me to a cave. Upon entering it, I find myself standing in front of a pile of cash. I’m not sure why she was hoarding it, but if she told me to take what I needed, I would do just that, especially if this is my last hiking trip ever. And so that is my journey that stopped me from doing stupid hikes. It was wild, and I got to see my aunt again… maybe one day… I will look for her.