It was a typical day at work for me. Being a park ranger where part of the land is a swamp is a unique job. Because then certain things need to be done, no different than a fish tank or aquarium. Water is an entire ecosystem all by itself.
I was halfway through my shift, and so far, it had been a routine day. All the rangers had their typical route or routes, and I was in the middle of mine. When minding your route, it’s not exactly an exact science. It’s more along the lines of something you get incredibly familiar with, then you notice when something is off. That’s when it’s your job to check it out or keep an eye on things.
I was just about to keep on driving when I saw something peeking out from behind a cluster of trees. It was early afternoon, so there was plenty of light to point out that it was some kind of vehicle. So once I radioed in what I found, I switched off my car, and started walking towards it.
The air was thick with humidity, and moss was strung around the trees in thick clusters. The humidity around here can take some getting used to, and while I’m mostly used to it, there are some times when it’s intense, even for me. Today was one of those times. The promise of a dense rain hung in the air, and it was badly needed. Even the few bugs flying around seemed to be lacking their usual enthusiasm.
But one thing that didn’t fit was the vehicle, which I could see was hidden away between a bunch of shrubs. How did it get here? And even better, how did no one spot it? I could see even from the road that it wasn’t a sedan or something that could be easily hidden. As I got closer, I could see it wasn’t just a vehicle, it was an RV. And not a modern one either. This was an old one, easily a few decades old. The paint was badly faded, which went a long way to help it blend into the background. That’s the thing about nature. Given enough time, it’ll reclaim anything that’s there. It doesn’t matter if the environment is forest, swamp, desert, or beach. Nature is nature. Which meant I wasn’t surprised that all signs pointed to nature making good progress at reclaiming the RV. It was covered with vines, and as I got close enough to see it in detail, I could see numerous scratches on the side. They were varied in size and length. Some were very shallow, barely making a mark, while others went very deep. They were all over, but most were centered around the front door by the driver’s side.
What happened to this RV and how did it get here? It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. There was an enormous amount of water around here, and it could’ve conceivably floated in from somewhere, as the beginning of the swamp that went on for miles was right here. The other possibility, that the RV had just been placed here, was a lot more difficult to believe. For starters, there were no tracks leading either to or away from here, and we would have noticed someone bringing it in. So that meant it must’ve been slowly making its way through the swamp and connected water for a long time. But RVs, even back when this thing was made, were not cheap. So someone had to part with it, either willingly or unwillingly. And it was our job to figure out what this thing was doing here.
Just looking at it gave me the creeps. There was no telling what lurked inside. Fortunately, I was saved from further speculation by my fellow park ranger and good friend Trent, who had just pulled up in his truck. He’d been on the job a year longer than I had, which meant he’d been here five years.
“Hey Charlie,” he said to me as he stepped out of the truck. “Is this it?”
“Sure is. You ever seen it around here before?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Have you?”
“Never.”
“That’s weird. You’re pretty observant, just like a few others are.”
“Thanks. You’re no slouch yourself.”
“Appreciate it. So how did we not see it?”
“Best I can think of is that it floated down here. You could see it happening by how the land slopes down. Something that size, plus filled with who knows how much water? I could easily see it.”
“Right.” Trent put his hands on his hips and stared at it.
“But something like that doesn’t just get rid of itself. There’s gotta be some objective reason and motivation to dump it.”
“I see what you’re saying.”
“Uh huh. The only question is why.”
I took a step closer to the old RV, and for the first time, I was able to see through the front windows. That was when I realized why the bugs around here seemed to be lacking their usual enthusiasm. I could see them crawling on the windows from the inside, and those that were outside were floating around it in a thick layer. That was all the cue I needed to radio in for even more rangers to help investigate whatever was inside. Because bugs just don’t swarm somewhere for no reason.
When the other rangers showed up, they slowly opened the RV door, and the smell hit us like a truck. It was so bad it made my eyes water, but Max and a few other rangers put on bandanas and looked inside. The rest of us stayed outside and kept watch until they returned a few minutes later. They wasted no time in shutting the door again before they get rid of their bandanas and took deep breaths of fresh air.
“There’s nothing inside but some weird writing on the walls and some candles that were used once for something, but are now just small stubs of wax,” Max said.
“What do you think?” Trent asked.
“Someone used this camper for something. Nothing good I’d imagine. That smell doesn’t come from nowhere.”
“No doubt.”
“I have no idea what’s written inside the camper, but it didn’t exactly seem like something pleasant. I won’t lie, I didn’t like being in there for one minute, and that’s not even because of the smell.”
Max took out his phone and swiped through it before he held it up for us to see. There were pictures of the RV’s interior, which was just as old and faded as the outside. Definitely a throwback. Ancient carpets, cabinets that were older than I was, and curtains that were probably last in stores decades ago. But there was something more than that. The strange writing dotting the walls in several places made me feel weird. Uneasy.
It didn’t take me long enough to have enough of a look at the place, and Trent felt the same way. Once the team finished logging the find and reporting it to the authorities, we put a barricade up around it and went back to the ranger station. After enough time, the smell that had seemed to cling to everything began to dissipate. But I also began to feel slightly chilled. Not freezing, but like the temperature had dropped a few degrees. I chalked it up to the storm system rumored to be coming in later.
When I was about to take my lunch, I grabbed my stuff from the fridge and looked for Trent, so I could let him know what was up.
“Trent?” I called out.
No response.
“Trent?” I raised my voice louder.
Still no response.
I started walking around to look for him. He wasn’t anywhere in the ranger station, but he couldn’t have gone far. I had no reason to think anything was amiss, but after finding the RV, I was a tiny bit wary. Because even after all these years, I couldn’t shake the old feelings that anyone raised around here inherited from a thousand campfire stories. And they all had the same message; be careful of the swamps, or better yet, stay out altogether. Part of it is just tradition. For centuries, people warned others about venturing into a swamp. And as someone who has spent a lot of time in one as part of his job, I won’t deny that a swamp can seem a bit otherworldly at times. Especially if it’s a huge one filled with water. It’s certainly captivating, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. Because if the woods can be both majestic and intimidating, a swamp is in a whole league of it’s own. There’s nothing like being in a boat and seeing an alligator sitting or swimming nearby. And there’s certainly nothing like being out here at night, and seeing nothing, but hearing a huge splash in the water.
I stepped back outside into the thick humidity and called Trent’s name again.
“What’s up?” That was when he came around the side and looked at me.
“There you are.” I sighed. “I just wanted to tell you I’m grabbing my lunch.”
“Oh. Thanks. I’ll grab mine too if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
I turned and held the door as he stepped inside and I followed. He grabbed his lunch, and we settled down.
“I stepped outside for a moment because I thought I saw someone lingering outside,” he said before he took a bite of his sandwich.
“And did you?” I asked while I used my fork to scoop up some potato salad.
“No, but I swear I thought someone was out there. Watching us from down the road.”
“It happens.”
“Yeah. That RV we found is creepy.”
“Sure is.”
“All the info is going to the appropriate agencies, to see if they’re looking for anything like it. If they are, they’ll take it, and if not, it’ll be disposed of. Either way, I won’t be sorry to see it gone. The smell alone is awful. I’ve never smelled anything like that in my life, and you know I’ve spent my entire life outdoors and in nature.”
I nodded. “I do.”
“I’ve smelled plenty of bad stuff, but that was different.” He paused while he picked up a few potato chips. “This is gonna sound weird, but I don’t feel good after being around it. Not like I feel ill or something, but like I feel off. Know what I mean?”
“Yes.”
Trent leaned in closer, like he was worried about being overheard. “Do you feel the same way?”
“A little bit. I don’t disagree that thing was beyond disturbing. Something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. It’s all too weird.”
“Exactly. Listen, I don’t blame you for being a little nervous when you couldn’t find me. So let’s stick together for the rest of the day. No going anywhere alone. Just as a precaution.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Cool.”
So we did just that for the rest of the day, which turned out to be slow and uneventful. But as we were closing up to leave, the storm that had been lingering finally started, and rain started to come down in thick sheets.
Trent and I briefly looked at it before we glanced back at each other.
“Well, hope you have a good night,” he said.
“You too. Drive carefully.”
“You as well.”
Then we both ran to our respective cars, started them up, and pulled out of the lot and down the road. I was in the lead, and when I reached the road, I took a left, Trent went to the right, and we each gave the other a farewell honk before parting ways.
The rain came down in heavy waves, and in no time at all, the road was drenched. It came down heavily for about 15 minutes, which meant it had lightened up considerably by the time I got home. As I opened my window to use my pass to get inside, the smell of fresh rain hit me, and I felt immediately invigorated. The humidity had also considerably lessened, which meant it felt like it was at least 15 degrees colder from earlier.
When the gate to my apartment building opened, I pulled into the garage, and parked in my reserved spot. Then I headed to the elevator and rode it to my apartment, which was on the fifth floor. Once inside, I flipped on the TV. After about an hour of that, I heated up some leftover chicken and mashed potatoes while I watched a movie. Although the rain had slowed down somewhat from earlier, it still came down steadily all night, so it pounded on the building in a rhythm I’ve always found calming.
Since I was in the mood for some ice cream, I eventually headed to the kitchen to grab some from the freezer, and on a whim, I decided to look outside the window. My kitchen overlooks the main road, and it gleamed in the night on account of the rain. There were several street lights outside, which gave the area some illumination.
I was just about to turn around and get my ice cream when I saw it. From across the street, near an abandoned strip mall, stood a figure. I couldn’t make out exactly who it was, but the shape was tall, in all black, and stood there watching my apartment. It was the last one that unsettled me. The figure stood there, looking straight up at my apartment. I had no idea if I’d been seen, but it didn’t matter to me. The only clothing I could make out was a jacket complete with a black hood, which was hiding the face of whoever it was.
I took a deep breath and tried to think logically, while ignoring the panic flooding through my body. After a minute or two, I took out my phone, and dialed the only number I could think of.
“Someone’s watching your apartment,” Trent said without hesitation when he answered.
“Yes.” My stomach clenched as he spoke. Because I knew what it meant. “Same thing there?”
“Yeah. Just standing there, watching.”
“Same here.”
“What do we do?”
He paused. “What can we do? Nothing’s going on. So all we can do is sit and watch, and if something happens, act accordingly.”
Trent was right. Nothing was going on. And I was never more thankful I lived in an apartment building on the fifth floor.
“I suppose I should say good luck.”
“You too. You know where to find me in case.”
“Likewise.”
Then I hung up. Then I grabbed my chair, set it up, and watched. And watched. And watched some more. But the figure didn’t do anything. Didn’t even seem to move. Eventually, I dozed off, but woke up several hours later, having temporarily forgotten what I was doing and why I was sitting there.
The figure was gone. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. So I quickly got up and went to every window to look around. Nothing there either. Then I called Trent.
He answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”
“Whoever it was is gone.”
“Really?”
“No sign of anything or anyone anywhere. What about you?”
“A semi-truck just drove past and blocked everything from view. Give me a moment.” Then I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Nothing here either.”
Then I heard him move around, no doubt to check the other windows.
“Nothing?” I asked after a minute.
“No. All gone.”
“Nice. Well, I suppose we should try to get some sleep. But you know where to find me.”
“Back at ya. Goodnight.”
Then I headed to bed, taking care to put my phone close by. To my surprise, I actually slept well. So well, I almost forgot what had happened and drove to work in a good mood. The rain was gone, and everything felt crisp and bright. When I saw Trent at the coffee shop we both stop at before work, he had the same upbeat attitude.
But then we arrived at the park and saw numerous fire department vehicles around. Once we showed our IDs, we were let in, and it didn’t take us long to find Perry, our boss, lurking around the station with the other rangers. Perry approached us with a weary expression. The smoke was dense, and the entire place smelled like ash.
“Someone made the call early this morning at about 3. Smelled smoke, and they figured out it was coming from here. That old RV you guys found? Someone set it on fire late last night. Dumped gasoline on it and lit a match. All that’s left is a few bits of metal and a lot of ash.”
“You’re kidding,” Trent said.
Perry shook his head. “We have some camera footage of a figure or two in black walking around, but that’s it. The funny thing is, we heard back, and no one needs the RV for anything. Not in connection with any important matter. We might as well head inside. It’ll be a while.”
We followed Perry inside the ranger station, and once he headed to his office, we saw Max and a few others who had been there yesterday, and they looked exhausted. And Trent and I both said so.
“I had the worst night’s sleep ever.” Max mumbled while rubbing his eyes. “I couldn’t get comfortable, and every time I did doze off, I had weird hazy dreams. Can’t remember anything, except I woke up nervous and panting. Like I’d been running from something.”
From the expressions on their face, I could tell without asking that the others had a similar experience.
“Oh well,” Max continued. “And between us, I’m not too upset about someone using that RV as firewood.”
I nodded. “Me either.”