I’m a park ranger but I’m leaving my name and the name of the park out of this post intentionally. The names of all those involved have been changed as well. I needed to get this story out there but cannot rely on conventional avenues. That’s why I’m posting it here. I could lose my job or much worse, but this story has to be told. I owe it to Catherine (not her real name).
I arrived at the ranger station like any other day. I was given my section of the park to patrol. Unfortunately, the park is massive and my section usually includes half of it. So there isn’t much chance for leisurely strolls on the trails.
I hopped in my work vehicle, a ten-year-old four-by-four, and headed out to see if anyone needed assistance. It didn’t take long to find someone. At the first campground, there was a man who couldn’t get his camper started. A quick jump got him rolling along.
Next was a couple needing directions. Then an overturned canoe. I had only made it a few miles through the park. I was going to have to move if I hoped to make a full route today. I managed to grab a few quick bites of lunch and put some miles on without anyone needing help when the call came over the radio.
There was a hiker that found something and I needed to go check it out.
A half-hour later I was talking to a middle-aged woman who had made a concerning discovery. She found a hat and a note on the trail. I read the note.
***
I’m writing this note and leaving it behind because I’m not sure what’s happening. The five of us friends have been planning this trip forever, even since long before we graduated, but it always seemed like something came up at the last minute and one or more of us couldn’t go. For a while, I was almost convinced that some outside force was working against us. That we were cursed not to go camping together until we were all too old to enjoy it.
I could picture Devan now. He would still go even if he was so old he had to use a walker on the trail. He’s always up for camping. I think the guy carries a loaded backpack in his car with him everywhere he goes. Lol. Adrianne got here right behind us followed soon after by Dean. Of course, Terry was the last one to show.
We started up the trail in great spirits. Three miles in the sun was just starting to heat up. We were making good time towards the rustic campground when Devan decided to take a detour. He said he’d heard about an old trail that no one used anymore and wanted to check it out.
I said we should keep going the way we were, but I was outvoted. I honestly don’t think Terry’s vote should’ve counted since he was obviously stoned and Devan just bullied him into saying yes.
We came to a spot with a large stone off to the side of the trail. Devan said it was the trailhead but I didn’t see any trail. He led us through some heavy brush, but on the other side it cleared out and we could see the faint impression of an overgrown trail.
I went last and left my hat on the stone in case we got lost and needed to be rescued.
I think that’s exactly where we’re heading, straight toward lost.
I’ll leave this note under my hat and hope that someone finds us.
***
I asked the woman to show me where she’d found it and she showed me. Three miles later, I was staring at the rock I hoped I would never see again.
I radioed my location to the station and told them if they didn’t hear from me in a couple of hours to send a search party to the old abandoned trail.
I wished I would’ve brought my supplies with me. My backpack, and my sidearm, but they were three miles away and I didn’t know how long these kids had been on this trail. I knew that wasted time could mean the difference between life and death. At least I had my knife, flashlight, and binocs.
So I thanked the woman, placed the red hat back on the stone just in case, and headed into the heavy brush. Once through the initial overgrowth, the trail became visible. Old memories flashed through my head. Ones I never wanted to think of again.
I took a deep breath and headed down the trail. It was overgrown for the first mile or so and then it opened up into a field. I could see people had walked through before me by the way the weeds were partially trampled.
As I walked through a deer jumped ahead of me, startling me. Until that moment I didn’t realize how jumpy I was. I tried to settle down and tell myself that these kids were just lost and I could catch up to them and get them out.
Telling myself that didn’t make the memories go away.
I entered a clearing with a fallen log and another note with a rock sitting on it.
***
I think I’m being silly. This trail isn’t so bad. Maybe I was wrong. Devan seems to know where he’s going. I just can’t shake this feeling that we’re being watched. Sometimes I’ll look around and I swear I see a face disappear behind a tree.
Am I being paranoid? Maybe if the birds would start singing again that would lighten my mood. But I haven’t heard a bird or any other animal for a while. I wonder why they’re being so quiet. Are they afraid of us?
On another note, Terry seems to be brooding more than usual. Maybe he forgot to bring enough of his stash to last the trip.
Devan is in his glory since everyone has to rely on him for directions. Adrianne and Dean seem to be along for the ride. Although I have noticed Dean looking around at the trees as well. Maybe I’ll ask him if he sees anything.
If you’re trying to track us down I hope we aren’t being too much bother. I just have this feeling…
***
I folded the note and stuck it in my pocket, then prayed she was wrong about being followed. I pushed on, beginning to miss my backpack with the supplies in it, especially the water bottles.
The trees provided some shade so the sunlight wasn’t shining directly on me, but hiking is always thirsty work. The birds chirping in the trees made me almost forget about the desperate mission I was on to save these five kids. My mind wandered back to the kid I couldn’t save.
It had been shortly after I started as a park ranger. An eleven-year-old boy had gotten lost on this very trail. His parents searched frantically for him before calling us in to look. I remember hoping to be the one to find him as we formed search parties and searched on, in, and around every inch of the trail.
In the end, I got my wish. I found him, but I wish I hadn’t.
I pushed the memory to the back of my mind and focused on the trail. It was starting to fade. The trampling of feet wasn’t making enough of a difference and I was starting to lose my way. Out here that can be deadly.
I kept moving forward and finally regained the trail just in time to reach the fork.
I looked back and forth from one choice to the other and couldn’t see a difference between the two. I searched for any broken twigs or plants that would give me a hint, but there were none. Just when I was about to give up and flip a coin, I saw a piece of paper in the weeds barely visible.
I dug it out and read it
It seems like we have a dilemma. A fork in the road as it were. You would think I would be happy to see the doubt in Devan’s eyes as he looked from one choice to the other, but you’d be wrong. It made my confidence plummet. It made me think that we were never getting out of here.
Everyone’s running out of water, Devan yelled at us for not conserving, but I saw him drink the last of his too. He ranted and raved at us for a while but we all knew that he was just mad because he didn’t know what to do.
In the end, he flipped a coin.
We all did our best not to laugh.
Adrianne is reaching the end of her rope with Devan and his attitude. Dean has been playing peacemaker, trying to keep them from going at it too much. Terry was been way too quiet. I haven’t seen him light up once. Something’s up with him but every time I ask he says it’s nothing.
The birds still aren’t singing and it’s starting to really bother me. The strange feeling I have hasn’t gone away. I asked Dean if he had seen anything strange but he won’t talk about it.
We’ve been on this trail for a while. I’m hoping to come to the end soon.
By the way, in case the note got moved or blown around, we took the left trail.
I was panicked by the end of reading that note and so relieved she mentioned which trail to take. I radioed in and reported that I was on the trail of the missing hikers. I mentioned the fork and taking the left side. I was told that there was no search party going on yet. That I was the only one looking for these kids.
It was the complete opposite of years ago looking for that kid. Everyone was searching. I know we combed every inch of that wilderness. But that’s the thing about the woods. You can search every nook and cranny, but something can still stay hidden.
The sun was going down and I still had no idea how close I was to catching up to these kids. I could stumble across them in the next clearing or they could be hours ahead of me. I met with the woman who showed me the hat and note in the afternoon. If they started out around daybreak they could be a good five or six hours ahead of me. If the leader is so driven to continue it’s hard to say how far they might be.
I continued following the trail until I came to a fallen tree across a river. I looked both ways along the edge of the water but saw no trail so I made my way across the tree. I could picture the debate the kids had when they got here. I chuckled at the thought of Devan having to convince them to go across. I believe I made up a lot of time with that single crossing.
I jumped down to the water and drank my fill, then climbed back up feeling much better. It was tough to pick up the trail on the other side. I was glad to find a note sticking to a branch.
Oh my gosh, Devan just about came unglued when we got to that tree over the river. He hopped up on it right away and started across. But the rest of us weren’t so sure the trail led that way. We asked him how a trail could be planned with a fallen tree as part of it. He sputtered and stomped and told us how lost we’d be without him.
Dean had finally had enough and told him we were lost because of him. I seriously thought Devan was gonna take a swing at him until Terry of all people came to his side and told Devan to shut up. The rest of us all came together and told Devan he could keep leading us as long as he stopped acting like a petty tyrant.
He didn’t take it well.
In the end, he told us we could all go to hell. He sat on the log and refused to move. Eventually, after we took a break and refilled our water bottles in the river, Dean said we should get going and led us across the tree. Devan followed along acting like a whipped puppy.
Dean and I talked about the disappearing face we’d seen a while back but neither of us had seen it again. At least the birds are back to singing.
I chuckled figuring that Devan would be a big baby over the whole thing. But after the chuckle came concern. Deposed leaders are usually dangerous. I wondered how much offense Devan had taken and if he would be looking to get some payback in some small or large way.
Darkness was coming on fast in the woods. I had to make a decision. Camp for the night or keep going. If I camped I could defend against the predators that lurked in the darkness. But if I kept moving there was I good chance I could stumble across the group before daybreak.
It wasn’t much of a decision. These kids that I didn’t even know, that I had plunged headfirst into the woods without even my backpack of supplies. Of course, I was going to try to catch up with them.
If I had done that years back would that kid still be alive?
Such thoughts nagged at me. Most days I kept them at bay, but here in this same forest, close to the spot where I found him…
I needed to focus. If I’m going to keep after them then I need to get going. I stepped off the trail to take a piss and heard a metallic snap at the same time I felt intense pain shoot up my leg. I looked down and I had stepped into a bear trap.
I screamed, fell to the ground, and rocked back and forth in agony.
After a few minutes, I focused on getting the trap off my leg. I found a branch and pried the trap open, screaming the entire time. I managed to pull the trap off my leg and threw it to the side. I really didn’t want to take my boot off but I had to see the damage.
It took every ounce of effort I could muster to unlace the boot and pull it off. My leg was purple. I felt along the wound very gently, but there didn’t seem to be any break. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be limping for the next month. But it did mean I would buy this brand of boots for the rest of my life.
It took much more effort and some more screaming to put the boot back on, but I knew I needed to keep moving. I laced up the boot and found a sturdy branch to use as a crutch. I struggled to my feet and took my first few ginger steps. Once I got into a rhythm it got easier, but I couldn’t walk as fast as I had been.
Of course, when I was at my weakest was when I heard footsteps in the trees close to me. I knew there was a predator around just because it could sense I was vulnerable.
I leaned against a tree and held my crutch ready as a weapon. The footsteps came closer. They paused as if they knew I was ready, then slowly continued stalking me. They were deliberate but slow. Each step seemed measured as if waiting for the right moment to strike.
I heard it right next to the tree I was hiding behind. I whipped around as best I could and raised my crutch to strike.
A deer stared at me for a heartbeat and then turned and ran through the forest.
I collapsed against the tree and slid down to the ground, allowing the adrenaline to bleed off.
I don’t remember falling asleep.
I woke to sandpaper scraping the side of my face. I opened my eyes and there was a bear beside me, licking my cheek. I freaked out, screamed, and rolled away from it.
The bear wasn’t ready for that reaction. It startled and ran away.
I slowed my rapid breathing and looked around. It was dark. There were thin shafts of moonlight beaming through the trees providing a little light. I checked my watch and it was nearly four in the morning.
I rose slowly and gingerly on my injured ankle, took the small flashlight out of my pocket, and prayed it still worked.
My prayers were answered when the beam shone brightly through the woods. I panned around trying to get my bearings. After a moment I found the trail and started hobbling toward it. The nightly noises were a comfort. At least if the crickets were chirping and the rest of the forest was singing its nightly tune, that meant predators weren’t around.
I stumbled and fell, hitting my injured ankle against a rock. The pain overwhelmed me and I screamed. After a few minutes of recovery, I got up and continued at a slower pace, paying more attention to the ground.
I chided myself for falling asleep and losing so much time.
At least the trail was easy to follow. I continued on through the night hoping I wasn’t too late. I started thinking about the boy I’d failed to rescue and what would happen if I failed to rescue these kids. I’m sure the ranger’s department would say I did my best. I wasn’t worried about them, it was me. Would I be able to forgive myself for letting something happen again?
My thoughts were interrupted when I stumbled into a clearing. Not just any clearing. There were the remnants of a fire. There were impressions from tent pegs being pulled out of the ground. All around were the signs of a very recent campsite, including a tent that was still set up.
I got so excited I nearly fell over my crutch looking around for signs of anything. The tent was a mixed blessing. It was very ominous that it was still here while the others were gone, but I was able to find some supplies to take along for my search. The most important was food. I shoved some protein bars in my pocket while devouring some beef jerky. I also grabbed two bottles of water from the pack.
I stumbled across a note sitting under a rock beside the smoldering fire. Before I sat, I held my hand out to the fire. It was still warm, but the embers were nearly dead. It had been hours since it was first lit. If I hadn’t taken my unintentional nap, I would’ve caught up with them.
There was nothing I could do but sit by the dying fire and read the note. Hoping there was good news.
We found this clearing and decided to camp. Everyone was tired from walking and the mood was somber because no one seemed to know where we were. All of us had been hiking in this forest before but none of us had ever seen or heard of this trail.
We set up our tents and started a fire, then had some supper and sat around. No one really felt like talking so I tried to get the ball rolling by asking Terry why he was late.
He hesitated but at my prompting eventually, he told us that he had hit an animal with his car on the way here. I asked if it was a deer and he said no it was much too big to be a deer. He said it walked upright on two legs and it was massive, like eight feet tall, covered in brown hair. He swerved to miss it, but the strangest thing was it seemed to try to jump in front of him anyway like it wanted him to stop.
We all listened with rapt attention. Just then off in the distance, we heard a scream. We all froze. Devan started spouting off and yelling at Terry for trying to scare us, then he stormed off. Dean tried to stop him, but he pushed him away and disappeared in the woods.
The rest of us talked trying to decide if we should go look for him but in the end, we figured we should just let him go and cool off. A short while later we heard a rustling off in the distance and a muffled cry. We huddled a little closer together and went on high alert. Our eyes darted back and forth as we searched the impenetrable wall of trees surrounding us looking for any sign of a predator.
Right then the strangest thing happened. All the nightly noises stopped. The crickets, the squirrels, the owls, every sound that you usually hear in the forest at night simply ceased. It was unnerving. For a moment I wondered if I hadn’t gone deaf.
Our eyes darted all around in the darkness. We all huddled closer to the fire. Dean pulled out his hunting knife. None of us said a word. It was like if we spoke something bad would happen. Somehow whatever caused the noises to stop would find us if we spoke.
Someone did speak though, just not who we expected.
“Why are you here?” Came a raspy deep voice that seemed to echo from everywhere.
We looked all around and finally, a man stepped into the light.
He was large, well over six feet tall with broad shoulders, and older, maybe in his fifties or sixties. He was also wearing a park ranger’s uniform. It looked old and shabby like he had been wearing it for a long time. There were no nametag or park patches.
At that point, we didn’t care. We had been rescued. We clamored around him saying how glad we were that he had found us. We told him about going on the trail and how we weren’t sure where we even were.
The man listened then slowly said, “You shouldn’t be here.”
We all looked at each other. I’m sure the others thought the same as me, ‘No shit we shouldn’t be here, we just told you that.’
He continued to look at us from one to the other as though sizing us up. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable with his silence. I would’ve thought he would offer to guide us, but he didn’t. He kept staring. I think everyone else was getting a little edgy as well when Dean asked if he could point us in the right direction.
He looked at Dean as if deciding to answer him or not.
“I can guide you,” he said. “But first you should have some rest.”
We all agreed that the day had been long and stressful. We decided to take his advice and turn in. We offered him some food and water but he refused saying he wasn’t hungry.
We each went to our tents and laid down. Before I settled in and finished this note, I popped my head back out of my tent to check on our guide. He was sitting by the fire staring into the orange coals. I thought I heard him mumbling or maybe humming something softly.
I quietly zipped up my tent and went to sleep.
Sometime later someone banged on my tent. I woke and unzipped it to find the ranger with a strange look in his eyes.
“We need to go.”
“Why?” I said rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“It’s not safe here,” he said with an edge of panic in his voice.
I popped back into my tent to change. Then came out and met with everyone. They were all in states of semi-consciousness as well.
Everyone but the ranger seemed to be confused.
“Pack up, we need to leave,” he said a little more forcefully.
I was about to protest when I heard a piercing scream in the distance.
His head shot up and he stared in the direction of the sound.
“Move it!” he said. “Pack up!”
We didn’t need to be told again. The scream brought us all fully awake. We tore down our tents in record time and packed everything into our backpacks. As I was finishing up I noticed Devan’s tent was still up.
“Where’s Devan?” I said.
“Who’s Devan?” the ranger said.
“He’s another one of our friends,” I said. “He went off into the woods alone right before you got here.”
“He didn’t come back,” the ranger said.
“Should we go look for him?” I said.
The ranger extended his arms and did a slow circle.
“Which way would you go?” he said.
I understood his point, how would we know where he had gone, if he was still on the path or not. It just seemed like we should do something.
“What about his gear?” I said. “Do we take it with us?”
The ranger looked at me like he was annoyed at having to answer such questions.
“Leave it here in case he comes back,” he said. “He’ll need his supplies.”
I’m not sure if I’ll keep leaving notes or not now that we have the ranger to guide us.
Whoever finds this, please look for Devan and make sure he’s ok.
A ranger? All the rangers at this park are in their thirties or forties. Maybe it was someone who retired and was just roaming around out there. But why would he be in a ranger outfit?
Sitting here by the dying embers of the fire, with a tent set up in front of me, it was very tempting to take a rest. If they’re in the hands of a capable ranger I could get some rest before the long hike back out of here. But I knew I had already taken my rest for the night. If not for that, I would’ve been here hours ago, probably before the other ranger.
I set out again feeling tired but determined. The campsite made me more hopeful than I had been all day. At least they were together and thinking like campers. If only I knew who this ranger was.
The sun was an hour away from rising so I took out my flashlight to follow the trail. I zipped up the tent before I left, just in case its owner did come back. Wouldn’t want animals getting in and taking everything. It’s bad enough when injured park rangers do it.
The trail stayed level for a while as dawn peeked over the trees. The trail started heading upward, which was bad news for me and my bum ankle. It made things harder, but I had my trusty makeshift crutch to help me. Dawn crept into the forest giving me a little assistance. At least I wouldn’t have to waste a hand holding a flashlight.
As the climb grew steeper the trail grew more narrow. At times it was only the width of one foot. I held onto trees and whatever I could as I scaled the extremely narrow trail. At the most difficult I paused and seriously considered turning back. As I looked around for any other way to keep going I saw brightly colored fabric at the bottom of the ravine. I carefully balanced as I took out my binoculars and looked. It was a backpack and attached to it was the body of a girl in her early twenties. She looked like she had hit her head on the rocks at the bottom. Her face was bloody and mauled. Her clothes were ripped and soaked in blood. There was no doubt an animal had gotten to her. The only question was, was she alive when it started feeding on her.
I looked away but felt my determination double to find these missing kids. They might be with a ranger but they were still in terrible danger. I slowly continued up the narrow trail. At times I was sure the ground would give out from under me and I would share the same fate as the poor unfortunate girl at the bottom of the ravine.
It was then I remembered my radio. I tried to call in and report the location of the body but the only response I got was static. I determined to try again when I got to the top of the trail. It was yet another motivation to keep going, to be careful, to survive.
It seemed like hours at a snail’s pace working my way up the side of that ravine. Finally, I clawed my way over the edge to the top. I rolled over onto solid ground and lay there for a few minutes. Once I caught my breath, I got up slowly and painfully. I hadn’t done my ankle any favors.
I limped toward what looked like the trail and began following. It wasn’t long before I came across the remnants of another campsite. The fire was a little warmer than the last one. I stoked it up, threw some more wood on, and got it going. I knew I needed some rest. I searched around and found a note, then sat down on a log by the fire to read it.
I can’t believe Adrianne’s gone. We started up this steep ravine and the trail kept getting more narrow. I asked the ranger if there was any other way around but he just glared at me and said no. We all struggled with our heavy packs on our backs. At one point I was on all fours just trying to keep from sliding into the ravine.
That’s when it happened. Adrianne was having trouble keeping her feet on the trail. She kept slipping. I reached out and helped her balance a few times. Being right in front of me I kept an eye on her whenever I could. That wasn’t nearly as much as I wanted because I was watching my own feet.
She slipped once and I tried to grab her but she had tipped over and the weight of her backpack dragged her over the side. I watched in horror as she tumbled down into the ravine bouncing off trees as she went. I saw her skull make a solid impact several times as she tumbled to the bottom and slid to a stop. I couldn’t see if she was still breathing or not as I called her name. She didn’t move. I called for the ranger in front of us and pointed to her unmoving body.
He stared at her for a long time. I don’t know if he was trying to see if she was alive or not. He told us to keep going up the trail to the top and he would go check on her. I watched as he carefully made his way down the nearly sheer slope.
We kept moving forward as instructed. He was only halfway down when we made it to the top.
I was a wreck. I was so happy we made it but sad for Adrianne. I didn’t hold out much hope that the ranger was going to come trotting into camp with her on his back saying she only had a few bumps and bruises.
We started a fire and then sat around it in a stupor. Finally, Terry came over and talked to me.
“Look, I understand she was your friend, but she was ours too,” he said. “We need to work together to get out of here, for them.”
“That’s so stupid it makes sense,” I said with the remnants of a smile.
It was then the ranger reappeared.
He sat by the fire and didn’t say a word. There was something in his eyes, It wasn’t sadness, but I don’t know exactly what it was.
We knew she wasn’t coming back.
We rested for a little while, then started out on the trail again.
If you’re following us I hope you’re being careful.
Stay safe.
Wow, this girl is something else. With all she’s gone through, she still wants me to be safe. I hope I find her. I think she’d make a good ranger.
My guilty conscious jumped up on my back and yelled at me.
‘How can you sit around and rest when that poor girl just lost her friend and needs your help?’
I knew it was right. I just didn’t know why that other ranger was being so careless. I struggled to get up, kicked out the fire, and started after them.
The daylight was dimming, but it was only eight in the morning. I looked up and saw why. Storm clouds were overtaking the sky. Yet another reason I wish I would’ve brought my backpack.
The raindrops hit like a cold slap in the face. Even though it was still September, out here in the mountains the weather can change in a heartbeat. We weren’t at the top of the mountain, but in the middle was enough for the weather change to make me shiver.
Now that we were out of the ravine, I tried my radio again but it was just static. I knew there were some places where the radio inexplicably wouldn’t work. I just hoped to get away from the interference before it was too late.
The trail was clear in front of me, but that was little comfort when walking in open fields with no rain cover. All those trees I tromped through and now in the rain, I have wide open spaces. I’d say someone doesn’t like me.
The rain didn’t just pass like a spring shower. It poured so hard it became difficult to see in front of me. For a long time, I trudged through the rain. At times it felt like I was walking in place. The mud was starting to cake on my boots. And then my salvation appeared.
In front of me on the trail was a tent. I called out before I unzipped the tent and let myself in. I flopped to the wonderful dry floor then quickly turned and zipped the entrance back up. I breathed a sigh of relief but as I did a stench assaulted my nose. I looked over at the sleeping bag. It was full.
“I’m sorry to barge in like this but I needed to get out of the rain,” I said.
No response.
I nudged the person in the bag. It tipped to the side and rocked right back. That’s when I noticed the splotches of red that had soaked through the bag. I didn’t want to see but I pulled the top of the sleeping bag away from the person’s face. The bad part was they no longer had a face. It had been ripped away and the neck had been gouged out. There were large wounds on the body as well. I tried to feel for a pulse but when my fingers went straight into the muscles of the neck I figured there was no pulse to feel. I wiped my fingers on the sleeping bag and pondered why this person was covered. I know the animal who did this didn’t gently cover up the person with a sleeping bag when it was done.
I found my answer laying above the head of the person. It was a note.
I can’t believe Terry’s dead. I wish I’d never come on this trip. I wish I’d never let Devan bully us into turning down this damn trail. Where the hell is Devan anyway? When he stormed off on his little pity party did he run across whatever creature has been stalking us? Is he sitting back in his tent now enjoying himself? I really don’t know.
We were enjoying not climbing up the face of a ravine, but we were very tired. I mentioned stopping and camping for a little bit to the ranger. He looked around and even sniffed the air. That seemed like a weird thing to do. But after that, he agreed to let us set up camp. He even told us to do it as quickly as we could. We gathered wood for a fire but he told us not to bother because the rain was coming. I guess that explains the sniffing the air thing.
Our tents had been up maybe fifteen minutes when it started raining. It quickly turned into a downpour. We all offered the ranger to sit in our tents with us. He looked over us one by one. It was kinda creepy. Finally, he said he would sit with Terry in his tent. Dean and I looked at each other with relieved expressions. The ranger is helping us, but he isn’t someone I’d like to ever see again. He just acts too weird. At times I wonder if he’s really helping.
I’d just closed my eyes listening to the rain on the tent and letting it carry me off to dreamland when the ranger ripped open my tent. He said we needed to pack up and leave right now. That something was hunting us. We dove out into the rain and miserably packed our tents. He reassured us that there was a cave nearby and we could get shelter there.
As I was packing up, I didn’t see Terry so I went over to his tent and knocked. When there was no answer I went in and found what was left of his body. Something had torn him to shreds. I covered my mouth to keep from vomiting and ran out to tell the others. Dean and the ranger looked in and saw that there was no helping him.
The ranger said he had left the tent to go to the bathroom and when he came back he saw a predator hanging around the tents. That’s when he came and woke us. It must’ve already gotten to Terry.
I pulled his sleeping bag over his head and wished we had time to give him a proper burial. But the ranger said the animal might be back for the rest of us. So we quickly packed and left. I barely had time to finish this note.
Please help us.
A cave? What kind of ranger is he? Doesn’t he realize that would be the most likely place a large predator would call home?
I thought for a moment what cave he could be talking about. I hadn’t been on this trail for five years. Ever since I found the kid here. Then it hit me. We were very close to the place where we found him. Why would he take them there, unless…
I jumped up so quickly that I nearly fell on top of the body when I forgot and put too much weight on my injured ankle.
I hobbled out of the tent and went as quickly as I could toward the place I swore I’d never see again.
I approached the cave and my heart sank. Two backpacks sat just inside the entrance.
I pulled out my knife and flashlight, then cautiously peeked inside. I felt a change in the breeze and turned to find the ranger staring at me. I looked him up and down.
“You,” I said. “The last time I saw you was when we found the boy.”
He said nothing.
“It was never a random animal attack,” I said. “It was you.”
He took a step toward me.
“Of course it was,” he said. “How wonderful was it to watch you years ago as you floundered around looking for some predator that stood beside you?”
“You son of a bitch!”
I pulled out my knife and held it ready.
He paused, then smiled.
“Do you really think that knife can hurt me?”
I looked at it.
“Pretty sure,” I said. “It’s made of iron.”
His smile vanished.
“So you do know what I am.”
I pulled out a bottle of brown water.
“I made sure to grab some runoff from the rainstorm,” I said. “It might not do as good as rust water, but let’s find out.”
I opened the bottle and threw some water at him. He dodged it as though it was acid. At the same time, I swung with the knife. He dodged with ease.
“Why don’t you turn into the big pussy that you are?” I said taunting him.
“Because we both know when I transform I’m vulnerable for a moment,” he said. “And I’m sure you would love to take advantage of a vulnerable moment.”
He swung and connected with my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
I recovered and swung the knife in a vicious downswing at him which he easily dodged. I kept moving forward, stabbing and slashing at him. I couldn’t get close enough to connect. He was too fast.
“You can’t defeat me,” he said. “Look at you, like an injured deer just waiting to be devoured.”
“Be quiet, Yeenaaldlooshii!” I yelled.
At the mention of his name he froze. I knew I didn’t have much time.
I took advantage of the moment, lunging at him with my knife.
If I had been uninjured, I would’ve closed the distance between us with two quick steps and buried the knife in his heart. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, I forgot about my injured ankle. I stepped forward on my good leg, then faltered when I tried to put weight on the injured one. Instead of burying the knife in his heart, it went through his left thigh.
He screamed in pain and ran out of the cave.
I took out my flashlight and started toward the back of the cave. There I found a mutilated body next to a pile of bones. There was a note in her hand. I sat down, took it, and read.
I can’t believe how stupid I was not to see this much sooner. All the time guiding us was just a ploy. He never wanted to help us. He never cared about any of us or our safety.
I need to write this quickly before he comes back.
The ranger led us here and told us to wait, that we’d be safe in the cave. He left us alone. Dean pulled out his flashlight and explored deeper into the cave. He found a large pile of bones. Off to the side of them was a pile of clothes.
We ran toward the opening but the ranger had returned.
“So you didn’t listen,” he said leering at us. “I told you to stay here, not explore my home.”
“What are you?” I said.
He smiled for the first time since I’d met him. But his smile wasn’t comforting, it was terrifying. I watched in horror as he changed into a giant cat creature. It didn’t look quite like a panther or mountain lion.
He lunged at us with amazing speed. He grabbed my leg and tore a large gash in it. I fell to the floor screaming. Dean tried to defend me, swinging his knife around and holding it at bay, but it stalked around him and cornered him. He only had one chance. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes and then ran past the creature and out of the cave.
It looked at me and my leg then sprinted out after Dean.
I know why he did it. He was trying to give me time to escape, but with my leg, there was no way I could outrun that thing.
What he actually did was give me time to say goodbye.
If you’re reading this, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I led you to your death. If you do somehow survive and make it out of here please tell our families what really happened here.
Goodbye.
I fought back tears as I read the final words of this brave girl.
I limped to the front of the cave and looked out as the rain stopped. It was like seeing a new world being born. I tried my radio and got an immediate answer. I gave them my GPS coordinates and told them to prepare for casualties.
I’m still a park ranger even months later.
I made sure that the trail was sealed off.
I carry an iron knife and rust water with me at all times. I carry the rust water in a squirt gun, just in case.
The bones were removed from the cave and subjected to DNA testing. Aside from this group of victims, including Devan, there were several other people who had gone missing in the park over the years.
The official version of the events was that a rogue animal had been hunting people. I was told it would be best for my career if I didn’t reveal the true nature of the predator.
I still search for the creature and post signs everywhere to be on the lookout for an older ranger wearing a uniform with no patches on it. There’s a number to call if anyone spots him. It’s my personal cell phone number.
From time to time I hear reports of a large cat that’s limping on its hind leg. I try to make my way to that spot as quickly as possible, but I have yet to catch him.
I posted this story in memory of that brave girl, but also as a warning.
Never go on an unposted trail.
And beware of those you meet in the woods, even if they wear a uniform.