The drive through this part of Nevada was beautiful. The tall cliffs were lined by majestic pines while the road leisurely wound through the scenery. But no matter how amazing the view was, it couldn’t change the fact that I was out here to deal with something incredibly unpleasant.
My brother Jason worked as a park ranger until he suddenly went missing one night. No one knows exactly what happened. From all appearances, he seemed to have gotten up from the ranger station to check on something routine and never came back. There was an extensive search, but nothing turned up. The ranger station had been found exactly as it should be, there were no signs of a struggle, no strange tire tracks or footprints leading away from the park, and no eyewitnesses who reported seeing Jason anywhere after that. So here I was, trying to do what everyone in my family wanted me to do and see if I could find anything. Was I optimistic? Not really. But stranger things have happened in life. All I knew was that I was here to look around, and that was what I was going to do.
It was late afternoon by the time I arrived at my destination. The town the park was located by was as average as could be. A main street lined with a variety of shops and stores, and residential areas that branched off it. A place you’ve seen on a thousand brochures and postcards.
I parked in front of the local pizza restaurant. Not only was I hungry, this would be a great opportunity to see what people around here were like. If they were open and welcoming, especially if I mentioned my brother, I’d know what I was dealing with. If not, that meant something was up, and I would get out of there as quickly as possible.
The pizza place had a few customers this time of day, so I got right in at a table in the middle of the restaurant. I decided on a medium pepperoni pizza and relaxed in my seat while sipping my water. Once I was done eating my pizza, which was very good, I paid the bill and left a generous tip and headed to the park my brother had worked at for two years until he vanished one night.
The park looked like any other I’d seen. Well maintained, neat, and orderly. The kind of place you’d like to have a picnic in. But of course, nature is like anything else; what you see on the surface is only a fraction of what is really going on.
I drove up the neatly landscaped driveway and parked in front of the ranger station. My shoes crunched on the gravel as I got out of the car and approached the building. I was expecting an old rustic cabin, but this ranger station was relatively modern, with large bay windows and a gleaming metal façade. I approached the front door, knocked, and waited. A moment later, it opened and a man in a ranger uniform looked at me.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m Alex, Jason’s brother. I’m here for some information.”
“Oh I see. Come right in.”
The ranger held the door open and pointed to a sitting area.
“I’ll let the boss know you’re here. Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’m fine thank you.”
“Alright. We’ll be right with you.”
And with that, the ranger hustled down the hallway and I was left alone. I hadn’t given anyone a heads up I was coming. I didn’t want anyone to prepare for my arrival. My brother had gone missing several weeks ago. It was just a question of why. I don’t believe he just ran off for no reason, so that meant there had to be a reason why. And everyone, me included, wanted to know what that was. Since he went missing at work, it seemed obvious to be work related, but it was entirely possible that it was connected to something else. It could’ve been something he encountered while at work but had nothing to do with the job itself.
Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of camping or anything like that. I certainly appreciate nature, but I’m definitely more of the stay inside and read a book type. Jason was always much more enthusiastic about the outdoors, and it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when he became a park ranger. Just like it was no surprise to anyone when I became an architect. And here we were.
At that moment, an older man who was also in a ranger uniform came out and faced me.
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Tim. Park manager.”
He shook my hand firmly.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Likewise. Jason was a good ranger and we all liked him. So if I can be of any help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I appreciate that. And what I need now is information.”
Tim nodded. “Of course. Why don’t you follow me to my office.”
He led the way to his office, a small room with a neat view of the park entrance. Once I sat down in a chair facing his desk, and he leaned back in his desk chair, we started talking again.
“I would love to say we have new information for you, but we don’t. And it bothers me. We’ve never had an incident like this in the history of this park.”
“I see.”
“The only other thing I can think to add is that about a week or so after he vanished, I was out on my route checking on things, and I could feel someone watching me. Just for a moment, but it was there. And I had no idea who was responsible. Because when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone.”
“Interesting.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Not at all.”
“What do you think happened to your brother?”
“I’ve thought about that a million times. The honest answer is I don’t know. But I don’t believe he just ran off. That isn’t Jason.”
“That’s fair. And for what it’s worth, I don’t believe it either.”
“Alright. Now it’s my turn to ask you something. What are the odds that something happened to Jason out here?”
Tim paused as he considered my question. “Somewhat possible. I’ve always liked working here, but the woods are the woods. And things happen out there.”
“No doubt. Ok. The next logical step is to think that if something happened in the woods, where exactly was it most likely? Are there any locations around here something odd tends to happen at? Places people tend to steer clear of if they can avoid it? It doesn’t have to be in the park, but around town.”
Tim chuckled. “Oh that would be the old quarry. No doubt about it. Or more exactly, what’s left of the old quarry. You know mining used to be the big industry out here?”
“I do. What’s happened at the old quarry?”
“That I know of? The usual things people would prefer to forget. And that’s just what we know of.”
“Can you point me towards it?”
Tim stood up from his desk. “I can do better than that. I can show you where it is.”
“Great.”
Tim led the way in his truck, and we were there in 15 minutes. We parked on a small cliff overlooking the quarry itself, which was now filled with water. A group of five people were sitting further down on the cliff, and they glanced at the two of us with slight interest when they saw our cars pull up. When we got out of our vehicles, we briefly glanced at each other, and Tim gave me a slight nod of encouragement. Then I stepped forward.
“I’m looking for some information. My brother’s gone missing. He was a park ranger. If you can help, you’ll be compensated for it.”
Then I took out my phone, pulled up a picture of Jason, and held it up so they could see it. The group all looked at the photo for a second. After a moment, I saw one of the guys do a double take.
“I’ve seen him,” the guy nodded. “Less than a month ago.”
I got chills as he said this, because that would be right about the time Jason went missing.
“Where was he?”
“The Wistful Pines Inn.”
“It’s a hotel about an hour away,” Tim said.
“What was he doing?”
“Nothing in particular. Just hanging around near the road from what I could tell. But from the look in his eyes, he seemed very focused on something.”
“Thank you for your help.” I reached in my pocket and gave him a 100-dollar bill. Then Tim and I headed for the Wistful Pines Inn. It was your typical roadside motel with two stories and a swimming pool in front. There was also a small sign advertising where the front office was, so I headed there while Tim stayed in his truck. Standing at the front desk was an older woman with long silver hair.
“Hello, how can I help you?” She asked politely.
“My brother went missing in the area about a month ago, and I was wondering if maybe you’d seen him here?”
Then I showed her the photo. There were no signs she’d ever seen him before.
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t recall seeing him here.”
I put my phone away. “Thank you.”
“But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t here. Just that I didn’t see him. What was his name?”
I gave her Jason’s full name, and she deftly typed it into the computer in front of her and paused for a moment.
“Nope. Nothing in our records either. We don’t have security cameras, so there’s nothing to check there I’m afraid.”
“I really appreciate your help. It was a long shot anyways. A tip.”
She nodded. “I see. Well your tip may be right after all. Because strictly between us.” Her voice lowered a bit. “A film crew was staying here for about a week while they were in the area to film part of a documentary. They haven’t been seen since the night before last.”
The idea settled in the air uneasily as she pressed a few buttons on the computer before turning the screen so I could see it. On it was a local news article about the film crew who was in town to do a piece about abandoned mines. The film crew all looked to be close to me in age, and by all appearances they seemed happy and content.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“Sure. I have no idea what happened, but good luck with finding your brother. Come back if you need anything else.”
“Thank you.”
Then I left the office and told Tim what I found out. He sat there quietly for a moment before he started talking.
“We’ve dealt with a lot of people wanting to get footage of this or that over the years. It’s amazing really. How nature can be dangerous enough when you know what you’re doing and have tons of experience.”
“No doubt. Is it possible that they disappeared not just because they were filming, but because of what they were filming?”
Tim considered it for a moment. “Absolutely.”
“Just a thought.”
“No, I get it. It’s a valid question. We have no idea what they were filming, but we can always double check. It’s certainly possible that they were filming something completely routine and stumbled onto something they didn’t intend to.”
I shivered slightly at the thought. One person going missing could have many explanations. Two going missing doesn’t have as many possibilities, but a number of scenarios could have happened depending on the circumstances. But a group? That’s inherently unsettling because it strongly suggests something bad happened. But with nothing left to go on, I had no choice but to call it a day.
Especially since I had actually accomplished something since I got here. So I grabbed some dinner at a local diner and planned to go back to my hotel room. I had just gotten in my car when there was a knock on the driver’s side window.
My jaw dropped when I looked up and saw Jason. He was dressed casually in clothes that looked a little beat up, but there was no mistaking my brother.
I immediately opened the door and climbed out of the car so I could take a good look at Jason. His clothes were worn, he’d been spending a lot of time outdoors, and he looked a little gaunt, but it was him. I never thought I’d ever see Jason again. I thought he was lost forever. So I was ecstatic to see him. I could barely believe this was happening.
“Good to see you Alex,” he said nonchalantly as if our meeting was the most routine thing in the world.
“What is going on here?” I failed to keep the shock out of my voice.
“I ran.”
“From what?”
“Them.”
The simplicity of the response was chilling. It said so little and so much at the same time.
“Them?” I asked.
“Let’s just say I was out in the woods, and it turns out I wasn’t alone. I barely got away.”
“The film crew that vanished?”
“I don’t know anything about that, but it doesn’t surprise me. We need to get out of here. Right now.”
From the look in his eyes, I knew Jason was seriously afraid of something. And since I’d accomplished what I set out to do here, I had no reason or desire to stay. So I got back in the car, he hopped in beside me, and I pulled out of the parking lot.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked him once we were heading down the road.
“I’ve seen you around town.”
“Where should we go?”
“Away from here.”
“Got it. Can I ask why?”
“Of course. While working at the park I’d heard rumors of the areas past. By now I’m sure you know it used to be a prosperous mining area a few decades ago. Or at least it was until there was a nasty accident that resulted in the mining company closing down after a bunch of people died in the mine after there was a cave in. I heard rumors that there were a few people that survived the accident, but never came out of the mine and vanished into the hills. I’d always considered it just a campfire story until one night a few weeks ago. A group of people came out of nowhere, chased me into a cave, and I’d thought I’d never get out. When I was finally able to escape, I was in the middle of nowhere and had to use my outdoors experience to find my way back here. Especially since I had no idea how many were out there or if I was being followed. That was why everyone thought I’d disappeared.”
“If anyone could make it through that, it would be you.”
“Appreciate it.”
The road we were on had narrowed down to one lane, and I was acutely aware that we were surrounded by tall trees on this stretch of road. But when the road turned and I saw the road was blocked by a massive fallen tree, my stomach clenched, and I felt my blood freeze in my veins. I quickly tried to back up, but when I did, I felt the tires run over something and I knew they would be flat in no time at all.
I didn’t dare get out of the car. That was what whoever was behind this wanted. So I took a deep breath and looked outside. Darkness had settled on the area, and there were only a few streetlights illuminating the road out here. But even that was enough light for me to see some shadows moving at the far end of the road by the woods coming slowly towards us. The sight made me grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.
“What do we do?” I managed to ask Jason.
“Stay calm. They want us to panic.”
Before he could say another word, headlights blazed to life out of a cluster of trees to our right, and I thought for sure the vehicle they belonged to was going to crash straight into us. But I watched as the vehicle in question, a small RV, roared past us, parked alongside us on the curb, and the driver’s side window rolled down.
I got another shock when I realized it was one of the members of the missing film crew.
“Get in!” she yelled to us.
She didn’t need to tell us twice. Jason and I immediately got out of my rental car and ran to the RV’s door and climbed inside. Once Jason slammed the door shut, the driver immediately took off and we were out of there. As I tried to catch my breath, I found myself face to face with the rest of the film crew, who were sitting comfortably around the RV’s interior.
“Thanks,” I said once I’d sat down on the floor.
“No problem,” a woman with curly blond hair who was sitting in an armchair said. “We’d been watching what they were up to for hours. We knew they were up to something, we were just waiting for them to act so we could do something about it.”
“Is that why no one’s seen you guys for a while?” Jason asked.
A guy sitting on the couch nodded. “Yes. We’d stumbled upon them while researching a different abandoned mine, and it became the subject of our footage. Are you that park ranger who went missing?”
“Uh huh,” Jason said. “I stumbled across them too.”
Jason and the film crew talked for the rest of the drive until we eventually made our way back to town and went straight to the police. After we explained what happened and the film crew showed them the footage they had, the police went out to where my rental car had been left on the road. It was just as we’d left it. They searched the area thoroughly, and nothing ever turned up. But at least now everyone knows to be alert, and that’s something.
After that, Jason came home, and everyone was beyond stunned by what happened. No one was surprised when he took another park ranger job, but this time much closer to home. The documentary the crew had been working on was eventually released and won some awards. Jason and I even went along to a few showings to talk to the audience. It was definitely a unique experience.