[Part 1] Six of us arrived at remote and mysterious Loch Kaille. And something was watching.
[Part 2] First blood and the accusations started to fly.
*
It’s time for me to share more of the summer just passed. The following events took place during the afternoon of the day we found Aaron’s body.
*
Midday and Max still hadn’t returned to the campsite with the police.
I was sitting on a log bench, staring at Aaron’s tent. My Hag Stone was in my pocket and I was running a finger along the sleeve of my shirt. Beneath the fabric I could feel that my Mark was still inflamed, and it still ached dully, but it had at least stopped bleeding.
How had things gotten so bad so quickly? And were the Marks on my arm the cause of Aaron’s death, or just an after effect of it?
Leon: “Kate.”
Leon had been hovering over the camping stove at the edge of the clearing. Now he was approaching me, carrying two mugs.
Leon: “I boiled some water and made some sweet tea.”
He sat down and handed me a mug.
Leon: “We need to keep our strength up, the police will have a lot of questions.”
I shuddered at the thought of the police learning I’d dreamed about stabbing Aaron the night he died. Possibly best to keep that to myself.
Thinking about it, could I even tell them about my Marks and the antler creature? They’d probably think I’d gone mad, maybe even suspect I murdered Aaron in my delirium.
Leon: “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Leon was staring at Aaron’s tent and it pulled me back into the moment.
Me: “I know. I hate the idea of him lying cold in there…”
We each raised our mug and drank a sip.
Leon: “I don’t think we should have let Max leave.”
Me: “What? Why not?”
Leon: “What if he killed Aaron?”
Me: “Leon, you’re letting Max’s attitude problem get to you. Max had no reason to hurt Aaron.”
Leon: “You don’t know that. Aaron just landed that huge client, didn’t he? What if Max was gunning for that action? Would you really put it past him?”
I didn’t answer.
Leon: “And I can’t stop thinking about Mona either. Why was she even in Aaron’s tent this morning?”
Me: “Leon…”
Before I could finish what I was going to say, Coll emerged from the two man tent he shared with Mona. He came and sat on the bench next to ours.
Me: “How’s Mona doing?”
Coll: “She’s cried herself into something resembling sleep.”
Leon: “I’ve just boiled the kettle. Would you like some tea?”
Coll: “I feel too sick to drink anything.”
There was a rustle from the trees surrounding the clearing. Instinctively, all three of us stood.
After an apprehensive moment, Max emerged from the pines. He walked into the campsite alone.
Me: “Where are the police?”
Max: “They’re not coming. The river is a raging torrent, I couldn’t get across.”
Coll sighed.
Coll: “The storm last night.”
Max: “I tried further along the river from the crossing too. It was even worse.”
I turned to Coll.
Me: “Is there any other way down?”
Coll: “No. Well, beyond the loch, there’s no river at the bottom of the hill’s north face. But it’s basically a cliff edge, I’m not sure we could get down without specialist gear.”
Max: “But it might be possible?”
Coll: “I don’t know. I haven’t been that way in years.”
Leon: “There’s no reason we can’t go and have a look. It’s not like we have anything better to do.”
Max: “I say we go right now. Who’s coming?”
Coll: “I’m not leaving Mona on her own.”
Leon: “Coll, I can stay and look after her. You’re the outdoorsman, you have the best chance of finding a way down.”
Me: “I’m coming as well.”
Leon: “Kate…”
Me: “I’ll be fine. Outdoorsman or not the more eyes looking for a way down the better.”
Leon didn’t look happy about it, but I wasn’t going to let Max and Coll head out alone. They’d probably throttle each other long before they ever reached the north face.
Once Leon had accepted the situation, I packed my backpack with supplies and then the three of us were gone, through the trees and back onto the lochshore.
Me: “How long will it take to reach the north face?”
I was walking beside Coll as he led. Max was trailing after us.
Coll: “The best way is through the pines on the other side of the loch. But it’s still quite a trek.”
Me: “And what happens if we can’t get down? How long until the river recedes?”
Coll: “It could still be a couple of days. More if it rains again.”
I grimaced and we ambled on.
*
It was a long hike, but eventually we circumnavigated the loch and made it a good way into the forest on the other side.
Me: “The trees are starting to thin out. We must be getting close, right Coll?”
Coll: “I think so. We should—”
A noise from the trees interrupted him; a few fast footsteps to our distant left.
Me: “What was that?”
Coll: “Sounded like a person.”
Max: “If there’s someone else up here, we need to know who it is.”
Max moved off in the direction of the sound.
I was set to follow but Coll put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I turned and looked at him. Coll slowly shook his head from side to side.
Next, we heard the sound of more footsteps. This time to our right hand side.
Me: “Max has gone the wrong way.”
I headed off in the direction of the new sound.
Coll: “Kate, no, wait!”
But I was already gone.
Moments later I found myself alone in a new part of the forest. There were less pine trees and more big broad-leaves.
I halted as I heard something. It sounded like a low moaning, quiet at first but it soon grew louder.
Then the tops of the trees began to shake.
I took an anxious step backwards. The sound grew louder still and my heart began to race.
Then branches in the canopy started to thrash, like something huge was scrambling through the trees to get at me.
I turned and ran.
No matter how fast I moved I couldn’t escape the sound and the shaking trees. The commotion had become violent, desperate even.
Finally, I burst out of the forest and had to throw on the emergency brakes as a cliff edge loomed ahead of me. I dropped to the ground and slid along the dirt.
My legs went over but I managed to claw at the ground with my fingers and just about stop my top half from going down the drop.
And then I was slipping. And my kicking legs were met with nothing but thin air.
A rustle from the treeline.
Coll: “Kate!”
Coll rushed to my aid and with his help I managed to heave myself back onto firm ground.
As I got to my feet I realised that the sound had gone and the trees had become still.
Coll: “What happened?”
Me: “That noise in the forest, I almost went over the cliff running from it.”
Coll looked over the edge.
Coll: “Thank God you didn’t. No way are we getting down there safely.”
I looked down over the cliff too. The drop was sheer, punctuated only by sharp rocks and the odd soggy plant clinging onto the hillside.
Me: “Did you hear the noise? It sounded like something was chasing me.”
Coll: “We’re high up here. It was probably just the wind.”
Before I could disagree there was another rustle and Max emerged from the trees.
Max: “You found the way down. How does it look?”
Me: “It’s sheer. I don’t think we can get down. Although I nearly tried it anyway.”
Max joined us by the cliff edge and peered down the drop. His pained expression said he agreed.
Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Coll: “I told you, we won’t get any signal until we’re out of the hill’s shadow.”
Max looked back at him, incredulous.
Max: “I don’t trust a word you say. Those footsteps, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have an accomplice up here.”
I groaned.
Me: “Don’t start, Max. Let’s just, I don’t know, go around these trees and get back to the campsite. Then we can figure out our next move.”
*
I can’t really remember the hike back to the campsite. Just that I had badly grazed my side sliding over the cliff edge and about halfway back Coll insisted on cleaning and dressing the wound with the first aid kit I’d packed in my backpack.
Other than that I don’t think we talked much. I was too shaken up by the strange noise I’d heard. Could it really have been the wind?
When we made it back to the campsite, Leon and Mona were sitting on a log bench. Mona was wrapped in a blanket, staring at the ground.
We walked into the clearing and Max made straight for a pile of bottles left out after last night’s party. He pulled a half-empty bottle of vodka from the heap and took a swig.
Leon: “Did you find a way down?”
I shook my head.
Mona stood wordlessly and started walking towards her tent.
Max: “Where are you going? Disappointed your accomplice didn’t finish us off?”
As Mona disappeared into her tent I gestured towards Max’s vodka and scowled at him.
Me: “Is that a good idea?”
Max ignored me and took another swig.
Leon: “Did something happen out there?”
Max: “We heard someone in the trees. Kate saw something rushing towards her.”
Leon: “What?”
Me: “I didn’t see anything. I just heard a weird noise.”
Coll: “There are deer up here. They make weird noises.”
Leon looked from Coll to me.
Leon: “But yesterday, you saw someone by the loch too. Someone else might still be up here.”
Me: “I don’t know what I saw.”
Max: “Whatever any of us heard or saw, the bottom line is that we’re all staying up here for another night.”
The notion sent a shiver down my spine.
Leon: “Okay. I’ll go and get some firewood. It’s already starting to get chilly.”
Me: “I’ll come with you.”
I dumped my pack and followed after Leon.
As we left the campsite Coll called out to us.
Coll: “Stay close to camp!”
We walked down the trail that led to the river crossing, but only for a couple of minutes. Then we stepped off into the pines.
The sun was sinking towards the horizon but there was still enough light to see by. We roved amongst the trees collecting sticks and broken branches.
I was turning over all that had happened in my head. I wanted to talk to Leon about it whilst we were alone, but I was still worried he might think I was crazy…
Me: “Leon, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
Leon stopped what he was doing.
Leon: “What?”
Me: “When I saw that something by the loch, I was looking through a Hag Stone.”
Leon: “Huh?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Hag Stone. I showed it to Leon.
Me: “Remember what Aaron told us. Witches look through the hole to see hidden truths and peer into other worlds.”
Leon: “Kate, what Aaron said, the cave; I was as creeped out as anyone. But you can’t seriously think…”
Me: “Do you really believe that one of us is a killer?”
Leon: “We don’t know these people. I don’t entirely trust them. Especially not Max. If there’s been foul play, there’s going to be a normal human person at the centre of it.”
Me: “You didn’t hear what I heard at the north face. I really don’t think it was a deer.”
Leon gave me a sympathetic look. He didn’t believe me.
Leon: “Come on. Let’s get back to camp and start a fire before it gets dark.”
And so we headed back to the campsite ready to spend a second night at Loch Kaille.
One of us wasn’t going to make it through alive.