In the late month of fall, Ian proposed a vacation as we had started to feel the burnout brought on by our jobs. Being an active person, we knew that he meant going someplace where we could put our bodies to work.
“Hike and camping”
Ian casually said as he leaned back in his chair before tipping his beer.
Corbin laughed in a manner of protest while opening his second bottle for the night.
“Yeah I’d rather have a vacation where I could actually rest.”
“Oh dude your unmade bed would be the perfect spot.”
Joked Rhys that earned laughters and a middle finger from Corbin.
“I know how much you hate leaving your man cave but just this once wouldn’t be so bad. And your blow up doll needs rest too.”
Ian waited for the laughs, that got even more louder at what Rhy’s added, to die down before contiuning
“Listen, god knows that we’re broke as fuck and this vacation won’t cost a lot of money and besides, being in nature is good for both the mind and the body.”
Vicky looked at me then, her eyes asking mine for an answer because it’s a “where you go I go” relationship.
“And where do you supposed we go then?”
I asked Ian who seemed to relax at this point as if the answer he wanted were already on the tips of our tongues.
“Just pack up your hiking and camping gears because ladies and gentlemen I will be taking you on a surprise.”
The weekend came and we found ourselves following Ian’s truck that held our gears. The mighty towers of the city faded behind us as we traded their structures for the rustling trees and invasive weeds.
Rhys drove with Corbin beside him while Vicky and I occupied the backseats that was spacious enough to accomodate one more. We sang along to old tunes and snacked on chips and before we knew it, our vehicles were stopping at what looked like the entrance of the trail.
Parked cars greeted our sights as person after person went in and out of the little shop that stood not far from the trail. Vicky, being a former girlscout, said that we should buy more supplies just to be prepared and before we could even argue, she was already opening the shop’s door.
A kind looking hispanic woman in her 50’s greeted us as soon as our eyes met. The shelves contained the usual foods and beverages while the walls held camping gears but what caught my attention in the middle of it all was the old woman who sat in the corner with a tiny table that held tarot cards.
The lady informed us that it was her mother just making time pass by with her hobby.
“She doesn’t really interpret it. She lets you read into the possible meanings instead.”
Crows feet were evident on the old woman’s face but it still held such warmth that my feet carried me towards her when she beckoned. I forgot that I was holding Vicky’s hand then and the sudden tug earned me a “Where are we going?”
I didn’t answer as I continued to approach the old lady. She wordlessly pointed to the cards, giving us a cue to pick. I went on first and got “The Lovers” and so did Vicky after the shuffling.
“So does this mean that we’ll be together forever?”
Vicky asked all the while pulling me closer.
“Because I’d love nothing more than that.”
The woman didn’t respond but the way she held on that kind smile as she looked at us told me that it was a yes.
The boys soon caught up to what was going on.
Rhys pulled the “Strength” card and he flexed his muscles after doing so that garnerd him boos and eye rolls from the group.
Corbin got “The Hermit” and Rhys bellowed in laughter at what he considered as the accuracy of the card.
Ian was last and when he pulled “The Fool” none of us were surprised given how idiotic he can be sometimes.
First, he once tried to bench without a spotter just to impress a girl and it almost obliterated his chest. Second, when he got too close, despite the warnings, to the orangutan enclosure that he almost left with a broken arm and lastly when he quit his job, before this current one, because “YOLO”
“I wonder if they got a clown mask to go along with that card”
I chimed in as the group snickered while Ian walked away yelling how that wasn’t even how tarot cards worked. He collided bodies with a stranger then when his attention was turned to his phone resulting in him dropping our supplies.
Corbin mediated as soon as Ian’s tone of voice started to carry anger while the man just kept silent despite the threat in his stance. The skull tattoo on his hand was as intimidating as the aura he was giving off.
I returned my attention back to the old woman when the commotion was over as the man had chosen to exit the store.
She was in the middle of shuffling when I offered her money but she just shook her head, still sporting that smile. As she tried to arrange the deck one card fell off the table that landed faced down on the floor.
I immediately picked it up and when I did, the woman’s face turned sullen. My eyes then darted to the card in my hand and I understood the shift in her expression then.
Goosebumps littered my skin as I turned it over and saw what I had been holding.
It was “The Devil.”
I carefully placed the card on the table as I gave my thanks again but this time the woman spoke but it did not settle my rattling nerves.
“Be careful.”
I was shaken out of my stupor when Vicky held my hand again while giving the woman her best smile along with her gratitude. I felt the stare of the lady’s daughter as we walked out of the store and it wasn’t pleasant at all.
Vicky noticed how silent and sweaty I got but in the want to not ruin the trip, I assured her that I was fine, an explanation that she accepted while wiping my forehead.
After fixing our stuff and making sure that everything was doubled check we went on our way. The way my friends jested and the sound of the birds along with the wind pushed the scene from the store out of my mind even for just a while.
The tranquility was soon shattered however as the smell of rot and rust filled the air. I saw the way their noses scrunched in disgust but Ian assured us that it was just uneaten preys who were now decomposing.
We continued with our treck, taking pictures along the way. Slips were unavoidable but we were determined and only halted when we reached the camping ground.
I felt how nervous Vicky got as we settled our things down because this spot had no other campers and the barren branches looked menacing as if they were waiting for our demise.
The cracking of branches that echoed from the woods didn’t help either despite us seeing the curious deers that made them.
When nightfall came a bonfire bore to life and we gathered around it like kids on their first gathering. Stories of past misadventures were shared, mostly of Ian’s and in the midst of the joy my friends emittted, my heart overflowed with love.
As the fire roared even brighter I felt fear again as I saw a shadow of a lurking figure in the woods behind Ian. I couldn’t tell whether my thundering agitation drowned other sounds or the thicket was just too eeriely still.
Rhy’s caught my reaction this time and asked me what was wrong.
“You good there Zoe?”
Vicky sat in front of me trying to get my attention and soothe my trembling hands.
It was then that I felt tears fall as my breathing became labored. It was anxiety making itself known.
“I think we should leave.”
Corbin and Rhys got up from their positions as well to console me. Ian on the other hand dismissed my request as the result of watching too much scary movies.
“There’s someone in the woods watching us”
I managed to blurt out although meekly.
Terror soon caught Rhys’s Corbin’s, and Vicky’s eyes as I was not one to joke about such things.
“It’s too dark to go back.”
Vicky said in a hopeless tone that made my stomach drop even lower. No signal reached our phones when we checked and the situation felt even more bleak.
Rhys paced back and forth, looking at the woods every now and then while Ian remained sitted accusing us of pulling a prank on him.
“We’ll stand guard just till it’s light enough to leave ok?”
Corbin assured me as Rhys looked for more weapons they could use.
“God I hope there’s no gun.”
I heard him mutter while clutching on his pocket knife. It was my turn to hold Vicky then as her resolve crumbled, sensing how real our predicament was getting.
Ian was still unconvinced, laughing all the while at how poorly our plot and set up was.
Before we could even say our piece, Ian’s laughter was cut off by the sudden push of a blade against his neck while a barrel was pointed at us.
In the midst of my friends bargaining for our lives, my mind swam back to the devil card. It made sense then along with the first and last words the woman spoke to me.
Because those warnings pointed to this man who was wearing a devil’s mask.
My sight was then caught by the tattoo on his hand and I knew exactly who we were faced with.
Ian turned into a crying mess then as the pressure on his neck increased. The slightest move from our side made the gun follow. Any offer of talking it out was shut down and in her anger and frustration Vicky yelled
“What do yo want??!!!”
A sick chuckle left the man’s mouth then and I almost emptied the contents of my stomach at his answer.
“To eat one of you.”
As those words suffocated our sanity I rememebered then the smell of rot and rust and got to thinking that what if what we smelled back there were the bodies of his decomposing victims?
What if this was his hunting ground?
Ian pleaded some more which earned him more yelling, taunting his fake bravado as his knees started to shake.
The man’s patience ran out then and chose to play a game of eenie meenie when we failed to answer his question.
When the gun stopped at Vicky, I felt my heart die.
She wailed and begged as I placed my body before hers as a form of protection the only way I could provide. Rhys and Corbin’s voices rose up then, distracting the man from his decision.
“Never had a blonde before.”
He sickly added before commanding Vicky to come to him. When we refused to let her, we got the slit of the blade in return as Ian’s body fell in a thud.
In a flash Rhys and Corbin jumped on the man, no longer caring for their safety. Vicky and I ran to Ian in the hopes of him still being alive and what we got as we turned his body over sickened us to the core.
Ian laid there quietly laughing while wiping away the fake blood from his throat.
He grinned at our misery and whispered
“Surprise”
Vicky’s fists landed on him before he could even say another word as the man screamed that it was all a prank as Rhys and Corbin continued to beat him up.
The man’s face bore the wrath of Rhys’s strength that it was reduced to a bloody mess.
Corbin’s body trembled in so much fury that he shrugged his jacket off as he stormed Ian before getting on top of him, trying to suffocate him with the balled up cloth.
It took every ounce of our effort just to stop Corbin from throwing Ian into the raging fire. He was crying for real this time, clearly regretful of his actions.
When the dust settled Ian explained everything. The man was his friend and he specifically chose this spot as it was far from other disturbances. The smile left his mouth as we just continued to stare at him. We were still so shaken by his sick prank that we just fell silent.
Our bodies no longer had a fight in them that when Ian begged for forgiveness, Rhys only gave him a cold answer that spoke for all of us.
“We never want to see you again.”
Vicky tried her best to treat the man’s busted lip and bleeding nose. I heard him apologize but Vicky stayed indifferent.
No one slept that night. Aside from the distrust, the unpleasant smell permeated the atmosphere again but we were too spent to care.
Five a.m. came and we gathered our things without speaking a single word to Ian. The walk back was of exhaustion and anger that Ian hanged his head in shame while his friend kept his distance behind us.
The old lady stood at the porch of the store as she watched us emerge from the trail, the absence of her smile unsettling me still.
I saw how her hand pull something out of her pocket and I walked closer as she beckoned me again. I froze in spot for a while as I read the words below the image of the card.
It said “Death” and after what happened, I knew it meant our friendship.
I had no words left and I could only give her my numbness in return.
It was the same set up, we placed our gears on Ian’s truck before riding our vehicle. I didn’t know what brought on the the uncomfortable feeling but the backseat suddenly got crowded as our fatigue won over.
Ian’s friend stood at our side of the vehicle as he said “sorry”. It sounded unsincere and a little off but I never bothered to reply.
Vicky closed the door as he left and when her body slumped into mine, the smell of rot and rust invaded my senses once more.
I told myself that I was just feeling the trauma of what happened that night and left it at that.
The drive back made us stop at a gas station and Vicky asked me to accompany her inside while she used the bathroom. I felt Ian walking behind us then, his familiar footsteps ringing in my ears. I was too tired for small talks so I let him be.
As we neared the front door though, Ian grabbed my shoulders as tight as he could. It was the type of pressure that burnt and I felt him trying to drag me away.
I shrugged him off with all the might I could muster but before I could even face him he let go. He started to walk across the road then before disappearing into the woods.
I couldn’t help but worry still despite what he had done to us as I remembered the last card the lady showed me.
I told Vicky as soon as she exited the bathroom and we ran back to the group in the fear that Ian might do something to harm himself.
The boys only gave us confused looks as if we were talking gibberish. Corbin then pointed at Ian’s truck where he was still visibly inside.
Rhys’s next words made me question if I had finally lost my sanity.
“Zoe…Ian never left his truck.”