Page 41 of Hunted By Them

“I see.”

We stood in silence for a moment, both of us staring at the treeline. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of earth and something older, darker. My skin prickled.

I blurted. “Do you ever see strange things? Like when you’re working out there.”

“Strange? Do you mean aliens, or people hunting ghosts? Or how about couples having sex on the trail for everyone to see? Or people getting high and claiming to have seen Jesus?”

My mouth dropped open. “Has that really happened?”

“Oh yeah, and that’s just the tame stuff. So, what exactly do you mean by strange?”

“Oh…well. You know…the stories, the lore. Bigfoot. Skinwalkers. Werewolves. Cryptids.” The last word caught in my throat. “People say this place is full of things that can’t be explained. You work here, so I was just wondering if you’ve ever seen anything strange.”

His intelligent blue eyes stared at me, and with every passing second, I felt more stupid for saying anything. Then he shrugged, looking back at the trees.

“I’ve seen things I can’t explain. Heard stories from hikers I couldn’t laugh off. Animals that move wrong. Sounds that don’t belong. Whole trails gone quiet, like the forest was holding its breath.”

A shiver raced through me. “So, you believe all that stuff is real?”

“I believe…” He tilted his head, thoughtful. “That the world’s a lot bigger and stranger than we give it credit for. Writing it all off as fake? That feels arrogant.”

My pulse thudded.

Before I could respond, his radio crackled. “Ward?”

He grabbed the radio. “Here.”

“We have a situation down by the gully. I’m on site, and we have an elderly man with a broken ankle. I’ve already called the medics, but we need to get him up to the parking lot with the ATV.”

“On it, I’m at the south parking lot. I’ll be right there.”

He reclipped his radio and grabbed the helmet, snapping it in place as he looked at me. “I should go, duty calls.”

“Yes, of course. I hope he’s okay.”

Nodding, Ward climbed on the ATV, pausing as he stared at me.

“I don’t mean to tell you your business, but you should get going too.” He looked up. “It’ll get dark out here quickly, and I don’t need the trees calling your name and you going missing again,” he said, with a curl of his lip.

“Did you just make fun of me?”

He smiled wider.

“Maybe a little. In all seriousness, it’s not safe after dark. The coyotes have been very active lately.”

I shivered, remembering the late-night howls and yips. They always sounded so eerie.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “Thanks.”

He gave me one last nod. The engine roared, tires spun gravel, and then he was gone, swallowed by the dust.

I sat a moment longer, staring at the forest that I knew would never let me go. Part of me belonged here now…I felt it calling to me.

Finally, I slid off the hood and got behind the wheel. Time to face the city, but first, ice cream for dinner. It was just that kind of day, and I deserved it.

My apartment building looked the same from the outside. All red brick, quiet, and a couple of kids tossing a ball down the sidewalk. But the instant I started down my hall, my body went tight. The door to my place was ajar.

My feet and breath stopped. Looking around, everything was quiet.