Lost in the Trees

Julia grumbled to herself. It was her third walk to find the designated place to pee in the past two hours. How she let her friends talk her into camping for their girls’ trip to the Pacific North West she would never understand. It was stunningly beautiful here though. She found herself lost in thought, staring at the forest provided more shades of green than she’d ever seen back home. Laura and her joked earlier that they stepped into an alternate universe.

“It feels like we’re in Twilight.”

“I was gonna say the same thing!” Laura squealed as they made their way down the trail.

Keisha piped up in a raspy voice, “Say it … out loud.”

“Vam… vampire.” They all stuttered together, devolving into a fit of laughter.

Everything in these woods seemed to be coated in fur like it had evolved its own winter coat. Even in the summer, the trees were covered with moss, and the deer they spotted was so furry Keisha wanted to take it home. The vegetation seemed to engulf the space, making her feel like a dinosaur could be lurking around any corner.

When Keisha said all she wanted to do for their trip this year was camp, Julia’s heart dropped. She loved her friends, she really did but while they seemed to find themselves more and more at home in the natural food stores and REI, her idea of a good use of free time was checking out new book stores and art galleries … not trails. She found herself wanting to spend her work bonuses on pretty things like her own grotto of treasures from the Little Mermaid. The current score was this vintage Coach bag she found at a market in the city with a gorgeous soft black leather. Her mom had better not come at her again for not getting out of her comfort zone. She felt a new bug bite welt on her wrist. This was way out of the zone of comfort as far was she was concerned.

The ache in her feet became more pronounced. Shouldn’t she be back at the campsite already? She whipped around, checking if she had somehow walked past it. It was a 5 minute walk from their chosen “restroom” site the past two times she had gone. Just turn right at the large rock. Julia paused looking down at her hands held out in L shapes. She had gone right hadn’t she? The only problem was if she had gone the right way, she would be able to hear the river they set up along, or at least the music Laura was DJing. The cacophony of wildlife sounds the forest provided played around her, but a rushing river was not one.

Her pulse started to quicken in her ears. She tried to talk herself down.

“In for four, hold, out for six.” She breathed. “Okay, okay, first let’s check for service.”

Julia’s sister always teased her about how she talked to herself when stressed.

Her maps wouldn’t load, it kept placing her at the SeaTac airport they flew in by. She went to call Laura, but for one of the only times in her life there was no service. The breathing wasn’t helping anymore. Her anxiety trickled into her fingertips.

Turning on her muddy sneaker she trudged forward, determined to feel like she was actually making progress by retracing her steps. Surely, she could at least find her way back to the “restroom”.

The humidity had her hair sticking to her face. The leaves brushing against her bare legs started to itch. She should have been tracking the time. How long had she been walking again? The beautiful shades of green had seemed to morph into a single setting. Was she walking in one giant circle or making progress towards her friends?

The shadows had started to stretch, but Julia didn’t know what to do but keep walking. Her friends had to have gotten worried by now and were looking for her or getting the park rangers help.

“Keisha! Laura” Julia called out but as time went on she was getting less and less enthusiastic with her attempts. She listened for her own name but didn’t hear a thing past the buzz of bugs, the sway of leaves, and the occasional songbird.

Then she heard it. The first thought through her mind was the river and the relief washed over her as crisp as that water was. Her legs took off running. But as she hit the tree line, it wasn’t the rush of rapids Julia heard but the rush of cars going by. Without even thinking she puts her hand up desperate to flag anyone down. At this point the sun had gone but she was too exhausted and dehydrated to hear the voice in the back of her head warning her from waving down a stranger on the road in the dark.

After a few minutes of being ignored, cast in blinding headlights, Julia started to walk. She hadn’t even made it ten feet when she heard tires slow down behind her and her shadow stretched along the gravel.

“Hey, are you alright?”

She turned to see who decided to be a Good Samaritan. The park ranger uniform made her whole body relax as she walked towards him. “Um, I got separated from my friends at our campsite, I must have turned at the wrong tree or something.”

“Oh dear, I think I heard about this on my radio. Let me take you to the station and we will find your friends.”

Julia breathed a sigh of relief and started going over what she was going to tell Keisha and Laura when she saw them again.

He opened the passenger side of his blue hatchback for her and she was struck by just how handsome he was. He was probably her age, if not a little younger. Dark brown hair peaked out the side of his hat. She expected a guy who worked outdoors to have a bit more of a tan, but hey who was she to judge. Maybe he was a faithful 100 SPF user.

“So how long have you been a park ranger?” She asked trying to make casual conversation as he pulled away.

Her phone started dinging in her pocket with all the messages she missed.

Keisha: Where are you?

Laura: Do you need us to rescue you?

Missed call x 5

The Girls: Call us!

Laura: We went to the rangers something sketchy happened at their station please tell us you’re okay!

“I’d say today is my first day.” He laughed to himself

Julia was caught up in her friends urgent messages. She hit the return call and after one ring her phone died.

“Damn.”

“You good?”

“Phones dead. Oh, can I borrow yours?”

“You can use the one at the station, we will be there soon.”

Weird. She looked around. Something felt off but after the day she had what wouldn’t. Weren’t park rangers in commissioned vehicles for work? Matter of fact, nothing in here looked like an official car. She hadn’t even looked when they got in.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“Vincent” he smiled at her. Was there something sinister in his glance or was she seeing things?

He pulled off the road and looked around. This wasn’t any park ranger station to her knowledge. It looked like a near abandoned strip mall with a flickering IHOP sign.

“I’m sure you’re hungry, I know I am. I hope you don’t mind a quick pit stop for dinner?”

“Um, what?”

He unbuckled his seat belt and leaned in close. She felt his breath on her face.

“Won’t take long I promise” he winked and unbuckled her belt but didn’t pull back. Her head was swimming, was he about to kiss her? Julia felt like she was back on a bad date. She made to reach for the door handle to avoid whatever awkward moment that awaited, yet found she couldn’t move.

Adrenaline coursed through her body as time seemed to slow. It was his first day and he was taking someone he found off the side of the road to dinner? His uniform looked too tight? Was that blood on the collar? It can’t be blood right? Why couldn’t she move?

As these questions ran through her brain Vincent inched closer and closer, bypassing her lips and making his way to her neck. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. She wanted to scream. A light whisper of a kiss landed right below her ear like a butterfly. A tear slipped down her eye. The butterfly was replaced by something sharper. A wasp maybe. A memory of getting stung in 3rd grade flooded through her mind. Heat and blackness swirled into her vision. In a pinprick of conciseness that was fast diminishing she saw herself, Keisha, and Laura fooling around and laughing on the trail in the woods.

“Say it … out loud.”

“Vampire.”