SCARECROW PART 4

Midnight came slowly throughout the day, but for the couple, it seemed to have happened nearly instantly. Darkness plummeted their vision the moment the car began to sputter this obnoxious noise that made their hearts sink with despair. They had no choice but to pull over in the dead of night, right next to an old-looking orchard that made the hairs on the back of their neck stand up.

"I can't believe it. We just got the car fixed." The woman groaned while walking beside her husband through the misty orchard. Creaks and groans of the old wood all around them.

"This way," the man said while leading the way through the dark path.

They trekked further into the orchard when they stopped to the sound of different footsteps, meshing with their own but rushing at the same time. They looked around briskly, but it was far too dark outside to even see what else was out there. Yet, they knew they weren't alone somehow.

"Steve?" the girl called out nervously.

The husband stood close to his wife but kept a steady eye on the ever-growing darkness. A type of black night that did nothing but play tricks on their mind. Something else was out there, but the ominous feeling of just the orchard made them think that even the apple trees were working against them.

"Who's there?" the husband called out before sucking in a deep breath, hoping nothing was going to call back.

Everything grew quiet in an instant. The footsteps, the groaning of the old bark, and even the insects. It was like everything had collectively held their breath, releasing a sharp gasp as a dark figure emerged from behind the trees. A tall-framed scarecrow with a stitched-up leather face and a rusted silver hook attached to his hand. The couple reacted instantly to the horror and took off down the orchard with the scarecrow gaining ground behind them. Not stopping for even a second in its pursuit. He was nearly on top of them when a loud, piercing shot rang in the air and the scarecrow was suddenly blown right onto its back. The couple immediately stop running and looked back at the scarecrow.

"Was that…was that a gunshot?" the wife said, but the question she was also wanting to ask was where it came from and why. She wasn't even able to think about it for too long though when the scarecrow rolled onto its back and slowly got up. It didn't even wait a second before resuming chase, only to get shot a second time. This time the bullet went straight through it's head that knocked him back over onto the ground.

The couple didn't wait around any longer and quickly scurried past the stunned scarecrow, running as fast as they could back to the road where they saw someone waiting upon the hill. Alice stood by her running motorcycle with her rifle resting against her shoulder, staring them down with oddly calm eyes. She walked up to them and patted the guy's shoulder.

"You two alright?" she asked them.

The man gave a silent nod before answering verbally. "Yeah, yeah, but there's…" he turned back to the ominous orchard but didn't see the scarecrow anymore. He seemingly melted back into the darkness where it must've come from. "but, it was…it…"

"Try not to think about it and don't bother asking what it was either," she said while walking past them and stepping to the very edge of the clearing, which seemed to be the safe spot. By just a hunch, she figured that the scarecrow only hunted within the orchard and didn't leave it. So for the moment, they were safe. "It's best to get back on the road and let me deal with it," Alice said darkly with a worsening glare.

"It's not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology," the college professor said, pondering Alice's odd request. He walked beside the young woman into a classroom where he believed the books of paganism were.

Alice stood off to the side as he brought out a couple of books and laid them out on the table. "Yeah, it's something I like to dabble in from time to time," she said with a shrug.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?"

"Yeah."

"I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship," the professor said, but Alice didn't look dejected at all. Just more determined and curious.

"But couldn't it had been imported? Like if the Pilgrims brought their religion over. I'm pretty sure this area was settled by immigrants," she prodded more into the question, hoping to at least get an idea of what kind of creature she was dealing with.

Alice already knew she was underprepared to deal with the scarecrow. She had shot him with a piercing lapua round from a precision rifle, and it got up no problem. Pretended like it didn't even happen, too. It quickly made her realize that she had to deal with a scarecrow a different way, and there was still the problem with the townspeople. They obviously had set everything up for that couple to get killed, so they must've been doing this for a long time. Working with the scarecrow for their own benefit. What they get out of it though was still lost on her.

"Well, yeah," the professor nodded.

"Like Burkittsville. The town a couple of miles from here. Where are their ancestors from?"

The professor had to pause and think for a second. "Uh, northern Europe, I believe, Scandinavia."

"Could you tell me about those Pagan gods?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses."

"Yeah, but I'm looking for a specific one. Might've lived in an orchard."

The professor thought about it for a second before beginning to flip through the pages. "Woods god, hm? Well, let's see." He turned page after page when Alice noticed a picture of a scarecrow and quickly stopped him.

"Wait a moment. What's that one?" she said while pointing.

"Oh, that's not a woods god, per se," he began.

Alice leaned over the table to read what was said on the page. "The Vanir?" she said with a cocked brow before continuing to read. "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female." As the words fell from her mouth, her lips slowly began to turn down into a frown. "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?"

"I suppose."

Alice continued to read. "This particular Vanir that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?"

"Well, Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic."

"Yeah…Hm." She crossed her arms over her chest and thought to herself for a bit, nodding her head. "Alright. I get it now. Hey, thanks for the help. I appreciate it." She turned to the professor and offered her hand out to shake.

"Glad I could help," he said while shaking her head.

Alice started to head for the door, but as she was about to grab the handle, she stopped to the sound of a creaking floorboard coming from the other side. Alice narrowed her eyes and took a step back, seeing a shadow move in front of the crack below the door like someone was standing in front of it. She stood there for a couple of seconds, pondering silently and weighing her options. Alice then took in a deep breath and grabbed the door handle once again. Abruptly, she ripped it open and immediately dodged to the side to avoid the butt end of the sheriff's rifle. She swiftly grabbed the weapon and twisted it out of his grasp, using it and smacking him across the face. The force wasn't enough to knock him out, but it gave her enough space to get past him and take off down the hallway to escape.

What started off as a minor inconvenience had turned into a major problem. Alice had disappeared since the last time the sheriff had seen her, and no one knew where she had gone. This concern was enough to gather Stacy, Harley, and Scotty. They stood out under the dimming sky and were clearly upset with the way things were turning out.

"We don't have time to spare anymore. We must find that girl before she destroys this town. It's our responsibility," Scotty began.

"Could she had already left though," Stacy asked, but the sheriff didn't seem too convinced

"I wouldn't be so sure. She was pretty curious about the history of the orchard. I'm sure she's still in the area, waiting it out," the sheriff assumed. He didn't think Alice would've just left, not after the problems she had caused up till now.

"But what are we going to do? She let that couple get away. There's no one else," Harley asked.

Scotty turned his face up into a grimace. "There's always someone else. We may not like it…but there is always someone we can use."

Harley looked confused at first before the meaning finally dawned on him. He quickly began to shake his head.

"Harley, please," the sheriff pleaded.

"We all close our doors. Look the other way. Pretend we can't hear the screams. But this is different, this—this is murder," Harley said.

"It's angry with us. Already the trees are beginning to die. Tonight's the seventh night of the cycle. Our last chance," Stacy said to him.

"I understand that we have to find the girl before the end of the cycle but…why Emily?" Harley said to them but no one else could answer. They all looked away and stared at the ground, soon dispersing their meeting and going their separate ways until tonight.

Listening quietly, Alice listened to the entire conversation from the alleyway beside the sidewalk. Her shoulders dropped and she groaned. While leaning against the wall, she glanced toward the general store that Emily was managing. If she had less knowledge than she does now, she would've been shocked to learn how far they're willing to take things. But if anything, it did confirm the gnawing feeling in the back of her mind that Emily really had nothing to do with the town's paganism. Not only was she completely in the dark. She was innocent too.