Chapter 4 - A Guy
"The sheriff has been combing the grounds again. I told him about our barrels being gone, too. And Banner's pantry was emptied out of all the preserves his wife made and left to cure. I just don't know who would do such a thing," Charlie complains. Sam, his old friend who's lived outside of the grounds for years, slightly shakes his head.
Sam's not surprised. It's been quite a while that these oddities have been happening around here. He hears complaint after complaint about theft throughout the campsite and other residential areas. Thief of random things, too. Not money or jewelry. It's little things no one seems to notice until they're far gone, and it's probably been months.
Food. Trash bags. Bug spray. Toiletries and toilet paper. Gas tanks. Books. Magazines. Plastic bags. Socks. Shirts. Pants and even briefs, but never boxers. Things the camp would have in abundance, but find missing right out of a cupboard. No break-ins in sight. All the locks and hinges remained intact. The biggest items would never go missing during summer time while folks were around. A portable gas stove. A mattress and box spring and water hoses. But those went missing years past. Sam remembers, but the new campers wouldn't.
Sam knows about the town having a case open over this for years. But he doesn't concern himself. It's not dangerous. Never violent. If anything, owners leave notes and bags of food tied to doorknobs to get these thefts happening in an orderly fashion, at least. Never, not one note or bag were touched or emptied.
He's figured, just like many locals, that there are plenty of migrants passing through. Lots of hikers could make the wrong turn and get lost. Boy Scout rules are always to leave something in the pantry in empty cabins. You never know who would need the sustenance. If they're hungry, he guesses they would do just about anything to get food—especially from places that aren't lived in all year. No harm, no foul.
He doesn't have much to say to Charlie but nods and changes the subject. What can he do, anyway? He's old with achy bones and doctor's orders to get more fit. Hence the hike. Hence him saving his breath over talking.
They hike up the trials through a different way than Bella is used to. It still doesn't amuse her. She's bored and trying to keep up.
Jameson is busy with his mom today; quality time, as he said. Jen and Lauren are, too, though she thinks they're just sick of being around her and him. She thinks they've been acting selfish, and probably jealous of her relationship. She couldn't care less. All she cares for now is having to hang out with dad and his old friend. It isn't cool. But Mom gave her options; take a walk and get out of her hair, or hose down the porch and scrub it clean.
No way in hell is she gonna hose anything down.
She takes her damn time because she won't break out in sweat if she could help it. She shuffles and drags her feet. Then she's looking up, and Dad's out of view. She can hear them, but it's faint. She looks left, then she looks right. Her ears tell her they're up ahead to her left.
She grumbles. "Dad, wait for me!" When he doesn't answer, she speeds up. "Don't make me run. I told you not to walk fast!" she yells. She grumbles and grumbles. She yells a couple of times more, and maybe she lets a profanity fly above the treetops.
She swallows her shouts in one gasp.
Mortification crawls up her neck and colors her cheeks.
Instantly, she remembers that one time she was wearing her earphones and a great song started playing. There was no one around, so she took the chance and sang her heart out. But then a stranger appeared out of thin air and walked right by her. She never felt so stupid and embarrassed. She shut her trap and tried not to die of laughter.
This moment feels like that to Bella. But she's not laughing. This time, she's whining like a child as she comes face to face with a guy in a backpack.
A guy.
She swallows her words and hopes the ground would swallow her, too. There is no way he didn't hear her tantrum.
There are many hikers around the area. Some are extreme sporters and carry backpacks that hover over their heads. They're filthy and tired and look like they've been walking for months.
Usually, she ignores them. Sometimes she walks away quickly, some of them are creepy and stare for too long. But most of the time she asks questions. Her friends color in red with Bella's boldness. Bella always has something to say or learn. She's open with all souls. Her niche is to talk to anyone who would listen and tell her what they're like. She aspires one day to be a psychologist. Bella talks and gets to know anyone. Jen always says maybe it'll be a degree in being nosy, not curious.
Not this time. She grinds her teeth in mortification.
He's tall, shoulders hunched over with the weight of his pack. His hair is dark, and eyes seem like clear blue water you don't find anywhere around here. She can barely tell through his wire-framed glasses.
She bites hard on her lip and looks anywhere but his face.
"Hello," he says when they meet halfway. It's faint. Hurried, but forced. It sounded like it took all his strength to conjure up the greeting.
Bella can't help but look up. His eyes quickly flicker away. He turns his head in haste, like he said it to the trees instead.
Bella frowns. A weirdo. "Um, hi." She rolls her eyes the moment she passes by.
Charlie and Sam have found a place to sit. How nice. She wasn't invited.
After following the trail for a while, she finds them. She pulls out a water bottle and tries to find service on her phone, to no avail. She starts up a game of Tetris.
The old men yap and yap and she debates whether to go to the lake alone and cool down.
"Who's that?" says Charlie. Sam looks beyond the cliff and over to another, a good quarter of a mile away. It's the start point of this trail. The point Sam will not have the strength to walk to. He'll be going back the short way.
Sam shrugs.
"Don't think I've seen him around here." Charlie.
"Well, how do you know he's from around here?"
Charlie squints. "Hikers don't usually carry a small backpack like that, do they? He has to be from here."
Sam spits a loogie. It goes splat on a rock close by. "Good eye. Ever consider being a cop?" He chuckles.
Charlie rolls his eyes. Bella's are stuck to the weirdo standing solo between the trees far away. He's looking straight at her. She's not sure he notices he's acting completely obvious.
Creepers are gonna creep, she guesses.
"Don't mind him," Sam says. "He lives in the woods. Doesn't speak. He causes no trouble."
Bella looks at Sam. Her curiosity spikes. She looks back at Weirdo and takes him in. She sure heard him speak.
"You do know him," Charlie grins.
"Haven't seen him in years, actually," Sam says, standing slowly. "Some folks aren't meant to be bothered." He waves a hand high so the stranger can see and walks away. "Like me, for instance. Stop bothering me," he grumpily tells Charlie.
Charlie chuckles and follows.
Bella is all a wonder inside as she watches him disappear.
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