Walking on the Tracks Chapter 12
Sunlight spread gently across the land as morning finally came. I didn't get much sleep that night as I was too concerned with what Chris had said but I still somehow managed to drag myself up to continue our journey. I realised just how close we were to finding Brower's body, I was cautious about how much the thought excited me.
We ate our peculiar breakfast of melting Hershey's milk chocolate as we travelled along the seasoned tracks, every step taking us closer to the body that would make our names known in Castle Rock.
"Geez Gordie" Vern commented through a mouthful of oozing chocolate "why couldn't you have got more breakfast stuff like Pez or Twinkies with root beer?". "I'm sorry Vern but I guessed a more experienced shopper could have gotten more interesting stuff with your generous 7 cents" Gordie replied coolly. With rumbling stomachs we headed towards the Royal River with the ever growing image of discovering Ray Brower's body keeping us moving regardless of the sweltering heat pounding down on us.
Soon we made it there. We all stood on the empty tracks staring thoughtfully out towards the distant forest across us. "Gentlemen, the Royal" Chris announced boldly. "Man, the tracks got out all the way" I noticed looking out at the long line ahead. "We cut across here and we'll be there in an hour" Chris told us pointing to the great oak trees standing proud in the fields. "I think we should stick to the tracks" Vern said looking around, "I say we go across here"'Teddy argued nodding forward.
"Yeah me too" Gordie added.
"Dan?" Chris asked me as I considered our options. The tracks may have been safer but I really needed to see that body as quick as I could. So I nodded.
"Let's go across here".
"Let's go!" Chris ordered before jumping and running in the direction of the woods with Teddy following his lead in true army style. "Ugh you guys...its a lot safer if we uh...you don't know what's in those woods..." Vern remained on the tracks trying to convince us otherwise but failed, running slowly after us and tripping over his own two feet.
Deep in the forest we came across a great thick puddle of mud and when I say thick. Mean FUCKING THICK. It felt like I was using all the leg muscles I had trying to get across that thing. "I hate this short cut" Vern whined behind us as we stooped through the swirling knee deep mud. Teddy mimicked him in a high pitched squeaky voice only to receive an empty punch from Vern causing him to flinch. "Ha! You flinched! Two for flinching!" Vern yelled excitedly but that ass wipe Duchamp ruined his one shot by hitting him hard on the arm instead.
When the married couple finally caught up to the rest of us, we were standing in front of a murky, unaesthetic swamp with spreads of broken twisted twigs floating across the surface. We all stood staring at this unattractive obstacle. "How the hell do we get across this?" Vern asked as if we had the best answer. "We use you as a raft" Teddy replied in a serious sounding tone, "ha ha very funny" Vern responded with boredom in his voice.
I spotted a thin stick laying beside my feet which I then picked up and used to test the depth of the gross looking swamp. "Hey it's not that deep lets just walk across" I said before the guys and I stepped out into the shallow beginning of the water which to my ultimate surprise turned out to be the stepping stone to an even deeper swamp. We all sprang out from underneath the cold water with deep shocked breaths. "I told you we should have studied to the tracks" Vern said sourly as nano droplets of water dropped from his pink lips.
Teddy turned slowly to him before asking "is it me or are you the world's biggest...pussy?".
"I suppose this is fun for you eh?" Vern asked him raising his soaked eyebrows, "no...but this is...". With that Teddy dunked Vern deep into the swamp before dragging him back up again for a few seconds laughing and mocking hysterically as Vern yelped and begged for him to stop. "Come on Teddy act your age!" Chris yelled causing Teddy to stop trying to fucking drown his best frenemy. "This is my age!" Teddy grinned brightly in response "I'm in the prime of my youth and I'll only be young once!". "Yeah but too bad you're gonna be stupid for the rest of your life" I added causing Chris to chuckle.
"Oh! Hell no!" Vern shouted with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh you two are so dead, you just signed your own death warrant Taylor so YOU DIE TAYLOR!" Teddy and Vern pounced on Chris and I which turned into a huge messy wrestle of splashing to try to plunge everyone else underneath the dirty swamp. It was moments like this that make me smile and my eyes sparkle like stars. These glorious memories of letting loose and having a good time with my friends. I'd kill for times to go back to that.
Gordie however refused to participate in any of the fun and instead continued to make his way to the land. "Hey,where'd you think you're going LaChance?!" Chris asked raising an eyebrow and spreading a mischievous smirk on his flushed face. "Yeah LaChance!" Teddy yelled grinning. "Come on guys" Gordie said shaking his head at us all. "PILE ON!" Chris and I yelled in unison as we jumped towards a protesting Gordie. Teddy and Vern joined us in throwing ourselves onto Gordie when he made it to the edge.
"Sleeper hold! Sleeper hold!" Vern chimed locking Gordie in a headlock "no one gets out of the sleeper hold". "Hey Vern,there's something on your neck" Gordie said staring at Vern, "yeah right I'm not falling for that one LaChance!" Vern argued but it was true. On his neck was...
"It's a leech..." Teddy said shocked "LEECHES!".
We all scrambled up yelling and shouting in disgust. We all ripped off our wet t shirts and to our pure horror discovered our bodies covered in vile sucking leeches. "Get them off! GET THEM THE FUCK OFF!" I screamed trying not to throw up. "Jesus Chris they're all over!" Chris was tearing the fuckers off his skin, leaving blotchy red patches in their place. We all swiped the rest of them off one another's back and threw them as far as we could. I still shiver at the memory.
After we got rid of the sucking pieces of shit there was silence as we tried to catch our breaths. Gordie flinched and looked down. Slowly, he pulled his pants open and his eyes turned wide as he quivered "oh shit...oh shit Chris...oh shit man..." We all watched in life shock as our poor friend reached down and pulled a huge leech off his cock, his finger tips were painted with dark blood. The leech dropped to the ground as Gordie stared at his dripping fingers for a few seconds before fainting onto the wet soaked floor.