Across the Lake
Chapter 7: The Hike
...
The smooth, white moon colored stones gently crunched under my borrowed hiking boots, as I made my way along the shore of the lake. The azure blue lake glittered, inviting me to go for a swim in its cool refreshing waters. A flash of silver was seen as a fish flicked its tail and disappeared under the water.
A soft green turtle sat on a black rock, sun tanning. Tall wild sweet grass swayed gently along the shore. Chipmunks chased each other around the trunks of the trees. Rabbits hopped from bush to bush, squirrels dug up acorns and sat on the branches to eat them. A glimpse of a deer in the forest shadows.
This place was so beautiful.
After a half hour of walking, I made it to the location where the Jason Voorhees guy usually stood, gazing out across the lake. I used my phone to help me figure out which fallen tree he was near that was half in and out of the water. I stood on it and looked across the side of the lake. I could see the cabin. I looked to my left and the lake continued on and disappeared on the other side through some trees. I jumped down off the fallen log and began to investigate.
No sign of the masked man.
There was no trash or any sign of a campfire. I had seen him practically every day, standing there for hours, and he left no evidence of even being there. Almost like a...No. No. I'm not gonna say it. Ghosts can't be real. Ghosts don't breathe. Ghosts don't paint. This was a real person being an asshole.
There were no tracks. But then again...I had no experience in tracking or seeing prints in the dirt, so I went deeper into the woods to look for a trailer or a car.
Once again, no sign of a trailer or a car; or the masked man for that matter.
I gave up in looking for the guy and decided to wait for him. If I couldn't go to him, he would come to me. He was here almost every day, I could just wait till he came to the spot and confront him then. I ventured further from the Jason's haunting grounds, looking for a place to sit. I found a big rock in the shade, jutting out of a hill. It had a clear view of the area where the Jason Voorhees usually stood, peeking just above the tops of some trees. Now all I had to do was sit and wait for the Jason guy to appear.
While I waited, I decided to sketch the nature around me: The tall trees. The lake. The small cabin. The deer I saw earlier. I pulled out my charcoals and started shading a few of the sketches I had finished. While I had been sketching, I had found that I had also sketched the hockey mask as well from memory. The hockey mask stared right back at me as I darkened the hollow holes where the eyes would look out from with the charcoal.
After a while I ran out of things to draw so I just laid back on the rock and watched the clouds lazily float by above me. This whole place was so peaceful. I was enjoying every moment. It made me wish I could stay here forever. No bills to pay. No college debt. No Rod. Just doing whatever I wanted.
...
I woke up realizing I had dozed off.
Hours passed. Still no sign of Jason Voorhees. The sun had moved across the sky and was now boiling me on the rock. I slid off it and sat underneath it, but now I lost my view of the lake. After a while, I stood up and decided to explore some more. Maybe the guy was in town, thinking of other ways to torment me. Might as well take this opportunity to hike around and get a lay of the land.
I hiked around through the forest, further away from the lake. Eventually I found a trail and followed it for a while. The branches gently brushed against my hair, as if stroking it out of my face with soft fingers. The sun trickled through the leaves, dappling the ground in gold.
I sat down on a rock for a quick break. I drank water and took a few bites out of a sandwich. Then packed it back up and continued my way down the trail. The trail curved and snaked through the forest. My guide to this unfamiliar land. Eventually the one trail split off into three trails. One was chained off by a rusty old chain held up by two rotting wooden posts on either side.
I slowed to a stop and stared at the trails. One went off towards a steep hill, looked like an intense hike I was not looking forward to. The chained off one was on flat uneven ground and looked like an easy hike. The chain was rusty and looked years old too, so maybe they forgot to remove it when they fixed whatever needed fixing on that trail.
I put my left foot over the chain-
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?"
I nearly trip over the chain from the sudden yell, and quickly side stepped back from the chained off trail. I saw a dark skinned man in a tan colored rangers uniform coming up to me. He had curly black hair with a few silver hairs intertwined in them. He wore reflective shades so I couldn't see his eyes. A heavy looking black walkie talkie hung from the side of his belt.
"This is a restricted area, You aren't supposed to be trespassing this trail," he told me.
"I'm sorry. I uh..."
"Can't you read the sign?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Sign? I didn't see a sign. Just the chain..." I told him truthfully.
The ranger looked over my shoulder and sure enough, there was no sign. Just the chain. "...Well, you should know that if a trail is chained off it means no trespassing." he said, his voice tight and clipped. I decided not to give the ranger any excuses.
"I...I'm sorry, sir... I wont do it again." I shuffled nervously where I stood, causing the dead leaves underneath me to crunch. The ranger was quiet for a moment, staring at me.
"Do I know you from anywhere?" he asked me.
"I...I don't think so. I'm...visiting my dad for the summer in his cabin, just that way...I think it's that way...I was just exploring the place...Now I'm trying to head back."
"Oh. You're the outsider everyone is talking about." He didn't sound very pleased.
"Everyone is talking about me?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. They keep saying you are gonna be one of the new camp counselors-"
"I am not! I am just here to draw and paint and relax! That Ralph Jr. guy keeps spreading false rumors about me and the Crystal Camp-"
"Camp Crystal Lake," The ranger corrected me.
"Yeah. I don't even know where the camp or even the lake is!" I told him, my voice rising a little each time.
My comment made the ranger pull down his sunglasses down his nose. His eyes were dark brown. Practically black. He gave me a look. "...Are you serious? You are right at the edge of it."
That stopped me in my tracks. "What? My dad's cabin is on Camp Crystal Lake property?" I asked.
The ranger nodded, pulling his sunglasses back up over his eyes. "Your dad's cabin sits right at the end of Crystal Lake. On the other side through the trees is the camp itself. Your dad was able to buy a bit of the property from City Hall and be able to build his cabin on it. Rumors say he fucked one of the female City Hall counselors...Margaret. She's also the reason why the camp is opening back up. Anyway, your dad slept with her to get her to convince the others to say yes to his request. Not a lot of the folks liked him for that, but eventually they stopped complaining and let your dad do what he wanted." The ranger took a moment for the information to sink in before continuing.
"I personally don't respect your dad's decision. Buying a piece of land where blood was shed. It's not right...My mom's brother would still be alive today if it weren't for that bitch Pamela." His voice was dripping with rage. I stayed my ground and held still, hoping he wouldn't lash it out on me.
"But those are just assumptions," I said, realizing I was defending my dad.
The ranger narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. "I suggest you get back to your dad's cabin. It's gonna get dark soon. Have a safe night." "Wait!" I called to the ranger when he started to leave. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back around to face me.
"I...Is there any other cabins around here? Besides my dad'?" I asked. The ranger gave me another one of his looks before slowly shaking his head. "No...just your dad's...why?" he asked suspiciously. I hesitated before shaking my head. "Just curious," I said. I didn't thank him as I turned around and started walking down a random trail, hoping it was the right trail that lead back to my dad's cabin. I wasn't going to ask that asshole ranger how to get back. All the things he said had upset me greatly.
The sun was already passing the high mountains. Changing the color of the trees from a rich gold to a hazy dark blue. Eventually I was having a hard time seeing and had to pull out my phone to use as a flashlight. I only had 25% battery left in the phone. I was not smart in thinking ahead and charging my phone; but at the same time, I didn't think I was going to be out here all day.
The branches that had gently touched my hair earlier where now grabbing and pulling at it like clawed fingers. I nearly tripped over a root sticking up from the ground I didn't see. I took a moment to rest near a tree and ate the rest of a sandwich and finished a water bottle. I had two sandwiches left. I could feel my anxiety getting ready to unleash a big one. I tried keeping my brain occupied.
15% Phone battery left
All I had to do was retrace my steps back to the lake and follow the shore back to the cabin. Easy. My leg scraped against a thorny bush, making me wince from the sudden sharp pain. A long howl was heard in the distance, making me jump and causing me to walk faster.
10% Phone battery left
I tripped over something big and heavy. It felt like a dead body, causing me to drop my phone. Thankfully it wasn't hard to find. I grabbed it from the dead leaves. A huge crack spiderwebbed across its glassy surface. I shined my light on the thing I tripped over. It was just a huge rock. I checked my leg causing me to suck air through my teeth. It was bleeding pretty badly. I got up and limped my way further down the trail.
5% Phone battery left
A snap of a twig was heard behind me, making me spin on my good leg. No one was there. My heart was racing inside my chest. I kept walking. I passed by the same rock again. Was it the same rock? It looked just like the same one I had tripped over earlier. Was I going in circles? I pull the kitchen knife out from my pack.
1% Phone battery left
Blood dripped further down my leg, leaving small droplets in the soil. The trees loomed over me, watching me. My arms and face covered in scratches and dirt. I'm limping faster through the trees. Hurrying before-
0% Phone battery left
My phone went black. I stood there frozen in pitch black darkness. A cold chill blew through my bones. The sudden dreading feeling began to rise up from the knot in my stomach.
I was lost.