Page 7

Hana

THREE DAYS UNTIL THE HUNTER’S MOON.

A fter the nightmare, and unexpectedly spicy dream, I slept fitfully for the rest of the night. When morning finally comes, I’m up and at ‘em like usual. Excited for our planned hike.

Mateo brought a map of the preserve with him, and our plan for today is to take a trail to a place called Lace Curtain’s Falls . I’m working through my second cup of strong camp coffee when I sit down with my pack.

I feel the need to double check that I have everything. Especially with last night’s nightmare still fresh in my mind. Making sure there is no way I’ll end up lost and completely unprepared, I take everything out and inventory it before putting it back.

Emergency blanket, rain poncho, and an extra change of clothes. Check.

A small first aid kit, multi-tool, fire starter kit, and headlamp. Also check .

At the top, and within easy reach, is a package of jerky and trail mix, a whistle, and my solar powered charger. Checkity-check.

I shove my water bottle with the built-in filter—for stream drinking—into the side pocket and triple check my compass is secured to one of the straps like it should be.

Slipping the small nylon pack over my shoulders, I pat down my pockets to make sure I have my cell phone.

Reception is spotty, but it’s not so bad that I couldn’t find a place to get a message or call out if I needed to.

The sun is warm on my shoulders as we make our way through the forest toward the falls.

Songbirds serenade us as chipmunks follow along playfully.

Amber points out numerous signs of wildlife along the way, including a fox peeking at us as we pass.

But it’s signs of predators that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Bear!” Amber announces excitedly, rushing to examine some deep scratch marks on a tree that’s not far off the trail. A cold chill rolls down my spine when she causally mentions they don’t look very old.

Realizing there are dangerous animals here reminds me of the feeling that we were being watched as we set up camp. My skin goes itchy just thinking about it, and the feeling follows me the rest of the way to the falls.

Despite my misgivings, the well-used trail makes for an easy hike, and we make it to the horseshoe shaped falls in a couple hours.

Surrounded by a vibrant collage of orange and red leaves, the frothy curtain of water cascading down the smooth rock walls to a shallow pool below is the stuff of postcard pictures.

The beauty surrounding us overwhelms the last of my anxiety and I’m able to settle down and enjoy the scenery. Forgetting all about bears and being watched as Mateo spreads out a blanket on the grassy shore. I set out our picnic and Amber leans back on her elbows with a contented sigh.

We eat and talk, enjoying the warm autumn afternoon. Amber moves, resting her head in Mateo’s lap, and he mindlessly strokes his fingers through her hair. I pick at my sandwich while enjoying the relaxing sound of the falls.

A happy smile teases my lips when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye.

My head snaps to the side as something reddish brown and big dips out of sight across the pool and around the side of the falls.

Squinting to get a better look at what I thought I saw, I push myself to sit up straighter.

“Hey, Amber?” I ask without taking my eyes from the spot where the mystery animal disappeared.

“Hmm?” she replies sleepily.

“Are there red wolves in these mountains?”

“Red wolves? No, they are much farther south.” She cracks an eye open. “Why?”

“I could swear I saw something.” I scan the spot where it disappeared.

“It was reddish and big. Are there grizzlies?” Even as I ask, I know for sure that’s not what I saw.

It wasn’t that big, and much too sleek. I know she already told us there aren’t any in this part of the mountains, but it looked an awful lot like a wolf.

“No, no grizzlies.” Amber’s brow puckers into a slight frown. “Maybe it was a fox?”

I shake my head. “Whatever I saw was way too big to be a fox.”

Rubbing at the sudden prickle of gooseflesh across my arms, eerie feelings rush over me. It’s the same feeling I got last night, warning me something has its eyes on me again.

I trust Amber to know what is or isn’t in these woods, being a forestry major and all that. But I know what I saw. Or rather, I know what I didn’t see, and it wasn’t a fox.

We hang out at the falls for a bit longer, but I can’t shake the eerie feeling.

The hike out is as uneventful as the hike in and the last of the sun’s golden rays are dipping below the horizon when we return to our campsite. Mateo gets straight to work building the fire up and Amber heads for the tent when her blood-curdling scream freezes me in my tracks.

Mateo moves first and I immediately follow him over to where my friend is stumbling back from our tent. Where, laying across the entrance is a deer. A very dead deer.

“What the fuck—” Mateo hisses as I come to a stop beside him.

It’s a young buck with a small rack of antlers. His dark eyes stare lifelessly at us with a dull sheen. A jagged slice runs the length of its belly, and all the organs have been removed or eaten. Probably both.

“What could have done this?” I ask.

“Other than a person?” Amber shakes her head. Her eyes are wide and panicked as she looks over at me then back down at the deer. “Maybe a bear? But it makes no sense why it would leave it in front of our tent.”

“Whatever it was, was probably just dragging it through our campsite.” Mateo motions to the obvious grooves in the dirt. “It must have heard us coming back and dropped it.”

“So, you’re saying whatever it is could still be close by?” I try, and fail, to keep the quiver out of my voice.

“Those aren’t bear tracks.” Amber points a shaky finger at where there are several sets of really fucking huge paw prints. “They look like wolf tracks.”

“I thought you said there weren’t wolves here?” My heart is pounding hard against my ribs as I think back to what I thought I saw at the falls .

“This doesn’t make any sense. These are way too big to be a dog or coyote.” Kneeling, Amber spreads her hand out over the top of one of the prints, where it fits easily inside. Her eyes are round when she looks up at me. “These are too big to be a wolfs, too.”

“ What the fuck…” Mateo repeats under his breath. “Okay, let’s look at this logically.”

The hair on my arms prickle as I stare down at the partially eaten deer.

Besides its guts being cleaned out, it’s otherwise untouched.

Wouldn’t there at least be bite marks where the animal took it down then dragged it?

Then I see them. Just under its jaw, a row of small punctures and the unnatural angle of its neck.

“Do wolves break their prey’s necks?”

“I’m not a fucking biologist, Hana!” Amber snaps at me. Then she quickly squeezes her eyes shut and sighs. “I’m sorry. I don’t know the answer to that. A deer this size, verses a regular wolf, I don’t think so. But, going by the size of these tracks… I wouldn’t rule out anything.”

Mateo and Amber start arguing over whether the prints are as big as they look when all the hair on the back of my neck stands up, sending itchy chills racing down my back. Indicating whatever has been watching me… is back.

“I think we should go!” I exclaim, interrupting their argument.

Mateo lets out a long sigh. “But we just got here. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for this.”

I shake my head as an intense feeling I can’t name hits me straight in the chest.

Whatever is out there does not want us to leave. Or maybe it doesn’t want me to leave.

“I’m with Hana,” Amber says, backing away from the prints. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay. We should at least move our camp in case…” She waves at the deer. “It might come back looking for its kill.”

“It’s already dark, though,” Mateo argues. “Look, what if I move the deer. That way if it does come back, it won’t come into our camp.”

While we’ve been standing around, the sun has disappeared completely behind the horizon and the forest has fallen into shadow.

It took us hours of hiking from our car to reach this place.

Add to the feeling we’re being watched, maybe walking back through the dark forest isn’t a good idea after all. Especially not with a predator nearby.

“What if there is a serial killer out there watching us?” Amber whispers.

“A what?” Mateo and I look at Amber with puzzled looks.

Amber shrugs.

“You watch way too much true crime.” Mateo shakes his head with a soft laugh. “We’re turning this into something it’s not. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation, but running through the woods at night, drawing the attention of predators, is reckless and stupid.”

“He’s right,” I agree, already coming to the same conclusion. “We’re safer staying here for the night. But I think we should pack up everything so we can leave first thing in the morning.”

Amber scrunches her face up as she glances from me to Mateo, then down at the deer before letting out a huff. “Fine.”

“Alright.” Mateo looks around the campsite and then starts giving orders. “You two finish getting the fire going again and I’ll—” Mateo looks over at the deer carcass. “I’ll drag that away.”

Amber chews on her bottom lip as she stares down at the deer then into the shadowy forest. Slipping her pack off her shoulder, she digs inside for her firearm and hands it to Mateo. “Be careful. ”

His eyes soften and I turn away when he leans in to kiss her.

While he’s gone, Amber and I work silently as we get the fire built up, probably bigger than necessary, before we pack up everything we don’t need for tonight. That way, as soon as the sun rises all we have to do is break down the tent and hike out.