//------------------------------// // 2. Wake // Story: Sidetracked // by flamevulture17 //------------------------------// In the light of morning, Ben yawned to the sound of his phone going off in his ear and stretched his arms. He sat up in his seat with half open eyes. He opened the car door and got out to stretch his back. That car sure is stuffy. Coughing a few times and sniffling from the humidity, he stuck his head back in the car, only to find the entire car empty, except for the luggage. That's weird. Are they all taking bathroom break, in the woods, at the same time. Ben ignored it and yawned again followed by a shiver. He'd wait for them to get back. Overcome with boredom, his gaze wandered around the trees where a light fog blanketed the scenery. Nice. He then looked down the road behind the car where the fog was even more incredible, white and bright. Something caught his eye though. There, in the middle of the road, maybe two hundred feet away, stood a small figure four feet high. A car? No. A person? No. The shape was different. Small animal? Likely. Although blurred, it was blue in color, slowing advancing his way. Deer? Maybe. He watched as it got closer. Why is it blue? Trick of the light? He did notice long wings attached to its body... wait what! A sudden sharp noise came up close behind him and he snapped his head back around to find a large figure running at him with a hockey mask and chainsaw in hand. No time to react as a large beast rose the chainsaw above his head and motioned to strike when- Ben flinched up in his seat and hit his skull against the window. “Ow! Fuck.” Candy woke up from his disturbance, albeit slowly and carefully. More dazed than usual, her head began pounding from the sudden awakening and sleeping position. Her body contorted to adapt to the chair without room for her legs. It hurt. She quickly scurried out of her seat and stretched her legs over the glovebox, her feet resting under the windshield. I was the perfect time to get out of the car and make a full recovery from sitting in the car so long. Candy got out and stretched her arms high over her head, letting loose a yawn popped her ears free of discomfort. Seconds later, the door behind her opened and Ben exited, rubbing the right side of his head with an angry grin on his face. He was in a hurry to put his helmet back on before any more damage is done. “Morning,” she said, her voice slipping. “Stupid dream,” Ben croaked, sighing heavily. Candy could see the sweat rolling down his face as if he'd run a mile in a hundred degree weather, or did a thousand push-ups. Obviously it was neither of those things. Ben adjusted the chin strap as he put his helmet on and suddenly felt safer. He took a moment to scan the forest with worry in his breath, hoping the dream was just a dream. Light rays sliced through the trees from the south because of how tall the trees were. The fog was gone, relieved that it was just a figment of a dream. A really weird dream. First winged creatures, then crazy serial killers. What else, an earthquake? He paused for a second. Ben stood firmly on the ground in anticipation. All but the background noise went quiet for a brief moment. “What are you doing?” she said, pulling him from his trance. Ben merely flinched, but laughed it off as some game his mind was playing on him. His friend rolled her eyes, and got back in the car. Candy leaned over to Max who was still asleep in the driver's seat. He looked like he was dead, but got a response when he lifted his head back after giving him a light nudge on the shoulder. “Hm?” Max groaned. He flickered his eyes open and stared at Candy. She smiled. “Good morning,” she whispered. “Feeling alright?” Max grabbed the steering wheel and lifted his body off the seat to stretch his back. His yawn ended with a light sigh. “What time is it?” he asked. His eyes were trained on the dashboard, but the car was off. Candy glanced at her phone. “Uh, ten-thirty,” she said. Max's eyes split wide open and scrambled in his seat, attempting to shake off all the numbness of his limbs and wake his body up faster than allowed. “We slept in!” The driver nearly shouted. “Get in guys, let's go.” Max brought the car to life immediately and was ready to go in at a moment's notice. “Wait wait, hold on!” Ben said as he stuck his head inside the car to shout at the driver. Max and Candy looked at him, waiting for him to respond. He pointed at the empty seat across from him. “Where's Felix?” Max turned the car off and got out. Ben and Candy joined him in the middle of the road as they searched the trees for any sign of their missing man. Max stared down the dirt road, disappointed it was still a dirt road. If memory serve him right, the strangest thing happened to them last night and he could not explain it. How can this road go unpaved when we've been on it the whole time, even after turning back to head towards the free way? It just didn't make any sense. “Felix!?” Ben yelled, calling out his friend's name into the treeline. “Felix!?” “Will you shut up, Ben!” Candy barked, slapping him on the arm. “This isn't gonna help. He's probably just taking a piss behind a tree. Besides, do you want to attract wild animals this way?” “I ain't scared of no deer. Felix!?” Ben continued to ignore his companions as they let him do his thing. Candy leaned in close to Max. “You think something is up with Ben?” She whispered in his ear. Max raised an eyebrow and looked back at Ben who appeared shaken up by something, but couldn't tell if he was truly disturbed by something or just acting. “I don't know.” He shrugged. “Bad dream maybe?” “That's what I thought too,” she agreed. “He woke up all sweaty and out of breath. Oh and he hit his head on the window, waking me up.” “I'm sure it's nothing, we all have nightmares. I just don't think Ben cares all that much about them. He likes to think he's invincible with that helmet on him.” “Don't we all?” “You have a point.” Max scratched the back of his head. “Was Felix in the car when you woke up?” “No... wait, I'm not sure. I don't think so.” “Felix!?” Ben called out one last time until resigning that fact that his cries just weren't helping. Max and Candy watched from the middle of the road as Ben took out his cell phone and attempted to call someone, presumably Felix. It didn't work. No active signal. “So where are we?” Candy continued. “I still don't know,” Max replied. There was a peaceful, yet eerie stillness that floated in the odorless air around them. From the trees to the ground and to the sky, everything was quiet. Every now and again, a small breeze rustled some leaves, but nothing was more awkward than the three of them standing around in the middle of the road. “Something if off about this place,” Max said to himself. The crunching of dry leaves caught all attention from beyond the branches behind the car. All three of them followed the sound and found someone approaching. It was none other than Felix with briefcase in hand. “Hey guys,” he said, waving his hand. “Looking for me?” Ben was the first to walk up to him and thump him on the shoulder. It was a friendly gesture, even if it was a little hard. Ben seemed angry for some reason, like he had done something wrong. Felix glanced at his other two friends who remained in the middle of the road, sporting the same expression of confusion. He walked up the them. “What wrong with him?” “Dunno.” Candy shrugged. “He seemed a little freaked out. We were just waiting for you to finish.” “Finish what?” “Didn't you go to the bathroom?” Max asked, crossing his arms and shifting his weight. “No.” “Oh. Well, what where you doing? We're supposed to hit the road by now.” Candy turned to Max, blowing her long hair away from her face. “Which reminds me, you never told us when to wake up. I would have set my alarm,” she said. She looked back at Felix. “And you, what's with the case?” As much as his friends want to know what he was hiding, it's best they didn't know. “Bird watching,” he lied. They could tell it was a lie, but his friends didn't push it any further. “Well then, let's go.” Max returned to the car. “We have a long road to cover.” Everyone got back in the car and strapped in. Once more, Max started the engine and slowly drove away. “So what's our next stop?” Candy chirped. The car was picking up speed now, but went no faster than thirty miles per hour. The car occasionally rattled and shifted from the bumps in the road. “First we have to figure out how to get back to the freeway.” Max leaned forward as he drove and looked up at the top of the trees. Sunlight barely glowed down to ground level, drowning them in pale shadow. “We still don't have a GPS to get us out of here.” Felix contemplated for a moment before speaking up. “Try the radio,” he said, resting his torso on the seat in front of him. “How is that supposed to help?” said Candy, clearly annoyed by the absurd request. Max turned the dials anyways and began scrolling through the channels. Anything. But for some reason, nothing but static. Different kinds of static for each frequency, but static nonetheless. “Huh.” uttered Max. Felix sat back and stroked his chin. More evidence for their suspicions. “Is that supposed to mean anything?” Candy remarked. “The antenna is probably broken.” “No, no, it's working just fine.” Max turned the radio of. “Or else you wouldn't hear any static. But this static is nothing like normal static. It sounds too...” He snapped his fingers to find the appropriate word. “...organized.” “Would you guys stop being so cryptic and tell us what's going on?” Ben pitched in. He and Candy felt left out of the loop while the other two played the cartoon skeptic. Or detective stupid. Or both. “Ever since we started driving on this stupid dirt road you two have been-” THUNK The car came to a skidding halt as Max slammed on the breaks. A large object hit the bumper while the car bumped over something heavy. All four inside quickly looked at each other and then towards the back window. They then got out to assess what just happened. Max rushed around the side, followed by Ben who nearly vomited at the sight before them. “Dude! You fucking killed an animal!” “I can see that, genius,” Max retorted. Felix walked up next to him. “Looks like a chicken.” He giggled. “You killed a chicken.” Candy was the last to the scene. Although she was the most disgusted, she held her composure, and her lunch. Still, she wasn't very enthused. “I don't think it's a chicken,” she said. “It's got some lizard tail attached to it.” “Maybe some psycho in these woods is breeding monsters,” Felix pointed out without pause. They looked at him as the crazy nut he is. “That would actually be pretty cool though. Just saying.” “If it's not a chicken, then what the hell is it?” Max said. He stepped back to breathe as it began to stink. Ben resisted the urge to blackout from the horrid stench the corpse was now giving off. He had ignored the fact that it was a freaky hybrid creature to scold his friend for murder. “You killed a chicken!” “Jesus Christ Ben, I know I killed a chicken,” Max yelled and threw his arms in the air. “What do you want me to do, bring it back to life?” “You could at least show some remorse,” Ben hissed. “It was living creature and you ran it-” ROAR Everyone froze. Heart rates spiked. Goosebumps shot throughout their bodies. Flocks of birds around the area flew away with haste. The distant screech of a predator ricocheted throughout the wilderness, scaring the humans half to death. “What was that!?” Candy cried out the obvious. Her friends were all in defensive stances, frantically twirling their heads like cats to search for the source of the sound. Each of them started to creep their way back to the car. Waiting for- ROOOOOAR This time much louder and closer, there was no time to waste. “GO! Go! Go! Go! GO GO!” Max shouted. Each of them hurried to the car, but Ben tripped over his own feet. They slammed the doors shut, nearly enough to break the glass. The driver stomped on the gas pedal. A plume of dust formed behind them as the car propelled forward as fast as it could. Working the engine into overdrive, Max did not let up, instead opting to race as quickly as possible away from whatever that roar was. Possibly mountain lion. “Think we lost it?” said Max. “Just keep going.” Candy said. “Don't stop.” “STOP!” exclaimed Felix. Once the outburst left his mouth, Max turned around. A seat was empty. Where's Ben!? Again, the car came to a dead stop, this time much faster than before. A few things flew forward from the back seat “Oh no.” Max changed the car's gears and starting driving in reverse. The trail of dust kicked up by the dust had not yet settled and Max could see nothing. He stopped the car after about a minute. Now they were surrounded by natural smoke with Ben nowhere in sight. Before any of them were willing to get out the car find their friend, someone emerged from the dust, running for his life. Felix saw him and leaned over the middle to open the door on the other side. “Get in get in get in get in!” he screamed out to Ben. The man slid across the dirt and jumped in the car, coughing intensely. Max then released the break pedal and they were off again, letting the momentum of the car slam Ben's door on his way in. Under his heavy breathing and soil covered body, Ben could hardly keep himself from shaking. His eyes were trying to make sense of what he had seen. Something large. With bat wings. The others didn't see, but it definitely wasn't a mountain lion. Too big. Another stupid hybrid creature, but this one hungry for flesh. “You okay man,” Felix cooed, taking it upon himself to console the traumatized human. Although he did hate that Ben tracked dirt inside the car, it was for good reason. He dusted off the layers of dirt stuck to Ben's helmet causing more particles to fill the car. The driver rolled down all four windows simultaneously to let it all out. Ben was still catching his breath, too frightened to speak. However, he was able to check his body for cuts or bruises. His shirt was ripped in three places on his back, but other than that, he was fine. “Good thing you had head protection,” said Felix, smiling. “At least you're not a total loser, it came in handy for once.” Ben returned a look, but it was no smile. More like a distraught look of terror with a twitch in his eye. It didn't look good. Felix rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. “Hey, you good?” Ben hesitated a moment, then gave a small nod. “It's going to be alright,” said Candy, watching the two passengers with a fragmented gaze. “We'll be in California soon.” She didn't really believe that, but what else could she do. They just took a wrong turn is all. An hour later, the car slowed once more. Max thought they were far enough from the danger and they needed to conserve gas. The group has been on this dirt road long enough. No street signs. No street lamps. No fences. It was completely empty. It felt no different than any other dirt road, but an all too foreign feeling that their route has been altered somehow. The trees stayed the same, as if they were driving in a huge circle. Every so often the shrubbery would thin out and the ambient light would increase, but that just meant the they were getting closer to the edge of the woods. The occupants remained quiet and still. All of them had a thousand yard stare that shook them to their cores. Ben forced himself to hold back a panic attack. The longer he sat in silence, the greater the urge to feel delirious. Never before such an encounter with wildlife had been so close to death. Felix believed Ben was handling it well. He could only imagine what went through the boy's mind while being chased by a predator. Ben wouldn't say what it was. Perhaps in time. Candy spent her time hyper aware of her surroundings, watching the road carefully, glancing at her friends, and rubbing her hands together. This would prove useful as she saw what appeared to be a wooden fence up ahead before Max. “Do you see that?” She pointed to the side of the road a hundred feet down the bend. Max squinted. Felix leaned forward for a better view. “Yeah. Just our luck, first sign of people.” The car eventually rolled past the of the white fence, driving parallel up a shallow hill. The trees beyond the fence were now apple trees, irregularly placed across the grounds. No evidence of machinery or modern agriculture. By now they had left the woods, now it's just a bunch of apple trees. Moments later, they came up to a large gate where the fence connected to a tall white sign. The writing on the wooden panel above in plain English. Sweet Apple Acres. “Well that explains it,” said Max. “Let's take a look.” He drove the car through the open gate. Safe to say there weren't any 'no trespassing' signs around. It appeared to be a regular orchard. Something akin to such farms in Iowa or California, yet smaller. A large red barn came into view not long after entering onto the land. The road ended at a small gate with the silhouette logo of an apple cut from a wood panel hanging from the top. Max stopped the car and turned off the engine. Each of them carefully got out and formed a tight group. Their eyes were glued to the barn as all except Ben stepped onto the property grounds. “I'll just stay by the car this time,” Ben muttered. His friends nodded in understanding. One encounter with danger was enough. The other three walked up to the barn, overshadowed by it's size. It wasn't enormous by any stretch, it just appeared to be both a house and a barn in one building. Felix stayed behind to peek inside the barn while Max and Candy went around the corner to what they assumed was the front door. The door lacked a door bell, so Max resorted to a light knock. Knock Knock Knock “Hello?” Knock Knock. “Anyone home?” His patience was wearing thin when no response came after the four set of knocks. “This is a waste of time,” Candy conceded. “Let's just get back on the road.” As she walked away to join Felix, Max remained hopeful. They could just keep driving until they found a gas station or a Dennys, but there doesn't seem to be anything for miles. This was their only chance. He put his arms on his waist. It appeared the hill just behind the barn dropped off on the other side. A quick decision to scale the hill proved worth it. A town. Max smiled wide and ran back to meet up with his friends with glee in his stride. “Hey guys, there's a small town just over that hill.” He pointed north. “We finally have-” The human paused. His two friends were unresponsive, locked onto something within the orchard. “Guys?” Max followed Candy's finger as she pointed into the trees. He had trouble finding what they were looking at, but nothing was more surprising than what was watching them. Something—most easily shaped like a small horse—stared back at them with astounding interest. Horses don't wear hats, do they? Nor are they orange. At least not most of them. As soon as Max attempted to advance towards it, the horse ran away, disappearing beyond the trees in a flash. “Nice going man, you scared it off,” Felix said. “At least we know this place is open,” Candy mused. “Someone should be home to take care of the animals. Should we stay and see if someone is home?” “No need.” Max lifted a hand and pointed at the hill. “There's a town not far from here. Better check it out.” Felix and Candy glanced at each other with hopeful grins. They followed their friend back to the car. At least their luck has changed for once. Waiting patiently for them, Ben leaned against the hood of the car, digging a hole in the ground with his shoes. He kicked a rock forward, watching it bounce across the ground, bringing his attention to his approaching friends. His boredom ended there, and probably yours too. “You guys get directions?” Ben asked, adjusting the position of his helmet. “No one's home,” replied Max. “But there's a town nearby, were going there now.” “Finally!”