What We Saw

Chapter Seven

When we reached the edge of the woods, the trees peered down at us from above like giants. My arms shook slightly, my heartbeat heavy against my chest. The woods were silent except for the occasional whistle of birds and distant laughter. It was strange that the woods seemed so different when we were looking for something. I guess we finally had a genuine mystery on our hands. I started to follow the familiar, claustrophobic path, when I felt a tug on my back.

Adam looked up towards the steep sloping hill. ‘We should go another way.’ It was an avalanche of twigs and leaves.

‘I don’t know, Adam,’ I said. ‘No one knows we’re out here. If we get lost, we’re lost.’

His eyes begged for me to see his logic, to dare a little. ‘Just think, though, Liam. We’re out here anyway. If Carla’s lost, she’s not gonna get lost on the path, is she?’

‘No, but… if anything happens at least we’re on the path where we’re familiar. Then we can find help easier.’

Adam threw his head back, a theatrical growl emerging from his throat, like a bear who had been woken up during hibernation. ‘Look, we’re out here, and nothing’s gonna happen. We might as well do this, seeing as we’re already here. Or am I gonna have to do it alone?’

I looked back toward the entrance to the woods. It was like staring through a portal into another world. A world where rules mattered and where things happened for a reason. In here, it was only nature. We made the rules out there. The woods made their own rules here.

‘Perhaps we should tell Donald. Then at least somebody knows,’ I said.

Adam looked down at his feet and shrugged. ‘Well you can go tell him. I’m waiting here.’

I sighed and headed towards the exit and towards Donald’s cabin. It was afternoon, so he should be here if he wasn’t out doing whatever it was that he’d been busy with again.

As I reached the turn up to Donald’s cabin, I heard a strange noise.

Before, there was only the sound of our feet creeping along in sync. But somewhere, deep behind the trees, I heard a shuffling. At first I thought it might be a deer, but it was too mechanical. Too heavy. I thought maybe somebody was injured. My first instinct was to shout for Adam, but I knew this would scare whatever it was away. It’d destroy our only chance of a genuine mystery ever. I wondered if maybe it was Carla, hurt.

I crept back to Adam, who assaulted a tree with a twig, jostling with an unbeatable enemy. He looked round at me and wrinkled his nose.

‘What’s up?’ he said.

I put my finger against my lips and gestured at him to follow. He eased towards me. There was something else in the woods. My stomach tingled.

I grabbed Adam’s arm and pulled him to the spot, staring up at the pathless hill ahead. At first, he squinted and shook his head. The noise had stopped. Maybe it had just been my imagination or some noise from the caravans nearby. Adam started to open his mouth when I heard it again.

Drag.

Drag.

Drag.

A methodical movement, deep in the unknown.

Granddad had told us never to veer off the path because if anything happened, we wouldn’t be found. Donald told us never to go off the path because there were dangerous secrets lurking behind those trees.

I looked at Adam and then looked up towards the hill. Toward the noise.

Drag.

‘What do you think it is?’ he said.

Adam’s voice sounded distant as I tried to focus on the noise. ‘Dunno. An animal?’

Adam smiled and shook his head as I looked at him. I couldn’t keep my focus in his direction.

‘You don’t think it’s an animal. Let’s go find out.’

I looked over my shoulder. Everything was still. ‘I dunno, Adam, I mean…’

It was no use. Adam already walked ahead, creeping up the side of the hill on all fours, like a lion hunting its prey. I scratched the side of my head and turned back to the entrance of the woods again. It seemed so far away. I knew I had no choice now, so I followed him.

‘Adam,’ I said.

He turned round and put his finger across his lips. His eyes were wide.

I accepted the truth. We both had to investigate now, whether I liked it or not. This was way too big to let pass. I spotted a towering nest of ants in the corner of my eye, just to our left. I gulped as my mind flickered back to the time my cousin put his foot in a mountain of them. They nipped at his skin for hours. A painful, salty bath sorted the problem. We hadn’t been too far off the track since. Now, that seemed to be the least of our problems.

We carried on. The trees grew thicker around us, crowding and swallowing us up. The birds still chirped somewhere above us, but they sounded distant. I followed Adam’s lead and looked over my shoulder repeatedly. It felt like I’d landed on some undiscovered planet with aliens, but we had no idea what they looked like or whether they’d want to make friends with us or eat us. We moved up the hillsides, step by step, being careful not to snap any branches under our feet. The dragging noise seemed to be getting closer. I squinted ahead to see if I could see anything, but branches and leaves covered my view. The soft, spongy ground invited us further in, tempting us with promises of a discovery. The sun hid behind the tops of the trees, which thickened the further we got from the path. Something jolted to our right and flinched. My eyes raced, trying to pinpoint the source. A squirrel sat tucking into a nut. Just a squirrel. Nature was keeping an eye on us.

The further we got up the hill, the closer the dragging noise got and the softer the ground felt. We’d never been this far in before. We stopped every few seconds to work out where we were and re-coordinate. I looked back down to where the path was, but it was invisible, hiding behind the trees. Everything seemed to be moving so quickly. I knew the path had to be down there because it was downhill. At least we knew where to run if anything happened.

Suddenly, Adam froze in his tracks. He stared at the ground and clutched his chest, his eyebrows arching inwards. I could see that he was trying to say something.

‘What? Adam?’ I whispered.

He punched me in the arm, his face still fixed on one spot. He pointed at the ground in front of him with the same arm. I let my eyes follow his arm, and I saw it.

There was an indentation in the ground. At first I thought it was the start of a path but it was clear that something heavy once sat here. The trail went off into the distance, mounds of soil on either side. My tummy fluttered. The dragging noise had stopped.

The two of us stood rigid, staring at the groove in front of us. I looked over my shoulder again and scratched at my neck. We were too far in to turn back.

‘What… what do you think… I mean, what is it?’ I asked.

Adam crouched to his knees, put his nose towards the patch as if he was a sniffer-dog, and looked up the trail. ‘We have to go on, Liam.’

My knees wobbled like jelly. ‘Right. I dunno. What do you think it is, I mean?’

He rose from his knees again and itched the back of his head. ‘Could be a deer. Injured. Could be anything really. We won’t know ‘til we look.’

‘Do you think it could be Ca—’

‘No. It isn’t. We have to carry on.’

I was about to say Carla, but he knew this already. He was still determined to find Carla, but saw this as a separate mystery. I couldn’t help the feeling in the pit of my tummy telling me that Carla’s disappearance and whatever we were about to find at the end of this trail were related in one way or another.

‘You sure we shouldn’t get somebody to come with us?’ I asked. I knew it was a pointless question.

Adam shook his head. ‘You can go back if you want, Liam. Suit yourself.’

He began to follow the trench. My heart raced. I couldn’t be left out here on my own. What if something came for me? I jolted forward towards Adam, breathing quickly.

As I prepared to step on the road of soil, Adam pushed me away, his jaw wide open. ‘What do you think you’re doing, you idiot? That’s destroying evidence. We need to keep it as it is and stay along the side. Don’t want your lanky footprints ruining it.’

I stuck my tongue out and nodded my head, but I knew he was right. I’d been a little careless. I wondered if I’d be one of those mystery hunters who were really good at the preparation, good at the training and the tests, but when it came to the actual thing, got too overexcited or scared to solve things properly. Adam didn’t seem clumsy; he was determined to follow the trail. His curiosity had been tickled, and, like a purring cat on its back, he wanted more.

I let Adam lead the way. He travelled next to the trail in a half-walk, half-jog. He kept his eye on it, being careful not to lose it, but I think we both got the impression that this was taking us somewhere. Leading us away to uncharted territory. A real mystery. I wasn’t sure that I liked it as much as I thought I would.

As we got further up the trail, a team of birds leapt into the sky, breaking through the peace up ahead. We moved a little faster now, trying not to disturb any potential evidence on the way. I tried to breathe deeply. It was something Mum had once tried to make her more relaxed. I wanted to run away and wished that we could see whatever it was and leave. Adults didn’t seem to be scared when they were solving things, and neither did police officers when they were sussing out crimes. They got on with things. I looked behind, and the path ducked behind a salad of trees and hedges. The safe part of the woods was nowhere to be seen.

We heard it.

Another sound, not too far in the distance, but not quite the same as the one we heard earlier. Less like something was dragging itself along with a broken leg, more like something hitting the ground.

Digging.

I squeezed my hands into a ball. I wanted to get away, but I knew I couldn’t. ‘Adam, I don’t know about this…’ I said, but he moved up the trail, focused on whatever was ahead.

I caught up with Adam, but he stopped suddenly and I stumbled into his back. He looked like a toy that had run out of batteries. I followed his lead as he ducked down and wondered what it was that he had seen. I tried to look ahead, but I couldn’t see for trees. He was clearly much better at this than me, not that I’d tell him. The way he carved his way through the trees and across the twigs like a predator hunting its prey was impressive. I went to pat his back again, but his hand shot out and cast mine away. His eyes were fixed on something up ahead. I squinted, looking for whatever it was he had seen.

I adjusted a bit to my left and I saw the figure ahead, hiding behind the trees, lifting their arms in the air and back towards the ground. They held something in their hands, but we were too far away to work out what. Bits of mud and dirt flew up around them. My knees shook, and my pulse battered my chest. I glanced over my shoulder again—the tracks hid behind the mass of trees.

Adam moved forward and I reached out for him again. He swung towards me and frowned into my eyes. We had to go on. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. The birdsong seemed louder, and the wind brushed the leaves with full force.

I wished Donald was here to help us out.

Still, I followed. It was still hard to make out the figure ahead, as the trees had a way of dancing in my line of sight. We didn’t want to get too close. As we snuck closer, every step felt like one foot nearer to some sort of great truth. I hoped that whoever was there would spot us and that they’d be cutting firewood. Some easy explanation. Deep down, I knew that wasn’t the case.

Suddenly, I saw their face through the trees. Adam carried on, but I froze on the spot. If someone flicked me, I’d shatter. I wanted to scream but I knew I couldn’t. My throat wouldn’t let me. My legs wobbled like strawberry laces, and I collapsed to the floor, unable to hold myself in place any longer.

Adam must’ve noticed as his hand clutched at my back like one of those claw machines at the arcades. He dragged me up and looked at me, looked at how pathetic I was. I wondered if he’d seen what I’d seen because there was no way he could stay composed if he had.

His hand hit my face, throwing me to the side. My face stung, but I knew what he did was necessary.

‘I know,’ he said, nodding his head. ‘But we’ve gotta carry on and see what he’s doing. He could be doing anything.’ He crinkled his forehead.

Before I had time to disagree, he pulled me towards a small rock that was just large enough to hide behind. The person tossed bits of ground into the air. He was the one who told us not to move things about in the natural world because it was upsetting insects’ homes. As we crouched behind the rock, Donald dug away the earth, and the large, black zip-bag at his side marked the end of the trail. Whatever was in the bag, it must’ve been heavy.

The spade hit the ground and gravel flew upwards. Donald breathed heavily, like he’d been working for a while. Adam stayed very still and stared. We’re trapped. My thoughts froze.

After what seemed like forever, Donald stopped digging. He collapsed, putting his head in his hands and rocking it back and forth like a child. I didn’t know what to make of this—it wasn’t like Donald. It was as if someone were in his body, like he was possessed. I remembered his weird behaviour the other day. Just how much do we know about Donald, after all? He came here on his own, and he was interested in mysteries, like us. Now he was in a ball on the floor, bawling like a newborn.

A part of me wanted to go to him and tell him everything would be okay. Maybe that way he’d be able to open up to us and tell us what he was doing. I don’t know. I sweated, and my hands burned. I needed to see what was inside the black bag. We both did.

Maybe it was Carla in the bag? Maybe Donald had found her and was burying her? That’d explain why he acted so upset. He loved her just as much as we did, didn’t he? Perhaps he’d found her and couldn’t bring himself to tell us about it? I looked at Adam. He continued to stare. I wondered what he was thinking. I wished Emily was here so we didn’t have to explain it all to her. Why did she have to be going out with her family today? It wasn’t fair. A part of me wished Granddad was here, too. He was a wise man, and he’d handle the situation perfectly. He’d pat Donald on the back and hug him again.

My thoughts were interrupted as Donald’s hand edged towards the black bag. He tried not to look at it. I took a deep breath, taking in the smell of fresh earth. Donald toyed with the zip on the side.

Then he started to open it.

As his hand travelled down the side of the bag, a rotten chicken stench poisoned the air. Adam gagged and covered his mouth. I wasn’t sure if I could hold my cough in. It travelled up my chest and hit the back of my throat. My toes curled at the sour taste in my mouth.

I saw her face.

She looked peaceful. Her face was so white that it looked like she’d been dipped in flour, but her skin looked slimy, like an eel. Everything about her looked peaceful except her eyes. They stared up at the sky above, as if they’d just seen a monster. I couldn’t really comprehend what I was seeing. My feet turned to stone again, and I realised I couldn’t move. My head spun. Nothing made sense.

Adam took a step back, right into me, and stopped. His eyes were wide as they stared ahead. My knees wouldn’t move. I couldn’t process anything. It was like I was watching a TV show or like it was happening to somebody else.

Donald closed the eyelids of the woman like curtains. I still saw her piercing stare, beaming upwards, etched in my mind. Donald’s chin trembled as he rubbed his hands against his cheeks and stared down at the bag. He didn’t seem affected by the smell. I saw ants scuttle up the side of the bag, ready to pick at her flesh for their new nest.

We needed to go. We were seeing something that wasn’t for us to see.

The smell slithered up my nostrils again as the wind carried it in my direction. I escaped with a little cough. Donald moved the body towards the hole, which covered up the noise I’d made. My stomach felt like it was filled with wriggling worms. I needed to go to the toilet. I needed to get out of here.

Donald pulled the bag to the end of the hole he had dug and put his foot on her side. He reached down, muttered something, and zipped the bag again, covering her face. With a struggle, he kicked her into her grave. She was gone. It was her funeral, and we were the only witnesses.

Adam jolted to his feet and grasped my arm. I had no choice but to sprint. I saw Donald look up, his wide eyes turning in every direction, trying to see what lurked in the distance, trying to find something to focus on. A target. Now was the time to get out of his crosshairs.

My legs moved, and I started to run. My knees were stiff but they seemed to be moving quickly. Any direction would do, as long as it was downhill. I took huge strides, jumping down the side, praying for the path. Twigs snapped under my feet. The sharp branches of trees scratched at my face. Somewhere behind us, I heard movement. It was probably Donald, but I wasn’t taking any time to look. We were in too deep, again, and we needed to get away.

I was so focused on my running that I’d hardly taken any time to check on Adam. He had the same idea, and we moved in sync as we pelted down the hill towards the path, wherever it may be. I looked to my right, to where Adam was, and was surprised myself to find myself keeping up with him. Adrenaline kicked in. The forest stared down on us, closing in, trying to gobble us up. The trees were the arms, the stumps on the floor its traps. Somewhere behind us, Donald followed, probably ready to kill us. Ready to put us in a black body bag, our eyes piercing holes in the sky above us. Ready to dig a grave and kick us in.

We hit the path. I wasn’t sure where exactly we were, but we had already been running for a while. I didn’t care; I let my legs take me. We bolted back to the entrance of the forest. I couldn’t stop thinking about what we had seen, and I hoped we didn’t run into anyone on the way out. I’m dreaming, surely? A sickly taste rose in the back of my mouth.

The laughs of old people and smell of barbecued sausages assured me that we were close to the entrance of the woods again. We had seen what lived in the belly of the woods, and now it was ready to spit us out again.

A squirrel looked on as Adam and I tore out of the woods to safety.