The Branding Ax

By Justin Fulkerson

For Dominic, the annual fishing trips with his grandfather Earl were usually uneventful. Now at eighteen, he knows this will be the last trip they take together because Earl has recently been diagnosed with dementia and his lucid time is running out.

Clearcutting has resumed in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and, unbeknownst to Dominic, Earl has decided to sabotage the logging equipment nearby. When Earl returns to camp in a panic, raving about being attacked by something evil in the woods, Dominic fears his dementia has caused Earl's delusion and as he tries in vain to calm him down, an explosion erupts in the distance clarifying to him what Earl has done.

Back in their tent, Earl succumbs to a heart attack. Dominic, afraid and alone, covers him and tries to figure out how he is going to get home. But Earl's body does not remain dead very long. In the darkness of the tent, Dominic hears his corpse moving and realizes the nightmare has only just begun.

Pursued through the forest by his undead grandpa, Dominic struggles for survival as the wildfire rages. He will soon find out that an ancient evil has been stirred up by the activity and it is determined to protect its forest sanctuary at all costs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Justin Fulkerson
• Release date: Aug 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201406899

Justin Fulkerson

Author of An Hour for Magic, Justin Fulkerson’s literary tastes turned from science fiction (Isaac Asimov) to horror (Stephen king, of course) at the innocent age of twelve years old. His outlook on life was forever changed by the experience and his mind suffered the consequences. The creatures and scenarios running through his imagination forced him to begin his first novels while still in high school.  Twenty years later, An Hour for Magic arrived, consuming his every thought until the first 500 pages were transferred to paper. The next two in the series, Hollow be thy Name and An Hour for Maggie completed the tale. Finally, Hallowed Ground took Justin's mind into the realm of Zombie fiction. With several more novels in the works, Justin hopes that the world can survive long enough to enjoy the fruits of his imagination.

Book preview

"I can walk the log, I can fuck the dog, I can drink

muddy water out of a greasy hard hat."

-Loggers motto

––––––––

BRANDING AX:

A tool that marks ownership. Ax used to stamp brands into logs

Chapter 1

Dom! Dom!

A sharp pain erupted in the middle of Dominic’s forehead. Instantly, he knew it was the result of the bourbon his grandfather had shared with him over the campfire just hours ago. His first experience with liquor in seventeen years of life would likely be his last for a while.

He squinted at the blinding light on his face. His grandfather, Earl held the flashlight as he shook Dominic forcefully.

Listen! Earl shouted, kneeling beside him in the tent. Dom!

What’s going on? What happened?

He saw the terror in Earl’s eyes and sat up, his head protesting again. He tried covering his eyes to shield them from the blinding flashlight.

Get your stuff together. We have to get out of here now!

What?

The temperature outside had dropped to below freezing and Dominic felt the harsh wind forcing its way into the tent.

Dominic finally looked at his grandfather. Earl’s wide eyes scared him.

It’s the middle of the night, grandpa.

Now!

Earl never raised his voice at Dominic and it scared him. He unzipped his sleeping bag and put his coat back on. Dom watched the old man frantically move around camp in the moonlight, his flashlight beam moving to and fro.

Is this what dementia looks like? Dominic thought. Is he having a psychotic break?

A few months ago, his mother had mentioned what to keep a lookout for when he was with grandpa. Dominic spent weeks doing research and feared what might be happening in Earl’s head.

Grandpa, calm down, Dominic attempted to intervene. Everything is okay. Just take a deep breath.

Dom! If I have to tell you again, so help me! Earl raised his hand in a threatening manner.

Grandpa!

Earl grabbed him by the forearm. Dominic resisted the urge to jerk himself away from his grip. His eyes were wide and his face flushed.

Listen, there was something out there. It . . . it . . . it touched me, his hand fell away from Dominic’s face and went to his face. His eyes went over Dominic’s shoulder looking toward the tree line. We have to get out of here.

What were you doing out there anyway? You left me here alone?

His grandfather froze and turned to him again. He saw rage dancing behind his eyes. Not only that, he saw blood running down his cheek, reflecting in the dying campfire.

You’re bleeding.

A raspy breath shook the old man as he turned away, shaking his head. He began shoving the makings of the camp back into his pack. Dominic heard him gasp and a small cry escaped him.

Grandpa?

Earl stopped again, his right hand clasped over his left arm, wincing in pain. He hitched a few shallow breaths, looking at Dom.

I’m sorry I put you in danger. I was wrong to bring you along.

What?

A massive thunderclap shook the earth around them. The night lit up behind him, bathing the riverbed and Earl in pseudo-daylight. Dominic turned and saw a fireball erupt above trees in the distance.

What the fuck? Dominic shouted, looking back at Earl and then following his gaze back to the explosion.

There’s a lot you don’t know about me, kid.

What did you do?

That doesn’t matter.

What? You just blew up logging equipment and it doesn’t matter?

Dominic, I never believed, in all my life, in things like I saw tonight. I had just set the explosives-

Explosives?! Dominic shouted. Now the extra duffle bag his grandpa brought with them on the trip made sense.

I was sneaking back here when this . . . this THING came out of the woods and grabbed me. It grabbed me and bit me, Tears were streaming down Earl’s cheeks now as his hand returned to his cheek. We have to get out of here.

You’re goddamn right we have to get out of here. They’re probably on their way to arrest you right now. They’re gonna think I was part of this.

The fucking logging company doesn’t matter! None of that matters right now! Earl shouted, clenching his chest. That thing is still out there.

What the fuck have you gotten me into? Dominic thought as he looked back at the flames again. 

It’s all coming back to me now. I saw that thing a long time ago. It’s still here, Earl sighed. He was delirious. Dominic’s fear heightened even more.

A loud thump behind him made Dominic turn back to Earl. He froze.

Earl was collapsed in a heap before him, holding his chest.

Grandpa! Dominic screamed, falling to his knees beside him.

Get out of here!

Grandpa, Dominic began to tremble. What’s wrong?

Earl fell silent, pulling raspy breath. Dominic tried to help him sit up but he pushed his hands away.

Where’s my phone? Where’s my phone?

Dominic rifled through the tent, finding his pack and digging through it until he found his phone. Earl continued to writhe on the ground by the campfire, trying to say something.

The phone took a century to turn on and Dominic hurriedly dialed 9-1-1 before he remembered there was no cell service in Tongass, not even emergency services. He threw the phone back into the tent in frustration.

Dominic stood, looking toward the flames far in the distance. There was a logging camp where those flames were, that meant people. No doubt firetrucks and ambulances were on their way to that location.

Grandpa, Dominic said, kneeling again. I’m going to go get help.

No! Earl insisted. He forced himself into a sitting position. I just need some water.

Dominic grabbed a bottle from the tent and opened it for him. Earl grimaced and swallowed half the bottle. He faked a smile. Then the fear returned.

If you had seen what I saw, you’d run and never look back.

Let’s get you in the tent, you need some rest,

What if it followed me? What if it comes after me?

I’d be more worried about the logging company coming after you, Dominic said. Did you really blow it up?

Earl laughed and winced again in pain. I sure as shit did.

Getting Earl into the tent was a challenge, but after a bit he was asleep. Dominic stayed awake for a while listening for the sirens. When he finally heard them, far away, he snuck out of the tent and looked in the direction of the flames again. He stood for a while watching in the dark.

Movement at the foot of nearby trees raised alarm in his mind, thinking a bear was wandering toward their camp. But the form was not of a bear. It was upright and dark. It swayed with the trees watching him. He backed toward the tent, keeping an eye on the dark form.

He ducked inside and zipped up the door. He crawled to the top of his sleeping bag, listening for movement outside. He held his breath.

Nothing.

Then horror washed over him when he realized what that nothing meant. No noise in the tent at all meant Earl wasn’t breathing.

Grandpa? Dominic whispered in the pitch-black darkness. He felt around for his flashlight. It took a few tries, but his hand eventually fell upon it. He placed the bezel against his sleeping bag before flipping the switch to dampen the light. He tilted it slightly, throwing a sliver of light in the direction Earl was laying. He saw the blue sleeping bag and Earl was turned away from him.

Maybe that’s why you can’t hear him breathing, Dominic thought.

Dominic shielded the light against his jacket as he leaned over Earl.

Grandpa? Are you feeling better?

No answer.

He’s had a long day. Hiking, fishing, camping, and blowing shit up, Dominic thought. At his age, you’d be exhausted too.

He lifted the beam away from his jacket, shining it on Earl’s back, looking for the tell-tale signs that he was breathing.

The seconds ticked by and there was no movement.

You’re being paranoid. He’s fine.

Moving the beam over him, toward his chin, Dominic froze. Earl’s eyes were open and stared into nothingness. His mouth was agape in a silent scream.

Dominic hitched a breath and covered his mouth, dropping the flashlight. He trapped the scream rising in his throat, transitioning it into a sob.

Earl was dead.

Chapter 2

The entire day’s events rushed through Dominic’s mind.  It began just like all the other trips. He remembered everything.

Tongue-Ass.

Dominic snickered again as he and his grandpa traipsed through the Tongass National Forest.

The two words placed together brought a barrage of unfiltered images to mind. Dominic remembered laughing at the name even when he was just an oblivious kid. The name had a whole new meaning once he passed puberty and his curiosity lead him to discover many new things on the internet.

But it was still funny.

According to Earl, the forest was over 16 million acres and federally protected for the last 20 years until recently when the president decided it would be a good idea to strip away that protection away so the lumber industry could line their pockets.

If there was only one person alive who knew all the facts about Tongass, facts that no one else in the world cared about, it was Earl. He made sure to share these facts with Dominic in hopes that he would retain them and pass them on to his children and grandchildren, like some bizarre family tradition.

Fat chance, Dominic thought as they hiked to the campsite. There’s no way I’ll ever remember all that.

Dominic grew bored after a while but humored his grandpa because the camping trips weren’t as bad as he made them out to be when talking to his friends. He would tell them how lame the trip was and complain about having to humor the old man, never admitting how much he actually enjoyed pretty much every minute of it.

Earl was the only family member he did not struggle with trying to impress. He seemed to genuinely enjoy hearing about Dominic’s interests, asking questions about the books he was reading and the social media platforms he would mention. It was refreshing to talk freely without the preconceived judgments of the other elders in his life being shoved down his throat. His mom and dad always focused on the negative aspects of his hobbies, taking their cues from other parents on their social media. They would berate him, attempt to make him feel inferior, before closing the subjects as if that put a definite end to the discussion and cemented the foundation of his future.

Dominic looked forward to the taste of fresh-caught salmon cooked over the campfire. After the five-mile hike, lugging all the fishing gear with them, his stomach was ready for almost anything.

He heard the roar of the stream long before it was in sight.

I spent most of my childhood out here, Dominic, Earl said, surveying the river. My mom hated it, always told me a bear was going to drag me away one day and they would never see me again.

He laughed. Dominic smiled, even though he felt as if he had heard that line a million times.

But, look at me now, still alive and kicking. They weren’t lucky enough to be shed of me that easy, he said with a smile. But Dominic glimpsed sadness in the old man’s eyes, a distant gaze he had never witnessed before.

That was a long time ago, Dom, Earl took a deep breath of the frigid fresh air. "The world has moved on, leaving us simple men behind. This is the only place in the world where I ever