Into the Woods

By Rich Cole

Joey's only goal is keeping his girlfriend safe, warm, and happy, no matter what. When their trip out to the local national park takes a turn for the strange, this might be more difficult than originally thought. How far will one man go on the phrase 'whatever it takes'?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seagull Editions
• Release date: May 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223758907

Book preview

Chapter One

Somewhere In The Woods

Early morning sunlight casts down through the trees, dappling the ground with an almost golden sort of glow. Emily Duncan and Joey Barnum have been out in the National Park for a few days now, and it’s starting to show. Where they had been well put together during the start of their two week long camping excursion, now Emily’s hair is worn up in a messy bun and there are stains on the palms of Joey’s hands from gathering wood and not having anywhere to wash them.

Alright, says Emily. I’ll give you this. The view out here is beautiful.

And you wanted to go to Vegas, says Joey, with a snort. He’s always sporting a bit of fuzz on his cheeks and his chin, but he stopped shaving the moment that they came out to the parks. He wanted to be more in tune with nature, and now it’s got him looking a bit like a lumberjack over anything else.

I still want to go to Vegas, says Emily. In fact, I think that I want to go there now more than ever. Can you picture it? We leave here and go straight to the strip! We could get a hotel, hit up the casinos, maybe eat somewhere nice for a change.

So what, my cooking suddenly isn't good enough for you? Joey asks, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Emily tells him, oh, sure, you’re beans and hot dogs are the best thing that I’ve ever had. You should be getting a five star for this camping menu for sure.

Joey laughs. He points towards a crest in the ground, the start of a sloping hill. Come on, let’s go up that way.

Emily eyes the hill dubiously. She reaches down, rubbing at one of her knees. They’re covered in scrapes and bruises, as though she’s fallen several times. The skin is dark and a little swollen, the scraping cuts a little brighter red then they should be. It’s not quite infected, but if they aren’t careful then it’s going to get that way.

I was thinking that we could maybe take things easy today, just kick around down here and - Emily starts.

Joey interrupts her to say, that wasn’t a question, and then he starts towards the hill. He doesn’t understand why Emily is always so reluctant about everything. The whole point of coming and staying in a National Park is so you can explore nature in all of its earnest. And that means moving forward and actually exploring the place.

Not setting up camp in one spot, and acting like you’re just out for a little mid day stroll!

The hill isn’t even that steep. It's uneven, but that’s fine. The slope is at a low enough incline that he barely has to struggle to get up it. Emily isn’t having any issue either, not once she actually gets herself moving. She’s just in a bad mood.

That’s all.

Joey says, we should have brought tools for spelunking.

No way, says Emily.

Joey ignores her. Can you imagine? Just the two of us, down in the earth where no one will ever -

You know I hate small spaces, snaps Emily. Stop trying to scare me!

If you don’t want to get scared, then you should try and keep up more, Joey says. He leads them higher up the hill. There are white flowers scattered about in the grass growing beneath them, and a few stones that are large enough to trip over.

I’m trying to keep up, Emily insists. It’s not my fault that you’re going so fast! I’ve got shorter legs than you!

They aren’t that short. You’re over five foot. So let’s go, Joey says. He hits the top of the hill and the view of the world beyond catches him off guard. There’s something about I that’s so bright and stunning. The early morning sunlight stains the otherwise blue sky, interrupted only by a few soft white clouds.

Soft, warm, sweet smelling air rolls over the two of them. Joey tilts his head back, letting the warmth  of the sun ghost over his cheeks. He stands there until his girlfriend catches up to him. Rather than staying there and looking around to take in the view, Emily curls forward, bending at he knee, and braces her hands against her thighs.

You aren’t that out of breath, scolds Joey. We both know that you’re as active as I am.

I know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It feels like I’ve got hands around my throat, says Emily. She straightens a little bit, but only enough to press a hand against the front of her throat. At one point, her fingernails had been painted bright pink with a little sheen of glitter, but right now, the paint is chipped and there’s dirt caked beneath them.

But it’s not her nails that catches Joey’s attention. It’s what she just said. A cold chill runs down his spine. Voice low, he warns, don’t talk like that.

Emily gives him an odd look. Like what?

Dammit, snaps Joey. He turns to look at her, jabbing a finger towards his girlfriends chest. You know what you just said, and you know why I don’t want to hear it!

The sound of his voice being raised like that sends a few nearby birds fluttering out of their perches in the trees and off into that pretty blue sky. For a moment, Emily pulls back, like she’s upset over the harshness of his voice. But then she straightens up and an almost challenging look enters her eyes.

She tilts her chin towards him, and then she says, "or what? What are you going to do