Free Candy: Part 1
Emma walked along the road as the sun meandered its way towards the horizon. She watched the shadows of the trees flicker about. It had always been so beautiful to her. The way the trees ran right up to the sides of the cliffs, and the Pacific was thrashing about below, singing a song that echoed through nature's pavilion.
She knew this cliffside forest like the back of her hand. Her father had brought her here many times for hikes and day trips, all finishing at the diner that sat near the roadside entrance to the actual hiking trails. They never really stayed on the beaten path, exploration had always been more fun. That's how she knew where the old lumber mill was, among other secrets the forest had imparted to her over the years.
She smiled as she thought of her father for a moment, until the sadness prevailed. Memories of her father brought memories of the police knocking on the door late at night, Emma opening it to the cold night air. The police officer spoke, but she only heard the static of her pain.
The setting sun shimmered through the trees, and Emma found herself in the present once more. She looked over at Cassie, and Emma found her smile once more.
"You okay? You got real quiet for a second there." Cassie asked as she put her hand into Emma's. Emma squeezed back and shook her head.
"Just thinking. That's all." Emma said. Cassie's look was lined with disbelief but she shrugged it off. Emma looked around, and then pointed through a clearing towards the old highway road that cut through the forest.
"You see those two giant trees way over there, the ones that seem to twist together as they go up?" Emma said. Cassie squinted and nodded.
"They call them the Ancient Lovers. They say it's the wild winds coming up the seaside cliffs that made them lock in their embrace. There's a really nice chair swing by them too. Maybe next time we can check that out." Emma said. Cassie smirked and winked back at Emma.
Cassie began to skip, pulling Emma along. They eventually caught up to their friends who had surged ahead into the thicker parts of the forest.
"This is the way, right? Don't want to be Sasquatch food tonight." Tony said as he jumped on and over some fallen trees. He tugged at his leather jacket and posed as if he had conquered Everest. His thin body frame managed to blend in with the tree line, and instead of applause he was met by quiet giggles. Tony continued on and pulled his girlfriend Rosa along beside him. Rosa did not seem happy about being anywhere that wasn't a mall.
"Ouch! Stop, it's all muddy and gross!" Rosa squealed. Emma rolled her eyes as the four of them found a small path to follow.
"It's not much further. Just down this hill and then we should be there." Emma said. Rosa glared at her for a moment, but Cassie's stern look sent her attention back to Tony.
"Hey, stay cool. Once we get there the fun really begins." Tony pulled out a bag of marijuana joints from one pocket and a can of black spray paint from the other pocket of his jacket. Emma shook her head, but it was expected with Tony. Emma just wanted to try to put better memories in these places, and she knew she had to start somewhere.
"Whoa, what is that?" Rosa said. Tony had stopped dead in his tracks. Cassie and Emma walked up beside them to see what had brought their trip to a halt.
Within the trees, nearly two miles off the main road, was an old white van. It was a 1970's Dodge Ram, and it looked a little worse for wear. Cassie shivered at the sight, and Emma began looking around to see how it could have even got this far into the forest. Rosa was slowly stepping away from it. Tony, however, had begun to approach.
"Stop, Tony." Rosa said. Tony put his hand out to keep them quiet, and walked to the van. He circled it, looking in the windows. It was empty, and had some branches and twigs in it. Clearly it had been there a while. Tony tried to pull at the doors, but they were locked. He finished his circle of the van, and then laughed.
"Whew. Creepy as fuck. It's okay though, it's just abandoned. Probably left by some killer, ha!" Tony said. Rosa let out an exasperated sigh, but all three of them came closer to look at the van.
"Looks like one of those creeper vans." Cassie said.
"Wait, hold on!" Tony said. He then began to paint the side of the abandoned vehicle. Black paint formed the words FREE CANDY on one side, and then Tony went and did it to the other side as well. The paint ran down the sides a bit, leaving ominous trails that dripped from the letters.
"Great work Tony. Real fucking artist." Emma spoke with purposeful sarcasm. Tony shrugged then scampered up to the top of the van. He danced on the top and the girls laughed.
Eventually, Tony leapt off the van and the four set back off to the abandoned lumber mill to smoke and engage in their planned debaucheries. As they disappeared down the path to the mill, the van sat in silence.
An hour or so had passed since the van had encountered the group of deviants. Their echoes had long since faded into the weighted silence of the woods. A fog began to roll in off the coast, crawling up the cliffs like wispy demons escaping from Hell. The fog flooded the forest with a cautious approach, swirling between the trees. The sun had nearly fallen, and the dusk sky enveloped the whole area. Within the tempest of falling darkness, two lights burst to life and pierced the heart of the oncoming tide of night.
The van's headlights extended into the forest, and the engine purred. The steering wheel slowly twisted and the tires began to roll as the van slowly backed up.
Beneath the tires, there was a crunch. Then a snap, and a pop. The van backed up just enough to reveal a pile of decaying flesh with broken bones jutting up and away like the remnants of a visceral morbid shipwreck.
The van's lights fell onto the corpse, and lingered for a moment. The moment carried on for a quiet eternity. The tires then spun frantically, and the van sped over the cadaver and sent bits and pieces of it flying off into the shadowed forest.
The mill was just a mile or so away, and the van was now weaving around trees in the dark as if it knew exactly where to go. The van had purpose once more, and now, a name to go by.
Candy.
STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO TOMORROW!
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