The Shadow of Ranger Devore

“Seriously, Sarah?” Josh rolled his eyes. “You’ve been listening to too many podcasts.” 

Josh had been intent on keeping the car center lane with the driving rain, but now he made a point to turn and look at her.

Her eyes grew wide as the car drifted, which seemed to return him to his concentration on the road again.

“Right, you’ve said that before.” Sarah shook her head him. She had her cell phone in her lap. “But I can personally tell you of three separate stories of people going missing out there. Not to mention, the murders that have happened.”

Josh laughed. “Really, you have to quit. Of course there are things that happen there–it’s a national park for crying out loud. Sure people die. They fall off a cliff, run into a bear, get lost…”

“Yosemite is the second-most national park for disappearances. They have even suggested that the park was somehow covering them up to save face. This is serious, Josh!”

The rain was pouring down even harder now. Josh struggled to see the winding road. He slowed the SUV even more, considering pulling off the road until the rain quit.

“I swear you’ve lost your mind.”

Sarah sighed, scrolling on her phone. “Carole Sund and her daughter Juli and Juli’s friend in 1999, Richard Judd went missing in 2001, Ruthanne Rupert in 2000, Stacey Arras in 1996…”

“Fine. Maybe you are right. But Yosemite is a big place, and plenty of people come and go every day. All we are doing is hiking out to that cabin I told you about and staying for two nights. It’s not like we are checking into the Bate’s Motel or anything.”

“Speaking of a motel, do we have one for tonight?”

Josh brightened. “Yep. The Cedar Lodge. We should be almost there.”

Sarah gasped, holding a hand over her mouth. 

“What? What is it?” Josh prodded.

“That’s where Carole Sund and the two girls went missing.”

Josh tapped the steering wheel with his palm. “Great. So I did pick the Bate’s Motel.”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” Sarah put a hand on his leg. “Just get us there in one piece.”

The rain continued steadily as Josh drove the SUV up the mountain in the pouring rain. The windshield wipers sloshed water off the glass as quickly as they could, but more replaced it as soon as it was wiped away. Josh slowed down even further as the mountain curves wound tighter.

Rocks protruded ominously on the mountain-side of the road, providing no shoulder which to stop. On their side, with only a thin barricade of pines to stop them, was a sheer cliff to the darkness below. Sarah imagined the sight would have been spectacular had it been mid-day and there was no storm, but now she was just glad to stay on the road.

They had been warned by her parents there could be bad weather. A hike in the rain didn’t sound so good, but they had hoped by mid-morning it would let up and allow them to at least get to the cabin. From there, it could rain all it wanted. They would play games, eat too many snacks, and whatever else came to mind.

They just needed a day or two away. Away from the humdrum of work and mowing the lawn. And the heat. The heat in the valley had been unbearable the past few days. They hoped the elevation would bring them a little relief.

A simple lit sign finally came into view. The words “Cedar Lodge” in rural-hotel-style focused for brief moments amid the blur from the rain on the windshield. Josh slowed the SUV, peering over the steering wheel to find the entrance.

The parking lot of the hotel was nothing short of a pot-hole ridden mud pit. Josh eased the vehicle into the closet parking space near the hotel office.

“It doesn’t even look open.” Sarah stared at the dimly-lit room where a single monitor sat atop a check-in desk. There was one aztec-style chair in the lobby area, and an old vending machine.

“It has to be.” Josh continued peering over the steering wheel. He was squinting.

“Well, here I go.” He said, sighing. Then he opened the door, and charged out into the rain, doing his best to avoid the puddles but failing quite miserably.

Sarah watched as he opened the door to the office, and wait for several minutes at the front desk before an older bleary-eyed woman appeared from a room in the back. 

As he checked them in, Sarah glanced out her window as a man with a flashlight walked in the rain toward the building where most of the rooms were located. He looked absolutely drenched, but didn’t seem to care. When he spotted the SUV, he made his way toward it.

Out of habit, Sarah tapped the lock button on the SUV. While she was sure this man meant no harm, she wanted to be smart about it too. Even the nicest people could be silent killers.

The man walked right up to her window. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a heavy raincoat. On his coat was the insignia for the National Park Service.

Sarah cracked the window just enough so that rain didn’t come in, but she could hear what the ranger had to say.

“Evening, folks. Everything okay here?”

The ranger was in his fifties from the looks of it, and he had a neat mustache and hazel eyes.

“Uh, yeah, my husband and I are checking in for the night. We are up from Fresno.”

“Just for one night?” The ranger had a soothing voice.

“Uh, no, actually tomorrow we are headed out to the Snow Creek Cabin.”

The ranger cocked his head. “You do know it’s a seven-mile hike, right?”

Sarah rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Don’t remind me. It was my husband’s idea.”

“Ah, I see. Well, do be careful on your hike up. Remember to keep perishables stored properly to keep bears out.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ve heard they can sometimes be a problem.”

“The name’s Ranger Devore.” He said, then began turning away. Before leaving, however, he turned back around briefly. “Oh, and I should probably warn you there has been some reports of someone hanging around the cabin when hikers come through. Probably nothing, but just keep doors locked at night.”

Sarah thanked him again then watched him walk back into the blinding rain. 

Sounds wonderful. She thought, a lone shiver running up her spine.

Continued in Part 2…