Tales from the Cave
The Shadow of Ranger Devore, Part 4
The wind picked up outside the little cabin. The two-day torrential downpour had only quit hours ago, but now it was looking like another storm was gearing up for the Sierra Nevadas.
Storms of this magnitude weren’t typical in the summer months in Yosemite, but for some reason, mother nature had let loose on the national park.
Of course it happened to be the week Josh and Sarah had chosen to get away for a few nights in the mountains. No doubt it would be clear and beautiful every other week. The trails would be dry and easy to travel, and the mountain lakes would glisten in the afternoon sun. But that was just how fate seemed to spin things sometimes.
Sarah removed a small packable blanket from her backpack and unrolled her sleeping bag, spreading it on the floor next to the bunk. Josh and her would sleep on the floor, allowing the other Sarah to keep the bunk. It wasn’t ideal, but with the extra blanket and a sweatshirt or two wadded up for a pillow, they could huddle together to keep warm. It would be romantic, perhaps, any other time.
Already a chill was settling into the air. Even with the heat in valley, at this altitude it was common to see lower temperatures at night. This evening would prove no different.
“I’m sorry.” The injured Sarah said from the bunk. Her eyes were heavy from the panicked escape, and she fought to keep them open.
“Don’t be. These things happen.” Josh’s wife Sarah said, her words laced with concern.
She stood from making their bed on the floor and walked over to the kitchen, where the tiny backpacking stove sat on the table.
If they couldn’t get help from the satellite communicator, they would have to think of another way to get her off of the mountain. With the recent rain, the trail was treacherous already. Helping a woman with an injured foot would make the trip even more dangerous.
They could send one of them, leaving the other two behind, but that wasn’t a decision they were ready to commit to yet. Splitting up wasn’t smart, either.
Sarah opened the gas valve and lit the stove. She poured water into the small pot to make more tea. With the other Sarah almost asleep, she wanted some tea for herself. Josh would want coffee too, though it would likely upset his stomach and keep him awake. She would try to talk him out of it.
The wind howled briefly, and with it, a subtle chill from the nearby mountains. The stove hissed like a tiny rocket about to take off, and the metal pot popped and crackled as the cold water met the heat below it. She glanced toward the door.
Josh was still outside, trying to get a signal out through the satellites. If there was tree cover, or even clouds present, he could be having trouble. Usually it only took a minute or two, however, but it had passed that. She took a step toward the door.
Another howl heralded the impeding weather. The door rattled slightly, making her heart race. Suddenly wary, she rushed to open the door. She needed to find her husband.
She flung it open, ready to leap onto the front porch and confront whatever was outside. Instead, she met Josh coming back through the door, hitting him head on. Her head met his chest, and they both toppled over. In a heap, they collapsed onto the porch.
“What are you doing?” He said, eyes wild as she wriggled off of him.
She got to her knees, suddenly ashamed of her rashness. “I don’t know, you were just out there a long time and I–“
“You’re a lunatic.” He said, shaking his head with a grin. He sat up, his expression growing solemn. “I couldn’t get the signal out, so we may have to try something else. Or wait until later and try again.”
Sarah stumbled to her feet, then held out her hand for Josh. “I have tea brewing. Let’s talk inside.”
Josh moved toward the door, scooping up the satellite communicator that had slipped out of his hand and scattered across the floor. Behind him, heavy clouds darkened the moon. Indeed, another storm was on the way.
Inside, with a steaming cup in each of their hands, they considered their options. In hushed tones, they discussed the possibilities for constructing a makeshift gurney to carry the injured Sarah, or some sort of sled. Though her ankle didn’t seem to be worsening, it still could be broken and need medical attention. They would try the communicator one more time before heading for bed, but if they were unsuccessful, they would have to wait till morning. If the signal didn’t work then, they would have to get her off the mountain alone.
******************
The storm came in like a raging monster, wind whipping against the cabin like waves crashing against a pier. Sarah pulled her husband closer, feeling the chilled draft from underneath the wooden door. Josh was already asleep, and naturally she was still awake, mind churning like the storm outside.
With every noise, she cringed a bit, unsure of its origin. Was it the storm? Or the bear? The man from Ranger Devore’s report hanging around the cabin? She forced the thoughts down, but certain they would return. With the storm, it was doubtful she would get any sleep at all.
Her eyes drifted to the window, where rain spattered on the window in sporadic bursts. Lighting sprayed across the sky, leaping from cloud to cloud before silently spearing one of the peaks with a bolt.
Sarah watched for a moment, remembering how storms like this used to calm her when she lived at home. Other kids hated storms, but she loved them. There was something relaxing about them, something comforting. Why they comforted her, she never knew.
This one, however, kept her nerves on edge. She was not at home in her bed, warm and protected. Though inside, she felt exposed. Exposed to the elements that threatened to rip the cabin off its foundation and bring it crashing down on them. Exposed to the weak latch on the door with a bear roaming the area. Exposed to a man with potentially bad intentions lurking about.
Her eyes grew heavy as she concentrated on the rain outside. If she could just remember the comforting feeling the storms provided when she was younger, she could maybe, just maybe, get some sleep…
The latch on the door jiggled, forcing her eyes open again. The latch had jiggled before with the wind, but not like this. This one sounded different. She laid still, straining to listen above the driving rain and wind. Had she made up the sound? She had been nearly asleep. Sounds like that had tricked her before as the lull of sleep settled in. Was this another?
The latch jiggled again. No. This one was different. It had to be.
Something was inserted into the crack of the door near the lock. Her heart pounded. Please, let this be my brain messing with me. She prayed, the breathless words escaping her lips.
No. It was real. Not the wind. Something had to be out there.
Silently, she shook Josh awake, covering his mouth quickly as he turned to look at her. She gestured toward the door, panic on her face.
He blinked, then rubbed his eyes. The latch jiggled again. This time, he heard it too.
Eyes wide, he reached toward the knife on the floor next to him, his gaze concentrated on the latch. It jiggled again, the lock bouncing up against the frame, and then back down again. Someone was trying to get inside.
Knife in hand, he sat up, rising slowly to a crouched position. He waved for Sarah to get behind him, and he started toward the door.
One more time, the latch jiggled, and the lock bounced upward. Instead of settling back into its rest, however, this time it fell out. The door was now unlocked.
Josh was halfway to the door when it cracked open. Cold wind plunged through the opening, and with it, someone’s hand.
Josh lunged forward, attempting to get to the door to close it, but it was too late. A tall man, wearing jeans and a canvas slicker stepped into the room.
Josh met the door, just as the man sprung to the side. In his hand was a long bowie knife that flashed eerily in the light of a passing lightning bolt.
Catching himself, Josh righted himself and faced the man. His mustache dripped onto his chin, and there was a sadistic look in his hazel eyes. Josh didn’t need to ask why the man was there, he knew. The man was there to kill them.
His wife screamed from behind, and something went flying across the room at the intruder. He ducked, but the cup still struck him in the shoulder. Josh saw his chance to attack.
He slashed forward with the knife, striking at the man’s midsection. Catching him off guard, the man flailed at the knife with his open hand, diverting Josh’s strike to the right of him. The knife passed through the man’s slicker and caught something soft, yet dense. He cried out in pain, swinging wildly at Josh with the bowie knife.
Josh nearly met the knife with his face, but ducked under it in time, the blade skimming the hair on the top of his head. He whirled around, rushing the man. Slamming into him full force, he knocked him and Josh into the table.
It collapsed, taking both men to the ground. Both knives clattered to the floor, disappearing into the darkness. Josh scrambled to regain his surroundings, seeing the man to the right of him. He reached out, looking for his neck.
The man’s long arms reached out as well, searching for Josh. He found his mark first, the side of his face, and slammed his fist into his temple. Josh grunted and fell back, his body limp.
The man rose to his feet. He turned toward the two girls, who were backed up against the corner of the bunk, watching the horrific interaction. Right away, Sarah recognized the man as Ranger Devore, the man who had warned her in the parking lot. The wind continued to howl behind him as he limped toward them.
“What do you want?” Sarah screamed, clutching a sweatshirt in her left hand. What was she supposed to do with a sweatshirt? There had been nothing around her to grab as a weapon, but she needed something to hold in defense.
The man smiled deviously. “You didn’t heed my warning.”
Sarah glanced at her husband. He wasn’t moving. She looked around for another weapon. Anything. Next to her, the other Sarah whimpered, back against the wall, hands wrapped around her ankle.
She turned back toward the ranger, determined she would not become a victim to this man. She would stand up to him, regardless of his size or the fact he overpowered Josh. “We did lock the door! You unlocked it!”
He waved a finger at her. He continued to inch forward. “You should know better than that. A rudimentary lock in an old cabin. So easy, so simple. I thought you would be more insightful.”
There was a stinging tone to his voice. Like there was something deeper behind his words. Something agonizing. And yet, unhinged. Sarah recognized she would not be able to talk this man out of what he was about to do, no matter what she said. Heart racing, she poised herself to jump the man. She would claw at his neck and his eyes, or anything else she could find that was soft and vulnerable.
Before she could move, however, the man was suddenly wrenched backward. Her husband, Josh, had awoken, and unseen by both of them, came up behind the man and yanked the collar of the ranger’s slicker as hard as he could.
The ranger spun around as he was pulled backward, latching onto Josh. Josh stepped to the side, reaching for the man’s neck. Catching it in his arms, he grappled him into a choke hold, squeezing with all of his might.
Choking and sputtering, the ranger grasped at Josh’s arms, his strength nearly able to wrench free from the grip. Josh held fast, however, squeezing even tighter. The ranger’s face paled and he grew desperate, throwing his body about. Unable to hold on, Josh’s grip loosened, and the man spun to face him.
In a split second, he and Josh were stumbling out of the door into the storm. They tumbled down the steps into the darkness.
For a moment, both girls were frozen, stunned as to what just happened. She let out a labored breath, the first time since the attack began. Concerned for her husband, she snapped out of her stupor and made for the door. A glint on the floor made her stop, and she turned to snatch up the ranger’s bowie knife he had dropped.
Flush with adrenaline, she ran to the door and stopped in the doorway. Knife in front of her, she searched for the fighting men. In horror, she watched as the ranger emerged from the darkness, stepping to the bottom of the steps. Instead of lunging at him, she froze again. Where was her husband? Had Ranger Devore killed him?
The ranger walked up the steps slowly, the sinister smile returning to his lips. He had a small scratch on his temple, but other than that he was unharmed. He regarded Sarah and the knife with admiration.
“I knew you were a feisty one.” His grin widened. “I’ll enjoy gutting you with that knife.”
“Why are you doing this?” She cried out, tears flooding down her face even as the rain soaked her from above.
He shrugged, hands outstretched. “Why not?” His grin faded. “Now, hand that over and I will make it as painless as possible.”
She cried harder, mind a blur. This time, she knew her husband wasn’t coming to rescue her. She didn’t know his fate, but something in the pit of her stomach told her it was true. She backed away from the stairs, the door still flapping in the wind behind her.
He followed her, taking each step purposefully, as if he was enjoying every second of the encounter–every thrilling moment of the hunt. She watched him, the euphoria of another victim becoming more real in his eyes with every step. Another missing person lost in the mountains. Another dead body, or three, scattered across the valley for the wolves to tear apart.
She reached the door, halting its movement in the wind with her body. Lightning flashed behind the ranger, spilling his looming shadow for a brief second onto the porch.
“Please.” She pleaded, still crying.
He didn’t respond. He was finished talking.
He continued forward, up the steps. Frantically, Sarah stepped back, torn between leaving her husband outside and getting away from the ranger. The panic turned to a frenzy, and she couldn’t control her movements. Her vision blurred. This was going to be the end.
Another lightning bolt flashed in the distance, flooding the doorway and Sarah with Ranger Devore’s shadow. She backed against the door, too weak to push it open.
Then, as another bolt hit the mountains behind the ranger, another shadow loomed. A lump, large and dominating, shuffled toward the ranger.
The panic subsided as Sarah saw recognized the second shadow. It was a bear! With everything she had, she pushed into the door, stumbling backward through the opening. She scrambled to her hands and knees, grabbing hold of the swinging door. With a surge of strength, she muscled the door closed.
The ranger caught the door just before closing, his hand pinned in the opening. She continued pushing on the door, slashing at his hand with the knife.
Suddenly, the ranger’s hand flexed, and there was a scream outside. Sarah scooted backward, head pounding. The door swung open, and there, at the bottom of the steps was the ranger, clutched in the mouth of the bear. With a horrible snapping sound, the bear crushed the ribs of the ranger, his body going limp.
******************
Sarah stood, her knees weak, her body shaking. The bear turned and ambled off into the trees, Ranger Devore in its jaws. Blood was spattered across the steps and path where the bear made its kill.
Stunned, she stumbled down the steps, yelling out for her husband. She ignored the worried calls to her from the other Sarah inside inside the cabin.
A groan sounded from in front of an enormous pine to her left. She ran to it, recognizing the sound. Dropping to her knees in the mud, she looked Josh over. There was a large gash on the side of his head, but nothing else. She stroked his hair.
“Josh, can you hear me?”
He groaned, opening his eyes. “My head hurts.” He said, voice hoarse.
“He’s dead. Devore is dead.”
Josh tried to sit up, but laid his head back down in the mud. “I need a second.” He said, blinking his eyes.
She continued to stroke his hair. He was bleeding some from the cut, but not too much to be life threatening. He would need stitches, and most likely had a concussion, but at least he was breathing.
“Guys?” A voice called from the cabin porch. The injured Sarah stood on the porch, leaning on her good foot.
“We are okay!” Sarah called back to her, then returned to tend to Josh. He opened his eyes again.
“Can you stand?” She asked him.
He sat up again, and was successful this time. “I had him,” he said, words slurred. “But he hit me with a gun.”
“A gun?” Sarah said, frowning.
Josh rose to his feet slowly. “Yeah, had it hidden in his coat. He could have killed us any time.”
Fear washed over her again. The ranger had a gun. All he needed to do was pull it out and shoot them. It would have been quick, easy. But he hadn’t chosen to use it, and Sarah knew why. Killing them quickly wouldn’t have been good enough for him. His sick desires had specific needs, and were unsatisfied with a simple gun shot. He preferred a slow, gruesome death. The kind done with a bowie knife.
Back inside, Josh nursed his head. The storm outside had relented, but rain continued to patter on the cabin roof. They had cleaned his wound, and made more tea. Sarah relayed the entire story about the bear to Josh and the other Sarah, who listened intently.
After locking and barricading the door, they settled down again to try and get some rest. It wouldn’t come easy, and morning wouldn’t come quickly enough. Tomorrow would be an interesting day, to say the least.
******************
In a small coffee shop in Fresno, Josh, Sarah, and their new friend, Sarah and her fiancé Ben, talked and joked over a cup of coffee. Two years had passed since the incident in Yosemite. The four of them, however had become fast friends.
They rarely discussed the attack however, instead resorting to discussing movies, books, and other lighthearted things. Following the incident, the police had interrogated them, but never in accusatory manner. It seemed that Ranger Devore had a history of harassing tourists and threatening other rangers, so when hikers began to go missing, he was a serious consideration on their perpetrator list.
The bear had been introduced into the park a few years prior, and though rare, had developed an aggressive nature toward humans. Normally, an attack like this would have meant the bear needed to be euthanized, but in this case he was only relocated to a remote stretch of crown land in Canada.
Josh, hearing the two girls chatting, sat back and smiled. Ben was enjoying listening to them as well. Sure, they had endured a terrible, life-altering event together. But out of it, they had gained a special friendship.
One thing was certain, and Sarah had never let him forget it. Crimes can, and do happen when you least expect it. It didn’t matter if it was in an urban nightclub or while hiking to a remote cabin in the mountains. There were crazy people out there like Ranger Devore, hoping, waiting, for the next victim to come along.
THE END
