~~Pinchgut~~ {Halloween 2015}

Tom rocked back and forth on his heels. Half because he was anxious for the man in front of him to stop talking, and half to avoid the spit that was flying at him every other word. The heavy scent of whiskey hung above them both as well, as the drunkard continued on, and Tom sighed in hopes of getting a word in edgewise.
A car horn honked loudly behind them, startling them both, and a bleach blonde yelled out the driver's side , "Hurry up Danny! You know I hate being out here!"
The master whisky drinker,public speaker, and property owner quickly flushed a shade of red to match the maple tree leaves.
"Apologies." He spit. " My girlfriend Mona, she don't like this place. Says it's cursed."
Tom rolled his eyes at belief in such nonsense. "Well," he began, "She's a rough one for sure, but if the huntin's as good as you say, and with the fair price your offerin', I'll take it. Just for the three day weekend though. "
Danny's face lit up like a jack o'lantern, with about as many missing teeth to match, as Tom slid the bills into his sweaty palm. Mona honked the horn again and impatiently tapped her manicured fingernails on the steering wheel.
"Hold on woman, I'm doin' business here!" Danny hollered at the car and Tom was astonished when Mona raised her middle finger.
Danny paid her no attention. He turned to Tom with a stern face, " Remember now, lots of good spots up there beyond the clear cut, but if you find yourself near the old cemetery, turn back. Nothing good past that, you here? Watch yourself, cause it's easy to get turned around up there."
Tom flashed him a baffled expression. "Cemetery?" he stuttered over the word. " You said it was all old logging trails up there?"
Danny seemed to fumble for the right words. He looked first behind him at the line of tag alders and the thick bush behind, then down at his feet, scuffing some mud on the driveway with the toe of his boot. " You dunno about them loggers then?" he finally spoke, " Some 60 years back?"
Tom somewhat wondered if this had anything to do with Mona's "curse", so he half chuckled out loud.
"Not a funny thing at all," Danny began. "What a sin it was, what happened to them boys. They was all young fellas too, fresh off the boat. Boss man there scooped 'em all up right off the dock with big promises of work and money to send back home. What a bastard. He pushed those boys all summer long in the heat, and the flies eatin' 'em all alive and for next to nothin'. He kept the spoils all to his self. To save even more he half starved the poor buggers. Them boys had nowheres to go. He made 'em all sign contracts to work in exchange for room and board but never paid 'em enough to cover the debt. Half them boys couldn't read past their own name. Worse still, winter come in weeks early that year and with a chill them fellas never got outta their bones. There's 15 graves up there. One fer each of 'em."
This left Tom stunned. He hadn't expected such a horror story. But Danny's expression suddenly changed back to salesman mode,nervous that his pitch had lost his sale. "That was some 60 years ago now. Nobody's been up there logging since."
"Good thing I'm here to hunt, and not log then," Tom chuckled anxiously, trying to warm the chill of the words that hung in the air between them.
With that, the two shook hands,and Danny climbed back into the car with Mona and the two sped off with a screech of tires.
The sudden silence was slightly unnerving to Tom. This place really was in the middle of nowhere. There was the odd raven call in the distance, the rustling of leaves in the windblown branches, and the crunch of gravel beneath his feet. Nothing else. He took a deep breath and exhaled long and slow, noticing that his breath was now visible in the late fall evening . " Time to get started."
He climbed the rickety wooden steps to the old trailer. They creaked and groaned loudly under his weight. Opening the door, the smell of dampness, mold, and something dead and rotting wafted past his nose as if it had been locked up for decades and couldn't wait to escape. As he brushed away cobwebs, he coughed and gagged on the thick dust that layered everything. He also noticed that it was just as chilly in here, as outside. A big old cast iron woodstove , rusted in more places than not, sat in the corner with a small pile of who-knows-how-old wood. " Should burn perfectly." He said aloud to the wood, the woodstove,the mice hiding in the walls, and no one in particular.
It wasn't long before he had a blaze warming his tea, his dinner,and the whole trailer, as drafty as it was. The sun had set early, as it always did this time of year. Tom had wished he had arrived earlier and surveyed the property a bit more before venturing out early in the morning. But that thought passed quickly as he lounged on a dusty weathered sofa, his eyelids heavy from the warmth of the fire,and the fullness of his stomach.
His eyes opened to darkness but for the sun just peeking up over the horizon. A chill instantly ran up his spine,and goosebumps covered his arms,as the few remaining embers of the fire gave little heat. He chastised himself for being accustomed to sleeping through the night in his comfortably heated home and how unprepared he was to keep the fire going good till morning.
He decided not to even bother with it, hoping to get an early start ,and knowing he would be out in the cold all day anyways. Better to save the wood for this evening.
He poured a mug of cold water from the bottle he had brought,and stirred in a spoonful of instant coffee. It wouldn't warm him from the inside out, but it would still give him a caffeine jolt.
As he sipped he gazed outside the trailer at the shadows of the trees now forming as the sun inched it's way up. " Lots of country up there" he thought. "Lots of deer too."
Tom had a dream,and that dream was not unlike any other hunter. Every year they went in search of the ultimate shot,and most times ended in disappointment. He'd been lucky a few times, shooting a doe that he had tagged and bragged. But this year, oh this year was to be his buck year. That's why he came out here. He sought out new territory than his own, knowing his neighbors had over-hunted his own setting. He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when he drove in with an eight point buck in the back of his truck. " Better be worth all this..." He spoke aloud sitting the mug on the now stone cold stove,and reaching for his jacket.
(Continued next post)

A misty fog had settled over the valley, laying low in the marshes surrounding the alders. The shriek of a hawk caught his attention and he looked up to see it circling something above the hill in front of him. If that was a sign, he had no idea how to interpret it.
The air outside was much colder than he had anticipated and thick with moisture. Only a few minutes outside made his chest feel full with the heavy air. A Misty rain began to fall, and he chastised himself again for not bringing a waterproof jacket. At least his boots would keep his feet dry.
He slung the rifle over his shoulder and began making his way up the hill beyond the camp trailer. He was told by Danny that once you climbed the hill, there was miles of bush just full of wildlife. Nobody else lived around here,and the animals thrived on the seclusion. It was a steep climb, and the terrain was rocky in most places,extremely slippery in others. More than once he was grateful for an available branch to grab and maintain his balance.
He heard the sound of rushing water,and pushing his way through a stand of dense, half dead spruce, he came to a very fast running creek. It was at least ten feet wide where he stood and varied to more or less as he gazed up and down the bank. Worse than that, it ran deep, easily over his boots. With no way he could see over it, he decided to follow the bank along it, upwards, hoping it would lead to the source,(likely a small lake),and perhaps his prey.
It became obvious to Tom that truly it had been some time since anyone had been up here. The branches were thick and long, and some hung directly over his path, forcing him almost into the water...twice. " Good deer country" he said under his breath, trying to be positive.
An alder branch snapped back at him as his foot slipped on a wet rock. "Damn it!" he cursed.
The rain continued and he was feeling the damp cold more than the caffeine jolt, and infinitely more than the adrenaline of the hunt. He realized with all the noise he must be making moving branches out of his way, he might as well be a bull in a china shop,likely scaring away everything anywhere near him. With just a few more steps up the slipperiest slope he had encountered yet, he had arrived.
The creek had indeed led to a small lake,which would have been quite picturesque , were it not for the devastation surrounding it. As far as the eye could see was clear cut. Rotted old stumps surrounded by decades old limbs. Some of the branches were still clinging together in huge piles of twisted, gnarled fingers....locked embracing each other in their violent and sudden demise.
There was very little new growth anywhere,even after all this time. The carnage left littering the forest floor had blocked out all life for that generation and beyond. Tom felt a pang of resentment. For his species to thrive, it had to destroy others. He began to wonder if he had wasted a trip, and money. Surely nothing much was living here. It would be a farther hunt than he anticipated to go through it. He surveyed his position,and weighed his options. The thought of going home empty handed propelled him forward,and he made his way as quietly as possible through the previous forest giants that now turned to sawdust under his feet.
An hour of walking had past and the only wildlife he had seen was a partridge he managed to flush out,and a flock of geese flying south. He sat on a large old log,praying it wasn't full of ants as he ate two large sandwiches he had brought stuffed into his pockets. The sun had all but vanished behind the dark grey clouds. The rain lingered in fits and starts,and the wind had picked up from the north bringing what felt like frigid arctic air with it.
Swallowing the last bite, Tom's ears perked up at the sound of the snap of a twig. He froze, unsure of which direction it came from. He had walked the clear cut, and was not far from the tree line at the other side. He slowly rose to his feet and narrowed his vision towards the forest beyond. SNAP! WHOOSH!
He heard it! He saw the branches sway in the distance. Nothing more. He picked up his rifle. Which way was the wind blowing? Was he upwind, or downwind? A sudden gust quickly confirmed he was upwind,and whatever it was couldn't smell him. But he was still sitting out in the open, and could be seen.
SNAP! SNAP! WHOOSH!
There! He saw it! The flick of a white tail amongst the browns , reds, and green foliage. And it was moving...fast...
"CRAP!"
He sprung towards it,running full tilt, then stopping to listen, then running, then stopping again. He made it to the last place he had seen it. A squirrel chattered loudly from the tree above, quickly giving fair warning to all of the danger of his presence. He scanned the ground for tracks. In this weather, there should be something. And there they were...Hoofprints. BIG hoofprints. His BUCK! He could only hope...
Tom followed those tracks left behind in the soft earth, slowly, carefully, always looking from the ground on up,should the deer be right there. The tree line to the clear cut long since disappeared behind him, and the rain turned to snowflakes. Small at first, then huge white puffy crystals blanketing the ground and covering his followed path. The weather had always changed suddenly this time of year, he knew...but the timing was awful. The wind blew a thick white curtain in front of him,and he stopped.
He stood there stationary,silently. He was right on the bucks tail, he knew. WHOOSH! SNAP! SNAP! To his left...
Tom pivoted his upper body,careful not to move his feet, lest he make a sound. He raised his gun,and took a deep breath. From behind the trunk of what had to be over a two hundred year old sugar maple,walked his dream. His rack of antlers lightly coated in new fallen flakes,and his back a white blanket covering the light brown coat. He stood as majestic as the king of the forest should. He snorted, loudly,and pawed at the ground with his front hoof.
Tom felt the adrenaline rise in his body,and he fought to hold his breath as he readied his finger on the trigger. At the same time he exhaled, he pulled, it fired...and the buck bolted. He'd hit it, but not a kill shot.The bullet struck the hindquarters as it leapt away. And now the chase was on.
No need to be quiet now as he barreled through the bush. He could hear it in front of him thrashing through the limbs,and he knew the shot was bad enough that it wouldn't get far. He felt bad that his aim had been so off as to cause the animal to suffer. He knew it happens,but it was not an efficient way to hunt and there was no thrill in it for him. Not to mention, he was getting very tired,and the sun was hanging low in the sky. Somewhere he had lost track of time.
There were hoof prints in the snow that had now settled on the ground, and blood. Lots of blood. He followed them to a grove of large oak trees, that circled a small clearing. As he got closer he saw them. White crosses. Three rows of five each, forming a circle around the clearing. Fifteen dead loggers lay before him...and one eight point buck. He had spent the better part of the day on this hunt, and now faced the reality that it was getting too dark to make it back to camp. "Foolish pride." He muttered. He was not prepared to spend a night in the bush. Not prepared at all.
(Continued next post)

He followed the tracks to the last steps his dream would ever take...and there was nothing. They just, ended. At the base of a tree among the protruding roots that wound their way between two crosses,there was nothing but a single drop of blood. So fresh and warm it still steamed in the cold air.
Tom didn't know what to make of this. It didn't VANISH for Pete's sake!
The wind and the snow filled the tracks. The blood froze and was soon covered in white. Tom stood still. Dumbfounded. He thought he felt a small gust of wind rush past his ears...but distinctly it sounded like a word. Then again, longer, more drawn out, and he felt the rise of the hair on the nape of his neck tingle. A warm drop of fresh blood dripped onto the end of his nose,and he looked up in horror as the word now filled not just his ears, but the entire cemetery around him.
MEAT!
He fell backwards , landing hard and screaming as the remains of his dream now nothing but bones and antlers, fell around him from the trees above.
MEAT! The word swirled around him with the wind, the snow, and the bones. The shadows of the trees melting into the darkness of the dimming sunset.

The trees bent over towards him with long dangling leafless appendages reaching out towards him. Fifteen old oaks, over fifteen graves. Fifteen crosses stood in front of each one. The branches grasped his legs,scratched his arms and face as he crawled on the ground away to freedom. Finger length twigs grew to leg length limbs around his ankles and as he clawed at them the hard wood turned back and forth from itself to fleshy muscle and sinew. They arched over him, the fifteen, blocking out anything surrounding,and the bark of the sturdy trunks began to steam and bubble and mist. It moved and morphed and transformed until faces appeared on each, and each mouth moved in synchronicity with the others.
MEAT!
He clawed at the ground. Pulling his body against the tugging of roots, inching his way away. Arching his back and bending his knees and contorting every which way he could. His fingers grabbing at dirt, leaves and icy cold snow were raw and bloody. His gun, too far away and of little use. He pulled his body along the ground...away, away. Despite the grip of the branches, he moved. Closer and closer to the edge of the clearing. Away from the graves...away from the fifteen. The jagged pieces of crushed acorns ripped his skin open, and a trail of red meshed with a million flakes of white. He gasped,and cried out , feeling the sprouted twigs anew, growing up his legs and tightly weaving themselves around his torso. They squeezed, and grew, and squeezed and grew. His outstretched arms were overtaken by branches twice their size,as a new tiny tendril sprouted from each, and intertwined in front of his lips...stealing from him the last breath of life...
As the last glimmer of light fell ,and gave way to the darkness, the grove of oaks was silent. Fifteen trees, over fifteen crosses, stood tall and peaceful. The early winter storm, moved away on it's path, leaving sparkling crystals everywhere to mirror the twinkling stars in the sky. With one last gasp of breeze, the wind echoed through the grove...
" Full"
.... and the dangling bones rattled amongst the branches in agreement.

Edit double post

Well done! I enjoyed that very much.

a reply to: AccessDenied

Worth waiting for! I love your visual style, I could see through Tom's eyes easily. And I loved the stag changeling that lured him to his grave - or rather the graves of the hungry 15. That was excellent, really good!

originally posted by: beansidhe
a reply to: AccessDenied

Worth waiting for! I love your visual style, I could see through Tom's eyes easily. And I loved the stag changeling that lured him to his grave - or rather the graves of the hungry 15. That was excellent, really good!

Thanks Beans! I hadn't thought of the buck as a changeling, but I see how it could be taken that way. Wasn't a day fit for man nor beast...

originally posted by: Vroomfondel
Well done! I enjoyed that very much.

Thank you! Aren't these contests fun? I look forward to it every year.

I also super love this halloween style

originally posted by: CassieZhang
I also super love this halloween style

Bit of a rave girl style there...See that at the EDM festivals.

a reply to: AccessDenied

This was Fantastic! Very Well Written! I enjoyed it a LOT!!! S+F For You!!!

originally posted by: SyxPak
a reply to: AccessDenied

This was Fantastic! Very Well Written! I enjoyed it a LOT!!!

S+F For You!!!

Thank you! Lol,between man eating storms and man eating trees I think we have ensured that everyone will stay logged in to ATS,and not venture outside!

originally posted by: AccessDenied

originally posted by: SyxPak
a reply to: AccessDenied

This was Fantastic! Very Well Written! I enjoyed it a LOT!!!

S+F For You!!!

Thank you! Lol,between man eating storms and man eating trees I think we have ensured that everyone will stay logged in to ATS,and not venture outside!

LMFAO!!! I know Right?!!

And if that'd be the case, We'd deserve some Monetary Commission Kick-Backs from ATS!
The longer We are All online, the more the chances some People will click those Ads!!!

originally posted by: SyxPak

originally posted by: AccessDenied

originally posted by: SyxPak
a reply to: AccessDenied

This was Fantastic! Very Well Written! I enjoyed it a LOT!!!

S+F For You!!!

Thank you! Lol,between man eating storms and man eating trees I think we have ensured that everyone will stay logged in to ATS,and not venture outside!

LMFAO!!!

I know Right?!!

And if that'd be the case, We'd deserve some Monetary Commission Kick-Backs from ATS!
The longer We are All online, the more the chances some People will click those Ads!!!

Even worse...we had a severe STORM here last night, first thunderstorm in months! Trust me I was eyeing up those clouds after reading your story!!! Commission is always nice.

originally posted by: AccessDenied

Even worse...we had a severe STORM here last night, first thunderstorm in months! Trust me I was eyeing up those clouds after reading your story!!!

AccDen, I'll take that as an AWESOME Compliment!!! LOL, It reminded Me of My Wife CCBears' reply for that Story!! Link HERE... LMAO!!! She also told Me a little while after that Comm that She was scared from The Story and WOULD NOT EVEN go out in a Storm again!! LMFAO!!!

I'm going to send Her a link to Your Story now. It will really get Her going! Will prob want to stay in a closet or something after Reading Yours!!! LMFAO!!!

Oh By the Way Your Story Here had an effect on Me as well!! We have a small portion of WoodLands right off of Our Back Yard here that has had ME looking at it Differently!! (I'll look at all the woods I encounter in a new way now!)

Now 'PinchGut' flows through My Head when I notice those Woods out of the corner of My Eye here!!! It's right outside My Computer Room!!

I Love when We can affect People, either good or bad, with Our Writings. Makes it all worthwhile doesn't it? ...

a reply to: CassieZhang

Woohoo! I will take two of each please....and the costumes are nice too....

a reply to: SyxPak

Dear lord,you will have your poor wife terrified! Thing is ,my story is actually based in truth. I won't say which part!

a reply to: AccessDenied

I don't think CC wants to even read Your story. Not right now anyway. She is freakin just thinking about it!! (Sensitive Woman...)

And, Hmmmm, I'll have to reread it to find that part! When I find I'll let Ya know what I think is it! Right now I'm finishing a long reply to a thread here about why we have Our particular Avatars! After that I have to go for a while and do some real life stuff! LOL!! CatchYa Later!...

That thread is here; What Does Your ATS Avatar Tell About You?

Later for Now! Syx...

a reply to: AccessDenied

Queen of Darkness AD keeps her crown.

originally posted by: zazzafrazz
a reply to: AccessDenied

Queen of Darkness AD keeps her crown.

Glad you enjoyed Zazzy.