The old bus bounced up the uneven road, shaking the passengers constantly. The suspension was in a terrible state from suffering over all the rocks and ruts on these dirt tracks. There wasn't much that could be done about it, this deep in the forest it was difficult to bring in the equipment needed to make a road surface that would last. The rattletrap bus could be replaced with a modern bus, or anything made in the past few decades, to smooth out the ride; but the locals weren't much for machines and technology. The bus was about as much of a concession as they'd give to tourists.
Despite the inconvenient drive a good many travelers would make the journey out here to see the old monuments. There was a lot of history hidden among the trees in these hills. When the first settlers came to this area they made some impressive structures, most of which have endured the test of time for modern folk to come visit them.
As the bus pulled up to the large cabin its squealing brakes announced the arrival of a new tour group. The driver was ushering all the passengers out and into a loose group as Jed walked out of the cabin.
Jed looked over the group and shook his head. Most were wearing shorts, several wore sandals; only a scant few had outfits that would survive the terrain. There might have been two in the group that didn't have some bulky bag. Of course each and every one seemed to have two types of camera. No matter how many warnings were given the tourists refused to consider any sort of preparation. Jed sighed, knowing full well he'd be treating blisters and cuts of all sorts before this trip was be over. Fortunately it was the short trip, so it might not be too bad.
Jed walked over to the bus driver. "Afternoon Remmy. This the group I'll be bringing to the site?"
The driver, Remmy, nodded. "Yup. Place is all cleaned up. Rest of the fellas oughtta be there waitin already."
Jed looked back at the tourists, "There's kids in this group. Some of ‘em can't be any more than ten years."
"I know. It’s what turned up for the trip."
Jed frowned, "I don't know, I don't like leadin kids out there."
Remmy put a reassuring hand on Jed's shoulder. "Can't be helped. I know how you feel, it’s no fit place for ones so young. There's no choice though, someone’s gotta lead them there."
Jed looked at the ground and nodded. “Yeah, I know. I still don't like it." He looked at Remmy again. “There's coffee on in the cabin, couple of sandwiches left too. Help yourself. Be back soon as we can."
Jed turned to the group of tourists and put on a broad smile. "Greetings! Welcome to Keldon national park. I'll be your guide for this trip, you can call me Jed. We'll be hiking down into the gorge soon to take a look around the Imohatchee ruins. It’s a bit of a hike to get there so if there’s anything you don't need to bring you can leave it in the cabin. Remmy, your driver, will be here to make sure nothing happens to it."
A couple of them shuffled over to leave bags behind. The rest looked indignant at even being asked to leave their stuff behind. Jed figured they'd had too much soft living, always a transport or a porter to carry their stuff back in the city. They'd learn soon enough what it’s like to haul their own baggage.
The rest of the speech he gave without much thought. Listing the sights they'd see and some details about the forest. That part they'd pay attention too. Then he'd start going over the safety information; what to do if you get separated, insects and animals to watch for, injuries on the trail, and so on. As expected, when he finished that part they were all staring around looking bored, shuffling their feet, and impatiently checking watches.
The tour started out like all the others. He led them along the trail pointing out prominent forest features and talking about the history of the ancient stone structures they stopped at along the way. The older folks tended to pay attention, the younger adults would ignore his chatter and rush about looking for good places to take photos, the parents kept too much attention on the young kids to hear his speech. The kids in the group couldn't care less about history, they had their phones and tablets out and spent the time chatting with their friends back home or playing video games. Nature would sort those distractions out, no signal could make it deep into the gorge then they'd have nothing else to do but hear the lesson.
As Jed had predicted the trip down the rocky slope into the gorge brought out a steady stream of complaints. The heat and rough terrain were taking their toll on the soft folk. The group had to stop a few times to bandage a blister or help up someone who stumbled on the rocks and roots strewn on the trail. Those who insisted on carrying their bags were sweating profusely and breathing heavily from the exertion. The complaining became louder once the signal dies and the kids couldn't use their fancy toys anymore. It made Jed wonder again why they bothered with all the warnings and suggestions, none of them bothered to listen.
The trees grew all the way to the bottom of the gorge and even took hold between the stone monuments in the main part of the ruins. The slanting rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate this deep in were bright enough to see by, but nowhere near the strength up above. It made the trees a bit stunted and a little sickly looking. They might not be as majestic as on top of the gorge, but they still made a well marked path necessary.
It was a few minutes before dusk when Jed stopped the group again. They were in a ten meter circular clearing in the forest. He called out to get their attention. "We're just outside the ruins now, let's take a quick break here before heading in. I need to check the trail ahead, occasionally a bear or mountain lion will be wandering through. If so I'll run them off and be back in a couple of minutes. Don't leave the clearing until I get back alright. If you look up over the trees you can see the black stone monolith, that'll be the next stop on our trip." With that Ned left them lounging in the clearing catching their breath.
Just past the tree line Jed came across a pair of locals who were hiding just out of sight from the clearing. Jed ducked into the cover they were in and nodded “They’re in the clearing. They ought to sit tight for a little while, expecting me to return.”
On of the men nodded “Good, shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes or so until the shamblers arrive. We’ve got the clearing circled already, been waiting for you to get here.”
“Couple of them had a lot of trouble coming down the hill. Had to stop every few minutes to disentangle them. Almost had me worried about being late. I’ll go take my spot.” Jed grimaced; he knew what he was responsible for during this part and he hated it more than anything else.
He crept along the edge of the clearing a short distance then crawled into hiding behind a broad leafed bush. He could see into the clearing from here, but was pretty sure no one would be able to spot him. The tourists were still sitting on the grass in the clearing resting up. A few milled around taking pictures, the rest were just complaining of aching feet and having to march back up the gorge again.
Jed waited; glad that he was far enough away that he could only make out a few words here and there of what they were saying. He didn’t want to think about the tourists anymore. With what was coming it’d be best if he could forget they were there. With any luck none would come near him, that always made things easier.
As the sun began to set and things got dark, the tourists started to get anxious. Some were peering down the trail calling his name. The few that suggested leaving the clearing were talked out of it by when the rest reminding them about the wild animals Jed was supposed to be chasing off.
Not long after a strange creature leaped into the clearing. It was a little shorter than a man, with dark gnarled skin. Its long arms ended in sharp talons, and its legs with reverse jointed knees seemed built for leaping. Its face was inhuman with watery grey eyes, ragged holes where ears should be, and a mouth lined with needle like teeth.
Jed didn’t know what those creatures really were, they were just called Shamblers. From a young age local kids were told stories to keep them afraid of the shamblers. It kept the kids from wandering too deep into the forest, go too far and you wouldn’t be back. The shamblers would only come out of the forest for one thing. Jed reached down for the club under the bush he was hidden behind.
The tourists were shocked silent when they saw the creature; fear had paralyzed them. Before they could think to move other shamblers burst from the trees, their claws slicing open their bodies. None of them could get very far before the shamblers had pounced on them, flayed their flesh, and tore out their internal organs.
Only one of the tourists was quick enough to make it to the tree line, he charged into the underbrush about ten yards from where Jed was concealed. Jed could hear the man being thumped hard by wooden clubs, then his limp formed was tossed back into the clearing where the shamblers quickly took hold of him.
Jed was relieved that none of the tourists came anywhere near him. It was unbearable to hear screams and the wet sounds as their bodies were eviscerated. Having to ambush them and force them back into that clearing of pain and torture was almost beyond his endurance.
It was an awful job that always left him disgusted with himself, but what alternative was there? The shamblers were going to get victims. They weren’t particular on who the victim was, so long as it was human and alive. It was either these pampered folk that had forgotten the old ways of earning survival or Jed’s friends and family that would be offered up as a sacrifice. His conscience always balked at it, but he knew which choice he would make every time.
The once the shamblers bloodlust was sated they dragged off the carcasses of those they killed. No one who was in the clearing had survived; all that was left of them were smears of blood collecting into puddles and some chunks of their insides. The sight almost made Jed vomit, he’d seen the aftermath before and still his stomach could barely handle it.
Hopefully a good rain would come along wash it all away. Otherwise before the next equinox someone would have to come and make the clearing presentable again. Even city folk that couldn’t tell a pine from an oak would know something wasn’t right if they came across this sight.
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