Above Ground: Part 1 - 1994

Here’s a story that’s one of magic, mystery and down-right horror. This story takes us to Welden Woods, the north side of Millpond, back in ‘94. Just before them days of the internet, cell phones - before times got more complicated.

A group of local high school freshmen, Nick, Syd, Marlin and Cole, used to hang out all the time. They’d go everywhere together, inseparable they were. That was until, Nick’s father tragically passed away early that summer. Very sad it was, leavin’ behind Nick’s Mother, and of course, Nick, who was only twelve. 

Rumours spread like wildfire ‘bout it being that witch that lived in the forest. But this time around, it was a little more straightforward than that. A hit ‘n run! Left to die, he was, out by Trout Brook Bridge. A damn cryin’ shame. It wasn’t instant either. You could see the grim trail where he tried crawlin’ away. They never caught the hitter neither.

Apparently, he was out late one evening finishin’ up the roof of one of them forest treehouses. A project he and Nick had been working on the past three summers. His carpentry skills were certainly somethin’ to be in awe of, and boy, what a marvel it was! A network of treehouses thirty feet up, all connected by rope bridges, ladders and walkways. It even had bench swings, hangin’ over the river bank. A twelve-year-olds dream if you ask me.

Each summer before, they’d all go up there and hang out from days on end. Of course it was furnished with all their favourite things - walkie-talkies, a cassette player, a TV, a VHS player, lights, comics, toys and they even had a small couch. No idea how they got that up there, but they did. 

Now these kids, they were the best of friends. Nick was the movie guy, he’d seen them all and could quote them all. Syd was the tomboy, and never really fitted in with the other girls, but she saw something she liked in Nick. He made her feel safe. And welcome. Then there was Marlin, he was the tech one, always videoin’ everything on one of them damn tape recorders. It was like it was glued to his hands! And then, Cole, the sporty one. No doubt blessed with a scholarship for some big university.

After Nick’s father died, Nick closed himself off from his friends; not wanting to hang out, play, nothin’. He’d just hide himself away in one of his treehouses all summer long, listening to music, watchin’ movies, strummin’ his guitar, and messin’ around with his Dad's crossbow.

Nick’s mother, Officer Sarah Trelawney, was always out on patrol. She liked it that way, it kept her busy, especially in Millpond where mysteries lurk around every corner. She did what she could with Nick, talked with him a bunch, but her time was split too much. Sharing the responsibilities of being a mother and the new Deputy Sheriff of Millpond was no easy ride, bless her.

When the kids returned to school after the Summer break, something had changed in Nick. Anger gripped him like ivy growin’ up a trellis.  They say it’s one of the stages of grief. His friends tried their best to cheer him up, but he wasn’t having it, snapping and lashin’ out at those closest to him. Even at his teachers, which landed him outside the Principal's office a few times.

But with Halloween just around the corner, they needed a plan. This was Nick’s favourite time of the year, and they couldn’t bare the thought of him being alone for it. Usually, he and his Dad would lock themselves away in the treehouse and watch back-to-back horror movies with mounds of popcorn and sweets, before crashin’ overnight in their sleeping bags. ‘Boys Night’, they called it, much to Nick’s mother’s amusement. Real wholesome it was.

Back then, Millpond had an early curfew on Halloween for the under twenty-ones. All thanks to the disturbing arrival of the Faceless Surgeon a few years prior. So, Syd had this idea. Thought it’d be a good time for them all to head over to Nick’s treehouse that night and start a new tradition. They’d haul in as many sweets, snacks and treats as they could carry, along with every horror they could ‘borrow’ from VideoVille. A night of scares, laughs and downright fun!

What they hadn’t counted on that night, was the Skogdyr. Funny word that, eh? That’s about the only for such a beast. Means ‘forest creature’ in Scandanavian. Legend has it, that it crawls out from the bowels of the earth, deep within a forest, to hunt for any disturbance to the natural order. Anything that dares to dwell in its habitat gets devoured, to return the forest to its natural order. 

They say it happens once every hundred years or so, like a purge. Dunno how those kids managed it when ya think about it. They were halfway through their third movie and I think Syd and Nick had hit the sack already. That was when Cole and Marlin decided to put what remaining brain cells they had together, and took a midnight plunge into the river, using the newly installed rope swing. Not a good idea at the best of times, and it certainly wasn’t that night. 

They’re laughter was jolted by a sudden crashing noise of what sounded like a falling tree. Somewhere out there in the forest. It was a rustling of some kind. The sorta rustling of something big movin’ about in there.

Then from the darkness it came. No warnin’, no sign, nothin’. The Skogdyr charged like a bull, with fury in its eyes while Cole was still howlin’ like a monkey on that damn swing. He hauled his ass up so quick, he thought he invented a new sport! Marlin couldn’t believe his own eyes, so instead of helping Cole, he froze like a deer in the headlights. The Skogdyr just missed Cole and slammed into a tree, ripping it right outta the root. Just then, Nick burst out onto the balcony, crossbow in hand like Rambo, and bullseyed the creature, givin’ Cole just enough time to save his own skin.

The Skogdyr turned its sights to Nick, unbothered by the attack. Smoke exhaled from its nostrils in large, forceful puffs, and its eyes glowed like fire. There was no pupil in the centre, it was just a solid, yellowy, glassy glaze. It was like fear itself had burrowed out into the world and taken a solid form. 

Nick’s eyes widened - what he thought to be a deranged moose was something else entirely. Something straight from hell. The beast reared up onto its hind legs, displaying the full height of a double-decker bus, its twisted antlers reaching up the height of the treehouse floor. Then, dropping like an anvil, it landed back down with a thud that trembled the earth. 

Its front right hoof started pawing the ground, ready to charge. Syd grabbed Nick by the belt buckle and yanked him back inside the treehouse before the Skogdyr charged, shaking the whole place like an earthquake. Wood splintered all around, the plastic windows cracked, shelves collapsed onto the floor. They had to get out, and quick! As they climbed to their feet, another ram from the beast below knocked them to the floor. Syd started sliding back down the treehouse as the whole thing began to break apart.

Nick stretched out his arm to reach for Syd, but it was too late. The look of panic and fear lit up her face as she vanished with the toppling treehouse. It collapsed to the earth with a thud, shattering like broken glass. With his arm still held out, Nick was rooted to the spot, unable to move. He’d just witnessed his best friend and possible future girlfriend disappear. What was going on?

Suddenly, flaming darts soared through the darkness, striking the snarling beast below. Its fur suddenly caught fire, and it howled a grizzly howl. The noise must’ve carried for miles through the night sky, Nick hoped.

Standing on the balcony of the opposite treehouse were Cole and Marlin. They were pumping up their Nerf guns and firing darts at the Skogdyr below, ‘cept they’d added their own unique twist to the toy - they’d doused the foam darts with lighter fluid and set them on fire with wooden matches. As the flaming darts hit the creature’s fur, flames spread like wildfire. It whirled and reeled in pain, smashing and butting like a caged animal, before it impulsively charged off across the undergrowth, and launched itself into the river.

Cole and Marlin cheered like someone just scored a hundred-yard touchdown. Nick looked back at them relieved, but in shock.

A few moments later the kids were on the ground. Nick and Cole scrabbled around, searching for Syd beneath the rubble of the fallen treehouse. Marlin switched on the camcorder and started documenting the wreckage, exclaiming that no one would believe them otherwise. A wise move if you ask me, as it turned out to be one of the only items still in one piece when discovered by the police the following day.

At last, they found her. She was still alive! Unconscious and bloodied, mind you, but alive. They needed to get help urgently, but they were too far from civilisation. Welden Woods stretched on for miles, crossing several rivers and reaching all the way to Ringdot County where the mountain range began. 

Millpond was too far for one of them to risk heading there by themselves, and they were too isolated to reach anyone on their walkies. But Marlin, who’d built a ham radio the previous winter, knew that if they extended the antenna with bits and bobs from the treehouse, they could get more range and possibly communicate with someone, maybe even the radio station that forked out from the hilltop. It was certainly better than marching through the forest with that creature around.

They had mounds of snacks and drinks up there, and could even use some of the blankets as bedding or bandages for Syd. But how the hell would they hoist her up there? She only weighed around ninety pounds, but the only way up was a vertical climb up the wooden slats Nick’s father had drilled in three years prior. It would be tough, even for an adult. 

With a burst of energy and genius, Nick suggested they repurpose the broken rope bridge that  was still connected to the half-collapsed treehouse to hoist her up to the balcony. 

Watching Syd’s limp, bloodied body ascend in the rope made Nick wish for his father to come along and rescue them. To tell them that they’re going to be OK, to tell Nick he’d done a great job. But he knew he wouldn’t. It was down to him to call the shots now and make the right decisions. That must’ve felt like a huge responsibility to a thirteen-year-old kid though, don’tcha think?

Pulling with all their might, Cole and Marlin tugged at the rope. The weight awkward and the rope burnin’ their palms something fierce. Half way up, Nick’s skin started crawlin’. The hairs on his arms stood up on their ends, like prickles on a porcupine. A low, coughing snort echoed through the dark of the trees behind him. His eyes shifted to the side, pulling his head around slowly, dread creeping in as he braced himself. He stared at the pitch black void behind him, noticing two deep yellow eyes penetrating through the darkness. The Skogdyr was back! And this time it was furious.

Without hesitation, Nick dashed for the tree ladder. The creature charged. The first step was easy, so was the second, but he slipped on the third, and the fourth was just too far. The creature bounded over, snorting and huffing smoke from its contorted nostrils. He wouldn’t make it if he continued the climb, so Nick leapt to one sideand the Skogdyr collided with the tree trunk with a tremendous thump. The entire treehouse rumbled above, nearly displacing it from its perch. Syd nearly fell the full thirty feet if Cole hadn’t reached for her wrist at the last second. The tree held firm, and the Skogdyr was momentarily dazed. 

Nick was sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him, ducking and dodging over the uneven terrain. If he could just get to the road, then he could flag down a car, and then get them to take him to a payphone, or even into town to get help. The others would be OK. They were up high in the treehouse. He believed it would be sturdy enough for them. After all, the entire project was made possible by his Dad's carpentry ingenuity.

By the time Nick reached the road, he was exhausted. Pantin’ and puffin’, he arched over to catch his breath. In a matter of a few seconds, he’d just missed the help he needed. Watching the glow of them red tail lights disappear down the road, and over Trout Brook Bridge was somethin’ of a punch to the gut. Millpond was just a few miles in the opposite direction, but you can get all turned around in these parts if you’re not careful so he knew to stick to the road.

Distant screams echoed from behind him and distracted him. His friends were still stuck in the treehouse with that beast stalking them. What was he to do? Nick didn’t have an answer this time. Instead, he did what most thirteen-year-olds would do when there’s nowhere else to go, and hid inside an alcove on the old wooden Trout Brook Bridge in the vague hope that a car or truck might pass by.

After waiting, for what felt like an eternity, the distant sound of sirens drifted through the air. Police sirens! A smile crept along his face, but it suddenly faded, when the sound of snorting breath chuffed through the entrance to the covered bridge. Nick turned his head slowly to see the Skogsdyr lowering on its haunches to duck beneath the entrance. Nick’s heart skipped a beat. 

END OF PART 1…