Yee Haw Writes

Mohican-Ryan Upchurch

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20 below, dark, mystic woods littered with tall trees and a silhouette covering the moon above the young boy.
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"Cops are on their way." Sam shouted, firmly grasping the handle of Ryan's pawpaw's old bone stock Ford Ranger, flinging the door open with a loud creak. "Let's go!"

Ryan's sparsely tattooed arm was hanging out of the rolled down window, grazing the side of the truck, other hand on the wheel as his few friends piled inside his Ford.

The young seventeen year old boys ended up cruising way above the speed limit on some old backroads in Ashland City they've never been on before, taking a sharp turn that led to a patch where there wasn't any houses-or living people-and pulled over, the dome light on.

Ryan had gotten out of his Ranger that was almost in ruins, leaning against the front grille with a blunt and a lighter in his hands.

A small cloud of smoke rolled out of the front passenger window from Sam, who was sat inside the cab.

Suddenly, a strange feeling rose inside of Ryan sending shivers up his spine.

A sense of danger.

The young boy turned, only to see a black figure in the shadows.

The person looked to be male, seven feet tall with a dark trench coat, long, flowing beard that looked like one a lumberjack would have.

The man took a step out of the smoke-filled woods, a heavy axe in his ghostly hand.

Ryan was sure he could hear Sam's faint voice shouting from the cab of the truck, yet he couldn't move, frozen solid from what he was seeing.

"Fuck it, let's leave!" Sam yelled, forcing the key into the truck's ignition and the small truck roared alive, roughly idling.

Ryan was paralyzed, tongue unable to speak as he stood in front of the man that appeared out of the dark woods behind him.

The power that strange, ghostly figure had over Ryan scared him.

The boy fell to his knees in the mud below him, unable to believe he'd just seen a ghost. Something he didn't believe in.

Ryan heard some words that weren't coming from him or the boys sat inside the truck.

"You on my land." The figure said.

This road has no resident.

"I've been here since 1870! I'm stuck in this world 'cause I haven't been heavenly. Lurking these trees, yes I'm kinda devilish. Don't walk the woods at the witching time boy, you shouldn't be here so don't make me annoyed." The man said, glaring down at the boy shivering at his muddy, blood stained boot clad feet.

"Dear man in the woods, the one with the silhouette covering up the moon, why are you here? Ain't you cold? You know the television man said it's 'bout twenty below. Why wont you budge, or talk to me from afar?" Ryan questioned, keeping his baby blue eyes locked on the muddy, dead grass ground.

Ryan opened his mouth to speak again but before he could utter another simple word the man was gone, disappearing off into the dark shadows the same way he appeared.

Ryan jumped in his truck, knowing he wasn't staying.

The boys all yell at Ryan, confused as to why he didn't leave the second the strange man appeared in front of him.
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Ryan grunts, rolling over onto his back in bed.

"I wish I coulda got to talk to the man who didn't exist in my rear view mirror.."

The now 27 year old man runs his hand through his reddish-brown hair, blue eyes looking up at the ceiling fan spinning around on low in the dark.

He glances over at the clock on his dresser.

Three.

"Dear man in the woods.. I wish I got your name so I could understand some of your pain, like why'd you emerge on me late that night? I've been thinking about that for like ten years now. Still cruise that backroad just to see if you're here but all I see is some whitetail deer. Hell, maybe you saved me, if you did I'm sincere. From yours truly, that really scared kid."
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The last Mohican.
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Genuinely recommend this song, it's absolutely great and I already love this chapter and I hope y'all do too. ~BtrflyKidd.