Creeptober Horror Spree: Volume One

Why I Don't Hunt Anymore

Most people have never truly been camping. National parks are kiddie rides. It doesn't count if you get to pop your tent up right next to your car and go grocery shopping. For my whole life, I prided myself on self-sufficiency and the ability to survive. I'd been hunting, fishing, and camping since I was old enough to shoot a gun without falling over, and I made sure to do my dad proud long after he died. The yearly hunting trip would always happen so that he could be there with us in spirit. His surviving friends and their adult children met up with me every year in the deep wilderness and would continue to do so until arthritis won the battle.

The final year I hunted, I nearly carried on the tradition alone. Rotten luck in terms of employment stopped Henry and his son Lucas from joining us. The bastard that is time took Jenson from the world of the living, and understandably, his daughter Cathy couldn't bring herself to come out there without him. It didn't feel right to stay home, so I loaded my truck and headed out to the mountain range I knew so well. I had wondered if the car behind me was following me intentionally, and when I stopped to get gas, Gavin confirmed my suspicions. "What the hell happened to your Jeep?" I asked, amused. I never thought I'd catch Gavin dead in a sedan.

"Went a little too hard offroading and bent the axel," He laughed. "Had to settle for this loaner. I was worried I wouldn't catch you, but I'm glad I did."

The tank was full. I removed the nozzle and placed it back in the pump, flipping the gas door shut. "I'm sorry," I began sincerely. "I didn't think you could come this year," I trailed off.

Gavin kicked the gravel and shrugged. "It's in remission," He smirked at me lazily. It was good to see the color coming back to his skin. "I got cleared by the doc for this, and wanted to surprise you, but I juuuuust missed you."

I grinned at him. "Well, you want to leave the sedan here? I'm sure Earl won't mind. Terrain doesn't get any better from here."

Gavin agreed. We asked Earl if he could leave the car for a little bit just as a courtesy, moved his hunting gear to my truck, and we were off. I felt awkward about it, to be honest. Another time, another place, I was pretty sure Gavin and I could have been a thing. But life, as expected, takes even good friends on different paths sometimes. Years go by before you can meet up again, and that's how it goes. I may have been a little sore about it, but it was nobody's fault—just bad luck. Like a lot of things were at that time. We were both doing great, all things considered, so there was no harm in my eyes.

"You sure you're up for this?" I half-teased, hoisting the pack onto my shoulders.

"More than you are," Gavin shot back with a grin, shouldering his pack. "Same spot?"

"Yep." I locked the truck, and off we hiked. "Two miles north, then three miles west. Dad's secret grove."

We missed my dad. There were no tragedies that knit us all so close together; only love. Friends were family you could choose, and we had all bonded through experience and joy, not adversity. Though I found it cliche, it really was rare for someone's life to have next to no drama in it. We were just a happy bunch, through and through. I couldn't even remember crying all that much as a kid. Seeing the woods again with such a lonely group washed sadness over me, though I didn't let myself cry. Not for Gavin's sake so much as mine. We had a hike to finish before nightfall, and there was no time for a breakdown. I could cry myself to sleep later, like an adult.

We reached the grove - which was less a grove and more a massive plateau of trees - and found an excellent place to set up camp for the night. We brought enough food for dinner and breakfast, but we would eat only what we killed for the rest of our two-week trip as per tradition. Since it was just the two of us, this wouldn't be a difficult task to achieve. A single deer would probably do us just fine, with plenty to salt-pack and bring home. All the same, the plan was to bag at least two, so we could both get our trophies and enough leftovers to eat for weeks after we got back home.