Double Back (Ghost Story Version 1)

This isn't really a ghost story, as it is about werewolves. I have told this story many times, and it is never the same, but now I will put it, at least tonight's version, down in print. This is a good one to tell to friends not only at Halloween, but also while camping. If you do, make sure you tell it with a jump, a grab, and a snarl at the end.

There were two hunters, long ago, who went out into the woods to, of course, hunt. What they were hunting for didn't really matter, as this was long ago, and people could hunt for whatever came their way, without fear of the game warden coming along. They simply wanted to keep each other company while they hunted for their families' next meals.

They set out, laughing and joking, with their packs light, as they were only going to be out overnight. Soon, they came to the part of the road where they always turned left, because the farmer who lived down on the right was, as they used to say, cantankerous and wouldn't hesitate to use his rock salt filled shotgun to shoot at anyone he thought was trespassing. This time, however, they decided to turn down the right path, because the old farmer had passed away not long ago after having a run in with a rattlesnake that was meaner than he was.

The terrain wasn't well known to the two men, who, by the way, were called Dan and Robert, as they hadn't ever been down the right path. As they went down the path, they saw that the lights were on in the mean old farmer's house, and joked that his ghost was now taking up residence there. As they were passing the house, a young girl came out and stood on the porch. She was very pretty, and she started to sweep the porch. The dust that was present was visible even from the path that Dan and Robert were walking on. She coughed and continued with her work. Dan and Robert continued on their way, wondering out loud to themselves who she was, if she was kin to the mean old farmer, and if their wives had met her yet.

Soon, Dan and Robert went off the path, and started looking for game tracks. Deer, rabbit, or even a squirrel, if one were seen, would be good enough to shoot. It was near dusk, and they decided to look around while they could, in order to get their bearings. As they did this, they left markers, so they wouldn't get lost as they went deeper into the woods. These markers were small, flat painted stones; large enough to be seen while walking but not so large that they would weigh a great deal while being carried. They found a perfect place to wait for deer, which was their favorite game. It was out of the way of the path the deer took, but with a clear view of the path itself, and it was upwind of where the deer would walk. With the moon being full that night, they knew any deer passing through the area would be easily seen. Another plus is that the path was well traveled, so any deer that was able to run after being shot would most likely stay on the same path. Dan told Robert that this was most likely the very reason that the old farmer had been so obstinate about keeping people off his land.

As they waited, they heard wolves howling in the distance and told each other they hoped they wouldn't be a problem. Wolf meat isn't good to eat, but they didn't know how hungry the animals might be, and how competitive for food as a result of that hunger. They didn't want to build a fire because that would keep any deer away, and the wolves did seem a ways away. The stars were very bright, and the moon was slowly rising in the darkened night sky.

When Robert first saw the deer, it was silhouetted against the dark sky, backlit by the moon. It was a small deer, causing Robert to at first think it was the wolf they'd heard earlier. It wasn't, and it was also big enough to feed his family and Dan's for at least a few days. He aimed, and fired, scaring Dan enough to cause him to fire his shotgun, also. The deer took off, and so did the two men. They found the spot where the deer had been at when it had been shot easily enough, and could smell the blood on the ground without even lighting the one lantern they'd brought along with them. They took off jogging in the same direction the deer had gone, hoping it would not take long for it to bleed out enough to drop. As they went along, they heard more wolves howling at the moon. There were no clouds out and they felt certain they'd catch up with the deer quite soon. There'd been enough blood to smell and the deer had been quite small. All of a sudden, Dan felt himself falling. He'd fallen off the right side of the path, down a cliff. There were sudden, sharp pains in his left leg, and then nothingness.

Robert hadn't even seen Dan disappear, but he heard the fall itself, and Dan call out in pain. He stopped, went back, and catching his breath, dug in his pack for the matches. He hadn't been carrying the lantern and had nothing else to help him see over the edge of the cliff. He couldn't see much, and Dan was nowhere in his line of view. He paced back and forth, the deer forgotten, and looked for a slope he could descend down, to help his friend. He soon found a spot, by accident, as he came too close to the edge himself, and soon was sliding down. This part wasn't as steep as where Dan had fallen, and he made it all the way to the bottom with just some roughing up from the debris along the way.

After a few minutes, he heard his friend moaning, and knew Dan was still alive. Robert followed the moaning, stumbling on the many rocks Dan had knocked loose during his fall down the cliff. He found Dan by tripping over him, to which Dan actually let out a short scream, and then he started to make some short grunts, due to the pain in his left leg. Robert lit a match to look around for the lantern, which he found and lit, and then used it to take a look at Dan's leg.

It was a compound fracture, not only bleeding, but full of dirt and bits of plants and even small twigs. Walking on it wasn't an option. Robert tore the bottom part of his shirt off in a strip, and used it to stop the blood from flowing out of Dan's leg, but he didn't know how to set the bone. He told Dan he'd go back as fast as he could and get help. Dan asked about the wolves, and said that they'd soon be there, drawn in by the smell of the blood, both his own and that of the deer's. What was he supposed to do? No, he said, it'd be better if Robert would just wait with him until morning, and spend the time making a crutch, so they could leave together. Robert had found Dan's shotgun, but it was bent, rendering it worthless as a weapon except as a club. This fact really made Dan want Robert to stay with him, but Robert said he'd just leave his own with Dan, telling Dan that having to make the trip back unarmed would make him travel even faster. Dan gave in, and after he was situated as comfortably as he could get, with his back propped up against a tree and Robert's outer shirt over his leg, Robert left. Dan could hear him scrambling up the side of the cliff, pausing here and there. He was in too much pain to doze off, but he wished he could. He was tired and he hurt all over.

Robert went as fast as he could, hoping he didn't run into any of the wolves. His arms and hands were covered in his friend's blood from tending to his leg. He was alternating between fast walking and slow running, and had gone for close to an hour, when he saw the old farmer's house silhouetted against the sky. All was dark, except one of the main rooms downstairs, which had a soft glow to it, most likely from the hearth. He didn't think anyone would be awake, and he could handle getting back to town and getting the doctor on his own. He decided that he'd knock quietly, and if someone answered, he'd ask for help, but if not, he'd continue on his way. As he was approaching the house, halfway to the house from the road, he saw something big cross his path. He stopped and crouched down, without thinking, and held his breath, really wanting his shotgun with him. Whatever it was moved on, not seeming to notice him, but it was headed in the same direction as where Dan was at. Robert didn't know if he should go back or continue towards town, forgetting the house entirely.

He started to head back to Dan, making sure to skirt around where the thing had headed to, and then he saw it again. It was heading back towards the old farmer's house. He hurried back toward where he'd left Dan, and out of breath, finally got there. Dan was gone, though. Robert called for him, thinking maybe he'd scooted around behind some bushes or something in order to relieve himself. He called him again, louder, but still no reply. He found the lantern, confirming that this had been the same spot that he'd left him at, but no sign of Dan. Robert knew he couldn't've gotten far enough away that he couldn't hear him calling, he was too injured for that. He heard something and quickly turned around.

It was the same girl he'd seen at the old farmer's house, sweeping the porch. She was very pretty, and had a dark brown cloak around her for warmth. She told him how her brothers had been out hunting and heard his friend moaning, so they'd carried him back to the house. She'd seen him heading back to Dan, so she followed him to let him know. She said she'd called out to him, but he'd been going so fast, he hadn't been able to hear her. She asked if he wanted to go back to the house and see his friend, and to get cleaned up, looking at the blood on Robert's arms and hands. He said yes but he wanted to catch his breath, and started to gather up the things he'd left at the site. The lantern would help a great deal on the way back, anyways.

As they walked back, they talked about the area she had just moved to and how the people were very friendly, and more than willing to help others out when help was needed. Robert told her that she and her brothers would fit in well with the rest of the town, and that he hoped they stayed. He asked her if she knew anything about the old farmer who had lived in the house she was now living in and she said, yes, he'd been her grandfather. She didn't know him well, but him being attacked and killed by a wolf had come as a shock to her family. She'd only met him a few times, she was saying when Robert interrupted her. He told her the town doctor had said it was a snakebite, a rattler, that had killed her grandfather. She told him, no, it had been a wolf, and that there had been a witness to it - her uncle, who had been visiting. She said it didn't matter now, though, death was death, and the house was now theirs, which they were now in view of. All the lights were now out, and if the moon had not been so full, they'd easily have kept going past it.

They entered the house quietly, and she found a note on the table. Robert held the lantern for her so she could read it out loud to him. It said that they had gotten back safe, that they had put the injured man in the side room and that he was finally sleeping. They'd gotten the back room ready for the other man, and that they had things to do early in the morning so they'd already gone to bed in the loft, and that they were looking forward to a nice breakfast in the morning. She said that meant her brothers were hinting that she should head for bed herself, since they didn't know this man, although she was sure he was harmless. She showed him where the back room was and told him she'd call him for breakfast in the morning, which wasn't far off.

The room smelled strange, Robert noticed, when he went into the room, but it had been the old farmer's house and he'd probably kept most of the rooms shut off. A possum had probably crawled in here and died, and that was what the smell was from. The girl just hadn't had enough time to get to this room yet since her grandfather had died.

He found the bed, and laid down on it, too tired to cover up, and lay there thinking about Dan. His eyes became adjusted to the low light in the room, and he looked around. He saw bones lying all around the room, pushed up against the mopboards. They didn't look anything like any kinds of bones he'd ever seen before. He got up out of bed, and grabbed a couple. They looked like they had teeth marks on them, or something else had caused the big gouges and scratches on them. They were covered by them. He went for the door, but there was no knob on the door to open the door with. He felt panicked, frustrated, and embarrassed by his fear and aggravation at the situation. He heard the girl giggling outside in the main part of the house. Just then, something moved behind him. He jerked around fast. It was the same big thing he'd seen. He froze. This time it didn't work. The door opened, and the girl came in, sharp long teeth shining, followed by the other man, her brother. They were changing into wolves right in front of him. He tried to run out the door, but the one behind him jumped on him at the same time, stopping him.