Devil in the Details

Chapter Two

The crisp fall leaves crunched underfoot as Evelyn approached the man before her. The cool fall wind pushed her hair back. She could feel the cold carbon steel of the gun in her hand tethering her to the reality of what she was seeing. He didn't seem to be a threat, only seriously wounded.

"What happened?" She asked. The man stood there, staring back at her through strange, cloudy eyes. He stood at the mouth of a long gravel drive, his flannel and jeans soaked in blood. It was all over him, in one form or another. "Sir? I'm a police officer," she told him, reaching for her radio, "I'm going to call an ambulance. Can you tell me what happened to you?"

He didn't move, didn't blink. Evelyn reached for the radio on her shoulder, calling dispatch for help. She searched the area to orient herself and to check for any remaining danger. She felt a little lost and couldn't remember how she'd come to be standing here. It seemed like they were alone on the side of the road. She wasn't sure where. A cabin shaped mailbox stood nearby, marking the gravel drive- 1313. It was stuffed to the brim with mail, a newspaper or two and a few ads laying on the ground below. A cool breeze wafted by, pushing her dark curls around her face, tickling her skin.

"Sir?" Evelyn repeated, holstering her weapon. "Sir, I'm a police officer. Can you hear me?" She spoke clearly, reaching out one hand to touch his arm. It was possible he couldn't see or hear her. He turned his head, reacting to her touch. It was like he was looking right at her. His expression was blank still, his arm stiff and cold. The red and black flannel was sticky from all the blood. There was so much that she could smell it. "Help is on the way." She told him, hoping he understood. The man lifted his head, as if looking beyond her, and back at Evelyn. He lifted his other arm and pointed down the long gravel drive without speaking.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, streams of dark red blood trickled over his stained teeth and out of his mouth like water. Evelyn gave a little cry and stumbled back a few steps. She couldn't understand how this man could even be standing. He said nothing, and didn't move. He continued to point down the gravel drive. Evelyn looked as she shouted into her radio, spotting a cabin at the end, tucked away in the trees. She jumped when she looked back at the man and he was gone.

There was no blood in the leaves, no sign he had been there at all. Evelyn jogged over to her cruiser and gave it a thorough once over. He wasn't there. The man couldn't have gotten far, but he was gone. She searched the road and treeline for as far as she could see. There was nothing- no flannel clad man, no blood, no attacker, and no sound. Evelyn paused at that. She'd spent a lot of time walking through the woods with Floyd when she was growing up. He had taught her to hunt and fish, like everyone else in Garret Falls. She knew the woods well and knew that the mountain had never been this quiet.

Evelyn checked her surroundings one more time. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, but couldn't find any eyes looking back at her. Turning toward the cabin at the end of the drive, she took off at a light jog. The pale gravel crunched and rolled away. She had to find the man before the ambulance arrived, but she also had to be careful. There were a million things that could have hurt him like that, and most of them could hurt her as well. When she reached the end of the drive, Evelyn stopped.

It was a small little cabin, two or three rooms. Most people used them for hunting cabins or, more recently, AirBnBs. Locals had made quite a bit of money off of hunters and nature enthusiasts that way. This one had a tall oak beside it, a rusty old truck parked beneath its canopy. It was clear this was one of the older cabins when she noticed the heavy concrete slab that marked an old well. She scanned the area, making a mental note of anywhere someone could hide, just to be safe.

When Evelyn looked again, the man was back. He was close enough that she jumped back, swallowing a shout before it could leave her mouth. He hadn't made a sound and still didn't. He didn't even glance her way. Instead, he stared into the open door of the cabin. Again, he lifted one stiff arm and pointed, this time to the door. Evelyn edged closer to look inside without touching him or letting the strange man out of her sight.