Forest spooks

 

They found the first checkpoints without any difficulty. They were in distinctive locations—one by a ruined bridge, the other at the door of an abandoned forester's lodge. Then they had to reach the ravine, where the next checkpoint should be. They quickly located a note with three Xs tied to a tree. The map indicated that the next checkpoint should be six hundred meters away, to the northeast.

After a few kilometers, their flashlight went out. They were lost. They moved at a snail's pace along a muddy road. The forest was so dark that they were more guessing than seeing the route. Suddenly, Bogdan turned and froze.

"Look over there! Those must be wolves!" he said to Łukasz.

Far away, between the tree trunks, a dozen or so twin flames marked the darkness. Fear paralyzed them. How could they fight a pack with their bare hands? If only they had a knife or an axe!

In their first encounter, they tried to take the wolves down with a shout. Armed with thick sticks, they set out to fight the herd. The shrill cries of the two scouts echoed for a long time among the ancient trees. However, they didn't seem to impress the animals. Despite everything, they seemed to have moved away a bit.

Finally, the forest ended, and their hearts, beating at a frantic pace, calmed. The sight they saw made them burst into laughter. The fires they mistook for wolf eyes turned out to be the lights of oil wells, lit by drilling crews. They were searching for oil deposits in this area. Between haystacks, they descended to a village nestled in a valley. At three in the morning, the houses were shrouded in darkness. It was inappropriate to knock on the farmers' doors at this hour. So they sat on the steps in front of a shop in the center of the village, unsure what to do next.

When a tall figure appeared in the dim light from the shop, they jumped to their feet.

"Hello! Sir!" What's the name of this place?!

The bearded man was silent for a moment, hesitating.

"What?... Cherry!" he replied, examining their muddy clothes. "And you?" He took a few steps forward. "Where are you from?"

He was armed with a massive axe, which he carried over his shoulder, so they kept the necessary distance. His enormous stature also made a striking impression on them.

"We? We came from Bonarówka!" Łukasz replied confidently, trying to boost his courage.

"From Bonarówka?" he muttered. "Ah, it's over there, behind that mountain!" He waved his hand in the darkness.

"Could you tell us the quickest way back there?"

The tall man put down his axe. The executioners used such tools in the movies.

"Of course I could. I know every path here. I'm a lumberjack," he pointed to the axe leaning against his leg, "and I'm back from felling trees. I had a few drinks with my buddies, since it's the end of the week. And now I'm going home!" he explained. "But why drag yourself there at night? There's a wedding at the headman's. You'll eat there, have some fun, and come back in the morning!"

Indeed, they could hear snatches of lively music in the distance, but they didn't trust this suggestion. "No!" they spun. "They're probably worried about us at the scout camp!"

The man was silent for a long time, as if to give them more time to think, and when they didn't answer, he spoke again:

"The road to Bonarówka isn't far from here. But there's no point in talking. I'll go with you a little and show you!"

They walked for quite a while, and it began to worry them. The cherry tree they'd left behind was far behind, and if the man wanted them now, in this remote area... no one would even hear their screams. They weren't about to put their heads under his axe. They weren't sure if he was really a lumberjack. So they hit on an idea and set a brisk pace.

"Maybe he'll finally leave us alone," Bogdan tugged on Łukasz's arm.

The bearded man, however, kept up easily. He only stopped them at a wooden signpost at a crossroads. There he wandered off into the darkness.

They listened for a moment to see if he was lurking anywhere, and after making sure he was gone, they set off briskly. The lumberjack's good advice to stay on the yellow trail was of little use. They stuck to the rocky path for a while, then got lost in the darkness. The matches they lit every now and then were of little use. In their light, it was difficult to distinguish the yellow color against the pine bark. So they stopped at a solitary boulder, one of those abundant in the area.

"We'll wait here!" Bogdan decided. "And we'll build a fire!"

After a few minutes, the fire was merrily licking the spruce twigs they'd gathered. Leaning back against the cool rock, their feet stretched out toward the fire, they dried their soaked boots. But sleepiness quickly began to overtake them. They couldn't afford to doze off. Although dawn hadn't yet broken, they set off across the dense forest. They stumbled over felled logs lying on the slope. Blackberry stalks painfully cut their arms, legs, and faces. Finally, after a grueling struggle through the forest thickets, they emerged into the open. Light flickered before them. They were in Bonarówka.