Chapter Text
In Stranger Woods
An In Strange Woods Fanfic
By David Rainone
Chapter Five:
The True Treasures
BRETT NARRATION: Humankind is full of a myriad of diverse people. While it is my belief that a majority of the near eight billion people who exist on this planet are good, there are some that are just rotten. Despite mankind's best intentions, some people are just prone to committing evils and atrocities. Often for greed and the lust for power. Unfortunately, these people aren’t as rare as some would like. And sometimes, they come from surprising places.
Standing in a clearing deep into the Whitetail National Forest with a bunch of young adults, an heiress, my husband, and a werewolf, whilst also being held at gunpoint by a bunch of woodsmen waiting for their boss to arrive, was most definitely not what I expected this brief excursion to Whitetail would lead to. And yet, here we were. The kids were frozen in fear. They had spent years training for disaster and to survive against the dangers of nature, but never had they thought they might have to use their training to survive the dangers of man. As it was, we were unarmed and surrounded. It didn’t take long for their boss to arrive. He was an all around average looking man. An average height, slightly jacked build, wearing a suit and tie that had to be blistering hot in this weather, slicked-back black hair and sunglasses.
MR. MORGANA: Well, well, if it isn’t the little group I’ve been hearing all about. You know the town is quite abuzz about your sudden excursion into the woods.
BRETT NARRATION: At this point, he looked straight at John Francis.
MR. MORGANA: John Francis, is it? Your father called me up right after he found out you left and practically begged me to come looking for you.
JOHN FRANCIS: Really? I’m surprised he didn’t wanna come himself.
MR. MORGANA: He said he’s had enough of the woods for one lifetime.
JOHN FRANCIS: So, he had one bad experience in the woods and is too scared to re-enter them?! Are you sure that’s what he said?
MR. MORGANA: I’m sure fear has nothing to do with it. Laziness or apathy maybe, but not fear.
JOHN FRANCIS: You-!
BRETT NARRATION: John Francis lunged at the man and was quickly grabbed by Peregrine, who held him in place.
PEREGRINE: What do you want?
MR. MORGANA: Why, I merely wanted to have a little chat. I’ve heard so much about this little group that I just had to meet you all for myself. Although there are a few more of you than I was made aware of. But no worries! I’m sure it won’t matter all the same.
PEREGRINE: And why would we talk to you?
MR. MORGANA: Well, I’m not sure if you are aware, but I do have you surrounded by men with guns and, well, these woods have seen enough casualties. I’m sure it doesn't need to see any more.
ERIC: Oh, wow. That… That was… Maybe we should just talk to him?
MR. MORGANA: Yes, I do believe it would be in your best interest to.
BRETT: Hi, sorry, but um… Who are you?
MR. MORGANA: Oh my, I seem to have forgotten my manners. I know most of the kids know me or of me, but of course, you wouldn’t. I am Harold Morgana. Mr. Morgana to you lot. I run the logging company that was hired to clear the area for the new resort just outside of the boundaries for the national forest.
BRETT: That’s quite a few miles away. What are you doing so deep into the forest looking for us.
MR. MORGANA: Ah, you must be the podcaster. I recognize your voice. I must say, I am a big fan of your work. Exploiting these people’s grief and forcing them to sing for a podcast where you consistently villainized the people you claimed to hold dear. A brave work of art. It reminded me of a play I once saw. What was it called? Oh! The Shape Of Things ! You are very brave for coming back. And you lot are very foolish for accepting him back. I’m sure he has a recorder running somewhere. No worries, I’ll take care of that little bit of no doubt incriminating evidence soon enough. But I would like a recording of what will undoubtedly be the best moment of my life.
PEREGRINE: And what would that be? The murdering of a group of defenseless people?
MR. MORGANA: Why, no. I’m shocked you would think I would kill you for no reason. In fact, I plan on letting you all live. As long as everyone cooperates. It would be nice to have eyewitnesses to my ascent into power.
PEREGRINE: So what do you want, then?
MR. MORGANA: Why, the grove, of course.
HOWL: No!
MR. MORGANA: Ah, you know what I’m talking about. Good.
HOWL: They don’t know about the grove. Leave them out of this.
MR. MORGANA: Ha. You must think I have humanity to play on. No, the rest of this group is now collateral. And while I would prefer that I didn’t get the hands of my men dirty, well, I truly do not care either way. Now, I suggest we get a move on! I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment, and believe me, that’s longer than you might think. So I would very much like to end this period of searching and get to finding! Let’s go.
BRETT NARRATION: With that, Mr. Morgana grabbed the still injured Howl and started to drag him forwards. The men surrounding us closed in, and we were forced to start walking. Howl looked at us, and specifically at Peregrine, and shook his head in shame. As scared as I was, I have to say, I expected more resistance from him. Then again, this was a man who had seen men do horrible things his whole life, who had removed himself from society because of it. Maybe he was tired and just didn’t want to fight anymore. Maybe he had a plan. I hoped he had a plan.
Needless to say, we all went along with this strange man’s demands. I assumed that the grove he was talking about was the same grove I had seen in my dream just a few hours before. I turned to my husband to try and talk to him but he looked terrified and that scared me. Being held at gunpoint, while a first for me, was not a first for him, not after his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which meant that his fear was about something else. Something he saw . I knew very little that could scare my husband and seeing him absolutely terrified of the man he was staring at made me very afraid for us. I tried to ask him what he saw, but was quickly told to shut up by one of Mr. Morgana’s goons. We walked in silence for an hour until we got to a section of the forest that was so dense it was impossible to pass. The foliage was massively overgrown, and the trees were so close together that it was a wonder they had been able to grow properly and to the size they were at all. The air felt old and heavy, and there was an eerie silence around us.
MR. MORGANA: I’m assuming the grove is through here.
HOWL: That would be correct.
MR. MORGANA: And how, pray tell, do we get to it?
HOWL: It has to let you. The grove always opened up for me.
MR. MORGANA: Of course it does. This means we have to backtrack and get our equipment. By now, it’s too late in the day to properly work, especially in foliage this dense, which I assume is what you were expecting. Smart man. You just bought yourself a good fourteen hours. It won’t do you any good, but I do enjoy a good challenge. It’s no fun if everything is just handed to me. Well, back to the clearing! I will figure out your punishment for this deception as we walk back. It’s only fair.
BRETT NARRATION: The walk back was intense. Even more so than the walk to the grove was. Every one of us was thinking about what the punishment would be. And every one of us knew in our hearts what it would most likely be. I still hoped that Howl had a plan. He bought us more time which meant he had to have one. Or maybe he was just stalling? My thoughts were all over the place and my heart was racing, and I didn’t mean to, I truly didn’t, but I didn’t even notice what was happening until everyone started humming. By then, it was too late.
PEREGRINE:
DEEP IN THE WOODS,
IN THESE DAMN WOODS!
WE ARE TRAPPED WITH NO ESCAPE!
ERIC:
STUCK WITH A MAD MAN,
DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
HOW WILL WE SURVIVE?
WOODSLEY:
NOT AGAIN, NOT AGAIN.
PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN!
I DON’T WANT TO DIE!
MARK:
HOW DID I,
GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS?
THIS ISN’T MY FIGHT.
JOHN FRANCIS:
MY DAD WILL KILL ME!
UNLESS THIS MAN DOES!
EITHER WAY I’M DEAD!
LEXY:
OF COURSE THIS WOULD HAPPEN!
HOW COULD I NOT KNOW?
THESE DAMN WOODS!
THE SURVIVALISTS:
THESE DAMN WOODS!
HOWL:
I’VE LET YOU DOWN,
I’M SORRY.
INTO DANGER, I’VE LED YOU AGAIN.
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I MUST PROTECT THE GROVE BUT,
I WANT TO PROTECT YOU.
THESE DAMN WOODS GAVE ME A JOB.
A PURPOSE AND A REASON,
A WAY TO FIX ALL MY WRONGS.
BUT NOW YOU ARE IN DANGER.
AND I’M CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS.
IT SEEMS I CAN’T ESCAPE BLOODSHED.
IT SEEMS THE FATES DON’T CARE.
I’M JUST A BLACK STAIN ON THIS EARTH.
BRINGING DEATH EVERYWHERE.
SANDRA:
HOW COULD YOU HAVE KNOWN?
THIS ISN’T YOUR FAULT.
STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP.
YOU’VE BEEN VICTIM TO TRAGEDY,
FOLLOWED BY WAR AND DESPAIR.
BUT IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT,
IT’S MANKIND’S!
THEIR HUNGER FOR CHAOS AND WAR,
FOR POWER AND GOLD.
YOU SAID SO YOURSELF.
YOU’VE MADE MISTAKES, YES.
BUT DON'T LET THEM DEFINE YOU.
YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART.
BRETT NARRATION: At that, we entered the clearing.
MR. MORGANA:
BRAVO! THAT WAS TRULY TOUCHING.
I WAS UNAWARE OF THE SONG'S TRUE ORIGINS.
BUT NOW EVERYTHING MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!
YOU MUST REALLY HATE YOURSELF, BRETT.
AND IF YOU DON’T YET,
DON’T WORRY, YOU WILL!
FOR NOW I HAVE AN ANSWER TO MY DILEMMA.
UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF YOUR DECEIT,
ONE OF YOU MUST PERISH.
I’VE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD
AND WAS HONESTLY TORN, BUT,
YOUR SONG GAVE ME THE ANSWER.
THANK YOU BRETT,
HONESTLY, BLESS.
MEN!
SHOOT THE HEIRESS!
BRETT NARRATION: More to come, after the break.
_____
BRETT NARRATION: There is no greater fear than watching as a bunch of guns swivel towards someone and knowing that they will likely die because of you. The immense guilt I felt at that moment, and would still feel after the fact, because I had essentially sentenced a woman to death due to my own ineptitude, was crushing. Never had I wished that I hadn’t been born with this curse until that very second. I knew that I only had seconds to fix it. So without thinking, I jumped, just as the gun fired. The bullet hit me right in the shoulder and I felt the bone shatter. I hit the ground hard and grabbed my shoulder, crying out in pain. I heard shuffling, and suddenly the rest of the group had surrounded Sandra and I. Lexy bent down and gently pulled my hand from my shoulder to look at my wound.
LEXY: That was really stupid of you, Brett.
BRETT: I had to do something.
LEXY: I didn’t say it wasn’t right. Just that it was stupid.
BRETT: Thank you.
LEXY: Don’t thank me yet.
BRETT NARRATION: Lexy went on to start to patch my shoulder to slow the bleeding. I could hear Mr. Morgana yelling.
MR. MORGANA: You knew there were consequences! I will shoot all of you if I have to!
PEREGRINE: Then shoot us. We won’t let you just kill her.
MR. MORGANA: I will!
BRETT NARRATION: At that moment I heard the soft click of a gun directly above my head. Sandra had a small revolver that she had hidden away in her bag, and she was loading it with bullets. She finished and pushed aside Peregrine and Howl, aiming the gun at Mr. Morgana.
SANDRA: Not today, Buster.
BRETT NARRATION: Sandra shot Mr. Morgana in the leg. He dropped to the ground, wailing in agony.
MR. MORGANA: Fuck this! Kill them! Kill them all!
BRETT NARRATION: The men raised their guns, but before they could shoot, there was a flash and when it cleared, Howl was once again a wolf. He lunged at the nearest man and bit into his throat, killing him instantly. Then he went for the next. The men forgot about the rest of the group as they fought to keep this wolf from killing them, but Howl could not be stopped. He killed five men before the rest ran in terror, abandoning their boss. Finally Howl turned toward the man who lay whimpering in the clearing, holding his leg in pain. Another blinding light and Howl was a man again, except this time he was covered in blood.
HOWL: What did you make me do?
MR. MORGANA: I didn’t make you do anything.
HOWL: You threatened my cousin, my kids, and my friends. You… You made me have to protect them.
BRETT NARRATION: Howl looked up at us, a deep sadness in his eyes. He started crying.
HOWL: I had to. To protect you. I… I…
PEREGRINE: We know. Howl, we know.
HOWL: I can’t. I…
BRETT NARRATION: There was a blinding light and then, Howl was back into a wolf. He slowly walked up to Peregrine and nuzzled her hand.
PEREGRINE: I guess this is goodbye, huh.
WOODSLEY: He’s leaving? But, we just got him back!
PEREGRINE: Howl told me once that he would rather die before he hurt another person. That was the whole reason he moved out here in the first place. He said that he had hurt enough people and he hoped that by living away from society, he wouldn’t be able to again. I think, when John Francis got hurt, he realized he had broken that promise to himself. So he made a plan to disappear during the final. I didn’t see the signs leading up to it, but I do now. This is how it has to be.
ERIC: But we can help him!
SANDRA: We can’t! He’s too stubborn! He won’t accept our help. He’s going to spend the rest of his life wallowing in his sadness. Running from those who could help him out of it. It’s what he does.
BRETT NARRATION: Sandra dropped to her knees and embraced him.
SANDRA: I love you, cousin. I only wish you were brave enough to stay. To fix what you’ve broken. But I know that that’s just not who you are, and I need to respect that. You trained a strong group of kids. You did many things wrong in your life, but them? You did right with them.
BRETT NARRATION: The rest of the group said their goodbyes one by one. Woodsley clung to him and thanked him for all the advice, Eric thanked him for accepting him, John Francis said he didn’t blame Howl for the injury he got. He looked at me and nodded, then glanced back at the kids. I nodded that I understood. Then he turned to back to Mr. Morgana.
MR. MORGANA: This isn’t over! I will come back with more men and we will find you and I WILL get my hands on that grove!
BRETT NARRATION: Howl snarled, grabbing Mr. Morgana’s leg in his fangs and dragging the man into the brush towards the Grove. I guess Howl figured if Mr. Morgana wanted to see the Grove so bad, he would. And it's probably the last thing he ever saw. We waited until we couldn’t hear his screams anymore before we all let out a collective breath.
SANDRA: Well, now that nasty business is done with? I suggest we try to find a way out of these woods as quickly as possible. I, for one, am done with woods for, well, the rest of my life.
JOHN FRANCIS: Yeah, uh, I agree.
WOODSLEY: Yeah. But, um, what about all the bodies?
PEREGRINE: Should we bury them?
ERIC: They tried to kill us.
SANDRA: Don’t worry about the bodies. I have people who can clean this whole mess up. One phone call when we get back to town and it’ll be like it never happened.
MARK: Yas Queen.
SANDRA: Dear, never say that again.
MARK: Valid.
SANDRA: Shall we?
BRETT: Babe, if you could.
JASON: Oh, right. Yes. Sorry, that man had… A lot of bad memories. I… Sorry. How’s the shoulder?
LEXY: Shattered. Gonna need extensive surgery. I did what I could but, it would probably be the best if we could get him to a hospital asap.
JASON: Got it.
BRETT NARRATION: With that, Jason picked me up and we started walking in the direction of the fleeing woodsmen. It wasn’t long after that we found some abandoned all-terrain vehicles, and shortly after were on our way back to Whitetail. The days following were a blur. I went to the hospital where I underwent massive surgery to fix my shoulder. Jason called the camp and said we would have to reschedule. The rest of the kids stayed for a few days before eventually going their separate ways. Woodsley went with Eric and Mark back to their school, to try and build their relationship up, Lexy went back to her job assisting her parents at their dentistry, and John Francis went back to his dad, who, in a surprise turn of events, was actually gearing up a search party for all of us. Turns out, when Donald found out John Francis had come into the woods with us, he wasn’t too worried; he knew that we could handle ourselves. But when Mr. Morgana took a big interest in us and ran off with a bunch of men and guns, he got suspicious and, after getting Sheriff Porter to get a warrant, they raided Mr. Morgana’s office. They found a bunch of evidence that he was logging deep into the national forest as he looked for the grove, along with some other evidence of shady dealings including evidence that the resort plans and the land permissions were obtained illegally. Needless to say, no one batted an eye when we said he had suffered an unfortunate accident. Sandra, true to her word, made a few calls and the mess in the clearing was cleaned up. The resort plans were canceled and everyone involved in them were quickly arrested and are awaiting trial. As for Peregrine, she stayed and kept Jason and me company as I recovered. She also said that a few days after our excursion, she had gone back to the clearing to try and see if she could find Howl. She didn’t see him, but she said she could feel him there, watching her from the trees. She said she would try again. She’s not ready to give up on him just yet. Maybe one day, I’ll join her. I dont think I’m ready to give up on Howl just yet either. For now, I’m Brett Ryback and this is In Stranger Woods.
JASON: So you’ve finished editing it?
BRETT: Yeah.
JASON: Now what? You can’t release it. You know that, right?
BRETT: Of course. I’ll send it to the kids, but that’s it. As good as it is, I think it’s high time I stopped recording things. People need privacy, and I need to stop using my ability as a reason to invade that.
JASON: So what will you do now?
BRETT: I hear a summer camp for atypicals needs a musical theater director.
JASON: Ha, I’m sure Indah and Neon would love to have you on the team.
BRETT: You bet. I'll be the best director those kids ever saw.
JASON: I love you.
BRETT: I love you too.