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The Demon Within
Chapter Five
“We all have demons that haunt us. Mine is much more. It breaths as I do, it thinks as I do. You can shed your demons, I can not.” –Starfox, last name unknown
2006

As the train chugs across the plains I slowly fell asleep. I am again returned to the mountain, again he calls, and again I try to run. “AAAAAH!” I yell as I fall out of the chair I had passed out in causing the conductor to knock on my door. “Are you all right sir?” he calls. I mutter unhappily “Yes fine just a bad dream” as I open the door. “Is there anything I can do sir?” he inquires “Um if you could find a few sleeping pills…” I begin “Say no more sir I’ll fetch some right away” he says before hurrying off. I stand there running a hand through my hair thinking ‘what’s wrong with me? Could this be a side-effect of what happened?’ I walk back to my char and pick up my notebook adding another note: Friday 4/15 1:34:10 A.M. Had the same dream. What could it mean? Perhaps it’s a side effect of dehydration or perhaps from some kind of radiation due to the lab explosion. However long these dreams last will continue to observe.

The conductor comes back at that point casing me to close my notebook “Here you go sir” he says as he hands over the pills. “Thank you” I replay as I take them and hand over a ten dollar bill.
“No thank YOU sir” he repeats, eyes bulging at the amount of his tip. I close the door, walk over to the bed and plop down with out taking off my clothing. I swallow the pills with out water and soon pass back out into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

I scout out a place to sleep a few miles from the town well away to help prevent anyone accidentally finding me. It was here at the end of a valley I find a very small clearing with a huge pine tree in the middle. I carefully check around to see if there were any indications that people came here at all, thankfully there was none, so I decided to make camp here. Dark was fast approaching so there wasn’t time to build a fire or good shelter. However there was just enough light to let me explore a little more. Right on the edge of the clearing was a river; I can see fish in the water, my next meal. I set off to do some more walking and stumble upon a blackberry tree. Lots of trees had falling in the area, most of them just the right size for a shelter so I haul some back to the tree. It wasn’t pretty or waterproof but the small lean-to fitted my needs for the night. I resolved to get to work if I was going to call this place home for awhile. Then I began to plan to raid the town for some clothing and food.

The train arrives in Polson sometime in the middle of the next day and I leave the train with a slight plan. I wasn’t going to live in the city that much was certain and the less people that knew me or about me the better. The train had passed through a number of very nice valleys on the way here and I got to thinking. I wander around the small airport looking for a pilot and amphibious aircraft. Finally I find one that’s willing to take me around the valley by bribing him about a hundred bucks. A few moments later the pilot is running through the final checks as we idle in the runway. When he gets clearance he opens the throttle and the Piper Cub’s engine snarls. Soon we’re in the air and banking for some valleys.

I look around the camp with increasing happiness. The lean-to had grown in to a small shack-like structure using the pine tree as a roof. Last nights raid on the town gave me some food, a broken shovel, and ‘new’ shirt. I didn’t need pants the ones that I had now fitted quite well and I have managed to cut a notch for my tail. So I was full, had a fire pit and now small fire going. I was working on some fishing spears when I heard the plane coming. I swivel my ears locating were it was and were it was heading. Suddenly I realize it was heading my way and would be on top of me I just a few seconds. “Shit” I yell drop everything, and begin to run for cover, just as I make it the plane, a Piper Cub with floats, roars over head. I keep hidden hoping that whoever was in the Cub didn’t see me or my camp. My heart stops as it banks slightly back in my direction. Just as I begin to think about leaving, it starts up the valley I watch its progress until it disappears from my view. I let out a breath of air I didn’t know I was holding. Once I was certain the plane was gone I went back to my discarded spear and want back to work, but I was nervous now.

As we cruised lazily over valleys one caught my eye. It was big and wide about five miles away from the town completely surround by forest. A river ran through it, with a lake around the middle, from were we were I could see a few water falls. It was dwarfed by huge mountains on three sides, it was very unlikely that anyone would come out this far. Indeed it looked like it would be nearly imposable with out a plane. I tap the pilot, point, he nods his head and begins to bank for the valley. Just as we come up to the entrance of the box valley something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Smoke from a small campfire drifts up from a small clearing. I think I see a shelter under the huge pine tree and a shovel head in the middle of the clearing. I swore I saw something run from the middle of a clearing under the canopy of the forest. I have the pilot bank back before dismissing it and having him proceed back up the valley, but I make a mental note to check on that camp, and make a careful note on the map I was carrying. We scout the valley flying up and down it a few times before I decide that this was that place for me. By then the pilot was running low on fuel and that was fine by me I need to get a few supplies back in town anyway.

After we landed and I paid the pilot, we agreed on him taking me back out there no questions asked. Seeing as it wasn’t too late in the afternoon, I checked into a hotel and proceeded to collect some vital equipment. A sleeping bag, tent, food, clothing, pans, an ax, shovel, hammer, nails and other things I would have to live off of until I built a cabin. It was late when I had finished shopping and I head back to the hotel in order to get good nights sleep.

I crawl onto my pine branch bed. After one pushes the nettles downward it was the next best thing to a real bed. I settle in under a blanket of pine. I noted that my clothes have holes in them and decide to sneak into town again soon to find some new ones. I lay listening to the sounds of the forest, thinking how wonderful this place was. ‘Maybe I’ll stay longer then I thought’ I think, after all it was in the middle of nowhere, I had a shelter, good food supplies, and a town far enough that people were unlikely but close enough to raid if things needed replacing. I fall asleep for the first time feeling good.

I awake early the next morning, dress, gather my supplies, pay my bill, and head off to the airport. My pilot wasn’t there yet so I plopped down to wait. About an hour or two he shows up and we begin to pack up the plane. “Going camping are you?” he asks making small talk. “Yep” I answer. “Walking back I take it?” he inquires as we climb into the Piper Cub. “Yep” I reply. He fires up the engine and taxis to the runway. Once more we roar down the runway, but this time I wasn’t coming back for awhile. We bank gently and head for what was to become my new home.

I was sleeping when I heard to plane again. My ears perk up then my head, I can tell that it’s not coming my way but was heading for the lake a mile or so from my home. I walked out of my shelter, and climb the tree to watch the landing in order to see if something was up. It was nothing but a yellow splotch on the lake by the time I got to a spot were I could see it. I can barely see two dots waking around unloading things from the plane. One of the dots stayed behind wile the plane taxied, took off and turning back for the town. I watch the plane with little interest and instead return back to the dot on the beach. Who was it? What did he or she want? Was I going to have to move now? These questions buzz around my head as I watch the dot pick its things and walk into the forest. I climb down wondering what was going to happen.

I cringe as the pilot begins to land, skipping across the water, jarring my teeth. We settle in and coast up to the beach. We rapidly unload the plane and the pilot wishes me luck as he climbs back into the cockpit. After paying a few extra twenty’s he agrees to never mention this to anyone ever. I push him out of the shallows and watch him pick up speed lifting into the air, turn back towards town and wags his wings in farewell before disappearing over the trees. I make a note to “clean” his mind once I get my new labatory up and running. Then I picked up everything and headed off into the woods.
Once in I wandered around looking for the perfect spot for my new home, it didn’t take long. Only a hundred yards from the lake was a clearing. It was covered from trees limbs and I hadn’t seen it from the air. The clearing floor was a clay composite and there was plenty of cover around it. “Looks like I’m home” I say to no one. I quickly set up the tent, dig a fire pit, gather wood, and in a few short hours had everything I needed. Now that I was set for a few days I check my map. Seeing that I was only a few miles from the site I had marked, I decided to check it out. I pack some items into my hiking backpack, strap my new hunting knife to my leg and set off.

With in a few hours of walking, I reach the spot on the map and make a discovery. There was indeed a campsite, but no one was there. There was evidence that someone had made a hurried retreat into the woods because there was fish cooking over the fire in the middle of the camp. I called out a “hello?” but was greeted with silence. I made a quick sweep of the camp, checking out the shelter first. I could tell that it was built by hand without tools. Inside was a pine bed and a broken shovel. Some berries were lying on a few leaves, perhaps a night snack.
The sound of a snapping twig makes me move out to the main camp area. The fire place was small, lined with rock. The fish was starting to burn so I rotated them for whomever; some crude spears were lying nearby. The dirt was the most interesting thing it looked like it had been hastily whipped to conceal the person’s foot prints, most likely with the broken pine branch laying near the woods. The sound of running water draw my interest. Checking the map I see that the river from the lake runs near the campsite.
When I come upon it, a pair of pants and a shirt catch my attention. They were worn, dirty, and full of holes. Out of curiosity I check the tag on the paints, and to my surprise discover that they were women pants, just a few sizes smaller them me, and a notch had been deliberately cut a few inches below the belt loops were the spine ran down. A few light blond hairs were stuck in the hole puzzling me badly. ‘Why and how in the heck did hair get stuck there and why is this notch here in the first place?’ I think. I look at the shirt and find coarse white hair stuck on the inside. Now I was REALLY confused. Just what the hell was going on? Suddenly I get the feeling that something was watching me and whip around, I think I can see a large white figure with blond hair looking back at me, but it fades into the forest when I call out a greeting. I mutter “Oh boy now I’m seeing things.” I set the peaces of clothing back were I found them and move carefully back into the main campsite.
The fish are cooked and I move them farther from the fire too keep them warm but not burn. I decide to leave a shirt, paints, some food, a large hunting knife, a few other things and a note. Why I did this I’ll never know perhaps it was because someone, like me, was hiding from humanity. I call out one last “hello?” before starting to home.

I smell him before I could hear him coming. ‘Fuck!’ I yell inside my head. I was unprepared for this. Not only was I naked but there was no time to clean up everything. I rip a branch off of a nearby pine and begin to destroy my tracks around the camp. My senses were screaming at me telling me to run, that he was very, very close. I just finished and barely got into the woods when the person walks out of the trees into my camp. It was a man, in his late twenties perhaps, absolutely ripped with muscles with a large green military hiking pack, with a large knife strapped to his leg. “Oh perfect just what I needed, a fucking grunt to find me while out training himself.” I think. I watch him survey my camp, call out a hello, listen for a few moments, and then enter my shelter.
Small branches was poking my butt, so I moved a little and curse softly when some snapped just as he emerged from my home. He looks around and then goes back to exploring. He rotates my fish and picks up one of my fishing spears. ‘At lest he’s not letting my dinner burn’ I think. Upon seeing him checking the dirt with extreme interest it forces me to speculate ‘I hope I didn’t miss a print.’
I follow him silently as he walks towards the river cursing some more as my tail catches on twigs and braches. ‘Please don’t find my clothes. Please d… crap he found them.’ I think as he picks up my paints. I watch him turn them over, a surprised look on his face when he sees the hole for my tail. I’m beginning to hurt from hunching so I take a risk standing. Unfortunately the sun hit my white fur and light blond hair making me glow slightly right when he was checking out my shirt. He calls out to me; I gently ease back into the shadows reflecting ‘He’s quite observant for a human’ I hear him mutter to himself but couldn’t make it out, but the glance of me seemed to make him wary, because he put my clothes back and headed slowly back into camp. “He’s listening for something, probably me.” I think as I move quietly, I somewhat surprised at how quiet he moves too.
I watch as he moves my now done dinner away from the fire. I consider the fact ‘At least he seems nice.’ I keep my silent vigilance of this odd human as he takes off his pack, and begins to unpack some things. Then he places something carefully under everything and places them near my fish. He stands there looking around, calls out one last time, shrugs, and then heads beck in the direction he came. I stalk him for half a mile before breaking off and heading back home.

I scout the area around my camp in order to see if I was walking into a trap. When I don’t find anything out of place I move gradually to the items he had left behind. The first thing I found was a large hunting knife complete with leather carrying case and a small sharper that I immediately strap to my leg. The next thing I find is some packaged food, soap, and some shampoo I put this aside for later and proceed to the last bit of the pile. My eyes open wide as I see a pair of new shirt and pants. When I pick up the clothing a piece of paper and a pencil flutters out and I grab them.

“Hello! I noticed you campfire as I flew over head yesterday.” This conformed that I had indeed been spotted now I was thinking about leaving but when I keep reading I change my mind. “But no worries the pilot didn’t see it and your secret is safe with me. I’m am impressed with your camp here and am “moving in” so to speak farther up the valley near the lake. I’m sure that you have your reasons for living out here; your reasons for hiding too just as I have mine.”
I chuckle at that and think ‘you have no idea about why I hid’ before continuing.
“I hope that these clothes will fit you (the paints might be a little large) seeing as yours are a little warn. I hope in time that we become friends and sorry about invading your home like this.
Sincerely
A new neighbor and hopefully friend.
Ps. I plan going to town every now and then and will swing by your camp. If you need anything, make a list and I’ll see what I can do, again sorry about stopping by unannounced.

As I read that a warm feeling comes to my chest and I think of this human in a new light. But I’m worried too, thoughts like ‘why is he doing this?’ Who is he? Why is he here? Will he honor his word and not tell? Will I have to move now that I settled in?’ and the biggest one ‘Should I trust him?’ buzz around my head as I reread the note over and over. Finally I set the note aside and pick up the clothing. The shirt is green and an extra large so that wasn’t a problem, the pants however was men’s and indeed a size too large. I deal with that little problem by making a belt out of some vine. With the new knife cutting a spot for my tail is no problem. I sit down grabbing one of the fish, and chow in. Over dinner I decide to observe this human to see if he’s a threat or not. With that set in mind, I craw into bed and fall asleep.

I reach my camp just after sundown and crawl into my sleeping bag. I plan to begin work tomorrow on my new true home. On the way back I had stopped and marked a few trees that would be perfect for the cabin. I had many ideas on how to improve the camouflage above the clearing. With ideas flying around my head I eagerly let sleep come.

Story Copyright 2006 “The White Wolf”, all rights reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution prohibited under penalty of law.
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