Group Walk

The day started out warm, sunny and a great day to go hike trails that had little usage.

The brush was thick in some places and clear in other, the path sagged along the banks of the river. Four of us girls had decided to take a lunch and have a good day trying to reach the top of this steep mountainous area, which few dared to travel. Only seasoned hikers boasted on reaching the top. Marie and Jen had worn shorts, their legs showed many scratches and we had only begun.

As we pasted the river, the incline became steeper, the bushes became denser, Marie and Jen decided to turn back as they were not enjoying the day. Karen and I dressed with long pants and long sleeved shirts prepared for the day, keeping a fast pace after saying goodbye to the others. The higher up we got the more beautiful the scenery became. The trail became switch back and very dense and we could only see a few feet ahead after each corner we turned.

We could hear men’s voices in the distance but could not see them. Karen and I looked at each other and headed off the trail farther into the bush. We just did not want to have to carry on a conversation with any one or have to listen to guys trying to hit on us. They were walking at a fast pace only a few feet from us, as the two of them passed us typical hikers, with all the equipment, ropes tied beside their backpacks.

We headed back out to the trail and started looking for a place to rest, and stop for lunch. We could hear water running and then a waterfall came into sight, perfect place to soak our feet and eat. Never giving another thought to the men that had passed.

The day was full of fun, laughter and a good workout, as we took the last few steps to the top, so proud of our accomplishment, we sat in awe of the beauty below us for so many miles. When it became close to dusk we decided to head back while we still had daylight to guide us home. Amongst the trees, it became dusk faster than expected, so we hurried down the trail at a jog.

That is when we saw Jens blond hair lying with a rope around her throat. Her body covered in blood, her cloths scattered amongst the bushes, her underwear lying beside her. Her eyes were open, her mouth at a strange angle, her jaw looked broken. I took my jacket off covering her the best I could to give her some dignity in death.

Karen took a reading of where we were in silence, both afraid to speak. Fearful of what would happen when we emerge from this surrealist fog.  We had to get help in spite of our fright. Unable to talk about what we had just witnessed, we continued downhill in a daze.

We found Marie  less than a quarter of a mile away. The only difference her eyes were closed and she lie in the bushes, thrown away like a piece of trash. I tried my phone, nothing, were we going to be the next in this bizarre killings.

Was it the two hikers that had passed us who did this? Karen tried to get a signal on her phone with no luck. Mine no better, the only thing that we had on our side, with any luck they did not know we were here. On the other hand, they could be waiting down the trail. We slowed and crept quietly towards where we had parked the cars, optimistically the cars would not give them any clue as we had only two cars parked in the lot.

As we came close to the end of the trail, there sat the two men drinking beer beside a car. With no one else around, they were waiting for us. We slowly backed up the trail put our packs down and dug until we found our knives.  We would not be an easy target for these animals. As I turned on my phone it rang, I was sure they would hear it and come after us. I yelled into the phone to send the police, and then we both ran into the deep bush beside the trail,trying to hide as best we could. We heard a car door slam then screech away.

The screeching woke me.