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Subject: [UW!] Skyler Part 3 (Warning May Not be Suitable For Younger Readers].
From: "Joshua McClellan" josh@bright.net
Date: Mon, 30 August 1999 09:14 PM EDT
Message-id: <01bef34c$baa6a4e0$8b248fd1@default>
Skyler was having a dream about his days in the Marines, they were under
fire from an Iraqi machine gun squad when an insistent bell started
sounding, finally he realized he was only dreaming and groggily groped for
the phone that sat on the night stand, he knocked his watch and the alarm
clock onto the floor before finally dragging the phone out of it’s cradle.
“ ‘lo, who is it,” he asked sleepily stifling a yawn with his other hand
as he tried not to fall asleep.
“Mr. Davis, I suggest you examine the site of the old Arklay Mansion if
you want to find out what happened to your sister and what occurred in
Racoon City month’s past,” a quiet voice said to him.
Skyler was instantly snapped wide awake, “Who is this,” he asked but was
only rewarded by a click and the gentle buzzing of an open line. Sitting up
in bed he was wide awake and formulating a plan and putting together a list
of supplies he would need to take with him into the Arklay Mountain Range
and the surrounding Racoon Forrest. Writing everything he needed down he
nodded back off to sleep but tossed and turned the whole night.
List of Camping Supplies:
Bedroll
2 Blankets
Flashlight and batteries
Matches
Small Tarp
10 feet of Nylon rope
Daypack
* * * * * *
The next morning found Skyler sitting on the back porch finishing off his
cup of coffee and a cigarette, stretching he stood up and walked towards
the garage. Opening the side door he picked up the empty duffel bag he had
left there earlier that morning and climbed onto the Vincent, he had
cleaned and gassed it up earlier that morning, and kicked it to life,
roaring out of the garage he headed for the sporting goods store.
Skyler passed the RCPD building on his way to the store and waved to
Tailor who was talking to a State Trooper sitting in a patrol car.
Finally he reached his destination and climbed off running a hand through
his short hair, entering the store he handed his list to the clerk behind
the counter and waited as he filled the order. After a few minutes the man
returned with cardboard box fille with what Skyler asked for, paying for
the items he stuffed them in the duffel bag and slung it back over his
shoulders and jumped onto the motorcycle and drove to the repair shop that
he now owned after his sister’s death.
He entered the office of the small station and introduced himself to the
head mechanic.
“Nice to meet you Mr. Davis, your sister was a good person, I’m sorry to
hear about her disappearance,” Hank Callahan said shaking hands with
Skyler.
“Yes, she spoke highly of you as well whenever she visited,” Skyler said.
“Oh by the way where is my car at?”
“We’ve got it out back here,” and Callahan led the way behind the station.
Sitting in a spot rear end against a chainlink fence sat Skyler’s forest
green ‘94 Sable, the entire right front side was a mess.
“How soon will it take to fix,” he asked the Mechanic.
“A couple weeks if I can get all the parts right away, probably not more
than a month though,” Callahan answered, “the fender is crumpled, your
bumper is busted up, the rim and tire are shot, the lights on that side
need replaced, I might be able to bend the hood back into shape but the
grill and center light are history, and the passenger door is jammed shut,
and you’ll probably need a new windshield, it’s cracked in a couple of
places,” He explained pointing out the various damage.
“Okay, take your time, I just need to get something out of the trunk,”
Skyler told him.
“Sure no problem,” the mechanic said and walked back into the building.
Skyler walked over to the car and popped the trunk opening up a cardboard
box inside he pulled out several MREs and stuff them into his duffel bag
and then slammed the trunk shut again.
“Just one more stop,” he thought to himself as he climbed onto the
Vincent.
Skyler’s last stop was the Racoon Bookstore where he purchased several
maps of Racoon City, the Arklay Mountains, and Racoon Forest, as well as a
few leisure books for him to read in the coming days when he became board.
Carrying his purchases up to the counter he sat them down, a young man
about sixteen or seventeen greeted him. “Good day Sir, did you find
everything you needed,” the young man who’s name tag said Sam asked?
“Yes I did,” Skyler smiled remembering himself at that age.
“I see you purchased several maps of the area, are you new to town,” He
asked.
“Yes I am, I’m also going to go camping in the woods tomorrow, do you know
of any good spots,” Skyler asked?
The young man’s expression changed slightly becoming a little more grim at
the mention of the woods, “No I don’t Sir,” He said somewhat tersely. He
finished ringing up Skyler’s order and handed him the plastic bag that he
had put the books and maps in.
Skyler payed for the things and turned away slightly chagrined at the
young man’s change of attitude and wondered what he had said.
“Sir,” the young man called out and Skyler turned around a questioning
look on his face.
“Be careful,” the young man named Sam said rather grimly.
“Thank you,” Skyler said and headed back to his sister’s house. “No my
house now,” he thought sadly as he unlocked the door. He put the books away
and packed his gear into the day pack and also took his Brazzi 16 gauge out
of it’s hard plastic case and cleaned and oiled it and tossed an extra box
of shells into the pack.
At the kitchen table he spread the maps out and planned his route to the
old Arklay Mansion site where the members from S.T.A.R.S. barely escaped
with their lives. He had read about it in the newspaper several months
before leaving for Bangkok.
Skyler sat at the table for several hours and familiarized himself with
the maps as well as practicing using his compass, he hadn’t been camping in
years and he hoped that his somewhat softened body could take the rigors of
it.
Finally Skyler stood up from the table and scratched his goatee and went
off to bed.
* * * * * *
Skyler rode the Vincent up the uneven rock trail that led to the parking
area for campers and hikers, reaching it, the sun was just dawning as he
put the kick-stand down and covered it with one of the tarps that he had
brought with him securing it in place with bunjie cords, he found that the
only other vehicle besides his was a U.S. Forestry Divisions Jeep Cherokee
with a horse trailer hooked to the tongue on the back. He checked the hood
of the vehicle and found that it was still slightly warm.
“Haven’t been gone for more than an hour,” he mused, “But they’ll be way
ahead of me on horseback.”
Slinging the pack over one shoulder he held the Brazzi loosely in one hand
as he started up the trail that would lead him to the Mansion site.
Skyler had been walking for several hours before he finally took a break
and ate one of the MREs, “tastes just as crappy as they did when I was in
the Marines,” he grumbled to the silent woods around him.
That day Skyler covered about 25 miles, and was about two more days away
from where he was headed, he had also crossed a horse trail that still had
several warm road apples about an hour earlier, he figured that he was
running pretty much parallel to the Ranger’s trail but he didn’t intend to
cross paths unless he absolutely had to.
Finally stopping for the night he built a small campfire and laid out his
bedroll with his shotgun with in arms reach, he had dressed warmly for the
forest, he was wearing a flannel shirt with a t-shirt on underneath, jeans,
and a pair of his old combat boots and a baseball cap, so he only pulled
one of his blankets out of the duffel bag. As he was eating his third MRE
for that day he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and knew
that he was being watched from the woods he didn’t know who or what it was
but he acted normally and only undid the thong over the hammer of his .41
when his hand would take a path past the holstered handgun.
Just as quickly as the sensation had popped up it left and the birds in
the forest started singing again, Skyler sat watching the sunset enjoying
the vivid reds, golds, and pinks as the sun went to bed for the night.
Skyler made sure his fire had a enough wood to keep it warm for the night
and pulled his bedroll over by the tree he had been sitting against, not
only to keep one side protected but to keep his night vision from being
ruined by the light of the fire, and curled up in his blanket.
Sometime about midnight he awoke to a scream and sat bolt upright his hand
snaking out and wrapping around the pistol grip of the Brazzi, he did need
to pump it since he always kept a round in the chamber, he sat silently for
several seconds and waited for the sound to be repeated it was, it wasn’t a
human scream but that of an animal, a horse from the sound of it and then
this time it was followed by the hollow booming of a handgun.
Jumping up Skyler kicked sand over the fire and jammed his stuff in the
pack and slung it over his shoulder and dashed through the forest and into
a clear not more than six-hundred feet from his.
The tableau that greeted him seemed to be something from out of a
nightmare a tent was on fire, and blood filled the clearing, three dogs of
some kind were tearing at the corpses of two dead horses and four others
circle the Forest Ranger that had her back to a large pine tree, as he
watched she fired her gun again and hit one of the dogs in the flank just
as it jumped knocking it back in the air, but incredibly it got back up and
joined the others.
Breaking free of his paralysis Skyler brought the Brazzi up and fired, the
rifled slug slammed into the skull of one of the dogs dropping it to the
ground brain, blood, and shards of bone glistened sickly reds from the fire
consuming what he assumed was the Forest Rangers tent.
Skyler fired again, this time .000-buckshot taking down two more dogs as
the x-pattern took them out of the game, the dogs eating the horses whined
and loped off into the woods the fourth dog still standing charged at the
Ranger and she shot it dead on the .357sig round exploding it’s head like
paste.
“What the hell were those things,” the Ranger asked as she slipped a fresh
magazine into the butt of her handgun.
“I have no idea but I suggest you salvage what you can and we’ll get the
hell out of here,” Skyler said keeping a tight eye on the surround forest,
they both jumped as the dogs started howling off in the woods, and Skyler
cursed under his breath.
As the Ranger gathered up what she could and put out the burning tent he
kept an eye on the woods but soon the normal night sounds returned and he
relaxed.
“So, you normally go running around a forest by yourself,” he asked
turning back to her and getting his first good look. Her medium black hair
was pulled back in a large braid and her blue eyes were like saucers had
she finished packing her equipment and picked up her own shotgun.
“I suggest we get out of here,” she said and led him off into the woods.
“Where are we going,” Skyler asked trailing behind her?
“There is a small cabin that hikers can use up ahead,” she told him.
“What’s your name anyway,” he called out?
“Cassandra Matthews, I’m a Forest Ranger,” She told him.
“What are you doing out here,” He asked?
“Investigating the silence from one of our Stations in the Arklay
Mountains,” she explained and wouldn’t say another word until they were at
the cabin.
--
J.E. McClellan-----
Good... Bad... I'm the one with the gun.
----Bruce Campbell; Army of Darkness