Extra Ketchup: Part One – Meet Natalie
By SW Carter
Edited by EnvyMachinery
The crisp air softly blew through the night and pierced the figure’s long crimson hair as it crept ever so silently through the void-shaded woods. It knew its target: the lone cabin of the satanic witch loomed deep within. The woman would have exactly what the dark figure that haunted the woods needed. What it craved was all that mattered, and all that needed to matter.
As the figure stepped through two large trees into a small clearing, the intensity of the moon colored its red hair. The figure was a seven-foot-tall woman with a face coated in light freckles and a smile straight from a psychologist’s handbook. As the toothy grin shot through the clearing towards her target, she fondled the gigantic axe she clutched tightly with one of her hands.
Natalie was her name, and she was a deadly beauty in a simple black hoodie, jeans, gloves, and dark brown boots. She pulled out a piece of black cloth and wrapped it around her mouth to shield the night from her nightmarish delight. She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and began her journey through the clearing.
“A simple kill,” Natalie thought to herself. “An axe to the head, and then there is magic—no worries.”
Natalie knew these woods like her own one bedroom apartment. They were her woods, with the exception of the small patch belonging to the witch. However, tonight Natalie fancied herself a conqueror.
Like two angry lions walking the border of their territory, Natalie and the witch sensed each other, and they had a quiet respect for each other’s work. However, one party happened to be in possession of a valuable item that long hours in Snowville’s library revealed the importance of. This object needed to be firmly in Natalie’s palms for the next phase of her ongoing forest activities.
Everything fell right into place, until a quiet laughter filled the air. Not that of a witch, but that of the celebrations of the young. In the distance, Natalie’s gaze fell upon a light deep to her left. A campfire, which meant possible fun, gave a siren’s call to her.
Natalie looked forward to the witch, and then back towards the dim light in the distance. Finally, she turned. “Screw it. The witch will be there after I am done.” Her mouth salivated as every step brought her closer to unsuspecting campers.
Off in the distance, campers raised their beers to a night in the great wilds.
“To the last night warm enough in the year to have any fun!” a man called out.
“To the last night warm enough in the year to have any fun…” a woman returned halfheartedly.
Ted and Mary spent a handful of weekends in the woods every summer since they were teenagers. Their love of nature brought them together, and it held them firmly in place while the roots of many other interests drove their relationship into a deep affection. They would allow nothing to rob them of the ability to enjoy the forest they loved, especially not a couple of police barriers.
Mary took a small sip from her beer and then looked down towards the ground, lost in thought for just a moment until she noticed Ted peering at her in concern. “I mean, do you think we are far enough away from it?”
“Far enough away from the killer of White Top Forest?” Ted waved his hands exaggeratedly while making a ghostly moan that echoed through the surrounding trees.
“Ted, stop it, I’m serious!” Mary set her beer down and then folded her arms across her chest, hunching forward to stare furrow-browed into the fire.
“Hey, it’s cool, I’m sorry. Listen, those killings happened a month ago. My old man tells me the cops called it a drug related crime and called the FBI. The cops are just being cautious.”
Mary relaxed her angered brows, but a look of concern still stained her face. She looked off into the woods, taking a while to speak. “I don’t know, now that I’m up here, I kind of regret it. A hotel may have been better, you know? We can get drunk anywhere.”
Ted, with a near-overwhelming agitation, opened his mouth to speak but kept his emotions in check for a few long moments. A long and loving relationship taught him to let some things go. Finally, feeling a wave of guilt upon seeing the anguished look on Mary’s face, he cracked. “Alright, let’s just finish these beers, then we can pack up and go.”
“Thank you, Ted!” Mary said, her face finally relaxing. She sighed and picked up her beer, scooting closer to her boyfriend. She took a powerful swig, eager to leave. “I know how hard you tried to get some time off, it’s just creepy out here right now. Don’t you think?”
Ted paused before leaning into his girlfriend, still slightly hurt, as he threw an arm around her shoulders. “Well, it does feel a little different. Maybe we’ll try a new location next year.” He took a long drink, knowing Mary would be on edge until they left.
Suddenly, the couple heard the rustling of a bush in front of them, causing Mary to spill her beer on the ground and draw closer into Ted. The noise grew and rose to a loud wall of sound until finally a rabbit leaped from the bush. It shyly looked at the couple, and then hopped away in a fright.
Ted burst out laughing, “Man you really are freaking out.”
Mary pulled away from her boyfriend, “Shut up, Ted. Finish your dumb beer, and let’s get the hell out of here.” She looked away, once again crossing her arms, ignoring her boyfriend trying to stifle a snicker. Gazing around at the forest, she quickly found herself stunned into silence and stammering. She began tugging on Ted’s shirt.
“Mary, relax, it was just a…” Looking towards the direction of his girlfriend’s eyes, he saw a rather tall, silent woman standing on the edge of their campsite, and sporting a large axe. Her eyes appeared to dance with a fiery green delight, and her relaxed eyebrows gave the impression of a conscience that was far removed from the body. He watched as the woman tilted her head like a curious mutt, and slowly waved her free hand side-to-side.
Ted stood up slowly, Mary rising with him and standing closely to his side. “H-Hey there, we didn’t know anyone else was up here, stranger.” The woman simply kept waving without response. “Can you speak?” Ted received nothing in return. “Well, listen, we are just going to get out of your hair and you can have the fire. It’s on us, alright?” The waving picked up a manic speed.
Mary whispered at Ted’s side, “Let’s just go to the car. We can get the tents later.”
Ted looked down to protest, but swallowed deeply, feeling his own rising fear. He looked back up to the waving figure and responded simply, “Yeah, alright.”
The couple began backing up slowly towards the direction of their jeep, parked a mile away on the nearest road, as they both grabbed their packs. Ted frantically looked away towards his backpack and began fishing out a flashlight when he heard Mary give a loud cry. Looking back, he saw the tall woman was no longer waving, but walking in a steady pace towards the couple, with her head slightly tilted down in determination. Ted grasped the handle of his flashlight, yanked it out, and dropped his pack as he grabbed Mary by the hand and then led her into the dark forest at a sprint.
Mary struggled to keep up with the adrenaline-filled Ted, and was forced to do away with her pack as well, relying on her boyfriend’s flashlight as their only salvation. She couldn’t see the stranger chasing them, but she felt the powerful force of the tall figure stomping through the woods. Exuding an almost inhuman strength, and at a pace that felt just at her heels, her boyfriend suddenly found himself propelled upwards and upside-down, groaning in pain and dropping the flashlight. Mary let out a scream, searching for the fallen electric torch, and shining it around in a panic to see nothing but her and Ted very alone.
“My legs! I can’t move! something has me!” Ted fell into a full panic as he thrashed around.
Mary shined the light upwards to see a tight cord now wrapped itself like a cobra around Ted’s legs, holding him in place to a tree. “Ted, I think it’s a trap, are you hurt?”
“I think I feel a little whiplash coming on.” Ted let out a massive groan and then looked around at the forest. “Where is that woman?”
On the edge of a panic attack, Mary shone the light in all directions in rapid succession. “I don’t know, maybe we lost her.”
Ted looked up towards his strained legs, “Not for long.”
Mary looked up at the cord again, following it with the light. “We just have to find something sharp enough to cut that.”
“My knife was in my pack,” Ted informed between groans.
“Yeah, mine too.” Mary looked around at the ground, spotting a sharp rock, and quickly picking it up. “Do you think you can reach your legs?”
“It won’t be sharp enough,” a voice echoed from the darkness as a tall figure began to emerge from the shadows. “Only real way is to climb the tree and undo the knot. I prefer it if you didn’t ruin my good cord. I will watch.” Eyes flared from underneath the hood, and a faint outline of a smile could be seen under the black cloth that covered the mouth. “I don’t think you have done enough pull-ups in your day to do it. What do you think, Ted? Think your girl is a climber?” The stranger giggled, grabbed the axe with both hands, and held it up to her face, analyzing the sharpness of the blade.
“Baby, run,” Ted pleaded with Mary with a somber voice.
The figure gave Mary no time to respond as it lumbered toward the couple. Mary didn’t need to think; she simply threw herself in front of her boyfriend, standing shaking, but defiant. As the stranger stalked forward, Mary dropped the rock she was holding in fear, hoping somehow things would simply stop and she would wake up in bed next to her loving boyfriend.
The stranger gave a small pause before finally slowly putting the axe beneath Mary’s chin. “They usually run. You two make a cute couple.”
Sounds of screams filled the dark corridors of the forest, coating them in panic and pain. Rising and falling, until eventually the trees were only occupied by the noises left by the gentle night’s wind. Alone in the forest, Natalie cleaned off her axe.
“Now, where were we?”
