The Unnatural

I wanted to get outside and get some fresh air, and I figured as long as I didn’t pass the tree line it wouldn’t be an issue.  I got out there to find the sun having long since set over the mountain tops, but light still radiating through the dimming sky.  The mountain cast a shadow over the valley, but it was still bright enough for me to see clearly with what dim light was reflected into the valley by the sky.  The forest itself was dark and I couldn’t see further than a couple feet past the tree line anyway.  I sat out there for a while, but I started to get a headache for some reason.  It must be my allergies acting up.  They always hit me weirdly whenever I came to the mountains in the Northeast.

“James!” a voice called out to me from beyond the tree line.  It was a kind, feminine voice.  It made me very nostalgic but sent a shooting pain in my heart.  It was Marah’s voice.  “James, where are you?”  What the hell was she doing here?  Before I said anything, it occurred to me that it was most definitely not her.  “James?”

A figure emerged from the shadows.  It was her.  Her curly, black hair clumped up in a rats nest on her head.  He ebony skin darkened further by the shadows, but I could still make out her cute button nose and high cheekbones.  She was shorter than me, which was saying something.  I was only 5 foot seven, and she was five foot two.

“Don’t,” Alec warned, appearing right next to me.  “Remember what yer Grandad said.”  I ignored him, staring intently at Marah.

“James,” she said again.  “There you are.  I’ve been looking forever for you.  I got kidnapped by someone… or something,” she said and shuddered.  “I was so scared, but it let me go.  Something’s been chasing me through the woods.”

“That’s a bloody trick,” Alec said.

“Shut up,” I hissed.

“Marah,” I muttered.  Why would something bring her here?  Are they using her as bait?  Is it even Marah?  I wanted to have her come to me, but I held my tongue.  If I did that, I could be inviting something dangerous into the clearing.  “You can’t come into the clearing, can you,” I said.

“No, something is keeping me from coming in.  It’s like some kind of barrier.”  A tear rolled down her cheek.  A rustling came from behind her.  “James, please let me in.  Something is coming.”  The panic in her voice was too real.

I began to open my mouth to let her in, but a hand rested on my shoulder.  I looked back to find Grandpa.  “It’s not her, boyo.  That’s one of the things I was warning you about earlier.”

“Thank Jesus,” Alec muttered and plopped onto the ground.  “Yeh feckin’ twat.”

“What do you mean?  It has to be her.  It obviously isn’t a changeling.  I’d be able to tell if it was by the glimmering from their spell.”

“Aye, you’re right.  It isn’t a changeling, although I’ve never seen them having that glimmering.  You rely too heavily on the Sight.  That thing right there isn’t one of the Supernatural.  It’s one of the Unnatural I was talking about.”

Marah’s face changed from one of fear to one of twisted disappointment.  She turned around and walked back into the forest.

“Why can’t I see the spell it was casting?” I asked.

“There was no spell to see,” Grandpa said.  “I call them Skinwalkers.  As far as I can tell, they actually turn their bodies into whatever they are trying to mimic.”

“How in the hell did it even know about Marah?” I asked.  “I haven’t even talked about her, much less brought a picture up here with me.”

“Were you getting a headache earlier?” Grandpa asked.

“Yeah.”  I wasn’t liking where this was going.

“That is an indication it was reading your mind.  Skinwalkers are much more crude at reading minds than something like a Demon, so it’s fairly easy to tell when one is rooting around in your head.  I wouldn’t be too concerned though.  There isn’t much it can do with the information in your head other than shapeshift and know some basic facts about you.  As long as you’re in the cabin it can’t even get into your head.”

“I just thought it was my allergies,” I said.  “They always start acting up when I get to the mountains.”

Grandpa shook his head.  “Skinwalkers exist on pretty much every mountain range I’ve visited.  If I were a betting man, your allergies have never acted up in the mountains.”

“Are you saying…” I trailed off.

“Aye.  This isn’t the first time you’ve had your mind read by a Skinwalker.”