A Curious Noise outside Eugene, Oregon

Jack Christensen We awoke to the sound of distant shouting in the night. It was incredibly faint. The sound was muffled by the canvas of the tent and by sheer distance. I noticed everyone else in the tent sit up in their sleeping bags and strain to hear it. A few minutes of listening passed. Then there was whispered deliberation, everyone speaking at once. Do you hear that? Tyler, to my right, asked, a massive lump now rising out of the weeks accumulated mess. Shh! This came from Christopher MacGurdy, farther to my right. Someones calling for help! Colin, to my left. A certain amount of shakiness was in his voice. Oh, Jesus... Kraig, at my feet, was decidedly more worried. Shh! MacGurdy spoke rather more forcefully this time. Should we do something? asked Zach, in the corner by the entrance on my right. Wheres Andrew? Ryan, irritated, asked, opposite Zach. As if on cue, we all listened as we heard our boss emerge from his tent and walk over to us. His face, which never failed to remind me of George Clooney, came through the tent flap wearing his head lamp. Go back to sleep. We still got a lot of work to do in the morning; these trails dont build themselves. Ill take care of this. With this, he began walking down the road, towards the sounds. We waited for a few minutes as the shouting continued. I could guess at the common scenes running through the minds of my fellows: Somebody

(it was beginning to sound like a woman) was hurt or lost, perhaps under attack by some forest-dwelling psychotic, maybe they had a broken limb or open wound. The occasional elk mating call was the only thing to break the silence in between. Whether they were produced by actual female elk or a hunter was not clear at the time. Eventually MacGurdy spoke up. Im going out there, he said as he ran a hand through his shaved hair. He climbed out of his sleeping bag and paused only to put on his suspenders. He neglected to put on a shirt before leaving the tent. He stood at the entrance with his hands on his hips, apparently taking stock of the situation at hand. After a few seconds he turned around. Tyler, Kraig, Zach, come with me. The three of them rose from the warmth of their sleeping bags with eagerness. I guess the leadership training wasnt completely useless. They grabbed an assortment of flashlights and joined MacGurdy in the frigid night air. Ryan grumbled as they walked by his spot. You coming? Kraig asked the rest of us, poised to stride off into the night. Ryan answered first. No. I want some freaking sleep. You just know Andrews going to get mad if you go running off, right? They ignored him and strode off towards the van. Across the dirt expanse of our campsite, they were just a series of lights bobbing in the darkness. Colin turned to me and filled my nostrils with the smell of tobacco. Do you hear the girls doing anything? He cocked his head in the direction of their tent and toyed idly with his earrings. Man, I could really use a smoke. I mean, you guys wont say anything if I- Colin, Andrews going to smell it the next time he comes in here, I said. And I would prefer you not set my books on fire. Hey, Jack?

Yeah, Ryan? Go make sure they dont do anything stupid. Do I have to? Am I technically your superior? I rose with a groan. Even the act of putting on my sweater was hard given the pitch blackness, and I couldnt find my flashlight. I asked Colin to borrow his before I found my boots and left. I shuffled out into the starlight. The adventurers had started the van for some reason, and had the high beams on (for all the good it did; it just illuminated the trees right in front of us). As I approached, I noticed that they had armed themselves with axes taken from the vans tool-cage. Their carefully sharpened blades caught what little light there was. Dont hurt yourself with that, I advised Tyler, who had his back to me. I spent hours sharpening it. He jumped and spun his massive body around to meet my gaze. He was shaken, it seemed. After a moment, he said, MacGurdy wanted me to stay with the van, as if to offer explanation. Ah, yes, and where is the Redneck Wonder? He jerked a thumb over his shoulder nervously. Over by the edge of the woods with Zach. A particularly loud shout was now heard, and Tylers eyes widened. Thank you, Your Corpulence. I gave a bow and trudged around the van. The two of them were over there, sure enough, conspiring with an air of deathly seriousness. They peered into the woods vaguely in the direction of the noise. I was about to speak, but the crunch of my boots on the gravel tipped them off to my presence and they shushed me. I stood there a few minutes, listening to the continuing cries, before attempting communication with the sentinels.

Wheres Kraig? In the van. Is there any particular reason why? Hes going to honk the horn. Before I could respond, Agent Kraig carried out his mission objective with resounding success. I recoiled and shouted reflexively before running over to the tents. On my way, I noticed Rosie emerging from the girls tent, glaring. Melissa was shouting a string of curses from inside. What are you guys doing with the axes? Go back to bed, Rosie, said MacGurdy. He waved his hand dismissively. She turned to me for assistance, hands on her hips and eyebrows raised. The Boy Scouts here heard a noise in the woods. Andrews checking it out, I answered. Shh! Then why the hell did they honk the horn? Well, Id suggest you ask them, but- Shh! I walked up to her and checked to make sure no one was looking. I leaned in closer. Dont let him bother you. Just get some sleep. I quickly kissed her on the cheek. Good night. It was at that moment we heard Andrew marching over the crest of the hill. I stepped back into the tent and heard the others scramble to do the same as if their lives depended on it. They stopped when Andrew spoke. Theres three girls dead down there. Everyone stopped for a moment. Even I held my breath, as I realized all of a sudden that the shouting had stopped.

Im kidding, you fucking morons! Go back to bed! Then, as an afterthought: And what the hell were you doing with the axes? In the morning we found out a bunch of drunk students were having a party. One of them lost her flashlight and was shouting at people to help her find it.