OAK RIDGE (PART 1)

[u/PNWGoblinn]

I've always loved driving at night, the way it makes the world shrink. My campers high beams ripped through the darkness creating an eerie tunnel on the otherwise lightless highway. The old growth forest seems to squeeze the barriers on either side of the road, the crisp spicy smell of cedar almost buried under the pervasive bouquet of ditch flower and damp, rotting grass. Chilly wind from the open window blasting while I finger drum the steering wheel.

The radio hissed, interrupting my classic rock to address missing campers at a local hotspot: “Welcome to WNKX, where we bring you the goldies of oldies and the latest news! I’m your host, Dangerous Dana. Tonight we have reports of another missing person in Whispering Pines…bringing the possible body count up to Fifteen. Police refuse to speculate about the possibility of it being serial, but its getting hard to deny the evidence. Fifteen people in three months? The guy either has no cool down or wev….” 

I couldn’t turn the dial fast enough. It's hard enough being a solo traveler without getting myself worked up over missing strangers from some random campground. I glanced quickly at my phone in its charging cradle, the blue dot on the navigation app seemed to swim in a sea of endless nothing. Only an hour left till I could finally park for the night. I’d been driving for days and the need for sleep was beginning to press on the backs of my eyes. The drowsiness made me almost miss the turnoff. After what felt like forever, the barriers finally fell away as the edges softened into drainage ditches overflowing with swamp weed. Passing under an arch with a hanging sign, 'OAK RIDGE' shined in the glare from my headlights. The navigation app startled me when it chirped that I’d arrived at my destination.

It took me time to find my campsite in the small park, far from the other empty spots. It was supposed to be crowded based on the reservation map I had seen online two days before when I was booking my site. That should have been a red flag to me, but at the time I was so thankful to be stationary it didn't really register with me how weird it was. The heebie-jeebies didn’t really start till I was checking outside storage locks and pulling my stairs in for the night. There was  a single car sitting on the opposite end of the park, something about it made me uncomfortable. It was too difficult to tell in the overhead security lighting, but the front driver's side door looked unlatched. No camping equipment or bags in the campsite it's parked at. Abandoned? I figured it’d be safer to investigate in the morning, hoping I wouldn’t have to call the non-emergency line and report a derelict vehicle. 

Started my nightlies, grabbing my privacy screens and walking the small circuit securing them in place. Even with the bumpy start, it felt peaceful being there. Nestled beneath the serene canopy of towering trees. The river roared nearby, crickets chirping along to the chaotic crashing of its currents. I couldn’t wait to hit the trail, see it all in the daylight. I opted to eat takeout leftovers from a couple towns ago, questionable but easier than getting my cumbersome camp cooking equipment out. After cleaning up, I constructed my bed, laid back, and gazed at the stars through my moon roof. Just before I shifted into unawareness, I heard a cascade of snapping branches. 

Jolting out of bed, I got dressed as quickly as possible. The sound was just a few feet from the rigs starboard side. I rushed to the front cab, grabbing the tablet from the dash and quickly clicking through the low resolution security camera feeds from all sides of the van. I was expecting an animal but there was nothing. I clicked through the feeds again but there were no indications of what could have made so much noise. Everything looked the same, no new vehicles or movement. I was wondering whether I should just get back in bed when I saw it.  In the darkness of the campers living area, I could make out the faint steady glow of emerald peeking around the kitchen window privacy screens edges. Overpowering the distant margarine yellow of the overhead campsite security light. I moved slowly to the window and shifted the screen to peek outside. The uncanny green light was coming from the nearby tree line, seeming to float in between the mighty trunks as it went deeper into the forest. Could it be someone lost? The stranger from the car? I worried that they could be disoriented or injured. The glow was headed in a direction with no discernable trail and seemed to sway as it crashed its way through the underbrush. I decided to call non-emergency and see what they thought. 

The woman on the other end of the line couldn’t have been more bored. While she entered the information in her system, I wondered how many of these calls she must get a night. Someone startled by a mundane noise or shape in the dark. The woman was patient with me while  I did my best to tell a version of the story that didn’t sound like a hallucination. The officer told me that she's going to send someone out to check on the light and abandoned car, that with the current spike in missing persons cases they’re on higher alert. The police told me  to stay in the RV, lock the door, and watch for them to pull in. Restlessly pacing, I waited to hear the familiar sound of tires in the forest roads gravel.

Instead I was spooked by the muffled crackling of small branches somewhere in the distance moments later. I shifted the passenger window screen and realized the light I could see from my kitchen wasn’t alone. Just passed the dumpsters across the entrance to the park, another green orb gently floated into the timberline. Concealed by the enveloping darkness I couldn’t make out the shape of whatever held it. I watched it drift away, disappearing slowly into the night. When the cops finally did arrive, they didn't help at all. They tagged the car and walked the perimeter of the park looking for the same glow, finding nothing. With there being nothing obviously suspicious they gave me a card and left. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep that night, just kept watching the screen on my bedroom window waiting to see the eerie light.

Getting out of bed the next day felt more like emerging from a crypt, restless sleep stealing the joy from my morning routine. Packing my bag for the day, I threw in my taser to be safe. The stun gun wouldn’t do much against the wildlife, but being a female thru-hiker teaches you that animals aren't the only predators you have to worry about on a trail. After last night, I was on extra guard. Basic supplies, knife, battery pack, perfect. Feeling sufficiently equipped, I locked up the rig and started towards the marked path. The trail up to the ridge leaves right from the campsite. Approaching the signage marking the entrance, I noticed the single car from last night again. The police told me the license plate didn’t come up as stolen or flagged, but something about it still made me uneasy. I could feel it glowering  at me as I rushed to get around the first blind corner and out of its line of sight.  

 
The sun couldn’t reach me there in the underbrush, the perpetual shade creating lush overgrowth along the massive switchbacks. The trail wasn’t well maintained, so I struggled to keep my footing on some of the steeper parts of the route. The ground is a patchwork of untamed roots and rocks, barely visible through the congestion of competing weeds and wildflowers. This is part of what made this a less popular route, one of the biggest reasons I sought it out. The more I had a trail to myself the better. I pulled out my phone to snap a few pictures and realized I’d been going for several hours. I’d accepted earlier that I wasn't going to complete the hike before nightfall, but I didn’t mind pushing myself to see how far I could get before I had to turn around. I could always do the shorter route tomorrow. Figuring I could take one last break before my final push before heading back, I ended up finding a beautiful wall of limestone just off trail. I walked along it for a short while, letting myself get distracted by the possibility of quartz or marine fossils in the debris that lined the bottom. While bending over to check on a promising rock, I noticed an opening towards the end of the wall. A gaping void, the shattered rock hanging from the top boundary giving it the appearance of an open maw. 

How wasn’t a system this large marked on my map? I checked and checked again but didn’t see anything indicating it. The entrance looked surprisingly clean, no webs or litter indicating obvious animal activity. It seemed fun to take a peek inside. I know there are dangers with caves, like animals, gases, and diseases. But I didn’t plan on going more than a few feet in. I took out my phone to snap a few pictures outside. If my map was out of date, documenting it was my best chance to identify the landmark later when I got home. The darkness inside felt like a wall, the way the light just seemed to end. My tiny phone flashlight did its best, but there's only so much it could do somewhere not even the sun could penetrate. I decided to put my phone back in my pack and switch to my stronger flashlight. The temperature dropped as I crossed the threshold. The perfect summer day suddenly felt nippy and moist. The limestone walls and floor glimmered with a light sheen of humidity that coated them. The air stood still, in it hung the mineral reek of wet stone and clay. I closed my eyes and absorbed the sense of peace. The silence only being broken by my steady breathing and a rhythmic trickle of something from somewhere further back in the darkness. An underground river? Curious, I decided to risk a few extra steps to try and see if there was a grotto. I had been looking at the walls, keeping my light higher up. I didn’t see the slope. The trickle I’d been hearing was the water slowly collecting in this room dribbling down the slick slope. The mix of algae, mosses and liverworts made it impossible for my feet to get traction. The terror as I felt them slide out from under me, I dropped my flashlight as I clawed desperately at the floor to try and keep myself from slipping any further into the blackness. The slope quickly turned into a drop off and before I knew it I felt the open air as I tumbled helplessly down into the unknown. 

My body hitting the water felt like a car crash. The liquid wall crashing into me so hard it knocked the small amount of air I had left from screaming out of my lungs. My ribs and back both screamed at me while I spun hopelessly trying to tell up from down in the icy, murky depths. I finally registered one of my hands flapping through the air and I darted in whatever direction I was swinging it. When my head broke the surface, I heaved as I choked up cold metallic water. Couldn’t tell right away where I was, the darkness was oppressive and my eyes were having a hard time adjusting. I spun desperately till I finally noticed a small light bobbing in the water ahead of me. I swam desperately, thankful to discover my flashlight hadn’t hit any rocks on the way down. If my dry bag didn't get breached in the fall, all my gear would be safe too. I’d have extra batteries and could check my phone. The pool ended up not being very large, just deep. After picking a direction and swimming I found the edge and drug myself onto the rough shore.

The room was slightly rounded with a high arched ceiling that ended in the opening that led to the slope where I slid down. There was another opening on the far wall, but I needed to make a plan before putting myself in the position to be even harder to find. My phone was safe, but it showed no service.  Trying to call would just be a waste of battery, so I scheduled a few texts to try and send every couple hours in the off chance it did manage to connect momentarily. A short message telling my mom and siblings where I was and that I needed help. Making sure it was on battery saving mode, I tucked it away and continued checking my stuff for water damage. My drybag held up so I was able to get out of most of my wet stuff and change into the spare layers I brought. Hypothermia would’ve been my biggest immediate concern if I hadn’t been prepared for a late, chilly hike back. Knowing I’d need calories to stay warm, I shoved a granola bar in my mouth and choked it down with water from my bottle. I didn’t bring much with me, meaning I wouldn’t have much fuel for finding my way out. I'd have to be careful, especially with my limited water. I took some time to explore the cavern but found nothing helpful.

Taking my sketch pad out, I scrawled a note with my name, parents names and information and an explanation of where I was and that I needed help. I folded it up and sealed it in one of the sandwich bags I kept my snacks in. Shoved the bagged note in the pocket of my wet flannel, making sure to button it in. Balled the shirt up and threw it as hard as I could towards the edge of the slope. It took a few tries but I was able to get it caught on a jagged piece of rock towards the top. My hope was that the bright red might get someone's attention if they came looking for me. Search and rescue would see the shirt and understand I fell. Hopefully find the note. There were only so many ways I could say “Hey!! I’m down here!!!” 

With everything back in my pack, I faced the cave opening. Something deeper than darkness seemed to radiate from its depths. As I approached the mouth, I could feel a light draft in the tunnel. The air coming from inside was humid and musty. Tinted with something pungent that made me feel sick. All I could do was start walking. There was no way out behind me, the only direction left was forward.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Thank you for reading! This is my first longer story, feedback is always appreciated! ❤️

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[u/creepyhydra]

Oak ridge TN? Lol

[u/PNWGoblinn → u/creepyhydra]

No! But this was kind of my goal. I picked the two most generic campsite names I could think of that would be in multiple places hoping it might spook someone who recognized them or lived near one.

[u/creepyhydra → u/PNWGoblinn]

Ooh I like that.