Devil's Elbow

Act I: Chapter 1

“Deshan! You have everything you need?” Sharon asked her son Deshan, or to those who knew him best "Shani", who was getting his high tops on as she walked into the doorway of his room. Shani looked up at his mother and smiled, sighing.

“Mom, I already have the backpack and stuff set in the van.”

“Yeah, I know. It's just-”

Shani pecked his mom’s forehead, earning smacks upside his head, laughing as she smacked him on the back. “Have a good time. You earned it. I’ll keep your brother out of trouble.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Later Mom! I’ll be back on Monday!"

His brother, Jaelyn, was downstairs shaking his head. "Still cannot believe you didn't invite me."

"My man, it's an escape for us grown-ups." Shani said, grinning as dodged a pinch his brother attempted, as he always attempted.

"Man, it's a forest! You think you gonna hide from The Sasquatch or something?" Jaelyn scowled, rolling his eyes.

“Shani, remind me why we gotta listen to this s**t again?” Vincent asked his friend who was right now behind the wheel of his ’73 black and blue Volkswagen Vanagon.

“What’s wrong with some good ol’ sixties rock?” Shani smirked as he drove to their destination on the woodland road.

“Man, you know I am a hip-hop person. Then you gotta be playing this Deftones, Slipknot, Alice In Chain bullshit-“

“Hey, easy on the classics. You said it yourself in your 240X all the time: my car, my music, my shit.” Shani said, jabbing his arm in laughter.

“The only reason I don’t have a car is because it’s getting a shiny job,” Vincent muttered.

Of that Shani had no doubt. When Vincent wasn’t holed up in his games or friends, he was obsessed over his car fascination. Shani was more into listening to music and coming up with how to make his goal of becoming an actor a reality. He was already on the verge of graduating from his college with an Arts Associate Degree and was planning to head down south for talent search.

“Alright, we should be almost there in six minutes. Kodi said he was bringing our buddy Seth and Cole.”

“Cole?” Vincent smirked. “The old gang is back together, huh? Been a long time coming.” He chuckled, sighing as he laid back in his seat.

“Amen brother.” Shani smirked as the two dapped the backs of their fists. Kodi Warrick was a roamer, always in more than one place at a time, never ever really settling down. He and Shani had often talked about getting into horror movies, but where Shani was a straight-laced actor, Kodi was a more aggressive Jason Voorhees type and fashioned himself as usually the monster, like zombies, werewolves and things like them. Seth was more introverted. More into cars, he works as a mechanic and remains professional at it, separating his love of m*******a from his job. Cole was one of Shani’s greatest friends. The two had often been at each other’s side until Shani moved to Oregon and Cole to Arizona, where Cole worked as a car and truck dealer. Together the five boys grew up as good friends.

But they were not the only reason Shani was excited about his return to Seattle. “We're almost there?” Vincent asked, getting antsy.

“Just two more minutes. Hold your panties up.” Shani smirked, turning right up a hill.

“What’s this place called again?” Vincent asked, looking at the foliage which seemed to stretch forever.

“Gavri mentioned it was a forest she had been wanting to hike.”

“And again I ask; the name?” Vincent asked. “We’ll talk about it later man. Right now don’t distract me and listen to some Corey Taylor.” Shani sighed, smiling at his impatient friend.

“Like I have a choice.” He sighed to himself.

When they arrived in the lot, Shani smiled, seeing a familiar warm smirk come to welcome them as they parked.

“’Bout time you showed up. Thought I was gonna have to break the news alone?” The curly-haired girl smiled, leaning on the open window of Shani’s door to hug him.

“Nice to see you too, Gavri.” Shani smiled, returning it. Gavriella Nelaon, a small spunky girl to Shani, who he had been the closest thing to a sister he ever had. Not only brain-smart but street-smart, she was a girl who never held back on anything. To Shani, she was an angel, to those who knew her differently, like a hurricane; quiet and peaceful but intimidating and insane.

“How’s Austin?” Shani asked, smiling. He, among a few others, was the only one who knew of the twenty-year-old’s engagement to her boyfriend. “Bubba is good, just sad he couldn’t come most.” She smiled and nodded to Vincent. “Hey Vince.” She smiled.

“Gav.” He smirked back. "Been a minute."

"And a half," She smiled back and hugged him. Of all the friends he was close to, the fact these two polar opposites genuinely got along still surprised Shani as he shook his head.

“Wait, who else is here?” Shani asked, grabbing his doubleshot Starbucks coffee.

“Come out and see, dork.” A voice said, making him freeze in his seat and look behind Gavri. Who stood behind her was a girl that Shani could only describe as a goddess. “M-Mica?”

The auburn red-haired girl flashed a smile that immediately gave Shani the worst kind of butterflies, in the way only Mica Rini could. Slender, petite, and sassy with blue eyes that seemed to change at times, Mica always had a pull over Shani. Four years it had been and it was almost as if the emotions never left.

“Didn’t know you were gonna be here.” He said quickly, smiling. “I know, Gavri wanted to surprise you so we kept it low key.” She smiled, walking up.

Shani looked at Gavri accusatoryly. “That right?” She just smirked, shrugging mischievously. Vincent looked confused as to who Mica was.

Before Shani could tell him, the party heard a truck honk from behind and Shani smiled, recognizing the dark gray ’05 Tundra. “Kodi’s here.” He smirked, getting out and grabbed his and Vince’s sleeping bags.

Kodi howled a cheer as he got out and pulled Shani into a bro hug. “Sorry we’re late!”

“No harm, we just got here too.” Vincent smiled as he went for the bro hug as well. Seth walked over smoking from a small glass pipe. “Yo Shani, been a while.” He smirked and met Shani halfway for a high-five and hand shake. “New strand, brother?”

“Only the best kind,” Seth smiled, taking another smoke. Behind him I saw Cole and smiled at him. “Hemsley, you prick!”

“What up dickhead!” Cole laughed, giving Shani his own bro hug. Soon as they finished it, he and Gavri gave an awkward stare at each other.

“Shani, can we talk for a second?” Gavri whispered hushedly and yanked him away by his black denim vest’s hem. “You didn’t say Cole would be here.” She glared.

“Never said he wouldn’t either. Wanted to keep it low key.” Shani smiled at her, uttering Mica’s words. “Look, it’s about time you two sucked up your attitudes and just got past it. It has been years, so we may as well get it out the way.”

Gavri just glared, muttering and made a pout. “Are you saying that because I invited Mica?”

He just smiled. “Didn’t even know she was gonna be here so…” He smiled.

“Deshan Perry, sometimes I just hate you and your mediating ass…” She pouted.

“You love me, who are you kidding?” He smiled, wrapping her in one arm. The mere fact she let him, just shows how much pull the one had on the other. Because normally, that arm would be broken. It was no secret that the two, Gavri and Cole, were once a couple. The relationship was an intense one with its ups and downs. Were it not for the heaviest down that mattered, Shani would have figured they would get past it... but that ship had sailed.

“So ready to tell them?” He smiled at her.

She just smirked and nodded and looked at the group as they grabbed the tents, beer and sleeping bags.

“Okay lady and gentlemen, I believe it is about time we told you about where we will be spending the weekend.” He smiled as Mica and Kodi chuckled, the latter being more rowdy, of course.

“Now for decades this forest mountain has been kept quiet because rumors abound that this was a site that was closed off as most of Seattle had been made larger around the Industrial Era. But in the forest there exists a reservoir believed to have its own temperate lake along the mountain, which still remains a dormant volcano.”

“Rumor has it no one came because some believed it to be possessed by something ancient and so people have been waning away as the years went on.” Gavriella smirked ominously.

“Rumors? They are just that right..?” Vincent said nervously.

“Could be. Or just someone trying to scare those who enter. Either way, this will give us a chance to see if those rumors are true.” Shani smiled. “Yeah Vince, don't be a wuss.” Cole smiled, shoving his arm.

“I am not scared!” Vincent said defensively.

“Then let’s grab our bags and start walking. This forest is ten miles worth of trail so we got time to kill walking.” He smiled and went to grab his gear off the ground.

“So, Shani, what do they call this forest?” Mica asked, smiling.

Shani just smirked back, no inhibition in his voice. “Devil’s Elbow.”