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Exploring the Barrens

Lyn's Writing Event Day 5

Characters: Ray Levine x Fem reader

Fandom: Richard Armitage - Ray Levine - Stay Close

May 5th: Week 1: Jersey Devil (flying goat man)

Characters: Ray Levine x fem reader

Fandom: Richard Armitage – “Ray Levine” – Stay Close

(The character “Ray Levine” was created by Harlan Coben and adapted for television by Danny Brocklehurst)

Location: Pine Barrens, NJ

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: angst, mutual attraction, photography, deep woods, Halloween, full moon, myths, lore, fluff, romance

All Hallow’s Eve; You and Ray take a drive up to the Pine Barrens near dusk to take some photographs of flora and landscape and catch a sighting of the jersey devil.

The coastal water and the pine forests are not that far apart. Stretching a few miles west of the coastline. The Pine Barrens is a large span of National Forest in southern New Jersey that runs about 25 miles end to end. And 35 miles north to south. It is there that the story begins.

It was a relatively warm afternoon for late October. Ray drove his beat-up ford Mustang along the pine trails highway, miles and miles of expansive forests surrounding them. The sun was peaking across the barrens as it prepared to set to their left. The way the sun caught the greying green of the forest was mesmerizing. You sat your face glued to the window, as Ray’s hand strayed onto your thigh squeezing it gently, “You ok?” he asked. You turned towards him and grinned, “Yeah, yeah, of course. Its just so beautiful here”. Ray smiled, “Wait until I show you my favorite spots” his eyebrows quirked up and you giggled. Ray drove a few more miles before a break in the woods led to a parking area for hiking. He parked and got out, walking around to your side, and opening the door for you, that stuck a little until you pulled up the metal lock button. Ray stood with his hand out to you, you rose from the seat clad in hiking boots, jeans and a wooly sweatshirt. Your Nikon camera hanging from your neck ready for some shooting. Ray had his already slung across his chest, as you stood. He looked at you a moment, you thought he was going to say something, and then he just looked out to the woods, and back at you. You heart kind of fluttered in your chest. You had made up your mind to tell him how you felt today. Regardless of the outcome.

Sure, you and Ray had been hanging out a lot since you both joined a photographer’s group for “singles”, just the thought made you roll your eyes, but you needed to make new friends after you had moved from Seattle, so you made the best of it. Coming across the country like this was intense. The people, the scenery, even the ocean felt different. Some things were still the same, and that was the woods. You loved the woods, the smell of it, the sounds of it, the feeling of safety in it. When you were a little girl you used to hide in the woods behind your house, the subdivision was small then, and you could play for hours in the woods without a soul to bug you. Your best friend Lisa came too when she was there, but Lisa had died shortly after her 9th birthday of Leukemia and looking out to the barrens of pines you sighed remembering her. Ray looked back at you, “You sure, your alright?” he said in that eastern accent you had begun to develop a crush on.

“Yeah” looking at him, “just thinking about people I used to know” Ray came closer to you then, leaning in, “demons from the woods, it is all hallows eve you know”. His breath so near your face made you hold your breath a second. You smiled as he stood back up to his full height. “Not like that Ray,” you laughed, “But thanks for the reminder. I’ll make sure and spook you on this trek”. You sort of childishly punched him in the shoulder and he put his arm around your shoulder in a friendly manner, leading you down the trail ahead of you.

You both trudged through the crunching leaves and underbrush, looking up at the canopy of pines. You snapped a few shots as Ray stepped off the trail head and knelt down to a take a close up of some moss? You couldn’t actually tell what he was doing. You stopped and asked him, “What did you find?” Ray looked up over his shoulder, “Oh just some really textured moss, I’m working on this texture landscape project”. You smiled, “I like texture, are you staying color or doing black and whites” Ray stood up, still looking down at this subject, “Actually probably both, I’m not sure yet. But maybe you can help me afters” He smiled, kind of flirtatiously. You had known him for about a month or so and still couldn’t figure out his, well tells. It was Atlantic City right; do we see people in forms of gamblers on this journey? You weren’t sure. You both continued back on to the trailhead as the sun got lower and lower to the horizon. It spread further out in the sky causing a dark orange red hue to fill the forest underbrush. The cool tones of the night starting in as well. You had packed your night lens in your pocket and were hoping to catch some moon light.

Ray stopped again in a clearing and laid down, looking up with his camera towards the canopy. You followed suit and laid down beside him. He chuckled looking through his lens, “We should meet like this more often,” he said, again teasingly you thought. I mean, was he actually flirting?

You looked through your own lens, and peripherally caught him looking at you, “Yeah, we should” you said. Ray put his camera on his chest and looked at you, sighing heavily. “Look, (fem reader), I really like you. This is fun, but if I’m overstepping or offending you, please tell me”. You looked at him, seriousness in your eyes, “No. its fine. I am glad to know its flirting. I just thought you were, well friendly, which I haven’t heard is the norm out east”. Ray smiled with his eyes sparkling in response to your acceptance, then huffed out looking back up through his lens, “Yeah we get that a lot. Not sure who started it, but its not going to end anytime soon”. You laugh, “well it has a certain charm I’m sure”. Ray smiled, “Yeah in the city for sure, but here in AC its not, well cute. Its just annoying”. You put down your camera again, “Sorry if I offended you then” Ray winked, “Nah, its fine. No worries”. He sat up first and then offered to help you up. Pleasantries were exchanged. And now the darkness was seeping into the woods. You walked further and further into the Barrens, making it harder and harder to see. You couldn’t hear anything from the lone highway, or any other woodland creature.

Ray stopped to change his lens and so did you, realizing that this low light was going to mean longer shutter times. “So where is this ‘spot’ you wanted to show me?” you asked, inquisitive. You could still make out his red flannel jacket and carved jawline in the dusk light. Ray eyes flashed just then, and your stomach flopped up to your chest. “Its this way, come on,” and he grabbed your sleeve and pulled you through the shorter shrubs and underbrush. “It’s a ruin up a head. I found it last spring”. His grip on your sleeve slackened, as he stopped short of his mark. A clicking sound of a pen light and he cast a hazy glow around an old, abandoned shack in the woods. It stood about 12 feet high, with a caved in roof, and lots of lichen. Ray giggled under his breath, “Here it is”, he said excitedly. “Nice, you want to invite me in?” Ray looked down at you, you weren’t short persay, but anyone was shorter than Ray, he was 6’3” of gorgeous, chiseled features and broad shoulders and an ass that made jeans a necessity in his wardrobe. “yeah, of course,” Ray spread his arm wide in a Disney like welcome and you snorted a laugh. The door was rusting off its hinges, but Ray still managed to open it, and when you peaked in it was a playful embodiment of cobwebs and plant growth. Mushrooms dusted the now earthen floorboards. You stepped inside a little unsure of what you would disturb. Ray was right behind you, his breath on the back of your neck.

“Maybe we shouldn’t disturb it” you said, trying to step back and bumping into him further. His arm caught your waist, and you gasped a second, and dropped your camera to the ground. Ray spun you around to face him, “You scared of some cobwebs?” His hand moved to your chin, as he tilted it up, and moved in for a kiss. You did everything you could not to move, you’d wanted to kiss him since the first day you met. He’s so scruffy and honest and earnest, a little haunted, but not more than most over 35. Your lips met softly, and fire burned in your belly, sending pulses shooting in all directions, all the way down to your feet. Your knees buckled, and Ray caught you steady on your feet. He smiled in the kiss, and your arms made it around his shoulders. Ray moved you carefully through the doorway of the shack and stood tall again, you cradled against him. The kiss broke off, and he let go of you. You blushed and turned back to the shack, looking for your camera on the ground. Ray eyes were heady in the low light as he looked at you. “Can I borrow your light, I can’t see my camera now” Ray pulled the pen light from his pocket and handed it to you. A click illuminated the shadows in the shack and you yelped as you saw a large spider living a web very near where you entered, it twitched in its web. Ray chuckled under his breath. “You spook easily, I didn’t think that about you” You picked up the camera, keeping your eye and the light on the large spider, “Yeah, well there wasn’t a check box for that at the speed dating thing. “Are you afraid of spiders?” he asked pointedly. “I guess, I mean, that one is huge,” you swept the light back over for him to see. Ray came close and bent down, “yeah she is a nice specimen”, smiled. “I’m not like phobia afraid of them, but I don’t go getting into trouble with them either”. Ray looked at you again, “Fair, enough, guess I shouldn’t tell you about the Jersey Devil then, huh?”

You looked up at Ray again, still lingering through thoughts from that kiss, “The Jersey Devil?”

Ray looked back over his shoulder as a screech from an owl disturbed the blissful nightfall. “Yeah,” he started to trudge again back towards the trail, “Rumor has it he haunts these barrens. There are sightings of some ungodly creature with like goat feet and head, bat wings and a forked tail”. You kind of laugh as you look around the surrounding darkness, “Are you serious?” Ray looked back at you, “You think I would make that up, your not a tourist, (fem reader)”. You chagrinned, “I suppose not. Have you read about it?” Ray stopped, “Well actually I did a bit of digging about the original story, and it turns out the original family, the Leeds’ their home was not too far from here” Ray pulled out his phone and it showed some pins on a map, “I’ve been looking for it, well,” he smirked, “Sort of. It would be fun to find, you know?” You nodded, “Sure I could see that paying better than the other stuff” Ray put his phone away, “I know, I know, its just kind of bugging me, I’ve been coming out to this woods for years, and I’ve never spotted him, not once, so” he blew out a breath. “So its kind of like your mission then, ya?” you asked.

Ray, looked at you, “Nah, more of a hobby. A fascination, but I can think of other ways to fascinate myself” Ray moved towards you again, this time, your hands met his chin, and though you both were wearing cameras around your necks you still managed to kiss again, just as earnestly as the first time. Ray shifted his camera around behind him, and then shifted yours with his hands, keeping the kiss locked. He held you close to him, your arms swept up and crushed against his frame. Eyes closed you both reveled in the sensation of your lips meeting again and the driving heat that resonated between you both in the darkness. Ray started to kiss your cheek, and down your neck slackening his hold on you. A nearby tree became his friend, as he directed you toward it, leaning in more, deepening the kiss. Your heart thumped wildly and your feet tingled at his kisses. You pulled him in closer as well in returning passion. He moaned into your mouth, as his tongue slid along your lower lip.

A high pitched and sharp sound cut through the night from far off. The sound so sharp it broke you both from the kiss, “What in the fuck was that?” you blurted out. Ray was a bit disoriented, and snapped back immediately as the screech came again, “An owl?” You shook your head, “that’s far too loud even for a screech owl”. Ray kept you close, “Whatever it is, I don’t think its coming this way”. The screech was heard again, and an eerie fog started to descend upon the grove. “Ray?” Ray stood strong, “Yeah?” “I think it is getting closer”. Ray grinned and rubbed your shoulders, “Its ok. I got you”. You looked up at him, as the moon started to shine across the eerie scene, breaking from the clouds, “Ray, its Halloween and were in the woods with a weird creature. Maybe we should just go”. Ray caressed your face, “Still spooked huh?” he rubbed your back, “Alright, we can go. Want to go grab a bite?” You nodded, though in the low light it was all assumed. Ray took your hand and led you back towards the trail again, following what he could of the markers with his pen light and his memory.

You were aware though that each step was moving in the direction of that terrifying sound. What would you encounter on the way back to the car?

The sound screeched again, this time closer, and even Ray paused, “Ok, that was closer”. His hand on your hand squeezed tighter reassuring you of your safety, “Come on, were almost back to the car”. You paused feeling something blow past you, “Ray?” Ray spun around as a large amalgamation of an animal resembling a goat, too tall for its frame, wings tucked back, and clawed hands grunted and bit sharply towards you. You flipped your flash on and hit the click on your camera several times trying to disorient it. It shook off the brightness and Ray pulled you back, “(fem reader) get back!” You forced yourself to take a shot and kept clicking while Ray and this creature tussled in the brush. “Ray! Don’t!” you called out, but Ray already had it by its scruffy neck and was punching it profusely. It gurgled and screeched again before loosing consciousness. Ray swept his hair off his eyes and wiped the spit from the creature off his face with his sleeve. He let go of its neck and dropped it to the forest floor. Ray turned to you, “Are you alright, (fem reader)?” You nodded, “Yes, yeah. Are you?” Ray rolled his shoulder, “Yeah, you can’t mess with me, in these woods” He laughed, he saw your look of fright and came to you, “Come here”, his bear arms came around you in a welcoming hug and you felt safe, so so safe in his arms. He kissed the top of your head and you sighed into his chest, as he rubbed your back.

“Well time for a drink I think, yeah? We’ve had quite a day of it”, He kissed your head again and kept his arms on your shoulder as you both walked back to the car, “Ray?” “Yeah?” “Do you think that was the Jersey Devil?” “I don’t know, it looked like a deranged goat, but either way, were safe”. He smiled. He placed you in the passenger seat and climbed into the driver’s side. Ray fired up the engine, the Mustang rumbled as he eased out to the highway and headed back to the shore.

THE END

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