Hunger on the Chisholm Trail

by M Ennenbach

  “It ripped out his spine?” Cody’s eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing that.

  His scientific curiosity mixed with the mushrooms he had consumed right before the sheriff found him sent his mind into a whirlwind. He hurried forward to see and slipped in the thick blood and fell onto his back with a jarring thud and splash. He lay in the syrupy pool and tried to catch his breath. He stared up to the rafters and swore he felt eyes staring back down on him. He blinked and kept looking but all he saw was darkness. Then he saw a faint flicker of motion. He opened his mouth to speak but realized he didn’t know if what he was seeing was actually there to be seen or not. He had sworn that River’s horse was trying to give him a message earlier. He turned his head and saw River standing there with a hand out to help him up, which he gladly took, all while refraining from looking up into the dark above him.

  “Thanks, River. I appreciate it.”

  River stared at him. “You are covered in blood. Why were you just laying in it?”

  Cody opened his mouth to speak when he saw the darkness drop from the rafters and land behind River soundlessly. His mouth moved but no words exited it, just a primal groan which was barely enough of a sign. River crouched quickly and a gray skinned arm swung where his head had just been. He spun and fired his gun twice at near point-blank range. A spray of black ichor rained against the back wall.

  The entire church exploded into a cacophony of gunfire. The Wendigo was hit and torn by the bullets, driven back against the wall where it snarled in rage before sliding down to sit motionless. The men stopped shooting and stared at it. Lean and covered in deep scars and black oozing holes along its corded, wiry frame. The gray skin hung in flaps from where the hot lead tore through it.

  Bradley still looked green but he stared at the creature from the doorway. “That wasn’t so bad for a demon from the depths of Hell.”

  Karl didn’t move and when Mikhail stepped forward to examine the body, he held out a hand to stop him. “Not yet. I’m not convinced it isn’t playing possum.”

  Mikhail laughed. “Ain’t no possum alive can survive that many bullets.”

  “We may have seen distinctly different possums in our time.”

  Cody was in awe of the thing. “Do you realize the kind of discovery for science this is? Monsters have always been tall tales told to explain the incomprehensible fear of the dark. But here lies the corpse of one. I need to dissect it. Learn from it. Who knows what secrets it may hide? New discoveries that will further our understanding of the world we live in.”

  He held his gun out and began to approach the Wendigo. His mind was already running through the possibilities. He would be famous. Perhaps land a teaching job at one of the schools back East. He was so caught up in thought he didn’t hear the warnings from Karl to stop. The stench of rot was so strong he felt his eyes watering. Bullets had penetrated the chest and lungs. He reached out and grabbed the wrist of the creature and felt for a pulse, but his excitement was so strong all he felt was his own pounding in his chest and skull. He was vibrating. He pulled put his long sharp blade from its sheath on his belt and held it beneath the creature’s nose. “No sign of fogging. No sign of a pulse. Gentlemen, I believe we have ended the Wendigo’s reign of terror.”

  Karl kept watching in anticipation. In his mind, he was counting down. How many times had a creature fallen only to get back up at the last minute? He had scars to show what overconfidence could do. But it didn’t shift at all. Just stayed hunched down against the wall with blood dripping from its wounds. He found himself smiling in amazement.

  Mikhail saw his smile and slapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like the big bad Wendigo couldn’t stand up to Sheriff Mikhail and his deputies. I imagine this will be a story you will tell to your grandchildren. Make sure to mention my fearlessness in the face of peril. And my rugged good looks.”

  “Leave out the part about me puking my guts out,” Bradley called as he walked back out into the dusk.

  “What do you want done with the body?” Karl asked River. “He was clearly once one of the Tribes.”

  Cody stood and faced River. “I need to study it. For all of mankind.”

  River stared at the corpse and shrugged. “It is an abomination and no part of the Tribes any longer. Let sawbones do as he will.”

  Cody smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes. Thank you. If you could help me get it across the street to my office. I want to start the autopsy immediately.”

  “I can save you time and effort, Cody. It died of lead poisoning.” Mikhail laughed and soon the rest of the men joined him.

  River bent down and grabbed the Wendigo by the legs and nodded to Cody who grabbed its arms. They lifted it with a grunt and left the church.

  “Let’s go let the ladies know we have vanquished the foul beast and grab some of Ms. Kenzie’s cooking. Possibly a bottle or five of whiskey as well,” Mikhail said as he moved towards the door.

  “What about all of this?” Karl pointed at Teddy still hanging limply from the cross.

  “I’m thinking a fire is in order. This place will never be clean again. Burn it to the ground and start fresh again when the new sheriff gets to town.”

  “And Josiah?”

  “He’ll turn up. One way or another.”

  Bradley was nothing but smiles as Karl closed the door behind him. “Whiskey and dinner is on me, boys! And maybe I’ll get lucky and Mary Jo hasn’t left yet.”

  “You like that foul-mouthed artist?” Robert asked with a smile.

  “She makes purdy paintings. Knows her way around a brush, if’n you catch my meaning. I’m sure you and Marie haven’t gotten there quite yet. You two being civilized folk and all.”

  The men laughed and walked as Robert’s face flared red in the fading light.

  ***

  River helped Cody dump the body on the examination table and turned to leave.

  “Where you headed? There’s gonna be a party tonight at Kenzie’s. I’m going to start my investigation and head over myself soon.”

  “I need to tell the Chiefs what went down. That the Wendigo is dead. Hasse Ola has his ceremony this evening, as well. If I hurry, I can make it for the end if it. We shall celebrate as well. A great evil was ended this evening, one that carried a heavy burden over my people. The people of Duncan shall be remembered for this.” With that, he went outside the office.

  Cody leaned his head out the doorway. “See if you can get more of those mushrooms while you are there!”

  River laughed and continued down the street.

  Cody returned to the office table and shrugged out of his heavy, bloodstained clothes. He went out the back door and pumped a basin of water and washed as much of the sticky red mess off as possible. He was dripping as he grabbed one of the towels off the shelf and dried himself. His mind was still racing at the thought of a book and tour. Maybe head to Europe with the specimens. He dressed into the change of clothes he always left in the bottom of his desk and shrugged on a rough spun long coat to keep himself clean.

  He returned to the Wendigo with an ink pot and pen to journal his discoveries.

  Of Men and Monsters, Hunger on the Chisholm Trail, he began. He wrote out the story of Hasse Ola and Tracey in quick efficient handwriting. Then he told the tale of Chris lashed over the back of a horse brought into town with stories of the Devil on the trail. He smiled as he read his words back. The fading effects of the mushrooms still lent a dreamlike quality to his words. He made a note to ask Karl about other monsters. Maybe he could go along on an adventure with him? This was just the beginning of his rise to fame. He could tell. He knew when he headed out to the middle of nowhere, he was destined for greatness. No one in the cities believed in him. But here he was allowed to do things his way.

  He set down his paper and moved to look over the thing that would elevate his practice. He stared at the body in wonder. The skin shade was unusual, perhaps a freak pigmentation like albinism. He reached forward and peeled up an eyelid and was amazed
at the all black orbs. He wished Duncan had a photographer. He imagined there would be one soon, once word of this being home to a monster spread. People could not contain themselves when given a glimpse into the dark.

  He turned and grabbed a Mason jar from the shelf and the large bottle of formaldehyde as well. He mixed a healthy amount of formaldehyde into the jar and added alcohol to fill it near the top. He turned back to the body with a small knife to try and carefully pluck the eyes out. The all black would make onlookers shiver in fright, he told himself with a grin.

  “That’s peculiar,” he muttered as he saw the eye had closed again. He chuckled to himself at the momentary spike of adrenaline he felt. “Rigor Mortis may be settling in causing the muscle to spasm and shutting the eye.”

  Then he noticed something else strange. The bullet wounds seemed to be knitting themselves back together before his eyes. He blinked a few times, blaming it on hallucinations. No. As he watched the body, it mended itself. He watched in fascination as realization dawned upon him. The thing was still alive. He turned to run out of the room but felt a hand snap up and grab him by the arm. He was wrenched back to the table and found himself staring into those inky eyes filled with malice and hunger.

  “Dooooooooooooon’tttttt ruuuuuuuuun.”

  “Please don’t kill me. Please. I’m begging you,” Cody groveled.

  The Wendigo just smiled at him, a cold smile devoid of anything remotely human. Then its other hand flew forward into his face. Cody felt his eyes rupture and ocular jelly run down his face. That was the last sensation he felt as the claws broke through the thin layer of skull and into his brain. His body jerked as the electrical impulses raced in a state of confusion through him. He was no longer there as the teeth began to rip into his cheek.

  The office was filled with sounds of cracking bones and wet smacking as the Wendigo feasted upon Cody. A splatter of blood flew across the room and stained the pages of his magnum opus and soaked through the paper.

  13

  The Tribes

  The sunset left only the faintest light on the far horizon. The men returned from the hunt with haunches of fresh meat slung over the back of their horses. Campfires dotted the area as dinners cooked and tendrils of smoke rose lazily into the sky. The makeshift town was lively and filled with smiles, the hustle of the day giving in to the peace of the evening.

  The Medicine Lodge was hushed as the chiefs filed in. Each brought an offering of sage and hide to appease the spirits. They solemnly bowed their heads before the blazing fire and made peace with the ancestors that watched over them. The gifts were consumed, and the smoke felt heavy as it drifted up through vents in the canopy.

  The chief of the Muscogee, now one of equals among the Tribes, sat singing gently as he ground the sacred dyes. He took long pulls from the water skin filled with berries and herbs that had been left to ferment for weeks. He spit into the dyes as he crushed and mixed them together. At his side, a young hunter that had been chosen to learn the secrets of Medicine from the elders and ancestors sat sharpening branches into fine points.

  Hasse Ola had sat still for the last hour. His fever seemed on the verge of breaking. The ropes around his arms and legs relaxed along with his taut muscles that had been at the point of tearing the last cycle of sun and moon. He was still bound, tethered with arms above his head to stakes driven into the soil. But his face carried a sense of serenity. Each chief sang softly the songs of his people as they waved sage over the still form.

  Hasse Ola opened his eyes and looked around with confusion faint in the brown orbs. One of the chiefs held a skin to his lips and let water trickle into his mouth. He sighed contentedly and his eyelids slid closed again.

  “He has relaxed. The spirits hear our pleas. Let the ritual begin.”

  14

  Kenzie’s

  When the four men entered the bar, seven sets of eyes met them with looks of hope and anxiety. Jia-Li ran to Mikhail and wrapped him in a bear hug. Marie was on her heels and grabbed Robert’s face and pulled him down to plant a fierce kiss on his lips. The ladies hooted and hollered at the display. Robert stood stiff as a board for a moment and it was obvious he was a mixture of shocked and embarrassed at first. But, eventually the passion swept through him and he gave as good as he received.

  Bradley stopped in the doorway and Kenzie gave him a smile. Then his head snapped to the side. Mary Jo stood glaring daggers at him. “What in tarnation was that for?” he demanded.

  “You are an idjit. Do you hear me, Bradley? An idjit. What were you thinking? You could have woken me up, I’m a sight better shooting than you, I reckon. What if you’d been injured?”

  He stared at her in confusion. “You told me you were leaving town to take the horse back as soon as you got up. How in the hell was I supposed to . . . ” His head snapped to the other side. He looked at the outlaw in bewilderment.

  She stared at him with equal disapproval. “Ain’t as if you argued. Or offered to ride with me.”

  He was thoroughly confused now. “Did you want me to?”

  Her face softened. “I wouldn’t say no. That’s for sure.”

  “Did you wait for me?”

  “I ain’t no fool. If’n there was a monster loose out there, I’d make a soft target for it.”

  He reached out and grabbed her hand. It was both a gesture of affection and to prevent a third slap. “Darling, there ain’t nothing soft about you. Well, some soft bits, I reckon. But I like them too.” He pulled her in and kissed her gently on the lips. The ladies hollered nearly as loudly as they had for Marie.

  Kenzie cringed a bit, probably debating if she just lost a good partner or gained an awful one. Karl smiled sadly at the happy faces, his mind on Tracey and the date that was never to be. He approached the bar and Kenzie rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him a sweet smile that reflected pain in his eyes. He nodded to her, words seemingly stuck in his throat and took the offered glass of whiskey she held out to him.

  Frank and Otto, the two travelers, sat watching the spectacle. Frank seemed confused by the ordeal. Otto was indifferently staring with his lips down in a frown.

  Kenzie watched as Karl sipped the drink slowly. When he finally set the glass down, she spoke. “I’m taking it you got the bastard?”

  “That we did.”

  “Did we lose anyone else?”

  “Teddy. And we didn’t find Josiah anywhere.” Everyone grew quiet as he told the tale of the scene in the church. He relayed River’s words as well. When he finished speaking, silence filled the room.

  “Bullshit,” Frank exclaimed as the silence lingered. Otto set his hand on his friend’s arm, but Frank shrugged it off. “No. That is the biggest load of cockamamie I have heard. A gray skinned savage done up and killed Lord knows how many people. And ate them too? Horse shit.”

  Robert took an angry step toward the men, but Marie placed a hand on his chest. Mikhail cast an angry stare from over his wife’s head.

  It was Mary Jo that spun in a fit of anger, her hands resting in her weapons. “Listen to me, coward, and listen good. Don’t think I didn’t see the both of ya nearly piss your drawers when you found out what was happenin’. It took Ms. Jia-Li and Ms. Kenzie to hold me back. But the two of you no good, lousy mongrels didn’t lift finger one nor offer your assistance. Now you remember your balls when the killin’ is done. I’ve a mind to put you down myself. Lily-livered cowards.”

  Otto held up his hands. “Listen, ma’am, Frank here is just drunk and talking out of his backside. It’s just we ain’t never heard of one of those windmill-go things. Please accept our apologies. And our thanks. Ain’t that right, Frank?”

  Frank muttered something into his glass and Otto slapped him upside the head. “My apologies, ma’am. Gentlemen. I’ve been in the cups all day and don’t rightly know what I’m sayin’.”

  Bradley pulled Mary Jo back and wrapped his arms around her front. “Thank you, darling.”

  She melted back into him and sig
hed. The storm had passed and everyone returned to chatting. Marie led Robert to the bar and pulled out his stool. He sat and took the glass of whiskey. Then she sat down on his lap and rested her head against his chest.

  Mikhail and Jia-Li walked over and sat by Karl. “Thank you for bringing my pup back to me unharmed, Mr. Beck.”

  Karl smiled at her. “My pleasure. Hell of a man you have there.”

  She patted Mikhail’s cheek and smiled at him while wrinkling her nose. “The best. And quite pretty too, even though he smells like a slaughterhouse.”

  They all sat and drank while Bradley told the same story they had just heard but managed to embellish every detail. Soon, the Wendigo was twelve-foot-tall and he stared up at it with a crooked grin and unleashed fire upon it. Mikhail gave a glance at Karl and both men burst out laughing.

  “You’ve got a bit of vomit on your trousers and boots, Bradley,” Kenzie called out as he was singlehandedly taking the creature down. Everyone burst into fresh laughter as he flushed and hurriedly looked down.

  For that moment, all was right in Duncan. Every single person was smiling and drinking. Even Frank and Otto seemed to be relaxed as they took it all in. Outside, the old owl let out a hoot and flew past the lively bar on its rounds to find a rabbit for its breakfast. Peace seemed to settle over the town like a blanket.

  Then it went to hell.

  The front window of the bar shattered inwards and Tara and Amber let out screams. The projectile that broke the window landed with a thud and rolled to rest at Frank’s boots. He looked down at it and fell backward out of his chair.

  Josiah’s head stared at the ceiling with a grisly look of shock.

  “Pleeeeease dooooooooooooon’tttttt” came howling from the street outside.

  Karl leapt off of his stool with his weapon drawn. Mikhail was up at the same time. Karl looked at Bradley. “Get the women in the back room.”

  “What the hell is that out there? The Wendigo is dead.” Kenzie couldn’t take her eyes off of Josiah’s head.