“Why didn’t you stop him?” Cindy said to Colleen.
“We’re freaks,” Colleen said, shrugging her shoulders. “I think I got off on it more than he did.”
Martin glowered at Ken and Colleen. If they weren’t life long friends, he might have gotten up and punched Ken in the teeth. They all went to college together in Lexington and were out camping for the weekend. Ken was as tall as Martin, but skinny, and had an Adam’s apple that stuck out like a jagged piece of glass. He was naturally pale and Martin didn’t think he’d ever seen a day when Ken had a tan; he was either a jellyfish white or red as a storefront Indian. Ken had brown eyes set between a hawk’s nose and protruding chin. He was a nice guy, and funny and smart. Colleen was quite the opposite: blonde, buxom, outgoing, athletic, and perpetually tanned. She had blue eyes that blazed with smarts and passion, and she looked like she could take Ken into her arms and crush him.
“You two,” Cindy said. Her tone said she wasn’t mad anymore, just amused. Martin wished he felt the same. He was embarrassed and having a hard time getting over it.
Colleen slid her hand into Ken’s. “If it would help, you could watch us, later tonight,” she said. Martin held up his hands and shook his head.
“No, way,” he said. “Let’s just get to camp and get settled in.”
“Don’t be mad,” Ken said.
“I’m not,” Martin said. He paused. “Okay, I am. A little. That wasn’t cool.”
“Sorry,” Ken said. “For real, though, we only just showed up. We didn’t see much.”
“You saw me naked!” Cindy said.
“And what a sight it was!” Ken said. He laughed but nobody else did. Colleen shot him a sharp look. Ken scratched the tip of his nose and sighed. “Okay, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
The four of them cut through the woods down the path that led to the camp they’d set up earlier in the day. It was going to be fun out there in the forest, nothing but sunshine, nature, wildlife, and good friends. After a stressful week of finals, Martin was ready to relax and unwind. He had another itch for a cigarette and shook his head. Would the cravings never go away?
Ken led the way, shining his flashlight into the dark woods ahead of them. It was crazy how it had gotten so dark so quick. The sun was still barely peeking on the horizon, and out in the clearing, where Martin and Cindy had been, there was still a little light left. But in here, under the canopy of pines and oaks, it was as dark as the Devil’s soul. And even though Ken and Colleen’s flashlights provided enough light for them to see, Martin wished he’d brought his along, too. He felt weirdly vulnerable and alone.
This was a make or break trip for him and Cindy. They’d been going together for two years now and Martin felt it was time to get serious. They were both going to be seniors this coming fall and were on track to graduate together, so it was time to see if they had a real future together or if this was just going to be a college romance. Martin loved Cindy and felt she loved him, too. This would be the first time they’d spent a whole four days straight with each other, and even though Ken and Colleen were there, Martin thought it was going to be a good test for them. If they made it through and didn’t kill each other, then he was going to pop the question.
Cindy’s ass bobbed and weaved ahead of him as he licked his lips. He couldn’t wait to get hold of it again. And he also figured, if things weren’t going to work out in the long term, they’d at least have some fun together now.
Twigs to Martin’s left snapped and a bush shook not more than twenty yards from where he was. The noise disturbed Martin from his thoughts and he froze, his heart leaping into his chest. He looked towards the sound, but he couldn’t see farther than the trees in front of him. It was so dark. He chewed his bottom lip and convinced himself it was just a raccoon he heard as he scrambled to catch up with the others.
They reached the camp and Martin shivered as a sudden wind whistled between the trees, chiseling a chill deep into his bones.
Cindy leaned against him and trembled.
“I’m freezing,” she said. He put his arms around her.
“Let’s get the fire going.”
Martin went to their tent, got their flashlights, and joined Ken. They walked together into the woods to gather some wood.
“That was fucked up,” Martin said, once they were out of earshot of the women.
“Oh, come on, bro!” Ken said. “We really didn’t see anything. I swear. We got there right when you finished.”
Somewhere in front of them, leaves rustled as something moved. Something big.
Ken stood straight up and shined his light forward. Martin stumbled over by his side.
“What was that?” Ken said.
Their flashlight beams scoured the brush but nothing made a sound. After a few seconds, they relaxed.
“Probably a raccoon,” Martin said. “I thought I heard one on our hike back to camp.”
“You know what my Daddy used to say about raccoons?” Ken said. “He called them robber rats.”
“Huh?”
“You know,” Ken said. He pointed at his eyes and ran his fingers back and forth in the air in front of his face. “‘Cause of their little burglar masks.”
“Your Dad was retarded,” Martin said.
“True,” Ken said. He shrugged and went back to the search for wood.
Something shook a bush in front of them. Both men jumped and pointed their lights dead ahead.
Red eyes stared back at them from between the bush and a tree.
Ken screamed and Martin threw one of the sticks he was carrying at the eyes. It hit with a thump and a small animal squealed and ran off. Ken and Martin looked at each other and laughed.
“God, we’re like little girls,” Martin said.
“We don’t say a word about this, okay?” Ken said.
“Sure, buddy. Sure,” Martin said. He grinned from ear to ear. “I won’t say a word about how you cried like a bitch.”
“Fuck off.”
“Let’s get this shit done. I’m getting cold.”
They got back to the camp a few minutes later to find Colleen and Cindy by the spot they’d dug out for a campfire. They had three kerosene lanterns burning, illuminating the immediate area.
Ken dropped the wood and he and Martin got the fire started as Colleen and Cindy broke out a couple cans of beef stew.
“I’m starving,” Cindy said. She leaned against Martin, still cold.
“It won’t take long,” Colleen said.
They sat in silence for a while until Colleen checked the pot.
“It’s ready,” she said. She ladled out portions into each bowl and they scarfed down the food.
When they finished, they sat back as Ken went to his tent and broke out the weed. He brought it by the fire and rolled two joints and then lit one. He took a hit and shared it with Colleen.
“Me and Ken have an announcement we have to make,” Colleen said. She took a hit and passed the joint to Cindy.
“We’re getting married,” Colleen said. “Ken proposed to me last night!”
“Oh, my god!” Cindy said. She leapt over and hugged Colleen tight.
Martin’s face fell. He stared at Ken, trying to burn a hole through him with his gaze. Ken smiled and laughed, avoiding Martin’s eyes by focusing on Colleen and Cindy.
“I can’t believe it!” Cindy squealed. She turned and stared at Martin. “What’s holding you up?”
Martin stood quickly, too quickly, and got dizzy. He stumbled for a moment and Ken laughed.
“Strong weed, buddy?”
Martin glared at Ken and stomped off into the woods, angry and embarrassed.
“Martin!” Cindy said. She got up and ran after him, hot on his heels. Her hand shot out and grabbed Martin’s arm. She yanked him hard enough to stop him in his tracks and spin him around.
“What’s your problem?” she said.
“My problem? It’s that jackass back there I call my best friend,” Mart
in said.
“What did he do to you?”
Martin paused and thought it through for a second. He really needed to get hold of himself and calm down. Still, it was hard to, after what Ken had just pulled.
“Well?” Cindy said. She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. Martin hated when she did that: the arms, the tilted head, and the eyebrow.
He sighed and shook his head.
“Come on. You put up a big show back there, why don’t you explain it to me?” she said.
“I can’t,” he said. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re damn right I don’t,” she said. Her nose wrinkled back in anger. “That was a special moment for our friends and you spoiled it by acting like a big baby. So get it together, dumbass.”
He flashed with anger again, caught hold of it, let his breath out slowly, and nodded. “Okay,” he said. She was right, in her own way, but it still didn’t make what happened alright. When Martin got a chance to get Ken alone, he was going to have a few choice words for him.
She stared at him evenly. “So, you ready to go back now, or do you need to throw another tantrum?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine,” she said.
“One day, you’ll understand, and you’ll feel bad for acting like a bitch,” he said. The words slipped out before he could stop them and he instantly regretted it.
Her jaw fell open and her eyes bugged out with anger. Martin flinched, expecting her to slap him or punch him or do something. Instead, tears filled her eyes. His heart seized up in his chest.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that,” he said. He reached for her but Cindy ducked his embrace, spun around, and ran back to camp.
He was suddenly alone in the darkness, the flashlight in his hands shining after Cindy. He was an idiot. A big, fat, dumbass, just like she’d said. How could he do that? What was wrong with him?
As he stood, confused and frozen in place, something moved in the bushes next to him.
“Fuck off, you little shit,” he snarled.
It moved again, shaking a tree next to him. His flashlight beam caught it for a second. It was beige and as tall as his hips. His breath caught in his throat. What the hell was that thing?
It sprinted towards the camp, slicing between bushes and trees like a scalpel across tender flesh. A sudden uneasiness crept up his spine and Martin was at once sick and repulsed. That thing was malignant, something pure evil. And it was heading towards his friends.
He ran after it, hollering at the top of his lungs. He had to warn them. But it was too fast, thundering through the forest ahead of him, leaving him in its dust.
Cindy screamed in the distance, followed by Colleen shrieking. Martin’s heart fell even as he ran faster, hoping to get there to help. Trees and bushes tore at him, ripping skin and clothing but he hardly noticed, he was a blur of instinctual motion, flying through the foliage until his feet skidded across soft grass, almost tripping and falling, as he tumbled into the campsite.
He stopped and stared, too stunned to move.
The creature had Colleen between its massive jaws and shook her like a rag doll. It was the size of a hairless tiger, its smooth beige skin, splotched with spots of pink, rippled over giant muscles that flexed with its every move. Its long body ended in a tail stub the size of Martin’s hand. The creature had two powerful hind legs, like those of a dog, and what looked to be two short arms that it used to run on all fours with. The arms were human, thick and short, with large hands that had three fat fingers and short claws at the end of each digit. Its back was slightly hunched and its spine jutted, bony like a dinosaur’s, pointing to the sky above. But it was the head on the thing that commanded so much attention. It was huge, so unwieldy it threatened to topple the creature forward. It had two ears, stuck up into the air like a dog, a long snout with two lengthy slits that served as a nose, and it had no eyes, just skin stretched over the front of its skull. Its mouth was full of hard, blunt teeth, best used for grinding and crunching, and it was working its jaw back and forth, tearing Colleen in two.
Ken was punching the sides of the creature, trying desperately to free Colleen. Blood dripped from her lips in long strings and slung around as she was whipped back and forth by the creature. Ken kept cursing and punching but was doing very little to distract the thing from the meal in its mouth.
Lying over by the fire was Cindy, her chest caved in as if she’d been stomped on and crushed. Her head lolled to the side and her eyes fell on Martin. Her ribs stuck through her skin like the quills of a porcupine, dripping with blood. Her chest was heaving, trying desperately to draw in breath as she raised her right hand, her eyes locking and pleading with Martin.
A loud crack, like that of a bullwhip, ricocheted off the trees and Martin looked up to see Colleen slump backwards in the creature’s mouth, her spine broken. Her arms and legs flopped as the monster dipped its massive head and dropped her body on the ground, dead.
Ken screamed and fell to Colleen’s side, right in front of the creature. It turned and stuck its big snout against the side of Ken’s head and sniffed. He punched the creature in its nose and scooted back from it. The creature sneezed and reared its head back, roaring.
The creature charged, running over Ken and trampling him to death. His arms and legs snapped and broke off, flying through the air as if he’d jumped on a live grenade. The creature dug in its legs and arms and scurried, like a dog digging for a bone, tearing Ken’s body apart.
Martin ran to Cindy. He crouched, taking her hand into his. She tried to speak but instead spat up a wad of thick, black blood. She choked on it until he turned her head to the side and let the blood drain.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He muttered it, over and over again, as he cradled her head in his arms. Cindy looked at him as her last breath came, ragged and wheezing, slipping from between her lips as she died.
Martin held his dead lover and rocked back and forth, in shock. Her blood soaked into his clothing but he hardly noticed, so lost in his moment of grief and terror.
As Martin mourned, the creature, known as the Bone Sniffer, went to work on Ken. It rooted around, tearing off Ken’s clothes and then using its rear feet to stomp and break his remaining appendages, separating each arm at the elbow and each leg at the knee. It stuck its snout into the dripping end of Ken’s right thigh and opened its massive jaws. A skinny tongue, long and barbed, slithered between its teeth and whirred, spinning and buzzing, like a tiny drill. The tongue slid up into the thick bone in the middle of the thigh and burrowed its way inside. The Bone Sniffer sat on its haunches as the tongue slurped up the bone marrow from inside Ken’s thigh. When it finished, it turned to the other half of Ken’s right leg and did the same, the tongue sucking it free of bone marrow. The Bone Sniffer paid no attention to Martin who still sat, holding Cindy, watching the creature as it feasted.
It finished with the larger bones in Ken’s body and sniffed around, using its hands to break open the smaller bones of Ken’s body. The Bone Sniffer stuck its tongue into every bone, no matter how small, and drained it of its marrow.
Martin couldn’t tear his eyes off of what was happening. He stared as the creature moved to Colleen, going through the same ceremony with her body, cracking and breaking every limb and sucking every drop of bone marrow until she was depleted. The whole process, including both Ken and Colleen, took close to ten minutes. The creature was efficient and fast.
It turned its eyeless face towards Martin.
His heart pounded and sweat poured down his face as The Bone Sniffer lumbered over to him, stuck its snout into his face and sniffed. Thick mucous dripped from its slits, slopping gelatinous cubes onto the left side of Martin’s face. It stepped back and roared again.
For some reason, it did not attack him.
It was just like in the woods, when it ran past Martin like he wasn’t even there. How could this be? Why didn’t the creat
ure want him?
It growled again and nudged Cindy’s body with its snout.
It wanted to eat her. His girlfriend. The woman he was going to marry. It wanted to break apart her body and do to it what it had done to his best friends.
Martin shrieked and punched the Bone Sniffer on its nose, just like Ken had. It howled and charged, chomping its mouth down on the arm Martin flung up to protect himself. Its jagged teeth dug in, sinking to the bone, and its massive head yanked him up to his feet. It tossed him over to the side, like an empty bottle of water. Martin hit the ground, landing on his side, and felt the breath whoosh from his lungs. He rolled and landed against a tree, now on the far side of the clearing.
He looked up at the Bone Sniffer and watched as it tore Cindy apart and feasted. Martin stared until he passed out, his eyelids fluttering shut. The last sight he saw was the Bone Sniffer, leaning up from its meal, and turning towards him like it was still hungry.
PART TWO
I
Constance, Kentucky
Constance, Kentucky sits in the eastern part of the state, just at the foot of the Appalachian Mountain chain, a small town comprised of close to two thousand people.
They were spread out, of course, as people that lived in this region were wont to do, some living up in the mountains and others tending farms in the flatter valley. A few lived near the town proper, but these were mostly those employed by the city, people like the sheriff and Mayor.
Men of Perdition Page 5
