by C. G. Mosley
“I got it, Sheriff,” he said, briskly moving past him.
Cochran hurried to his patrol car and closed the rear door as it was still open from when they’d retrieved Kurt. He could see a great deal of blood on the backseat and there was a coppery smell in the air that made him nauseated. He then made his way to the opposite side of the car and as he reached for the driver’s door handle, a white van came speeding into the parking lot. The van came to a screeching stop and the large side cargo door slid open. Three men spilled out of the interior, all dressed in solid white protective coveralls.
“Can I help you?” Cochran asked, making no effort to hide his annoyance.
“Yes, you can,” a gray-haired, middle-aged man said. He was the tallest of the three men and he wore round spectacles. The frame of his glasses was blue, and it contrasted brightly against the white suit. The man was thin, and his hair formed a horseshoe around the sides of his head. “My name is Dr. Michael Emmerich and I’m here to collect the specimen.”
Sheriff Cochran swallowed hard and stared at the man. He tried desperately to keep his cool. “Well, Dr. Emmerich, I don’t know what creature you’re here to collect, but whatever you’re looking for isn’t at my station.”
Dr. Emmerich adjusted his glasses and his mouth was a straight line. “Sheriff, I know you’re familiar with what we do over at Walker Laboratory. I was given the unfortunate task of replacing the late Dr. Franklin. I think you’re also familiar with what happened to him?”
Cochran continued to stare at him, unblinking.
Dr. Emmerich sighed and continued when he realized Cochran wasn’t going to respond. “Sheriff, I frankly don’t have a lot of time. I need you to allow us passage into your station and assist us in getting the specimen into this van. We’ve been searching for it for quite a while.”
Sheriff Cochran stepped toward Dr. Emmerich and placed his hands on his hips. The movement caused the bottom of his jacket to move back slightly, revealing his holstered pistol on his hip. Dr. Emmerich’s eyes moved toward the weapon but he seemed undeterred.
“Doctor, I don’t know where you get your information, but it’s all wrong. Kurt Bledsoe isn’t here. We’ve been on the hunt for a rogue wood ape that killed a young boy yesterday. As a matter of fact, we still are.”
Dr. Emmerich pulled his glasses off and wiped the lenses on the chest of his coveralls before replacing them to his face. “Sheriff, I’m aware of the injury sustained by Agent Honeycutt. I’m also aware that Agent Milk fired two shots into the specimen, incapacitating him. The rogue wood ape is still out there. However, the specimen we’ve been after is not. Let’s stop playing games here. Let me do my job.”
Emmerich’s words were nonchalant and had a coldness to them that Cochran didn’t like.
“Okay, at this point, I think I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said firmly.
Dr. Emmerich seemed surprised. “Sheriff, I don’t think you understand your position here.”
“Oh, I understand completely,” Cochran shot back. “The federal government assigned two agents to act as liaison between my department and yours. They are not here, so I have no obligation to speak to you right now.” He paused and moved his hand to the grip of his gun. “At this point, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Dr. Emmerich looked at him with an icy stare for a long awkward moment. After considering his position, he glanced at his two accomplices and gestured for them to return to the van. “I’ll be back soon,” he said through clenched teeth. “If the creature dies, I will hold you personally responsible.”
“You have a good night,” Cochran replied, tipping his hat.
He watched as the doctor slunk away into the van and shortly after, it sped away as quickly as it had appeared. Once satisfied they were truly gone, Cochran got into his car and took off for the hospital.
***
“You refused to grant them access?” John asked, his reaction a mixture of surprise and worry.
“That’s exactly what I did,” Cochran replied. “They showed up out of the blue. And I thought the whole idea was that we were gonna get Kurt out of there before Walker Laboratory showed up for him.”
“Well, yeah,” John replied. “But if they found out about that you have him, there’s not a lot we can do at that point. You should’ve allowed them entry.”
“I told them I wasn’t doing anything unless you and Honeycutt gave the okay.”
John considered that and nodded. “Actually, I think that was probably the best way to handle it. It probably aggravated the hell out of him, but he understands the deal. Honeycutt and I work for the federal government just as they do. Ultimately, it wasn’t his call if we weren’t involved.”
Sheriff Cochran exhaled with relief. He was glad to hear that John was okay with what he’d done, as he was beginning to wonder if there was anything he could do to please these people.
“How is Honeycutt?”
John leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. They were in a small hospital waiting room. There was no one else in the room and the only other sound was Richard Dawson holding court on Family Feud displayed on a television blaring in a faraway corner.
“She’s alright,” he muttered. “You know her…she’s ready to get out of here and get back to work. It’s going to require surgery to fix her leg so she’s going to be in here for a few days.”
Cochran nodded. “Well, we’ve got Kurt Bledsoe in a jail cell at the station. Shelly is working on him. She’s got some experience with this sort of thing, so I’m confident she’ll have him patched up in no time.”
John glanced out the windows around the room to the hallway outside. He was very careful to make sure no one was outside listening. Once satisfied, he moved closer to Cochran.
“We’ll have to turn him over to Walker Laboratory tomorrow,” he said.
The sheriff thought about it, then said, “I don’t think we need to move him anywhere until we’re sure he’s healthy enough.”
John glared at him, obviously confused. “What are you talking about, Sheriff? Why do you care what happens to him?”
Cochran’s eyes narrowed. “I care because if it wasn’t for him, I’d have died last year in that damn laboratory. I promised his sister that I’d do what I could to look out for him.”
John paced the room with his hands on his hips. “I think you’re still under the assumption that things are going to be done the way Dr. Franklin was doing them. That’s just not accurate. You have my word that the best place for Kurt Bledsoe is in that lab.”
“Would Agent Honeycutt agree?”
John sighed. “Up until this morning, hell yes she would’ve.”
“But now?”
He shook his head. “No. She feels she owes him something now because he saved her life from the rogue.”
“So, I think we should discuss this with her,” Cochran said hopefully.
“It is not her call, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Cochran held his hands up. “Okay, okay,” he said. “Look, you guys are running the show here. Halloween is in two days, and me and my guys will have our hands full. I propose you reach out to Walker Laboratory and set up a time for us to transport him over on November first. That’ll give Kurt Bledsoe time to heal up and we’ll actually have the time to deal with it.”
John considered it for a moment before finally nodding. “I’ll see what I can do. Speaking of Halloween, have you considered the dangers involved with that rogue wood ape on the loose out there with hundreds of kids out trick or treating?”
Cochran rubbed at the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it,” he said, clearly concerned. “We need to come up with another plan.”
“We need to go speak with Cliff Lowe again,” John said. “I’m sure he’s got some ideas on where we should go from here.”
“Good idea,” Cochran said. “I think I’ll go pay him a visit.”
John nodded. “You do that, and I’ll cal
l Dr. Emmerich to see what I can work out with him.”
***
Cliff Lowe was sitting on his front porch when Sheriff Cochran pulled into the driveway. He smiled when he saw the large boxy patrol car and Cochran wondered if he’d known all along he’d be coming by.
“How is Agent Honeycutt?” he asked as he walked out to meet the sheriff at the car.
“She’s going to be fine,” Cochran said. “Her leg is going to require some surgery, but she’ll be alright.”
Cliff’s eyes widened and Cochran could see he was relieved to hear the news.
“Look, we appreciate all the help you gave us today,” he said. “But as you know, that damn thing is still on the loose.”
Cliff nodded and smiled widely. “I’m already ahead of you, Sheriff.”
Cochran hooked his thumbs in his pants pockets and rocked on his heels. “So, you’ve been thinking about this?”
“Yes, I have. I’ve got an idea,” he said proudly.
Chapter 8
“This is it? This is your idea?” Cochran asked skeptically.
Cliff nodded but seemed slightly hurt by the sheriff’s reaction. “I’ve been thinking of doing this for quite some time,” he said. “I just figured I needed some help before I actually attempted it. Unfortunately, I don’t have too many friends around here. Everyone kinda thinks I’m nuts.”
He was holding a massive bear trap in his right hand. At his feet were four more of the rusty contraptions. They were old and dirty, and Cochran wondered if they’d even work.
“Well, I certainly don’t think you’re nuts,” the sheriff replied assuredly. “And though I’m thankful for your enthusiasm, are you sure those traps are still functional?”
Cliff smiled as if he were glad that Cochran wanted to test him. The sheriff looked on as the much smaller man straddled the trap, placing one foot on either side of it to compress the springs. He then knelt and used a long shaft screwdriver to set the trigger from underneath the wide-open jaws. The process looked extremely dangerous to Cochran, but it seemed Cliff had practiced this method many times before. Satisfied that the trap was set correctly, Cliff then retrieved a sizeable tree branch lying on the ground a short distance away.
“Okay, are you watching?” he asked, sounding like a kid that had just learned a new trick he wanted to show off.
Cochran smiled. “I’m ready.”
Cliff promptly dropped the branch onto the plate in the center of the trap. The jaws immediately snapped shut with so much force it tore through the wood like it was cardboard.
“Satisfied?” he asked, grinning.
The sheriff allowed a tight smirk and nodded. “Alright, so where do we place them?”
Cliff walked back over to his front porch and retrieved two duffel bags. He tossed Cochran one. “Put two of the traps in that bag,” he said.
Cochran did as he was told, zipped up the bag, and placed the strap over his shoulder. He was immediately surprised at how heavy it was.
“How much do these things weigh?”
“Around forty pounds each,” Cliff replied, now carrying his own bag. “Follow me.”
Sheriff Cochran considered asking more questions but realized Cliff clearly knew more about how to deal with the wood ape than he did. Ultimately, he decided to practice trust and follow the man into the woods. The walk was long and grueling, more so than the first time Cochran had ventured to the wood ape’s den. It was probably because of the eighty pounds he was lugging around on his shoulder. As they drew near the wood ape’s home, Cochran began to feel a bit uneasy. He was just about to voice his concern when Cliff stopped and dropped his bag to the ground. The sheriff did the same and then massaged the burning sensation out of his tired shoulder.
“I doubt it’s in there right now,” Cliff said, seemingly reading Cochran’s thoughts. “We spooked it earlier today.”
“Well, how do you know it’ll come back?”
“Oh, it’ll come back,” Cliff said confidently. “It’s seen me watching it here before.”
Sheriff Cochran was a bit taken aback. “You’re sure it’s seen you watching it?”
Cliff nodded. “Yes, and you can bet that it wants to kill me very badly.”
“Then why doesn’t it?”
“It knows I took its eye,” he answered. “I think it’s got a healthy respect for me.”
Cochran swatted at an insect swarming around his head. Somehow, he thought Cliff’s assumption was incorrect, but he wasn’t about to argue the matter.
“Anyway,” Cliff continued. “It’ll come back because it thinks it’s invincible.”
“I see,” Cochran answered. That part he did believe. “So why do you think it’s turned rogue?”
Cliff shrugged. “I’ve often wondered about that. I think maybe it was banished because it’s made a habit of getting close to humans for a while now. I think it’s been working its way up to taking a human and once it got a taste of flesh…”
“To my knowledge, Lucas Hurst is the first case—”
“You’re telling me you haven’t had any missing person cases in the past few years?” Cliff interrupted.
Sheriff Cochran considered the question. A chill ran up his spine. “We’ve had a few,” he admitted. “Too many.”
Cliff nodded but said nothing. He instead knelt and opened the bag he’d carried. He pulled the heavy bear traps out along with some clothing.
“What’s that for?” Cochran asked.
“This is bait,” Cliff replied, holding up an old Spuds Mackenzie T-shirt.
Cochran looked at the shirt and then to Cliff. “I don’t get it.”
Cliff grinned and carried a trap toward the entrance of the wood ape den. “These are intelligent creatures,” he said, dropping the trap to the ground. He then went about setting it. “It’s not a rat after a piece of cheese. These things are very fascinated by humans and are notorious for picking up all sorts of items we discard. I think our rogue wood ape would be interested in checking out a T-shirt with Spuds on it.”
“Sure. Who wouldn’t want a Spuds Mackenzie T-shirt?” Cochran asked.
He looked on as Cliff carefully situated the shirt in such a way that the trap was completely hidden but in a perfect position to make it easy to go off. He then drove a spike into the base of a nearby tree trunk to secure the anchor. That part he covered with pine straw. Cochran had to admit that it was a job well done.
“So same plan for the other traps?” he asked.
Cliff nodded and began rummaging through the bag. Cochran could see other T-shirts inside. “I’ve got Thundercats, A.L.F., Michael Jackson—”
“I got it,” Cochran said with a chuckle. “Just let me know how I can help.”
Cliff nodded but stubbornly refused to ask for any help as he continued to strategically place and set the traps.
***
“Agent Milk, you’re fortunate I don’t make a call to your superior right this instant,” the doctor said bitterly.
John winced as he’d expected such a threat. “Dr. Emmerich, there’s no need to call Mr. Cold. The last contact I had with him, he’d mentioned something about an island he was investigating in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “In the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, you say?”
“That’s right,” John confirmed. “He called it a ‘Lost World’ that he was trying to locate. I didn’t ask him any questions. You know how he is.”
“Yes, I suppose I do,” Emmerich said. “So, if what you say is true, I suppose I’d have a hard time reaching him anyway.” He sounded aggravated but John pretended not to notice.
“It would take a couple of days,” he said, gripping the phone tightly. “Look, Dr. Emmerich, I’m not trying to step on any toes here. However, you and I both know that if we can keep the peace with local law enforcement, we need to do that.”
“I can’t risk losing that specimen,” Emmerich said coldly.
“Y
ou won’t,” John replied quickly. “No one is trying to pull any tricks here. I spoke with Sheriff Cochran a short time ago and he simply requested that we leave Kurt Bledsoe in his custody until November first.”
“That day after Halloween?”
“Yes,” John replied, not really understanding the point of the question.
“It still doesn’t make any sense to me. We could provide much better care for it. If the specimen is injured, I don’t want to risk anything happening to it that we could’ve prevented.”
“Is there a reason why you refer to Kurt Bledsoe as ‘the specimen’?”
There was another brief pause on the other end of the line. “It’s not Kurt Bledsoe anymore,” Emmerich replied. “Maybe it’s you that should change your perception of what the creature is.”
John let out an exasperated sigh. “I understand your concerns and I’ll take on the responsibility to seeing to it that…the specimen, is delivered to you in good health. If I don’t think that can happen, you’ll be the first to know and I’ll make arrangements for you and your men to come get it.”
“And why can’t you do that now?” Emmerich asked, evidently refusing to let the matter rest.
“Tomorrow is Saturday,” John answered. “And it’s not just any Saturday, it’s Halloween. There are going to be people all over Dunn and the laboratory you work for goes to great lengths to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told on more than one occasion that if you guys had your way, no one in this county would know that it existed.”
“That’s a true statement,” the doctor confirmed. There was another pause and it was his turn to sigh. “Agent Milk, do you understand the consequences for you and me both if something happens to that creature?”
“I do,” John said, doing his best to hide the uneasy feeling swelling inside him. “You have my word that the specimen will be delivered to you first thing Sunday morning. I won’t let any harm come to it.”
“Very well,” Emmerich said reluctantly. “I suppose I have no reason to doubt you at this point.”
“No, you don’t,” John said. He opened his mouth to speak again but then thought better of it. There was a long awkward silence.
