by C. G. Mosley
Shelly held up a dismissive finger when someone picked up on the other end of the phone line. She requested an ambulance and gave a brief rundown of what was going on with Emmerich before returning her attention to John. “He’s doing quite well,” she answered, hanging the phone back up. “He has recovered much faster than I anticipated.”
“That’s good news,” Cochran said while John nodded in agreement.
“How is Agent Honeycutt?” she asked.
John told her and then hurriedly tried to change the direction of the conversation. “Sheriff, what about that shotgun?”
He nodded, disappeared down the wood-paneled hallway, and then quickly returned, tossing him the weapon. John caught it one-handed and then snatched up a box of shells the sheriff had slid across the desk to him.
“Just tell me where I need to go.”
“Eastern side of town,” Cochran replied. “There’s a couple of neighborhoods over there but they are much smaller and not nearly as populated. I don’t expect there to be a lot of trick-or-treating going on over there, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some eyes there just in case.”
“I’m on it,” John replied as he headed out the door.
“Hold up,” the sheriff called after him.
John paused just as Cochran tossed a radio at him.
“Keep that on and communicate if you see anything. All my guys have been instructed to do the same. If something is reported out, we all head over to that spot to assist.”
“Got it,” John said, turning away.
Cochran then looked over at Shelly. “Tell you what,” he said. “You hang out here for a couple of more hours until the kids start to thin out. At that point, I’ll head on back and relieve you.”
She smiled and gestured to a crossword puzzle on her desk. “I’m not going anywhere,” she muttered.
***
By the time all the deputies, the sheriff, and John reached their respective positions, the streets were filled with costumed children all eager to load up on sweet treats. Cochran was tasked to keep an eye on town square, the area that was undoubtedly the heaviest. The center of downtown Dunn contained a small park named for the town’s first-ever mayor, Paul Church.
Every Halloween, Church Park became peppered with local business owners that set up booths and gave out candy. Colorful banners were draped across the front of each booth’s table to proudly display the name of each business represented during the event. Almost every child in Baker County, regardless of which neighborhood they lived in, drove to the town square to participate. It was a quick trip to score a lot of candy, thus the vast popularity with all the children and parents.
The sheriff left his patrol car at the station since it was such a short walk to the town square. Upon his arrival, he was met with plenty of friendly smiles from parents and excited waves from children. He smiled and waved back, happy to know that none of them had any idea of the potential danger they were in. A large live oak centered the square and Cochran hurriedly made his way over to it. The space underneath its branches were darkened with shadow. It would provide the perfect place for him to observe his surroundings in all directions.
He leaned against the rough bark and crossed his arms. It was a cool night and if memory served, the local meteorologist on the morning news had mentioned it getting below freezing by midnight. A cup of coffee would’ve been nice, and he contemplated making his way over to Frank Conner’s Wedgeworth Furniture booth where he knew a warm pot would be waiting. Just as he’d made up his mind to stifle the urge for a few more moments, a young girl’s scream pierced through the night air. The sheriff immediately bolted toward the direction of the sound and his running transitioned into a brisk walk as he soon realized the ruckus originated from nothing more than a quarrel between a young girl and her older brother. She was dressed as a cowgirl, her brother a pirate, and their mother was giving the young man a stern talking to.
Cochran took a deep breath, relieved that the matter was a trivial one and nothing of concern to him. It was still early, but he quickly found himself wondering how the others were doing. He snatched the walkie talkie from his belt.
“Any news out there? Over.”
Static.
“Nothing yet, boss. Over.”
It was Billy. He was assigned the Cedar Hill subdivision.
More static.
“Nothing my way either. Anything going on in the town square? Over.”
This time, it was John.
“Eh…that’s a negative,” Cochran answered somewhat sourly. “I suppose it’s a good thing. Over.”
“Hell yeah, it’s a good thing,” John replied. “No news is good news tonight. Over.”
***
“Ms. Honeycutt, can I get you anything else? My shift is about to end.”
The nurse was a pudgy little woman with a beautiful face and smile to match. She had red curly hair and her face was peppered with freckles. She’d just brought Emma a pitcher of fresh ice water to get her through the night.
“No, thank you,” Emma answered with a smile of her own.
The nurse wandered over to the window and glanced out. Emma’s room was on the third floor of the four-story building. Her room overlooked the town square and Church Park.
“My, my,” she said. Though her back was turned, it was evident by her tone that she was still smiling. “Look at all those kids.”
“Big turnout, huh?” Emma asked.
“Oh yes,” she answered. “Looks like there are a lot of little Ghostbusters out there this year.”
Emma chuckled at that and then turned her attention to the television mounted high on the wall. An episode of Moonlighting was playing. She hated that show.
“Well, you have a good night, sweetie, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” the nurse said as she began to make her way to the door.
“Hey, do you mind turning the television off on your way out?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Anything else?”
“Nope, I think I’m all good now,” Emma answered.
“If you need help getting to the restroom—”
“I won’t,” Emma interjected. She glanced over at the crutches that had been brought into the room earlier. “I have to start using those sometime.”
“I suppose that’s true,” the nurse said. “You have a good night, dear.”
With the television off, the room became eerily quiet. Emma closed her eyes to try and sleep. She could just barely make out the sound of children’s laughter from the park below as she drifted off.
Chapter 16
Shelly Snow put down her crossword puzzle to check on Kurt Bledsoe. It had been a while and the last she’d seen of him, he’d been fast asleep. She moved through the heavy metal door that led to the corridor between the jail cells. She stopped at the first one on the right and glanced into the tiny window. To her surprise, the burly creature that Kurt Bledsoe had become was sitting on the floor. It was the first time she’d seen him in any other state than lying down.
“Well, look at you,” she whispered.
Kurt snapped his furry head in her direction, his green eyes piercing.
Shelly’s jaw dropped open slightly. “Wow, you can hear really well,” she said, surprised that he’d heard her whisper on the other side of the door.
Kurt cocked his head sideways and his large eyes narrowed.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked.
Her only answer was a blank stare.
“Are you hungry?”
The large head was still a moment then nodded ever so slowly.
Shelly’s brow lifted with excitement. “Oh my gosh, you’re intelligent,” she said.
Kurt looked at her with sad eyes, seemingly unphased by her compliment.
“Alright,” she said. “I’m going to go find you something to eat. Be right back.”
Kurt’s eyes watched her move out of the window frame and once she was gone, he stood. He began pacing the room, considering options on how he
could escape. As he took a hard look at the four concrete walls around him, a momentary feeling of panic took over. He wondered how long he’d be confined to this room. He wondered if they’d be kind enough to set him free. Sheriff Cochran, he knew, was a good man. A man that wouldn’t intentionally sit and watch harm come upon anyone. He was, after all, partially responsible for his escape from Walker Laboratory the year before. There would be no escaping that place again if Sheriff Cochran did not make it so.
Kurt’s thoughts turned to his sister Marie. He hoped she was doing well and absolutely didn’t blame her for getting away from Baker County. She probably believed as everyone else involved did that he’d finally been totally and completely consumed by the monster. Truthfully, he felt himself leaving the creature’s body a little more each day. It would not be long before there would be nothing left of Kurt Bledsoe. He wondered how things would transpire after that. At this point in time, it seemed that there were indeed worse things than death. He was living proof.
***
“The crowd has really thinned out over here, over,” John said, somewhat relieved, into the radio.
“Well, that’s not the case here,” Cochran shot back. “Why don’t you come on over and join me in the town square, over.”
“10-4, on the way, over,” John replied.
Cochran glanced at his watch and figured there would be at least another hour of trick or treating before the crowd thinned out in the town square. None of the other deputies had reported anything unusual in their respective areas. The last thing he wanted to do was count his chickens before they hatched, but he began to seriously consider the possibility that the rogue wood ape wanted no part of human activity after some of the difficulties it had experienced throughout the day. The thing was undoubtedly hurt and even fearful.
“Excuse me, Sheriff.”
Cochran turned and found an elderly lady that reminded him quite a bit of Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show.
“Yes, ma’am?” he asked with a smile.
The short, plump woman sighed and seemed a bit uncomfortable.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She then smiled at him, though nervously, and her eyes darted around as if she was trying to make sure no one was within earshot before she spoke.
“Sheriff, I just wanted to tell you that I thought I saw something rather odd over behind the fire station,” she said, glancing in the direction of a big red fire truck parked outside the station.
He arched a brow. “Oh? What did you see?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Well, it was probably nothing,” she muttered. “I mean, it is Halloween, after all.”
“What did you see?” he asked again; this time, there was a sternness to his words.
“I suppose it could’ve been a man in a gorilla costume,” she said, her tone clearly one oozing embarrassment.
Cochran’s heart rate picked up. “You saw a man in a gorilla costume?”
“Yes, I believe I did,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “As I said, I know that’s not too incredibly odd considering this is Halloween night but…”
Her words trailed off and her eyes again moved toward the fire station.
“But what?” he asked, urging her on.
“Well,” she continued. “It’s just, that had to be the tallest man I’ve ever seen in the entire state of Mississippi.”
“How tall?” Cochran asked. Now his own eyes were focused heavily on the vicinity of the fire station.
There was another nervous chuckle.
“Oh gosh,” she muttered. “I know this is crazy, but that man had to be at least eight feet tall. It was a fantastic costume from what I could see.”
Sheriff Cochran immediately grabbed his firearm and began jogging toward the fire station. Before he’d even realized he’d done it, the sling that had been supporting his left arm had been shed and he was fully using both arms again. He figured the adrenaline now shooting throughout his extremities was numbing any pain that had remained in his shoulder.
“Good evening, Sheriff,” a man said, stepping out of the fire station as he approached. It was Sam Kendall, the Dunn fire chief. He was holding a bowl of Halloween candy.
“Evening, Sam,” Cochran replied. “You see anyone in a gorilla costume wandering around out here?”
Sam thought about it and then chuckled, his large belly jiggling as he did so. “No, I don’t recollect seeing anyone in a gorilla costume tonight,” he replied. “I did see a kid dressed as Chewbacca earlier though,” he added as an afterthought.
“Thanks,” Cochran answered, and he began to move toward the rear of the station. “Do me a favor and stay here,” he said to Sam as he disappeared around the corner.
There was little light behind the brick fire station and Cochran immediately took note of the dense foliage and forest just behind the structure. It would’ve been an easy place for the rogue wood ape to emerge undetected. Cochran was grateful that “Aunt Bee” had noticed it and alerted him to what she’d seen as it seemed no one else—not even Sam—had seen anything.
The sheriff reached for his flashlight and began shining it in all directions. There was no wood ape lurking behind the building, but something else did catch his eye. He knelt to the sandy earth and shone his light upon a set of massive footprints, clearly belonging to the wood ape. They appeared to be fresh and clear evidence that “Aunt Bee” hadn’t been imagining things. He reached for his radio.
“Agent Milk, what’s your 20? Over.”
“Be there in about five minutes. What’s wrong?”
“It’s been spotted,” Cochran answered. “I need all deputies to head over to the town square at once. Over.”
There was a lot of static and 10-4s that came back at him. Cochran shoved the radio back onto his belt again turned the beam of his light across the forest edge. He squinted his eyes and peered hard into the foliage, looking for any sign of movement, but found none. There was a moment where he considered venturing into the dense vegetation but realized that would be a bad idea, especially since backup was on the way.
After considering it, Cochran thought it best to hold his position and be as quiet as possible. Perhaps if he got quiet, the beast would be unaware of his presence and emerge from the forest. He turned the light off and found a darkened corner to hide behind on the rear of the fire station. Cochran then crouched low to the ground, turned the volume on his radio all the way down, and for the first time, he felt a hint of pain in his left shoulder. It seemed some of the adrenaline was wearing off. He remained that way for at least five minutes and it then occurred to him that John had probably arrived. He’d have to go retrieve him and fill him in on what’s going on.
“Sheriff Cochran…are you back here?”
It was Sam Kendall again.
Cochran shook his head. Didn’t I tell him to stay out front?
“What’s wrong, Sam?” he asked but remained in his darkened enclave.
Sam’s head snapped toward the direction he’d been speaking from. Clearly, he was unable to see where the sheriff was hiding. “Nothing is wrong,” he answered. “You’d just been gone a while. I was starting to worry.”
Cochran took a deep breath and tried not to sound annoyed. “Everything is fine, Sam,” he answered. “I’m just checking on something. Do me a favor—look out from for Agent Milk. You’re familiar with him?”
“Yeah, I know him and that little firecracker partner of his,” Sam replied. “She with him? I thought I heard she was in the hospital.”
“She is,” Cochran said, shaking his head, again trying not to sound annoyed. “Go find Milk and bring him back here, will ya?”
Sam nodded and turned to look for Milk. As soon as his back was turned, Cochran watched in horror as the rogue wood ape burst from the forest with lightning-fast speed. Before Sam could even comprehend what was happening, the beast grabbed him by the back of the neck and then proceeded to slam his face hard into the brick wall. Sam fell limp to th
e ground and the wood ape then pounced upon him, biting down onto the back of his shoulder. The creature tore flesh from Sam’s lifeless body and if it knew Cochran was watching, it did not seem to care.
The sheriff quickly rose from his hiding place and proceeded to fire bullets into the wood ape’s side as it feasted upon Sam’s flesh. The beast snapped its head toward him, glaring at him with rage from it’s one good eye. Cochran continued to fire rounds off until he realized the gun was empty.
Chapter 17
The wood ape rose from the still body of Sam Kendall, its ugly gaze still planted firmly upon Sheriff Cochran. The sheriff began to frantically reload his gun, though he wasn’t sure why. It seemed the bullets he’d fired into the massive creature had done little damage. If anything, it just made the beast even more angry. The rogue wood ape began lumbering toward him, and in a terrifying sort of way, the non-urgency of its movements made him even more fearful. The creature seemed to know how helpless he was in the matter.
Just as he was placing the final bullet into the cylinder on the pistol, the rogue wood ape reached down and snatched the weapon away. It then tossed it into the forest like a frisbee and looked down upon him with a hatred he didn’t even know was possible.
“Get on with it, damn you!” he spat furiously. “Finish me off! Just leave those people alone!”
He could hear screaming and other sounds of panic from the square. Most likely, all the children and parents had heard the gunfire and were confused and frightened about what was going on. This is a good thing, Cochran thought. While they were undoubtedly making their escape, the rogue wood ape was towering over him, apparently forgetting about their presence. The beast reached down with its massive hand and picked up the sheriff by the collar of his shirt. Cochran could smell the putrid aroma of death coming from its mouth, and he could see the blood and bits of Sam Kendall’s flesh covering its fangs. Cochran had been in this position before. He’d gotten lucky before. This time would be different. There was no one coming to save him. He closed his eyes and suddenly felt the sensation of being thrown through the air. He opened his eyes just as his head struck a tree.
