by C. G. Mosley
Oh shit…
The rogue wood ape turned its body and released a deafening roar of fury that turned John’s legs to gelatin. He instinctively pulled the trigger on the shotgun but this time, the wood ape was more than ready. It moved with the quickness John had become all too familiar with and then charged at him. The creature barreled into him like a freight train and the force of the impact sent him hurtling backward through the air and onto the hood of a car. The windshield behind him shattered when his shoulder crashed into it and he immediately felt something inside him break. What it was, he had no idea.
The wood ape began walking toward him slowly and John could see a menacing smile on its wicked lips. The beast had seemingly forgotten all about its injured hand even as the wound continued to trickle blood onto the ground beside it. John was unable to move his legs, but he could, however, move his left arm. He began reaching for his firearm only to cruelly find it was no longer there. It was then he remembered tossing the useless weapon aside. The wood ape was only an arm’s length away from him when it suddenly stopped and sniffed the cool night air. John looked on as the creature’s terrifying features shifted away from arrogance to one of concern.
Out of seemingly nowhere, the yowl of another wood ape erupted throughout the night sky. John could hear a sound of something approaching and it almost sounded like the gallop of a horse. He turned his head just in time to see the form of Kurt Bledsoe sprinting across the town square with a burst of furious speed. The rogue wood ape had little time to react as Kurt leapt high into the air and crashed down upon him with a force that made the ground shake. Unable to move, John could only lay where he was and watch in unbridled fascination as the two beasts became entrenched in a spectacular fight.
Kurt had momentarily pinned the rogue to the ground. Straddled over him, he then placed both of his large hands around the beast’s throat and began to squeeze the life from him. The rogue struggled for several seconds but then abruptly pulled its knee hard into Kurt’s back. He yelped in pain and momentarily lost his grip around the rogue’s throat. The rogue wood ape then punched Kurt hard into the chest, sending him flying backward and into a phone booth, crushing it in the process.
Kurt brushed the glass from his shoulders and then returned to his feet, again charging at the rogue. The rogue charged back at him and the two creatures clashed together so hard, the sound reminded John of a car crash. The two beasts fell to the earth and then rolled several times over it. The clawing and gnashing of teeth sent hair and blood flying through the air. John wished there was something he could do to help but he was completely immobilized.
The fight continued until the two beasts reached the fountain and, to his relief, John looked on as Kurt managed to force the rogue wood ape’s head beneath the water to try and drown him. The rogue thrashed and clawed at Kurt, cutting deep gashes in his chest as it did so. With its efforts appearing to be futile, the rogue changed its strategy and instead pulled Kurt into the fountain with him. The move surprised Kurt and he tumbled forward, suddenly finding himself now being held underwater.
With the rogue seeming to now have the advantage, John quickly became concerned that Kurt was on the verge of drowning. He began to yell and scream at the rogue, doing anything he could to draw its attention and give Kurt a moment of opportunity. The rogue completely ignored him and continued to push down with the full brunt of its weight on top of Kurt. A shotgun blast suddenly tore through the night and into the back of the rogue. It howled in pain and snapped its head around to find another deputy pointing the weapon at him.
John was pleased to see one of the remaining deputies jump back into the fight at the last second, but as the rogue wood ape glared at him with intense anger, he suddenly realized the man’s life was in the balance.
“Run!” John yelled.
The determined deputy rose the barrel of the shotgun to fire again, but before he realized what was happening, the rogue had jerked Kurt from the water and hurled him through the air. Kurt landed on the deputy, crushing him in the process. John watched as Kurt coughed up water and glanced regretfully at the deceased deputy lying before him. He then rose to his feet and charged at the rogue once more. The two beasts were again enthralled in a battle, resulting in more clawing and biting.
John heard Kurt howl in pain multiple times, and it started to become apparent that the smaller creature was beginning to tire. The rogue wood ape soon had him pinned to the ground and began to pummel him with blow after blow. Kurt thrust a fist upward into the rogue’s stomach, momentarily pushing the wind from his lungs. This time, it was Kurt on top and he began to give back the punishment he’d just taken himself. Blow after blow was dealt upon the rogue wood ape’s face and John could feel the tide of the battle beginning to take a turn. Blood began to pour from the rogue’s nose and mouth and its one good eye was all but swollen shut.
“Finish him off!” John screamed as he noticed Kurt beginning to slack off the assault.
Kurt’s punches slowed until he finally stopped altogether.
“What are you doing?” John asked, desperately wanting him to finish the job.
Kurt rose to his feet and looked down at the pitiful mess the rogue wood ape had become. He then looked over at John. Their eyes met.
“You can’t do it?” John asked, astonished.
Kurt’s green eyes softened, and he shook his head once. He then began to approach John, seemingly sympathetic to his injured state.
“No,” John yelled. “Don’t come over here. You should leave before Walker Laboratory or someone else shows up that will want to take you away.”
Kurt stared at him and there was a sadness in his expression. It reminded John that the beast standing in front of him had once been a teenage boy. He couldn’t imagine how helpless he must’ve thought being trapped inside a body that did not belong to him.
“Seriously,” he urged. “You should go! I—this town—we’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done. The least I can do is set you free.”
Kurt looked beyond the buildings to the forest behind them.
“That’s right,” John said. “Get out of here!”
Kurt looked back at him and allowed a slight nod. His eyes were watery and if John didn’t know better, he was on the verge of tears. He looked to the trees and back to John again as if he were struggling with the decision.
“There’s nothing to think about here…go!”
Kurt turned and took a step forward but was abruptly struck across the chest with a black iron spike. To John’s horror, the rogue wood ape had gotten up and pulled a metal spike from the fencing that surrounded the flagpole near the center of the square. Kurt stumbled on his feet, momentarily dazed by the blow. He spun slightly, facing John, a worried expression on his face. Their eyes met and then the tip of the black spike burst through Kurt’s chest as the rogue wood ape impaled him from behind.
“No!” John screamed.
Kurt collapsed to his knees and then onto his side, his breathing labored and ragged. Blood poured from the wound. The rogue stood over him and beat its chest victoriously. With Kurt finally incapacitated, the creature turned its attention back to John. It seemed as if the beast knew he was ultimately responsible for Kurt’s involvement and he moved toward him with a sinister sneer. John looked around him, frantic to find something—anything—he could use to defend himself.
As the rogue wood ape strode closer to him, the eerie sound of a revved-up car engine rang out and John turned his head in time to see a white station wagon speeding across the town square. The car tore through flowers, fencing, and shrubbery before finally crashing hard into the rogue wood ape. The car continued its trajectory until it crashed through the front of a nearby grocery store.
John craned his neck around as far as he could to see what was going on. The door to the car swung open and Emma clumsily fell out. She pulled a set of crutches from the car and after a bit of work, managed to get onto her feet.
“Honeycut
t!” John yelled. “Get away from there!”
He looked on as she seemingly ignored him and carefully made her way through the debris to check on the status of the wood ape.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “He’s dead.”
She turned and began hobbling over to him.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
John sighed and shook his head. “No, I’m not.” As he said the words, pain began to radiate from his toes all the way up to the space between his shoulder blades. “Something’s wrong. I can’t move my legs.”
When Emma finally reached his side, she grabbed the radio on his belt and called the police station.
“Shelly’s got help on the way,” she said, dropping the radio clumsily on the hood.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Just a little lightheaded. Took a lot of work to get down here and save your ass.”
He chuckled at that. “Well, I owe you one, that’s for damn sure.”
“Yeah, you do,” she said and then she glanced over at Kurt. “I’m going to go check on him.”
“Be careful,” John warned.
She drew near Kurt and was surprised to see he was still alive. His eyes glanced over at her. They were soft and distant.
“Thank you,” she said, plopping down beside him. “Now go and be free.”
Kurt opened his mouth slightly and then stared up at the stars above. Moments later, he was gone, finally free of his prison.
Chapter 20
“Agent Milk, can you hear me?”
John blinked his eyes a few times and waited for the world to come into focus.
“Cold? Is that you?” he asked wearily.
“Yes, it’s me, Agent,” Cold replied.
John kept blinking until finally the chiseled features of Cornelius Cold came into full view.
“I—I thought you were looking into that island in the Bermuda Triangle…the one with the dinosaurs.”
Cold smiled nervously. “Agent Milk, there are a few civilians in the room,” he said. “Careful with what you say.”
John nodded. As he surveyed his surroundings, he soon realized he was in a hospital bed.
“Am I…paralyzed?” he asked, forcing the words out of his mouth.
There was a chuckle beside him originating from another man. John turned his head and found a doctor standing on the opposite side of his bed from Mr. Cold.
“No, sir, you’re not paralyzed,” he said flatly. “You did, however, suffer a bit of nerve damage when a couple of the lower vertebrae in your back became fractured. This is affecting the feeling in your legs but the surgery we performed—”
“Wait,” John interrupted. “Surgery?”
“Yes,” Cold answered, amused. “You just came out of surgery this morning. They must’ve given you some really good drugs.”
John took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I’d say so,” he muttered, trying not to sound embarrassed. “How is Agent Honeycutt?”
“She’s resting in the adjacent room,” Cold said. “She reaggravated her leg injury with her automobile heroics. Needless to say, she too just came out of surgery.”
“If it wasn’t for her, I’d be dead,” John replied.
Cold nodded and glanced over at the doctor.
“Doc, would you mind giving us a moment?”
The doctor smiled and nodded. “Of course not,” he said. “I’ve got my rounds to make. I’ll check back on your later, Mr. Milk.”
John shook hands with the doctor and moments later, he and Cold were alone.
“I’d say you owe some of the reason you’re still alive to the bigfoot specimen you released,” Cold said, his tone suggesting a bit of disappointment.
John looked away as he was unwilling to let Cold see his reaction.
“I did what I felt I had to do,” he replied firmly.
Cold nodded and placed his hands in his pants pockets. He was dressed in his usual black suit and black tie. “Of course you did,” he said, his tone turning a bit friendlier now. “I put you and Agent Honeycutt in charge here for a good reason. I trust your decision. It’s just unfortunate that the specimen was lost in the process. There will probably never be another Kurt Bledsoe ever again.”
John shrugged. “I suppose that’s true,” he said. “But would that be a bad thing? He’d become a tortured soul. A textbook case of wrong place, wrong time.”
“You’re referring to the meteor that made him what he became?”
“Of course that’s what I’m referring to,” John answered. “He was just a kid with his whole life ahead of him, and he had to be at the exact right place at the exact right time for the circumstances that made him what he was to occur. It’s a tragic situation, and I hope you’re right. I don’t want to see that happen to anyone else ever again.”
Cold huffed. It seemed to John he had different thoughts on the matter but elected to keep them to himself.
“So, what became of the rogue?” John asked, trying to change the subject. “I’m sure our guys at Walker Lab are cutting him into a million pieces as we speak so they can study him. Am I right?”
Cold looked down at the floor and his mouth became a straight line.
“What?” John asked, sensing he was about to get some bad news.
Cold looked back up and directly into his eyes. “The rogue got away.”
John’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “That’s not possible. It was dead,” he answered.
Cold shook his head back. “No, Agent Honeycutt thought it was dead, but it most certainly was not. By the time our folks got over there to retrieve the body, it was gone.”
John suddenly felt sick to his stomach. His mind immediately went to little Lucas Hurst, Sam Kendall, the sheriff’s deputies, and of course Sheriff Cochran. They’d all lost their lives to the beast. Would their deaths ever be avenged?
“That’s not what I wanted to hear,” John said sourly. “I’m going to hunt it down when I get out of here. There’s a guy at the edge of town, his name is Cliff Low—”
“No, you’re going to let it go, Agent,” Cold cut in.
John was taken aback. “Excuse me, sir?”
“We’ve spent a year of your and Agent Honeycutt’s time trying to locate Kurt Bledsoe. With him now out of the picture, the two of you will be reassigned to a new location.”
John glared at him, unable to hide his displeasure. “Sir, I think that’s a terrible mistake,” he said. “If we leave, then the rogue will continue to kill.”
“Not your problem,” Cold shot back.
John swallowed hard and fought to keep his composure. “Sir, with all due respect, this department specializes in studying the paranormal. What is more paranormal than a county full of these creatures? One of which has gone rogue and developed a taste for human flesh.”
Cold gave him a hard look. “Agent Milk, the presence of those creatures is why Walker Laboratory exists here. Again, not your problem. You and Agent Honeycutt will be reassigned and that is final.”
“Well, at least tell me they’re going to catch it,” John said, almost pleadingly.
Cold shrugged. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
John’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, come on, sir,” he groaned. “Don’t shoot that company jargon at me. After everything that’s happened, I feel I have a right to know.”
“You’re not going to like the answer.”
“Try me.”
“Fine,” Cold said, somewhat exasperated. “I don’t think there are any immediate plans to capture the beast. What they want to do instead is try and study it from afar.”
John stared at him in disbelief. “Study it?”
Cold nodded. “We know where the creature’s den is located and it’s not far from an old antebellum home in a secluded portion of the county. The thing’s been spotted there on more than one occasion hunting deer and other wildlife. We’re wondering if it would be bold enough to go after a human there.�
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“Well, I can answer that,” John said. “Yes, it would most certainly would be.”
Cold smiled. “I thought so.”
John suddenly felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re not actually telling me that we’re going to stand by and observe what this thing does. We’re not going to actually watch it kill a human being and do nothing.”
“If it’ll help us understand how it hunts…how it kills,” Cold said. “Then yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
John stared at him again with disgust. “Sir, I can’t be a part of that.”
“And you won’t be,” Cold said. “That’s why I’m reassigning you.”
“What about everything that happened in the town square?” John asked. “The whole damn county practically witnessed what occurred. Lives were lost!”
“Yes, and those families will be compensated handsomely,” Cold answered. “The citizens of this county will be on board with what we’re trying to do.”
“How can you possibly know that?”
“Because,” Cold said, sounding a bit agitated now. “If they do not, they will disappear. And besides, we’ve made it clear to each of them that we have a plan in place to keep them safe from the rogue moving forward.”
“By basically putting human bait in the antebellum home you mentioned?” John asked, shocked.
Cold nodded.
“This department never ceases to amaze me,” John said.
“Moving forward, we will be involved in picking the local law enforcement to ensure what we’re trying to accomplish suffers little to no setbacks.”
“This is crazy,” John muttered.
“Crazy?” Cold shot back. “This is nothing. Crazy is dinosaurs in the Bermuda Triangle.”
