by Terry Yates
Denny was becoming beside himself. He was expected to take care of the younger ones and he’d already lost Anthony, and he wasn’t doing too hot taking care of Lauren and Meredith. He looked behind him. Lauren was holding Meredith’s hand and the both of them were looking up at him.
“Are we lost?” six-year old Meredith asked, trying to keep the rain out of her face.
Denny didn’t know how to answer the little girl. Should he lie to her…to both of them?
“We’re not lost,” Lauren informed them, now grinning from ear to ear. “Look!”
Lauren was pointing up the hill and over Denny’s shoulder. When the teen turned around, he was suddenly startled by the silhouette at the top of the rocky hill. It belonged to an animal, but not the animal that he’d expected. The silhouette belonged to a Half-Golden Lab, Half-Rhodesian Ridgeback with more scar than skin on its body. It was Joe, and he stood rigid, looking down at the trio. Denny smiled, half expecting to see the dog wearing a cape that flapped in the wind. Joe barked at them and moved away from the top of the ridge. Denny felt like he’d had the largest weight removed from his shoulders as he reached back, took Lauren’s hand, and then pulled her and Meredith up. Joe barked again just as they heard another burst of gunfire.
“Go on…follow Joe,” Denny told Lauren as he swept Meredith up in his arms and headed up the hill.
FranAnne and Mary Sue had the mercury-scarred werewolf in a crossfire…or thought they did. They’d gotten the thing to chase them down a little narrow path lined with large rocks and boulders on both sides. They heard the monster catching up to them, so they decided that on the next flash of lightning, Mary Sue dodged left behind a group of rocks while FranAnne went right. The werewolf had only been seconds behind them. As it sped by, the two fired their revolvers, FranAnne hitting it twice, while Mary Sue only hit it once. She was a good shot, but she wasn’t as cocksure as FranAnne and had decided that unless she had the perfect shot, she would save her ammo.
The werewolf screamed as it passed them. It fell sideways from the force of Mary Sue’s bullet, then teetered for a moment, before gathering itself. Before either one of them could get another shot off, the creature, with three wispy bullet holes, picked up a large rock and threw it toward Mary Sue, who had to duck as the rock crashed into the one that she had ducked behind, shattering it into almost two complete parts.
The force of rock hitting rock, knocked Mary Sue backwards, several of the rocks nicking her face. She could feel the thing just above her, as she blindly reached for her pistol. Another shot rang out, causing Mary Sue to flinch, but also telling her that FranAnne hadn’t split on her. The creature roared as the bullets found their mark. She wasn’t sure, but she felt something wet splatter across her back just as she found her gun, which she grabbed, cocked, and then rolled over, prepared to shoot the thing…but it had gone after FranAnne, who was trying to stay down behind her group of rocks, but the ugly scarred werewolf began thrashing at them with its massive claws, breaking the rocks into many more rocks.
FranAnne had scooted back on her butt as the thing smashed the rocks. She only had a few bullets left, and like Mary Sue, she was using them sparingly. The beast had cleared itself a path and was about to converge on FranAnne, who tucked her knees in tight, the gun aimed up at the werewolf. When she saw an opening, FranAnne fired her pistol in succession until she heard it clicking. The beast grabbed its chest, and stumbled backwards back into the path where Mary Sue had just emerged. The wounded werewolf spun on her. Mary Sue knew that she couldn’t run away…she’d seen too many wounded animals in her day, and one thing that she knew was that the bigger they were, the badder they were when wounded, and this animal was big. When the thing stumbled toward her, she took careful aim, then pulled the trigger four times. One silver bullet hit it in the chest and the other between its eyes. Her gun clocked empty after the second shot.
She watched as the werewolf spun around, smoke coming from most of its upper body. FranAnne, empty gun still drawn, emerged from her side of the path. The two stood side-by-side as the creature howled its death howl, and then dropped to its knees. Both women silently pitied the dying werewolf as it let out a whimper, and then a moan before it fell forward, dead before it hit the ground.
“Let’s get out of here,” FranAnne moaned herself.
Skin was starting to show through the carcass, and neither of them wanted to see who it was, so Mary Sue silently nodded her head and the two began to run down the path again.
The two women ran for no more than a few minutes, when they rounded a path and both crashed squarely into Potts, who’d come looking for them.
“Shit!” Potts yelled, putting his hand up to the good side of his forehead.
“Sorry, Colonel,” FranAnne said, holding her chest.
“Yeah…sorry…” Mary Sue reiterated, even though her head bump with Potts hurt more than his with her.
“Are there any more around here?” Potts asked, the three helping each other to their feet.
“We got one just a minute ago,” FranAnne informed him, not a lot of pride in her voice. Watching the thing suffer had zapped the pride right out her.
Before any of them could speak, they heard a noise in the distance. The sound was above them, and loud enough to cut through the storm.
Potts already knew what it was. He’d heard hundreds of them in his military career.
“What is it?” Mary Sue asked him, still rubbing her forehead.
Potts motioned with his head. The two women turned around and looked off into the distant night sky. They didn’t see anything for a moment, then suddenly a spotlight shone down on the mountain about a quarter-mile from where they stood. A flash of lightning told them that it was a helicopter…and it was looking for them.
The trio smiled as the chopper flew almost completely over them.
“Well, I’ll be dipped in gorilla shit,” Potts said, smiling. “It’s one of yours, Sheriff.”
Mary Sue looked up to see OHP on the underside of the dark helicopter. Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
“See, Colonel?” Mary Sue yelled above the thunderstorm and the helicopter. “We aren’t all bad!”
“It’s headed for the others!” Potts yelled back over the din. “Let’s move!”
Now they’d be able to find those kids, Potts thought to himself, almost grinning.
When the three exited the rocks and emerged onto the cliffside meadow, the helicopter had landed next to where Potts had left the others. Several officers were helping Kyler with Sam, Jordan, and Williams. The chopper was larger than Potts had expected. Must be a hospital chopper, made for carrying several patients. Another stroke of luck had finally come their way.
The wind was beginning to kick up. The copter wouldn’t be able to stay for long in this weather. As Potts, FranAnne, and Mary Sue reached the chopper, they heard a noise from off to their left. They turned to see Joe emerging from the path that Potts and Kyler had run down, barking as if to say…”Hey! Wait for us!”
The group continued to watch the path exit as Joe ran to the helicopter. After several seconds, Lauren, Denny, and Meredith, who was still being carried by Denny, came out from among the rocks. A cheer went up from the group as Kyler and Potts raced over to the children who looked beaten and whipped, but physically okay, except Denny had a red rash on his neck and his arm from the mercury splashing back on him. Lauren raced over to Kyler and wrapped her arms around his waist. Potts ran over to Denny, who had set Meredith down.
“Good job, Son,” Potts told the lad, clapping him on the shoulder. “Where’s your shirt?” Potts had noticed that the boy was shivering in his t-shirt.
“We lost Anthony,” the teen answered, sadly. “I put it over his face.”
“We wost Antony!” Meredith exclaimed, beginning to cry now that she had time to realize what was going on.
“You two go over to helicopter now,” Potts told the lad as softly as he could under the conditions.
“You too,”
Kyler ordered Lauren, sweeping her wet hair out of her face.
The three children walked over to the helicopter where Joe waited patiently. FranAnne, Mary Sue, and a patrolman stood next to the door. The cop picked Meredith up and handed her to a cop inside the door. FranAnne stooped a little awaiting Lauren’s oncoming hug, which was forthcoming.
“I’s just about to come lookin’ for you!” FranAnne shouted over the chopper.
Lauren pulled back from her and mouthed “I know”, before giving her another hug, then allowing a cop to help her inside the door.
Denny walked up last and was met by his old nemesis, Sheriff Mary Sue Carter, who immediately cupped the boy’s face. Being a few inches taller, she kissed him on the forehead and pulled his face back. Shit, he thought to himself…he’d copped a bone to bone a cop. Mary Sue pulled him away from her, and held out her hand in a very ladylike fashion. After an eternity, Denny got the hint, took her hand, then helped her inside. When only Kyler and Potts were left, a cop stuck his head out the door.
“The pilot says there’s room for one more!” he shouted, holding up one finger in case they hadn’t heard him over the noise.
Kyler and Potts turned and faced each other. They both knew that if the weather stayed like this, the rescue copter might not be able to come back until daylight, which was a long way aways.
“Go ahead!” Potts shouted, motioning his head toward the aircraft. Kyler turned and looked at the chopper.
“No!” he shouted back, shaking his head. “You go!”
“Kyler!”
“Colonel!”
“I’m not going to tell you again!”
“Good…then I won’t have to hear it again!”
“Goddammit, Kyler!”
Potts’ last request was met by Kyler’s middle finger in his face, a move considered by most, the same as putting one’s Johnson in a pit bull’s mush and expecting it to come back completely whole.
“Kyler,” Potts started, speaking as low as he could. “If this weather continues, they won’t be able to come back for us until morning. You’re skin and bones! You’ll catch your death, I won’t. I can handle the next six…seven hours. I’m not sure you can…plus, these guys need a doctor.”
“They’re patched up well enough to make it to a hospital,” Kyler answered, never taking his eye off of Potts’ face.
Potts turned to the cop who was looking at them as if they were an old married couple.
“Can you leave us a few weapons?” Potts asked, embarrassed by the expression on the man’s face.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a tent in there, would you?” Kyler asked.
“No,” he answered, looking back into the chopper. “All we have is this old tarp.”
“We’ll take it…and any weapons that you can spare,” Potts chimed in as Kyler took the large, dark blue, wadded up tarp. The officer reached in and took out two pistols.
“Thirty-two’s?” Potts asked, looking at the gun as if it were a flyswatter.
“It’s all we have,” the cop answered.
“Any of the bullets silver?” asked Potts, handing one to Kyler, who took it without any sort of hesitation this time.
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” Potts said, turning to Kyler, then back at the cop. “We’ll be over by the rocks!”
The cop nodded and waved at the men, then circled his index finger, telling the pilot to lift off. Potts and Kyler were almost at the rock path they’d come down, when the two heard what they thought was the sound of gunfire. Both spun around to see Jefferson sprinting toward the helicopter.
“It’s Cpl. Jefferson!” Kyler exclaimed, pointing as the man ran across the field.
“Goddammit…in all the shit, they forgot him!” Potts yelled, trying to see.
A lightning bolt flashed, once again lighting up the night, but this one flashed downward, hitting the ground no more than thirty yards away from where Jefferson ran. The deafening thunderclap that immediately followed, shook the whole ground…but Kyler and Potts were oblivious to it. They were watching the werewolf that Jefferson, Jordan, and Williams chased out of the rocks, turn the tables…on Jefferson anyway. It was now chasing Jefferson across the now well-lit meadow, and gaining on him. Kyler took a step to give chase, but Potts’ hand shot out and grabbed his forearm.
“What!” Kyler shouted, trying to pull his arm away, but having no luck. Potts’ hand was like a vice grip. “What?”
Kyler tried to shake loose, but Potts wasn’t letting go, so the doctor raised the pistol. As he attempted to pull the lever back, Potts swatted it down.
“What are you doing? We’ve got to help him!”
“No…we can’t help him now,” Potts said softly.
“What do you mean?”
“We can’t catch ‘em, and these little guns aren’t gonna do much damage, especially since they don’t have silver ammo in ‘em! We’ve got to get out of here and just try to outrun the thing until daylight.”
But neither man moved. They were both ensconced in the chase.
“Come on, Jefferson,” they two men said simultaneously.
Jefferson had needed to relieve himself, so modesty had sent him running to the other side of the small meadow, and behind the rocks that he and the others had chased the werewolf through. He’d been almost finished when he heard a familiar, guttural sound, coming from several rocks over. The MP stood stone still. He heard more movement, and then the sound of sniffing. Jesus, the thing could smell his pee. He’d wanted to remove his helmet, because the raindrops were making loud ‘pings’ on it, making it harder for him to hear, and easier for the werewolf to find him.
As he slowly zipped up his pants, he saw a shadow fall across a group of rocks. Yep, he thought…it was one of them. He watched the shadow for a moment before slowly turning his head around to check out his escape route. He’d have to run about thirty feet, then veer left once he reached the cliffside meadow. After that, he’d have to run about a fifty yards before he reached the helicopter. One of the officers had given him a .32, which he’d placed in the back of his pants. It wouldn’t do much damage, but it might hurt it some if he was close enough to it.
When he turned back around, he saw that a single shadow was cast off of the large boulder next to him. It was next to him and knew that he was there, for it was stone still with its arms/forelegs out and its claws in the ‘rip to shreds’ position. Jefferson lifted the pistol ever so slowly, aimed it at the shadow…and then slowly pulled the hammer back.
As if on cue, the werewolf jumped out from behind the rock, its yellow eyes larger and angrier than he’d first remembered. It looked down on him and howled as it raised its left arm/foreleg. But before it could swing at him, Jefferson fired the pistol at the creature’s head. Three shots hit it in the forehead and one in its chest, causing it to reel back against the rock. Jefferson didn’t wait around to see what damage he’d done. Before the thing could even gather itself, he spun on his heels, and took off down the pathway.
When he reached the end of the path, he veered left into the meadow, found the helicopter that looked like it was about to leave him, and began to spring as fast as he could. He hadn’t gone too far when he heard the thing run out the pathway, and begin to give chase.
Inside the helicopter, everyone was looking out the window and yelling at him, encouraging him to go faster.
“Come on!” Jordan and FranAnne screamed, while everyone else just seemed to be yelling. The night was so bright right then, that they could see both figures clearly heading toward them.
“Somebody shoot it!” Mary Sue screamed, not able to take her eyes of off the scene.
One of the cops, scoped rifle in hand, placed the rifle out the window. The group watched the man aim.
“Shoot!” Sam screamed at the man, but the man didn’t shoot.
“What’s wrong?” FranAnne asked.
“The thing’s right behind him,” the officer replied, pulling his rifle back in. “I can
’t get a shot.”
“We’ve got to get this thing up! I saw on the news what these things can do to a helicopter, plus if this weather gets any worse, we won’t be able to leave.”
“You can’t leave him!” Jordan shouted.
“We’ve also got the doctor and the colonel out there!” FranAnne added.
“The weight of this thing can only handle one person! We’ll get up in the air and throw down the ladder!”
The lead officer didn’t even wait for a reply, he looked back at the pilot and gave him the thumbs up, telling him to lift off. After a moment, the helicopter began to rise up off of the ground, hovering around ten to twelve feet above the meadow. The officer nodded to a spot behind FranAnne, who was on her knees in front of the door. She looked behind her to find a rolled up rescue ladder. She began to unroll it toward the officer, who began to lower it to the ground.
What the shit were they doing? Jefferson watched as the chopper rose off of the ground. As hard and as fast as he ran, he knew that the werewolf was catching up by the way the ground was beginning to shake. He only needed about twenty more yards and he’d be at the helicopter. Why wouldn’t they wait for him? The sky was lit up like a Roman candle now because of the constant flashing of lightning, and the brightness of the largest moon Jefferson had ever seen. Surely they could see him. But he also knew that if that were true, they could probably see the werewolf as well.
“We’ve gotta get out of here!” the lead cop shouted.
“No! We’re not leaving him!” Sam responded loudly. He was in so much pain that it was hard for him to speak.
“We’ve got to start pulling away!” the leader informed them.
“No!” Sam responded again.
