+++
“Sheriff, do you believe any of this? I mean about Sasquatch and all?”
“I don’t know, Billy, but I’ll tell ya, a lot of people do. A lot of highly respectable people too. Folks that you wouldn’t think would ever make up something like this that could potentially ruin their name,” the sheriff replied.
“I know, but it still seems strange. Honestly, I don’t believe that Turner could have done it either. I don’t think he’s big enough or strong enough to have bested that other fella. He was a big man and looked like he kept in good shape. He had a good forty or fifty pounds on Turner. The whole thing just seems unlikely and I still don’t see any motive,” Billy explained.
The two men grew silent and thoughtful as they drove along the snow-covered road. Billy stared off into the trees, alone with his thoughts as the sheriff looked ahead as he drove down the picturesque trail that led from the cabin to the main highway. They had left Troy just minutes earlier and figured to get back to the office before dark. It was the end of a cold, brisk day, but the sun still shined brightly and the views were absolutely stunning in the mountains.
The sheriff rolled his window down a little and lit up a cigarette. Reaching over the laptop, he turned the radio on at a low volume. A tune by Randy Travis came on the oldies station, but neither man paid much attention to it as they were lost in their own thoughts.
Billy realized just how tired he was from having worked a double shift, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. He had just dozed off when he was suddenly catapulted into the dash.
“Sorry, Billy,” the sheriff said. “I Just heard three gun shots. Didn’t mean to slam on the brakes so hard. ”
“Where did they come from?” Billy asked, once he got his bearings.
“Not sure,” The sheriff replied as he reached down and turned on the emergency lights overhead.
Nick put the truck in park, quickly stepped out and looked around. Billy got out on his side and came around.
“Couldn’t tell which direction they came from the way sound echoes around these mountains. They were faint, but distinct. Three in a row.”
“You don’t think it was Turner do you?” Larson asked.
“Nah, the cabin’s quite a ways away and he doesn’t have a vehicle. Couldn’t have made it this far on foot this fast. We’ve had dozens of people up here combing this entire mountain. Weeks later we hear three gun shots just as we drop Turner off? I want to know who’s out there!” The sheriff said firmly.
The sheriff climbed back in the truck and hit the siren a couple of times hoping to illicit a response. The ‘Woop Woop’ was extremely loud as it echoed across the snow covered countryside. Whoever was out there may be able to hear them or spot the bright blue and red lights down below.
The two men stood there for quite some time watching and listening for any further signs. They knew there was no way they could possibly track down the source of the gunshots without the aid of snowmobiles – not over this terrain.
I’ll see if I can get Lindsey on the radio and let her know what’s going on. I don’t like the feel of this.”
Billy jumped in the truck, picked up the radio mic and attempted to call the station, but there was no return.
“Doesn’t seem like anyone can hear us right now, but if you want to go on out to the highway it shouldn’t be too far ‘til we can get a clear signal. These mountains are a pain in the ass sometimes,” Billy suggested.
“She knows where we are. If we’re not back soon, she’ll send someone out. Let’s head back to Turner’s and check things out there. We’re not that far away and if that’s our missing hunter, we need to bring him in,” the sheriff said.
Billy hurried back around to his side. “Yeah, and it’ll start getting dark soon,” he called out.
When they got back in the truck the sheriff turned around and headed back to the cabin with the windows down so that they could listen for any more gunshots. It was bitterly cold and when the sun sets, it would drop well below freezing. Billy shivered from the wind blowing in the through the windows so he reached over and turned the heater up. Whoever was on that ridge should be getting out of there too he thought.
As they drove along the sheriff said, “I couldn’t tell where those shots came from exactly, but my bet is from that switchback ridge up there.”
“You could be right, but that’s still a long ways from here.” Billy replied.
Suddenly several shots echoed across the mountain valley. They were farther away, but this time both men heard it. The sheriff hit the gas on the big four wheel drive truck and sped back to the secluded cabin.
Chapter 25
Troy was scrubbing the floor with the bleach water when he heard the three gun shots. They were nearby. Not close, but close enough that he knew they were coming from somewhere on his property. He dropped his cleaning brush, stood up and hurried to the back door. Stepping out into the cold wind he looked up at the tree line behind the cabin. It could’ve been Phil. He still hadn’t been located and he hoped that he was still safe somewhere.
The sun was still up, but would soon be setting. When it did, it would get dark very fast. He didn’t have a snowmobile and he certainly had no desire to go up on that mountain alone and on foot. Maybe it was the sheriff, he thought. If it was the sheriff, what the hell was he shooting at?
He turned and went back inside. There wasn’t anything he could do at the moment. His cell phone was dead, so he plugged it in to recharge then turned back to the floor. He needed to get it cleaned and get a fire going before dark. With the kitchen window open and now the back door, it was cold enough in the house that his teeth were starting to chatter. It would take some time for the heater to get the house back up to a comfortable temperature. He finished the floor, cleaned the wall then checked all through the house once again for all the places where Craig had been. Once he was satisfied he had everything cleaned, he grabbed his coat and went outside to get some firewood off the porch. He was just about to walk out the door when he remembered he didn’t have any guns left in the house. The sheriff said that all the weapons in the house were confiscated and taken for testing. He looked around and found a hunting knife in Craig’s packs and strapped it on his belt loop. He hadn’t heard anything since the three gunshots and knew it wasn’t much defense anyway, but at least it was something. He would be sure to drop the heavy wooden beams across the doors and keep them bolted.
He carried in several arm loads of wood and kept a close eye out for any sign of trouble. Once he had enough inside to keep it going for a couple of days, he built a big roaring fire and turned the heater down low so that it would only turn on if it reached seventy degrees inside or colder. The fire would keep the house above that most of the time which should be perfect, he thought. The generator would keep the lights on in the house and the appliances working with no trouble. The cabin was naturally insulated and the fireplace could heat the entire house very well if all the interior doors remained open. It was a well-constructed home and insulated for the extreme northern climate.
The entire time that he worked, his thoughts kept going back to the gunshots. He hadn’t seen or heard anything else since then, but he walked outside to the front porch and looked around. If that was Phil up there, he may be lost, he thought.
I should leave the outside lights on for him in case he needs help. He thought.
He hurried back inside and flipped the switches, including the ones for the string of lights that led down to the boat dock. The whole place lit up like a Christmas tree. He realized then just how dark it was getting. The sun was beginning its descent over the mountain and when he looked up he could no longer make out individual details on the trees. They were fading to a dark mass surrounding the cabin.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. He hurried back inside and bolted the doors. He made his way through the house checking for any weapons the deputies may have missed. He would feel better if he knew he had something to use as pr
otection besides a small hunting knife. ‘Damn,’ he thought, ‘why did they take everything and leave me no way to defend myself out here?’
He made sure the crossbar was on the doors upstairs. After searching his bedroom he noticed his laptop lying on the dresser. He flipped the screen up, but it was dead. He carried it down to the kitchen where the charge cord remained in the outlet. He plugged it in and sat on a bar stool while it booted up. He reached over and hit the reset switch on the wireless router. Just in case, he chuckled to himself. Never know about technology, maybe I can get a signal.
After a few minutes, the laptop whirled awake and began booting up. His stomach growled hungrily and he remembered he still hadn’t eaten yet. He busied himself making a sandwich and something to drink then sat back down at the counter. The laptop was going through several updates.
“Figures,” he said to himself. He left it alone and went to the sofa to finish eating.
Ten minutes later he heard the computer ding several times “What was that?” He wondered out loud. He walked back to the counter, put his finger on the touch pad and woke the computer up. Then it occurred to him: that was the email notification. He opened the app up and looked at his emails. There were several in his inbox including dozens of spam ones. He laughed to himself and thought it odd that of all the times for the internet to actually work, this would be the one.
He quickly downloaded the emails to an offline archive just in case the connection was lost. Once he had them all moved over, he finished eating as he went through each one. It was easy to do so as he could delete just about everything that wasn’t from his editor. He didn’t have many people that he emailed directly; mostly these were from different shopping websites that he was a member of. After a few minutes he noticed that the internet reception had gone to almost nothing again. At least it worked for a few minutes, he thought. So maybe it’ll be back on again tomorrow if the weather is clear or if it’s less windy. His mind drifted back to the gunshots and his friend still out there on that mountain somewhere.
+++
Phil gunned the engine of the powerful snowmobile and led his pursuer down a long, gently sloping hill. The creature was careful to stay mostly hidden in the trees and Phil was careful not to let it get too close. The beast was fast and nimble, but was no match for the speedy sled. Part of him wanted to stop and take a shot at it, but the rational side of him knew he had to lose it quickly and get turned back to the trail that led to the cabin.
When he got to a rocky point where the field met the trees and narrowed down to a small glade, he recognized exactly where he was. He remembered that if he went straight down the tree line at this point there was a sharp drop about two hundred yards further in. There was no way to get around it; he had to turn back and find the trail the Denizens took. Hopefully it came out on the road that led to Troy’s house, but he knew he would lose a race with the Sasquatch before he ever made it to the road.
Another hill was coming up fast, but he had no idea what was on the other side of it. If it were tall enough, maybe once he got over the top of it he could turn around before the beast made it through the woods to parallel him. He could fool the monster into thinking he had continued on and then out run it back to the trail and catch up with the Denizens at the cabin. They weren’t far from it and that would be the safest place. It was built like a fortress with huge, heavy wooden logs. Nothing would be able to break it down, not even a monstrous Sasquatch.
+++
Clance saw what Phil did, but it was too late to stop him. He reacted the only way he could.
“Jo, get on with us. You boys ride together. Gav, keep that rifle handy and watch our backs. Follow close behind us. We only have one shot at this.”
The group did as the elder instructed. As soon as they heard Phil’s three shots, Clance hit the throttle with his family following closely behind. Phil was leading the Sasquatch away from them to give them a chance to escape, and Clance was determined to make sure they did exactly that. He knew the way to the cabin and it wouldn’t take them long to get there as long as there were no other Sasquatch in the area. He didn’t think there would be; he had hunted and lived around them for many years so he knew the lone sentry was only to guard against intruders and to warn the others of approaching danger.
+++
Phil crested the hill at breakneck speed catching several feet of air and immediately realized his mistake. Standing directly in his path was the eight-foot tall menacing beast. It spread its arms out wide and let out a tremendous roar. Son of a bitch tricked me, Phil thought, thinking through his options in a split second. He nearly panicked and hit the brakes, but clarity took over and he thought better of it.
He gunned the throttle hard and sped straight at it. At the last possible second, Phil turned the rudders sharply and leaned all of his weight to the side sending a sheet of snow and ice toward the hair covered giant. In one swift motion, he performed an arcing one-eighty, hit the throttle hard and sped away. The beast stood still for a few seconds in stunned silence then let out another roar. Phil heard the beast’s frustration as he sped away.
When he looked back over his shoulder he saw the creature still standing there. He let go of the throttle, hitting the brakes at the same time, spun his rifle off his back, and took aim with the carbine. He took only a split second to aim and fire, and then fired again and again until the gun was empty. The beast screamed on the first shot and Phil knew he hit it. At that range, he couldn’t miss. The other shots also found their mark. The beast went down on a knee then finally crumpled with a loud, mournful wail. It reminded Phil of the deeply resonating and very low tone of the dinosaurs he heard in a movie once. An odd memory at a time like this, he thought. It was eerie and unnerving when the Sasquatch made its last gasp and lay motionless.
On impulse and curiosity, he climbed off the snowmobile and started to walk over to it. It was lying face down in the snow less than fifty yards away, but then he thought better of it. He needed to catch up to the Denizens before any of the others found him.
+++
It took only a few minutes for the Denizen’s to cross the open, snow covered range and get to the relative safety of the woods. Once they reached the edge of the clearing, the trail became tighter and more twisted around the trees and rocks. The wind wasn’t as bad with the big trees acting as a windbreak. Clance kept the group moving fast through the dense forest. The trail was narrow, but easily navigable. They had to slow to round a tight curve. Just as Clance let off the throttle, he heard several more rifle shots and slowed to a stop.
“Did you boys hear that?” Clance asked.
“We heard it. Maybe he killed it?” Mathew replied.
“Soon as we get your mom and sister to the cabin we’ll come back for him.”
Clance hit the throttle and took off at a fast pace. The boys understood what he meant. They knew Phil was good with a rifle so he had a fighting chance, but right now, they had to get the rest of the family to safety before they could be of any help to him.
As they laced their way down through the forest trail they caught a glance of lights through the trees. The valley wasn’t far below now and they should reach the safety of the cabin soon. With any luck, they would be able to get inside quickly. There was no way to be certain that anyone would be home, but it was their only chance at this point. It was dark in the tree line and they had to use the headlights on the sleds. Clance felt comfort in knowing that the cabin was this close. He had to get his family to safety. If Phil had killed one of the Sasquatch clan members, there would be hell to pay.
They passed through the roughest part of the trail and came to a clearing near a small pond. It was less than a mile to the cabin now. Clance made a quick decision and veered off the path. He knew a quicker way; it was a small game trail, but it was big enough to let them through easily. It led to the backside of the lake and brought them down almost directly behind the cabin. It was the way he came when he would go to the lake and wh
ere he had rescued Phil. It was also further away from the main trail, but he hoped Phil would be able to follow their sled tracks easily enough.
The group weaved through the trees and glided silently over the snow with no further incidents. The air was crisp and cold, but void of heavy wind making the engines of the snowmobiles the only sound. They were fairly quiet when they weren’t running them hard. Ten minutes later, the lights of the cabin came into full view. The entire valley was lit up and it would be hard to miss high up on the ridge line. The trail zig-zagged down and Clance pulled straight up to the front steps of the house and met Troy Turner standing in the doorway.
“Are you Turner?” Clance asked quickly as he stepped off the snowmobile with his wife and daughter.
“Uh - yes I am. Who are you?” Troy asked.
+++
It was beginning to get dark and the trek over the mountain had taken its toll on him. He was exhausted. The adrenaline that pumped through his body had him literally shaking with fear and excitement as the creature lay dead behind him. He climbed back on the sled and took long, deep breaths until he had calmed his nerves. Once he regained his composure he reached into his coat pocket for extra rounds and reloaded his rifle. He slung it on his back then reached down to the handle bars and started to hit the throttle. That’s when he heard it.
A distant scream on the mountain top above him that sent chills down his spine. It was drawn out and sounded like pure rage and could only have come from one of the beasts. He took one last look at the beast lying behind him then turned his search to the mountain above him. Seeing nothing, he hit the throttle and circled back close to the tree line. He found his old trail and followed it until he came to the point where the tree line connected with the switchback of the ridge line that made a natural trail down. He picked out the tracks of the other snowmobiles and followed them as quickly as he dared. As he bounced over the trail dodging trees, rocks, and brush he thought he heard another scream on the mountain. He opened up the throttle and picked up more speed.
Siege at Hawthorn Lake: Murder on the Mountain Page 21
