Bigfoot Hunters

by Rick Gualtieri

  A short time later, they rounded a bend, and Harrison immediately hit the brakes.

  “What the hell happened here?” Rob wondered out loud.

  Harrison couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. For dozens of yards in front of them, large branches – and in some instances whole trees – lay strewn across the trail. It looked as if either a bomb or a small localized tornado had hit the place.

  Harrison shut off the Wrangler and got out. He heard the Xterra stop behind them and its doors being opened, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

  He stepped over to where the first tree, not really much more than a sapling, lay and examined it. The tree appeared to have been bent down until it had broken. Looking further down the path of destruction, he could see similar markings on many of the other downed trees. That made no sense. The damage seemed to come from both sides of the road, and if it had been a tornado, it would have snapped them all in the opposite direction back toward the forest. This seemed more ... deliberate.

  “The forest spirits here are restless,” Wild Feather said behind him, offering what Harrison found to be an exceptionally non-helpful suggestion. Still...

  “Something sure as hell is,” Harrison commented.

  “Yeah,” responded Rob, also coming up behind him. “Looks like someone dropped a herd of elephants off in this place. You guys ever seen anything like this?”

  Harrison shook his head. “Nope. What about you, Feather?”

  “Once, on a vision quest, I...”

  “Can we forget the spirit bullshit for now?” he snapped. “Have you seen anything like this, yes or no?”

  Wild Feather seemed to be at a momentary loss for words. “No.” He quickly composed himself and added, “I will perform a blessing here. Perhaps that will ease the tension from this place.” His normally easy tone was gone, however. To Harrison, it sounded like he was making it up on the spot.

  “You do that,” he said before turning back to Rob. “Come walk with me. I think we can make it over most of this, but I want to be sure.”

  As Wild Feather began chanting something unintelligible, just in time for the girls to join him, Harrison and his roommate began to step their way over the debris.

  Most of the destruction looked the same to him, as if something had bent the trees to the point of breaking. He was beginning to suspect the possibility of a bunch of drunken yokels with ATVs and tow chains when Rob stopped and pointed out something.

  “Are those scratch marks?” he asked, indicating one of the trees that still stood by the roadside.

  Harrison stepped forward to look. It took him a moment to see them, and it wasn’t surprising why. He had been looking from the ground level up to about his own height, but the gouges were higher, about seven feet up. There was also a chunk of bark missing from right in front of them, as if something had grasped the tree and simply ripped a piece out.

  “There’s more,” Rob added, pointing out a few other trees at the far end of the debris field. “I think I read somewhere that bears do that.”

  “Would have to be a pretty large one,” Harrison countered.

  “A Grizzly?”

  “Doubt it. I don’t think they’re native to this area. Black bears are, but it would have to be a big one.”

  “Pissed off, too,” Rob added.

  “Yeah, really pissed off. Either that, or he had buddies to help him with this. I don’t know...” Harrison trailed off as he continued staring at the wreckage.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Personally, I think someone’s screwing with us.”

  “With us? Why?”

  “Maybe not so much with us, as screwing with anyone trying to come this way. Look at this place. Do you really think one animal did all this? I’m thinking it’s probably a couple of people trying to make it look that way.”

  “Why?”

  “Who knows?” Harrison sighed. “Maybe they’re growing pot in the woods and want to keep people out.”

  “Don’t tell Greg that. You’d be giving him a new purpose in life.”

  They both chuckled, then began to make their way back to where the rest of the group was waiting. While it was definitely weird, Harrison was convinced it was the work of people. An animal doing all of this seemed doubtful to him. If there were freak weather conditions that could do such a thing, he had never heard of them. Either way, it wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle course. He had no doubt his Wrangler could traverse it. Danni’s rental would probably be okay, too, as long as they took it slowly. The biggest risk, as far as Harrison could see, was the possibility of a punctured tire.

  However, he quickly realized perhaps there were other risks that he hadn’t taken into account. Once they rejoined the group, Paula ran up to Rob with a slightly wild look in her eyes. “Maybe we should just go home,” she said in a small voice.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Wild Feather,” she whispered. “He said this was the work of the wendigo. It’s an evil forest spirit that...”

  “I know what a wendigo is. You’re kidding, right?”

  She lowered her voice even further. “He’s an Indian. They know these things.”

  Harrison had been close enough to hear her, and he shot his roommate an eye-roll. For the past few hours he had been thinking that, before the end of the week, he was most likely going to have a nice, long chat with this Wild Feather dude. Now, he wondered if he’d make it through the day before telling this guy to cut the shit.

  For now, though, his main concern was to nip this in the bud. His sister had been looking forward to this trip, and as far as Harrison was concerned, unless she changed her mind, something stupid like a bunch of downed branches wasn’t going to stop them. “Rob and I checked things out,” he said in a voice loud enough to get everyone’s attention. “It should be passable as long as we take it slow.”

  “That’s good to hear,” replied Danni, her tone upbeat. “Just to be safe, though, I think we should do one car at a time.” Smitten or not, he knew his sister was a smart, down-to-earth girl. He doubted she’d give much credence to any bullshit ghost story.

  “What did this?” Allison asked. She was standing next to Wild Feather and, judging by the look on her face, she had been at least partially taken in by his “wendigo” crap. Harrison had no issues with using a good ghost story to get into a girl’s pants, but this was different. Wild Feather appeared to be genuinely scaring some of the group.

  He shot Rob a glance, hoping his roommate would take up on it. He needed a little backup. Otherwise, their imaginations could wind up running roughshod over each other. Finally, he said, “It looks man-made.”

  After a moment, Rob, having taken the cue, jumped in. “Yeah. I think I saw some tire tracks on the other side. Probably some assholes with a full bottle of Jack and too much time on their hands.”

  Allison and Paula both turned toward Wild Feather, as if expecting some brilliant rebuttal. Neither Harrison nor Rob knew Allison from a hole in the wall. However, both of them noticed Paula’s reaction toward the newcomer. If he said the wrong thing now, things had the potential to turn ugly.

  Fortunately, Wild Feather was either smarter than he looked – or just lucky – as he replied, “I feel a darkness about this place. But perhaps it is the taint of men and not spirits. I am still but a student of my people’s ways.”

  That settled it right there. The tension drained from the group, or at least from the girls, and they set about righting their situation. It was decided that the majority would take their packs and walk to the far end of the downed trees. Harrison and Danni would pilot their respective vehicles, now with their reduced weight loads, across the obstacles.

  Once the others had grabbed their stuff and made it across, Harrison started up his Wrangler and put it into low gear. It was slow going as he tried to make sure he didn’t shred his tires on any sharp branches or protruding rocks, but fifteen minutes later
his wheels touched down onto the dirt at the far side.

  Then it was Danni’s turn. The Xterra was almost as capable off-road as Harrison’s vehicle, except it was outfitted with stock tires made more for the highway than for hard trails. She took it even more slowly than her brother. About three-quarters of the way through, one of her back tires got caught between two logs and lost traction. For a moment, it appeared the rest of the group would need to come back and give her a push, but then the other three wheels caught and she powered over the obstacle.

  A few minutes later, they were all loading themselves back up into their respective rides. They were no worse for the wear, but Harrison noticed with some regret that they had eaten into their remaining daylight. Whatever cushion of time they had started off with was now greatly reduced. If they came across any further delays, they’d be hiking to their destination in the dark. He wasn’t particularly frightened of that notion, and he knew Danni wouldn’t be either. He wasn’t sure about the others, though, especially if Wild Feather started in with his “spirit” crap again. If that happened, they might wind up camping out in the vehicles and starting again at daybreak.

  Chapter 5

  Rage! He couldn’t remember when he had felt anything other than a seething hatred for all things. Perhaps he had always felt this way. It seemed as if he might. Yes, it was likely so. Rage consumed his being now as it had always done. The only way to quench it was to unleash it upon anything he came across.

  He had torn apart countless of the four-legged things. They were timid and cautious, but they were stupid, too. They died bleating in fear as they were ripped to shreds. So, too, had some of the small chattering things in the trees been far too curious for their own good. They had come down to investigate, only to be torn in half and eaten even as they still twitched.

  The meat didn’t quell the rage, but he felt a need for it regardless. A small part of his fevered brain seemed to remember feasting upon roots and berries, but those memories must have been a lie. There had always been the rage, and it demanded that flesh and blood be his sole sustenance.

  He walked through the woods aimlessly with no direction, no purpose. In that, too, there was only rage. He vaguely remembered a territory he had once kept with others of his kind, but that was no more. He had eventually savaged them with teeth and nails in response to their worried grunts. Now he was alone. His only companion was the anger that seethed within.

  He slashed at a tree trunk as he lumbered past. He seemed to recall that this had once been a way to mark his passing. Not too long ago, he had done the same thing in a long, narrow clearing. Instinct had momentarily overcome the rage in his mind, and he had started marking trees to denote his domain. Then the rage had descended again, stronger than ever. The trees themselves seemed to mock him. He had killed a great many of them before the bloodlust abated. It had not been satisfying, though. Trees did not bleed. Trees did not scream.

  A memory of the recent past reminded him that the two-legged things were a different story. Though they were small and weak, they were satisfying. They ran, they fought, they bled, and they screamed. Oh, did they scream. Their death wails were an agony of sound to his sensitive ears, but one that called to him nevertheless. Their flesh was fatty and foul-tasting, yet he craved its taste anyway. Yes, they were worthy prey.

  Sadly, he didn’t encounter them too often. Their territory did not usually overlap with his kind. However, sometimes they were stupid and wandered away from their clans. Such a thing had happened recently. More than once, in fact. He wished for it to happen again and again. No amount of screaming could satisfy him for long.

  He considered journeying to one of their clans in the night. There, he could kill and feast as much as he desired. But even in his current state, he was still cunning. He knew the two-legged things could be dangerous. They sometimes carried objects that hurt. If he attacked a large group of them, they might be able to fight him off, might even be able to wound him. No, best to stay away for now until the rage demanded such action. Then, and only then, would he perhaps chance such a thing.

  For now, though, an odd sound filled his head. It was a low, constant growl just at the edge of his perception. Perhaps another creature was challenging his domain.

  No, two creatures. There were definitely two of them. Maybe they were battling each other for dominance. Yes, that could be it. It would all be for naught, though. Whichever was the victor would fall to his might, for there was nothing in the woods – no, nothing in the world – that could stand against him.

  He stopped to listen again. The twin growling continued, but now it appeared to be moving off. One might have conquered the other and given chase. Perhaps, but there was still something strange about it. Then he realized what it was. The pitch of the two creatures never changed. Surely, had they been battling, there would have been a rise and fall to their vocalizations. No, this was a constant growl.

  And then recognition came to his ravaged mind. He had heard this sound before. This wasn’t the growl of two creatures battling. It was the sound of the beasts that the two-legged things sometimes moved about in. They were fast and had inedible armored shells, but they were stupid, no more than slaves to the two-legged things. But if so, then that meant more of the two-legged things had wandered into his domain.

  His stomach growled as the need for their repugnant flesh once again filled his brain. He would feed, but first he would make them scream.

  He would make them scream for a good, long time.

  Chapter 6

  Luck had once again smiled upon the group. Following their earlier delay, the remainder of the trip down the secluded logging road was fairly uneventful. A few scattered branches were all they had come across, and those had been easily traversed.

  At last, the road began to peter out. The path they followed became little more than a narrow trail through the woods. After another half-mile, the trail, or at least the drivable part, ended in a clearing.

  Harrison exhaled a small sigh of relief once they parked and began unloading their gear. There was still enough daylight left to hike west for a few miles, then set up camp. As long as the tents were up and a fire was going, everything else could wait until morning.

  The portable GPS was still getting a strong signal. That was promising, although the maps of the area were preloaded. Even if reception failed, they should be okay.

  He shouldered his pack and grabbed one of the coolers. The load was heavy, but not oppressive. He was in good shape and doubted he would be doing much more than breathing hard by the time they made camp.

  Once he and his friends were geared up, Harrison locked the Wrangler and pocketed the key, inwardly smirking at the thought of being carjacked way out here. He then checked on his sister’s group. They were likewise finishing up with their packs and dividing their supplies amongst them. With a bit of smug satisfaction, Harrison noted that Wild Feather’s gear was surprisingly modern-looking – despite his constant “spirit” mutterings.

  “You guys all set?” Danni asked. She was fully loaded up and almost appeared comical, considering her size compared to the gear she carried. If she was feeling any discomfort, though, her face didn’t show it.

  There were nods all around. Everyone looked ready for the adventure ahead and, despite their earlier mishap, they seemed in high spirits.

  “Okay. I’ll take point with Wild Feather,” she said, much to her brother’s annoyance. “Harrison, can you take up the rear and help any stragglers?”

  Harrison considered protesting. He knew his sister wasn’t stupid. No doubt she had seen the tension he was directing at her wannabe boyfriend and was attempting to keep them apart for the time being. Still, she had a point. He knew what he was doing. If Rob or Paula started to lag behind, it would be a good idea to have someone there to make sure they didn’t get lost.

  “I’ve got your six,” he finally said, suppressing the sigh he wanted to give. As long as they were moving, hi
s sister was probably safe from whatever vision quest Wild Feather was planning for her. For now, making sure none of the group fell behind – or stopped for a toke break, in Greg’s case – was his top priority. There would be plenty of time to play cock-blocker later on. Of that, he had no doubt.

  * * *

  As the sun began to set, the temperature started to drop. The exertion of walking was keeping them all warm so far. Soon enough, though, it was going to start getting chilly. They were in no danger this time of year, but if they didn’t get a fire started, it was going to be a long, uncomfortable night, even for those who had the benefit of a little body heat to be shared.

  Harrison chuckled a bit at that thought. The first people who came to mind were Paula and Rob, being the only official couple on the trip. Unfortunately for his friend, Paula wasn’t likely to be sharing any heat anytime soon, at least not until there was a ring on her finger. Harrison personally hoped Rob wasn’t prepared to go down that route yet. There was nothing wrong with Paula, per se. He liked her well enough, their clashing beliefs aside. He just didn’t particularly favor the concept of anyone tying themselves down before they really had a chance to live.

  This brought to mind his own soon-to-be-single status and he actually felt relieved at the concept. While Harrison had no qualms about settling down one day, he planned on giving himself a few good years of fun first.

  The group stopped up ahead, pulling him from his thoughts. Catching up, he saw they had entered a small clearing. It wasn’t much, maybe twenty feet by another forty, but it was definitely enough for all of their tents and a good fire.

  “We here?” he asked to nobody in particular.