Hominid

by R. D. Brady

  “Tess?” Missy asked.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Tess said, forcing herself to sound normal. “Here you go.” She pulled the t-shirt over Missy’s head and helped the girl get her arms through the sleeves.

  Missy turned back around. She ran her hand over the material and grinned. Then she threw herself at Tess. “Thank you.”

  Tess wrapped her arms around the little girl, trying to block out the image of her back and just focus on the girl’s present joy. “You are very welcome.”

  “I’m going to show Sister.” Missy wiggled out of Tess’s arms and took off at a run.

  Tess watched her go, her heart heavy. Wherever Missy had come from, it had been a cruel existence. And now she had found peace. How could Tess take her away from that?

  But at the same time, Tess knew that as Missy got older, there was more and more of a chance that she would get hurt. And if she stayed out here too long before returning, she’d never be able to fit back in with human society.

  Tess ran her hands through her hair. She had no idea what the right thing to do was in this situation. But she knew that whatever decision she made, Missy would be the one to deal with the consequences.

  CHAPTER 60

  Grand Rapids, Michigan

  Tyler Haven stared at his reflection in the mirror. Light hazel eyes and chiseled cheekbones stared back at him from under thick light brown hair sculpted to look carefree. Tyler leaned forward and squinted at a red spot appearing on his cheek. I’ll have to use a stronger cleaner tonight.

  He pressed a small amount of powder over the spot, blending it in to his skin to make sure no one could tell he was using makeup. He had a reputation as a tough outdoorsman. It wouldn’t do if anyone learned about his pre-show makeup ritual.

  He sat back and inspected every inch of his face. Then he stepped back farther and inspected his outfit. His dark wash jeans were just tight enough to accentuate his physique without looking like he was trying to. His tight t-shirt showed off his well-developed chest but it was washed enough to have more of a careless attitude. Perfect.

  He stepped out of his trailer.

  Tyler’s assistant, Meg Tilly, who’d been leaning against the side of the trailer, jumped to attention and rushed over to him. “Mr. Haven, they’re ready for you.”

  Tyler brushed past her. “We’re set up out back?”

  Meg struggled to keep up with Tyler’s long-legged stride. She pushed her glasses up her nose, clutching her reports and clipboard to her chest. “Um, yes. Just like you wanted.”

  Tyler nodded. The light would look good on him. And the trees surrounding them would give the story a little extra credibility. “What about the guest? What’s his name again?”

  “Um, Billy Bob Franklin.”

  Tyler struggled not to roll his eyes. Billy Bob? He was willing to bet the guy was about four hundred pounds and owned one shirt. He really needed to get off this show. His talents were being completely wasted. “Right, right. Did you explain to him what we need?”

  Meg nodded her head, and her glasses slid down to the end of her nose again. “Yes. He, um, knows.”

  They rounded the corner of the cabin. The small crew was already set up. Two chairs had been placed on the dock; the lake would serve as a backdrop. Tyler paused, glancing up. He’d need to move his chair to the right a little more to make sure the sun hit him just right. Which would leave the sun directly in the eyes of his guest, but hey, fans weren’t tuning in to see Billy Bob Franklin every week.

  Billy Bob stood with his one of the cameramen. What was his name? Frank? Fred? Anyway, Tyler was glad to find that Billy Bob was not as hillbilly as he’d thought. A little overweight, but his shirt was a button-down and his dark hair was recently cut. I can work with that.

  Pulling on the Tyler Haven charm, he walked forward with a smile. “Mr. Franklin, thank you so much for agreeing to do this. You’re really helping out a lot of people.”

  Billy Bob’s jaw fell and he shook Tyler’s hand robotically. Then he seemed to gather himself together. “Mr. Haven, I’m a huge fan. In fact, your show is the reason I was out here. Call me Billy Bob—everybody does.”

  “Well, we all appreciate you taking up the cause. Why don’t we go ahead and get started?” Tyler led Billy Bob over to the chairs and directed him to the one facing the sun. Shifting his own chair, Tyler took a seat and felt the sun hit him from behind. Perfect. Across from him, Billy Bob blinked a little in the sunlight.

  “Ready?”

  Billy Bob ran his hand along his thigh. “Uh, sure.”

  Tyler turned to the camera. The cameraman counted down with his fingers from three and then pointed at Tyler, who smiled.

  “Welcome to Bigfoot Must Die. Each week we bring you horrifying tales of the monster that lives among us, preying on innocent souls in the woods. Today, we have a special guest. A true hero who faced a bigfoot and did what needed to be done. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s let the man tell you himself. Billy Bob?”

  Billy Bob looked like a deer in headlights. “Um, yeah?”

  Great. Tyler cut in. “Is it true you saw two bigfoot when you were out in the Rogue River State Game Area?”

  “Uh, yes sir.”

  “And that’s in Michigan, the Northwest corner of Kent County, correct?”

  “Uh, yes sir. It is. They were standing in the forest as clear as you are to me.”

  “How far away were they?”

  “No more than twenty feet.”

  Tyler let out a whistle. “That is awfully close. How tall would you say they were?”

  “Well, one was easily eight, maybe nine feet tall. The other was a lot shorter, maybe four or five feet.”

  Tyler leaned forward. “And you were in fear for your life, weren’t you?”

  “Well, not really. I mean, they weren’t paying me any attention.”

  Tyler glared at Meg, who took a step back. Prepared, my ass.

  “But if they wanted to hurt you, they could have without a thought, isn’t that right?”

  Billy Bob nodded his head repeatedly. “Oh, yes sir. I mean, even the little one—its arms were huge. If they had decided to take me out, there’d have been nothing I could do.”

  Tyler nodded. They were back on track. “So tell us, what happened next?”

  “Well, the big one, he walked off. So I watched the little one through my scope. And I must have made a sound, because it turned toward me. It looked at me with these big brown eyes. I swear, it looked almost human.”

  “And then?”

  “Well, it turned to leave. So I shot it in the neck. That thing doesn’t belong here. It’s not normal. It’s the only thing I could do.”

  Tyler leaned forward. “Because you were in fear for your life.”

  “Yes, sir, I sure was. Especially after the big one came tearing back. It was screaming. I’ve never heard a noise like that. I took off running for my truck and drove off.”

  Tyler shook his head. “I can’t blame you. I don’t think anyone can. But you returned to the spot later, didn’t you?”

  “Yup, about two hours later I came back with two friends. But the one I shot was gone. And I know I killed it. I got it right in the neck.”

  “What do you think happened?”

  “I think that other one took it away. I should have taken him out.”

  “No, protecting yourself was the right thing to do. And I’m glad you shared your story with us today.”

  Billy Bob sat a little straighter. “Well I think it’s important people know what’s going on. And I’m glad I can help people understand the danger that’s out there.”

  “And you have.” Tyler turned to camera. “If you ever come across one of these beasts in the woods, remember these words: the only safe bigfoot is a dead bigfoot.”

  CHAPTER 61

  Tess had been with the bigfoot for ten days, and each day she’d learned more about them.

  For one thing, every night a handful of them went out and hunted—bo
th males and females, although females with young children stayed behind—and brought back whatever they found to share with the group. For the first few days, these hunting parties had not been inclined to share with Tess, but eventually that had changed as well. They offered her part of their spoils. Not that Tess always wanted it—raw meat was not exactly her favorite—but she ate at least a few bites so as not to insult anyone. Then she stuck with the fruit.

  She also observed that they ate leaves, which might tend to make them more like gorillas. But ancient humans also ate leaves. Just like these bigfoot, humans were omnivores—eating basically anything that would help sustain them.

  Tess couldn’t help but think about the research on the EPAS1 gene when she curled up for the night. Although Missy always snuggled near someone for warmth, and Tess always needed her blanket, the bigfoot never seemed to get cold.

  The bigfoot used the caves, but they didn’t really need them. The ones with infants tended to stay in caves, but the rest stayed outside—even in the rain. Tess was pretty sure Charlie and his family only used one for Missy’s benefit. Was that because they, too, had the EPAS1 gene, like the Nepalese who could live at high altitudes? Was that why bigfoot didn’t need shelters? Were they actually genetically programmed to not be as bothered by the cold?

  Were they actually Homo denisova? Or were they possibly a new species, perhaps hinted at by the jawbone discovery in Taiwan in 2014? Not for the first time, Tess wished her sat phone was working. She really wanted to know what Pax had found out from that hair sample.

  Another behavior she noticed was that while the females did the bulk of the child rearing, the children were kept in line by the whole group. Any misbehavior was swiftly handled by whatever adult was nearby. One day, Tess saw a young male pinch an apple from another juvenile, and before the thief had gotten more than a few steps, one of the adult males let out a roar. The juvenile stopped dead and dropped to the ground.

  Tess had practically dropped to the ground as well—the scream was that terrifying. The adult bigfoot stormed over to the offending child, and Tess braced herself for the violence. But it never came. The adult stood over the juvenile for a few moments. Then juvenile stood up and returned the stolen fruit. And that was that. The juvenile went back to playing with his friends. It was remarkable.

  But despite the shared responsibilities for hunting and keeping the children in line, the bigfoot did have a hierarchy of sorts. Charlie was clearly the leader—the whole group deferred to him—which was probably why he was the one who had brought Tess in. If anyone else had brought a human to this place, the guest would likely not have fared as well. And Kong obviously ran security. He and his lieutenants could often be seen around the periphery of the valley, watching the group. Some of them were always on the other end of the tunnel, and Tess assumed they were keeping a close eye on the land around them.

  The guards were primarily male, and entirely of that larger type of bigfoot, but Tess had seen a few females that resembled Kong as well. And although the two types of bigfoot mingled with each other, they did show some tendency to self-segregate.

  More than anything Tess wanted to grab some hair samples of the two types of bigfoot and run some tests.

  Not for a journal article or conference presentation. No, she wanted to know for herself. She’d spent her life searching for answers to the questions she’d had since that horrible night in the woods, when her father died. Now she had those answers, and they’d only led her to new questions.

  And new worries. Tess glanced over at Sugar, who was standing in the middle of her group of friends with Missy hoisted up on her shoulders. Missy had a giant smile on her face, and every once in a while one of the other bigfoot would reach up and pat her leg or back.

  Tess thought back to the one phone conversation she’d had with Pax after arriving here. She wasn’t sure how much of it he’d understood, but even if she’d put his concerns to rest then, she’d now been gone a long time. Her friends and family would be getting worried. Shelby, too. She missed them, and it was time to get back.

  At the same time, she really hated to leave. She watched a female walk past, carrying a small bigfoot only about two feet tall. The infant let out a cry, and the mother quickly cuddled him closer. How can I leave this? But she knew she had to.

  One more day, she told herself. Just one more day and then I go.

  CHAPTER 62

  The next morning, Tess woke with a start. A wail echoed through the valley. She looked around, but there was no one in the cave. Even Missy was gone.

  Tess hurried outside and found all the bigfoot gathered in the middle of the valley. More cries joined the original, one by one, until the valley rang with sounds of despair.

  Tess’s heart pounded as she made her way toward the group. What happened?

  She moved as close as she dared and climbed onto a rock to get a better look. In the center of the pack stood Frank, holding a silver-haired bigfoot in his arms.

  Tess’s knees went weak; the air left her lungs. Her mind struggled to accept what she was seeing. No. “Charlie,” she choked out.

  Frank let out a scream and fell to his knees. Mary and Sugar rushed to his side. Missy pushed through the group and joined them.

  Tess put her hand to her mouth. They were the picture of a family in grief. She watched Frank—his anguish was powerful, overwhelming. Tess had always thought that Mary was Charlie’s daughter. But now she saw the truth: Mary was Charlie’s daughter-in-law. It was Frank who was Charlie’s own child.

  Kong appeared at the other end of the valley then. He was holding an entire tree, with the roots still intact. The bigfoot parted to allow him through. He strode between them and stopped ten feet from Frank. A group of male bigfoot approached and wordlessly began to tear up the earth. Giant chunks of ground were thrown to the side. Kong stood waiting, his face impassive.

  When the hole was completed, the diggers stepped back, and with a shudder, Frank got to his feet. Tess bit back a sob when he stumbled under Charlie’s weight, but he shrugged off another male’s attempt to help him. He walked over to the hole and gently placed Charlie inside. Then he knelt there, one hand on Charlie’s chest, before stepping back. Mary took one of his hands. Sugar took the other. And Missy wrapped her arms around one of his legs.

  Kong gently placed the tree on top of Charlie. He held it there as the diggers refilled the hole with the displaced dirt. Each clod of dirt hid Charlie more and more from her view. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. This can’t be happening.

  In only a few minutes, the tree stood firmly on its own, and Charlie was gone. The men and Kong backed away.

  Then, one by one, the members of the tribe walked up to the mound and bowed their heads. Some placed a hand on the trunk of the tree. They walked away in groups of two or three, until at last only Mary, Frank, Sugar, and Missy were left. Then they too walked up to the tree and lay their hands on it, their heads bowed.

  Missy placed her hand on the mound of dirt. Even from her vantage point, Tess could see the little girl’s shoulders shaking. Missy stepped back and turned to Frank, who leaned down and picked her up. Together the four of them walked back to their cave.

  Tess wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her scientific mind recognized that this was why no one had ever found the remains of a bigfoot. But she barely acknowledged that thought. All she could think about was the kind man who had watched the sunset with her every evening, the man who had shared apples with her. The man who had introduced her to this magical place.

  Man, she thought, wiping another tear from her cheek. When she began all of this, she thought she had been tracking an animal. Getting to know Charlie, Sugar, and Mary, that had changed. They had become people.

  Tess made her way down the rocks on wobbly legs. Her mind was assaulted by memories of Charlie. The most powerful of these was the look of affection he had in his eyes whenever he looked at Missy.

  Tess’s chest felt heavy and her eyes stung with
tears.

  Checking to make sure no one was going to stop her, she made her way slowly to Charlie’s grave. When she reached the tree, she placed her hand on the trunk just as the other members of the tribe had done. “Goodbye, Charlie,” she said. “Thank you for being my friend.”

  The other bigfoot had seen her approach the grave. She knew that. Yet none had intervened. They had accepted her. She glanced down at the upturned earth. He had accepted her.

  This time she let the tears flow down her cheeks. I’ll keep them safe, Charlie. Whatever I have to do, I’ll keep them safe.

  CHAPTER 63

  For the next two days, Tess watched the tribe mourn. Frank was the hardest to watch. He sat in one spot, staring into the distance. He wouldn’t allow anyone to come near him except Missy. Missy would lie cuddled in his lap, or would lean against his back and brush his hair down.

  Tess longed for her camera to take a picture. At the same time, the moment was so heartbreaking, she wouldn’t have felt right violating it. Some scientist I’ve turned into.

  And Tess knew she needed to get back to her world. She wanted to stay, but she knew if she didn’t touch base soon, a full-fledged search party would be out looking for her, if it wasn’t already—and she shuddered to think what would happen if they came here. She had promised Charlie she would keep the bigfoot safe, and to do that, she needed to leave them. Perhaps she could go home, touch base, and then return.

  Tess sat up, her back aching from the hard ground. She stretched to work out the kinks and then stood. It’ll be good to sleep in a real bed.

  But even the prospect of her soft mattress didn’t dislodge the sadness at having to leave. It wasn’t just that they were an undiscovered group of hominids. The scientific angle of this visit had long since vanished. It was the peace here, the contentment she experienced. This is what life should be.