by Gary Striker
Jane instructed, “Get yourself something to munch on. There’s another little secret I’ll let you in on. You can’t fall asleep while you’re eating”!
Steve thought that he possessed all of the wisdom on the planet until Jane came along.
“Why do I feel so stupid around her”, he asked himself?
“We should be at Eagle Lake about 9:30, Jane said as she looked at her watch. That is, of course, if we don’t have any close encounters and the weather cooperates. This time of year, it’s a turkey shoot”.
Jane was looking at a weather display on her cell phone.
“We have weather ahead, hopefully nothing that we can’t handle. You scared, fella”?
Steve had never been so humbled in his life.
“If she finds out that my first name is Clarence, there will be no end to it”, he thought stupidly. He was indeed at the mercy and experience of his travelling companion. He sent a text message to Cruz informing him of his new found friend and travel progress.
“If you have anybody to call, do it now. That thing will be useless until we can reach the cell tower this side of Fort Kent”.
“Why are you so goddamn smart”, Steve asked?
“My daddy used to say that you are only as smart as the turf you’re standing on”.
Jane again consulted the updated weather forecast.
“You’re staying with me tonight. By the time we get to Eagle Lake, that will be about as far as Clarence will want to go. Trust me”.
He stared into Jane’s eyes!
“Your name was on the sales receipt, you big dummy. Rick got it from your driver’s license. Now gather up your stuff, smart guy. We have to get on the road. You’re about to find out what this sweater is really going to cost you, and by the way, let’s take that tag off your jacket, Minnie Pearl”.
“Once again ol’ Clarence takes a major league thrashing”, he mumbled, “but at the hands of one of Santa’s elves? This is not happening”!
Aliens in the Allagash
Chapter 8
On the Job
We gathered up our coffee and refreshments and headed back outdoors to our luxury ride setting at the gas pump.
“Shit, it got colder and darker, and in only fifteen minutes”, I complained as I set the goodies on the rental car and pulled up the zipper on my new Marmot ski jacket.
“You look great in that thing! Nice threads I picked out for you. Very handsome”, was Jane’s astute observation.
“Maybe I can get a job as a ski instructor. I heard girls find ski instructors irresistible. How about you? After all, it’s all about image”! Steve looked inquisitive.
“How about the image of you being carried off the mountain on a ski stretcher with a broken leg?
“I love your sympathetic side”, was Steve’s acknowledgement.
The luxury rental machine cranked into action as we headed for the infamous Route-11, fifty feet ahead! The convenience store disappeared in the mirror as we rounded the top of the first rise and proceeded into the famous no-man’s land of the Allagash Wilderness!
“If you want to keep us in one piece, may I suggest that you lighten up on your foot a bit”. Steve slowed considerably and was paying attention.
“You’re not going to see what I see. Your eyes are not trained. When I tell you to slow down or stop, it’s not a suggestion.”
Jane was speaking from many trips up and down the wilderness trail and Steve absorbed her comments like a dry sponge.
Jane continued, “The first settlement is not far from here, a little village called Patton. This is the easy part of the trip, but keep your eyes peeled.
I sucked on the coffee cup and felt wide awake, somehow! She wasn’t kidding. We drove three miles and passed one logging truck. We’re not even into the wilderness area yet!
Jane pointed out my window, “There’s the other side of Mt. Katahdan that we saw from the highway.” The setting sun had the silhouette painted on the western sky.
“Beautiful”, was all that came out of my trap!
“Steve, it’s none of my business, but what are you doing up here? You can tell me to shut up”! Jane gazed with a question mark look etched on her face. I laughed.
“Listen sweetheart, I don’t think there’s much about me that you don’t know already. My boss’s sister disappeared up here a few months ago and nobody seems to know where she is or what might have happened to her.” The FBI opened a case, but it hasn’t gone anywhere”.
Jane looked very curious as she scoured the road for anything that didn’t belong there.
“What’s her name”?
“Marie Benavidas”
“Oh, I remember her. She was the motorcycle rider from your neck of the woods.” Steve nodded. “She was doing the Four Corners Ride with her friend when she disappeared. The back stories on this one were far out, I mean way out! The locals claimed that she was abducted by Martians and…”
Steve interrupted. ”Are you feeling alright”?
“There’s a deer, no two feeding next to the road. See”, as Jane pointed ahead? “Deer are very smart, but when they get confused, no telling which way they will bolt”.
Steve slowed to observe and was taking no chances.
“Damn, that didn’t take long. Now what about Martians, sweetie pie? Do you have a problem I don’t know about’?
Jane smiled, “I wish I did. It would explain a whole lot. The Wallagrass Town Manager did everything he could to hide something. He was afraid they were going to lock his butt in the asylum”.
“Would that be Jim Gagnon”?
Jane looked surprised, “Yes, the one and the same”.
“I have a meeting with him in the morning. If I told my boss that I was up here chasing space monsters, I’d need that ski instructor job in a hurry”.
“Let’s just say that you are probably going to hear some strange things.” Jane lit up a big smile and pointed ahead”.
“Another deer”? Steve slowed to a crawl.
“Not this time. Patton sets in a valley just up ahead. We’ll see it as we drop off this plateau.
Patton is a small settlement with a grocery store, restaurant, and general store that is the last link to civilization for the next sixty miles. It primarily serves the loggers and has a strong military commitment, considering that several of its young residents met their fate while serving their country. Flags were displayed everywhere.
“The Clam Shack is just up ahead, Steve. It’s too bad that they close for the season on Labor Day. It could be the reason that I live up here”, Jane said jokingly, “They have the best seafood anywhere.” The Clam Shack was boarded up and deserted, waiting for Spring to arrive.
“Jane, I think we passed three cars since we left Sherman Mills. Doesn’t this get lonely”?
“We like to call it solitude. It’s kind of nice, you know”, Jane reflected.
“It’s kind of dark and deserted, and now it’s starting to snow”. Steve looked concerned.
“It won’t be as deserted as you think if you connect with that moose”.
Steve came to crawl and they both watched the big animal make its way across the road.
“How did you see that thing? They’re invisible! Oh shit, we’re in trouble! Are we there yet”?
Jane laughed, “Well, Mr. Tough guy, we’ll be there in about another ninety miles. Would you like me to drive”?
“Not on my reputation, you won’t”, Steve replied with consternation, “If I have to handle space men, these moose are just a tune-up”.
The mood lightened and they were making good time, considering that the weather was worsening. The snow was beginning to collect on the road surface and there was almost no traffic to beat it down.
Steve looked perplexed, “I can’t believe you do this every other week? Where in the woods are we”?
“About ten miles further, we’ll drop down into the small village of Masardis. There’s only a few houses and a grange that set on a waterway.
There’s a tiny general store, but it won’t be open now. It sets just south of the lumber mill up on a mesa beyond the town where everyone works. You would get lonely there in a hurry”.
“Well, baby, it looks like my loneliness is your problem”, Steve said with a gotcha smile. “Whoa, shit, easy does it! Damn! This road’s getting slicker than cow shit in a rainstorm”. Steve recovered from the slide and slowed to a crawl. He stared at Jane for guidance.
“Around here, big fella, we’d say, ‘slicker than owl shit’, and it doesn’t have to be raining.”
The mood lightened but the snow did not. Masardis was just coming into view when Steve noticed something glowing in the sky.
“What’s that light up ahead”, Steve asked?
“Oh, it’s probably lights from the saw mill on the mesa up above Masardis. You can see them from a long way”.
“I don’t think so”, Steve countered, “It’s gone”!
They dropped over the rise and lights from the beautiful isolated settlement of Masardis came into full view.
“Holy Crap, look at this joint. We’re half way from nowhere to no place. What do these people do around here besides work and make babies”?
Jane returned with a wink with a smile, “Not Much! Take it easy down this grade unless you want to end up in somebody’s house”.
Steve cautiously descended into the small settlement and observed that the snow was picking up a bit.
Jane offered some driving instructions.
“As we get through this flat area, you’ll have to gun it to make it up the hill on the other side of those railroad tracks. “Oh shit, it looks like we’ll have to wait for that train”.
Steve came to a halt some distance away from the tracks as a train made its way in front of them. There was no other vehicle traffic. They now had time to relax, check over the car, and dig into the refreshment sack.
“Ya wanna neck, baby”, Steve asked in his best John Wayne voice?
“Not with this damn spot light on us, I don’t”, Jane said in an annoyed voice as the area around them lit up from above.
A perfectly round circle of multicolored light illuminated the car. A blue haze appeared to cover the train as it moved slowly and deliberately toward the saw mill. The low overcast was barely clearing the treetops. The snow continued.
“It’s just some dummass joker in a helicopter having a laugh”, Steve said as he got out of the car with his gaze aimed skyward. He looked back at Jane with a puzzled stare.
“I don’t see a chopper. My ears are being pulverized. Do you feel it”?
“It’s making my head hurt”, Jane said in a concerned voice as she put her hands over her ears.
Just then a deafening shrill wail reverberated about them.
“Steve, the car shut down, it stopped running”, Jane shouted in a plea of desperation.
The light extinguished as Steve got back into the car. They stared at each other in dark silence.
“What the hell was that”, Steve asked? “Did the train stop”?
They both stared forward in the glare of the high beams peering through the falling snow. A string of logging cars had been headed to the saw mill only moments before.
Steve squinted even harder looking at the rail crossing.
“Where’s the train”, he asked as he was beginning to doubt his own sanity?
“Do you hear anything”? Jane questioned her own senses.
“Not a damn thing”, was Steve’s confused response. “Why did the car quit”?
“I have no idea. I didn’t touch anything”. Jane looked very bewildered and a bit alarmed.
“Ok, settle down”, Steve said assuredly, “Let’s see if this heap will start”?
Steve cranked the ignition key and his luxury ride came to life.
“Thank goodness for the seat heater! My butt was turning to ice cubes.”
Steve looked over the automotive systems and raised his eyebrows.
“Everything looks ok”, he said, “The car seems to be fine. Do you go through this shit every week”?
“Steve, I have no idea what happened! “Let’s go up on the hill in front of us and see if we can spot the train. The tracks run off in the distance and it should be easy to see. Get a running start, it’s steep and slick”.
With that, Steve gunned it and barely made it to the top of the rise before the car lost traction.
“Way to go, Parnelli”, Jane said sarcastically with a dig at his driving skills.
“Well, that was close”, Steve said as he brought the car to a stop sideways in the road.
“Look back, Jane”, the whole town is black, not even a porch light, nothing”.
“I don’t see the lights from the mill, either”, Jane noted, “They’re working all shifts now and would at least have security lights on if they weren’t”.
“Damn, this place is dark”, Steve noted, “Except for what’s in the headlights, I can’t see a friggin’ thing”!
They sat in silence and stared around the landscape at nothing. Steve put on his mischievous grin and looked at Jane.
“Now do ya’ wanna neck, baby”?
“Just get us out of here. We’re still an hour from Eagle Lake. Steve, check out the dash clock. Look! What time do you have”?
Steve pulled up his sleeve and looked in disbelief at his watch.
“I have five minutes past midnight, Monday morning”.
Not a word was exchanged as the reality of the recent events hit home. What happened back in Masardis was about as clear as Mississippi mud. Steve straightened the car and proceeded toward the saw mill, about three miles ahead. Jane was doing her moose radar thing when Steve broke the silence.
“I have no idea as to what just happened to us back there. I got the Slattery vibes that we were damn lucky to get out of there in one piece with our hides”. Jane stared in attention as Steve continued, “In case we get ourselves killed tonight, I want you to know that you made my day. Ah, hell, you made my whole year. I’m just wild ass crazy about you”!
Jane smiled. “Give me your hand, stupid. Couldn’t you tell that I just might have more than a casual interest in this thing we seem to have? I finally met somebody who knows how to take orders”!
Steve looked disgusted as they approached the saw mill.
“Woman! You can’t live with them and you can’t shoot them”! Jane broadened her victory smile.
“At least it didn’t take long to get you trained”!
“Do you have an ‘off’ switch”, Steve inquired? “Hey look, there’s some mill workers out by the road with flashlights. It looks like they want us to stop”.
“Steve, these are good guys. They’re nothing like the city hoodlums you left behind. If they are out here waving their flashlights at us, they’re desperate”.
“Let’s find out what they want”, Steve said in a determined manner as he turned into the parking area”.
Jane grabbed Steve’s arm.
“Here, ya big baby. If this makes you feel better, I’m sure you’ll know what to do with it, Mr. Investigator.”
Jane put a handgun in Steve’s palm. Another look of disbelief overwhelmed his expression.
“It’s a Glock .380 auto, six shot enforcer. One round is in the chamber. The safety is in the trigger”.
Steve couldn’t quite believe what he just heard coming from one of Santa’s elves as he stuffed the firearm into his pocket. An even more critical look of disbelief in Jane’s direction quickly shifted to the mill workers as they approached his window.
Frantically, a person who appeared to be the group leader peered through the open window in a look of desperation.
“Sir, ma’am, thank you for stopping. Is one of you a doctor? We have an injured man down and our phone lines are not working. We have no power, either”
“I’m a paramedic”, Jane answered, “How can I help you”?
“Can you please take a look at our friend? He seems to be hurt real bad”. I’m Pierre Ro
signol, the shift supervisor.
“Will this chick ever cease to amaze the hell outa me” Steve asked himself as they both got out of the car?
“Mr. Rosignol, my name is Jane and this is my friend Steve. Who is the injured person and what happened to him”, Jane inquired as they entered the main mill complex? Lanterns illuminated the way.
“Oh, please, call me Pierre. We’re so grateful that you stopped! His name is Danny and he works for the MMA, our rail line. He’s the engineer and a good friend. Our millwright, Carl, found him choking and gagging in the log bay just outside saw mill number two. Hell, if Carl hadn’t spotted him, we could have chopped him to pieces. We know that his leg is broke and he’s in a lot of pain, but he seems crazy beyond that. It took four of my biggest mill workers to restrain him before he surely would have killed himself. We have him in the office right here.
“Let’s take a look”, Jane said questionably as they single-filed into the main office. Danny was strapped to a cot and he seemed to have settled down. Several gigantic logger types were watching over him and two others were examining his leg.
“Where’s Steve”, Jane asked as she looked around and then into Pierre’s eyes?
“Don’t know”, he answered, “He was just behind us when we entered the mill”.
Jane attended to the business at hand and examined Danny. She checked his vital signs, the general condition of his leg, and a cursory physical examination looking for other injuries. She stood erect, showed a serious frown, and began barking orders like a drill instructor.
“His pupils are not responding. He’s been traumatized and he may have suffered some extent of brain damage, a concussion, or whatever. We need to elevate his torso slightly and immobilize his leg in its current position. If we try to straighten it out, the bone fragments may sever an artery…”.
