Mind Hemorrhages: Dark Tales of Misery and Imagination

by Dane Hatchell

  Cecil searched and found a new handhold and moved another step toward the top.

  Lauren regretted taking the fifth position on the rope. Her bladder was full to the point it felt like a balloon about to burst. “If we don’t get to the top soon I’ll wet myself,” she said to Donna, who was fourth on the rope.

  “Me too. I drank too much sports drink. I didn’t expect this to take us more than a couple of hours. Next time Cecil is the Leader, I’ll wear a Depends,” Donna said.

  “Rock!” Cecil yelled from above. A handful of loose dirt and rock fell harmlessly away from the other climbers.

  “Drama queen,” Lauren said, intending for only Donna to hear. Abe, who was above Donna and third on the line, snickered at her comment.

  “If he doesn’t reach the top soon, I’m going to tell Jenny to cut the rope and find us a quicker way out of here,” Abe said.

  Lauren looked up again and saw Cecil’s feet stick out horizontal from the upper ledge. “Looks like he made it.”

  “Thanks goodness,” Donna said, watching the feet disappear.

  Once on top, Cecil drove in an anchor, removed the rope from his harness, and tied it securely to the anchor, “Okay, top-rope’s in place. You guys can come on up.”

  Cecil walked in a circle stretching his muscles and enjoying the feel of firm ground under his feet. The view was beautiful. Lush and green with tall trees all around. The Arkansas River winding below as far as the eye could see.

  Feeling the call of nature, he walked to the edged and called down, “I’m going to the bathroom and look for a campsite.” Without waiting for a response, he removed his backpack and headed into the thick of the woods to find a tree to use a suitable target.

  Coming to the trunk of a tall pine, Cecil unzipped his pants, scrounged around for the head of his manhood, and relieved himself. He let out a sigh as the pent up pressure slowly melted away. Before he could make the final two shakes before zipping up, steps crunching twigs broke his solitude. They sure did make good time, he thought. “I’m over here, guys. Just give me a minute.”

  A large thick padded hand with long sharp nails swooped from behind and struck Cecil in back of his head. He fell down to the ground, knocked out cold. Finding another trespasser in its domain so soon raised the ire of Bigfoot. Even though its belly was still full with its earlier kill, it saw no need to let this one go to waste.

  Lauren reached the top and Abe and Donna each grabbed an arm and helped her over. She rolled on her back and took a minute to relax while the two looked down from above. “I never thought we’d make it.” She then lifted herself on her elbows and stood. “I have got to go, now.”

  “Go ahead, we didn’t wait for you,” Donna said.

  Lauren took two steps and stopped. “Where’s Cecil and Jenny?”

  “Jenny went to look for Cecil. She said he went to look for a campsite,” Abe said.

  “Cool, I’ll want some lemonade soon. I need an attitude adjustment,” Lauren said, and headed for the cover of the woods.

  ***

  Cecil awoke hanging upside down looking at the back of a hairy animal. At first he thought it was a bear. But soon let go of that belief when he discovered his captor walked on two hairy legs. He glanced down the thick legs of the beast, and observed the large human-like feet. I’m being carried on the back of a Bigfoot monster, he thought. But that’s impossible. There is no such thing as Bigfoot.

  The filtered light of the forest gave way to cool darkness. Cecil lifted his head and saw he was about to enter the mouth of a cave. The Bigfoot pulled him off of its shoulder and laid him on the uncomfortable rocky ground. He strategized feigning unconsciousness would buy him some time to formulate a plan, and forced himself to lie still, although a sharp rock poking his back made it difficult.

  I wonder if it thinks I’m dead? Cecil heard the beast walking away. After a few minutes, he chanced to barely open one eye. Bigfoot entered the cave carrying something in both of its hands. He quickly closed his eye and slowed his breathing as much as possible.

  Water splashed in his face and he felt a big toe dig into his side. “Ouch!” Great, he for sure knows I’m not dead now.

  The creature grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled upward.

  Cecil sprang up in compliance until he was on his feet and standing next to the massive monster. “Okay, I’m up. You can let go of my hair now.”

  Bigfoot shoved a bowl of water toward him. Cecil took it and hesitated to drink. The water didn’t smell right. Although he couldn’t be sure if it was only the water, as the monster, and the cave, both reeked with a foul, gamey odor.

  The monster made an intimidating grunt.

  “Okay, don’t get mad. I’ll drink it.” Cecil put the bowl to his lips and took a sip. It tasted fresh, so he drank it all down, being thirstier than he realized.

  As soon as he finished the Bigfoot handed him another bowl. This bowl was a little larger than the first one. The upper jaw full of teeth and still attached to the skullcap.

  I just drank water from part of a human skull. Bigfoot uses human skulls for bowls. Cecil felt his knees go weak. The monster grunted again, obviously growing impatient.

  He shook as he brought the skull to his lips and forced himself to swallow the water. He handed the skull back to the Bigfoot and prayed that by some miracle someone would show up to save him.

  The Bigfoot balled up its fist and tapped Cecil in the stomach. He’d never been hit that hard in his life. Cecil heaved all the air out of his lungs, and the contents in his stomach erupted out of his mouth and onto the cave floor.

  Cecil bent over and spit, and moaned like an animal as he tried to catch his breath.

  The Bigfoot left and returned with more water.

  “Why’d you do that? I drank the water like you wanted.”

  Bigfoot shoved another skull full of water his way.

  “I don’t want it. Leave me alone!”

  A bone chilling growl and the show of its pointed canines quickly put the situation in perspective. Cecil nervously took the bowl and sipped on it until it was empty. Only to be handed another immediately after.

  ***

  “We’ve searched over a hundred yards in every direction. There’s no sign of him,” Jenny said.

  “Where can he be?” Donna’s hands rested firmly on her hips.

  Abe lifted his cap. “Maybe he heard what Lauren called him. And he’s making us pay for making fun of him.”

  “I didn’t say ‘drama queen’ loud enough for him to hear,” Lauren said.

  Jenny lowered her head, “I heard you. I guess it’s possible that he heard you too. He probably picked up vibes from all of us that we were pissed at him for being such a weak leader.”

  Donna spread her arms. “So what do we do? Look some more, or call 911 for help?”

  “He hasn’t been missing long enough to call for help. Let’s keep looking,” Abe said.

  “Let’s set up camp and make a batch of lemonade. Cecil may be pulling a prank, but the joke’s on him. We have his backpack, and his backpack has the 100 proof bottle of vodka. Maybe if he’s out there watching us, he’ll come running when he sees that the party’s starting without him. Let’s go roll out our blankets over there,” Abe said, pointing to a flat area between a group of trees.

  “You guys go ahead. I’ve got to go to the bathroom again,” Lauren said.

  Donna laughed, “You mean you have to go the bathroom again, again. I swear girl, your bladder must be the size of a walnut.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’ll be back,” turned, and left for some privacy away from the others.

  She returned to the camp area after several minutes expecting further berating from her companions, but instead found the backpacks haphazardly strewn about and the blankets trampled upon.

  The serenity the beautiful trees and magnificent mountains offered suddenly changed into obstacles, silently standing, hiding her from the whereabouts of her friends.
For them to go missing so quickly must have meant that whoever, or whatever, took them must have totally overwhelmed them. Lauren couldn’t help but feel that they were waiting and watching for her too, ready to pounce in an unsuspecting moment.

  But she was only one woman, standing just a few inches over five feet, though very fit and muscular. What were they waiting for? She pushed the paranoid thoughts out of her mind and focused on the situation on hand.

  Her friends were missing. Their backpacks thrown about and the blankets indicated signs of struggle. While searching for clues, she discovered a dark substance on one of the blankets. It was blood. Fresh blood. Lauren could only wonder as to which one of her friends it belonged to and feared for the worst.

  Having no faith in her tracking skills, she turned on her cell phone and searched for service. Nothing. Despite it feeling like a total waste of time, she opened the Friend Locator app on her phone in chance that the GPS was operational. A map of the area displayed in 2D on the screen, along with both her and Donna’s location.

  It showed Donna just to the north and heading away. Lauren could only guess Jenny and Abe were with her. But now, what to do? Her head told her to leave and get help. Her heart said to follow and see if her friends were in immediate need or at least to pinpoint a location. If her captors discovered Donna’s phone and in turn destroyed it, there might be no chance in finding them.

  Lauren took a deep breath, a swig from her canteen, and headed north to an uncertain future.

  ***

  The Bigfoot made quick time through the dense woods even though it had a human slung over both its shoulders and one cradled in its arms. Over the years, it had a good amount of contact with the weak creatures. Learning some of the human’s ways, their nature, and in turn learned how to use it against them. Now that the Bigfoot had expanded its territory, it came in contact with humans more often. And instead of sharing its territory with them, it decided that enough was enough, and that they would pay for trespassing. Plus, it had acquired a taste for the human’s delicate flesh.

  Upon arriving at the mouth of the cave, the Bigfoot laid each on the ground, side by side. Then, went inside and moved a man-sized chunk of limestone from a natural nook carved in the cave’s wall.

  Cecil popped his head out as soon his prison door moved away. He stepped out of his moist enclosure, scratching his arms and legs, and thankful for being relived of the claustrophobic conditions. A number of the cave’s creepy crawlers had explored various parts of his body during his imprisonment.

  The situation for him went from bad to worse. The Bigfoot loomed like a giant before him. Cecil wondered if his time to die had come.

  The Bigfoot reached behind Cecil’s shoulder and pushed him toward the mouth of the cave. His heart skipped a beat when he saw three of his friends lying as if they were dead on the ground. Abe looked the worst of all. Blood covered his face from a gash that cut across his forehead. The two girls were free of any obvious external wounds.

  Cecil ran to the side of the nearest and fell to his knees. “Jenny, are you okay?”

  She stirred when he placed his hand on her cheek.

  “Jenny, are you hurt?”

  Donna twitched and made a soft moaning sound.

  Jenny’s eyes fluttered open. “Where am I . . . Cecil! Where have you been? Why does my head hurt?”

  Donna let out a blood-curdling yelp as she returned to consciousness and saw the ominous hairy monster in front of the cave.

  Bigfoot hissed at her disobedience, and showed her its feral teeth as a warning.

  “Keep it down. You don’t want to get it mad,” Cecil said.

  “What is that thing?” Donna said.

  “As unbelievable as it may sound, that’s Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, or whatever people call it,” Cecil said.

  “Why’d it bring us here? What’s it going to do?” Jenny said.

  “From what I’ve seen so far, our lives are definitely in question. Our only chance for survival is to keep it happy and hope someone finds us before it gets angry.” Cecil swallowed. “Or hungry.”

  Bigfoot picked up a skull full of water and poured it on Abe’s face. His hand reached up and rubbed his cheek, smearing the water into the dried blood.

  “Abe’s alive! I thought for sure he was a gonner,” Cecil said.

  Bigfoot nudged Abe in the side with its foot.

  “Can you guys get up? We need to see if we can wake Abe before Bigfoot gets pissed and decides to stomp him in the ground.” Cecil took Jenny under the arm and helped pull her to her feet.

  Donna stood and brushed the dirt off and ran her hand behind her head. “Ouch, that thing packed a wallop.”

  Cecil spread his hands by his chest and walked a few steps toward the Bigfoot. “We mean you no harm.”

  Bigfoot turned its head to the side looking like an inquisitive dog. It pointed to Abe, grunted, and backed away.

  “It wants us to get Abe up,” Donna said, and immediately went and grabbed his hand. “Abe, you need to get up. You need to get up now.”

  Abe stirred and pulled his hand away, then opened his eyes.

  “Don’t be alarmed. Don’t make any sudden moves. You’re not going to believe this, try to stay calm.”

  Abe blinked, looked around, and sat up quickly. He ran his finger across his forehead, the wound oozed fresh blood. “What in the hell happened?”

  Cecil stepped forward, and pointed. “That big thing over there kidnapped me and decided I needed some company.”

  Abe jumped when he saw the mighty Bigfoot standing by the cave. “That’s not a bear!”

  “No, it’s not. We might be better off if it was. We’ve got to figure a way out of this.”

  “How has it treated you so far?” Jenny asked.

  “It gave me a lot of water when I first came to. Funny though, it socked me in the stomach and made me throw up. Then it made me drink tons more of water. I’ve been pissing like a race horse ever since.”

  “Weird, but that doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe it won’t hurt us after all.”

  “Did you see what it poured the water out of? It was a human skull.”

  The other three looked at the bleached white skullcap cast aside.

  “Doesn’t look good for our team,” Abe said.

  Bigfoot pulled Cecil away from the others. Both Jenny and Donna rushed to Abe’s side.

  Bigfoot then moved and stood in front of the three.

  “What does it want?” Donna said. The others remained silent.

  Bigfoot picked up one foot and put it down, then the other, and grunted.

  “Does it want us to walk?” Donna said.

  Bigfoot picked each foot up and down again, and moved its arms. It grunted, nudged Jenny in the shoulder, and moved its feet up and down again.

  “I . . . I think it wants you to dance,” Cecil said.

  “That’s ridicules,” Jenny said, biting on her thumb.

  Bigfoot nudged her again, harder this time, and made a grunting noise.

  Jenny let go of Abe’s arm and slowly started moving her feet to an imaginary beat.

  Bigfoot stepped back, and nodded its head.

  “This is too much,” Donna said.

  Bigfoot looked at Donna and Abe, grunted, and pointed its hairy finger at them.

  “We’d better do it to,” Abe let go of Donna and started bobbing his head and moving his feet. Donna slowly twisted her hips and moved her arms up and down.

  Bigfoot made an expression resembling a smile and went over and stood by Cecil.

  “I actually think the beast is happy. Who would have thought that Bigfoot liked dancing?” Cecil said. “Don’t stop until it wants you to. We need to buy all the time that we can.”

  “I’ve got an idea.” Donna pulled her cell phone from its pouch and selected a song from her stored music.

  Deep bass and drums filled the air. Bigfoot opened its mouth in surprise and turned its ear toward the music. It slowly began to nod its head to the beat.<
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  “Unreal,” Cecil said.

  “Hey, you know the old saying, music sooths the savage beast,” Donna said, now more animated with her dance steps.

  “Maybe we can learn to communicate with it. I bet it’s a lot smarter than it looks,” Abe said while doing his stationary two-step.

  “Maybe so. We’ll all be famous. I bet we’ll make a boat full of money.” Cecil nodded his head in rhythm, and looked over at the Bigfoot.

  Bigfoot looked pleased, and continued jamming to the beat.

  “Donna, take a picture of it with your phone,” Cecil said, now clapping his hands softly.

  “I’ll get some video and upload it to the internet as soon as I can. Nobody is going to believe that this is real.” Donna switched to camera mode while the music played, and zoomed the camera in on Bigfoot and Cecil. This will give some perspective on how big that thing is, she thought.

  With lightning fast speed, Bigfoot snatched Cecil up by his arms and clamped its powerful jaws on the back of his neck. Blood streamed down Cecil’s chest as he hung suspended in the air, held only by its teeth. Then Bigfoot abruptly shook its head back and forth. A sickening snap of Cecil’s spine breaking rang above the screams and cries of the terrified humans.

  Bigfoot let Cecil fall to the ground, and leaped toward them.

  Once again, Abe held the two girls tightly by his side. He closed his eyes, and hoped their death would be as swift.

  Bigfoot only hissed and raised his fists. Then, nudged Jenny again in the arm, and bobbed his head up and down.

  “That bastard wants us to keep dancing,” Jenny said.

  Tears rolled down Donna’s face, “I can’t . . . .”

  Bigfoot leaned down, narrowing its eyes.

  “Just do it. Don’t think about it. Just do it. We’ve got to keep it distracted until help arrives.” Abe gently shoved the girls away from him and started dancing again.

  Donna tried to hold back her sobs and swayed her hips from side to side. Jenny felt her fear giving way to anger. “I want to make this thing famous. Famously dead that is.”

  Satisfied, the Bigfoot returned to its kill. It grabbed Cecil’s right arm with one hand and jerked it out of its socket. With the three humans still dancing in front of him, it began to shred the meat off the bone with its teeth. It ate with its mouth open, blood dripped from its lips, and pieces of meat dangled between its teeth. The human’s flesh was plump from hydration, having benefitted from all the water it forced fed him.