Five Shades of Fantasy

by W.J. May

  Chapter 1

  A soft growl echoed in the darkness. Sarah snatched the thermal imaging camera from the row of equipment by the fire. Turning in a slow circle, she scanned the dark trees beyond. Nothing moved. Just as she was taking a few tentative steps through the ferns and thick brush, a branch snapped, making her jump. Another growl pierced the silence. She clutched her chest, as if that might calm her racing heart. Five years as a Bigfoot researcher, and she was still not used to the occasional howl. Then again, no animal she had ever encountered before had made such an ominous and menacing sound.

  She stopped for a moment and listened, her heart thumping hard in her eardrums. “Show yourself!” Her voice echoed from the trees with a courage she couldn’t feel. A shiver slid down her spine as she pulled her radio off her belt. “Base camp to Adam. Computer screen’s flashing like crazy. Something broke the perimeter line.”

  The radio crackled and a voice answered. “Adam to base camp. What zone?”

  “Zone 3. All cameras up and running, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. I’m getting sounds over here—some movement too. I’m gonna check it out. Over.”

  “Wait…all by yourself?” Adam’s snort carried through the static. “No way. Just because you’re running this operation, that doesn’t give you permission to break protocol. Stay by the fire. We’re coming.”

  “Sure, bring in the cavalry.” Sarah rolled her eyes as she picked up her infrared camera. “Listen, in the meantime, I’ll just walk around the perimeter, that’s all. Maybe I’ll see something.”

  “Roger that. Just be careful.” The radio transmission ended.

  She straightened and peered around in the darkness. A branch snapped behind her, followed by another. How many creatures are there? She switched on the walkie-talkie and moved her fingers over the buttons; she could barely see what she was doing. “Base camp to Adam. Something’s coming down the hill.”

  Sarah pointed the FLIR camera straight ahead, then took a few more steps into the foliage. A red amoebic-looking blob on the scanner screen began to morph, growing larger as it took on a humanoid shape. She gasped. Oh, this time they’ll see. This time, I’m gonna have more tangible evidence than mosquito bites and a bad case of poison ivy in places where I didn’t even know I had places. She spoke into the radio, “Get over here NOW! I’m getting a heat signature on the thermal. Something’s moving closer…something really huge!”

  “We’re on our way!” said a voice over the radio. “Stay put and be careful!”

  She shouted into the walkie-talkie. “Is every team still in place? Nobody was supposed to return to base camp without my permission. Do you hear me, Adam?”

  Her radio crackled as Adam answered. “All teams accounted for. Nobody near base camp. Wait for a team. I repeat, wait for a team.”

  Her heart rate spiked. Could this really be that elusive creature I’ve been stalking? “Are you kidding? This is what I came here for. It’s what we came for. I’ll stay within the perimeter and proceed with caution. Trust me, I’m not leaving in a Medivac.”

  The red blurb disappeared from Sarah’s monitor. She held her breath, her head whipping from left to the right, ears and eyes straining to take in any tiny noise she could make out. Moonlight flooded through the trees, and a cool breeze blew across her face. Crickets sang, and mosquitoes buzzed. She held down the lever on her radio. “I’m not seeing anything. Whatever it is, it’s gone now.” Is my mind playing tricks on me? No way. The thermal definitely picked up something. A bear? Possibly, and if it was, I probably spooked it off. She spun in a slow circle, extending the thermal image camera; suddenly, there was a snap of another twig.

  Strong arms gripped her from behind. She screamed, flailing wildly, sending her camera flying into the woodlands.

  “Calm down,” a voice said, laughing. “It’s only me. Might want to warn your team that I set off some tripwires on the way here.”

  “YOU!? Those growling sounds weren’t funny, you idiot! And look…you made me drop an expensive piece of equipment. Hard to believe you’re a professional, Frank.” Sarah took a slow, deep breath to calm her nerves.

  He slipped off his leather jacket. “Oh, come on. I even bought a proper Indiana Jones fedora for the occasion.”

  Her cheeks grew hot as she stared at the safari shirt stretching across his broad shoulders and strong chest, his sleeves rolled up at the elbow. Khaki-colored pants finished his adventurer ensemble. His brown hair hung in shaggy waves from underneath his hat. He looked really hot, but there was no way she was going to admit it. If he’d had a bullwhip, she would have wanted to strangle him with it. “You hate hats.”

  “What? No I don’t. Now we match—his and hers Indy hats.” The flames leapt greedily at the logs, reflecting in his hazel eyes as he scanned her up and down with a crooked smile. “Did anybody ever tell you how sexy you look in camouflage? And boy, you have the part of big-game hunter nailed.”

  “I’m not here to hunt any game and certainly not to kill anything. I just want to prove its existence.” Sarah let out a long sigh. “This is my expedition anyway, so what’re you doing here?” She reached down and picked up her equipment.

  “I’m on assignment. Nobody wanted to write this article, but I jumped on it.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “One of the perks of the job is seeing you.”

  “Even if you got lost trying to find me in this forest?”

  “I could more easily get lost in those big brown eyes of yours.”

  She flung his arm off. “You scared the crap out of me!”

  “Hey, you’re lucky I didn’t show up in an ape suit.”

  “You know I have a tranquilizer gun, right?”

  He glanced down at her waist. “Yeah, and I love the holster. It’s so Old West.”

  Sarah met his gaze. “I’d aim straight for your—”

  “Cute butt?” he finished, grinning.

  She shook her head. “Not quite what I had in mind.”

  “Don’t you dare say heart, ‘cause you’ve already shattered mine.”

  “I’m sorry, Frank.”

  “Why don’t you answer my phone calls or e-mails?”

  She huffed. “Don’t you have some ridiculous ghost story or urban legend you could be out debunking? Shouldn’t you be killing off the Tooth Fairy for little kids or something?”

  “Why do you waste your time playing head researcher in Planet of the Apes?”

  Glaring, she picked up the radio. “Guys, false alarm! It’s only Frank Hedford.”

  Adam’s voice crackled in the speaker. “Huh? That guy from the Daily News?”

  She glared at Frank as she spoke into the walkie-talkie. “Yeah, that’s our animal. I’ll get rid of him. Everyone back to your positions.”

  “So you caught the smaller, smellier version of Bigfoot, huh?” he asked over the radio.

  “Yeah, I suppose I did. We’ll be in tomorrow’s headlines—‘Bigfoot: A No Show’.”

  She recognized Steven’s voice when he said, “Throw that guy out on his big furry—”

  Sarah turned off the radio.

  Frank smiled. “Man, it feels good to be loved. Must be that article I wrote about those guys mistaking an elk for a Sasquatch. You know, I bet they could still get their story published. The supermarket tabloids would jump on a juicy tidbit like that.”

  Sarah’s cheeks burned with anger. “Listen, we had two reliable eyewitnesses on that case, and—”

  “And a blurry picture that didn’t add up to squat.”

  “Why is it so hard to believe that a reclusive primate that hasn’t yet been documented and studied could be out there? Are you really so shallow that you can only believe in things you’ve seen with your own eyes?”

  He groaned. “Sarah, it’s a myth. You know what that is, right? Bigfoot stories have scared Boy Scouts around campfires for decades. Oh, and speaking of campfires, I’m assuming this is base camp.” He tossed his backpack next to a few logs.r />
  “You’re not invited to this slumber party,” Sarah said.

  His eyes widened. “What? No stargazing and snuggling?”

  She pointed away from her camp. “You can take your sleeping bag and tent somewhere else. How did you find me and my team anyway?”

  He smirked. “Your organization tried to keep this location top secret, but I’m a journalist, doll, an investigative reporter. Took Lois Lane a while to figure out the correlation between Clark Kent and Superman, but I’m a hundred times sharper than her.”

  “Fine. So spill it. How did you find us?”

  Frank peeked up at the night sky that was dotted with millions of sparkling stars. “Well, for starters, I went back and read all the newspaper reports. Isn’t this the place where your sister disappeared when she was fifteen? What was that, about ten years ago? Sabrino Cave? I knew you’d hold the expedition here because you think these alleged creatures had something to do with your sister’s disappearance. When I saw your Jeep in that caravan of vehicles over there, I knew my hunch had panned out.”

  He stretched his legs and made himself comfortable on the naked ground. She sensed he wasn’t going anywhere, so she decided to join the party and dropped down next to him.

  “This is a great place for an investigation. Bluff Creek is where Patterson took his famous Bigfoot video.”

  “Is that what you told your team?” He snorted. “You can’t fool me. Why didn’t you elaborate on the real reason you picked this location? This has Liz written all over it.”

  She tried to fight the quiver in her voice. “Look, I don’t care how ‘investigative’ of a reporter you think you are, mister, but my sister’s off limits. You got that? You print one word about her, and I’ll sue the living—”

  His tone softened. “Now, now. Calm down. I’m sorry. Clearly, I was out of line.”

  “It’s fine,” she muttered. “Just get out of here, okay?”

  “You sure about that? What, are you still sore we didn’t work out?”

  “Work out? Hmm.”

  “You know it really hurt that you didn’t invite me to your twenty-fourth birthday party last week. Yeah, I saw the pics on Facebook before you unfriended me.”

  Sarah shrugged.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I forgive you. I have to admit, I saw fireworks the second I laid eyes on you. It was so adorable how your face lit up like a Christmas tree.”

  She slapped his arm. “I’m afraid you mistook that reaction. It was fright.”

  He smiled at her as he snaked his arms around her. “More like awe.”

  Oh, he has some nerve, this one. “Listen, I don’t need you breathing down my neck, okay? This isn’t a joke. I take my research very seriously,” Sarah said, breaking herself free from his smothering embrace. She sat down by the fire and scanned all eight cameras. “If you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

  He kicked off his leather boots and grinned. “Mind if I kick back for a while? I had to hike miles and miles through the forest to find you.”

  She shot him a glare. “There are some twenty-five to thirty other researchers and scientists you can bother. Take your pick of them or go out there and try your dumb luck in the woods, but just leave me alone.”

  He winked. “Yeah, but those other campers aren’t as cute as you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh brother. What are you up to anyway? Dreaming up articles on how to discredit my work even more?”

  “I only give my honest, professional opinion. I thought that’s what you loved about me. Anyway, listen, Sarah; let’s not dwell on the past. We’ve both made mistakes. I should’ve taken your research more seriously.”

  Her eyes stayed focused on the screen, and she saw a mysterious shadow flit across it. “Whoa! Did you see that? Something just moved on Camera 2!” She leaned in, not believing what she was seeing. “Right there, left of the boulders. See it?” Maybe this is the real deal. Hunters claimed to see this beast only yesterday, right here in this vicinity.

  “Where?” Frank asked.

  She pointed to the left side of the monitor. “Look! It’s right there.” Her voice grew in intensity. “Something just moved on Camera 3. There…right over there. Do you see it?”

  “Yes, but need I remind you that we’re in the middle of the wilderness? In case you might have forgotten, plenty of squirrels, rabbits, bears, and deer live out here.”

  Sarah turned the knob to give more clarity to the screen. “This is me ignoring you.”

  “You know, I think you’d be more into me if I stunk, had long hair, and gave off pheromones like a gorilla.”

  “Who said you don’t?” She picked up the radio, her voice urgent. “Base camp to Adam. I got a shadow on the south side of the forest, Camera 3. I need Team 7 to check it out pronto. Over.”

  “Roger that. What was that creepy howl?”

  The radio crackled. “Amy to base camp.”

  “Go ahead,” Sarah said.

  “Bait’s gone by Cameras 1 and 2.”

  “Any other teams experiencing anything unusual?” questioned Sarah into the radio.

  “Team 6, by the river. Nothing unusual to report here.”

  Static crackled. “Team 3 reporting. We heard some rustling in the bushes. It stopped, but something’s definitely out there. Could just be local wildlife, but we’re not sure.”

  Another voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. “Team 9 reporting. We got some rock- and log-throwing, but it’s too dark to make anything out. Thermal’s not picking up anything.”

  “Got a visual?” Sarah asked into the mouthpiece, ignoring her uninvited guest who didn’t believe it was anything more than a bear.

  “No. We’re moving forward.”

  She wasn’t comfortable with their plan. For a moment, she hesitated, considering other options, even though she knew there were none. “Okay. Get a visual, but stay safe.”

  “This is Team 4. FLIR’s lighting up like fire,” Beth said. “We got a huge biped crawling low in the brush. Get over here NOW!”

  “I’m on my way.” Sarah’s heart pounded as she put on a pair of night-vision goggles and began adjusting the straps. They weren’t as helpful as actual daylight, but even with that fluorescent green hue, they sure beat tripping. Everything sharpened into focus as she blinked, her view illuminated in neon from the high-tech gadget. She grabbed her 35mm, the FLIR, and clipped her radio on her belt. Without another look at Frank, she darted through the giant trees, swatting away at the brush and ferns as she went.

  “Wait! I’m coming!” Frank yelled.

  Sarah rolled her eyes and didn’t even bother looking back at him. She raced through the trees and thickets of brush, trying not to slip on the wet leaves. Finally, she made her way into a clearing and ran in the direction of Sabrino Cave.

  Out of the darkness, a voice called out her name, and a beam of light shone in her direction. “Sarah? Is that you?” Adam called out.

  “Yeah.”

  Adam waved a flashlight around. “Is that…why is Frank still here? I thought you got rid of that joker.”

  Frank took a step forward, but Sarah jerked his arm. “Listen, buddy, we don’t have time for any nonsense. Capisce?”

  “But he started it,” he whined, pointing at Adam.

  “What are you, like five?” She then shot a glance at Adam. “Look, just don’t start your crap, okay? I didn’t invite him, but he’s here, and we don’t have time for any drama.”

  “Fine,” Adam said.

  “Where’re the others?” she asked between breaths.

  “Rob, Beth, and the camera dude, uh, Steven, are around here somewhere,” Adam said glancing around.

  Just then, a figure burst through the towering ferns. “I’m so glad you’re here! Oh, man, you should’ve seen it,” Beth shouted. “I swear I almost pissed my pants.”

  “No way! You saw it? With your own eyes?” Sarah met her gaze, gasping for air, her mind unable to comprehend just yet. “Where?”

&nbs
p; “Over there!” Beth pointed behind her. “It took off to the north, and we chased it into the cave.”

  A cold shudder ran down Sarah’s spine as she realized someone had actually seen the object of her obsession. We’re so close! We can’t afford any mistakes now. “This is Sarah calling all members.” She cleared her throat before she continued into her radio, her voice gaining urgency with every word. “Be on alert. We’ve got a visual on something huge walking around. We believe the creature is hiding in Sabrino Cave. Keep your eyes and ears open, people. Proceed with extreme caution.”

  “What’s your position?” a voice crackled back.

  “I’m a half-mile north of base camp, on my way to Sabrino Cave now. All teams report to Sabrino immediately.” She tapped Adam’s arm. “Let’s go.” Sarah jumped over the logs, ferns, and rocks scattered along the forest floor, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. Just ahead, she squinted at a large black mass of rock; the cave entrance came into view. Sarah stopped and peered into the dark hole. She pinched her nose shut, trying to prevent the pungent smell from penetrating her nostrils. “Pee-yew! I think somebody forgot to take out the garbage…like all week.”

  “I saw this thing on the FLIR,” Beth said. “It’s at least eight feet tall. Man, it’s huge! I wonder if it’s still in the cave.”

  “Well, let’s track it!” Sarah ordered, inching closer to the jagged opening.

  “Or we can just follow the stench,” Beth said. “I say we get out our tranquilizer guns, just in case it charges us.”

  Sarah nodded. “Good thinking.” She glanced at her cameraman, Steven, the bright camera light blinding her eyes in the blackness. “Are you getting this? Everything?”

  “Yeah, man, but do you think cornering Crypto Guy is such a great idea?”

  Sarah shoved her goggles to the top of her head. Glancing around, she took a few steps forward. “Look, you were hired to film this. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen, and we’ll find someone who can. Who knows when we’ll ever get another chance to be this close again? Surely you want to be part of this.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” Steven uttered.

  Sarah turned to Adam. “Now, did we get those shrieking calls on audio?”

  “Sure did,” Adam said.

  “Good.”

  Frank shook her shoulder. “Are you crazy? Messing around with the local wildlife is beyond dangerous. I’m sure it’s just a bear or a big cat or—”

  She brushed his hand off. “Look, Frank, you’ve done nothing but shoot down all my research on television, in your newspaper and magazine articles, and in your new book. If you’re so sure this is fake, some kind of staged crap, or that it’s just some nature show, why don’t you go in and see for yourself?”

  Frank took a step back. “All you’ve got here is a trapped wild animal. Sure, I was hoping to get my shirt ripped off when I came looking for you, but not by a bear.”

  Sarah ignored him and grabbed a tuft of coarse, dark hair from the cavern entrance. She squinted to get a good look at it in the darkness. “This isn’t from a bear, and whatever it is, I’m going to capture the thing on film. Adam, please bag this.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  Sarah opened up the lens on her camera and adjusted the settings. “People, we’re about to solve one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the twenty-first century.”

  Beth kneeled, her eyes wide. “Look, Sarah. We got prints.”

  Large humanoid footprints were clear in the mud, and the sight of them sent a shiver down Sarah’s spine. It wasn’t human, ape, gorilla or chimpanzee unless they came in XXL. “Get measurements of these. Steven, swing that camera over here and get them on film.”

  Beth stretched out a tape measure next to one of the fresh tracks indented in the mud.

  “Some tracks in the mud? C’mon, Sarah. You know as well as I do that this doesn’t mean anything,” Frank muttered.

  Sarah shook her head. “Anyone here wear a Size 20 shoe?” The footprints appeared to be roughly nineteen inches long and eight inches wide with a long stride and five discernible toes. Who’d go running around barefoot in ice-cold mud? “No one step on these prints. They’re the evidence we need. I’ll cast them in a minute.” She focused and snapped her camera. “Frank, myths don’t leave tracks,” she spat at him. “Wish me luck, people,” she said, turning her gaze toward the cave entrance. “I’m going in.”

  “You’re really gonna risk your life just to prove me wrong?” Frank asked.

  “Well, skeptics do tend to piss me off,” Sarah said. “For all these years, you’ve claimed my work is worthless, and that there’s nothing scientific about what we’re doing out here. You said that science needed to validate the existence of Bigfoot with a live or dead specimen. You said I’d need bones, teeth, or blood. But really, this has nothing to do with you. I am willing to risk my life to prove me right, and this is the perfect opportunity to get all the proof I need. I’m not waiting another second.”

  Frank laughed. “Do you really think tomorrow’s headlines are gonna read, ‘I Just Found Bigfoot’? No way! If anything, the papers are gonna say, ‘Bigfoot Researchers Torn to Shreds by Bear’.”

  She shrugged. “Well, you can think whatever you want, but at this point, I’ll take whatever fate throws at me. I have to see for myself, one way or the other.”

  “All fate’s going to deliver is a million stitches and a trip to the emergency room,” Frank said. “These things don’t exist. I’ve told you that how many times?”

  “I don’t care what you told me. Those tracks are real, that fur is real, and that’s solid enough evidence for me to take a closer look.”

  Frank cleared his throat. “Evidence? Sure. Everything but the creature itself.”

  “Well, Mr. Skeptic, then go in there and prove me wrong.”

  He took off his hat and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “If I do this and I’m right, you owe me dinner—even if I’m in a full-body cast when that grizzly in there mauls me half to death.”

  “Dinner? Sure. So man up.” She whipped out her tranquilizer gun and handed it to him.

  He smiled, pointed the weapon with both hands, and walked through the entrance.

  Sarah followed, her smile vanishing. A scream pierced the air, and it took her only a moment to realize it was her own.