hit him again, lower this time. The axe went in at an angle above his snout, knocking him backwards on his squat feet. Again Valerie yanked the axe free, and again she swung. This third attack was a baseball bat swing, the axe burying in the center of the bulbous body of the creature. He fell over onto his back, three arms flailing, the fourth still clutching the teddy bear which was now drenched in what passed for Snuggles’ blood. He made no more sound, and his flailing arms fell to nothing more than an occasional twitch after only a few seconds. Valerie left the axe where it was and stepped back, breathing hard.
Jason left the sanctuary of the wall and hopped toward them. He only made it a few feet before he lost his balance. He was able to catch himself on the pedestal Valerie had been standing on, and then he lowered himself to the ground and began to crawl on his hands and knees.
At the back of the barn, Cuddles emerged from the last stall. He took a few waddling steps in their direction. He paused for a brief second as the scene in front of him registered, and then he was moving as fast as he could, his stubby legs betraying him with every step.
Valerie had turned and was approaching Jason as he crawled to her. “Thank god,” she said, “I didn’t—”
She spun around as she heard the frantic mewling from Cuddles. She gasped, then sobbed, one loud, hitching sob. “It’s another one.”
“Valerie, no!” Jason shouted. “No, they’re on our side!”
Valerie dashed forward again, going for the axe that still stuck out of Snuggles’ belly. Despite his swaying and wobbling, however, Cuddles reached it at the same time and raked a claw down the back of Valerie’s hand as she placed it on the axe handle. His teeth spun like a cyclone.
Valerie backpedaled, and Cuddles didn’t follow. He simply stood over Snuggles’ body, staring down at it. Softly at first, then louder and louder, an anguished wail could be heard over the spinning of his jaws. It continued to increase in volume until Jason could hardly stand it, even with his hands over his ears.
“C’mon, Jason, we have to run. Now!” She was tugging on his arm, yelling in his ear to be heard.
He shook his head. “They saved us,” he shouted. “I can’t leave him.”
Even though it was the third time he’d told her this fact, it seemed like it was only now registering. A look of confused horror passed across her face. “What?” she shouted.
Jason jabbed a finger in the air, pointing at Colonel Cuddles. “He’s the only reason we’re not dead right now!”
Suddenly the wail stopped short. At the same time, Cuddles’ teeth slowed and finally stopped. He raised all four arms into the air and tilted his head back. “Bruvva,” he said softly. “Bruvva.”
Jason’s heart sank. He knew what it was like to see your brother killed.
“Bruvva,” Cuddles said a little louder. “Bruvva bruvva bruvva!” He began hitting himself over the head as his voice gained volume. He turned away from Snuggles, almost falling. He continued to thrash his arms in the air, quickly, each one taking its turn to smack him on the head. “Bruvva bruvva bruvva,” he shouted. “Snuggus!”
Jason watched him for a while in silence. When the ferocity of his thrashing seemed to abate, Jason called his name. After a few more seconds, Cuddles turned and faced him.
The voice that escaped him now was one of pure malice. Low and sinister, his teeth beginning to turn ever so slightly, Cuddles lowered his head and said, “Vary.”
“No, Cuddles. No! It was an accident. She didn’t know.” Jason tried to sound confident, but he was pissed at Valerie, too. He wasn’t sure if Cuddles would ever forgive her for murdering his brother. Jason knew he would never forgive the man who murdered his brother, even if that man was dead already. He felt horrible; he and Valerie owed this creature their lives, and instead they’d taken the life of the only other living thing Cuddles could relate to.
At the same time, Jason felt a strong need to get the hell out of this place. He didn’t think there was anyone else around at the moment, but how long would it be before some equally sadistic uncle or cousin showed up? And then they’d be in the same predicament all over again.
“Cuddles, please,” he said, “I’m really sorry. I really am. But we need to leave.” He paused. “I want you to come with us.”
Cuddles hadn’t moved. “Vary,” he said again, his voice still low.
“I know you’re angry,” Jason said, “and you have every right to be, but it was an accident and we don’t have time right now. Please understand.”
Valerie was beside him again, tugging on his arm. “Come on Jason, we have to leave now. I don’t know what kind of weird bond you’ve got with that freak, but it isn’t natural. We need to just leave.”
“If we leave him here, he’ll die,” Jason said. “And I owe him. We owe him.”
“Fuck him!” Valerie shouted. “It’s a freak of nature. Shit, it probably isn’t even that, it’s just a freak! We’ll be doing the world a favor if it dies!”
“Fuck Vary,” Cuddles said slowly.
She moved away from Jason, still eyeing Cuddles warily, and found Cliff’s abandoned pants on the ground. It only took a few seconds of rummaging in the pockets to find a ring of keys. “One of these is for that truck, I’m sure,” she said, pointing out through the barn doors. “I’m taking it. We need to get you to a hospital.” Her voice was calmer now, more sympathetic. “But that thing is going to eat me alive if it gets near me, so we need to go. Now.”
“He’s not a thing,” Jason said. Then, to Cuddles, “Are you coming with us?”
“Cuddas, Jayss.”
“And Valerie,” Jason said.
“Fuck Vary,” Cuddles said again. “Cuddas, Jayss.”
“I can’t do that. It has to be all three of us.”
Cuddles seemed to think about this for a long moment. It was silent in the barn. Then there was an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
“I’m going, Jason.” Valerie moved next to him again. “Come on.”
He let her help him up, using her body as support. She wouldn’t turn her back on Cuddles, so they made their way to the barn door backwards. It was difficult with only one foot, but not impossible. At the door, he stopped Valerie before stepping out into the snow. He called across the barn.
“What are you going to do?”
He didn’t really expect an answer, but Cuddles gave him one anyway.
“Snuggus. Barry Snuggus.”
Jason hung his head, and when Valerie started moving again, he moved with her. He still hadn’t had any time to grieve for Frank, but somehow he felt worse about leaving the creature behind than he did about Frank. Even though he was sure Frank would be eaten in the days to come when Cuddles got hungry.
The snow was still falling outside and the air was still bitter cold, but Jason hardly noticed. They reached the truck, and just as Valerie had suspected, one of the keys on the ring opened the passenger door. She helped Jason inside. His leg was throbbing with a dull pain and he assumed he was in shock; he knew the injuries he’d sustained should be hurting a lot more than they were.
Just before she closed the door, Jason heard Cuddles mewling. He thought he heard his name, too. “Jayss.” But that might have been his imagination.
Valerie climbed in behind the wheel. She started the truck.
Jason thought about Frank. He thought about Snuggles. Were they really so different? Were he and Cuddles? But it was over now. Cuddles would have to fend for himself. Maybe he’d be okay.
Slowly, Valerie eased the truck through the opening in the trees. Presumably, the road was out there. Hopefully a hospital, too.
Jason looked over his shoulder, through the back window. Standing in the barn door, a splotch of white beyond the blanket of white ground, Cuddles was watching them. Jason wondered if it was because he wanted to make sure they left, or if he was sad about it. Perhaps he was plotting revenge.
Jason faced forward again as Valerie drove them out into the snow and the darkness.
#
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If you enjoyed this story, please look for my novel, The Middle of Nowhere, available wherever e-books are sold.
About the Author
Matthew Warren Wilson has been a reader and writer all his life. He obtained a degree in creative writing from the University of Washington, and he lives in the Seattle area with his wife and daughter.
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