“Well, if that’s not what it is, then what do you think had enough strength to rip those lag bolts out of that wooden post? Also, if I remember correctly there were no footprints left behind at the Colton place,” Jim glared at Frank, waiting for an answer.
An uneasy feeling came over the group of men as they contemplated the idea of a giant blood-thirsty creature roaming the woods that left no tracks on the ground.
“If these creatures have been living in the woods around us for all of this time, why are they all of a sudden attacking us? It doesn’t make any sense,” Deputy Weiler spoke up.
The men then exchanged worried glances, nodding their heads in agreement. It was strange how there had never been an attack reported of any sort until these last two.
“Well, I don’t understand it either, but something has pissed off these creatures big-time,” Deputy Chester added.
As Jeff listened to the exchange between the men, he felt a sense of doom building up from deep inside on him. He knew why the creatures were on the attack, and he also knew there was a chance they would return and this time finish what they had started.
Jeff cleared his throat, trying to summon the courage to speak, “Sheriff, I know why they’re attacking.”
Every man in the group turned and stared at Jeff; their eyes burrowing into him like laser beams.
“Jeff, be quiet, you don’t need…” Gene tried to stop Jeff from speaking, but Frank interrupted him.
“Go, on, son; what do you have to say,” Frank glared at Jeff, wondering what the boy knew about these events.
Jeff glanced at his father, then back to Frank before speaking, “It happened the day before the first attack. Lori wanted to meet Jimmy Colton by Jumper’s Rock, so I took her there because if not careful, she’d get lost in our backyard.”
The men all chuckled.
“Hush, let the boy speak,” Frank grumbled.
Jeff glanced up at his father, who nodded with an encouraging smile. “I was sitting by the creek, waiting for Lori and Jimmy to get finished talking. I was tossing some rocks in the water when I saw something watching us from up on the bluff across the creek.”
The men all perked to attention now.
Unnerved by the men all staring at him, Jeff swallowed then continued, “I’d never seen anything like it before. I looked up on the bluff, and there it was, sitting on its haunches like this.” Jeff squatted down, showing the men what the creature had done.
“Are you sure it wasn’t a man?” Deputy Chester scoffed.
Jeff stood again, squaring his shoulders, “No, it wasn’t a man. I couldn’t make out its face because the sun was to its back, but I know it wasn’t a man. It looked like it was covered in hair, and I didn’t see it wearing any clothes when it stood to run away after...”
“After what?” Frank demanded, taking a step toward Jeff.
Gene, not liking this advancement on his son, stepped between them. “Calm down, Sheriff. We’re all upset about what’s been happening lately, but if you listen to him, I promise that he’ll tell you everything he knows.”
Once Frank had stepped back, Gene turned toward Jeff, “Go ahead, Son; tell them the rest of what happened.”
Jeff met his father’s gaze and returned the smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
Jeff turned to face Frank and forced back the tears now stinging the corners of his eyes then he cleared his throat before speaking, “When I stood to get a better look at the creature, Jimmy and Lori wanted to know what I was looking at. Jimmy had brought a 22 rifle with him, and decided to take a shot at the creature.”
Jeff hung his head, gathering his thoughts before continuing, “He shot at it and missed it, so he decided to shoot at it again…”
“Crap, did he hit it?” Jim interrupted.
“Shut up, Jim, and let him tell the story,” Gene shot back, angry at how this was making Jeff feel.
Jim glanced over at Gene wanting to protest but thought better of it when Gene braced himself in a fighting stance.
“Knock it off you two. Let the kid tell his story,” Frank motioned to Jeff to continue.
“He missed it on the first two tries, but I think he hit it on the third one,” Jeff quivered, remembering the sound the creature had made when it ran away.
“By move away, you do mean on all fours, right?” Frank glared at Jeff, demanding an honest answer.
Jeff held Frank’s glare, and replied in a clear and concise voice, “No, it’s like I said, it stood and moved out of sight on two legs, just like you and me. It was about 5-feet tall, so I believe it was a young one. I think that’s why it was interested in us.”
The group of men broke out in nervous mumbling at the thought of something human-like running around in the woods with the strength to kill an entire family and several pigs in such a brutal manner.
“Sheriff, I believe that’s why they killed Jimmy and his family. It was revenge for shooting at the young one that was watching us. I’m sure its family wasn’t too happy about Jimmy shooting it.”
The men all broke out into nervous mumbling. None of them wanting to accept this story as fact; other than Gene who met Jeff’s tear-filled gaze.
“Stop it, this is utter bullshit,” Frank shouted. “I don’t believe for one second that we have a bunch of vengeful Bigfoot creatures running around in these woods. I’m sure the kid has a great imagination and all, but I just cannot accept his story as fact. Everything I’ve ever heard about them on those TV shows is they aren’t aggressive, and they leave behind big footprints on the ground.”
Frank then paused a moment, scratching his head. “Maybe there’s something we’re missing here. I bet this is a prank to scare the kid and his sister. I bet they told their friends about what happened when Jimmy shot at whatever it was out there, and some kids decided to play a cruel prank.”
“Just what the hell are you trying to say,” Gene glared at Frank as though he had lost his mind.
“I’m saying there is no way this was done by any animals. There is no way an animal could rip that gate off of the post and kill those pigs without leaving tracks behind. I bet a few of the local hoodlums thought it would be funny to make it look like a pack of wild animals did this,” Frank squared his jaw, trying to not only convince the men now staring dumbfounded at him, but also himself.
Deputy Chester began to speak but thought better of it when he saw the expression on Frank’s face.
“Well, Sheriff, I understand that you don’t want to admit that something strange has happened here, but that has to be the most ridiculous line of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Gene rolled his eyes and chuckled.
Frank was about to respond when the rest of the men burst out laughing.
“He has you there, Frank,” Jim slapped Frank on the shoulder and snickered.
Frank was about to respond to the insult but decided to hold his anger in check. “Gene, I’ll write up a report of this incident, but as of now, I have no idea what killed your hogs.”
Frank glanced over at the two Deputies, who were doing their best to stifle their laughter. “Get some pictures of the scene. It’s getting late, and it will be dark soon.”
Chapter 6
The next few weeks passed without anything unusual happening. The school year had finally begun, so Jeff and Lori were glad to have something to take their minds off of the events of the summer.
Lori had wasted no time getting involved in the normal high school activities. Jeff, on the other hand, seemed to stay to himself.
“Hey, Jeff, why don’t you sign up for the basketball team? I bet you’re quick on your feet,” Rick Adams shouted across the hallway while Jeff was getting his books out of his locker for his next class.
“No, thanks; I don’t have the time.” Jeff had thought of joining the basketball team, but with everything that had happened the last few months he just wanted to stay to himself. For some strange reason, he felt something else was about to happen, and
he wanted to be on alert.
“Man, you should join us. It would be a great way to get to know people,” Rick prodded.
Jeff knew that Rick was probably right, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and shut the locker door. “I need to get to class.”
Rick was about to push Jeff more but thought better of it. “Okay, it’s your loss. That just leaves more cheerleaders for me.”
Seeing the gleeful expression on Rick’s face caused Jeff to chuckle, “I’m sure you can handle them just fine.”
With a broad grin on his face and a swagger in his step, Jeff watched Rick walk toward his next class. Jeff had to admit that he liked Rick, but he had no desire to get involved in school activities or chasing cheerleaders at this time.
***
“I heard that you were invited to join the basketball team today but turned them down. I thought you loved to play basketball?” Lori slid into the seat next to Jeff on the school bus for the ride home.
“Yeah, but how did you hear about it?” He moved over to give Lori more room.
“Come on, you know there are no secrets in this small town,” Lori snickered while she struggled to balance her stack of books on her lap.
Jeff glanced over at her and rolled his eyes. That was one thing he had come to dislike. It seemed as though people would know of things even before you did.
“I kind of understand why you didn’t, though,” Lori met Jeff’s questioning gaze.
“It’s because you feel it too.” The color drained from Lori's face and was now replaced with a pale expression of fear.
Jeff sat transfixed, unsure of how to respond. He had felt a nagging fear of dread ever since the day he found the slaughtered pigs. Jeff had tried to push it aside as mere foolishness but was unsuccessful, and with each passing day, it only seemed to grow. Jeff was unable to put a finger on it, but he knew something was about to happen and it would be bad for his family.
Jeff was the first to look away. A sense of foreboding seemed to fill his soul, and Jeff did not want to frighten Lori any more than she already was.
Realizing that Jeff was in no mood for conversation, Lori focused her attention on the voices of the other students, as the bus bounced down the long gravel road.
***
It had been a particularly difficult day for Velma. It seemed as though everything she tried to accomplish ended up going wrong.
It had begun after everyone had left for the day. Velma had decided to catch up on some laundry, but the waterline on the washer started leaking all over the basement floor. Then once she had solved that problem by replacing the rubber washer, the dryer stopped working.
Velma had never minded hanging sheets out on the clothesline, but the bath towels were a different matter. She would always complain how they were not soft enough. Once Velma had all of the laundry washed and hanging on the line, she decided to do some cleaning in the basement. She figured since the floor was already wet, it was a good time to clean.
The single bulb hanging from the ceiling, flickered several times, casting a strange shadow along the wall.
“Damn, are you going to break on me too?” Velma cursed under her breath, then chuckled at how foolish she must look by talking to a light fixture.
She reached down to pick up the mop bucket then heard a strange sound, emanating from the wall behind the shelves where she had her canned goods all stacked nicely in a row.
She paused a moment and listened again.
Nothing.
Shaking it off as her imagination, Velma lifted the bucket and turned toward the sink.
It is time.
“What?” Velma set the bucket back on the floor and turned around, trying to see who had spoken. “Who said that?”
Silence.
Velma listened, wondering if she was just hearing things. After a few moments, she picked up the bucket and emptied the dirty water into the sink. While she was rinsing the sediment out of the bottom of the bucket, she heard the sound of breaking glass.
“Oh, my Lord!” the words escaped her lips when she spun around toward the loud sound.
Nothing could have prepared Velma for what she saw on the basement floor. Where moments before was a freshly mopped floor, was now covered in broken canning jars and spilled food. “Crap, how did that happen?”
Velma surveyed the area and shook her head in disbelief. “How did the jars fall to the floor? The shelves are still up in place? That makes no sense.”
Velma knew this area of the country was known for an occasional earthquake, but nothing else in the basement was disturbed. Besides, surely she would have felt it for herself.
Realizing at this time there was no explanation for this strange event, Velma grabbed the broom and began cleaning up the mess.
After an hour, Velma had the basement floor clean again and was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a glass of sweet tea. She had kicked off her shoes and was leaning back in the chair with her eyes closed when she heard the strange sound again.
It is time.
Bolting upright in the chair, Velma quickly scanned the room. “Okay, whoever you are, needs to stop. It’s not funny anymore.”
She paused a moment and listened.
Silence.
Velma rubbed the back of her neck, trying to stave off a growing headache. She could not explain it but it was as though, something was reaching out to her. Something dark and sinister.
IT IS TIME. This time, the voice seemed louder and spoke with more urgency.
Velma tried to stand, but found herself unable to move, as though an unseen force was binding her to the chair. She opened her mouth to speak and found her tongue bound as well.
Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, but for some strange reason, it was as though they were held captive as well. Velma struggled to break free from her invisible bonds, but the force holding her only seemed to increase.
Please, let me go! The words echoed in her mind.
Now the room seemed to close in on her. No knowing what to do, Velma pleaded for deliverance from this dark force now trying to consume her soul. Time appeared to stand still, as a mist filled the room. Velma could not explain it, but she knew she was not alone. The mist began to swirl around her body with cold, prickling sensations causing her body to tremble.
Do not fight us, the voice hissed.
Velma struggled to break free from the bonds holding her. She knew if she did not escape soon that all was lost.
Do not fight us, the voice hissed again. However, this time, it was done with a rage so deep-seeded that Velma was sure she was about to surrender her soul to the forces of Hell.
The force binding Velma seemed to steadily increase, forcing the breath from her lungs. With her last ounce of breath, Velma released, “NOOOOOO…”
Chapter 7
It had been an unusually long day for Gene. It seemed that every customer he had delivered to was a problem. When he took the job, he had thought it would be nice to get off at a decent time of the day for a change. Being an over-the-road trucker was not a typical 9 to 5 job, so when he was offered the job delivering feed to the farms in the area, Gene had jumped at the opportunity.
Once he had parked his truck for the night and turned in his paperwork, Gene hopped into his pickup and headed home. He could not explain it, but he had a nagging feeling that something was off; that he needed to prepare himself for the unexpected. As he drove down the long road leading to his house, the sense of dread continued to grow.
“Knock it off. You’re just tired,” he grumbled to himself.
The sun was sitting low in the sky when Gene pulled into the driveway. He had always enjoyed this time of the year. Even though the daylight hours were getting shorter, Gene enjoyed the cooler weather and low humidity. Pulling up next to the house, he turned off the ignition and sat a moment, trying to calm the feeling of dread he had churning up inside of him.
Gene was about
to open the door of the pickup when Jeff walked out of the house.
“Hi, Dad, I was just going out to feed the animals and milk the cow,” Jeff held up the milk bucket and grinned.
“Okay, I’d help, but I’m tired. It was a rough day,” Gene stepped out of the pickup and patted Jeff on the shoulder.
Jeff nodded his understanding and walked toward the barn. Gene paused and watched his son, walking toward the barn, swinging the bucket at his side. He shook his head, realizing how proud he was to have a son that did as asked without question. Once Jeff had disappeared inside of the barn, Gene turned and walked toward the back door.
The smell of fried chicken was a welcome greeting for Gene. He had always enjoyed Velma’s fried chicken, so this was just what he needed to make up for the crappy day at work.
“Damn, that smells good,” Gene walked over to the skillet and breathed deeply.
“I thought you’d enjoy some for dinner and lunch tomorrow,” Velma giggled when she saw Gene lick his lips. “Why don’t you go take a shower. I don’t want to be mean, but you smell.”
Gene stepped back as though shocked by her statement and then said playfully, “I do? I thought you liked your men smelling manly?”
Velma wrinkled her nose, “Manly, yes, like the hogs pen, NO.”
Bowing playfully, Gene winked and then inhaled the delicious aroma filling the kitchen again. “Yes, Milady, I shall go and wash the stink off of me so I may enjoy this feast without offending my wonderful family.”
Trying not to laugh, Velma pointed toward the door that led out of the kitchen. “Thank you, I’m sure we’ll all appreciate it.”
***
“Oh, that looks delicious,” Gene exclaimed when he sat in his chair at the head of the table. “I’m starving.”
Jeff looked over at his father and smiled. It did not matter how many times his mom made fried chicken, his dad would always rave about eating it.
“Well, thank you, I hope I made enough if you’re starving.” Velma glanced across the table and gave Gene a playful wink.
“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m digging in.” Jeff reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes and then scooped out a large spoonful.
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