Bigfoot Hunters Page 15

  Chuck started laughing. He continued until his hands clutched his stomach, then he began coughing instead.

  “Easy there!” Mitchell said in a warning tone.

  “Only hurts when I laugh,” he weakly replied. “Sorry, Mitch, that one always gets me, that stupid name DJ made up.”

  “What do you mean, ‘made up’?” Danni asked, an edge working into her voice. “Are you saying all that stuff about you guys being feds is bullshit?”

  “No,” Mitchell replied in an even voice. “That’s all true. We’re duly appointed deputies of the U.S. Forest Service. As for that other part, there aren’t any other members of the Department of Cryptid Containment. We’re the whole shebang.”

  “I’m not sure I’m following you.”

  “I am,” Rob said excitedly. “This is turning out better than I ever hoped. You guys are like their X-Files or Fringe Division, right?”

  Chuck sighed. “You watch too much TV, kid.”

  “Be nice,” Mitchell said before turning back to Rob. “No, it’s not quite like that...”

  “Best watch what you’re saying, man,” Chuck interrupted. “Derek might kick your ass for spilling the beans.”

  “Whatever. It doesn’t change the facts, and besides, who are they gonna tell? Even TMZ wouldn’t run a story like this.” He turned to address Rob. “Anyway, kid, we basically have an agreement with the government. Think of us as specialists of a sort.”

  “Specialists?” Danni asked, now fully engaged – so much so that she didn’t realize that Harrison had already made it across. Allison was impatiently waving her on. “Oh crap! Sorry.” She put the Xterra in gear and tried to divert some of her attention to the task at hand.

  “Yeah, what kind of specialists?” Rob asked, picking up where she left off.

  “It basically works like this ... oof! Careful, girl!” Chuck complained as the vehicle lurched.

  “Sorry.”

  “The U.S. government doesn’t like messes,” he continued. “At least messes they don’t make themselves.”

  “More or less,” Mitchell said, jumping back in. “Basically, when people go missing in inordinate numbers, especially in places where cryptid activity is suspected, they give us a call. We go in, assess the situation...”

  “...and clean things up in our own special way.” Chuck held up his hand and made the shape of a gun with it.

  “Exactly. We make the problem go away. In return, the government gives us nice shiny badges and the authority to use them.”

  “And what about that stupid show?” Danni asked, again diverting her attention from driving.

  “Thank you!” exclaimed Chuck from the backseat.

  Mitchell ignored him. He knew Chuck had always hated the show. “It’s the perfect cover. If we’re around interviewing the locals, the real press isn’t gonna want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. Showing up could give us legitimacy, something they couldn’t care less about, but it would also take away from theirs which I guarantee they care a lot about. Hell, people just barely believe Fox News these days as it is.”

  “So, let me get this straight...” Rob said. “You guys get a call telling you that thunderbirds have been stealing kids from their backyards. You swoop in, kill the monster, and then stick around to interview a bunch of yokels to purposely throw people off?”

  “Don’t forget about all the blurry photographs,” Chuck added.

  “In a nutshell, yes,” Mitchell said. “Although, in a lot of cases, the people we’ve interviewed are actual survivors. They’re just now under gag order. For example: did you see episode twenty-two ... the one where we were tracking the Fouke Monster?”

  “Of course,” replied Rob to the surprise of nobody in the car.

  “Well, remember that redneck hunter near the end? The one who said he’d lived in the swamp for decades and had never seen anything?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We saved his ass,” Chuck interjected smugly. “The squatches in that area are a bit more ornery than usual, something in the water maybe. Seems we have to go down there at least once a year and plug one that’s gotten too uppity.”

  “So, why are you telling us all of this?” Danni asked, again taking her eyes off the path ahead. The SUV jolted as she rolled off a log. “Oh shit! Sorry.”

  “Well for starters, we’re not exactly the men in black,” replied Chuck, wincing as the vehicle hit another bump.

  “Besides, think about it,” Mitchell continued. “If someone told you that the hosts of some dinky reality show were actually part of a government cover-up to hide the fact that monsters are real, what would you think?”

  Danni mused on that for a second. She’d never given much quarter to the conspiracy nuts before. The only ones who did were usually other conspiracy nuts. It really was quite clever. “Point taken,” she said as she navigated over the last of the debris.

  Unfortunately, they had all been too distracted by the conversation to notice the scraping noise coming from beneath them a few moments prior. As Danni’s vehicle once more drove onto solid ground, Allison climbed back into the Wrangler. Within minutes, they were once again headed toward Bonanza Creek, a thin stream of hydraulic fluid trailing the Xterra in their wake.

  * * *

  A short time later, the sounds of the forest ceased. For many minutes, nothing but the wind could be heard. A pin drop would have been like a shotgun blast in such oppressive quiet.

  Finally, a twig snapped, followed by another. Soon, several large figures strode from the tree line and stood upon the old logging road. They observed the carnage that one of their own had done not too long ago.

  * * *

  They could smell lingering traces of the male. He had been the first to succumb to the rage. Before that, he had been both young and strong. If things had been different, perhaps one day he might have even made a successful challenge to become the new Alpha. Instead, he had been driven off, an outcast, to find new territories for himself. Whatever his fate had been, his scent was vanishing from the woods now. He might have wandered away, or he might be dead. The clan did not know, nor did they care. Any outsider they met, whether it be one of their own kind or not, would be savaged on sight. The rage was now too strong to fight.

  There was no sign of the two-legged things. Despite their attempts to catch them, they had once again missed their chance. The Alpha growled at their failure. He was on the verge of lashing out at them again when a different scent caught his attention.

  He wetly sniffed the air for its source. Thick pus had already started to collect in his sinuses, but the sickness had not as of yet dulled his senses. He caught a whiff of something strange and followed it. At the edge of the debris, he found the source. A strange liquid was pooled here and a thin, almost invisible trail of it led further away.

  Blood! One of the two-legged things’ beasts was injured. If it had been hobbled, then they could run it to ground and tear at it until it died. The Alpha bent down and licked at the puddle. He immediately spat, then roared his frustration. This blood was like nothing he had ever tasted. It was entirely inedible. Stupid beasts of the two-legged things!

  Enough of his mind remained for him to still be cunning, though. He looked at the trail of blood. He knew what to do. The injured beast of the two-legged things would lead the clan to its masters. There would be no escape for any of them now.

  Chapter 20

  The old trail finally started to widen in front of the Jeep. Ahead, through the trees, the passengers could see the small town of Bonanza Creek. Harrison checked his rear-view mirror and saw the Xterra right behind them. He was momentarily tempted to bolt for it, to drive straight through town and onward toward 160, but he couldn’t leave his sister – or his friends, for that matter – behind. Besides which, he just wasn’t getting that kind of vibe from Derek and his group. Maybe it was foolish, but he felt that things were going to turn out okay for them.

  He turned his h
ead to say, “All right everyone…” As he did, there was a quick movement from the backseat, just on the fringe of his periphery. He turned all the way to find Paula and Phil sitting in their respective seats, seemingly minding their own business.

  “You guys okay back there?” he asked. It was an honest question. They had both been quiet for the trip back, and he was worried about them. Even so, mixed in with the worry was also a bit of curiosity regarding what he thought he had just glimpsed.

  “We’re fine!” Paula said, a little sharply. She seemed to realize this and toned her voice down. “I’m just glad to be out of those God-awful woods. I am never so much as even stepping into my own backyard ever again.”

  “Don’t worry, same here. It’s gonna be a while before I even consider a picnic at the park,” he joked back. “What about you, Allie?”

  Phil raised a quick eyebrow, but Harrison didn’t notice.

  “I’m not sure. I mean, I practically grew up in a tent,” she replied. “Although I’m definitely gonna rethink my stance on a few things, guns being first on the list.”

  “I know what you mean,” Harrison said. “I might have to ask that Jenner guy for a few lessons with the cannon he had strapped to his side. Speaking of which, let’s play this next part cool. I don’t get the feeling that these guys are going to give us too much trouble. If we cooperate and don’t give them any shit in return, I’m hoping we’ll be in the free and clear.”

  He pulled to the side and waved the Xterra past. Mitchell was going to direct Danni where to go. Once they had parked, Harrison would pull in alongside them.

  “What then?” Allison asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Camping is over. I get that, trust me. But we still have the rest of the week free,” she pointed out.

  “No idea,” he replied truthfully. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

  “Well, maybe we should discuss it,” she replied with a smile.

  In the backseat, Paula turned ever so slightly toward Phil and rolled her eyes.

  * * *

  “Where to?” Danni asked, pulling ahead of her brother’s Jeep.

  “Drive down the main street,” replied Mitchell. “Park next to our vehicles. You can’t miss them.”

  “Black with D.C. plates?”

  “You got it,” he said. Just then, the vehicle shuddered. “Whoa! What was that?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe we busted something back on the trail. Good thing this is just a rental.”

  “I’m just glad we made it back to civilization first,” Greg said from the back. “Knowing what we know, I’m not so sure I’d want to be broken down in the middle of nowhere.”

  Michell gestured at the town before them. “I hate to point it out to you, kid, but we’re still in the middle of nowhere.”

  “You know what I meant.”

  “Sorry, just messing with you. There they are,” he said, pointing toward the trio of ominous black vehicles. “Well, I’ll be damned, they beat us here.” He indicated Derek and Francis, who were loading a pair of ATV’s onto trailers.

  “How the hell did they do that?”

  “We took a different path in,” Chuck replied. “Narrower, but no graveyard of trees either.”

  Danni pulled in alongside the van. A few moments later, the Wrangler parked next to them.

  “So, what now?” she asked Mitchell.

  “Well, unless Derek says differently, three things. First, we figure out where the local doctor is so we can get Chuck and your friend checked out properly.” He turned to his injured teammate and said, “No arguments,” then back to Danni, “You and your friends should grab rooms at whatever passes for a motel in this place, and then get some rest. We’ll hold onto your car keys for now. As for myself, I’m going to get my butt into the van and start analyzing these samples. The rest can sort itself out in the morning.”

  “Need any help?” Rob asked.

  “Is there any chance of me getting any work done without you knocking every five minutes?”

  “Not really,” he answered, a grin spreading across his face.

  Mitchell gave an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, then I guess I need some help. But I swear, if you touch anything without my say so, I’ll use you as bait on our next mission.”

  Rob nodded eagerly and made a crossing his heart gesture.

  Who am I kidding? This kid would probably enjoy that, Mitchell thought, stepping from the car.

  * * *

  Derek waved to Mitchell as he finished loading up the ATVs. He was pleased to see that the other vehicle was parking as well. That was a small relief. Sometimes his crew would rescue someone, only to have them go all paranoid and make a run for it. That was always a pain in the ass. As far as Derek was concerned, some people had watched The Bourne Identity one too many times. They assumed that anyone associated with the government must also be some sort of black-ops hitman.

  The truth, as some were no doubt disappointed to learn, was far more mundane. There was lots of paperwork, signatures in triplicate, and then a few veiled warnings about loose lips sinking ships. That was it. The most exciting part was usually the interviews for The Crypto Hunter show that took place afterwards. Although, Derek thought, tonight’s business might be a wee bit more interesting, considering the tests that Mitchell was supposed to be running through the CDC’s computers. That was another nice perk of pulling a government paycheck. If they needed extra resources, at least computer-wise, it was available.

  He had his fingers crossed that any results they got back would be negative. A disease amongst the local sasquatch population would be bad. They’d all need to be put down if that were the case. It would be a shame because their numbers placed them well within the endangered species range. But that wasn’t the worst of it. If the local clan were infected, that meant potential danger for other humans. There had been enough of that already.

  A negative would be good. Then they could fly out to film their next episode. He was looking forward to it. They were being loaned out to the Australian government for a mission. Fortunately, this time it was for conservation, not search and destroy. There had been several Thylacine sightings in Queensland over the past few months, enough so that a hefty reward had been posted for the capture of one, dead or alive. They’d be heading down to do the dual duty of disproving that the creatures still existed while also trapping and relocating any resident Tasmanian Tigers. It was so much nicer when they were able to save something rather than put a bullet through its skull.

  For now, though, he pushed the thought away. It was pointless to think ahead to the next job while the current one was still wrapping up. If he did that, he would also be forced to consider the planned meeting in L.A. next month with the suits from the Adventure Channel. The show was their cover, but it was also a deep one. As far as their producers were concerned, they were just a bunch of deluded yahoos, albeit ones who brought in the ratings. They wanted to discuss adding a female cohost to increase the demographic appeal. Prior to this, they had been happy so long as Derek’s crew got good footage, a few one-liners, and maybe the occasional inconclusive night shot. But now they were going to try adding some vapid swimsuit model to the mix.

  Derek still hadn’t figured out how to fight that one. He couldn’t exactly come out and say that sexing up the show wasn’t worth the risk of someone ending up in a body bag on their first outing. But, once again, that was a problem for the future. For now, he needed to get these kids debriefed, his man patched up, and the all-clear from the germ guys. If he could accomplish that, all would be right with his world for a few days.

  * * *

  Mona and Josh Hildegard had no idea they were so close to Bonanza Creek. It had been two and a half days since they’d gotten lost on what was supposed to be a couple hours of light hiking. When they hadn’t reappeared by nightfall, their adult daughter, Veronica, had called the police.

  The ne
xt day, the search party had formed. That was where the police cruiser, the one Harrison and his friends passed the previous day, had been headed. However, the Hildegards weren’t aware of that either.

  By now, they were both fairly exhausted. Mona was also still pissed. It had been her husband’s bright idea to take the shortcut that had gotten them hopelessly lost in the first place. That they were still alive was a matter of both good luck and a little bit of paranoia on her part. At her insistence, they had both dressed warmly for the outing. Also at her prodding, they had brought extra supplies. Josh had originally griped about their packs being too heavy, but by now even he had to admit the extra food and water had probably saved their asses.

  Thanks to his compass, which they realized hours too late was broken, they had veered north instead of south and now found themselves far from where the search party focused its efforts. Though they had been rationing, their food situation was starting to get worrisome

  Their luck hadn’t been all bad, though. They’d found a shallow creek several hours earlier, from which they had refilled their water bottles. They were also now headed in a general direction that would take them right toward Old Man Gentry’s front porch within the space of a few hours or, assuming they missed that, the old logging road a short while later. However, this was something they would never know.

  Before they could reach such salvation, luck abandoned them altogether. Mona was too busy bitching Josh out for the thousandth time to notice how silent the forest had grown. By the time she realized it, it had been too late. Within seconds, the attack began. Their screams echoed for some distance before cutting off abruptly.

  It would still be another two days before the search for them was called off. By then, between their attackers and the scavengers that came later, there wasn’t much left to find.

  * * *

  The rage had settled down again. It was never truly gone, not now and not ever again, but for the moment, it was sated. The clan had been steadily following the trail of blood. The scent of two-legged things had been growing stronger, much stronger. The beasts were bringing their masters back to their own clan. There were many of them ahead, no doubt huddled in their fragile dwellings. They would destroy the clan of two-legged things. Its existence was now an affront to theirs.