Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

            “Shit. This is a bust.”

         Deputy Thomas swiped a low hanging branch away from his face as he spoke. His partner for the search, a local named Marcus Wheeldon, grunted his agreement as he watched for any sign of movement.

         They had been trudging through the forest for almost two hours and hadn’t found a thing. Now to make things worse the storm was moving in, and a thin fog was creeping through the trees. It was getting dark and cold fast. The wind shrieked overhead, desolate and mournful, but they were protected from the worst of it. But even though they were under heavy cover the first few drops of frigid rain found their way down to his exposed face.

         He tried his radio again, to no avail. “Screw this, all we’re gonna find out here is pneumonia. Let’s head back. Probably what everyone else is doing.”

         “Won’t hear any argument from me,” Marcus said, his mouth hidden behind a large graying beard. “Hell man, whatever we’re huntin is probably holing up too.”

          The only way Thomas knew the other man was smiling was by the way the sides of that beard twitched outward. “Dammit, that’s an argument to keep looking. Be easier all around if we weren’t blind and freezing.”

         Marcus barked a monosyllabic laugh in reply. Thomas felt a sudden chill and cocked his head to listen to the wind. He had always hated that sound, eerie and lonely. But was it just him or had he heard the laugh echoed in the winds howling? He held up a hand. “Listen.”

          It was getting louder. It was ridiculous he knew but the more he listened the more he was sure of it. Just over the top of the wind, repeating, dragging out at the end.

          Haaaaahaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…

         “You hear that?” He suddenly wished the car wasn’t so far away.

         “Hear what?” Marcus glanced up at the trees. “I don’t hear nuthin but the goddamn wind.”

         “That’s it. Listen to the wind.”

         Both men stopped walking and peered up into the trees. Nothing was in sight but the sound continued. One look at the other man told Thomas that he was hearing it now.

         “What the hell is that?” Marcus spun in a slow circle as he spoke. “I never heard nuthin like that before.”

         Thomas still couldn’t see anything, but now he could feel something was close. It was growing darker by the minute.  He checked the safety of his rifle without taking his eyes off the trees, resting his thumb on the switch to make sure it was off.  Its weight felt good in his hands. The rain came down harder and more found its way through the canopy of leaves. The wind roared, and still that awful echo sang just inside it.

         “I don’t like this,” Marcus said. “I think we should get out of here.”

         “I’m with you, buddy,” Thomas replied, taking off toward the car.

         He resisted the urge to start running. It would do him no good run into a low branch or stumble in the ditch and break a leg. He forced himself to concentrate on making sure they were headed in the right direction. The eerie noise stayed with them, echoing over and over.

         Something moved between two trees to his right. He just caught it from the corner of his eye. A large dark shape, nothing more. At first he dismissed it as a trick of the fading daylight and the rain, but then he saw the same thing on his other side. His guts twisted. He knew they had found what they were looking for, but now they were the ones being hunted.

         “Jesus Christ.” Marcus hunched down as they went on. He lifted his gun. “Did you see that?”

         “I don’t know what I see.” He struggled to keep his breath. “Don’t stop.”

         Before he could continue a shape darted out of the shadows and he heard a muffled grunt. He spun around, bringing his rifle up to fire and saw He was alone.

         “Marcus!”

              His call was whipped away in the wind. There was no answer. The fog grew thicker, defying the wind and rain. And the things that hid within continued to taunt him. He called again and heard someone screaming. He looked around, trying to determine which direction the cry was coming from when he realized with horror that it was somewhere above him.

         From where he stood there was a break in the leaves and he could see a small slice of darkness beyond them. The sky looked like it was boiling. Rain stabbed his upturned face.

         The scream rose in volume like it was right on top of him, and he heard something crashing through the branches above. A shape exploded through the canopy and slammed into the ground.

            He ran over and recoiled when he saw the body. He could tell it was Marcus by the clothes and nothing else. His face was gone, revealing a grinning red horror underneath. Eyes stared wide and bright against the surrounding blood and muscle.

         Before he could do anything else another shape dropped to the forest floor in front of him, large and darker than the shadows. A yellow glow lit up a face that was all eyes and teeth.

            He screamed and raised his rifle, pulling the trigger at the same time. The shot went wide, tearing through the monster’s shoulder. It came on as if nothing happened, ripping the rifle from his hands.  The weapon flew into the darkness. It swept its other arm low, across his abdomen.

            Something warm and wet rushed over his legs, and then he felt a terrible sense of opening. He reached down and tried to cover himself with his hands but he could feel things beginning to slip through. There was little pain at first, but he could not bring himself to look down. The other stood there, watching as shock and blood loss began to shut his brain down.

            The radio flashed briefly in his fading consciousness and he reached down with one hand to try to grab it but something slipped from the hole in his gut, shooting blades of pain up through him. His hand shot back and grabbed at it, a spongy mass like a wet rope. He tried to shove it back in but other things had already filled its spot, eager for their own escape. He felt the Monster’s breath. He looked into its eyes and made no more sound as it leaned in and closed its jaws over his face.