Cryptids - Chapter Two Revised

                                                    Chapter Two





         Kyleigh had followed procedure and documented every aspect of her research and capture of the Thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian Tiger to be filed and scrutinized. The animal that had been affectionately nick-named Tassie by her team had been successfully transported and was now being looked over by unbiased fellow scientists so that their claims could be either disclaimed or proven. ‘So many other zoologists have little respect for our field. No imagination, and so close-minded. I'm surprised they don't still think the earth is flat.’ Kyleigh thought to herself as she walked to her rental car that had just been delivered. It was a 2007 silver Mustang convertible with black interior and she was ready to throw the hammer down and see what the car could do.

      As she opened the door, however, she heard someone call out her name. She stopped as her partner Hugh Charlton came forward to speak with her. She watched him as he walked toward her; every bit of him screamed arrogant, haughty Englishman. He had such strong aristocratic features in his handsome face down to the slight cleft in his chin. Hugh’s dark brown hair was unruly in a way that made him appear even more appealing. She could tell from his expression that he was disgruntled with her and knew he wasn’t going to let her get any sleep until he let her know about it. Hugh didn’t stop until he was directly in front of her, his face inches from her own, his cobalt eyes staring intensely into hers. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her until he suddenly began to speak, “Kyleigh, I’m supposed to be your partner. You shouldn't have left me out there looking for you. I thought something had happened. Do you realize that I was worried about you? One minute you’re there beside me and the next you’re just gone.”

         “Look Hugh, we are both adults and I think that we can take of ourselves. I knew what I was doing.”, she said releasing a deep sigh, fatigue beginning to set in.

         “If you have a problem being partnered with me I think now is the time to get everything out on the table. I don’t want what happened with the Thylacine happening again.”

         “Fine, I’ll tell you what the problem is. You treat me differently just because I’m a woman, and I’m sick of it. Would you have been so worried if you had been partnered with a man?”, as she asked this she gave him a defiant look, daring him to deny it.

         “You’re damn straight I would. It can be dangerous out there, and you can’t be prepared for every situation. If you would stop trying to compete with everyone, you would realize that, too.”, he shook his head at her and turned away, though he hadn’t taken three steps when he turned back to face her and said, “I guess part of it is also that you’re a woman, but not the way you mean. I care about you, Kyleigh. But I’m beginning to see that it’s my problem and not yours. I’ll talk to Jamieson about making Dean your new partner. He’s better suited to dealing with your damn temper any way.” Then he slowly walked away. He had actually managed to make Kyleigh speechless. She never would have thought that was possible from quiet Hugh Charlton. She watched him walk away, with his slow confident swagger. She had always found him handsome, but he had too much mystery about him. Anyone with that many secrets could turn out to be nothing but trouble. He also seemed to have some very old-fashioned ideas. He raised so many questions for her.

         She turned back to the car, got behind the wheel and started it up, already having sweet thoughts of a long hot shower, followed closely by about twelve hours of sleep. With her heavy foot it didn't take her long to reach the hotel. She quickly made her dream a reality after checking in and bossing around the bellhop with how to treat her bags. Though she hadn't quite been asleep for five hours when there was a continuous pounding on her door. She lay in the comfortable bed, hugging her pillow to her, considering ignoring whoever was at the door, when it sounded as if they began to kick as well as pound with their fist on the door. Kyleigh threw the blankets to the floor and stomped to the door. "Someone better be dead!", she screamed as she turned the locks and threw the door open.

         Standing in her doorway was Dean and two strange men in white lab coats. Their faces were the palest shade of white and they looked in shock. "We need you to come down to the labs, Kyleigh. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't been there. It isn't a Thylacine, or if it is one... You just have to come and see it for yourself. It escaped, but... but they have it on tape. Get dressed quick."

         She ran back inside grabbed her clothes from the small chair and ran to the bathroom to get changed. Not being able to wait until she was done dressing, she yelled through the door, "How the hell does a caged and tranquilized animal escape?"

         Dean called back through the door to her, "Kyleigh, just hurry and you can see for yourself. I'm telling you if the situation were reversed and you told me what had happened I wouldn't believe you. We're going to go on down and bring the car to the door. Hurry up, and maybe we can track it from the labs. They already have a team out tracking it, but I think you and I know the Thylacine tracks better than anybody else.", he ran out the door as he finished calling this out to her.

         Kyleigh was a few steps behind him tearing down the hallway in a hurry to catch up. Dean demanded to drive as they got to the car, and she conceded so they wouldn't waste any time. Ten minutes later they were pulling in to the labs parking lot. Dean came to an abrupt stop at the side of the building making the Jeep skid for a moment. As soon as they came to a complete stop Kyleigh was out of the vehicle and moving towards the building. They went to the back doors as they were closest and Kyleigh saw the first signs of the animal’s wild escape. Somehow it had managed to rip the door from its hinges and it lay crooked against the pavement. They quickly waved their security badges to the guards standing in the entrance way and she followed Dean down the corridors to the testing lab/containing room. The lead scientist, Dr. Eric Whitham sat on an examination bed having a gash in his forearm stitched up. "Well, if it isn't the famous Miss Kyleigh McTierney.", he said with a short bark of laughter. "Come to see your friends little message?"

         Kyleigh turned to Dean, "What the hell's he talkin' about, Dean? Where's this video tape so we can start searchin' for Tassie?", she said expectantly.

         Dean moved to the television, placing the surveillance tape in the VCR and rewinding it. The doctor stitching Dr. Whitham's arm looked at her and said, “He don't know what he's saying. I pumped him up with painkillers before starting his stitches, miss. Pay him no mind."

         "Don't worry, doctor, I won't", she said sarcastically, turning to face the television. The quality of the tape was clear enough, but what she was seeing wasn't. The Thylacine lay unconscious one minute and the next seemed to shift, somehow altering its shape. Abruptly it turned to look straight into the camera and said, "Kyleigh McTierney" in a decidedly feminine voice. The shape of the animals head had also taken on some strangely human attributes and features. Then the beast threw its massive weight at the cage breaking it open, and walked towards the door on its hind legs, its unretractable claws making scraping noises against the concrete with each step. You could barely see in the corner of the screen Dr. Whitham come to block the Thylacine's path. It made a sudden flick of its wrist in his direction and blood began to flow down his arm. Tassie leapt over his body and bound through the door, escaping into the late afternoon. Dean's figure could then be seen stalking out the door, hot on the animals trail. As she saw there was nothing more to see, she turned to Dean," Which direction?"

"North. Are you ready to do this?” , Dean asked.

         "You know it. I know what you mean now. I'm still not sure that I believe it. Why my name? Or did I imagine that?", she asked shaking her head in confusion.

         "If you imagined it, there is some mass hysteria going on, because so did everyone else who was in that room and that have seen the tape. I watched the tape twice myself sure I was mistaken." Dean looked at her for a moment and continued, "You sure you're ready for this. I know you haven't had much sleep and we'll be taking limited supplies with us, but at least we won't be so far from civilization this time."

          "I'm good, Dean. I wouldn't say I was if I didn't think I could hang. Let's just get moving, her trail’s getting cold while we're running our mouths.", she laughed suddenly, “I guess a new species isn't so bad after all.





         Dean and Kyleigh searched the Northern Territory for two weeks, following the Tasmanian Tiger's tracks that were at best sporadic. Though they seemed to disappear the moment the two cryptozoologists thought they were close enough, that they may just be able to recapture the beast. Frustration was at its highest and by the next morning it was tangible enough to cut with a knife. Dean spent most of the afternoon watching with a glimmer of hope that Kyleigh might finally just accept the fact that they weren't going to pick up the tracks again. He didn't want to have to say anything to her, knowing that she would bite his head off, but she noticed his looks. Finally she turned to him and said, “I know that there is little to no chance of finding the tracks again, but I can’t just give up. Give me another twenty-four hours and I promise you we’ll throw the towel in if we don‘t find anything new.”, she looked at him expectantly after she said this.

         Dean grinned at her and said, ” I’m that transparent, am I? Yeah, that sounds good. You have a plan?”

         “You know it. I suggest we retrace our steps to where we lost her tracks. Then if we split up we can cover more ground in the time we have.”, she saw that Dean was frowning down at her and said, “Are you going to pull a Hugh on me?” She almost felt guilty saying it after Hugh’s confession to her the last time she had seen him. Almost. Business came first and she knew that they would never make up for ground lost if they didn’t split up.

         Dean gave her a stern stare, “Kyleigh, that’s not fair. You know that I’m not like that. If anything you’re one of the most capable field researchers I know. That doesn’t mean being alone in this shit is any less dangerous for you than any of the rest of us.”

         “I said twenty-four hours, didn’t I? I can meet you back at the last sign of the tracks by night fall. Does that make you feel better?”, she was beginning to show her frustration.

         Dean stared at her for a moment, obviously thinking it over before responding, “Fine, but don’t make me regret this, Kyleigh. And you keep your gun in your hand and ready. Don’t take any chances.”, as he finished his instruction they turned and began retracing their steps. It took them just under an hour to find the tracks. It would give them a good four hours to search and get back. Dean had decided that he should cover the west passage as his long legs could cover the edges of the wetlands in less time. Kyleigh took to the east heading deeper into the woodlands.

         She had been walking through the tall trees looking for tracks for about two hours when everything seemed to go still. The sounds of the wildlife around her seemed to have been shut off like a switch to a light and from Kyleigh’s experience she knew that a predator must be near. She gradually leaned back until her shoulder blades met the tree and she took a deep breath. She warily drew her gun from its holster, preparing to defend herself. She had just accomplished this when she heard an angry hissing in the branches above her head.

      Cautiously, she looked up into the tree and came face to face with a King Brown, the second most deadly snake in the world and found only in Australia. She couldn’t believe that she had been so intent on looking for the Thylacine that she had walked right up to the territorial snake. Kyleigh took a shallow breath and tried not to panic. If the Brown struck before she could get her gun up she would be dead in a matter of seconds. She began to raise it slowly, keeping eye-contact with the hissing animal. Just when she thought she may actually accomplish this feat, the snake flew toward her face.

        The snake’s flight was cut short when the Thylacine leapt through the air, slicing the Brown with its brutal claws, decapitating the snake instantly.  Kyleigh stood leaning against the tree as if she were in shock. She stared into the face of the Thylacine which stood on its hind legs towering at least a foot and a half over her. The silence was so thick that you could hear the snake’s blood gushing from the absence of its head. That same blood now saturated the Tasmanian Tigers forearm hair, allowing the copper scent to enfold Kyleigh. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought to herself.

        She watched the Thylacine begin to shift again as it had in the lab, and she instinctively tried to step away from the formidable beast. The Thylacine stopped her retreat instantly with a feral growl and scream opening it‘s jaws to display it‘s dagger like teeth, letting her known it wanted her right where she was. The head of the animal took its transformation, leaving the body as it was; and left Kyleigh staring into a beautiful, ethereal woman’s face. The woman’s eyes were unlike anything Kyleigh had ever seen, seeming to have a waiflike glow to them and were the most vibrant shade of pink she had ever seen. The shift-changer’s hair was the same golden shade of its body and had black streaks throughout the unruly, long waves that reached to its hindquarters. Kyleigh let out slow cautious breathes as she watched the animal step closer to her sniffing around her inquiringly. She closed her eyes, knowing that she must stay calm and not panic.

         “You dare to bring mortals among us, Kyleigh McTierney. You bring danger among us. Why?” The beast woman’s voice was guttural yet melodious to her ears, as if it had been some time since she had last used her voice.

         Kyleigh opened her eyes and looked up into the beautiful face. She wasn’t quite as frightened anymore. “What do you mean? Mortals? I am a scientist and was just doing my job. I can’t believe you can actually talk.”

         “Of course, I can talk. I mean the mortal man that is not far from here. I thought that you had finally come to me that day and instead you shoot me. Now you have brought that man here with you to our home. Would you really endanger us? No man is worth jeopardizing your kind. What if he was to tell others?” The beast woman leaned closer to Kyleigh taking another whiff of her scent. She seemed to be trying to figure something out.

         “My kind? What do you mean? Who are you? How do you know my name? I feel like I’ve entered the twilight zone. “Kyleigh put her hands to her temples and began to massage in small circles. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but when she reopened her eyes the beast woman was still standing before her with a quizzical expression on her face.

         “You can’t mean that you don’t know who you are.” the beast fell silent again. After a few moments of silence she said, “Maybe you are telling the truth. You don’t know. My name is Khepera, and I am a weres rekhyt. We are the last of an ancient bloodline that has survived for many thousand years. Our ancestors were once the pharaohs of Egypt and the gods favored us so, that the king of the gods sent Re to bring us to live with the gods and be transformed after our death in to the beauty of our souls. I was transformed into this beast because I was considered a great hunter when I was still of my mortal body. We are all changed into carnivorous beasts, I think because we are considered stronger than other beasts of the earth.” she looked at Kyleigh, wondering if this information was sinking in. And wondering how much she should tell her right now, not wanting to overwhelm her on their first real meeting. “You should not be afraid of me, I would never harm you. We are the same, Kyleigh. We are both weres rekhyt.”

         Kyleigh shook her head vigorously at the half woman before her, “You must be mistaken. You’ve got the wrong person. “, she said laughing nervously. Then with anger in her voice she said, “I don’t know what is goin’ on, but it’s goin’ to end now. I want the truth.”

         Khepera watched Kyleigh despondently as she fought against the truth. “I will tell you nothing but truth, Kyleigh. It would hurt us both for me to tell lies. We are family and soon we will be together, as such. You can’t escape who you are. When you die, Kyleigh, Re will come for you.”

         “Re is it?” Kyleigh asked sarcastically.

         “Yes,” Khepera answered patiently, ignoring Kyleigh’s sarcasm, “Re is known by many names and has taken many forms, but when he comes to the weres rekhyt at their death he comes in the form of the phoenix, the bennu. Do you have any more questions?”

         “No, because I don’t buy any of this shit.” Kyleigh laughed quietly and shook her head at the shape shifter. “You know what? Actually, I do. How are you so certain that I am who and what you think I am?”

         Khepera gazed into the distance, as if in some memory,” I knew your mother. She was a great woman. I was tortured by her murder.”

         There was fire now in Kyleigh’s glare, “Now, I know you’re lying. My parents died when I was very young in a boating accident.”

         “No, you’re wrong. You’re mother was murdered many years ago, but your father still lives.” Khepera shook her head and continued, “He is, however, no longer worth knowing. He has done many terrible things over the years.”

         Kyleigh watched her as she weaved her story, seeming so sincere, and allowed her anger to take over, finally interrupting, “Stop your lying! My parents are dead. My mother wasn’t killed. She simply died in an accident. I want the truth.”

         “I wish that I had time to convince you, but we need your help now. Our species becomes endangered within each passing day. The Lamias will destroy us. You have your mother’s skills, you’re just untrained.”, when it looked as if Kyleigh would interrupt, she raised her hand to demand silence, and then gently pulled two items from her pouch. She continued speaking, “Your mother asked me to give these to you when you returned home.” She handed her the two books from her pouch. One of the books was a worn book with no title that had seen a lot of use. The other Kyleigh recognized from college as being written in Egyptian hieroglyphics and Latin. “This one is important to learning about your heritage. It is the book that tells the history of our religion, the Book of the Celestial Cow. For the time being it can wait, but this one,” she said touching the worn one, “is your mother’s journal. You will be the first to read it. It has waited for you since your mother’s death. I know you require proof, but that is all I can give you. I will find you again.”

         After saying this Khepera dropped to all four changing the shape of her head back to that of an animal, then ran into the trees and was lost from sight. Kyleigh stood astonished at the beast woman’s flight. Then, the trees seemed to come alive and many other types of beasts followed in the direction that Khepera had gone with the same great speed. After their departure the sounds of the woodlands came back: the chirping of birds, the quiet rustle of lizards and rodents scurrying through the woodlands floor, and the sound of the insects buzzing and twittering nearby. To the left of her a wombat cautiously crept deeper into the bush. She sank to the ground resting her head upon her knees and taking deep slow breathes to calm herself. She just needed a moment to think. Could what Khepera said actually be true?

         She sat there like that for a long time, when in the distance she began to hear Dean yelling. She couldn’t be sure if it was in pain or in panic. When she lifted her head she realized that the sun had already set and she was late returning. Hastily she jumped to her feet and headed in the direction of the raised voice. She found Dean soon after, curled on his side with blood flowing down his back. The deep mark of a large animal’s claw furrowed down from his shoulder blade to his waist. She ran to him kneeling at his side and feeling for a pulse. Thankfully, it was still strong and steady. She threw her pack to the ground and pulled out her first aid kit and a water bottle. She turned back to him finding Dean watching her. “Never leave home without them.” she said with a nervous laugh.

         He groaned loudly and said with some difficulty, “There were two. They were like the shape shifter but not Thylacines. They said this was a warning. I was so worried. I thought they had already killed you.”

         Kyleigh knew this was all her fault, but thinking like that wouldn’t get them back to the city. “Dean I need you to stay very still. I’m going to clean your wound and stitch you up. I don’t have anything to give you except Tylenol or Motrin. It needs to be done to stop the bleeding. I promise you I’ll get you out of this.”

“All you have is Tylenol and Motrin?”, he asked, already beginning to sound weak from the blood he had lost.

“Well, I could always shoot you with my tranquilizer gun if you’d like. I’m sure you won’t feel any pain after that.”, she said trying to lighten his mood. Dean began to chuckle, but ended up groaning over the pain that movement caused. “Don’t make me laugh, Kyleigh. It hurts too much to laugh. I’ll just have to live with a few of each. Give me something to bite down on and get it over with. We have to get out of here before they come back figuring a warning wasn’t enough.”

         After washing out the wound, Kyleigh saw that it wasn’t quite as deep as it had first appeared, and wouldn’t need quite so many stitches as she had thought. It had indeed been a warning. The beast that had done this could have easily killed him judging by the width of the claw marks. Kyleigh made quick work of stitching him up and afterward started to set up camp. Dean would rest tonight, but they would have to start the hike back to the Jeep in the morning. He would argue about it but that was all in his condition. The ones that had done this could easily decide to come back. Their biggest worry would be that he would get an infection before she could get him to a hospital.

         After getting camp set up and settling Dean inside the tent Kyleigh prepared herself to watch camp. She lit a fire, not for the sake of heat, but to deter animals from coming into their camp. She leaned against a tree and took a long drink from her water bottle. It was beautiful out here in the wilderness, the light from the fire dancing along the trees. The gentle breeze came to lift the hair off her neck, sending chill bumps down her arms. Hour after hour of silence went by making her lashes close to brush against her cheeks. She fought the urge to allow the sleep to come. She whipped her eyes open, determined to stay watch over the camp and fight against the fatigue that overwhelmed her. It was then that she heard the gentle whisper in the wind, “You must help us Kyleigh. The Lamia has come.”

         Kyleigh’s head whipped from one direction to the next, searching for the source of the voice, finally coming to the conclusion that she must have imagined it. Everything today had been so strange however that she forced herself to stay alert and palmed her tranquilizer gun. She would protect Dean. The night passed, however, without further incident.

         The next morning she allowed Dean a few more hours of sleep. She fixed him a simple breakfast of cut fruit and cheese and some coffee, black the way he liked it. She barely began to unzip his tent when she heard him moaning in pain. They had a slow trek back to their Jeep with Dean hardly able to walk. Each step he took must be excruciatingly painful. She thought to herself. Kyleigh knew back injuries were some of the worst. Every single move you make can be felt in the back and you never realize it until you hurt yourself. They finally made it back to the Jeep, Dean looking more exhausted than she had ever seen him. Not long after laying out in the back seat he fell asleep on his stomach. Dean stayed that way too until the Jeep stopped in front of the hospital.

         





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