“Fine!” was the only thing she said when she turned and stomped toward the house with Jeff close behind her.
They had only taken a few steps when they heard a loud, high-pitched growl coming from the tree-line only thirty feet away from where they were.
“What was that?” Lori froze in her tracks with fear.
“I’m not sure, but it sounded like a big cat of some sort. Damn, it probably smells the milk.” Jeff looked toward the woods where the sound had come from.
“A what?” Lori gasped with the sound piercing the air again.
“Crap, if it wants the milk then it can have it!” Lori swore, throwing the bucket toward the terrifying sound and running to the back door of the house, screaming the entire way.
Jeff stood transfixed on the sound, coming from the tree line a second again. He knew he should run to the safety of the house like his sister had, but something held him there. Jeff found himself pulled toward the sound by an unknown force; one that was strong and extremely dark. He slowly walked toward the tree line unaware of the force pulling him onward until the shouts from his father pulled him out of the all-encompassing darkness.
“Jeff, what are you doing? Get in the house, NOW!” Gene ran out of the back door of the house, carrying his rifle.
Another growl came from the woods, but this time, it sounded as though it was further away.
“Get over here!” Gene yelled.
Jeff quickly ran to his side. “What were you thinking? That thing could have killed you!”
“I know; I’m sorry,” Jeff struggled to catch his breath.
“I don’t know what I was doing. It was like something was pulling me toward it, and I couldn’t stop,” Jeff hung his head, ashamed to look at his father.
Gene knew his son was not one to make up stories to get out of trouble, but this excuse was crazy. “What do you mean that something was pulling you? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know how to explain it, Dad. I just know that something dark wanted me to go to it, and I had to do it.” Jeff glanced up at his dad, hoping he would understand the impossible.
“Well, let’s put this behind us and the next time you hear a wild animal that close to you, I want you to get your butt into the house, okay?” Gene groaned with a sense of dread building inside of him. He had just learned some terrible news about another family who lived a couple of miles up the road from them and he wanted to tell them about it before they heard it from someone else.
“I will, Dad. I promise.” Jeff tried to shake the strange feeling he had growing inside of him, but he was unsuccessful.
When they walked into the kitchen, Jeff had to laugh to hear an overly excited Lori telling their mother all about the monster with the red, glowing eyes that almost ate her.
“Knock it off, Lori,” Gene chuckled while putting his rifle back in the gun rack. “You didn’t see any monster with red eyes, but I do need to have a little talk with all of you about something critical.”
While putting the last of the breakfast dishes away in the cabinet, Velma asked, “Is everything okay? You seemed so secretive when you came home.”
“Why don’t we all sit down.” Gene took a few moments to think of the best way to tell them of what had happened to the Colton family.
Once they were all seated, Gene began to speak, “This morning when I got to the feed store, I heard some terrible news. I don’t know if any of you have heard of the Colton’s, who live about two miles up the road, but something terrible happened to them last night. The authorities aren’t sure exactly what it was, but they’re leaning toward some sort of animal attack. From what was being said, it was a slaughter. No one survived, and as a matter of fact it appears that whatever it was had to have been rather large.”
Gene had been told more information about the attack, but he didn’t want to frighten them even more.
Lori sat still, the color fading from her face. “But I just saw Jimmy yesterday afternoon…”
“What do you mean you saw Jimmy yesterday? When did you see him?” Velma saw a look of fear now appear on Lori’s face.
“I, uh, uh…” was the only words Lori could say before Jeff cut her off.
“We ran into him yesterday when we went on our walk. He was hanging out by Jumper’s Rock when we saw him, right, Lori?” He hoped this explanation would pacify their mother.
Lori first looked at Jeff, then over to her mother before speaking, “Yeah, that’s what happened. Are you saying that Jimmy is dead?”
“If he was a member of that family, then yes, he is.” Gene felt his heart skip a beat at the thought it could have just as easily been his family.
Lori did not want to believe her father. “How can Jimmy be dead? I just saw him yesterday; you must be wrong!” She cried out then stood and ran to her room.
“Is this all true, Gene? A family was murdered just a couple of miles from here?” Velma hoped that she had heard him wrong.
Gene wished that he did not have to tell them about it, but he knew sooner or later they would have heard about it anyway.
“I’m sure we don’t have anything to worry about. I heard they’re out looking for whatever it was, so I’m sure they’ll find it soon.” He looked at Jeff, “I need to go unload the feed. Come on, kid, I can use some help.”
***
Once the feed was unloaded and put in the barn, Gene motioned for Jeff to come sit by him. “Son, I didn’t want to worry your mother and sister any more than necessary, but I think you should know actually what happened to that family.”
Jeff could tell his father was upset, but he never could have prepared himself for what he heard next.
“I was not completely honest when I said something big attacked that family. What the authorities are saying is there had to have been several attackers involved. Those poor people didn’t have a chance. Whatever went into that house last night went in with one thing on its mind, and that was to slaughter that family.”
Gene took a moment to compose himself before continuing, “I was talking to Mark Rimes, who was a friend of Fred Colton at the feed store this morning and he told me that he had stopped by to pick up Fred to go fishing. He said they would call it their weekly escape from the wives. I wish you could have seen the expression on his face; the poor man was completely shaken up. He said he had arrived at 5 o’clock this the morning to pick up Fred when he noticed the front door was wide open. Mark stated that he thought it was strange since it was rather cool outside. He said he honked the horn a couple of times, but no response came from inside of the house. So, after several minutes, he decided to get out of his truck and walk to the front door. The poor man said he looked inside of the house, and what he saw brought him to his knees.” Gene swallowed, trying to control the fear swirling up from deep inside of him.
Jeff could see the fear in his father’s eyes and he knew it had to be something terrible to upset his father like that.
“What did he see?” Jeff held his breath and waited.
“Blood and body parts. Mark said he saw blood spattered all over the walls, the ceiling, in every corner of the room. He said he stepped inside of the door and tripped over an arm that was lying across the doorway. He said he’d never seen anything so horrible in his life, and he couldn’t imagine what would have done something so horrific. Some of the folks from the Sheriff’s department are saying it was some sort of bear or big cat, but Mark said there was no way it was one of those. Mark said whatever it was that killed that family was tall and strong. He said the front door had been ripped from its hinges and tossed so hard that it landed on the tool shed thirty feet away.”
Gene lit a cigarette and took a long drag on it. “He doesn’t know what killed that family, but Mark said whatever it was, didn’t do it for food. None of them had been eaten. They had been torn limb from limb and thrown around like old worn out toys.”
Gene took another drag on the cigarett
e, trying to calm his nerves. “Mark said something else that made no sense. He said he didn’t see any animal prints on the ground outside or bloody prints on the porch or inside of the house. You’d think if it was an animal attack there’d be some sort of paw prints, right?”
Jeff suddenly had a horrible thought come to him… the creature they had seen on the bluff.
“Dad, there’s something I need to tell you,” Jeff swallowed and prayed his dad wouldn’t be angry with him for not telling him what they had seen on the walk.
“Yesterday when Lori and I went on that walk and saw Jimmy, I wasn’t completely honest with you about what happened. Lori had wanted to go meet up with Jimmy Colton, and she talked me into taking her to Jumper’s Rock where he was supposed to meet her. I agreed to take her if she’d do my chores for a week.”
Jeff could see the displeasure on his father’s face as he continued, “Anyway, when we got there, Jimmy had already arrived, and he had a 22 rifle with him. Well, Lori wanted to visit with Jimmy alone, so I walked over to the creek bed and sat on some rocks to wait for them when I noticed a strange looking creature watching us from the top of the bluff across the creek. Dad, it wasn’t a typical animal you’d see in these woods. It sat on its haunches like a person would do with its lower arms resting on its thighs. It didn’t do anything to harm us; it just watched us. Well, that was until Jimmy decided to shoot at it.”
“He did what? Damn, stupid kid,” Gene groaned as he lit another cigarette.
“He missed it the first two times, but I on the third try… Dad, the third time Jimmy shot the creature cried out. I think he hit it.” Jeff, swallowed hard, realizing what this could mean.
Gene knew what Jeff was thinking, and he had to admit he was wondering the same thing himself. But animals wouldn’t follow you home for revenge sake.
“How big was this creature you saw?”
“I’m not sure, maybe five feet tall,” Jeff tried to remember.
“Well, that’s not tall enough to do what happened to the Coltons, unless…” Gene suddenly felt a new fear growing inside him.
“Unless what, Dad?” Jeff watched his father’s face turn ashen white.
“Unless the one watching you was a youngster and the adults of the group were pissed off that Jimmy had shot the young one,” Gene took a long drag off his cigarette then exhaled slowly.
Jeff did not understand what his father meant, “But Dad, that doesn’t make any sense. Bears or other animals don’t do that. You told me yourself they only attack when they feel threatened or are hungry. You said the Colton’s hadn’t been eaten, right?”
Gene looked at Jeff for a moment before he began, “I’ve heard stories of a large creature that lives in the woods around here, but no one has ever captured or killed one. They’re known to stand around ten feet tall and are covered with long, thick hair. When Mark was talking about the attack on the Coltons, he had mentioned there were deep scratches on the front door frame as well as on the ceiling in the living room. I hate to say this, but I wonder if it was an angry group of Big Foot that killed the Coltons.”
Jeff could not believe what his father was saying. He had heard of Big Foot before, but he had always thought they were just a myth and were only stories to scare small children.
“How can that be, Dad?’ Jeff tried to picture one in his mind. “I didn’t know they were mean. Everything I’ve ever seen on TV about them was that they stayed to themselves, unless…” Jeff suddenly felt a sickening feeling churn inside of him as the thought formed in his mind.
Gene could see that Jeff understood what he was referring to, “Yeah, you mentioned how Jimmy Colton had shot the small one watching you from the bluff, right? Well, maybe its parents didn’t like their young one being shot and decided to pay the aggressor and his family a visit.”
Jeff could feel the warmth leave his face at his father’s words, and then a new fear burst into his mind.
“Dad, it saw Lori and me as well!” Jeff felt his entire body grow cold at the thought of what could happen to them.
“You know something, I worried about that at first, but you and Lori didn’t try to hurt the small one, so I’m sure we’re safe from any revenge attack. I do, however, want you to stay out of the woods until this is solved, do I make myself clear?” Gene said with a look of fear clearly on his face.
“Yes, Sir, I promise to stay out of there. Besides, the last thing I want to do is run into that little one again and take the chance of upsetting its parents,” Jeff said with a nervous laugh.
“Good, now let’s get the rest of this grain put in the barrel, and then we’ll go work on that stretch of fence out by the pond before that stupid cow gets out and wanders off.” Gene tossed a bag of grain over his shoulder and walked into the barn with Jeff close behind him.
The rest of the day went along as usual. Gene and Jeff had finished the fence repair and were headed back to the house for some cold, sweet tea while Velma and Lori were busy making some dill pickles from the cucumbers and dill weed they had picked from the garden earlier.
“Mom, why do we have to make so many of these?” Lori groaned as she forced another cucumber into the jar.
Velma knew Lori was not the domestic type, so she had to laugh at the disgusted expression on Lori’s face as she shoved the cucumbers into each jar, along with a sprig of dill weed and a piece of fresh garlic.
“We do this so we’ll have them to eat later on. Now, pay attention to what you’re doing,” Velma said when she noticed Lori had forgotten to put the garlic in the last jar.
“Mom, I can’t believe he’s dead. He was so kind to me, and he always told me how I was pretty and smart,” Lori shoved the garlic into the jar as a stray tear flowed down her cheek.
Velma wished she had the proper words for a time such as this, but she could not come up with anything to say to ease the fear she felt herself. “I don’t know what killed that poor family, but I’m sure the authorities will get whatever it was. Now, let’s finished this so we can have some time to relax before dinner.”
Once they had finished canning the pickles, Lori helped her mother clean up the mess. “Mom, is it okay if I call Jolene? She was close friends with Susie Colton and maybe she knows more about what happened to them.”
Velma knew Lori was frightened by the murders, and she did not blame her. “Go on and talk with your friend, I’ll finish up here.”
“Thank you,” were the only words Lori said as she turned and walked out of the kitchen.
***
Lori could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks while Jolene told her the horrifying story of what had happened to the Coltons. She knew it was all the truth, but it seemed more like something out of a cheap horror movie.
“Lori, it’s just terrible what happened to them. My parents were talking, and I overheard my dad say that whatever it was ripped them to shreds. He said there were deep scratch marks all over the house, even on the ceiling and he said whatever it was had to be at least eight feet tall. He also said there was blood covered scratches on the tops of the doorways throughout the house, and even some of the ceiling was ripped out.”
Jolene paused a moment to compose herself before she continued, “Dad said the authorities plan to say it was a bear attack, but he said they aren’t really sure what it was because nothing was pointing toward it being a bear.”
Lori was numb and afraid to ask, but she had to know, “What does your dad think it was?”
Jolene had swallowed before she spoke, “He told my mother there’s talk of it being a Big Foot.” She knew it sounded foolish, but somehow it made more sense than a crazed bear.
“A Big Foot, but those aren’t real, are they?” Lori felt a new fear wash over her body.
Jolene knew how Lori felt because she felt the same way. “I know it sounds crazy, but I have to agree. I’ve heard stories of them from people who said they’ve seen them in the woods, but I never really belie
ved in them until now. Those woods are thick, and it would be very easy for a creature to live in them and never be found.”
“Oh, my God, I think I saw one when I went to meet Jimmy at Jumper’s Rock yesterday,” Lori said with the fear clearly in her voice.
“It was on the other side of the creek up on the bluff. Jeff saw it first. It was down on its haunches, watching us then Jimmy shot at it…” her voice trailed off when a terrifying thought come to her.
“Could that be why they were attacked and killed? What if it was for revenge? Jimmy shot at it and finally hit the creature on the third try. What if its family decided to make sure Jimmy paid for what he’d done?” Lori’s mind was spinning now as she wondered if her family was next.
Jolene had the same thought come to her. “Lori, you need to tell this to the authorities. It might help them find out what happened and keep it from happening again.”
“Jolene, I’m scared. What if they come here for Jeff and me?” her voice was weak and full of fear.
“I don’t think they will because you two didn’t try to hurt it, right?” Jolene sought to ease Lori’s fear.
“Right, but …” Jolene cut her off before she could say more.
“Hey, whatever it was that killed them must have been upset and wanted to make a point. You know something; that makes sense now? Dad did say all the rifles in the house were broken in half and tossed outside. So, it makes sense, right?” Jolene said with a new excitement in her voice. “I don’t think it was a mindless animal that killed them, but it was something that went there knowing full well what it planned to do.”
Lori felt a cold chill wash over her body. Was Jolene correct? Were these creatures intelligent enough to plan the murder of an entire family?
“Lori, are you still there?” Jolene asked.
“Yeah, I’m still here. I’m just thinking,” Lori struggled to compose herself.
“I need to go. I’ll talk to my dad and tell him what happened. We’ll talk later, okay? Bye,” Lori hung up the phone and then sat in silence, unsure of what to do next.
Chapter 4
The next two weeks had gone by with no further attacks. Jeff had decided to release Lori from their deal of doing his chores because he wanted something to help take his mind off of what had happened. Besides, he knew she was terrified to walk out to the barn early in the morning to milk the cow.