Cum For Bigfoot 13 (3 page)

I wanted to stand and wave my arms, but the
stupid, obtuse ape wouldn’t let me go. “For shit’s sake!” We were
on the side of the mountain, overlooking a ravine filled with trees
and rocks. There was no place for a helicopter to land. I could
just see it from the edge of the boulder. It approached slowly, the
sound of the rotor blades producing a repetitive whop, whop, whop.
“Let me go!”

He released his grip slightly, allowing me to
peek around the boulder. What I saw was heartening. A sense of
relief swept through me. The helicopter was stationary and several
ropes had fallen from its underbelly. Men dressed entirely in black
began to repel, lowering quickly, until their booted feet hit the
ground.

They’re certainly going through a lot of
effort to get me. Wow. Why would they need rifles? That’s a bit
excessive, isn’t it? They’re just here to pick me up, not shoot me.
What the fuck…

Ten men, if not more, had dropped from the
chopper, which continued to hover. The sound was deafening, while
gusts shook nearby trees. Lendal appeared behind us, having climbed
out of the newly found cave.

“Bad men!” he rasped. “Whhooaarrr…” He stood
with his feet apart; his hands were on his hips. Then he snarled,
baring sharp-looking teeth, while spittle dribbled from the corners
of his mouth.

I felt a moment of doubt, wondering if what
he had just said was true. The men had disappeared, as if they knew
exactly where they were going. To the tropical cave!

“No. That can’t be.”

But as I uttered those words, I knew it was
true. They weren’t here to rescue me after all. They were Bigfoot
hunters! There were several primal roars below, the sounds of
Sasquatch anger. I didn’t know which of the animals had responded,
not being able to see anything, but one thing was clear, this
wasn’t my rescue.

I eyed Bubba Jr. “You can let me go. I won’t
move, I swear.” He released his grip, grunting and gesturing
towards Lendal. “You can’t go down there, boys. You gotta stay
here.”

Neither ape seemed keen on joining the fight.
They had other things on their minds. “We take care of you,” said
Bubba Jr. Lendal wheezed in agreement. The sound of gunfire erupted
in the gorge below.

“Oh, my God, no!”

This was horrible! They were shooting at the
Sasquatches! Leslie was with them! She had her baby! I scrambled to
the edge of the path, peering over the side at the scene, which
horrified me. There was an ape beating a man’s head against a rock,
but a shot range out, and the creature stiffened, having been hit.
The gunfire had come from above, and I glanced at the helicopter,
seeing a man sitting in the opening of the door with a rifle in his
hand.

“Holy shit!”

He had been perceived, and several rocks came
his way, thrown by an unseen ape. He ducked inside the craft,
missing being hit, but the angry Sasquatches continued to throw
rocks, one after the other. A decisive throw was aimed at the rotor
blades; the spinning prongs of metal caught the rock in such a way
that one snapped, hitting several others in a domino effect. The
damage was irreparable. Ropes dropped from the bottom of the
helicopter, while men descended rapidly. The craft pitched
dramatically, and, before the men had reached the ground, it
crashed into the rocks, fire shooting into the air, catching
several trees, which burst into flames.

“WHHOOAAARRR…”

The roar echoed, as the battle continued,
although the enemy had been handicapped. I glanced at Lendal.
“Should we go to the cave?”

He shook his head. “We stay here. Too
dangerous.” I was proud of him in that instant for being the one in
charge, although he was far younger than I was. He watched the
events soberly, his nose twitching. “We go hide now. They might see
us.”

Bubba Jr. took my hand. “Come, Lena.”

The older, more experienced Bigfoots were
engaged in the battle of a lifetime; some had been seriously
injured by gunfire, but I didn’t know who had been wounded. It was
sad that the outside world had been responsible for this atrocity.
Strangers had invaded their habitat, supported by weapons, and
equipment, bent on destroying these loving, caring creatures. The
Sasquatches protected what was theirs, they nurtured their
families, and they kept to themselves and lived their lives, as was
their right.

My anger had me seeing red. “Who are these
fuckers?”

“Bad men,” growled Bubba Jr.

The frustration I felt at the situation was
enough to make me want to scream. The Bigfoot hunters were taking a
beating, but our guys were dying trying to defend what was theirs.
The cave was shallow, but it would hopefully provide enough shelter
to keep us dry and warm for the night. A tree had fallen by the
entrance, and the boys broke off portions, throwing them in a
pile.

“We have fire later,” Lendal said. “When the
bad men are dead.”

I sat on the dusty floor, staring at my
fingernails, which were dirty. “This is a pretty good hideaway, but
what if they find us?”

“We kill them.” Lendal’s words sent a chill
down my spine.

“You stay here, Lena,” rasped Bubba Jr. “We
be back.”

“Where the hell are you going? It’s crazy out
there!”

“We be careful,” said Lendal. “We look
around.”

“You’re fucking crazy! You have to stay
here.”

Bubba Jr. nodded sternly. “We go now.”

I hope they come back in one
piece
.

They left me alone, and I gazed at the grey
walls, wishing I were home. I was sick of roughing it in the great
outdoors. I couldn’t wait to be safe and warm in my house, snuggled
in my comfortable bed. The sounds of gunfire continued sporadically
in the gorge below, as the fight raged on. With each sharp clap of
a shot, I cringed. I hoped that the bullets had missed their mark.
The apes returned a short while later carrying armfuls of pine
branches. They tossed them in a pile in the furthest regions of the
cave.

“What is that?”

“Our bed,” said Lendal. “We get food
now.”

“Did you see Leonard or Bubba? What about
Leslie?”

“No, Lena. We not see them,” said Bubba
Jr.

They left again, but this time they were gone
a long time, and I had begun to worry, envisioning them shot to
death and left to die in the snow. The noise of gunfire had ceased
for a while, and the quiet was eerie. As the sun dipped behind the
mountain, the shadows in the cave deepened and a chill set in,
which had me shivering. I gazed longingly at the groupings of
firewood, wishing I had a match. Just when I was about to burrow
under the pine branches, I heard a noise.

“Knock, knock! Anybody home?” It was
Leslie.

I jumped to my feet, rushing for the
entrance. “Leslie?”

“Hi, Lena. Isn’t this fun?” Sarcasm dripped
from her tone. She held Wolfie in her arms; her face was smudged
with dirt. Lendal and Bubba Jr. were behind her.

“What’s going on?”

“They raided the cave. It was like they knew
exactly where to find us. Wolfie and I hid in a corner.”

“Did any of the Bigfoots die?” I held my
breath, dreading the answer.

“I think Archie and Tate are dead. Leonard is
wounded pretty good. They’re still fighting the bastards, if you
can believe it.” She smiled at Lendal. “These two rascals sniffed
me out, otherwise I was gonna have to sleep in there tonight.” A
gunshot had our attention. “Shit!”

“It’s hardly a fair fight with weapons like
that.”

“Oh, but don’t think we didn’t hurt them.
There are dead bodies everywhere. They might be down to only one
guy now. When he runs outta bullets, he’s screwed. Leonard and
Bubba have him cornered. They’re gonna get that asshole.” She sat
on the pine bedding. “I’m so tired.”

Lendal arranged the stack of firewood, while
Bubba Jr. held two good-sized fish. My stomach rumbled at the
sight. “They’re so good at this. They even caught dinner.”

“Industrious little tikes.” Wolfie began to
fuss, and she set him on the ground. “There you go, sweetie.”

“What happens now?”

“We hunker down for the night, until that guy
dies.”

“It would be so much warmer in the other
cave. It’s like paradise compared to this.”

“Yeah, but we’d be shot at, if we went there.
I already risked a lot leaving. What if there’s more than one guy
left? I could be wrong about that.”

I shivered at the thought.

Lendal and Bubba Jr. grilled the fish and
melted snow, while intermittent gunfire echoed in the gorge. We sat
on layers of pine needles; the bedding was lumpy, but it was an
improvement over sitting on the freezing stone floor. The boys had
positioned branches before the entrance to prevent the cavern from
losing warm air.

I wore snow boots, ski pants, and a heavy
jacket with gloves. A knitted hat kept my ears warm. When the fish
had been eaten and the fire refreshed, we settled into the fragrant
bedding. Lendal was on the end, with me next to him, and then
Leslie, Wolfie, and Bubba Jr. The heat of Lendal kept me
surprisingly warm; the Sasquatch had fallen asleep almost
instantly, his snores filling the cavern. I stared at the ceiling,
listening to shots being fired and worrying about how many of the
Bigfoots had survived the attack. It seemed to take forever before
I drifted to sleep, but my dreams disturbed me, and, when I woke
the next morning, a feeling of unease had settled in the pit of my
stomach.

Something was crawling all over me. I turned
to my side to see Wolfie, who chewed on the end of a stick. His
furry face was a matted mess, and his black eyes glinted.

“Hi, Wolfie.”

“Grrrrr….grrrr…” he purred. His high-pitched
tone was adorable.

“Where’s your mamma?” He didn’t seem to
understand the question. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. We were the
only ones in the cave. “Where is everybody?” I got to my feet,
picking Wolfie up. “Come on, squirt. Let’s check it out. At least
it’s quiet. Maybe they killed that guy.”

The doorway had been partially cleared, and,
as I neared, a gust of frigid air hit me. It had snowed during the
night, and my feet crunched over several inches worth of white
powder. I wandered to the edge of a sheer drop, staring down at
what was left of the helicopter. There weren’t any signs of bodies,
but it had snowed, and they were more than likely hidden now.
Movement caught my eye, and I turned, jumping.

“Jesus! You scared the crap outta me.” It was
Leslie. “What’s going on?”

“They got that last guy. He’s still alive.”
Her look was bleak.

“What’s wrong?”

Tears were in her eyes. “Archie and Tate are
dead. Leonard’s wounded really bad. I…don’t know…it’s—”

“Can we go back to the cave? Where’s Lendal
and Bubba Jr?”

“They’re with their dads. I came to get you.”
Her shoulders had slumped. She seemed defeated.

“It’s gonna be all right, Leslie. Help’s on
the way.”

“I’ve been searching for a satellite phone
all morning. It sucks that it snowed. I can’t find shit!”

“We’ll check out the helicopter. I bet
there’s equipment in there.”

“I already thought of that. It’s on loose
rock. It could slide off the mountain any second.”

“Shit. Maybe that guy they captured has a
phone?”

“Maybe. I hope he’s still alive,” anger
flared in her look, “although I’d love to kill the son of a bitch
myself.”

The hike to the cave was a nightmare; the
snow hid a layer of ice, which made the journey difficult and
dangerous. There were blood splatters scattered in zigzagging
paths. I didn’t want to imagine to whom the blood belonged, beast
or man? After we had reached our destination, what greeted me was a
shock. Leonard was on his back, his tummy rising and falling with
each breath. He appeared to be sleeping, but, as we approached, his
eyes flew open.

“Gggrrooaarrr…”

“Don’t wake my daddy. He’s sick,” said
Lendal.

Bubba sat nearby; his expression seemed
frozen, while a man dressed in black was tied up next to him. The
stranger’s face was bloodied.

“You have a satellite phone, mister?” asked
Leslie.

“It’s in my pack.” His voice was flat.

“Where’s that?”

“I can’t say exactly. We dropped our stuff
behind some rocks in the ravine.”

“Great.”

“Where is Leonard hurt?” I knelt beside the
Sasquatch, who had yet to move. Then I saw the blood. He had been
injured in his side. “Did you get shot?”

“Yes,” he rasped.

“Shit!” I glanced at Leslie. “We need help.
Somebody has to help us!”

“I know.” She advanced on the stranger. “Who
the fuck are you?”

“I’m Nick Redfern.”

This triggered a memory for me. My sister had
mentioned being approached by someone with that name months ago. He
was a Bigfoot researcher or did he run a website?

“Great, Nick. Can you be a little more
specific about where you left your bag? Is it on our side of the
ravine or the other, closer to the helicopter or further away? Any
information would be really helpful.”

“It’s on the other side about…a hundred feet
or so from the helicopter.”

“Fantastic.”

“What are they going to do with this
guy?”

“I don’t know. I say throw him off the
mountain, but I want answers.” She glared at Nick. “You’re gonna
answer my questions later, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“How hurt is he?”

“They might’ve broken some ribs. Who gives a
shit?”

“I can’t believe they didn’t kill him.”

“He’s a smart one. He played dead, but when
he got up to run away, they got him. I’m glad he’s still alive. We
deserve to know what the hell is going on.”

I glanced at Leonard. “Do you think he’ll
make it?”

“That bullet needs to come out. I can’t find
it. I tried, but…it’s in there deep.” She picked Wolfie up,
balancing him on her hip. “I’m going to get the bag. Watch over the
troops.”