The Tooth Collector (and Other Tales of Terror) (5 page)

He shook his head. “The vineyard was much,
much closer, half the distance of the ski resort, but we couldn't
go there because you've lost all self-control.” His face contorted,
as if disgusted by her. “You've been drinking like a fish ever
since that damn miscarriage.”

Tim looked away as Emily gasped. “That damn
miscarriage?” She searched his face, her brown eyes glistening
under a sheen of fresh tears. “Is that how you feel? Because I feel
like I lost a piece of myself. A piece that will never be
replaced.”

“I know how you feel. Oh trust me, I know!
It's been two months of you telling me how you feel, moping around,
crying over every little thing.”

“You bastard.”

“Oh, come on! Grow up and admit it. We both
know that baby wasn't—”

Tim froze. His eyes widened. He no longer
looked at Emily, but past her, at the shadowy forest.

A frigid gust of wind stole her breath as
Emily turned to face the woods. What she saw next nearly stopped
her heart. A huge figure burst from the trees beyond the car. It
raced toward them on all fours, using its long, powerful arms to
gain speed. Its knuckles flung clumps of snow into the air as it
ran.

It was much larger than the animal they had
killed, at least seven feet tall hunched over. She didn't want to
imagine how tall it would be standing up. Fear paralyzed Emily as
the monster drew nearer. Rage was evident on its face. Its red eyes
were squinted and narrow, a vicious, drooling snarl on its snout.
It flew past her, leaving tracks in the snow the size of
watermelons.

It tackled Tim to the ground. Its long,
curved talons dug into his shoulders. Fresh blood splattered the
snow as Tim screamed. The creature pinned him down. Its lips opened
to reveal crooked, yellow fangs.

“Tim!” she screamed. “No!” But the beast paid
no attention.

Its wide, ape-like nostrils flared as it
sniffed Tim's trembling face, licking its lips. Emily ran toward
them, unsure of what to do. She had to do something. Had to
distract it. She couldn't stand by and let Tim die.

“Leave him alone!” she screamed as it lunged
for Tim's neck. Within seconds, the creature's fur was smeared in
gore. The crimson color of Tim's blood was so vibrant against the
whiteness all around her, the sickening contrast of it made Emily's
head spin. Her stomach lurched, threatening to evict her last
meal.

Tim shrieked as the creature pulled chunks of
flesh from the wound, not even bothering to chew, ripping
ferociously at anything it could sink its teeth into. Tendons,
veins, and muscle tissue dangled from its maw. Tim writhed in pain.
His limbs formed a haphazard angel in the snow.

Something grabbed Emily from behind, and she
yelped. The beast paused and glanced up at her, but quickly
returned its attention to Tim. It ripped into his chest, burying
its snout in his rib cage. Blood-curdling screams echoed through
the mountainside, but Tim's cries were fading, growing softer as he
bled out.

“Emily, get back in the car.” Eric was beside
her, pulling her. He forced her toward the Jeep.

She tore away. “What are you doing? We have
to help Tim!”

He grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them
with shaky fists. Gently, he shook her, as if waking her from a
dream. “Em... there's nothing we can do for him. Get back in the
car!”

“No!” she sobbed, tears streaming down her
cheeks. “No. We have to help him!”

In her peripheral vision, she saw the beast
rise. It glared at them, talons dripping blood onto the frosty
asphalt. Tim lay motionless at its feet, bathed in shadow. Its fur
rippled in the wind, the same color as the moon.

Before either of them could say a word, the
creature sprang into action. It charged forward on all fours,
kicking up snow clumps. It moved in a blur. The earth shook beneath
its heavy footfalls, fists pumping furiously in the snow.

Eric held her hand as they raced together
toward the car. Emily knew that Eric stood a better chance without
her. If he let go, left her behind, he could escape. But he didn't.
He tightened his grip on her hand, practically dragging her
along.

Their intertwined fingers were pulled apart
as the monster slammed into Eric, bringing him down. Its fur grazed
Emily's skin, sending a chill up her spine. Their hands—gripped
together just seconds before—grew further and further apart as the
beast took Eric to the ground. Snow flew into the air where they
landed. Eric yelped, instantly scrambling to get away, but pinned
to the earth by the giant animal.

It raised its hand. Tim's blood shined black
on its claws as a cloud dimmed the moonlight. The monster slashed
Eric's face, reared its head back and growled. Eric's flesh parted,
leaving behind a ragged trail of broken skin. His terrified screams
mixed with the low, guttural growl of the beast as it drooled over
him, teeth bared in a wicked snarl. “Emily...” Eric sputtered,
choking on blood. “Run.”

She heard him whimper as she turned and raced
toward the Jeep. It was a soft defeated noise, so unlike Eric. He
never showed signs of pain, or fear. Her heart pounded as she
confronted the terror of being alone, truly alone, with a
bloodthirsty monster.

Snow crunched underfoot as she trudged
through the mounds that had been plowed to the side of the road.
She reached the Jeep's door, knees trembling. She gripped the
handle, pulled it open. But it was too late. The beast was on
her.

The brutal force of its weight slammed
against her. Powerful limbs gripped her, straddled her. The air was
knocked from her lungs. She saw her breath hanging in the air like
a steamy fog as she fell onto her back. The frozen ground smacked
her head, sending stars into her vision. Emily struggled to keep
consciousness.

Snow fell over her eyes and filled her mouth
as she tried to scream. Her skin burned where the frost touched
her, so frigid that it felt hot. Her throat spasmed as she gasped
for air. She shook her head frantically from side to side, flinging
the snow from her face.

The beast stared down at her with squinted
eyes that glittered like rubies in its pale face. A beam of
moonlight shined over its shoulder, but its wide, bulky frame
blocked out the stars, the trees, and everything else. Its breath
smelled of raw meat. Massive chest muscles heaved beneath its
matted fur coat. The hair around its monstrous gorilla mouth was
speckled with shreds of human flesh. Morsels of fatty tissue hung
from its tangled facial hair.

Emily realized the beast was squatting,
rather than sitting. It was pinning her down the same way a human
would hold down a cat, using a small portion of its strength. If
its full body weight settled on top of her, her spine would snap
like a brittle twig.

She had nothing left to lose. She was no
match for the beast. Emily flailed her arms, frantically clawing at
the snow that encased her like a tomb, searching for anything she
could use—a stick, a sharp piece of ice. She found nothing. The
creature leered down at her, fresh drool on its fangs. She balled
her fists and punched every inch of the beast that her fists could
reach. It didn't so much as flinch.

She pushed the snow away from her face,
punched the hard, frosty clumps as she hollered like a banshee. A
barrier of snow crumbled beside her head, and she could see her
surroundings now. She looked around, desperate for an idea, a plan.
Trembling, she caught sight of Eric. He was sprawled across the
highway about ten feet away, his body twisted at unnerving
angles.

She lost it then. All the pent-up sorrow she
had harbored inside came crashing through the emotional levy in her
soul. For years, she had kept it at bay—a river of doubt, fear, and
rejection that threatened to overflow and flood her broken heart.
She knew Tim had a thing for other women, an urge he acted upon
often. He would come home with a faulty excuse, details that didn't
quite add up. He refused to look her in the eye after he cheated.
That's how she knew, time after time.

She had struggled, every day, to calm the
waters of her depression, to hold her sadness inside. But now—face
to face with death—it all rushed to the surface. Tears poured from
her eyes, running down her cheeks, freezing as they hit the icy
road.

The emptiness she felt as she witnessed
herself growing old had caused Emily to obsess over one thing: a
child. That's what she needed to be happy. Trapped in a
predictable, loveless relationship with a man who was never
satisfied, she was tired of trying to understand where they went
wrong. Her biological clock was ticking. It was time for a baby. If
Tim had ever loved her before the passion left their marriage, he
would grant her this wish. Despite his hesitations, he would make
her a mother. The issue was non-negotiable.

And yet, Tim's indifference to the pregnancy
had only deepened her sadness and fanned the flames of their
tension. She realized, now, she'd been hoping it would fix them,
make their relationship happy again. But it didn't.

Emily sobbed uncontrollably. She coughed,
choking on snot as she lay helpless, pinned down by the hulking
beast. It closed its blood-stained lips over its teeth. Each heavy
breath caused its wide nostrils to flare and leave thick clouds of
steam in the air. The creature stared at her, but didn't
attack.

She no longer fought back. Her body quivered,
face streaked with tears. “Just come on and get it over with!” she
screamed. Still the beast did not strike. It sat motionless,
watching her cry.

She looked up at her captor. She tried to
read its face. Its scarlet eyes were glassy, brow creased with
sadness. Moisture glistened on its red eyes and glazed the
blackness of its pupils. The eyelids slowly blinked and squeezed a
teardrop onto its cheek.

The ape-like creature extended a melon-sized
fist toward Emily's face. She flinched as its finger—human in
appearance, but much longer and thicker—wiped the wetness from her
cheeks. The skin on the underside of its hand felt cold and
leathery on her skin. One of its jagged claws left a shallow
scratch on her cheek. Yet... something had changed. The rage had
drained from its face.

It wiped the tears from her cheeks, then
touched its own face. It turned its body to look behind them at the
road. The creature's profile was stunning. Moonbeams framed its
massive head. Its broad, powerful jaw was capable of opening a foot
wide. She had seen it earlier when it howled.

It made a sound somewhere between a growl and
a sigh and rose to its feet, looking down at Emily. Her body
trembled as she whimpered in its shadow, still frightened. The
creature grunted, turned to face the highway, and walked away.

Snow crunched underfoot as it approached the
smaller beast—the one that had caused the accident. Minutes ago,
Emily had thought the fallen animal was gigantic. But now, as the
large beast approached and knelt down, she saw things in a
different light. It scooped the dead body into its arms. Fresh
smears of blood joined the old ones on its gore-streaked coat. It
cradled the corpse, hugging it close.

A grieving mother and a slaughtered
child.

The beast's silky fur caught the moonlight as
it struggled to stand, fumbling with the weight of the lifeless
body it carried. The heavy snow came down fast, hitting them at a
diagonal angle. The creature's fur whipped in the wind as it glared
at Emily.

The head of the smaller animal hung over its
arms. It bobbed up and down as the beast turned to pad away,
walking slowly on two legs. It slipped past the treeline into the
dark woods, and something about the image chilled Emily to the
core. She felt colder, even more frightened, as she watched the
strange, human-like beast carry its dead offspring into the
forest.

Were there others in the shadows of the
trees, waiting? Watching? She shivered.

A wheezing sound caught Emily's attention.
Then a gurgle. She turned to face the fallen brothers—her family,
now ripped apart. Her eyes settled on Eric, then on her husband.
Tim's body was motionless under a thin blanket of snow. Flakes
spiraled through the air, dancing on the frigid breeze. Nothing
else stirred. Neither body moved.

Emily ran to where Tim lay. She dropped to
all fours and crawled toward him. Pins and needles stung her bare,
freezing hands, but she paid no attention. She came close to him,
reached out to hold his hand, and recoiled.

The beast's sharp, curvy claws had spilled
Tim's intestines into a heap. Lengthy entrails cooled and congealed
in a puddle of frosty fluids next to his corpse. His wide,
unblinking eyes were frozen in a fearful expression. The color had
drained from his lips. Blood dripped from his open mouth. It
trailed down the ice to join the messy pile of guts.

The scene was too much for Emily. The
disemboweled corpse of her husband, the ravaged neck and broken
bones. It didn't seem real. Too much like a dream. She closed her
eyes against the horror. When she opened them, Tim's face still
gathered frost, unblinking eyes fixed on the stars.

“I'm so sorry, Tim.” Her bottom lip quivered.
She wrapped her arms around herself, fighting to maintain body
heat. “I don't know what happened to us, or where we went wrong,
but I did love you. I always did.” She lowered her head. “Merry
Christmas, baby,” she said.