The Storm You Chase (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  “You might as well stop it,” she chided him with a laugh. “I don’t scare easily.”

  He made a clucking noise as they headed down the trail toward the lake where the cookout was being held. “Too bad. These broad football shoulders mean I make a great buffer between damsels in distress and any dragons who threaten them.”

  “No slaying needed for me, thank you.” The only dragon she faced wasn’t one he could fight.

  “Good thing, I guess. Considering we’re going to be out in the wild for real next week.”

  “I wonder where we’ll be going. Do you know?”

  “No. I think they have some exercises planned; they just have to evaluate us to see which one would be more appropriate for each team.”

  Stepping out of the woods and into a clearing, Jensen could see everyone gathered around a fire pit and grill. “Will we be keeping the same partners?”

  Clint let her question register, noting how it hit him hard in the chest like he’d been whacked with a two by four. “I don’t know. I’ll ask if they’ll let us switch. Do you have a preference for a partner? I can make a suggestion.”

  A wave of panic hit her like a stiff breeze. She wasn’t prepared for his offer and she certainly wasn’t prepared for her reaction. “No, that’s okay. Don’t say anything,” she muttered quickly, then added more calmly, “We don’t want to create a problem. I can deal with you if you can deal with me.”

  “Come on over, you guys. The food will be ready in a minute!”

  Tanner’s greeting saved Clint from having to respond. As bad as he hated to admit it, being teamed up with someone else might be the best thing. Clearly, nothing he tried seemed to ease the tension between them.

  “I think I’ll check in with Ten,” Clint said, changing the angle of his path. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Clint’s abrupt departure took the wind out of Jensen’s sails. “Okay. Sure.” Her steps halted for a moment. Without realizing it, she’d taken his company for granted. Now what was she going to do? Letting her eyes adjust to the growing darkness, she spied Desiree sitting next to Beau LeBlanc at the campfire. Seeing an empty place near them, she headed their way.

  “May I join you two?”

  “Oh, heck yea. Grab a seat.” Beau scooted a little to the right to make room. “I was just telling Desiree about my reptile preserve.”

  “Don’t let me stop you, that sounds fascinating.” She took a seat, leaning into the warmth the fire pit was creating.

  “I was telling her about my Cuban crocs. They’re an endangered species and one of the world’s most unusual. Aggressive as hell, I’ve seen them jump five feet straight up in the air. Unlike other crocodiles or alligators, they’re extremely curious and exhibit pack hunting behavior.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t tell too many people this story, but one of my crocs is a maneater.”

  “A maneater? And you still have it?”

  Jensen’s question made Beau laugh. “The man he ate needed eating.” At her curious expression, he held up his hand. “To make a long story short, my beautiful wife, Harley, is a most unusual woman. She served our country as a bomb tech in Navy special ops. Truthfully, her psychic ability gave her an edge…in many ways.” He smiled wistfully. “During her training she acquired a stalker, a man who knew as much about creating and diffusing bombs as she did - almost. The man was a lunatic who not only attacked her, but became a serial bomber, luring her into one dangerous situation after another. I almost lost her to the bastard.” Sighing, he gazed into the fire. “He made the mistake of coming to my reptile preserve to do her harm, but my croc saved the day.”

  “How?” Jensen was sitting on the edge of her seat.

  “Well…” Beau chuckled. “I guess you could say he lost his head. The authorities wanted to put my boy down for the attack, but I fought them tooth and nail. He saved our lives.”

  “So, they’re pets?”

  “Oh, no,” Beau assured her. ‘They’re wild and unpredictable. Now, Elvis – my alligator – he’s a pet.”

  “Do you have snakes at the reptile preserve?” This question came from Desiree. “I’m scared of them, but I’m fascinated by them too.”

  “Oh, yea. Living in the swamp, there’s snakes all around us. Cottonmouths are the most dangerous. We’ve also had a few pythons show up. They’re slowly migrating east from Florida. As far as having snakes in captivity, I have several I’m working with. My main project right now is Hannah. She’s a King Cobra.”

  “Oh, my word.” Jensen shivered. “What kind of enclosure is she in?”

  “I built her a zoo-worthy exhibit with a glass front so visitors can check in on her. She’s a big beauty, over eighteen feet long. When she wants to, she can raise a third of her length off the ground, almost as tall as me. I love watching her build a nest, cobras are the only snakes who do that. Honestly, people don’t understand how intelligent cobras are. Hannah recognizes me. When folks are crowded around her window, I love to walk up and demonstrate how she can pick me out of a crowd. She’s always hoping for a snack.”

  Despite his enthusiastic description, Jensen was trembling by the time he was through speaking. “You are a very brave man.”

  “Brave isn’t the word I’d use,” Joseph teased as he and Clint joined them. “I’ve never seen a man take more risks.”

  Beau scoffed. “So says Mr. Extreme Sports. You’re not only a bull rider, you’re the only man I know who has climbed El Capitan and dived at the Eagles Nest Sinkhole.”

  “Yea. I also broke my back and was paralyzed from the waist down too.”

  Jensen remembered him mentioning this before. “You don’t look like a man who’s experienced such an injury.”

  “His wife is magic, she healed him,” Beau stated matter-of-factly.

  Joseph gave Beau an amused look. “My wife is a healer and a massage therapist.”

  Jensen glanced between Beau and Joseph with a bit of confusion. “Compared to the women you two are married to, I am sadly lacking.”

  Clint shook his head. “You’re an accomplished doctor. You help people.”

  At that moment, the truth about what she did hit Jensen like a foul ball at an Astros game. “No, I don’t. I identify a disease that by the time I find it, it’s too late. As of right now, a disease with no cure.”

  “You’re doing research, though. Right?”

  Clint’s question caused her head to jerk up and her eyes to lock with his. “My research is…hopeful. I’m waiting on approval by the FDA, which is uncertain at the best of times.”

  Joseph eyed Jensen with curiosity. “What is the nature of your work?”

  “I’ve identified a neuroprotectant that becomes active exclusively at the site of an injury. Our findings indicate the drug will halt the initial damage of concussions and prevent trauma from spreading throughout the brain, lessening the likelihood of long-term repercussions like ALS and progressive degenerative diseases. The neuroprotectant would be used to treat TBI, CTE, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, maybe even brain tumors such as glioblastoma.”

  “My God…” Desiree breathed out a long breath, then gave her a look of respect. “That’s mind-boggling. Congratulations.”

  Jensen shook her head. “When you’re talking drug research and approvals, there are no guarantees.”

  “Still, you could be on the verge of a virtual miracle.” Beau rubbed his chin. “Just think of the people who could be helped. Amazing.”

  Joseph pointed a finger between her and Clint. “You two have much in common. Have you told her about your extracurricular activities?”

  “No. Not really.” Clint held up his hand. “I’d rather put off discussion of my work until another time.”

  Joseph shrugged. “Suit yourself. What were you all talking about before we came along?”

  Desiree laughed. “Beau was regaling us with stories about his reptile preserve.”

  Jensen started to say she’d rather hear more about Clint’s work, but
his expression didn’t invite questions. “He was telling us about his snake named Hannah.”

  “Ophiophagus Hannah is the genus, thus her name.” Beau poked the fire with a stick.

  Shaking her head, Desiree shuddered. “I can’t imagine choosing to be anywhere near something so deadly. I think I read where they have enough venom in each bite to kill an elephant?”

  “True.” Beau nodded, standing up to accept plates of food from Tanner. He passed the first one to Desiree and the second one to Jensen. “Their venom is specially designed to take out their natural prey, which consists of other deadly snakes like kraits or Indian cobras. Like many things in nature, a creature evolves what it needs to succeed in the environment in which it finds itself.”.

  “Classic origin of the species, it’s not the strongest or the smartest who survive, but the one best able to adapt.” Tennessee muttered. “We do what we have to do, right Clint?”

  “That’s right.” Clint glowered at Ten. “We do what we have to do.”

  Jensen noticed the two men exchanging glances and realized the conversation must have a double meaning for them. She couldn’t help but wonder what they were thinking.

  “Adapting is what saves us all.” Beau waited for Tanner to bring more plates, which he passed around. “Which leads me to reveal the real reason for Hannah’s presence in my preserve. She’s not there just to draw visitors, I am helping a team of scientists at LSU who are using the cytotoxins in her venom to make a new cancer drug.”

  “So, you’re milking the venom from that 18-foot King Cobra.” This terse observation came from Clint.

  “I am.” He gave them a smile. “Don’t worry, she likes me.” Dropping the smile, he grew serious. “We can’t always predict where our next miracle will come from. Sometimes it’s found in the very thing we fear the most.”

  As Beau spoke, her gaze crashed with Clint’s. They stared at one another for a long moment before his face relaxed into an easy smile. “It’s a good thing to know you don’t keep that monster around just for a conversation piece.”

  “None of my animals are there just for show. Some of them are there for their protection.” Beau held up a piece of brisket on the end of his fork. “The swamp may be full of monsters, but none of them live on my preserve.”

  Joseph laughed. “Here we go. Don’t get started, Le Blanc. I don’t want you scaring Jensen and Desiree.”

  “Desiree won’t be here.” She rose and gave them a wave with her cell in her hand. “I just found out I have to take a conference call. Be kind to Jensen while I’m gone.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jensen frowned. “I’m not so easily scared.”

  “He’s right, cher,” Beau wiped his fingers on a napkin. “You might not thank me when you’re trying to fall asleep tonight.”

  “I can handle it.” Jensen looked around. “Don’t deprive everyone else of your tall tales to protect me.”

  The laughter emanating from a few of the others told her they knew what was coming. “Beau swears they aren’t tall tales.” Joseph held up his glass in a salute to his friend. “Of course, he might be the biggest booger in his neck of the woods.”

  “Oh, that might be so,” Beau agreed. “Still, there are plenty who believe in the Rougaroux, the Parlangua, and the Sabine Thing.”

  “I’ve never heard of any of those. What’s the difference?” Jensen inquired.

  “Oh, there’s a big difference.” Beau settled back, stretched out his legs in front of the fire and readied himself to regale the group with talk of the unknown. “The Rougaroux is a Cajun shapeshifting werewolf. The Parlangua is a swamp creature that’s half-man and half-alligator. And the Sabine Thing is Louisiana’s version of Big Foot.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Clint was amused to hear the skepticism in Jensen’s voice. This didn’t surprise him. As a woman of science, she wouldn’t be inclined to flights of fancy.

  For the next hour, Beau told one story after another. Things he’d seen and heard himself. Personal accounts from his friends. “There was a young boy living just outside Lockport who’d been hunting and was walking home through the woods from where his deer stand was located. The hour was getting late and the shadows were deep. Suddenly, he realized something was following him. To his horror, it was what looked to be a large wolf. Now, everyone knows there are no wolves left in Louisiana. Yet, there it was. Knowing the species was severely endangered, the boy didn’t want to shoot the animal. He did his best to get away from it, but the creature just kept getting closer and closer. Finally, he ducked behind a tree and when the wolf came near enough, he took a shot at it, sending a bullet into the shoulder of the beast. The boy swears on a stack of Holy Bibles that the wolf yelped, fell to the ground, and turned into a man. He didn’t wait around to see what happened next. Taking off like lightning, he didn’t stop until he was safe at home. Unfortunately, his family didn’t believe him. They thought he’d been out in the hot swamp too long. In fact, the next day, his mother took him into town to see the doctor. Imagine his surprise when the local physician stepped into the examining room wearing a sling on his right arm. When their eyes met, the boy said he knew right then and there that the doctor was a werewolf. A few months later, the physician took his own life.”

  “How horrible,” Jensen proclaimed. “That can’t be true. It’s impossible.”

  “Maybe so.” Beau shrugged his big shoulders. “Maybe not.”

  Adam Barclay cleared his throat. “Well, my mother grew up in Rapides Parish and she remembers in the 1960’s when they pulled a car from the swamp and the driver was half eaten. One old Cajun trapper said he’d seen the man parked alongside the bayou doing some bank fishing. While the trapper made his way down the narrow waterway in his pirogue, he witnessed a terrible creature, half-man/half-alligator, emerge from the swamp to attack the man. The victim managed to reach his car, but the Parlangua followed him, trapping the man in the front seat of his car while he killed him. The old trapper didn’t even have a gun, so he turned his small boat around to vacate the premises as quickly as possible.”

  “Oh, you can’t possibly believe a story like that,” Jensen protested.

  Clint couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Everyone else was enjoying her reaction to the stories as much as they were enjoying the tales themselves.

  Beau wagged a finger at Jensen. “There are many mysterious things in this world. A friend of mine and his wife were hunting whitetail in the Sabine River bottom. They were in different deer stands when the wife took a shot at a doe. The deer ran off and the woman naturally assumed it wouldn’t get far. Even though the sun was setting, she took after the deer, following the bloody trail. Passing near her husband’s deer stand, she asked him to come help her. Armed with a flashlight and a high-powered rifle, they followed the large deer which she estimated to weigh about 180 lbs. After a few minutes, they found a place on the trail where there was a large quantity of blood – but no deer and no trail of blood leading away from the spot. Confused, they began circling the area and found a much smaller trickle of blood. They followed it through the woods – over downed trees and a shallow creek with a steep bank. Finally, after traveling another fifty yards they came to another spot that was covered in blood, but there was still no deer carcass. As they stood gazing at the disturbing sight, a funny feeling came over them – like they were being watched. One of them said it was time head back to their truck. As they hurried along, they whispered to one another. For both had reached the same conclusion. The deer was being carried by something large enough to climb over obstacles and wade across the creek. Something that had known it was being followed…”

  As Beau let his voice trail off dramatically, Jensen scoffed. “Well, now I’ve heard everything. Next, you’ll be telling me we need to sleep with one eye open tonight.”

  Tennessee moved closer to the fire. “I was telling Clint and Joseph the other day about a bigfoot being spotted in Marble Falls. That’s right dab in the m
iddle of Central Texas.”

  Jensen finished her food, setting her plate to one side. “I know what’s going on. I’m the only woman present and you all are doing your best to get me all worked up.” The words had no more than left her mouth before she realized how they sounded. Blushing, Jensen tried to ignore the noise of several cleared throats and Clint’s low chuckle. “Well, I think I’ll head back to the camp. I’m tired.” She looked around for Tanner as she threw the paper plate in a nearby garbage can. Seeing him, she waved. “Thank you so much for the food, it was wonderful.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Clint rose to dispose of his plate and collect the scraps he’d gathered for the little skunk’s supper. “No telling what’s in these woods.”

  Hearing the teasing in his voice, Jensen chose to ignore him. Harder to ignore was the muffled laughter from the other men. “I hope a lake monster rises out of the water and scares the bejesus out of every one of them.”

  “Oh, don’t be angry. I’m sure the campfire stories are a tradition with that group. As a newcomer, if you hadn’t been here to take the heat, I’m sure they would’ve aimed all of their funning at me.”

  “You’re probably right.” She let out a long breath. “I know there’s no such thing as monsters.”

  “True. Besides even if they were real, those creatures were spotted hundreds of miles away. Except for the one Tennessee was talking about.”

  “Stop it, Clint,” she murmured as they moved slowly down the trail toward their campsite. Jensen couldn’t keep from searching the darkness around them for any sign of glowing eyes. “I just want to get some sleep and get through tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Clint picked up his pace a bit, moving ahead of Jensen on the trail. The flashlight he was holding illuminated their path. “I think I’ll move Rose’s carrier into the tent with me and hit the hay. I heard Tanner saying we could use the showers in the lodge first thing in the morning.”

  “Great.” A shower sounded heavenly. “I was afraid I’d have to make do with baby wipes.”