Terror Grips the Beach

by Steve McMillen

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. Let’s just take our time and see what we can find. I’ve got some protein bars and water in my backpack. Let’s start where I shot the guy who disappeared and then move up to where they found the blanket. Are you ready?”

  “Let’s do it,” He says as we move out.

  We keep any conversation to just above a whisper as we head up the path toward the location where I had my encounter with the tall, thin man. Once we arrive, we look around and nothing looks disturbed or matted down. I find the blood trail and again, it just disappears. I say, “It doesn’t make any sense. If he was dragged, there would be a trail. He had to have been carried.”

  Ed moves out about ten yards. “Oh my God! Look at this Mickke D!”

  I walk over to where he is standing and gaze down at the ground. There in some loose soil is a single footprint. “Holy shit. What the hell is that?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ve never seen anything like that before,” he replies.

  I get out my phone and take several pictures, and Ed does the same with his phone. “Is anyone going to believe this?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure I believe it.”

  CHAPTER 90

  After she hangs up from her call to Mickke D, Beverly thinks back to the shooting in Lancaster. She believes she followed protocol by allowing the detective to live.

  Afterward, she drove her rental car to a motel on Route 33. A black Suburban was waiting to ferry her to the Lancaster Municipal Airport where a Learjet was waiting to transport her back to Atlanta.

  While still going over what took place, her phone rings. It’s Liz, “So I guess things didn’t go smoothly the other night. I saw where the Lancaster Police put out a BOLO on a woman suspected of killing a man in Lancaster. Not much of a description and no leads so far.”

  “You’re right. The operation went fine. As I was leaving the scene, I was stopped by a Lancaster detective who just happened to be there, probably on a stakeout. I got the drop on him, handcuffed him to an SUV, and left. In the struggle, he figured out I was a woman. Did I do anything wrong?”

  “Of course not. We never want to harm a fellow law enforcement officer if it can be helped. So no one else saw you that night?”

  “Not that I know of,” She replies.

  “Great, Beverly. So is everything else okay with you? Have you seen Mickke D lately?”

  She answers truthfully. “No, I have not seen him, and I don’t plan on seeing him. He’s history as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Well, good for you.”

  Liz is starting to be concerned about Beverly. She does not believe Beverly is over Mickke D and she worries that since he knows a little bit about their operation, the whole thing could become a big problem. She also believes that it may not be long before she receives Beverly’s resignation. She has a new girl starting soon and she wanted to send her to Beverly for some training, but now she’s not so sure.

  CHAPTER 91

  The footprint has to be eighteen inches long. It has six toes and it is a skeleton print, nothing but bones.

  We are both looking at the footprint when we hear the sounds. I raise my fist and point up the path toward the area where the police found the blanket. We both move behind trees and our fatigues blend in perfectly with our surroundings. Only a trained military person would spot us. We remain perfectly still as we hear the sounds of someone talking and walking toward us.

  I cautiously peer around the edge of the tree and spot the source. It’s an old man dressed in tattered jeans, an old sport coat or suit coat, a beat-up Ohio State ball cap, and well-used tennis shoes. He is talking to himself. I glance at Ed, point him down toward the path where we just came from, and motion that I’m going in from this direction.

  Ed silently moves off and I move in, showing myself just as the old man gets to within fifty feet of me. I call out, “Hey old timer, how are you doing?”

  He stops abruptly and looks my way. “Well, I guess I’m okay. What are you doing out here? Are you going to rob me? I don’t have any money. Are you part of the devil’s clan?” His voice sounds much younger than his physical appearance. His face turns crimson as he takes a step backward as Ed appears on the path in front of him.

  I answer, “No, we are not here to harm you or rob you. We are with the Lancaster Police and we’re just out here looking around for some clues in a kidnapping.”

  He takes another step backward. “Are you going to arrest me? The devil is the one who did it.”

  “No, we are not going to arrest you.” I reach in my backpack and say, “Would you like a protein bar and a bottle of water?”

  “Oh yes, that would be wonderful.” He comes forward and grabs the bar and water but in doing so, he steps on the loose soil where the footprint was located. I start to yell at him, but I decide I don’t want to scare him off. Besides that, Ed and I both have photos. I touch my pocket where my phone is and it feels warm and then suddenly cold.

  I take a deep breath and continue, “Do you mind if I ask you some questions? What is your name?”

  He looks at me with disdain in his eyes. “People call me Willie. Will you arrest me if I don’t answer your questions?”

  I try to gain his confidence. “Of course not, Willie. We were just hoping you could help us out with this kidnapping case.”

  He looks at Ed and then at me. I figure he’s thinking there’s no way he can outrun both of us. He finally answers, “Sure, what do you want to know?”

  “So, Willie, where do you live? Have you seen any strange people or animals out here in the woods?”

  “I live a lot of different places, and I haven’t seen anything except the devil.”

  “Does the devil live out here in the woods?”

  All congeniality fades from his face. “Didn’t you hear me? Of course he does.”

  “Where does he live? Can you show us?” I ask.

  He takes another step backward. “I can tell you where he lives, but I am not going with you or anywhere close to that place. When he gets hungry, he comes out at night and people disappear.”

  “No problem, Willie, just tell us where he lives.”

  He points up in the woods. “Go up that way about half a mile and be real quiet. He does not like loud noise.”

  I look at Ed and he nods his head. I nod back, reach in my pocket and say to Willie, “Thanks Willie, here’s a twenty. Go buy yourself a good meal.”

  He grabs the twenty and takes off down the path, moving rather quickly. Ed says, “He pointed in the direction you wanted to go. What do you think?”

  “I think we should head that way and be very quiet. We don’t want to piss off the devil.”

  “Should we call for backup?”

  “Let’s wait to see if we find something. If we call Steve and he brings a squad of officers out here and there’s nothing here, we’ll both be in big doo-doo.”

  “Yeah, you’re right about that.”

  We take about ten steps and I abruptly stop, turn around and say to Ed, “Did you notice how large Willie’s feet were? And was it just me, or did his voice sound like a much younger person?”

  “They were pretty big weren’t they? They almost looked like clown shoes. And yes, his voice did not match his looks. He was a strange dude.”

  I turn and Ed follows me back to the place where we found the footprint and where Willie stepped on it while coming for the protein bar and water. I say, “That’s interesting; his tennis shoe print is the same size as the footprint.”

  Putting his foot beside the imprint of Willie’s shoe, Ed remarks, “Has to be a fifteen or sixteen, don’t you think? That’s pretty large for a guy no bigger than Willie.”

  “Yes, it is strange. He was strange. Oh well, let’s go wake up the devil.”

  We set off in the direction Willie pointed. The deeper in the woods we get, the denser the trees become and the slower we travel. Thirty minutes later, we stop for a break and Ed checks the topo map. He
half-whispers and points, “The area you circled on the map has to be right over that rise.”

  I pull my .45 and Ed pulls his .9 mm as we slowly proceed. We get to the top of the rise, crouch, and gaze at the area in front of us. The trees thin out about fifty yards straight ahead and a small hill is visible. It almost looks like an old Indian mound. The face of the mound is covered by the same type of vines that covered the cave entrance on Mt. Pleasant.

  Ed whispers, “Now do we call for backup?”

  The demons inside my belly are beginning to move around, and I am tempted to say yes. “Not yet, we still haven’t found anything.”

  He looks at me and whispers, “You’re not going to do anything stupid like that Claymore Mine thing back in Colombia, are you?”

  “Of course not. I just think we need more evidence before calling in the troops.”

  “So what is your plan, or do I really want to know?” he asks.

  “Okay, here’s the plan. I’m going up to that mound to see what’s there, and you are going to stay here and cover me. Use the radio sparingly; remember, the devil does not like noise. If everything is okay, I’ll motion for you to come on up.”

  “Roger that. Be careful.”

  With my weapon at the ready, I slowly venture out from the confines of the heavily wooded area into an area with sparse trees and waist-high brush. It doesn’t take me long to traverse the area and arrive at the vine-covered mound. I pull on the vines and they give way to reveal what looks like a cave entrance. I back away to the side of the mound and motion for Ed to come on up.

  He moves up and crouches beside me. “Is it an entrance?” he whispers.

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure it is. I had no problem pulling the vines apart. It’s coal black inside and smells just like the entrance over on Mt. Pleasant.”

  “My God, the cave has to be three-quarters of a mile long. So now what?”

  “What was your rank in the service?” I ask.

  “E-6. Why do you want to know?”

  “Well, I was a 1st Lieutenant so I outrank you. So you’re going in to look around.”

  “Bullshit. That was your friend who went missing. I never knew him. Let’s call for backup.”

  I chuckle, “Just kidding, Ed. I’m going in and you’re going to stay here and monitor the radio. If things go bad, then you can call in the troops.”

  I move over to the vine covered entrance, and just as I begin to cut the vines apart and prepare to go inside, we both hear a blood-curdling screech from the cave. I back off and return to where Ed is crouched much lower than before. “Damn, what the hell was that?” I ask.

  He whispers, “That was the same sound we heard just before and during the earthquake the other day.”

  I look at Ed. “Okay, now you can call for backup. I’m still going in. Keep your radio close but don’t call me, I’ll call you. Direct the troops to our location. Also, if they come in before I come out, be sure and let them know I’m in there. I don’t want to get killed by friendly fire.”

  Ed nods his head and gets on his cell phone as I creep forward.

  I have always believed that fear gives you greater strength than anger. Well, if that’s the case, I should be real strong, because I’m scared to death. If you have ever been in a cave with no light, then you’ve been in total darkness. You literally can’t see your hand in front of your face.

  I move to the entrance and slowly finish cutting the vines. I flip on my maglite and check the time. 11:10 a.m. The same screeching wail resonates through the darkness. It’s now mind over matter. I ignore the sound and move inside. The vines close behind me. I move my maglite around and see two tunnels going off from the main entrance. Then I notice a shadow dart down the right-hand tunnel. I decide it would behoove me to take the left-hand tunnel. With my .45 at my side and the maglite leading the way, I venture forward very slowly, stopping occasionally to listen for strange sounds. I continue seeing shadows but when I shine my maglite, they are gone.

  The floor of the tunnel is probably ten feet wide and the ceiling is about eight or nine feet high. The floor, walls, and ceiling are all a charcoal grey/black color. The tunnel has a burnt smell to it as well as a dead smell. It’s as if the sandstone had caught on fire and this was the end result.

  I continue to navigate my way down the tunnel. I can tell I’ve been going slightly downhill since I started my journey. I look at my watch again and it is 11:40. I figure it will take Steve and his men at least an hour to get up here, maybe longer. I think about turning around and heading back, but again it’s mind over matter.

  I see a bend in the tunnel up ahead, and I gingerly approach with caution. I begin to notice a faint greenish hue coming from around the curve in the tunnel. As I turn the corner, I shine my maglite and see what looks like a large cavern, almost a room right in front of me. I have not heard any strange sounds or seen any shadows lately, so I slowly continue moving toward the room. I stop at the end of the tunnel and lean my back against the tunnel wall. I take a deep breath and decide to call Ed.

  Just as I hit the switch on my radio, my maglite flickers and goes off. “Damn,” I whisper as my heart rate increases and my fear level explodes. I quickly tap it a few times. It comes on full power again. I take a deep breath and whisper, “Ed, are you there?”

  He replies, “Yes, how are things in there? Are you okay?”

  Whispering again, I answer, “Yes, I’ve stumbled upon a large room down here and I’m getting ready to check it out. Are the troops on their way?”

  “Yes, they are. ETA at about 12:30. Unless you want me to stay, I’m heading back down to the main path to meet them and lead them up here. I figured it might be quicker that way.”

  I hesitate. “Okay, but don’t mess around, get your ass back up here ASAP. This is one scary place. Call me when you return.”

  “Roger that.”

  I open a bottle of water from my backpack and take a long drink. I move slowly into the room. It is probably 100’ x 100’ with a curved ceiling, probably twenty feet high. Again, all the walls are that same dark charcoal black/grey color and the smell is getting stronger. I see bones lying on the floor in piles.

  I walk over to the nearest pile, place my weapon in my waistband, and pick one up. It seems to be human. I see what looks like jewelry beside the pile, as well as a small rusty metal box. I pick it all up. The jewelry consists of several rings and necklaces. I get a sick feeling in my stomach as I recognize one of the rings as one that Jake had worn on his pinky finger. I place everything in my backpack.

  I go to the next pile and notice some of the bones are a bright, almost lucent color. I pick one of those up and it appears to be very light and almost metallic. I secure a second one and touch them together. It’s a metal on metal sound.

  I’m paying too much attention to the bones and not enough to my surroundings. I suddenly get the feeling I am not alone. I jump as another screech fills the room. I drop the bones and secure my weapon. I move my light around, look up, and there about thirty feet in front of me is a figure and it looks to be human.

  Now I know this is impossible and most likely an illusion. I look at his feet and they are huge. My mind goes directly back to Willie for some reason. He speaks and the voice sounds just like Willie’s voice. “Why are you here? You need to leave.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck are standing straight up. So now, how do you answer an illusion? I come up with, “No problem, I’m just passing by and on my way out. Sorry if I disturbed you.”

  I have been in some tight situations before, but I think this one takes the cake. I move backward toward the tunnel and press my back against the wall. I sneak a peek around the corner and that’s when I see it. The human figure is no longer there, but something else has taken its place.

  CHAPTER 92

  “Oh, my God! What the hell is that?” I say aloud. It looks like some sort of a creature or a skeleton, but whatever it is, it is not human. The creature has to be seven to eight fe
et tall with jade green eyes that are radiating a green hue throughout the room. As the eyes get brighter, the room begins to glow.

  I move away from the wall and point my weapon at the creature, but I don’t fire. I’m aiming at a skeleton. What are the odds of me hitting it? Even if I do, how do you kill something not human? I point my maglite at the skull, and again that bone-chilling wail comes out of its mouth. The bright light seems to really piss the thing off.

  I think about the pile of bones and Willie. Oh, my God. What if there’s more than just one of these creatures? What if there is a whole tribe of them in this cave? Who are they? What do they want? Is this one the head honcho? I place my weapon back in my waistband and take off a grenade.

  I pull the pin and toss the grenade. The creature, or whatever it is, looks down and then back up at me with green eyes blazing, as I duck behind the tunnel wall and cover my ears.

  The grenade explodes and sends shrapnel everywhere as well as dust and debris billowing through the tunnel. I hear bones’ clanging off the walls, as a powdery fog fills the room. As the fog slowly dissipates, I shine my maglite around the tunnel and the room. There are no sounds, and I don’t see any creatures.

  I quickly decide it’s time to leave. My body hurts. I think I’ve been hit by shrapnel, but before heading out, I break a flare and toss it into the room. I have a funny feeling there are more of the creatures around. Suddenly flames erupt in the room and high-pitched screams and screeching fill the room and tunnel. I turn and start to run toward the vine-covered entrance. I hear screeching not far behind me, so I stop, grab the other flare, break it, and toss it down the tunnel. Again, fire erupts and smoke billows down the tunnel. More screams fill the air.

  I begin running again. Finally, I can see the entrance in front of me and I don’t even think about slowing down. I plunge through the vines and I’m temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight. I hit the ground and roll over, grab the last grenade from my ammo belt and pull the pin. I toss it through the vines into the cave. I hug the ground and cover my head as the grenade explodes. I sit up as the dust clears. The entrance is gone.