The Dark Land

by D M Shepard

  Frame squealing in protest, she wrenched open her own window. The frigid night air stung her cheeks as she aimed her Winchester, sighting a pair of glaring yellow eyes in the night.

  Why didn’t I think of that? It beats waiting and worrying.

  The recoil from the shot stole her breath as her bruised ribs throbbed. With a sharp wail, the Tailed-Man fell to the silvery, frozen ground in a twitching mass of hair. She sunk to the floor, clutching her bruised side as she cursed at herself. Loki, whined and licked her face before hopping up on his hind legs and peering out into the night as he howled. The inclement air and his fluffy tail beating against her head brought her back to her senses. The misery shooting from her ribs subsided after a few slow breaths. She pulled herself back to her feet and dragged the dog down. She scanned the backyard as she closed the window.

  So, they don’t like the light? It didn’t look like it burned them or anything, but it made them scurry away and hide. She pressed her face to the icy glass, trying to watch where they went. Loki tensed and rushed to the door. The steady growl in his throat changing intensity to the point where it raised the gooseflesh on her skin. Setting her Winchester aside, she drew her .44 as steady footsteps approach the door.

  Loki wouldn’t growl like that if it were Ulrik.

  Nose at the crack of the bottom the door sill, Loki snarled and scratched with his giant paws. Her muscles tightened at his desperation to reach the other side. She swallowed hard as she cocked the hammer on her revolver.

  “Loki,” she ordered, keeping her voice as calm and quiet as possible. “Come here.” The malamute backed away, reluctance reflected in every twitch of his frame, but he came to her side. Her fingers ached from the grip on her .44, the muscles around her bruised side already tensing in anticipation. She didn’t want him in the way if she had to shoot.

  A shadow moved across the slit at the bottom of the door then stopped. Rose held her breath as the handle of the door twitched. A grating sound, like fingers on a chalk board scoured the door. The entire frame rattled, then something slammed against the door multiple times. She leveled her pistol at whatever was attempting to break it down. Loki lurched forward, growl intensifying. Rose looped her free hand around his harness. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain shooting up her side into her arm. She gnawed her lower lip and swallowed again as her head swam. The end of the barrel stayed steady as she focused all of her energy on her good arm. She could hear the distant sound of the other dogs and multiple rounds of gunfire in the garage.

  The creature on the other side hesitated.

  *****

  “Where did it go?” Dick asked.

  “Follow the dogs!” Ulrik shouted as he ran. He pursued, keeping his eyes on the malamutes as they bounded through the main living area. The panic in his heart mounted as they dashed right where he feared: through the lodge and straight up the stairs.

  “Halt!” he commanded. He wanted to make sure he got a clean shot. All three canines cornered the Tailed-Man at the end of the mezzanine, but backed down from jumping on him. The hairy monster stood against the far wall, snarling and cowering at the same time. It towered six-foot-tall in the light of his head lamp and the hazy stars filtering in through the old lodge windows. Its black lips pulled back as it hissed at the animals, revealing razor sharp black teeth. Face human-like with a prominent hooked nose and huge almond-shaped yellow eyes that took in its surroundings with keen intelligence. Its bark-brown skin was mostly covered by a thick pelt of grizzled brown hair. It had been so close to Rose.

  Had it been trying to get to her specifically? It sure looked like it.

  Ulrik raised his Savage. Razor-sharp teeth glittered as it snarled. The malamutes growled in kind. Ulrik almost laughed when the thing cowered back. His mirth was short-lived. The old wooden balustrade cracked and groaned as the creature leapt up and balanced on a long beam in one swift motion. Before it could make a second jump, Ulrik opened fire. With a jerk, the oval, hairy head exploded. A jumble of claws and hair, it tumbled, end over end, to the floor below. Ulrik shuddered as it splattered against the ground. The dogs howled and took off, racing down the stairs.

  Ulrik ran to the door, the deep gouge marks in the old hardwood made him cringe. He could hear Loki on the other side, whining and barking, eager to join his brother.

  “Rose?” he said, pounding on the door. “It’s me, Ulrik. Open up.” The Tailed-Man had definitely been attempting to get to her.

  But why her? And how did it know what room she was in?

  She cracked the door, revolver in one hand, trying to keep Loki in the room with her leg.

  “Let him out,” Ulrik said.

  The hinges squeaked as she opened the door all the way. Loki bounded out with a howl, joining the other three animals in sniffing and pawing at the dead creature lying on the first floor of the lodge.

  A loud, continuous bell made them both jump. “Ulrik! Need your help with the generator!” Dick bellowed.

  “Stay here.” Ulrik ordered.

  “No!” she shouted back as she re-holstered her weapon. “Besides, I can help with this. I know how to work on generators. Well, at least the engines.” His face hardened for a moment, then he nodded. Snatching up her Winchester, she sprinted with him down the stairs toward the garage. The dogs stopped their investigation and followed.

  *****

  The diesel generator hummed along. The only indication of anything amiss was the clatter of the bell from the controller. Dick crouched down with a rag at the engine end of the machine. The dead Tailed-Man still lay on the floor beside him in a pool of black blood.

  “Lube Oil Trouble Alarm,” Rose called as she looked over the yellow flashing light. She hit the acknowledge button, silencing the buzzer. “Whatcha’ got Dick?”

  “The tubing from the lube oil reservoir is kinked and leaking.” He motioned with his hand to the dead creature. “The bastard damaged it. How did it know?”

  “No time to worry about that now, let me take a look,” Rose said. He took the rag away. The obstructed line let some flow through. She worried more about the slow, steady leak. It would drain the small reservoir in a matter of hours. Without lubricant, the generator’s engine would seize and destroy itself. Rose’s guts convulsed, remembering how the creature clawed at the door, and how they all seemed to scatter when the floodlights came on.

  What will happen if I turn off the generator? Even for a few minutes to replace the line?

  Her eyes met Ulrik’s. “Ulrik, can you hold the rag over the leak while Dick and I gather together what we’ll need to change the line? It won’t take me long. We’ll make a temporary part to get us through the night. You have some extra fuel hose, right Dick?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Dick said, rushing to the big red tool chest against the wall.

  “We’ll have to kill the generator for a few minutes when I swap the parts,” she said, placing her rifle on the ground next to the generator. “We’ll pre-make everything and stage it. They might come back as soon as the lights go out. We should probably be ready.”

  Ulrik nodded. He took Dick’s spot by the engine. Dick and Rose gathered the tools for the new part and extra oil to replace what had been lost from the reservoir.

  “What’s going on?” Edna asked puffing on a fresh cigarette as she poked her head into the garage. The polished stock of her .306 gleamed in her weathered hands. The Mossberg was strapped across her back. Her parka pockets bulged with bullets and shotgun shells.

  “We gotta fix the line for the lube oil system. Bastard damaged it.” Dick said, motioning to the creature on the floor.

  “Holy sh—” Edna muttered, pockets clinking as she waddled closer. She took a long inhale of her cigarette as she gaped at the heap of fur, blood and entrails.

  “No time for that,” Dick said. “We’re going to have to turn off the generator again. Go back upstairs. Get ready to pick a few more of them off. They’re probably going to come out of the woodwork again when the l
ights go out.”

  “No shit.” Edna took one last long drag of her Marlboro before crushing it out on what was left of the dead creature’s face. She clutched her .306 and pursed her lips as she stomped back out of the garage.

  Rose staged her tools and equipment, laying out everything she would need. Dick brought her a temporary light, then dragged the foul-smelling carcass away, so they would have more room to work. Replacing the short length of hose wouldn’t take long. In fact, it would take longer to shut down the generator, isolate the lube oil reservoir and clean the two ends, then restore the system than to replace the line. She put her hand to her throat as it constricted. The gouges crisscrossing the engine’s side made her shiver.

  That’s a long time to be in the dark with creepy things trying to break down the door.

  “You ready sweetheart?” Dick asked.

  “Yes,” she said, going over her plan in her head one last time. “Kill the generator then come back over here and help me isolate the lube oil reservoir. Ulrik?”

  “I’ll stand guard at the door with the dogs. Make sure nothing gets in,” he said, still holding the oily rag. Rose grinned and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

  “I’ll do this as quick as I can. Maybe those things have given up for the night—”

  Her sentence was interrupted by two more rapid gunshots from upstairs. “Maybe not,” she said, knot forming in her core.

  Focus, Rose, she told herself. You can do this.

  “Let’s start, we’re not gaining anymore lube oil standing here jawing,” Dick said, patting her on the back.

  She grinned back then knelt next to Ulrik. Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she gripped the rag.

  “It will be alright,” he said, black eyes gazing back into hers.

  She inhaled a long breath. “It will. We can do this.”

  He kissed her forehead then grabbed his .338 Savage from where it leaned against the wall. He called the dogs to his side, then strode to the backdoor.

  “Ready?” Dick shouted, assuming his position at the control panel.

  “Ready,” she replied. She pulled her headlamp over her forehead and clicked it on. Her knees ached from both the hard floor and the cold penetrating the concrete as she knelt. The portable light squeaked as she repositioned it to illuminate the kinked and leaking hose. Her fingers shined in the beam, slick with oil.

  She heard Dick slap the stop button. The high-bay florescent lights flickered, then went dead as the generator sputtered and began its shutdown sequence. The patter of his footsteps echoed against the concrete as he ran over and rejoined her. His knees popped as he plopped down beside her.

  “Sucks getting old,” he replied with a wink and a grin. His calloused, gnarled hand wrapped around the lube oil valve. She could see his forearm tense, ready to close it as soon as the generator stopped.

  “Come on, come on,” she muttered under her breath, willing the diesel to shut down faster. Her pulse seemed to increase as the hum of the engine slowed. She jumped, as two more rifle shots split the night outside along with unearthly screeching.

  Dick put his hand to his chest and grinned at her. The gold-capped front left tooth sparkled in her headlamp. “What can I say? The woman’s a good shot.”

  She heaved a relieved sigh as the engine chugged to a stop. He cranked the valve shut, then placed an empty plastic tub underneath the work area to catch the spillage. They worked together to loosen the hose clamps holding the line in place.

  A loud crashing sound from the opposite end of the lodge made both of them jump. The dogs took off running in a chorus of growls and barks. Ulrik sprinted after, shouting, “Sounds like they’re trying to come in through your mudroom on the other end of the building. I’ll be back.”

  “You handle this sweetie,” Dick said, patting her on the shoulder and picking up his .338. “I’ll watch the backdoor.”

  She nodded, but continued working. She did her best to ignore the barking and howling at the other end of the lodge, along with the random firing of bullets.

  Ulrik—what if something happens to—Stop it! Focus. If you don’t get this working, something will happen—to all of us.

  She removed the old line and set it aside. She tried attaching the new tubing, but it was just a fraction too long. Her hands shook as she pulled her pocket knife from her jacket and shaved off enough to make it fit. Using pliers, she bent it into the right shape. Sliding both tools back into her pocket, she flinched at a loud bang from the back door.

  “Don’t worry about that,” she mumbled to herself. “Get this done. Get the generator back on now.” She wiped the cold sweat away from her forehead and pressed on.

  Steadying herself once more, she pushed the ends of the tubing over the brass barbs of the fittings. Hope bubbled up inside as she tightened the hose clamps. She reached up and opened the valve. Her side throbbed as she held her breath. She swaddled the new line in a clean cloth. Trembling as she wiped the new tubing, she heaved a deep sigh when she saw no trace of oil evident in the light of her headlamp.

  “It’s clean!” she shouted to Dick, nervous laughter escaping her throat. She snatched up the jug of extra oil. The cold amber liquid poured with excruciating slowness into the reservoir. The glug—glug—glug as the bottle emptied, pulsed in time with the knot in her core.

  “C’mon—c’mon,” she muttered to herself as she shook the last drops out and screwed the cap back on the reservoir. She leapt to her feet and tossed the empty bottle aside.

  “Dick, the patch is working. I’m going to start the generator,” she yelled, hitting the red button on the control panel as she darted around the engine. The machine groaned and turned over, cycling through its start sequence. Still, Dick made no reply.

  A cold blast of air raised the gooseflesh on her neck and arms. She turned, heart freezing in her chest to see the backdoor gaping open. It swayed to and fro in gentle cadence with the night breeze. She reached for her pistol, drawing it from its holster and holding it level as three pairs of yellow eyes blinked in her headlamp. She fired three times in rapid succession, the sound of hissing and screeching making her want to put her hands over her ears.

  Only three bullets left in the cylinder. She needed to use everyone to her advantage. The generator was almost through its start cycle, but the lights hadn’t come up yet. One pair of orbs now glared back at her, looming closer.

  Something warm and hairy snaked around her ankles. The lump in her throat stifled her scream as she opened fire. She jerked backwards as it yanked her feet out from under her. Landing flat on her back, the shooting agony in her ribs from the fall knocked the wind out of her. Her .44 flew from her hand, sliding a few feet away.

  The creature’s screech of torment and rage pierced her ears as it let go. She scrambled for the gun and leapt to her feet. The overhead lights flickered on, and she stood gaping at the hairy Tailed-Man as it writhed on the floor. Black blood spouted from the hole in its torso. Its tail flicked and slithered like a wild snake as it screamed. She leveled her .44 and fired again, this time catching it in the head. It gurgled then went silent as gray matter and black ooze splattered across the cold concrete floor.

  She sprinted to the back door. Her heart ached at the glistening trail of blood. Even worse—Dick’s gun and a single, battered shoe lay just inside the door. The floodlights illuminated the crimson drag marks through the silver-white slush, re-freezing in the sub-zero night. She put her hand over her stomach as she gulped deep breaths of glacial night air.

  Her hands trembled as she pointed her weapon at the darkness. Her ribs throbbed as she leaned against the door sill, knees quaking as her breath came faster.

  “Dick?” she shouted as tears trailed down her cheeks, stinging in the cold wind. She swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. “Dick?” she screamed louder. Except the distant growling and barking at the other end of the lodge and the hum of the diesel generator the night remained silent.

  “Well, hello beautiful,�
� a familiar voice called out behind her. She whipped around to see Aaron standing by the door leading to the lodge. The deadbolt clicked as he turned a key in the lock. His smile, as he sauntered to the generator control panel, made her skin crawl.

  “Aaron? What are you doing?”

  He curled up his lip as his hand hovered over the red stop button. She lunged forward as he slapped it with the palm of his hand. He blew her a kiss as the machine cycled back down and the lights went out.

  “What’s wrong with you? They’ll come back!” she shouted; the light of her headlamp danced as she sprinted toward him. She froze when she saw the black plastic of his Glock. Her ears rang as he shot the panel several times, smoke rising from the ancient controls.

  “Good luck fixing that sweetheart,” he said, now turning his gun on her. “Oh, and as to them, ‘Coming back’, who do you think brought them here?”

  Rage surged within her as her headlamp illuminated his smug face in the darkness. She raised her revolver in return.

  “Oh, honey,” he taunted. “Are you going to shoot me now? Are you sure? I was watching everything. You’ve fired that thing five times. You’ve only got one shot left. Might want to save it.”

  A noise from the door behind her made her jump. She glanced back to see three bulky shadows move swiftly in through the door, surrounding her from behind.

  “Now sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head. The black, square snout of his pistol reflected in the moving light as he leveled it at her once more. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. You’ve caused enough trouble already, don’t you think?”

  Her hands shook as the creatures behind her slunk forward. “It was you? All along?”

  “Yes,” he said, chuckling. “I can’t believe how easy it was to convince you to come all the way out here by yourself. Too bad you had to drag that big, dumb lug Ulrik into it. If you had cooperated the first night, none of this would have happened. Poor old Dick would still be alive.”

  Rose shook her head, “No. No, you asshole! You killed him! You sent these creatures after us! Why’d you want me to come out here? What do you need me for?”