The two men used their flashlights and kept scanning the area all around them. No more rocks were thrown in their direction and the men had not heard anything in the woods. The snowfall was heavy and the only sound that could be heard was the hissing as it hit the air and collided with the ground.
After about ten minutes of sawing, the tree finally fell. Craig moved to trim the top and the small branches along the length of the small tree. He could see well enough with the headlamp he wore around his forehead. It wasn’t as bright as the stinger, but he needed to be able to use both hands. He trusted that the others would keep a watch out and alert him to anything that moved.
“If you see it, don’t miss!” Craig said, as he sawed off the top of the tree. The tree slipped in his grasped when the top section fell off with his sawing. He instinctively reached down to grab it, but it was too heavy to hold. He yanked his hand back in pain as a splintered limb slashed a huge gash through his gloves. Muttering under his breath, he quickly picked the hand cut lever up and began sawing off the small limbs again, not paying any attention to the nasty wound. Once he had the tree cut and trimmed to the length that he wanted, he asked for help to move it over to the ATV. It was about twelve feet in length now, yet still quite green and heavy. Troy walked in front with the pistol in one hand and his flashlight in the other keeping a watchful eye out for the creature.
The wind was blowing harder now stinging the men’s faces as they trudged back over to the overturned vehicle. It was extremely cold and now the men could really feel it on the exposed skin around their eyes.
“We’ve got to move fast, fellas. It’s way too cold to be out here,” Craig said as he bent down to drop his end of the log. Phil dropped his end and stood to lock around.
“What’s the plan?”
“We don’t really have anything big and solid enough to use as a fulcrum but I think we may be able to pile up a few of these rocks scattered around here. Let me dig some of this snow and mud out from under the roll cage and then we can slide the log in place. Phil, you find a couple of the biggest rocks you can. And look for flat ones.”
“I’ll see what I can find, but Troy, you keep that gun handy and whatever you do, don’t shoot me!” With that statement, Phil used his flash light and started searching around the ATV for some rocks. After a brief moment he found a large fairly flat sided rock he thought would work. He reached down with his empty hand and tried to nudge the rock up, but it was frozen to the ground in the snow. Phil stood back up and shined his light all around the ground looking for something to help pry the rock up with when a quick flutter of movement caught the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he saw something move for just a split second. He quickly moved his flashlight beam back and forth scanning the area deliberately and carefully, but could see nothing further. He heard no other sounds, but the snow, wind, and trees. He turned to tell Troy and Craig that he thought he saw something when he heard the first shot!
+++
Troy was covering Craig as he worked to dig out around the ATV so that they would be able to get the log under it and gain some leverage. He stood just behind the Razor where he could keep an eye on Phil as he searched for a rock. Phil had gone about fifteen yards away from the overturned ATV, but Troy could still see his flashlight moving through the darkness.
“Ugh, this damn snow and mud is slippery as hell, but it’s also hard as a rock just underneath it. I have a small camp shovel in the back here if I can get it out.” Craig grunted. He moved over to rummage through the back of the ATV and after a few minutes exclaimed, “Found it!”
Troy was turning to look back at Craig when his light shined directly into the face of the creature. It was standing not more than twenty yards away. Troy pulled the Colt up instinctively across his other hand and with the light still aimed at the beast, squeezed the trigger. BOOM! BOOM!
The report of the .45 caliber pistol was deafening. As soon as he pulled the trigger Troy’s ears popped and a loud ringing caused him to wince in pain. The creature moved incredibly fast for its size and Troy could not keep his flashlight on it. The huge, hairy beast darted into the trees swiftly and silently. Troy was searching the woods so intently that he never heard Craig shouting at him.
“Where is it? What are you shooting at?”
“It was right there coming up behind us! Oh my God, it’s huge! Oh my God, Oh my God!” Troy stammered rapid fire like a machine gun. “I think I hit it. I know I hit it. There’s no way I could’ve missed at that range! No way! And it didn’t even flinch!”
“Calm down, I don’t see anything now and I don’t hear anything. Maybe you killed it. If not, maybe you scared it off,” Craig said. “Just calm down and be ready if it comes back around. Phil, you find a rock yet? Let’s get this damn thing rubber side down!”
Phil hurried back carrying a large flat rock. He walked around to the low side, and together with Craig’s help, set the rock near the roll cage of the ATV. In this position they would be able to get the log under the bars and lift the ATV up on its wheels again. Craig cleared away a little more of the frozen earth so they could get the log further under it to get the largest lift potential. Once the log was lowered into position Craig called for all the men to get on the end of the log and start prying up the machine. He would stay on the front of the crew so that once the ATV started coming up he could move in closer and use all of his strength to push it onto its wheels. Phil took up a position on one side of the log and Troy the opposite so that together they could keep it from sliding back and forth.
“On three,” Craig said. “One, Two, Three!” And with a big heave, the men began to slowly lift the Razor up. Once it got about three feet off the ground, Craig moved closer to the craft and lifted on it with his hands. Using the combined weight and strength of all three men, the ATV finally came up and bounced back down on the wheels.
“Damn right!” Craig exclaimed. “Let’s get going.”
The men scrambled to get in the ATV with Craig at the wheel. Troy ran around to the passenger seat.
“I hope this thing starts up,” Craig said as he reached down and turned the key. The engine roared to life immediately and Craig feathered the throttle a few times to rev the engine. The pipes gave off a loud bleating and popping sound and the Razor started running smoothly.
“I’d have bet a dollar this thing wouldn’t have started up with the way our luck is going,” Phil said, as he began to climb up into the back passenger seat. He reached for the grab bar and put a foot on the side rail to climb up just as he felt something grab his shoulder. He was slung several feet backwards onto the ground, landing with such force that he completely lost consciousness.
“Hurry up, Phil, let’s get moving!” Craig hollered over the loud blat of the engine. Craig suddenly felt the ATV start shaking and he looked back to see a huge dark mass grab Phil by the shoulder and throw him like a rag doll yards away from the Razor. He couldn’t make out the beast’s face, but he could tell that it was a much taller than the ATV and apparently incredibly strong as it began shaking it like it was a toy!
Chapter 11
Instinctively, Craig hit the gas causing it to lurch forward, screaming like a banshee into the night and sending snow, mud, and rocks high into the air. The creature let out an enormous scream that was guttural and low pitched followed by a short series of what could be described as loud grunts or coughs. It began chasing the ATV and followed them for quite a long distance before stopping. Craig was driving as fast as the Razor could navigate the treacherous mountain, hitting low branches, trees, and rocks in a harrowing attempt to evade the creature. Troy, with his Colt in hand, fired at the animal until he ran out of ammo.
“That’s all I have, Craig, I’m empty! We’ve got to go back and get Phil. He’s back there somewhere and whatever that thing is, it knows where he is!”
+++
Phil picked himself up off the ground. His chest was hurt and he was trying desperately to catch his
breath while watching the Razor rocket out of reach. He had reached up to grab hold of the ATV and jump in when he felt a clamp around his shoulders. In the next instant, the beast had gripped him so incredibly tight and threw him to the ground with the force of a freight train! He strained his senses to listen for any sign of the giant predator. He couldn’t see anything in the pitch black other than the lights on the Razor as it bounced its way through the woods, but he could tell that the beast was giving chase. He never really saw it, but he could hear the report of the pistol shots being fired so he knew it must be chasing them. At least that would give him a few minutes to try and get away. He assumed it was a bear by the sheer size of it, but why was it not hibernating? What could have driven the beast out? Within a few minutes the ATV was out of site and he could no longer hear it. He knew that his friends wouldn’t simply leave him there, but he also knew that they would have to shake the beast first before they could return to pick him up. He had to think it was a bear and that it couldn’t possibly be what Troy insisted it was. It was NOT a Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti or whatever else all those crazy people often reported seeing. He simply did not believe in it. It had to be a bear. No other explanation.
That didn’t negate the dangerous position he was in right now however. He had two choices. Stay and hide with hopes not to be found by the creature or run and pray that he could find his way to the cabin before the beast found him! He hoped that the others would return for him just as soon as they could shake the beast, but he also knew the bear could come back and that it would be able to smell him and locate him easily. He was at a huge disadvantage. This was the bear’s backyard and he knew the area well. Phil was a stranger to the area and certainly did not have the astute senses that an animal would have. He was also blind in the dark and he dare not turn on his flashlight yet. Should he climb a tree he wondered? Bears can climb trees, he whispered to himself. He thought. A bear that big though, maybe the bigger they got the less likely it was for them to climb trees. I need to do something though. He knew it was the beast that caught him and knocked him back. His chest was feeling the blow and he was sore. He knew he would have a very nasty bruise on his back and he also knew he didn’t have much time before it came back!
+++
The beast seemed to have stopped chasing the ATV after a few minutes, but the men had no intention of stopping to look around. They were intent on getting back to their friend as fast as possible. Unfortunately, they needed weapons first and they prayed that Phil would be able to hide long enough for them to retrieve weapons before they came back.
“I hope Phil can find somewhere to hide!”
“Me too, I didn’t get a good look at that thing, but whether it’s a bear, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, it’s pissed off!” Craig shouted.
Troy had just finished helping Craig get his harness on when Craig mentioned the Sasquatch and he reached down to buckle his own harness.
“Craig, I’m here to tell you, that’s no damn bear! I saw it face to face and it looked straight at me with some kind of human like intelligence. It weirded me out big time. I’ve never believed in a Sasquatch or Bigfoot or whatever you want to call it until now. I know you think I’m crazy, but that damn thing looked me straight in the eye. It wasn’t a bear!”
The cabin lights came into view as the men sped crazily down the mountain side dodging in and out of trees barely missing huge boulders and laydowns.
“There’s the cabin, Craig. Make your way over to that tall stand of pines. We can pick up the trail there and then the road is just past that.”
“You got it!”
Craig guided the Razor down the mountain slope and found the trail just where Troy said they would. The wind had lain down a little though the snow was still falling hard and fast. The valley where the cabin rested now lay peaceful and quite. It was a huge contrast to the wild chase and cacophony of terror that had taken place only a few minutes earlier. The night was still very cold, but tolerable. After a few minutes they came to the road that wound straight to the bridge over the lake and the cabin just beyond. Craig bounced the ATV over the bridge as fast he could push the 4-wheeler and headed straight for the cabin; where the road was didn’t really matter at this point. He steered a fast, straight line for the front porch. Troy had already unbuckled his seat harness when Craig slammed on the brakes and slid to a stop inches from the front steps.
“Get that door open and turn on every light in the house you have. I’m going to grab a gun out of my truck and get to the barn. We have to refuel the Razor if we’re going back to find Phil!”
“Roger that!”
Troy made his way up the cabin steps. He reached under one of the chairs that sat on the porch, found the hidden spare key, and unlocked the front door. Once inside, he turned on all of the outside lights, made sure to turn on all the lights in the cabin, and opened the window blinds. If Phil was trying to get back to the cabin in the dark, he could possibly see the lights from the mountain to help navigate by. Once he had completed that task, he went to the den where he kept his guns and ammunition. He reached for the 45/70 and found a full box of ammo. He loaded the rifle and then reloaded the 1911 pistol and grabbed the extra clip he kept for it upstairs. He could hear Craig outside and stepped out onto the top deck to check on him.
“Hey, Craig, did you get it fueled up already?” he asked.
“Yeah, she’s full. I got my pistol out of the truck but I only have the two clips for it. Do you have any more forty-five rounds?”
“I have a few boxes. I also have my forty-five seventy Henry with fifty rounds and a shotgun.”
“Good, I’ll run in to grab my gear and meet you downstairs.”
Craig finished getting the 4 wheeler ready, ran up the cabin steps, and met Troy in the living room where he had lain out his guns and ammunition.
“I’ll grab my other guns out of my room. We need something to carry them in when we go back out…something to strap them down to keep ‘em from bouncing all over the place and losing ‘em! There are only two scabbards on board the Razor.”
“I have some bungee straps in the top kitchen drawer. Maybe we can use them to secure the rifles.” Troy said, as he turned and just as quickly, stopped. “Hey, man, you’re bleeding all over the place!”
Craig held his hands up and sure enough, blood was dripping from his hand. He had not noticed because of the adrenaline pumping through his body. The tree had cut his hand pretty badly and now that he had pulled his gloves off in the house, the blood was dripping freely, puddling on the wooden floor. He looked where he had just been and there was blood on the bedroom door frame and the kitchen counter. They both had walked in it too.
“We don’t have time to clean it up right now. The blood is all on wood so it’ll be fine. Just get me something to put on it and let’s get out there and find Phil.”
“Let me take a look at it first,” Troy said, as he walked Craig over to the kitchen sink and helped him wash the wound. The tree had torn through his palm and ripped a gouge into his wrist. It was a pretty ugly wound and one that would require a real doctor and several stitches, but they would have to make do with what they had until they found Phil and got to the doctor. Troy patched him up and they were ready to move in just a few minutes. “That’ll work, best I can do right now anyway,” Troy said once he had completed his triage.
“Hurts like hell, but it’ll do!” Craig said as he quickly moved to the front room. “I have my AR15 and at least two-hundred rounds of ammo. That beast has an Osprey 10X on it, I don’t care what the hell that thing is, it’s going down! I just remembered that Phil has his SKS in the truck too so you might grab it and the ammo case. It’s got at least a few hundred rounds. Leave it here for him in case he makes it back before we do.”
“Let’s get to it!” Troy exclaimed and he headed back out to the truck.
“Hey, wait a minute. Maybe we should give the sheriff a call first?” Craig said.
“Good idea, Craig. If you’ll get tha
t SKS and ammo, I’ll find the phone and make the call.” Troy headed back into the house and found the phone laying on the coffee table and tried it; no signal! “Damn it,” he muttered as he walked into the kitchen and checked the wireless internet router. The top light was lit up solid, but unfortunately the connection light was flashing rapidly meaning that there was no connection. “Bad news, Craig!” he shouted. “Internet’s out! No way to call out.”
“Oh good god, man!” Craig exclaimed as he came back into the living room. “Is that the only way to make a call?”
“Yeah, ‘fraid so. Sometimes you can send or receive texts, but only under the best of circumstances, when there’s a weak signal. Right now there’s no signal at all. Must be the snow blocking the receiver on the roof,” Troy responded.
The two men hurried out the front door of the cabin. Troy turned on his flashlight and shined it up on the roof. Sure enough, snow had piled up around the dish blocking the signal. The dish was close to the cabin’s chimney which helped to keep it warm enough to keep ice from freezing it up, but that didn’t stop the snow from piling up on it.
“Damn, do you have a ladder to get up there?” Craig asked.
“Yeah, it’s in the shed. I’ll need your help to get it down.”
The men made their way over to the shed and with Craig’s help, Troy was able to find the ladder and get it out the door. They stood it next to the cabin and Troy began to ascend. “Hold this thing steady. My boots have mud and snow all over ‘em.”
“You got it. Just hurry, buddy! Hopefully that thing hasn’t followed us here. I sure have a funny feeling right now!”
Troy made his way up the ladder. Once he reached the roof he realized that he had an even bigger problem. How was he going to navigate his way up the slope of the roof with it covered in wet, slippery snow and ice?
Siege at Hawthorn Lake: Murder on the Mountain Page 9