Phil suddenly stopped short in his tracks as an ear piercing shriek split the cold morning air near him and made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. It sounded mournful, deep, and as if in agonizing pain yet terrifying at the same time. It froze him in place, shrinking down inside himself trying to become invisible yet knowing he was standing out in the open roadway. There was no way of knowing what that sound was or where it came from as it seemed omnipresent on the mountain. He had never heard anything like it in all his years…with the exception of earlier when he had heard the gun shots too. This time, there were no accompanying gun shots. No other sounds at all; just the falling snow.
Phil’s mind was racing as his eyes scanned the area quickly, looking for any movement. Next to the road near him was a stand of cedar trees. He leaped over to them and scrambled underneath the bushy canopy and curled up to hide. As he lay there shivering both from the cold and pure fear, he heard the despondent scream of the creature again. This time, it seemed even closer. It actually sounded lower in pitch and had more of a deep, resonating growl similar to that of a lion. Confused, Phil carefully pushed himself up to a sitting position against the trunk of the tree, careful not to make any sound that would give his position away. He couldn’t see much through the snow covered branches of the cedar trees though he could hear something moving through the woods coming toward him.
He frantically felt around in his pockets for anything at all that could be used as a weapon. His hands were trembling with fear and cold as he came up empty. Not even a nearby branch that he could use as a spear point or club. He had to hope and pray that whatever it was that was coming his way did not sense his presence. Again, he heard the creature give out a low mournful growl. Then, he heard an answering growl from further up. ‘Oh God’, he thought, ‘there’s not just one. There’s more!’
+++
Burt stopped the snow plow in the parking lot across from the small café and made his way across the street. The snow was still coming down and not many vehicles were out and about though a few could be seen in the city streets. As he walked in Mrs. Townsend greeted him.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning Mrs. Townsend,” Burt began, “could you bring me a cup of coffee please? black.”
“Coming right up Burt.” She replied.
The deputy waved Burt over as he finished eating his pastry.
“Hey Burt, thanks for meeting me, appreciate it.”
“No problem Billy, about time for a break anyway. Been out since 4am when I took over for Randy. He worked a ten hour shift and it looks like I’ll be doing about the same. Storm’s gonna last a few days and really cover things up, but we’ll have several plows going to keep the streets as clear as possible,” Burt replied.
“Yeah it’s nasty out there. The ski slopes will be great with this much natural powder. I stayed at the office last night. No matter how used to it everyone is, when one of these storms comes through it really slows things down.” The deputy said. “So what can you tell me about that accident this morning?”
“Well, I can tell you this. That Jeep took a real beating long before he got to where I found it over on 4th street! The airbags had been deployed and the front end caved it. From the looks of it, I’d say he hit a tree head on.”
Burt reached into his pocket and withdrew a set of keys and handed them to the deputy.
“These are the keys to it. I didn’t try to move it in case you needed to check it out first. Looks like he passed out at the wheel and just drifted off the road and the snow drift stopped him. I haven’t a clue how it was even drivable with that airbag blown out like that.”
“Hmmm,” the deputy responded. “It sounds like he was trying to get to the hospital on his own after he wrecked it. He had a couple of friends that were staying with him though. Apparently he had invited them up to stay with him and go hunting. Wonder why they weren’t with him? Did you see any signs that they may have been around?”
“No. There wasn’t anyone else there,” Burt replied. “But hey, he did have a Colt .45 on him when I found him. It was lying in the passenger floor board. I left it locked up in his Jeep. There’s also a rifle in there too. Told the paramedics when they got there though. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I just don’t want it to go missing or anything ya know.”
The snow plow driver told him that he had been clearing the streets when he spotted the Jeep. The lights were on and it was still running. Normally he wouldn’t have paid much attention to it, but the Jeep was nosed into the snow drift perpendicular to the curb so he stopped his truck and walked over to see if anyone was in it. That’s when he found the man slumped over the wheel.
Burt immediately called 911 and then called his dispatcher to let him know. Burt had to reach in and put the vehicle’s transmission into park. The heater was still on full so he left the engine running for that reason until the paramedics got him safely out. The ambulance arrived within a few minutes and carefully extracted Troy and took him to the hospital. Afterwards, Burt turned the engine off, locked the Jeep up, and put the keys in his pocket.
Deputy Larson and Burt sat and talked for about half an hour as Mrs. Townsend scurried around the kitchen. The little girl watched cartoons on the television, paying no attention to the grownups talking. A couple of people came into the café and ordered breakfast and lingered near the warm stove in the back.
After Larson got the necessary information he needed, he thanked Burt for meeting him, paid for his coffee and headed for the door. Before stepping out, he put on his coat, gloves, and helmet. His cold weather gear protected him from the elements as long as he wore it properly. Once geared up, he stepped out, started the sled and drove off in the direction of where Burt told him the Jeep was.
The town of Hawthorn was more of a mural on a dreary, gray canvas of winter skies. The artist, in this case, Mother Nature, was painting with only one color, white. The fluffy, white discs of snow were falling while the brush stroke of the wind carried it in the perfect pattern outlining buildings, cars, trees and the entire landscape. The artist used the wind as a brush with wispy and carefree strokes leaving nothing untouched.
The deputy traveled down Main Street and turned west when he reached fourth. He made great time on the machine and soon found the Jeep just as Burt described. It was nosed against the curb stuck in a deep snow drift. No businesses were open at that particular location as it was mostly a warehouse district. He stopped next to the Jeep and took a look around. The snow fall had long covered any possible tracks of other vehicles or people. He walked around to the front of the Jeep and gave out a soft whistle when he saw the damage. Indeed, it looked like Troy had smacked head-on into a very large tree. He knew it was a tree from all of the bark still embedded in the grill. He took out his cell phone and snapped some photos before taking a look inside.
The airbags had deployed and apparently Troy couldn’t remove it so he had wrapped it around the steering wheel so that he could drive it. There was some blood on the white canvas airbag and on the steering wheel, gear shifter and radio. Not a lot, but enough to be concerned about. The deputy snapped some more photos and then called the sheriff.
“Hey sheriff, I talked to Burt and I’m at the Jeep now. Took some photos and I’ll call the wrecker to come pick it up. It’s stuck in the snow out in front of the old Thompson warehouse on fourth.”
“Okay, Billy,” The sheriff responded. “Sounds good. I’m going to run over to the hospital now and check on our boy. See if I can get some answers.”
The sheriff hung up the phone and turned his attention to the weather report that was on the television.
“Turn that up Linds,” Nick asked, as he switched off the radio.
“It looks like this storm is sitting in for a long spell. I’d better get over to the hospital and check on that Turner fellow. I’ll take my truck. If you need me…” The Sheriff trailed off as he pulled on his coat and gloves.
“Yup, I know
how to reach ya!” Lindsey said as she gave a nod at the sheriff.
Chapter 16
Blaine walked out of his office, got in his truck and headed for the hospital. There were only a handful of vehicles out on the road at this time of the morning. Most folks were headed to work; others were out getting groceries and running errands. The town relied mostly on the tourist trade of sportsmen from hunting and fishing to skiing. The small resort town was bundled up fairly well for this winter storm. Like the many other storms before this one, it too would pass. The residents were very well adept to the environment.
The sheriff made his way across town stopping at the occasional red light. There were more snow mobiles than automobiles at the moment. It was simply a way of life up here. There were at least a dozen places where visitors could rent them by the hour along with maps for trails that led all over the mountain to guide them. The trails were clearly marked with bright red flags. Even a few of the ski resorts rented them out to their guests as well. No matter how bad it snowed, one could almost certainly get around on a snow mobile.
Nick pulled into the hospital parking lot and found a spot near the front entrance. He called into dispatch to let them know he had arrived and would be on his mobile radio, turned off the ignition and headed towards the door. Once inside, he made his way over to the reception area and asked for Doctor Jenkins. After a few moments on the phone the young lady told the sheriff that the doctor was in his office now and he could go on back. She asked if he knew the way and after he told her yes, he walked down the hallway and made his way to the office.
“Come in Sheriff,” Doctor Jenkins said when he noticed him start to knock on the open door frame.
“Thanks Doc. Thought I’d come by and check in on the Turner fella. Any news?”
“I was just getting ready to make my way back down there if you’d care to join me.”
The two men left the doctor’s office and headed for the patient floor where Troy was recovering. As they walked along, the doctor explained to the sheriff that Troy had broken ribs, a broken nose, and multiple contusions that all seem to have been suffered from the crash.
“Sheriff, he’s running a high fever which is my first priority. He’s been out since he was brought in and quite honestly, he’s not been resting peacefully at all. He’s dehydrated so, of course, we’ve been giving him fluids and he’s starting to really feel those busted ribs. He’s been through some trauma and I’m not sure when he will be awake or even if he will be coherent when he is.”
The doctor asked the sheriff if he knew if Troy had anyone listed as an emergency contact. Nick told him that as far as he knew, he lived alone. The two men entered the room where Troy was lying motionless. A nurse was just leaving and mentioned that his vitals were the same as earlier and answered a few more questions from the doctor. Afterwards, she excused herself and made her way out of the room scurrying to the next patient.
“One thing in his favor right now,” the doctor started. “is the fact that physically, he’s in very good shape and that will help him recover quicker, but those ribs are going to be painful for the next few weeks. He needs to stay right there in that bed until I release him. I expect he’ll recover fully in no time though.”
The sheriff asked the doctor a few more questions in hushed tones then began to leave. As they turned for the door they heard a sound behind them coming from Troy. Thinking he may be waking, the two men turned to the patient. Troy was slowly moving his head back and forth and his hands were slightly moving, trembling was the more correct term.
“What’s happening Doc?” The sheriff asked.
The doctor went over to check on the patient and felt his forehead.
“Fever most likely. It could be from hypothermia. I’m just not sure how long he was out there or what all happened. Once that fever breaks though, he should be in much better shape. I think that’s what has him so agitated and unable to rest well.”
Troy’s eyes suddenly flew wide open and he attempted to sit up.
“Help me hold him down. He’ll do more damage to those ribs thrashing about like that.”
Nick helped the doctor hold Troy back in the hospital bed by gently pushing on his shoulders. At the time a nurse passing by in the hallway heard the commotion and hurried into the room to assist; relieving the sheriff.
Troy was mumbling incoherently, but the sheriff could make out some of the words he was muttering.
“That thing is huge, help, oh God no!” After a moment, the delirium seemed to have passed and Troy once again was sleeping peacefully.
The sheriff asked the doctor, “What was all of that about?”
“I haven’t a clue Sheriff, sounds to me like he’s having a nightmare. Result of the fever I’m sure. We’ve got to get that down.”
Nick backed up out of the way and let the medical staff check on their patient. Another nurse joined the group and after a few more minutes the doctor stepped away and allowed them to do their job. The sheriff talked with the doctor a few minutes longer and told him that if Troy’s condition changed to let him know immediately. The doctor assured him that he would be the first to know.
As Sheriff Blaine walked out of the hospital into the cold, wind-driven snow, his thoughts were on the conversation he had with Troy’s friends when he had brought the one fellow back into town. ‘Didn’t they say they were staying for a couple of weeks to go hunting? Why would they have left? They most likely wouldn’t have any prior knowledge of how bad this winter storm would be so they had no reason to try and get ahead of it and go home.’
The engine roared to life when the sheriff turned the ignition key. He reached down for the radio and called his dispatcher to let her know that he was back in his truck and was heading out to check on Troy’s cabin.
+++
The streets in town were easily traversed however the highway out to Troy’s cabin wasn’t as clear. The sheriff’s truck was a large SUV four-wheel drive and Nick was a good driver in these conditions as most people in the mountains were. As long as people were careful and drove slowly they could usually get to where they needed to go. The county had snow plows running as well, but they had a lot more miles to cover than the city plows. If the roads or passes had been closed, the county commissioner would have let Nick know as soon as the call was made.
About twenty minutes later the sheriff spotted a large truck with a snow plow blade clearing the opposite side of the highway. As he approached he could see that it was Charlie Huffman, a local rancher in his late fifties who also worked for the county. Huffman had worked many years for the highway department. He was born and raised in this area and knew well the routes that needed clearing first. Nick knew Charlie and the other men that worked for the county commissioners. He often had lunch with them and at times dropped by the commissioner’s equipment barns.
Nick waved to Charlie as he passed by. There were a few more vehicles that drove behind the snow plow most likely on their way into town. The snow had not let up and the truck was only capable of about thirty-five to forty miles per hour, but often slowing down to barely more than a crawl. Normally, it would take about an hour or so to get to Hawthorn Lake and the cabin there, but with this storm, that could easily double.
The sheriff had been around long enough to know that the weather patterns up at this altitude weren’t nearly as predictable as he would like. ‘Hopefully, this storm isn’t a precursor to a really bad winter,’ he thought. It was early in the season for a snow storm like this one. Usually, they wouldn’t get this much until December or later. The ski resorts were just now starting to open and were usually making their own snow at this time so this would be a welcome base for them.
The local businesses were built around the snow season so they were probably grateful for the snow. There were a couple of lakes that would freeze solid enough to support ice fishing and local resorts that rented out ice-fishing cabins that could be dragged out onto the lake. Many of the local folks had their own lake s
hanties they would drag out and leave each year, but it would still be a while before that would happen.
+++
Phil lay as quietly as he could under the protection of the cedar tree. He was frozen to the bone and shaking so hard that he had to bite down on a glove to keep his teeth from chattering. He had no idea what kind of animal these things were, but the last thing he wanted was for them to find him. He curled up as tightly as he could under the thick branches. The snow was coming down pretty hard and he hoped that helped to disguise his trail that led under the canopy. He silently prayed that they would pass him by!
The creatures were lumbering down out of the woods toward the road below where he lay hidden. Separated by only a few yards, they seemed to be coming to either side of his position. A smell crept into Phil’s nostrils so putrid that he nearly gagged. It had to be coming from the animals. He buried his nose deeper into his chest and tried not to breathe deeply.
The first beast walked within a few feet of the cedar tree, but never stopped. Phil couldn’t see much of the animal through the branches as they were thick with needles, but he could see the animal’s feet and legs. It was as if a cold, dark aura exuded over the animal. His mind screamed, ‘It’s walking upright…on two legs!’ Though he could not make it out, he knew the beast was huge. He could hear its footsteps and feel how heavy it was with each stride. He felt relieved and started to breathe easier as it moved further away when he suddenly remembered. ‘There are two of them!’
The second beast followed its wounded mate down through the woods toward the lake at the bottom of the mountain. The snow was thick and the wind had picked up. The cold was not a worry for the bipedal creature with its dark black fur acting as a thick insulation. It was used to this type of weather as it ranged mostly in the snow cap regions of the mountains only coming down to lower elevations to hunt. Despite its enormous size, the creature was very quick and nimble as were the rest of its kind. They had to be stealthy to hunt and survive through the ages without being seen or captured. It was an ancient creature perhaps surviving from the last ice age in seclusion.
Siege at Hawthorn Lake: Murder on the Mountain Page 13