Day of the Sasquatch

by Eric S. Brown

  Weapons hung all over the building’s walls. There was everything from AK-47s and Uzis to even an M82A1 .50 caliber sniper rifle. There was also an entire crate of C4 sitting next to an open box labeled WP grenades. But as all that was, it was the massive gun that sat in the center of the building that had grabbed Simon’s attention.

  “Is that a…?” Simon started to ask.

  “It sure is,” Jenkins said, his voice filled with pride. “It’s an M2 Browning machine gun. She fires .50 caliber. I got two boxes of rounds for her, some replacement quick-change barrels, and a truck all rigged up out back to mount her in.”

  Jerry made a mental note to have a serious talk with Jenkins about where all this had come from if they lived through the mess they were in.

  “We’ll take her,” Simon said, nearly drooling as he spoke, “and the truck.”

  “And this.” Jerry took the Barrett M82 from where it hung. “And a few of the AKs too.”

  “Whew.” Jenkins lit up a cigarette and took a drag from it. “You folks sure are asking a lot. What ya got to offer?”

  “Whatever you want,” Simon blurted without even thinking about haggling.

  “Within reason,” Jerry added quickly.

  “I reckon we can start with y’all promising to forget any of this stuff in here exists when your business with those Sasquatch is over,” Jenkins ventured.

  “Done,” Jerry promised, though he bit his lip as he did it.

  “And given the situation, I’m thinking, say, two hundred thousand?” Jenkins said, grinning.

  “Two hundred thousand dollars?” Simon repeated the words in utter disbelief.

  “Beggars can’t be choosers,” Jenkins said. “We can work out a payment plan later…and I want a favor too. Not sure what or when, but you’ll owe me one if I let you take those weapons out of here.”

  “I don’t have anything close to that kind of cash,” Jerry said honestly.

  “You do if you sell your house, Sheriff,” Jenkins cackled. “That’d make a dang good dent in what you’d owe me at any rate.”

  Jerry stood there thinking it all over, but Jenkins wasn’t having it. He wanted an answer now.

  “Take it or leave, Sheriff,” Jenkins urged, “that’s my offer. We both know them Sasquatch out there are going to tear your arms and legs off ya and use them as toothpicks if you go after them with those pea-shooters you’re carrying.”

  “It’s a deal as long as you help us get that Browning mounted in the truck that comes with it,” Jerry finally agreed.

  “Done.” Jenkins smiled and stepped forward to offer Jerry his hand. The two of them shook on it and the deal was closed.

  ****

  The three of them got the Browning situated in the back of the truck that sat out behind Jenkins’ house. Jenkins waved at them as Jerry cranked it up with Simon and the passenger seat and drove it around the house and down the drive to where the others were waiting.

  As soon as Jerry brought the truck to a stop, Simon was out of his seat and climbing into the truck’s bed to get his hands on the Browning.

  “This will kick some Sasquatch tail!” he promised.

  “Sheriff?” Roger asked, staring at the machine gun.

  “We got what we came for,” Jerry told him, handing him a bag full of weapons and the magazines that went with them. “Pick one for yourself and pass the rest out to the kids. Make sure you take a second and show them how to use them safely.”

  Roger took an AK-47 for himself and gave one to Robert and Sarah. Carolina refused to take one.

  “I want the automatic shotgun your buddy that’s riding up there with the machine gun had,” she argued.

  “Give it to her,” Simon ordered from the truck’s rear. “I don’t need it anymore. It’s in Jerry’s car.”

  Roger got the weapon and placed in Carolina’s eager hands. He handed her two extra magazines for it as well. “You sure you can handle this thing?” Roger asked.

  Carolina was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Oh, I can handle it all right,” she promised him and readied the shotgun for action.

  “What now?” Roger asked Jerry.

  “Now we head back into town and clean the place up,” Jerry answered. “The day of the Sasquatch is about to come to a blood-drenched end.”

  “Day of the Sasquatch,” Simon mocked him. “Did you just make that up? Sounds like the name of a bad B-budget horror film.”

  “Shut up!” Robert shouted up at Simon. “The man was just trying to make a point. We all know you couldn’t have done any better.”

  “Ouch, kid,” Simon said, feigning being hurt. “Your words sting me.”

  “Cut the crap, people,” Jerry barked. “Every second we waste here is another that someone still alive back in town might not have.”

  “So do we have a plan beyond just driving around town and shooting things?” Roger asked.

  “That we do.” Simon almost giggled. “I liberated some extra bang for our buck.”

  Roger walked to the rear of the truck as Simon handed down a box to him.

  “Holy frag! Is this C4?” Roger stared up at him.

  “You know it,” Simon said, smiling.

  “The plan is simple,” Jerry told them all. “Roger, you and the kids are going to take that and loaded up the old school out on 209 with it. We’ll draw the Sasquatch to you and when the bulk of those things are in the building… Boom.”

  “No!” Carolina spoke up. “Those things killed my brother and our dogs, Sheriff. I’m coming with you.”

  “No, you’re not,” Jerry said. “That’s not open for debate.”

  “You can’t order me around. I’m not one of your deputies and the law went out the window the moment those Sasquatch hit the streets of Canton. I’m coming with you,” Carolina snarled at him.

  “She can handle herself,” Robert said.

  “She really can, Sheriff,” Roger added.

  Jerry didn’t have time to waste arguing the point and he knew the girl was right. In her place, he would want Sasquatch blood too. Heck, he did himself for what those things had done to his town. At last, he nodded. “Okay. Upfront with me then.”

  Carolina got into the truck with Jerry. She held her automatic shotgun in a white-knuckled grip that looked to be more from anger than fear.

  “Roger…” Jerry said. “Get that school ready. We only have one shot at this.”

  “You can count on me, sir,” Roger promised.

  Roger, Robert, and Sarah set out in the deputy’s patrol car for the school as Jerry, Simon, and Carolina went their own way towards the heart of Canton.

  ****

  The sheriff along with his motley crew of deputies and kids had been gone about fifteen minutes. Jenkins had locked up his personal armory and was letting his dogs loose to get some exercise when the beasts came. He was a third-generation bear hunter and kept over a dozen dogs behind his house. Nine of them were free from their collars when they caught wind of the beast that came lumbering out of the trees. Jenkins saw it too. He was packing a .44 Magnum in a holster on his hip but had left his rifle on the house’s back porch. The dogs were barking, driven into a crazed frenzy by the beast. They charged the beast, teeth snapping at its hair-covered body. Jenkins didn’t dare open up on the creature because of the dogs. They were in his line of fire. All he could do was try to call them away as his hand slipped the pistol from its holster. One dog laid into the Sasquatch’s leg, its teeth sinking deep in its flesh. Another leaped directly at the Sasquatch’s chest to be batted away. The dog died instantly from the force of the blow that struck it. Its corpse went flying to bounce through the backyard, its ribs shattered. The Sasquatch stomped another dog. The thing’s huge foot came down on the dog, crushing it. The dog’s entrails burst outward from its mouth as its body was flattened. Another dog got a hold of the Sasquatch’s arm with its teeth. The creature slung the dog away from it, breaking the dog’s neck in the process. Jenkins was fighting back tears as he watched his dogs d
ying one by one. He couldn’t take it anymore. He ran forward, charging the monster.

  “Over here, you mother!” Jenkins yelled at the Sasquatch. “I’m the one you came for!”

  The Sasquatch grabbed up a dog that was barking around its feet and ripped the dog in half in front of it. The dog’s blood splashed over its hair, spattering it with red. Some of the dogs had lost their will to fight seeing some many of their kin die and were running away from the Sasquatch as it rushed forward to meet Jenkins.

  Jenkins’ .44 boomed. His first shot slammed into the elbow of the Sasquatch’s left arm, nearly severing the beast’s arm at the joint there. The Sasquatch shrieked in pain as Jenkins fired again. The bullet punched into the creature’s wide chest, breaking ribs and sending the Sasquatch reeling backward. Jenkins was within mere feet of the monster as he came to a stop and aimed the barrel of his .44 Magnum at its head. He squeezed the trigger and the Sasquatch’s head exploded in a shower of gore.

  “That will teach you, you mother…” Jenkins was yelling until he saw the other Sasquatch that had emerged from the trees during his fight with the first one. His mouth closed as his eyes bugged. There were four of them and he only had three rounds left in his .44. All the dogs were either dead or had run away. Jenkins knew as close as the beasts were to him that he would never reach the back porch of his house and the rifle he had left there in time. Resolving to take as many of the Sasquatch with him as he could, Jenkins stood his ground. He shifted his grip on his .44 into a two-handed grip, taking aim at the closest of the Sasquatch. The beasts were snarling and growling as they walked calmly towards him. It was as if they knew he couldn’t take them all with the weapon he had.

  Jenkins shot a Sasquatch, the bullet he fired plunging into its forehead. The rear of its skull burst outward in a spray of blood and bits of bone as the bullet exited it. The Sasquatch toppled over, dead. Jenkins whipped his gun around to target another of the beasts. He fired again. This time, the Sasquatch was ready. It tried to block the incoming bullet, jerking up its arm to protect its head. The high-powered round punctured its forearm, mangling it. The Sasquatch wailed, shaking its now-crippled arm about in the air. Jenkins was down to his last round as the other two beasts reached him. He never had the chance to fire it. One creature grabbed him by his arms, yanking them from his body. Jenkins screamed as his armless body staggered away from the monster, spraying blood from the stumps where his arms had been attached. The other Sasquatch lunged to take hold of him around his waist. It lifted him from the ground, clutching him to itself in a bear hug. Jenkins’ ribcage collapsed, crushed against the monster. His body thrashed about in the hold the creature had on him as he vomited blood and crapped his pants. Then his body fell limp and the Sasquatch released it. Jenkins’ corpse flopped into the grass in front of the Sasquatch, but it wasn’t done with him yet. The Sasquatch let loose in a primal fit of rage as it brought one of its feet down onto Jenkins over and over until his body was little more than a smear of red that stained the grass of his house’s backyard.

  ****

  Jerry had brought the truck just outside of Canton. His heart was pounding against his ribs and sweat dripped from his hair. His palms were clammy and damp as he clutched the steering wheel. This was it. It was time to take the battle to the Sasquatch. Once it started, there would be no going back. Retreat wouldn’t be an option. He glanced over at Carolina in the truck’s passenger seat. The girl was tough as nails. Jerry was impressed by how she was keeping herself together and how she was double-checking that her automatic shotgun was ready for action.

  A loud cha-chak noise came from the truck’s rear as Simon readied the M2 Browning he stood behind. The heavy machine was mounted in the truck’s bed so that it could be swiveled around, giving it as wide a field of fire as possible. The belt-fed weapon had a high rate of fire, and the .50 caliber rounds it would be pouring out would be more than enough to tear up any of the creatures they hit. Simon had the weapon’s second belt of ammo ready to be loaded up as soon as the first was exhausted. The deputy looked eager to get things rolling. It was payback time and Simon knew it.

  The truck was also equipped with a large speaker unit. Jerry had no idea why. Maybe Jenkins was a music fan but regardless of the reason, the speaker system was going to be useful. Carolina had suggested blasting some tunes through it to help draw the Sasquatch to them. The things usually attacked anything that moved and the music would only help to egg them on. Carolina had hooked up her iPhone to the speaker and selected a playlist from the music she had downloaded to her phone’s memory. Jerry nodded at her, letting Carolina know that it was time to fire up the music. She hit a key on her phone’s screen and Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People blared to life through the speaker as Jerry stepped on the gas. The jeep shot forward like a directed missile aimed at the heart of Canton.

  The Sasquatch came from the trees in droves, chasing after the fast-moving truck. Jerry couldn’t hear crap, but he stole a glance over his shoulder and saw that Simon was laughing like a madman. Then the deputy opened up with the Browning. The heavy machine chattered as Simon swept it in an arc at the Sasquatch running along the road behind the truck. The closest of the Sasquatch were shredded as the .50 caliber rounds ripped through them. Some of the beasts lost limbs, others died as their upper bodies were pulped, and still others had their legs literally cut out from under them.

  Jerry managed to keep the truck on the road, swerving around bends in the road at breakneck speed with its tires squealing. More and more of the Sasquatch joined those chasing the truck. For every one that the Browning sent to hell another seemed to take its place. Jerry made a turn that took the truck streaking up along Canton’s main street. Beasts burst out of alleyways and stores where they had been lurking to charge at the truck. Finally, the Browning clicked empty as Pumped Up Kicks became Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden. Simon was struggling to get the Browning’s other belt loaded into it. The beasts came at the truck, pushing themselves harder while the heavy weapon remained silent. A Sasquatch leaped into the truck’s path. Jerry managed to avoid hitting the creature by jerking the wheel hard to the right. The truck’s tires on that side ran up onto the sidewalk, jostling them all about. The tires came back down onto the road as Carolina leaned around in her seat to let loose with her automatic shotgun at a Sasquatch that was getting too close for comfort to the speeding truck. The sheer power of five fully automatic shotgun rounds blew the Sasquatch from its feet, leaving a gaping, ragged mess of ground-up meat where its chest had been. Carolina ejected her spent magazine and threw it into the road. She slammed a fresh one into her weapon as the Browning roared to life again. Simon had managed to get it going again. The Sasquatch fell back, giving the truck some distance as it tore into their ranks again, but they didn’t give up the chase entirely. Jerry thanked God for that. Their whole plan hinged on the monsters following them.

  Jerry knew the Browning’s second belt of ammo would only last for so long. He rammed the gas pedal as hard as he could to the floor and cut down Benton Street towards the old school where he hoped the rest of his crew were ready and waiting for them to arrive.

  ****

  The sounds of Robert’s footfalls echoed through the corridor of the old school as he came running up to Roger. The deputy had just finished setting his last block of C4.

  “I’m good to go,” Robert told him.

  Roger nodded, getting to his feet. “Me too. Have you seen Sarah?”

  Robert shook his head. “Not since we split up to wire the school.”

  The school was an out-of-the-way place in Canton. It had been abandoned for close to two years and from what Roger understood, the county board was having trouble selling the building and didn’t have the money to just repair it so that the school could be reopened. Canton was too small of a town to need another school anyway. So the building had been just been left to rot all that time since apparently the board either didn’t have the cash or want to just demo the place. It was
sure going to be demo’d now though. The plan was for Jerry and the others to pull up in its front parking lot and make a run through the building out its back where Roger’s patrol car was waiting with the engine running. They would all leap inside it and ride off like old west cowboys into the sunset with the school blowing sky high behind them. The cinematography of the scene would have been beautiful if it was part of a movie, Roger told himself. It would have been the perfect ending to a night and day straight out of hell with the heroes escaping victoriously after vanquishing their foes.

  “Sarah took the building’s north side so let’s head that way. Maybe we’ll meet up with her on her way back,” Roger said.

  The deputy unslung the AK-47 he carried strapped over his shoulder and Robert followed his example. The school was completely clear of any sign of the Sasquatch when they had arrived, but both of them knew how quickly that could change. The beasts were everywhere in town. One of them could wander into the old school in search of prey at any moment. The sound of the patrol car’s running engine out back might be enough to draw one or more of the beasts to them, but Roger had counted the hell Jerry and the rest of the crew were stirring up to keep the beasts’ attention focused elsewhere.

  “Sarah!” Robert shouted as they started along the corridor heading for the north side of the school.

  The only answer they heard was the echoing of Robert’s voice as it rebounded down the empty corridors back to them. Roger was getting worried about the girl. Unlike Carolina who could kick butt with the best of them, Sarah wasn’t much of a fighter. She was carrying an AK-47 just like they were, but Roger had his doubts about how well the girl would be able to use it if trouble found her.

  “She’s not answering,” Robert told him, stating the obvious.

  Something that clearly wasn’t Sarah grunted from around the bend in the corridor they two of them were headed towards. Roger reached out an arm to stop Robert, bringing them both to a halt where they stood.