Killer Koala Bears from Another Dimension

by P. A. Douglas

  On the other side of the firing line things looked much different. A torrent of arrows and strange glowing rocks rained down around them. The trick was to keep those crazy bears far enough out that their aerial attacks couldn’t reach the safe zone. So far, for the most part, the surge of fire power had managed to do that. But that was about all it was doing. For every single bear that fell, two more seemed to take its place. The street was full of those things.

  When the young officer beside him finally got the clip reloaded, and leaned up to start firing again, Captain Grimes glanced over the patrol car and pulled the trigger.

  Fuckin’ death trap, he thought, leaning back down behind the cruiser.

  From the looks of it, the street just beyond the recreation center parking lot was overrun with those creatures. He wasn’t good with numbers, but just from a quick glance, he had to guess there were at least five of them for every one behind the barricade. Something had to give, and soon.

  “Where the hell are they all comin’ from?” A large man named Taiter with a graying big beard grumbled. He lifted his hunting rifle, peering into the scope and he pulled the trigger.

  Grimes followed the gun’s line of sight and watched the large man’s deadly accuracy. The bear took the bullet right between the eyes. Blood spurted at the center of his head, the back gushed an explosive spread of brain and grey matter.

  “No idea… Taiter.” Captain Grimes said, squeezing off two shots before ducking down. He and Taiter, along with several of the other men in the line had gone hunting together countless times. As much as having a familiar face at his side, this was somehow much different than shooting at deer and hogs. “What the hell you think’s goin’ on?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, old man,” Taiter said, dispensing the shell from his rifle and reloading. He shook his head, his big graying bear rattling his chin. “I don’t know much, but looks like they’re comin’ from those lights at the far end.”

  Grimes stole a glance at where Taiter pointed. Sure enough, there were a few strange beams of light and those bears were climbing in and out of it like it was some kind of doorway.

  “I don’t—” Taiter started to say.

  The young officer on Grimes’ other side shrieked. When Grimes and Taiter looked, it was too late for the young officer. One of the bears had gotten close enough, throwing an arrow right over the barricade. The young officer fell limp to the ground beside the duffle bag of ammunition, the small spear sticking out of his left eye. Blood ran down his cheek.

  “Shit…” Grimes breathed.

  “I’m totally out,” another officer said, crawling up beside Grimes and Taiter. “Oh well… they got Pete.”

  “Yeah…” Grimes grimaced, looking down at the arrow sticking out of the young officer’s face. “Here… take this.” He reached down, taking Pete’s gun and handing it to him.

  “Thanks,” the officer said, taking the 9mm.

  Grimes nodded, shoving the officer to move down the line and keep firing.

  He acknowledged and moved on.

  Grimes and Taiter watched the officer move three cars down before stopping, taking aim, and unloading the 9mm on those things.

  Taiter raised the rifle again, took aim with the scope and pulled the trigger. The report didn’t even seem that loud. With all the other guns going off around Grimes, it was drowned out by all the others. His ears rang and although he didn’t see the animal take the bullet, Grimes knew Taiter had hit his target. The smile plastered on his face suggested yet again another precise hit. He smiled back at the big man, then aimed and fired off a few rounds himself. The pistol stung in his hand with each pull of the trigger. His bones were getting too old for this. Each time he pulled the trigger, pain ran down his arms to his arthritic elbows and up his shoulders to his boney back. He gritted his teeth against the pain with every shot, just happy to know that there was one less of those things left to face.

  Suddenly, the hail of spears and rocks stopped.

  The bears shouted with excitement all in one accord.

  When Grimes looked over at Taiter, what he saw was something he never expected. Taiter was a big strong man. Never afraid of anything. The time they had all been out hunting and he had nearly severed one of his fingers. Not a single tear. The only time Grimes had ever seen the large man even crack, just a little, was the day Taiter’s baby girl had been born. But even then, his expression was cold stoned, unless you knew Taiter and knew what you were looking for. When Grimes stared up at him now, fear clung to the old police officer’s gut like wet noodles to a wall. Taiter’s face was gripped with terror as he looked out at what was happening with those animals in the street. Whatever it was, those creatures were getting excited.

  “I don’t want to look, do I?” Grimes cringed.

  Taiter didn’t even reply, his gazed locked on whatever was going on out beyond the parking lot.

  The chills that ran up Grimes’ spine forced him to look. It was then that he realized the entire firing line had stopped shooting. Everyone was transfixed by the unrealism and horror.

  “Oh… God…” Grimes gasped, using his thumb to rub an imaginary crucifix across his forehead, down his chest, and along his shoulders.

  The crazy bears chanted with arms raised in the air. And by all means they had damn good reason to be excited. Initially, some of the portals behind the mob of attackers had been blocked from Grimes’ and the other’s view. With the bears’ numbers growing, what was going on behind them had been hard to see, but now that was another thing entirely. Somehow or another, those things had managed to make one of the blue pulsing portals of light grow and it was growing even now. Before, the portals had only been just big enough for the humanoid bears to climb in and out. Now the one right behind the mob of excited creatures was nearly six times the size and getting larger. The pulsing blue hues of white and baby blue stretched out across the orange sky.

  Then… then it happened.

  Something unimaginable started climbing through. From the looks of it, it was having a bit of trouble; the portal too small.

  “What… the hell is… that?” Taiter breathed.

  “I don’t think I want to know,” Captain Grimes said, checking the clip in his 9mm.

  The massive creature was nearly half way through the beam of light, its long snout and big ears just breaking through into their world.

  “Is that a fuckin’ elephant?” Someone shouted several cars down the left side of the barricade.

  That is exactly what it was. It was an elephant. Only it wasn’t just any normal elephant. The animal looked three times the size of any that Grimes’ had seen on television or at the zoo. Maybe it was the fact that it was walking on its back two legs like a human. Just like the upright bears, the elephant was wearing primitive clothing. One thing that Grimes noticed was the thick rope tied around its ankles, arms and neck. As the creature stepped through the portal, he could see that the rope was still attached to something on the other side. Like a mammoth beast, it had monstrously large tusks. The massive creature fully penetrated the portal, stepping into the street. Its long gray leathery trunk reared back, its mouth open. A large guttural roar bellowed out across the parking lot like a triumphant trumpet. This excited the humanoid bears even more. They shouted with excitement and raised their weapons. Then Grimes realized why the rope was there. This elephant was a captive beast. The bears were controlling it. Three more humanoid bears riding on the backs of large red kangaroos penetrated the portal, stepping into the street behind the elephant. Each bear riding a kangaroo held the back end of the rope, keeping the elephant confined to his restraints.

  “This is not happening,” Taiter gasped, locking eyes with Grimes.

  “I’ve been saying that since I got out of bed,” Grimes said, slamming the clip back into place. The satisfying click assured it drove home. “Unleash hell on these bastards! Fire at will!”

  Captain Grimes was the first to fire off a shot. That was all it took. The
entire barrier of cars unloaded all at once with a hail of torrential fire power. Grimes’ ears rang, but he ignored it just like he ignored the arthritis.

  One of the bears riding the kangaroo took a shot in the face. Grimes knowing it hadn’t been him that made the shot, watched the creature fall off his mount, blood exploding from his nose. As much as that was exciting to see, the elephant flailed. Only having two bears holding him back rather than three, the large mammoth beast tore free from its restraints and charged. Its loud guttural roar resonated like a brutal war siren. The first few charging steps it took had been on just its back legs. Once it was off the street and in the parking lot headed for the barrier of cars it dropped to all fours picking up speed.

  The elephant collided with the patrol car Grimes had been huddled behind. Having seen it coming, Grimes jumped from his perch in Taiter’s direction. Had the explosive collision not been so loud, as the elephant’s tusks tore into the cruiser sending it back several feet, Grimes might have heard his bones protest against the fall as he fell in Taiter’s lap.

  Screams echoed out, followed by the sound of smashing steel. When Grimes looked up, the elephant was stomping the cars down the line. It charged forward with its sharp tusks impaling the officer that Grimes had given the gun to only moments before. He took the hit dead center of the chest. The mammoth creature reared back, the young officer still stuck to the creature’s left tusk, the massive bone protruding out the officer’s backside.

  The torrent of arrows started to fall again, this time much closer than they had been before. The bears were advancing. Spears started colliding with the cars and getting closer.

  “What do we do?” Taiter asked, trying frantically to reload his long-rifle.

  When Grimes looked up to lock eyes with his friend and fellow hunting mate, he was startled by a loud thud just above his head.

  A massive red kangaroo pounced on the hood of Taiter’s truck, hissing at Grimes. The bear riding its back growled something almost human. Grimes didn’t even see the spear leave the creature’s hand. One thing was certain. He sure as hell felt it. The sharp stabbing pain surged through his chest and back as he fell to the cement. He reached up feeling the wooden handle protruding from his chest. That was when he heard the screams and torment all around him. It was coming from both sides of the firing line. The blood ran warm and free. He coughed crimson, looking up at his attacker. The last thing the Captain saw before he died was two koala bears attacking Taiter. One yanked at the long graying beard, stabbing the large man repeatedly in the abdomen. The other sliced his throat, and from what Grimes could tell, the bear was smiling when it happened.

  15

  “Talk about B-freakin’ movie!”

  “What?” Frank whispered, peering around the building’s edge at the madness happening in the Recreation Center parking lot.

  “Yeah, attack of the Outback. You never saw that one?” Tim said, leaning over Frank’s shoulder to get a better look.

  “No…”

  Having neared the Recreation Center by only a block and a half, Joana urged Frank to stop the car in the middle of the street while they were still out of view of the parking lot. She even made him turn the Jimmy’s engine off; swearing up and down that she could hear something. Reluctant, Frank was ready to get there, greet Kathie with open arms and go, but he did as she asked and found himself thankful that he had complied. They all were. The noise was faint, but there nonetheless.

  Screams.

  Guns firing occasionally.

  The noise seemed to ricochet off the buildings around them as they sat in the middle of the street a little over one block over.

  They didn’t sit there long. When Frank started the Jimmy again and put it into drive, Joana reached up, grabbing his shoulder. He flinched, the joint still sore from his spear wound.

  “Ouch! Be careful. I’ve got an injury”

  “Sorry. I didn’t know. We shouldn’t just head into the middle of something. What if there are a lot of those things?” Joana said.

  “Good idea,” Tim agreed.

  Frank shrugged.

  The three left the Jimmy and slowly jogged to the cover of some trees on the side of the street. Frank had the shotgun. In truth, he had no idea how many bullets were left in it—if any. Tim and Joana still sported the bloodied machetes on their hips. Tim’s showed a hint of white paint peeking out from under the sheath. They walked the entire block in silence. Had there been any shadows to stay under to conceal them as they hugged the buildings they would have used them. There were no shadows anywhere. The strange orange hue of light that sealed the city in an impenetrable dome of energy pushed the darkness back. All of it. Before the Recreation Center reached their view, many other unspeakable things did. Mangled bodies and unrecognizable body parts lined the streets. There were a pile of at least three blood soaked bodies smeared across the sidewalk. Frank led them across the street to avoid getting close to the stench that permeated the air. Flies already had taken claim to the meaty loose morsels left behind by the killer bears. Crossing the street to avoid it hadn’t helped and they in fact walked right up on a severed head. It was upright on the sidewalk, eyes openly staring directly at them. Frank nearly stepped on it before jumping back just before his foot came in contact. The strange thing was that although the skull was crushed, pink meat and pus seeping from the opening, the man’s glasses were still on his face, only the left lens cracked slightly. But that wasn’t even the most eerie thing they saw. They passed a pulsing blue portal. It was shaped like an eyeball, yet vertical. What was scary about it were the markings on the street. There were blood and dirt streaks like what you would see if you dragged a body through a pile of mud covered razorblades. The streaks were going to the portal of light and ended right under it. Whatever, or whoever, had been dragged right there was pulled to the other side. Dead or alive, none of them wanted to think about it. They all looked in silence and just kept on walking, not once making eye contact during the whole thing.

  Joana protested the entire idea, just wanting to go back to the truck. Frank urged them on, insisting that Kathie needed him. That was when they reached the edge of the building they were at now, peering out from its corner at the Recreation Center parking lot.

  It was a blood bath from the pits of hell and back—times three.

  “Well, you’re seein’ it now, dude!” Tim insisted, replying to Frank’s having not seen the movie.

  “How the hell are we going to get in there?”

  “Easy. We ain’t. And that’s that.” Tim nodded. “And if you got a problem with it, then feel free to step up and stroll on over there by yourself. Cause I sure as shit ain’t headin’ out there. What do you take me for? A moron?”

  “Look. You started this. You’re stepping out there and helping me go find her.”

  “Bullshit. You want to go out there and commit suicide, be my guest. But I ain’t going. No way… no how.”

  Frank fell silent while they all looked on.

  There had to be more than a dozen different cars lined up in a row in the parking lot. The entire place was a mess. There were bodies everywhere scattered across the parking lot and flung all over the tops of the line of cars. There were even guns scattered about. Everything was red. It covered the place like a thick blanket your grandmother might have sewn for you when her hands weren’t quite so cramped. More than fifty upright-walking killer koala bears were either standing together in the parking lot or just looking around. Others scavenged the area, picking at the loose bones and bodies scattered everywhere. Then Joana gasped, pointing. She didn’t even have to say it, because they had all seen it at the same time. There were three other creatures walking around among them as tall as a two story house. Mammoth elephants. That’s what they had to be. Their ears were spread wide, the long tusks and narrow trunks unmistakable. Just like the Arktos creatures, the elephants wore clothing and walked upright. One of the large leathery beasts even had what looked like a body still hanging from
one of its tusks. The police uniform was a dead giveaway as the body lay limp still attached the large protruding bone. As the mammoth beast walked about scavenging the area of mangled remains, the dangling uniformed corpse pivoted and swayed with the elephant’s steps.

  Gun shots rang out far off in the distance to the right of the Recreation Center parking lot. Frank and his two Gothic friends followed the sudden cacophony of firepower. They were surprised to see a band of survivors rounding the side of the building toward the back. Several Arktos’ gave chase following with spears and glowing rocks in hand.

  “Oh no…” Joana gasped.

  “Nothing we can do about it,” Tim said, looking away.

  “As long as they keep going, they have a chance,” Frank said, looking on. “From what I could see there were at least four of them. And only three of those bears were after them. Since they were well armed, they got a fighting chance.”

  “Yeah, as long as none of the other ones decides to catch them off guard around the other side of the building,” Tim laughed.

  “But…” Joana shoved him, disgusted.

  “What?” He shrugged, still smiling.

  “Nothing…” she grimaced. “Can we just get going now? I don’t like this. Being out here like this. This far away from the car. What if we get spotted or something? We need to turn back. There’s just way too many over there to handle.” She looked up, pointing toward the parking lot massacre. “And those elephant things… I don’t even want to think what would happen if one of those things—”