Onio

by Jeppsen, Linell

  The next day when the search and rescue team found him and took him to the hospital, he did not speak a word about what he saw and who took his beloved sister. Later that week, when his father took a belt to his backside to beat the truth out of him, Terry refused to speak.

  Even now, almost fifty years later, Terrance O’Dell never spoke about what that monster, that sasquatch, did to his sister, but he remembered…and he swore revenge.

  Chapter 24

  Andy Spiles checked his rear view mirror for the fifteenth time in the last thirty minutes. It was pitch black outside but he was well aware that Hughies and Apache gunners operated best at night, under cover of darkness. He reached down and adjusted the heat lever on the Lincoln’s dashboard. His passenger put out so much ambient heat that, although the temperature was probably close to twenty degrees outside, the car’s interior was almost muggy with warmth.

  Blue stirred in the backseat. “Are the black birds coming again, Ann?” he murmured.

  Andy shook his head and answered, “No, I don’t think so. Keep on listening though, okay? If you hear the vibration, let me know.”

  “‘Kay,” Blue responded and hunkered down in the seat again.

  Thank God for that huge backseat, Andy thought. He shook his head. Although his beautiful, new 2011 Toyota Tundra was a marvel of technology and not too much of a gas-guzzler, he knew there was no way he and Blue would have fit inside it comfortably. Already they had driven from Fort Bliss, north on highway 54 and due east for a while on Interstate 40, before heading northeast again on I-25.

  They were approaching the southern base of the Rockies now, safe and sound, because of his mother’s old Lincoln Continental. When Sandra Spiles passed away nine years ago, she had left her pride and joy to her only child, Andrew. It was a 1994 Lincoln Town Car, as red as a cherry. It ran cherry, too, thanks to Andy.

  When Andy and the sasquatch walked past the firefighters and soldiers, the water hoses and ambulances during their escape from base, the lieutenant held his breath. He just knew that any minute, he and Blue would be taken into custody, or shot by one of O’Dell’s team members. Instead, they simply walked to his pickup truck, opened the doors and drove away.

  He almost told Blue to hide in the bed of the truck, but worried about the detection devices embedded within the machinery at the checkpoints. It would not seem strange for the interior of the cab to glow with heat signature on such a cold day. In truth, although the MPs were usually ultra-alert, especially on this part of the base, the fire engines, ambulances and emergency personnel distracted them so much Andrew was able to drive through with less than normal scrutiny.

  He drove three miles to his duplex, grabbed his overnight kit, a picture of his mom and dad, what little cash he had stashed away, and his service weapons before going out to the carport to start the Lincoln.

  He heart pounded fretfully for an anxious moment. He knew that the car needed a new starter, but it fired up instantly, purring throatily while he loaded his gear into the trunk. Opening the back door of the truck, he said, “Come on, Blue. You need to get in the backseat of my other car.”

  Blue emerged from the Toyota, groaning, “Is it small, Ann?” the sasq asked, then grinned when he spied the Lincoln idling a few feet away. “Ah, I can fit in there, I think.” He paused and said, “Ann, I need to relieve myself before we leave.”

  Andy nodded and said, “Okay, but hurry, please.” He started to open the door to the house but the sasq waved him away. “No, I don’t want to go in there.”

  With those words, his body shimmered again, like a desert mirage, becoming almost translucent as he stepped out into the side yard. After what seemed like hours but was probably less than a minute, Blue reappeared and climbed into the back seat. Without further ado, Andrew backed out of the carport, onto the street and took off. There was one more checkpoint to pass through but, luckily, the MPs had not yet been alerted to watch for Lieutenant Spiles or the escaped prisoner.

  Andy pulled into an all-night gas station on the outskirts of El Paso. He filled the gas tank, putting a significant dent in his ready cash, and ran inside for coffee, water and snacks. Once outside again and heading north, the argument started.

  “Where are the rest of my people?” the sasquatch asked.

  Glancing in the rearview mirror, Andy saw the worry and fear in Blue’s eyes. He understood, suddenly, that this sasq was different from the others. In the never-ending nightmare of O’Dell’s lab, Andy had not noticed the difference until now. Not only was Blue smaller than the other sasquatches, his facial features were finer than theirs were. The other sasqs were hairier as well. The lieutenant wondered if his traveling companion had human blood running through his veins.

  The sasq’s eyes studied Andy’s reflection with suspicion and anxiety. “Ann,” he repeated, “where are the others? We need to find them!”

  For a second, Andy considered lying. Blue seemed almost childishly gullible and it would be easy enough to convince the sasq that his people were safe. The trust in those eyes was hard to ignore though, and even harder to betray.

  Focusing on the road, he said, “They were probably taken to another facility, Blue, but we can’t go find them.” He glanced in the mirror and saw the frown that etched the sasq’s forehead. “I’m sorry, but we’ll just get ourselves killed if we try!”

  “It is not right!” Blue exclaimed. The sasq leaned forward, grasping the front seat with his hands, eyes wide with horror. For a moment, Andy thought the sasquatch was simply going to open the car door and fly out into the night.

  “Listen to me, Blue.” Andy made a conscious effort to interject as much calm into his voice as possible. In the short run, it was probably smart to get as much distance as possible between himself and the escaped prisoner. In the end though, he knew he could not live with himself if he let this creature go off half-cocked on some crazy scheme, just to get himself blown to bits by machine guns or laser-rifles.

  “For one thing,” he continued, “we have no idea where your friends were taken. The base we just left covers almost twelve hundred miles and extends into two states! They could be anywhere!” Andrew was on the verge of shouting. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “Also, by now, I’m sure the CO has people searching for us. What I did was against the law…Army law, at least. I’m AWOL and you…well, I think O’Dell just likes to kill your kind!”

  He was shouting again, with nerves and frustration. He looked at Blue, who sat in the backseat, glaring out the side window. “Do you understand me, Blue?”

  The sasq sat still for a moment, then nodding, he said, “I understand Ann, but that does not make it right. I will be considered a coward amongst my people. My mother and father will not understand why I left my companions behind.” A tear fell from the sasq’s eye and he wiped it away with a growl of shame.

  “Would they rather you were dead in some sort of crazy suicide mission? Because that’s exactly what will happen. I know you people are strong, but there’s no way you can stand up to cannon or laser fire!” Andy was yelling now. The tension of the last seven hours finally caught up with the young lieutenant; he pulled the Lincoln onto the shoulder of the road, under a copse of trees, with a screech of rubber.

  Turning around in the seat, he glared at his passenger. “If you really want to go back, be my guest, but I’m telling you, Blue, you’ll die in the attempt!”

  The sasquatch stared at the almost hysterical man who had risked everything to help him and realized that the small human was probably right. Usually, his sense of direction was keen, but they had come so far in the darkness he had no idea where his comrades were now or how he would go back to save them. In addition, he had seen the terrible weapons the soldiers carried…could he stand up to that kind of assault? He shook his head and his shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

  He looked at the kind and compassionate human in the driver’s seat and whispered, “I am sorry, Ann. I’m sure you are right.” He stiffened with al
arm and asked, “Do you feel that?”

  Andy frowned at Blue for a second. Then his eyes went wide and he shouted, “Get down!” The sasquatch pressed himself down into the seat. Andy did the same as two Army choppers flew low over the horizon. They were “Little Bird” stealth choppers. Searchlights mounted on their nose cones etched the road with white precision. They flew fast though, passing over the Lincoln without hesitation.

  Andy wiped beads of nervous sweat off his forehead with a trembling hand. “That was close,” he whispered.

  That was three hours ago and luckily, there were no additional fly-overs since. Now though, the sky was starting to glow with the sun’s eminent arrival. Watching the road carefully for a place to turn off and hide, Andy found a wide spot where he could park under some tall pinion pines. He turned off the engine and sat still, trying to fight off the road buzz and fatigue that threatened to overwhelm his senses.

  “Where are we, Ann?” Blue asked urgently.

  Andrew consulted his roadmap. “It looks like we are about twenty miles away from heading up Glorieta Pass,” he murmured. Turning back he added, “The foothills of the Rocky Mountains.”

  Blue nodded and replied, “I know the mountains, Ann. It is our home. We need to go there.” His voice held a hint of excitement. “Yes, we can go there now and hide very well!”

  Spiles stared out at the darkness that was starting to show the faint blush of dawn. They were still in the rolling hills but far ahead, in the distance, he could see the shadowy silhouette of the encroaching forest. Turning back to stare into Blue’s eyes he said, “It’s got to be at least twenty miles to the forest. We would have to run, find cover…if those choppers spot us, it’ll be all over, Blue.”

  The sasquatch nodded, “I will carry you close, Ann. I can make both of us invisible if you let me hold you tightly. It is only a short run to the nearest tunnel opening. If we go now we will make it there before the sun rises and the black birds find us!”

  Blue’s eyes were wide with excitement and relief. Spiles realized that the sasquatch actually did know where they were, and suddenly he felt as if the weight of the world had just been lifted off his skinny shoulders.

  “Okay Blue, we’ll do it your way, but first we have to hide this car so the chopper pilots don’t see it and give our location away. Can you help me do that?”

  Blue nodded. Cautiously, listening for the telltale chop of rotor blades, he opened the car door and got out. Andy followed suit and gathered his belongings out of the trunk, while the sasq tore low hanging branches off nearby trees. Then, the two refugees pushed the Lincoln close to a pile of boulders, covering it with branches.

  A few minutes later, the son of Two Horses and his human queen, Tanah, ran like the wind over the harsh and bitter terrain. He carried a duffle bag in front of his chest, a rifle in his right hand and a small human man on his back. It was difficult to maintain his camouflage while running, especially with the burden he bore, but he gritted his teeth and grinned.

  It was good to be free and he knew that soon he would be reunited with his tribe. Then, with his father’s help, he WOULD go back and rescue his tribe-mates!

  Chapter 25

  Seven hours later, a bright ruby flash twinkled in the corner of a chopper pilot’s eye as he flew reconnaissance over I-25. Alerting his fellow pilots to his whereabouts, he set his bird down in a clearing. He could see the grill of the Lincoln clearly from where he sat.

  The Army pilots had received Intel on Lieutenant Spiles’s second car a few hours earlier and had scoured the countryside since. Now, here it was, covered with branches, at the southern foot of the Rocky Mountains. Within minutes of touch down, two more choppers flew in low over the horizon. One of those choppers carried two tracking dogs, a beagle and a German shepherd. Within seconds of touching down, the dogs found the scent and took off north. The beagle howled with excitement while the shepherd growled low in his throat, nose down and tail held stiff.

  Three helicopters hovered over the dog handlers. The soldiers inside watched as the dogs sniffed the ground, landing when the handlers waved the all go. Then the Delta team, in their field desert camouflage, followed the dogs. Some of the soldiers also growled low in their throats as the dogs sped faster and faster up the rocky crags of the mountains base toward their quarry.

  Within a few miles, they came to the entrance of a cave. Proceeding cautiously, ever alert for an ambush, the soldiers probed the cave’s interior with their flashlights. Spotting nothing overtly threatening, the dogs were set loose. Immediately, they rushed toward the back of the cave. A massive pile of rocks rose into the air from what was plainly a recent cave-in. The dogs whined and yelped in frustration, lunging ineffectually at the fallen boulders.

  Stepping outside, the platoon commander called into headquarters for further instructions. A series of clicks and extended silences echoed through his earpiece as the call transferred to a more secure line. Then, his CO answered. “This is Parks…what’s your status?”

  ***

  The major said, “They collapsed the tunnel, sir. How do you want us to proceed?”

  “Hold for a minute, Major.” Captain Parks stared into space for a moment, thinking hard. He could call the corps of engineers in, but that might compromise the team’s security. One thing the CO insisted on was maintaining the secrecy of this mission. The more branches of military brought in, the less chance they had of keeping things on the down low.

  Parks truly felt that the missing sasquatch was probably heading back to its lair. It wasn’t as if it was going to go running to the press corps with a story to tell. It would be months yet before the new facility was ready for more test subjects, and already the remaining sasquatches were proving a strain to what little resources O’Dell’s unit had left. As far as Park’s was concerned, let the beast go…for now.

  As to Spiles, Parks was not excited about chasing him down like a coyote in its den. He had met the man once. The bony little psychologist with the big nose, brown eyes and light brown hair that stood up in cowlicks was a kind man who had helped Parks in the past with some of his own issues, after two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  Orders were orders though; if Parks had the man in his sights and was ordered to pull the trigger, he would do it. Putting his men in harm’s way by ordering them to clear out a landslide in an unstable environment, though, was irresponsible and, for now, taking an unnecessary risk.

  Opening the comm line, Parks said, “Abort the mission, major…repeat, abort the mission now.”

  “Affirmative, Captain,” the major replied and ended the transmission.

  Parks rubbed the stubble on his ebony skin and wondered how much shit he just landed himself in. On one hand, the CO insisted on secrecy; on the other hand, he seemed more than willing to compromise the mission’s high security protocol in order to capture one lonely sasquatch and an AWOL psychologist. Oh well, he thought with a mental shrug, it’s not like he’s going to bring me up on charges for seeing to the welfare of my troops.

  Hanging up the sat phone, Parks contemplated his next phone call to Lieutenant Colonel O’Dell.

  ***

  Thirty-two miles northwest of where Parks’ commandos gathered in a sealed and dusty cave, Andy Spiles and Blue Sky walked through a series of tunnels. With the help of a little judicious gunfire, Andy and Blue were able to seal the tunnel behind them. Andy felt sure that those who followed would use sniffers, and neither he nor Blue wanted the soldiers to know exactly which way they went.

  Now, Andy needed to remind himself to close his mouth, which dropped open in amazement every few feet. Before his father, Steven Spiles, passed away at the age of fifty-two from a massive heart attack, he was a successful and dedicated architect. He used to talk to his son about the art of building, and was especially interested in tunnels, bridges and steeples. He was fond of saying that, “God was in the details” when it came to building load bearing structures that used gravity, weight and inertia as the foundati
on for their almost uncanny strength.

  Well, he was looking at a prime example of that now. He had no idea who created these tunnels or how. It looked, in some places, as though the tunnel walls were cut with laser precision and melded together closely, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Somehow, although he and the sasquatch were deep within the body of a mountain, a series of shafts, like a vast elaborate articulated skylight, allowed the afternoon sunlight to filter in, filling the tunnel with the light of a late afternoon glow.

  It was simply unbelievable. When he quizzed Blue about it, the sasq looked pleased, as if he was personally responsible for the architectural feat. “It is said that my people did this many, many generations ago, Ann,” he said with a smile.

  “It is said,” he continued, “that these places were built when men came forth from across the big waters hundreds of years ago. The natives of this land loved our people and called us brothers, but the new men feared us and considered us monsters. So in order to survive, my ancestors designed these places in which to hide. We live here now and have done well, until just recently when your king decided to wage war on us.” Stopping and turning to face the lieutenant, the sasq asked, “Why is he doing this terrible thing, Ann?”

  Andy looked away in shame. “First, he’s not my king; he is a colonel for the U.S. Army. As far as why he’s on this mission, I think it’s because my government wants to use you and your people as soldiers. You have more strength than humans do and the way you guys can camouflage yourselves…all of your extra-sensory perceptions…it’s too tempting, see?”

  Blue was staring down at him with a look of such bewilderment in his eyes, Andy shrugged and added, “You DO understand why that might be desirable in a soldier, don’t you?”