Cold Cat Mountain: The Peak (Cold Cat Mountain Trilogy Book 1)

by Kimberly Goss-Kearney

  The steady footfalls rounded to the front of the RV. Blaze moved toward the curtain hanging over the window. Violently, Matilda shook her head realizing Blaze’s intentions. Ignoring her, Blaze crept closer to the window, crouching just below it while she summoned the courage to lift it and look. If she was a part of this she needed to know what “this” was; the logical portion of her brain was insistent, pushing her to label and identify what she was dealing with. Hiding in the dark was not an effective means of seeking to understand. Once again she felt compelled, pushed even, to acquire her own knowledge rather than continue as a neutral party. If the fight were solely between the creature and Matilda, Blaze would have shown the situation a different respect. Currently however, the dynamics were changing. She too was being assaulted, and she was used to pushing back. Contending with the unknown after two days of no sleep left her angry. Mostly with herself. She felt her coping skills slip, replacing rational thought with the needed to know what they were facing. Matilda had accepted Sasquatch as a reality long ago; her approach scientific, logical. Blaze however, was a non-believer whose perspective was swiftly pivoting on an adrenaline fueled axis.

  When it grew quiet again Blaze reached up slowly for the curtain. There had been no outside noise for at least ten minutes. Refusing to make eye contact with Matilda, she grew bolder, shifting close, her fingers touching the hem of the curtain. As she did, she realized her hands were no longer shaking. Determination had settled in, removing the reins from fears grip. Being the victim of something she couldn’t see didn’t support the bold approach Blaze had acquired in her life. Clenching her jaw she raised herself slowly until her eyes were below the window trim. Carefully moving the back the curtain she raised herself, peering out into the dark, pressing her face forward against the cool glass, straining to see.

  As her eyes moved back and forth, she noticed the snow had finally stopped. A fresh carpet of white illuminated the exterior world beyond the window, brightening the landscape before her. Emboldened, Blaze pressed closer, looking to the right and left, straining to see into the dark, scanning for movement in the trees.

  Nothing. Turning back to Matilda, Blaze shrugged. When she did Matilda froze, her eyes locked on the window behind Blaze. Turning, Blaze came face to face with a large circle of fog, where something had exhaled just outside their window.

  Clamping her hand over her own mouth Blaze dropped the curtain and fell, lying flat on the floor. “There will always be people afraid of the monsters in the night. They are usually the ones that look for them because they have proven they exist in themselves.” ― Shannon L. Alder

  ~Twenty-five ~

  Standing in the light of day Blaze concluded they were insane. They were protecting themselves from something huge with only two guns. Hand guns at that. Matilda slammed and locked the door to the RV and together they began making their way toward where Matilda believed they’d find Skid camped. Blaze completely disregarded the heel toe walking pattern Matilda had taught her, as she practically goose-stepped her way through the woods on Matilda’s heels, her hand flexing and gripping the .38, preparing to fire. Matilda had already scolded her endlessly regarding her behavior the night before. Blaze didn’t care, which showed. While she attempted some sort of self-preservation, her own monster was doing a form of the river dance in her head, positively ecstatic with the turn of events. A fact too difficult to explain to Matilda, who’d stopped speaking to her once again anyway about an hour earlier. Blaze wondered if she was familiar with the Amish shunning techniques. Currently, she couldn’t t say that she blamed her. She was a trigger happy adrenaline junkie looking for a place to hide while she annihilated what her mind had decided had no logical place in the food chain. Blaze wanted it dead. Whatever it was. She had no compulsions about the sanctity of life when whatever they were facing not only took people, but stalked them, whispered and stood tall enough to breathe fog circles onto their RV’s window.

  Matilda was irritated. Her throat was worse too. A day ago it had just been a little husky sounding. Now it was clear she was fighting a cold or flu. She stopped walking and swung around on Blaze.

  “Would you please calm the hell down? I feel like I am hiking with Lucille Ball, and she has a handgun. You’re panicking.”

  Blaze stretched her neck, looking behind a tree. Her eyes darted back to Matilda’s.

  “I’m not panicking. Shshsh. Did you hear that?”

  Matilda took a deep breath and turned in a circle.

  “I hear nothing.”

  Blaze lowered her gun. Sighing deeply she turned and followed Matilda, who was several feet ahead of her. That was not the safety plan protocol Skid had spoken of and Blaze jogged ahead, recognizing the odds were fifty-fifty one of them could be taken. Matilda stopped suddenly, holding her hand aloft. Blaze blindly bumped into the back of her.

  “Sorry,” mumbling, she backed up.

  Turning fully toward her, Matilda placed her hands on her hips. “Put the gun away, Blaze. You’re causing me to second guess where I should go. I can’t concentrate with you aiming at everything.”

  “Uh- newsflash, Matilda. There’s something out here. And you said yourself no one knows if it’s prone to only move at night.”

  Matilda’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? I had no idea-“

  The snap of a twig caused both women to turn and look up. Seated on a dark horse, a man with a white trimmed beard, cowboy hat and buckskin jacket peered down at them, resting his gloved hands across his saddle horn.

  “You ladies alright?”

  Both Matilda and Blaze stood with their mouths open. They’d been prepared to argue with each other, not meet a stranger on horseback in the middle of nowhere.

  Matilda recovered first, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  “Hello. I’m Matilda, this is Blaze. We are conducting research.”

  He considered them with a somber gaze. “Names Gordon.” His eyes rested on Blaze’s .38. “What kind of research?”

  Quiet hung between the three, until Matilda spoke.

  “Actually, I’m not at liberty to speak about it, but it is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Gordon’s horse danced impatiently and he steadied it, never breaking eye contact. “You two ladies know it’s dangerous out here?”

  Blaze nodded vigorously. Matilda assumed a blank expression. “We’re fine.”

  Gordon took in their disheveled appearances, and the dark smudges under Matilda’s eyes. Blaze clenched the butt of the .38, her eyes darting into the trees behind him.

  “I’m not sure you two understand what’s been happening up here on the mountain. People disappear from up here. How long you two planning to stay?” Blaze turned to Matilda. If it were up to her she’d leave that day and return in a tank equipped with spot lights. She’d felt brave when they’d studied the maps. Now she wanted off the mountain.

  Matilda explained to Gordon they were planning research for six months. He shook his head.

  “I don’t know that it’s a good idea. Have you thought about what’s happened to the folks who have vanished?”

  “We have,” Matilda countered. “That is why we are here.” Blaze felt her shoulders relax and unclenched her cold fingers from around the handle of the .38. It was reassuring for her to see another person. She smiled up at him. His concern was genuine.

  “We’re trying to find a colleague who camped up here too.” Gordon nodded. “I saw a camper on a red Chevy pick-up about a hundred yards up that way.” He pointed and turned his horse, preparing to move on. “You two be careful walking around out here.” He gently nudged his mount with the heel of his boot and moved out ahead of them, disappearing into the trees.

  Blaze raised her eyebrows. “Wow. That was intense.”

  Matilda nodded mutely. Blaze turned toward her and noticed her waxy coloring. Taking off a glove she pressed her hand to Matilda’s forehead, mumbling, and “Fever.”

  Swaying on her feet Matilda looked as frustrated as she had
sounded earlier when she had confronted Blaze for opening the curtain the night before. Blaze took a deep breath and asserted herself.

  “We’re going to leave a note for Skid, and then we’re headed back to the RV so you can rest. No arguments.”

  Matilda nodded reluctantly and they hurried to find the camper.

  ~*~

  Gordon stopped his horse and turned it, looking back to where he’d encountered the women. Both Hoyd and the Sheriff had told him they were on Cold Cat. It had become a three way disagreement as to whether they should have been allowed to remain on the mountain. Although both were obviously educated, and Matilda Bough had field experience and recent finds she’d presented, proving her own academic merit, he knew this to be a different kind of beast. Older, more cunning. An understanding had been reached, and the three men agreed on one thing: The women would draw it out, either intentionally or unintentionally. What it did during that phase would be unexpected. There had never been so many people on Cold Cat searching for it before, unless it followed a disappearance. It would be reactionary. Defensive.

  He shifted in the saddle as his eyes grazed the densely treed mountain side, recalling the women’s faces. They were tired. And, they had already experienced some close calls, or the brunette wouldn’t have been trigger happy. Fatigue and fear had always loved to hold hands. The elixir of chaos. He’d known from the sound of her voice Matilda wasn’t feeling well. He hoped they didn’t remain out too long. Looking for their colleague could prove risky. Gordon had tracked the man himself for about an hour and before the trail had gone cold. Not a good sign. His grandfather’s voice echoed in his ears in the relative silence of the mountainside.

  “They’re ancient ones. Do not look in their eyes if you come across them. Back away and they will leave you alone, if you leave them alone.” Gordon turned his mount back toward home. He would have to drive into town and have a word with Hoyd and the sheriff. The women didn’t know him, and wouldn’t take his warnings without back-up. He and the other men wanted the creature drawn out, but not at the expense of civilians. Shaking his head he nudged Storm forward. All they needed was for two women to go missing. Missing women brought out the worst in men. He’d already watched his small community fall apart once after Edith’s disappearance. The missing children had equally torn the town apart, but the new highway leading through town had ended those and the community was still trying to heal.

  He looked back once, arguing with himself. Whoever had parked the camper would have to wait. He’d heard from the locals that the camper belonged to a bounty hunter. The women were armed and dangerous, but their sheer exhaustion indicated they were the ones being targeted, not him. Without having met the other man he had no choice but to go on ahead and rally the troops.

  “Everything is worse...if you think something is looking at you.” ― Shirley Jackson

  ~Twenty-six ~

  Skid stopped and turned. He’d acquired enough street smarts to know when he was being watched. The chill in his spine propelled him away from the area he’d been walking toward. Crouching low, he followed his gut, moving back slowly, facing the cluster of pines until he felt he could retreat safely enough to create space between himself and whatever watched him.

  He returned to his camp cautiously, wary and fascinated at the same time. He closed the distance between where he was and where he’d been holding his hand over his weapon, retreating. Approaching his camp he paused. A note had been placed between the door and the frame. Relief washed over him when he saw it was left by Blaze. He’d been wanting to check on both ladies but had been worried they’d take it wrong. Tucking the note into his pocket, he grabbed a bottle of water and headed toward their RV. He paced himself as he walked the distance between his camouflage and theirs, noting small details along the way; position of rocks, the angle of limbs strewn across the forest floor. Signs that were generally accepted as markers left behind by a Sasquatch when communicating with others of its kind. Halfway to their RV the feeling of being watched intensified. Skid slowed and made a mental note regarding location when the feeling re-emerged. Softly, cautiously, he moved over the electric fence surrounding the perimeter of their RV, appreciating the idea. It looked like it had been pushed in, the wire sagged in a couple areas. Stopping at the fence line his eyes widened. Footprints patterned the snow all around their motor home. Large prints. Easing over the electric fence he approached the door, careful to not disturb the tracks. He imagined Matilda would have already photographed everything. Large rocks, which lay at random locations throughout the camp were scattered, several at the base of the RV. His pulse leapt at the thought of them being at the center of the creature’s attention. It was obvious it had identified them as a target. Skid had no idea if the women had arrived at the same conclusion and wondered how to broach the subject without insulting them.

  Matilda had to know. Knocking on the door he blinked rapidly when Blaze threw it open, launching herself into his arms in a violent hug. She pulled him up the stairs, talking about their experiences non-stop. Looking around he saw Matilda on her bed. Blaze pointed, looking helpless.

  “…And now she’s sick and I can’t do this alone Skid! I’m still learning about all this. Until a couple days ago I didn’t even believe it was all real. I mean, I still don’t, but I need help.”

  Skid nodded and moved quietly to Matilda’s bedside placing his hand on her forehead. “Fever?”

  Blaze nodded. “I gave her some medicine and she fell asleep about thirty minutes ago. She has a sore throat too. But she’s going to be down for a couple days at least I would imagine.” With large eyes Blaze waved toward the window. “And there are huge tracks all over outside. I seriously think this is wrong and we should leave.”

  Blaze exhaled anxiously, blowing dark curls from her forehead.

  Skid moved back into the living area, sitting down. He rubbed his five-o-clock shadow and glanced up at Blaze.

  “When did the creature move in so close?”

  Blaze swallowed. “Last night was the worst, but it’s been stalking us since we arrived.”

  “Why?” Skid leaned back and accepted the coffee Blaze offered him. “It hasn’t approached my camp at all. What’s the difference?”

  “Maybe the location,” Blaze offered, thinking of the maps Matilda had tucked away.

  He nodded, accepting her explanation as he sipped his coffee.

  “Why would it be territorial about this specific spot, and better question, did Matilda know it would be?” Blaze shrugged helplessly. She felt tears sting at the back of her eyes. Skid pointed to the back room.

  “It’s obvious you two are running on little to no sleep. Tracks are everywhere out there. I can’t believe it hasn’t broken a window or something. Have you seen the size of the rocks laying around?”

  Blaze nodded and he again pointed to the back room. “Go. Get some sleep. I’ll stand guard in here. This is a bad situation you two have stepped into. You’ll need to be rested up for tonight.”

  Blaze stood indecisively for a moment before deciding to settle in and rest. If Matilda wanted to stay they had to have rest.

  Thanking him Blaze stumbled to the twin bed she’d been using and was almost asleep before her head hit the pillow. Skid waited until he heard Blaze breathing deeply and stood up, moving over to Matilda’s desk. Carefully, he opened books and folders, skimming the contents for one thing. Matilda was incredibly bright. She would’ve known where she wanted the RV placed well ahead of time. And she was incredibly secretive. She likely hadn’t shared all she knew even with Blaze. She was a trust fund baby who’d been without family for a long time. That kind of independence often created an isolated approach to how orphans viewed the world. She would never tell one person everything. It was how her mind worked. He knew it on a deep gut level because his worked the same way.

  Pulling out a leather journal, worn with age, he unwrapped the leather ties and let it fall open. He immediately sank down into the desk chair, sh
aking his head. Scribbled wildly on the pages before him were her notes, and her resources. She’d identified a predatory pattern. But she had also identified a bone cache, or what she’d suspected was the location of a bone cache. Skid shook his head. A bone cache indicted the species was intelligent enough to keep trophies in the form of remains. Her study on the subject was valid. Her notes were thorough. He wouldn’t have expected anything less. The problem was obvious though. The creature was trying to drive her away from its secrets, its evidence. He squeezed his eyes shut. She’d purposefully planted herself and Blaze in the line of fire, which she’d done before. He’d protected her secret before, twice, however this time she’d pulled a novice in. Her risk taking was affecting others in the war zone. Sick to his stomach Skid shook his head. He’d known she’d do it again. What he couldn’t understand was why she continuously planted herself in the path of danger, a danger this time which she wouldn’t be able to protect herself from. Or Blaze.

  Shaking his head Skid replaced the journal and poured a second cup of coffee. As he was walking back into the sunken living room area to settle down in front of the fireplace he stopped. In the light shining through the dining room window a clear hand print was discernible on the glass. Although smeared, it was huge. He clenched his jaw in anger. She never thought she had anything to lose. She forged ahead, usually alone. That he could accept. But she’d brought Blaze and that changed things. She needed to be confronted, but he knew in his gut it wouldn’t do any good. Her stubbornness was legendary in the field. Her peers and colleagues spoke of it in hushed circles. Easing down into one of the large chairs in front of the fire he checked the time and decided he would wake Blaze in two hours. Resting his head back against the chair he wondered if Matilda would ever accept that he knew her one weakness. In his eyes it somehow made her stronger. Dangerous, but stronger.