by JJ Liniger
“How do you know where she is?” I asked.
“She moves around so I don’t know exactly, but she has made a shelter for herself that she usually stays close to,” Alex said. “A family went campin’ two years ago and said there was an animal followin’ them around. They found dead critters and heard strange sounds. It got too weird, so they decided to end their adventure early. With the unusual things we’ve had around Becton, we thought an animal was the least of our worries.”
“Why would they refer to Monica as an animal?”
“At the time, we didn’t know she was a person. Honestly, it’s easier to pretend like I don’t know her. It helps.”
I frowned. “That’s awful.”
It sounded like she’d been abandoned by the entire town. I didn’t reject my baby and turn into a crazy person, she did, and look how they’d turned against me!
“Assuming that theory of yours is true, why do they hate me when it should be her fault and not mine?”
“Most of us assumed ya knew. Your parents have been so heavily involved that it looked like ya were bein’ a coward by stayin’ away, rather than comin’ back to help clean up your mess. And... you're a safer target.”
Tiffany had given me a similar answer, but I didn’t know what she meant. “Safer for them to hate me than Monica?”
“Yes.”
“Is she really that dangerous?”
Alex shrugged, not answering.
I shook my head and watched only flat dirt with random patches of growth whizz past the window. Taking a turn from the main road, he weaved along, mimicking the path of the ravine. The time allowed me to think about what I was doing, and I didn’t want that.
Why couldn’t things be easy?
The truck came to a stop. I looked around, spotting large rocks bleached white from the blazing sun, which thick storm clouds currently blocked. It looked dark despite being the middle of the day.
“Here, ya might need this.” From under his seat, Alex passed me a red, dusty umbrella.
Since Texas didn’t do things halfway, a thunderstorm could be blinding.
“Is this as far as you're taking me?” I asked.
“Yeah. Follow the ravine. Keep your ears and eyes open for signs of movement. Most people hear her before they see her. If there’s water, don’t step in it.”
I nodded since nerves had stolen my tongue. Opening the door, I hopped down from the truck and cursed my legs for shaking. I tried to convince myself there was nothing to be scared of.
The umbrella was too short for a walking stick, but the metal point on the end provided nice traction. I stepped over the edge to the first boulder and carefully shifted to the next, unsure of how secure each rock would be. Withered grass and shrubs wedged between the smooth white stones.
Water had been several feet deep. We’d come here to take a break from the heat of summer. Mom and Dad splashed each other until turning their attention on me. Once soaked to the bones they called a truce. We had a blast.
Dad and I threw the football in the open field as we dried off, and Mom laid on a large boulder like a cat on a lazy afternoon. They bought fish to stock the ravine so other families could enjoy it as well.
As I approached the base of the ravine, a rock slid out from under me, pushing the others nearby down the hill. My arms flew out, and I crouched to keep my balance. Stopping at the bottom, I placed my hands down to the ground to make sure I was stable before standing.
Staring back at the top, the roughly 12-foot sides looked deeper. I paused and listened. Inside the valley, the wind made a musical sound. Smaller pebbles naturally displaced as the air swooshed past them. Maybe it would mask my movements. Years of being in band taught me how to roll my feet smoothly, which made my shoes silent.
Had I been going for a pleasant stroll through the ravine, I would’ve found the curved roots and groupings of boulders fascinating. Instead, my imagination looked at each place to be a trap where a crazy woman would spring out to attack.
Stop being so paranoid.
I took a deep breath and continued at a steady pace along the bottom of the cavern. Having an idea of what type of shelter I was looking for would’ve been helpful. I should’ve asked more questions.
With the sun hidden behind the storm clouds, my trek continued to be a dark adventure. The ravine took a turn and my heart raced. My feet walked silently to the bend, and both hands gripped the umbrella, ready to strike if needed.
What if Alex gave this to me for protection, rather than the impending storm?
I shook my head. Being overly theatrical wouldn’t help. This was ridiculous. I straightened my shoulders and marched around the corner. Something shot directly at me.
“Oh, God!” I ducked down to the ground. A large black bird flew to the other side. I sighed in relief and wanted to scream with frustration all at once. Fear had seized my mind, making me irrational, and I wanted it to stop.
With my fingers pressed to the dirt, it felt moist. Maybe it had started raining. The clouds were certainly dark enough. Using the palm of my hand, I brushed against the ground knocking smaller rocks to the side. It was too damp to be from a few drops of rain.
“If there’s water, don’t step on it,” echoed in my mind. Immediately, I stood and brushed the moisture from my hands onto my jeans.
Had I accidentally poisoned myself? How quickly does it spread?
The anxiety built once again, and I clenched my fists to relieve it. Worrying about something I couldn’t control wouldn’t help me right now. Instead, I made myself take a cautious step along the cavern. The rain which threatened finally arrived.
Big, fat drops would've soaked me quickly without the umbrella. Opening it, I heard the pitter-patter against nylon, rolling across the surface onto the surrounding ground. It made it difficult to hear anything else.
Something perched against a rock. It wasn’t a plant. Stepping closer, I found dried blood smeared across the side and the head of a jack rabbit. It didn’t smell, which made me suspect it had been left there and then picked apart by scavenger birds. Alex said the campers found small dead animals.
I must be getting close.
I felt a chill slip down my back thinking about the monster Monica had become. It seemed so sad. Why hadn’t she believed that I cared about her?
Carefully, I inched my way past one carcass and to another. The evidence suggested I entered through her trash can. Another curve of the ravine and my shoe splashed when it hit the ground. It was getting wetter, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the storm or if the moisture had already been there.
Was the water pure or poisoned? I didn’t know.
Rather than going around the large stones, I walked on top of them to stay safer. My silent steps turned to leaping and stretching my long legs from one rock to the next. I approached a bend in the ravine, but instead found branches and stones wedged together with cement to create a dam.
Is this what my father created to stop the water? No wonder it kept breaking.
Rain dropped into water close by. Despite the dam not looking so great, it was effective. Moving over to the side, I climbed the wall of the cavern. I grabbed onto roots to pull myself up, holding the umbrella with my other hand.
Looking over the top, I found a pond fed by a small stream. I stood and stared at the grove of trees and rich, healthy grass was different from the rest of West Texas because of being beautiful and green.
Despite Alex’s warning, I scooped my hand into the pond, transfixed by the allure. The water appeared clear, but I couldn’t see the bottom of the pool. It was either deep, or the sky was too dark. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and a moment later thunder followed.
I jumped. Was God warning me to stay away?
On the other side, a cave carved out of the side of the ravine. I couldn’t tell how far back it went, but felt confident it would shelter someone easily.
Water covered the other side of the dam. A thick log floated about
15 feet away, close to the stream’s mouth. I scanned the upper edge, which had a five- or six-foot drop to a rocky surface. There wasn’t another safe place to re-enter making through the pond my only option.
I removed my shoes and tied the laces together, looping the strings around my neck to keep them out of the water. Braced against the side of the ravine, I cautiously placed one leg in the cold water. I hoped to feel the bottom and not have to swim.
Not wanting to add further pressure to the dam, I rolled over the edge. My other leg splashed into the pool. I stood waist deep in the water and I walked through the frigid liquid. It was more noise than I should’ve made, but saw no evidence of Monica being close by.
I raised the umbrella over my head and took strong steps towards dry land. The rocks felt slippery and moss or seaweed covered them. Rain continued to fall around me like a grande finale with the lightning and thunder competing more than responding to each other.
The log I saw earlier drifted toward me, which was odd since my movements should’ve propelled it in the opposite direction. I stopped and stared. It slipped under the surface, continued to move and reappeared closer. Two eyes stared back at me from the top of the log. It wasn’t wood! By the time my brain registered the difference, a long narrow mouth opened with razor sharp teeth. An alligator!
How the heck did it get to the ravine?
Instinct took over, and I punched the gator in the nose and lunged back, trying to get out of the water. I screamed as a set of powerful jaws sliced through my jeans, barely missing my leg. Using the umbrella as a weapon, I jabbed toward the creature. I missed and swung again. My foot slipped on a rock and I plunged backwards into the water.
Of all the ways for me to meet my maker, I hadn’t imagined it would be from a ferocious lizard. Another twist and shift, and my balance returned. I shot to the surface, splashing water in every direction and coughing up water from my lungs. Everything settled around me except for razor sharp teeth. Had it been my imagination?
My umbrella bobbed in the water next to me, and my shoes were soaked to the core.
“Damn it!” My fist smacked against the water in frustration. The creepiness of the situation had gotten to my head, and I was becoming an idiot.
Or, I was infected. Were hallucinations a symptom?
I stared at the liquid covering me from head to toe and ran the rest of the way to dry land. Wherever the hell Monica was, she could hear me coming for all I cared. I might shout out her name if I didn’t find her soon. Looking around, I saw nothing in the pond, log or otherwise.
I needed to go to the hospital and be tested.
Once out of the water, I wrung the liquid from my clothes. My torn jeans gave proof it wasn’t 100% imaginary. The rain bore down on me, but since I was soaked, I didn’t care.
An echoing murmur captured my attention. I looked around. No one! Yet, the sound remained, like the low rumbles of a timpani. The mallet would hit against the drum and the sound reverberated throughout. I closed my eyes, stopped moving, and listened. Following the sound, I opened my eyes to look directly at the cave I had spotted earlier.
I needed to go there and find the person I came to see. It would be great if I lived long enough to find a solution to the problem. My wet jeans felt uncomfortable as I walked closer to the mouth of the cave. With careful steps, I eased my bare feet from one smooth stone to the next.
The opening had room for a couple to enter easily. The rain came to a stop but water ran along the side, dripping between the crevices of rocks. Drops spattered against the ground, creating a peaceful melody in contrast to the echoed growling within the den. Despite what other people thought of Monica she was still a person. Maybe if I treated her normally, then she’d believe it and accept help.
Rays of the sun broke through the clouds, providing the needed light to see into the cave. I caught my first sight of the monster Monica had become. Patches of animal skins, threaded together to create clothing over her chest and legs. Her stomach and arms were exposed, except for leather bracers attached to her forearms.
A fish flopped in her hand. Her long nails pierced into the scales and kept it from slipping from her grasp. She muttered to herself—words I couldn’t understand—and used the blades on her forearm to slice through the belly of the fish.
Blood and guts spilled out of the fish and over her hand as she bit into the raw meat. The locks of her matted raven hair fell to the ground and swished as she ate hungrily. Juice streaked across her cheek and dribbled down her chin. Small sticks and broken leaves wove together within her hair.
For some reason, her eating raw food didn’t surprise me. The continued growling did. She was either a vocal eater or not the only thing in the cave. Regardless of which it was, I didn’t know what to do.
“Fish, fi, fish… Dra-Dra here…” she mumbled. Her voice sounded deep and the echo of the cave gave it a grand vibration.
“Monica, I want to help you,” I said.
“Go!” She tossed the mutilated fish to the side of the cave and immediately a loud crunch followed. Definitely something stayed with her in the den. The sunlight didn’t go far enough back to see the sides of the cavern. “Not name,” she mumbled.
“Then what is it?”
“Nothing!”
I sighed. This wasn’t going well, but it could’ve been worse.
“You in water,” she continued. “Dra-Dra eat you, but fish better. Next person gone-gone.” Her angry glare concealed most of the chocolate brown from her eyes.
Along her jawline razor-sharp teeth stuck against her skin. I assumed she had done the same to the bracers along her forearm, allowing it to slice into the fish. Her leathery flesh appeared dark and rough similar to people who spent too much time in the summer sun.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked.
She nodded. “That’s why you’re alive I keep you that way. Strangers die. Drago’s not patient, still hungry. Right, Dra-Dra?” Her hand moved in the shadows like she was petting something. “Leave,” her deep voice growled.
Staying hunched on all fours, her long hair trailed behind her. At her side, rested the sharp claws and narrow scaly body of an alligator. It hadn’t been my imagination after all. The creature could’ve killed me and she prevented it. Why?
“I want to fix this problem,” I said. “Can you help?”
“No.”
“Because you don’t know how?”
“Don’t care.”
“Well, I do.”
Her eyes widened, and she crouched closer to me. Her tongue smacked against her teeth as Monica licked her lips. The reptile by her side did the same. He inched toward me and she placed her hand on his back.
“You love me?” she asked.
I took a step back, her question surprising me. That would’ve been an easy “yes” several years ago. Though the feelings had been real, time had faded them into bittersweet memories. I hated how it had ended. For something to be wonderful and then over the next second, gave me pause in starting another long-term relationship.
I wanted to nod, but my head kept shaking making me feel dizzy.
A low rumble came from her chest.
“Run,” she whispered. Her eyes returned to a glare. Her hand lifted from the alligator and it lunged from her side directly at me.
“Monica, stop!” I yelled, turning back to the side of the ravine. A sharp ledge made climbing it difficult. Powerful jaws snapped toward me, its short legs moving quickly.
I leapt to a round stone, my torn jeans billowing with the movement. A rock proved too pointed and sliced through the heel of my foot. I winced in pain.
The alligator continued its pursuit.
Suddenly, I remembered the umbrella. I turned to face him. With both hands I shoved the metal tip toward its head.
“No!” Monica screamed.
We paused, and the massive alligator looked back to his owner. With the creature’s attention on her I sprung for the side of the ravine, grabbing onto roots
to climb out. The sudden action festered the bruises across my ribs. I ignored the pain and dropped the umbrella to use both arms to pull myself toward the top. Hungry jaws grabbed hold of the fabric of my jeans and yanked me back. The material wasn’t strong enough, and it ripped further around my leg.
I felt my fingers slipping from the root. If I could hold on long enough for the jeans to completely tear then I’d be free. I yelled, hoping the noise would scare the creature and give me the needed adrenaline to keep from falling.
A hand reached down from the top and found mine.
“Grab on!” Alex yelled.
My hand left the root and searched for my friend. The beast tugged on my leg, causing our hands to miss. I swung to the side by one arm, my fingers clinging to the rock’s grooves. My legs kicked, and the torn fabric fluttered to the bottom. I was free.
“Alex!” I yelled and reached for him again. He lay on his chest with his arms hanging over the ledge. My hand found his, and he pulled me to the top. Once I felt the ledge, I grabbed on and swung my leg over the side.
Rolling to my back, I panted for air. If I had the energy, I would’ve cursed him out and beaten my friend within in an inch of his life. What had he been thinking sending me with only an umbrella to defend myself? But considering he saved my life and I couldn’t do anything other than breathe, I’d give him a pass.
Looking over the side of the ravine, I saw the mouth of the cave. Monica remained on all fours with the alligator tucked by her side. Her hand stroked its scaly skin like she approved of his actions.
“She knows me,” I said, once I breathed normally.
“And ya lived. Both good things. Let’s get home.”
I nodded and stood, hissing when my injured heel connected with the ground. Alex put his arm around my shoulders, letting me lean into him. I limped back to the truck. From the top of the canyon, I realized I hadn’t traveled far. With the winding of the ravine and the nerves I felt, it made the journey seem much further.
Alex helped me into his truck and I appreciated the heater since I was soaked to the bone. Chills shook my body. Once close to town his tires bounced in dozens of smaller potholes and he had to swerve to avoid the larger ones.