Black nodded. “I know. Let’s hope the state troopers get here before we lose any more people.”
It took less than an hour for all of the volunteers to arrive at Deering’s home. Black was relieved when Liam Jones’ beat-up old truck came spluttering up the dirt road. The old hunter parked his vehicle and opened his door. Right away three bloodhounds jumped out, pulling Jones along with them.
“Evening, Liam,” said Black. “Sorry to call out like this, but Ronald Deering’s gone missing.”
Jones spat a mouthful of tobacco juice on the ground. “Ain’t no trouble whatsoever, Sheriff. You know me, I’m always ready to help the police.”
Black called out, “Okay, folks, everyone move in on me.”
The gaggle of searchers and police officers formed a semi-circle in front of Black. They were all armed and had flashlights in their hands. “As you’re all aware, Ronald Deering went missing some time this afternoon. The last place I saw his tracks were behind his house near his well. We’ll let Liam lead off with his dogs, and follow them wherever they take us. Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?”
“Sheriff, I heard over the radio talk of a rogue grizzly stalking the woods,” said a man with a thick beard. “Is that true?”
“Yes, it is. So keep your wits about you.” Black looked over at Jones. “After you, Liam.”
Jones let his dogs sniff a hat belonging to Ronald Deering. In seconds, the dogs were running to the back of the house. When they got to the well, the unexpected happened. The dogs stopped in their tracks and began to whine.
“Go on, yah damn cowards,” said Jones to his dogs.
With a howl of fear, the dogs bolted for the safety of the truck. Jones had to let go of their leashes, or he would have been pulled off his feet.
“What the hell spooked them?” asked Black.
“I don’t know, Sheriff. I’ve never seen them act like this. They usually ain’t afraid of anything.”
Black patted Jones on the shoulder. “You had best see to your dogs. We’ll carry on without them as far as the river before calling it a night.”
Jones nodded and ambled off back to his truck, cursing his dogs to high heaven.
“Okay, folks, I guess we’re on our own. Let’s spread out in a line and look for clues,” said Black to the rest of the group.
“Jesus, will you take a look at this,” cried out one of the volunteers. Lit up by a couple of flashlights were the tree-toed tracks Black had seen earlier.
“I think those belong to whatever what Deering was shooting at,” said Black.
“Whatever it is, it’s big,” said Scott.
Black could see fear in the eyes of some of the men. “Come on, men, let’s push on as far as the river before we call it a night. It’s the least we can do for Ronald.”
Black took a step forward and pushed some branches aside. With no great sense of urgency, the search party followed her, one by one, into the dark woods.
Chapter 22
“What’s the word?” Maclean asked Grant, in between bites of his club sandwich.
“The ops center back home has nothing new to report,” replied Grant, as he put his phone away. “As far as NORAD Headquarters is concerned, everything is back to normal. With their satellites no longer being jammed, they’re focused on their primary job of defending North America. The North Koreans are once again threatening to fire an ICBM over Japan. Naturally, the Japanese aren’t too thrilled with the decision and have threatened to shoot it down. NORAD is keeping a close eye that situation in case it turns into a shooting match.”
“One day, the people in North Korea are going to wake up and depose the lunatic running the country,” said Maclean.
“We can only hope so. My brother’s somewhere out there in the Pacific Ocean; no doubt is keeping a close eye on the North Korean fleet.”
Elena’s phone buzzed. She set down her fork and read a text message. She looked up and said, “Colonel Andrews says the hearings in Washington are probably going to last a couple more days. He says there’s been a lot of partisan bickering among the committee members, which is dragging the whole thing out. In the morning, Colonel Andrews wants us to take another look around Mister Sparks’ home, to see if we can learn what happened to the pilot of the downed craft.”
“I thought he’d say that,” said Grant.
“I wish there were more of us,” said Hayes. “My feet are killing me from all the walking we did today.”
“Buck up, Doc,” said Maclean. “That was nothing. When I was training to be in the SAS, we had to march farther than that, and with heavy packs on our backs. Today was a mere stroll through the woods.”
Hayes shook his head. “If you say so.”
“David, what would you like to do after supper?” asked Elena.
“Jim and I will pay a visit to the clinic to see how Joe is doing. I’m hoping that he’s over his shock and is able to shed some light on what happened to his home. I know we should have done this earlier, but I’d like you and Jeremy to pay another courtesy call to the police, and let them know that we found Sparks’ home destroyed and that we brought him into town for medical attention.”
“Sounds good. Do you want me to tell them about the lake?”
“You might as well. Someone’s bound to go up there in the next day or two and find it drained. Jeremy can use his unknown volcano story on them to explain what occurred.”
“It’s a plausible enough explanation,” said Hayes. “You’d be amazed how easily you can convince people to accept a theory, if you give them your credentials first.”
“We didn’t buy your story,” said Maclean.
“That’s because you two are a pair of cynics, and thanks to my big mouth now know far more than the average person on the street about what is going on.”
After finishing their supper meal, they parted and went their separate ways. At the clinic, Grant and Maclean were met by the receptionist, who asked them to take a seat while she called the night shift nurse. Less than a minute later, a woman in her mid-forties came from behind the counter to greet the men. She smiled when she recognized Grant.
“Mister Grant, I didn’t expect to see you until later tonight,” said the nurse.
“Sorry, Mrs. Norton, I hope we haven’t come at an inconvenient time,” replied Grant.
Norton shook her head. “No, not at all. Mister Sparks doesn’t have any living relatives, so I don’t see any harm in you paying him a quick visit.”
“How’s he been since we brought him in?”
“He seems to be unhurt, but he’s been very cranky. He keeps telling me he wants to leave and go home. But I told him that he had to stay overnight, in case he’d suffered a concussion.”
“Where is he now?” asked Maclean.
“In his room,” replied Norton.
“Sorry, where are my manners?” said Grant. “James Maclean, please meet Mrs. Jane Norton, the senior nurse here at the clinic.”
“My pleasure,” said Maclean, offering his hand in greeting.
Norton shook Maclean’s hand. “This way, gentlemen.” She led them past the receptionist and down a short corridor, until they came to a closed door. She knocked on the door. “Mister Sparks, are you awake? I have a couple of men who’d like to see you.”
There was no response.
Norton turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. The room was dark. The nurse reached over and flipped on a light.
Grant swore the instant he saw the bed was empty, and a window on the far wall was wide open.
“It looks like our friend has flown the coop,” said Maclean.
Norton opened the small clothes closet in the room and shook her head. “His clothes are gone. The crazy old coot should have stayed in bed. If he’s suffered a concussion, he’s only going to make it worse.”
“I guess you had best call your boss and let her know what’s happened,” said Grant. “In the meantime, Jim and I will take a look around town and
see if we can find Mister Sparks and try to convince him to come back to the clinic.”
“Thanks,” said Norton, as she hurried back to the front desk to make the call.
“So, what do you think is up with Mister Sparks?” said Maclean.
Grant shrugged. “Beats me. But then again, who knows what happened at his home. He could be mentally deranged, for all we know.”
The constant ring of the telephone greeted Elena and Hayes, as they opened the front door to the police station. A frazzled Sheryl waved them in as she answered the calls.
“Looks like bedlam has taken hold,” whispered Hayes.
“Having a bad night?” Elena asked.
Sheryl leaned back in her chair and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve never seen it this busy, and I’ve been working here for close to fifty years.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What isn’t?”
Elena took a seat across from Sheryl. “I’m sorry; I don’t understand.”
“First, Mrs. Marshall’s dogs went missing, and were later found dead. Then Mister Deering disappears from his home. Add to that, Mrs. Moore’s husband and son have also been reported to be missing. And that’s only the half of it. In the last half hour alone, I’ve received half a dozen calls from people telling me that their dogs, chickens, horses…you name it…have been killed or taken by some kind of predator.”
The hair on the back of Elena’s neck went straight up. “Did any of them see this predator?”
“No. Almost everyone reported the same thing. They said they heard their animals making a ruckus outside, and by the time they got out there, their animals were either dead or missing.”
“You look like you could use some help. Why don’t I plot all of these reports on the map on the wall for you?”
“Thanks, that would be great,” said Sheryl, handing Elena a handful of hastily scribbled reports.
The phone at Sheryl’s desk rang again, sending her scrambling to answer the call.
“Okay, I’ll read out the address, and you mark it on the map with a yellow sticky,” said Elena to Hayes.
“If she has the time when the person called in, I’ll write that down on the note, as well,” said Hayes.
Being unfamiliar with the town and the many homes spread around it, Elena and Hayes struggled to find some of the places on the reports. Ten minutes later, they stepped back from the map.
“Good God,” said Hayes, under his breath. “They’re all south of Mister Sparks’ home.”
“Yeah, and it looks like they’re moving toward the town.”
Chapter 23
“What’s the Geiger counter reading?” Max asked one of his men, a red-haired mercenary with a thick goatee, and arms like tree trunks.
“It’s way above the red line,” replied the man. “We need to limit our exposure to the radiation.”
“How long do we have?”
“Five minutes, and no more.”
“Okay, Dan, you and the rest of the team get back in the trucks, and honk the horn when my five minutes are up.”
The barrel-chested mercenary didn’t have to be told twice. He and the rest of Max’s men sprinted away from the empty lake bed.
After several hours of driving through the woods, they had stumbled upon what had at first appeared to be a crater in the ground. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a recently drained lake. In the back of his mind, Max knew it had to be connected to the UFO sighting. With his flashlight in his hand, Max walked to the edge of the empty lake and shone his light all around. The foul stench of dead fish assaulted his nostrils. Some of the lake water had drained back into the hole, creating dozens of small ponds which glimmered in the moonlight. Max turned off his flashlight and put a set of NVGs over his eyes. He switched them on and smiled. In the middle of the empty lake was a bright-white blob of heat where something had once been. Max doubted, by the scale of the destruction, that there was anything left of the craft. He pulled his NVGs off and turned to walked back to his truck, when, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something moving through the shadows. Instinctively, he drew his pistol, flipped off the safety and dropped to one knee. For a few seconds, all Max could hear was his own breathing. He was about to replace his pistol in its holster, when he heard footsteps creeping toward him from behind. His body broke out in a cold sweat. Max gripped his pistol tight in his hand. With his left hand, he brought up his flashlight, spun around, and turned it on.
Max’s heart skipped a beat when he saw a three-meter-tall bird with a massive beak and long, clawed legs, frozen in the light less than an arm’s length away from him. As fast as he could, Max pulled the trigger. He fired his weapon at point-blank range into the bird’s chest. With a loud, terrifying-sounding squawk, the bird pulled its head back and took a step forward, as if ready to strike.
A sharp crack rang out from behind Max.
The animal’s head flew to one side, with a portion of its skull blasted away. The animal wobbled on its feet for a couple of seconds, before tumbling over onto its side.
Max’s heart was racing. He ejected his empty magazine and quickly inserted a fresh one. He looked down at the bird and saw it was severely wounded, but still alive. The animal opened its beak and tried lifting its blood-splattered head. Max took a breath to steady his shaking hand, aimed his pistol at its head, and fired off three rounds, killing it.
“Jesus, Mister Roth, are you okay?” asked Dan, as he ran to his boss’ side.
“Yeah, I’m all right,” replied Max. He was lying. Max had never been so horrified in his entire life. His guts felt like jelly, and he thought he was going to be sick at any moment.
“What the hell is that thing?” asked Dan.
“How the hell would I know?” snapped Roth. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“That’s a prehistoric terror bird,” said a short gunman with a shaved head, shining his flashlight on the bloody carcass.
“Like you’d know what a prehistoric bird would look like,” chided Dan.
“My sister’s kid is nuts about dinosaurs,” replied the bald man. “I’ve taken him to the Smithsonian a couple of times this year, and I’m telling you this thing shouldn’t exist.”
“Carter, you’re out of your mind. This can’t be a dinosaur. They died out millions of years ago.”
“I didn’t say it was a dinosaur. It’s from the time after the dinosaurs died out. You know, when woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats roamed the Earth.”
“Are you buying any of this, Mister Roth?” asked Dan.
Roth holstered his pistol. “Carter’s explanation is as good as any right now. Let’s get the hell out of here, in case there are any more of them nearby.”
In the safety of their truck, Dan looked over at Max. “Boss, what do you want to do now?”
“Let’s head back to our campsite. I need to make a few calls before I decide on our next move.”
Dan nodded, started his vehicle, and drove back down the rocky trail toward the main road.
In the night, three darkened shapes crept out of the forest and stopped at the body lying in the dirt. One of the animals bent down and nudged the carcass with its beak. When the animal didn’t move, or make a sound, the three other birds instinctively knew it was dead. The closest animal let out a loud squawk before plunging its razor-sharp beak into the belly of the dead bird and ripping it wide open. The two other animals could smell the warm blood, which sent them diving in and tearing large pieces of flesh from the lifeless carcass. Within minutes, all that remained were some bloody feathers and fragments of bone. For now, the terror birds’ hunger had been sated. But before the sun came up, they would be hungry again, and the hunt would begin anew for something else to eat.
Chapter 24
Robin Black removed her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow, letting the cool night air brush against her face. It was late, and Black was growing tired and frustrated. The search for Ronald Deering had tu
rned up nothing but more odd-looking tracks. She waited by her vehicle until the last volunteer drove home to get some sleep before the search resumed again in the morning. Black removed her hat, got into her Suburban, and picked up the radio handset to call back to the police station.
“Sheryl, this is Sheriff Black, how do you read me, over?”
“Five by five,” replied Sheryl. She sounded relieved to hear from Black.
“The search for Ronald Deering was a bust. Have you heard from Kyle or Tracey, over?”
“No, I haven’t, Sheriff. Are you on your way back, because it’s been unbelivably busy back here, over?”
Black didn’t like the news that two of her officers hadn’t been heard from in a couple of hours. Protocol dictated that they should have called back to the station when they arrived at Mrs. Moore’s home. She bit her lip. Black waited a second before keying her mic. “Sheryl, I’m going to swing by Mrs. Moore’s place and see what’s going on before coming back to the station. Bill and Sean are already on their way back to help you, over.”
“Acknowledged. Thanks.”
“How are things going at your end, over?”
Sheryl’s tired sigh echoed across the CB radio. “More animals have been reported missing, Sheriff, a lot of them.”
Black frowned. What the hell was going on? “Okay, fill Bill and Sean in when they get there, and I’ll contact you when I get to the Moore’s place, over.”
“Thanks, Sheriff. Something really odd is happening out there tonight, be careful out there.”
“I will, out.”
Black started up her SUV and drove down the pitch-black trail leading away from Deering’s home. She turned her high beams on and sat back in her seat. Her mind was racing; Black doubted she would get any sleep over the next couple of days. As she pulled out onto the highway, she looked up and saw a bright-orange light shoot across the star-filled sky. Black pulled over onto the shoulder and stopped her vehicle to get a better look at the light. Oddly, the glowing orange light seemed to come to a complete stop over the peak of a tall hill a couple of kilometers away, before spinning around in the air and flying straight down the road toward Black. As it got closer, she could see that the mysterious light was disc-shaped. There were a series of colored lights on the underside of the craft, which lit up the road beneath it. All of a sudden, her vehicle’s engine switched off. Black tried to start it again, but the attempt was in vain.
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