Aliens in the Allagash

by Gary Striker

  “And when are you planning to go catch one of those things”, Jane inquired with a bit of sarcasm?

  “Our equipment is due in from L.A. tomorrow and the guys should be done with other preparations. I want to do this in the rain, which is forecast for Thursday, so maybe then. We have to get this done before those State Inspectors get back”.

  “In the rain”, Jane asked inquisitively?

  “Yes, ma’am, a good rain will cover up any sounds we make and it will help to reduce our thermal signature. That thing I shot saw me in complete darkness hiding behind a stack of lumber. It was as though he had a spot light on me. They’re pretty crafty varmints, for sure”, Steve said with an air of confidence, and doubt.

  Lunch at Fiddleheads was quite enjoyable. Concerns and apprehension seemed to fade away.

  “Well, mister, was this as romantic for you as it was for me”, Jane asked, as they made their way out to the parking lot”?

  “Who was the guy you brought in here yesterday”, Steve asked, “You know, the one I threw in the lake”?

  Jane pushed Steve up against his car and then kept pushing.

  “He was just a fling, jealous boy, and now I’m stuck with you. Let’s go home”.

  The beautiful morning skies had given way to some light sleet and a brisk wind. Jane was busy getting the kitchen fireplace ready and was contemplating dinner choices for later. Steve was beginning to get very comfortable with his current arrangement. Steve and Jane looked at each other and simultaneously said, “We need to talk”.

  “Great minds think alike”, Steve said as they both got a laugh. Both were contemplating the future as Steve’s phone rang”.

  “Now what”, Steve asked himself in an irritated manner?

  “Hello, Steve, this is Jim”.

  “Howdy Jim, what’s up”, Steve returned?

  “Ron just carried out one of the Bouchard brothers from an access road on the north side of Ben Lake. He’s a high school kid, a real nice young fella. Right now he’s pretty beat up and lucky to be alive. The word’s out that we have Aliens back there and the kids are curious. The parents are upset and don’t know what to think. Steve, we have a big problem”.

  “Nobody goes back there, for any reason”, Steve decreed, “We need a few days to get this in some kind of order”.

  “They never made it to the lake”, Jim continued, “The kids encountered something about two miles northeast, which is as close as the access trail gets. They were lucky to get Bouchard out of there. These are pretty level headed kids. They’re good safe hunters and know the woods. It wasn’t normal for them to get as excited as they are. They’re half crazy”.

  Steve paused for a moment and tried to make some logic and sense out of the crisis. What he was thinking was not going to be very comforting to anybody. Now there was a bigger picture to consider.

  “Jim, these things are on the move. They’re watching us”, was all that Steve needed to say.

  There was silence on the line and then Jim came alive with rapid fire orders.

  “Steve, can I get you and Jane to come up here right now. Is she available”, Jim asked?

  “Yes, she’s right here. She got done with work early”.

  “I need to get you guys and the boys in here right now. We’ve got work to do. I’m going to invoke a state of curfew for tonight and we need to get the word out. I want everybody on guard and no one on the streets. We only have three access roads into the area and I’ll get Chet’s crew to work tonight. He’s the State cop who lives near here. I’ll contact the Aroostook County Regional Command and get this in the works. I’ll tell them we have a maniac on the loose. If I tell them anything else, they’ll assume it’s us. I want this area closed down from Eagle Lake to Fort Kent. I’ll get the Town Council reps on the line right now. I want the schools closed for the next couple of days”.

  “We’re on our way”, was Steve’s signoff as he hung up.

  “So much for a romantic afternoon”, Jane said with a frown, “You need to take a break”.

  Jim’s office was a buzz of activity. The copy machine was busy printing warning alerts. Delivery of the notifications was being coordinated with several council members. Ron had just arrived with grim news regarding the Bouchard brother. All anyone knew was that there was something very abnormal about his injuries.

  “He was admitted to intensive care”, Ron announced to Jim and the office crew, “Doctor Strait said that the X-rays didn’t make sense. That’s all that we know right now”.

  Steve and Jane had just joined the group at the Wallagrass Town Office to a flurry of ‘hellos’ and ‘goodbyes’. Boxes of warning notices were on the way to the various neighborhoods in and about the area. Jim was on the line with the Fort Kent Police Chief discussing plans and work assignments for tonight. Steve was impressed with the smooth operation that the communities were capable of to handle a maniac on the loose.

  “Jim”, Steve interrupted, “We could have more problems with panic than we do with those space men”.

  “Not around here”, Jim assured him, “These are hard core Mainers from ‘The County’. It’ll take a little more than space invaders to rattle this bunch. Hell, this group could have taken Normandy”!

  Steve smiled and got a nod from Jane at the same time.

  “What can we do to help”, Jane asked?

  “I need you to take these two boxes of warning notices into Fort Kent. Give them to Police Chief Charrette. He wants to see you guys”.

  “Oh, you mean ‘Duty’”, Jane corrected. Does he have his pants on today”?

  Steve looked totally confused as Jim smiled.

  “From the beginning of time around here”, Jane began, “everyone has called him ‘Duty’. Last week, he and a number of male business owners and fellow deputies did a semi-nude shoot for a charity calendar. Those guys didn’t cover much. Duty had the biggest smile of the group. Fabio has nothing to worry about”, she said referring to a certain male model.

  Steve laughed and did a visual take with a shake of his head.

  “Ok, Jim, we’ll hustle into town and get these delivered”, Steve assured him.

  “Hey, you guys! I want you off the streets, too”, Jim requested.

  “This is the best excuse to stay home that I could have hoped for”, Jane said with a big smile as Jim helped them with the door.

  “You be careful now, ya hear”, was Jim’s sendoff.

  The Fort Kent Police Department headquarters building was surrounded with vehicles of all kinds, extending beyond the parking lot into the streets. Steve found a spot on a side street near the lot.

  “They must be having a bake sale”, Jane said, “I have never seen the place like this”.

  “Let’s get these boxes inside before it starts sleeting again”, Steve observed as he glanced skyward.

  Another friend of Jane’s greeted them at the door and pointed to the assembly hall where they were expected. It was standing room only.

  “Hi ‘Duty’”, Jane greeted Officer Charrette.

  “Hey baby, I didn’t see you. How are you”?

  “Be careful, ‘Duty’”, Jane warned, “”Your wife might be listening”.

  “No worry, she’s over at the quick mart picking up some supplies. I’m free and available”.

  Steve laughed and set the boxes on a conference table.

  “He’s got his pants on”, was all that Steve needed to say before Duty displayed the calendar with his cover picture.

  The introductions went as expected with the usual exchange of banter. ‘Duty’ was directing everyone to seats and getting the crowd in order.

  “Come up front here with me and have a seat”, ‘Duty’ directed Jane and Steve.

  “Gentleman, ladies, please take seats. Daylights’ a burning”.

  The meeting hall got silent with expectation. Duty took the pedestal and assumed a position behind the microphone.

  “We appreciate everybody’s attendance here today and the assista
nce from nearby public service districts. Your help is needed. I’m sure you’ve heard all kinds of stories. Let me share with you what we actually know and get everybody on the same page”.

  The audience was sitting at full attention as ‘Duty’ continued.

  “We have had a rash of incidents and a few unexplained events that have severely affected us. We have one deceased person, two critically injured, and one missing since the weekend. There are others unaccounted for or injured that we have no explanation for”.

  “What’s going on, ‘Duty’, one of the uniformed deputies asked?

  “We’re not sure, but we believe a psychopath maniac is on the loose in the Allagash somewhere around Ben Lake. There may be more than one and we have not identified who or what we’re dealing with. We know that he’s on the move”.

  “What do we need to do”, another deputy asked”?

  “I’m declaring a state of curfew starting at nineteen-thirty hours and extending until six A.M. tomorrow morning”.

  “You want these streets shut down at seven-thirty tonight? What are you expecting”, a State Police patrolman asked?

  “Do we have terrorists loose around here”, another deputy asked?

  “Settle down”, ‘Duty’ requested, “I’ll try to answer all of your questions”.

  The meeting hall got silent.

  “What we know for sure is that we have had a large number of violent incidents in a very short period of time. We know that whoever or whatever is doing this is on the move. Our job is to see that nobody else gets hurt until we can get a handle on this mess. I want all of our citizens off the streets and no additional influx unless they are local to the area”.

  “We’ve heard rumors about other things”, a local newspaper reporter asked, “Some of these stories don’t make a whole lot of sense. What do you know about an M.M.A. freight train that went missing over the weekend? The engineer was found and then transported to Bangor Medical Center”.

  The crowd stirred and tensions grew as ‘Duty’ sensed the change in demeanor.

  “Settle down”, Duty ordered as the noise level abated, “We have a job to do. I expect everybody in this room to be vigilant and make sure that nobody else ends up on a stretcher or in a body bag”.

  A sullen atmosphere of heavy responsibility overcame the audience members. Nobody spoke as ‘Duty’ continued.

  “We are dealing with something extremely dangerous. What we know about this nemesis is that he is very crafty, intelligent, strong as a moose, and knows how to hunt, so beware. We need to take him down by whatever means and do it as quickly as possible”.

  The local reporter had been focusing on Steve and was taking copious notes.

  “I would like to address the gentleman sitting next to ‘Duty’, please”, he inquired in an insistent manner as he stood up, “Are you Mr. Slattery, the private investigator from Los Angeles”?

  All eyes focused on Steve as he rose to his feet.

  “My name is Steven Slattery. Yes, I am a private investigator for a Los Angeles firm. I have reason to believe that the disappearance of Marie Benavidas last month may be linked to the recent incidents in the Allagash”.

  All eyes were shifting between the reporter and Steve.

  “The Masardis Mill foreman, Pierre Rosignol, said that you had an encounter with the person who seriously injured the freight train engineer. What happened”?

  Steve sensed that the reporter already knew the answer to the question.

  “I shot him twice”!

  The room erupted as ‘Duty’ again tried to maintain order.

  “Quiet, everybody, please settle down”, ‘Duty’ ordered as he got the crowd back under control. “Steve, finish your story”.

  “It was very dark. I couldn’t see much. Emergency lighting was inoperative after a power failure. I had only some lantern illumination that was scatted into the mill yard. I fired in self-defense as he came at me. This was a big target, about seven feet tall or better”. The crowd stirred. “There was no body, no blood, and no evidence of any kind after the shooting. He disappeared into the darkness without a trace, of what little I could see of him”.

  That was all that Steve was willing to share about the incident. The objective was simple. Impress upon the audience that the lethality of this adversary was something to be reckoned with.

  Jane pulled Steve back into his seat. ‘Duty’ issued his orders of the day and patrol assignments were designated. Volunteers were enlisted to help distribute the warning leaflets and the meeting hall thinned. Safety and protection was top priority!

  “Way to go, Dirty Harry. You have a way of lighting up a crowd”, was Jane’s observation with a wry smile.

  “Dirty Harry”, Steve questioned? “Me Tarzan, you…”

  Jane cut him off with a finger to his lips as ‘Duty’ broke into a laugh and shook hands with Steve.

  “We could use a few extra Marines around here to get this nut put away”, Duty affirmed, “It’s a pleasure to have you aboard”.

  Aliens in the Allagash

  Chapter 14

  The Reckoning

  In the Northern Aroostook County area of the Saint John’s River Valley district, the communication technology is similar to a jungle telegraph. Word gets around faster than an illicit affair in a rumor mill. Everybody in town knew what was going on regarding the maniac long before the meeting was over.

  As Steve started the car, a thought occurred to him.

  “Hold on a minute, Jane, I want to check my notes”, Steve said as he consulted a small notepad”, “Do you know a motorcycle dealer by the name of Plourde’s Harley Davidson”?

  “Oh, sure”, Jane said as she pointed east along the river highway, “Just stay on this road for fifteen miles and turn left. You’ll be in Plourde’s parking lot at Madawaska”.

  “I’d like to take a run out there”, Jim requested, “The crime lab turned Marie’s motorcycle over to the dealership at Cruz’s request. The lab didn’t find anything. I understand Plourde’s was the last place that Marie was seen”.

  “Plourde’s is almost walking distance to the Four Corners Park”, Jane added, “It’s real pretty with a drive-up monument for pictures and a small picnic area”.

  “Let’s take a ride”, Steve said as he pointed his wheels toward Madawaska.

  Plourde’s Harley Davidson was brimming with rider supplies and memorabilia crammed everywhere. It was typical of the kind of place that attracted riders and biking enthusiasts. Jane was busy gazing into a showcase as we were approached by a pretty clerk adorned in branded H.D. clothes.

  “Hi folks, welcome to Plourde’s”, was her greeting, “How can I help you”?

  Steve introduced himself and explained the purpose of the visit.

  “I think I can help you”, the clerk answered obligingly, “I remember Marie because she bought a T-shirt that her boyfriend thought was fitting. She was very outgoing and seemed like she wanted to make a statement. Her boyfriend impressed me as a hard core biker. They rode here from Los Angeles doing the Four Corners Ride”.

  The clerk fished through a rack and came up with the T-shirt style that Marie bought.

  “’Bad Choices Make Better Stories’”, Steve read the caption inquisitively, “Yup, that sounds like Marie”.

  “What a cute T-shirt”, Jane said in an admiring tone.

  “That’s her motorcycle there by the window”, the clerk pointed out as Steve walked over for a closer inspection, “We’re holding it until her brother and the police figure out what to do with it. It’s such a beautiful bike that we decided to put it in the showcase. We sold several bikes because of it”.

  Steve inspected the motorcycle thoroughly. He looked in the saddlebags and under the frame and scrutinized every part of the bike

  “Steve, look at these”, Jane summoned as she peered into the showcase. These earrings are gorgeous”!

  “Those are the H.D. branded Aztec design”, the clerk explained. “They’re made by
the Zuni Tribal Works in Flagstaff. We order them special for our stock as well as their other jewelry. They’re my favorites”, as the clerk displayed her bracelet.

  “Oh, God”, Steve thought, “Here we go again with the bracelets, thinking of Ming”!

  “Ma’am”, Steve addressed the clerk”, I’d appreciate your help to wrap up those earrings, that bracelet, and that bad ass T-shirt”.

  The clerk smiled, got busy and proceeded to collect the gifts.

  “You’re a lucky lady”, the clerk said with a big smile as she addressed Jane, “I love these things”!

  “Oh no, Steve”, Jane pleaded, “They’re too expensive! Please, no. Maybe the T-shirt, but that’s it”.

  “I can’t hear a thing she’s saying”, Steve said to the clerk, “my hearing aid batteries must have gone dead”, as Jane poked him in the ribs.

  Jane was all smiles and just a bit concerned that Steve hadn’t listened to her.

  “You really do need to listen to me, big man”, Jane said as she relaxed for the ride back to Fort Kent with her new toys in hand.

  “Oh, is that right, Miss Birthday Girl”, Steve questioned, “And just when were you going to tell me that the big day is tomorrow”?