This podcast may not be suitable for young listeners. Steve Lily fifteen a big
Foot called to Satan conclusion. After the video conference, the team decided that
since odds were good that Satan would come through West Tennessee following the Hatchie,
it would be better to position themselves close to the river channel. Hook sat
in the driver's seat of his excursion, watching Stephen Matt stand on the balve
A's aluminum boat throwing baits while they trolled back and forth in front of the
gravel boat ramp where they had access to the channel. A fish would explode
on his topwater bait and Steve would miss setting the hook allowed dang echoed through
the forest. Hook grinned while Matt ragged him for not knowing how to fish.
I'm gonna catch a big one right at the end of that tree.
You ought to be taking notes, Matt. Steve said, you ain't gonna
catch shit. Matt said the chatter between the two was hysterical. To Hook,
he loved being around these guys. It seemed as though there was never
a moment that the men were not having fun. Steve, Hook and Matt
had launched that morning from a ramp in the Hatchee National Wildlife Refuge close to
Highway seventy nine. The other men and the crew drove straight north and then
toward the Mississippi River to position themselves close to where the Hatchee dumped into the
big river. This way, they thought they would have a team ready to
respond quickly when and if Red call to report a sighting of the mutant creature
from their satellites above. It wasn't a great plan, but they didn't have
intel on the creature's location, so this plan was as good as any.
The night before, Steve made a mental list of the men he knew could
handle themselves in these tents hunting situations. They weren't hunting an animal that was
harmless. They were hunting the most dangerous predator on the planet. They had
to have been tested in proven themselves to be cool under immense pressure of attacking
squatches. His friends Matt and Bryant, two men he knew had been in
those tent situations, were the names that were at the top of his list.
They were both damned good shots with any rifle, and they were steady
under pressure. Steve called both men and they agreed to go right away,
and Bryant and Matt had met their respective teams in the early hours of the
morning. At the end of the Hatchee near the Mississippi in the Lower Hatchee
National Wildlife Refuge, Lewis, Isabel, and Bryant played a game of corn
hole. Brian pulled up to the location early that morning just as Lewis launched
his boat into the river. He parked and walked over to greet Bryant and
noticed in the back of Brant's truck a corn hole set. The sun was
just now lighting the horizon in the east. Hey, Brant, we're going
to be here for a while with nothing to do. Let's set these up
and pass the time, said Lewis. How about we making a dollar a
game, you boys in. They played the game until noon, and by
that time Lewis was up twenty dollars on the others. They took a break
and sat in lawn chairs under a cloudy sky. They enjoyed the breeze and
watching the muddy water drift by. While they ate sandwiches. Lewis and Isabel
brief Brant on the creature that they were dealing with. Bryant just listened,
never saying a word, but the two others knew he was running the information
through his mind. With their belly satisfied, all three men leaned back in
their lawn chairs and closed their eyes and tried to get some sleep in the
shade of a stand of oak trees. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming
or if he had actually heard the howl. Louis opened his eyes but never
moved his head. I heard it too, said Isabel. The howl came
again. It was far away and faint. It was artificial. That's a
speaker, said Louis. That's someone mimicking a bigfoot. But that's not the
sound they make. I've heard they do make those howls, said Bryant.
I know you have, brother, but they don't often do that. Why
would they? It gives their location away, and they know it, said
Louis. Isabel didn't know this either. He had only been with the team
a few months and hadn't gotten the experience. Lewis and the other guys had
Isabel and Bryant listen as they should have, and they took everything in.
There's a big foot group camp across the river this weekend. Bryan. It's
the same people we dealt with in Texas. I know you remember, said
Louis. I don't believe I'll ever forget that day, said Bryant. Isabel
had been told a story. All right, Well, this is Wednesday,
and we were told their camp out was to happen this weekend. If I
had to guess, that was them planning their speakers in the woods ahead of
time and running a test. Let's just sit tight. I bet we're going
to hear more sounds exactly like that in different locations. Over the next two
hours, the bounty hunters heard several cries from a speaker, just as Lewis
had predicted. Lewis used his mobile phone to let Stephen Hook know what he
was hearing. Any ideas on what we could do to warn these people,
asked Steve. Well, we can walk into their camp and talk to him,
said Louis. But I'd rather not. I don't want to deal with
that woman, Renee. Plus, they won't listen anyway. You don't think
they would listen after what happened in Texas, asked Steve. Steve, I
really don't know. I suspect they'll stay in the camp and just play those
sounds for their audience. If they do leave the camp site, they won't
go far. Their campground is on the north side of the river too.
The thickest part of the forest is on the south side. As satan thing
won't cross the river. He's gonna stay where he has room to move,
because hopefully we're gonna be on his ass when he gets here. If he
gets here, too many variables to waste time talking to those people. I
probably couldn't find him anyway. Lewis did not want to go looking for this
crowd. Well, that's a good point, Lewis. All right, let's
all sit tight and hopefully we'll hear from Red soon, said Steve Stephen.
Matt went back to trolling the banks of the Hatchee River and throwing buzz baits.
Hook never woke up from his sleep and his reclining a long chair.
Bryan, Lewis and Isabel started a new game of corn hole, and the
bounty hunters waited, fighting boredom by any means at hand. The deer ran
past the creature's hide. He had been asleep in the cool mud under the
leaves that he had raked over his back, and his reaction wasn't fast enough
to grab the deer's leg as it ran full speed, almost over the top
of him. He tried to catch it the deer from instinct, not hunger.
He had eaten yesterday a whole male pig that ran wild in the flooded
but now drying wetlands. There were only sparse places that held water from the
winter flooding, and he liked traveling on dryer ground rather than through a foot
of water. The cypress niece were more revealed with the lower water, and
he could step around him. The creature was a nearly indestructible being, and
it knew it. But stepping on a cypress kneeze still smarted. The creature
stood up. It was dry where he had chosen to sleep. The mud
he had cloaked himself with had dried as well, and it was beginning to
flake off. The river wetlands, however, was never short of mud.
He would cover himself when he found some wet ground. He tilted his head
back and raised its muzzle high and sniffed the air for anything unusual. And
then he detected something. It was familiar, but it was not close.
Lowering his head and looking forward, he took two massive steps and then stopped
at the howl he heard ahead. The creature could identify every scent and place
a mental picture in its mind to match an animal it had fed on in
the past, but this noise was different. He started walking at a fast
pace. The sound came again, along with the scent of a two walker,
an animal without hair. The creature had fed on the two walkers before,
but only when it was hungry, or when he had been discovered or
seen. He had killed and eaten all that had crossed his path. The
taste of these creatures was weak. His body told his mind that there was
little nutrition in these animals, but he ate everything he killed, even though
the route he traveled was thick with other food sources. A pack of them
had sent metal objects into his body years before. He knew when the booms
came, the pain would follow. He had killed each of the two walkers
and had eaten them on the spot, and he remembered them. He never
forgot it. He tried to avoid the two walkers, but they were everywhere,
and he hated them. A new sound came from the forest in front
of him, and he moved faster. It was his instinct that pushed him
there was no hunger, There was only hatred, and it pushed him to
the river. They were making sounds back and forth just into the woods across
the fifty foot wide channel. Quietly, the creature slipped into the water,
crawled over a trunk of a large oak tree and through the branches that swayed
in the current, and then out into the channel and slipped under the muddy
water on the other side. The creature emerged, devoid of its mud cloak
and hair matted to its body, and it clawed its way up the steep
bank, resisting the urge to shake its body, now slightly heavier with the
water. It dropped to its hands and feet, and it dug its back
claws into the mud beneath the leaves and began to stalk its prey through a
mass of vines. It moved, making almost no noise, and into a
clearing. It saw the two walkers standing beside a tree, and it waited
and watched. One of the two walkers raised its hands to a branch and
began climbing, and when it was in the air, it pulled a black
object up into the tree, and then it left it there, and it
climbed to the ground. One of the two walkers held something to its mouth
and made sounds, and then something made sounds in return. The black box
and the tree roared and howled, and it startled the beast, knowing it
had moved at launch from its hide, covered the distance between it and the
two walkers and a second and had both of them pinned together on the ground.
The foul beast began eating the first two walker, starting at the feet.
While it was still alive. It held the other with its free hand,
and both two walkers fought more than other two walkers usually fought, but
its grip on them never changed. After eating, it moved forward, looking
for a slick plane of mud to recover itself. We got a hit.
It was Agent Red's voice in the earpieces of the six men on the team.
They kept them on and spoke to each other during the hours they waited.
Where is he asked, Lewis. The image will be on your handheld
in ten seconds, and we see your crew, Lewis, and you're not
far away, but the creatures across the river. Red said this as if
she had concerns as to whether they could get across the river. He's heading
north and back towards the river. Now, I don't know if it intends
to cross back over. I need to tell you, Lewis, that while
we were taking great caution to make sure and identify this monster, we watched
it eat two people. It consumed them both in ten minutes, two full
grown men. We think we're alive while it ain't them. Holy shit,
said Isabel held diablo. The images became visible on the team's handheld monitors.
I got him, said Lewis. We can get to him across the river
and the boat. No worries. It's going to take us an hour to
get there. Steve, are you getting all this? I'm getting every word.
We're loading the boat now and heading your way. It'll be an hour
before we get there too. Let me know what side of the river he's
on when we get close. I'd rather come to you on foot rather than
mess with this boat. All right, hurry up, said Louis. Guys,
be safe. The backup team is on standby. They can be on
site in ten minutes to say the word, said Fred, Now go kill
that thing. Hook poured the gas to the excursion and he headed west.
Us was full throttle on his outboard moving against the slow current of the river.
The boat felt sluggish until he remembered he had two men in the boat.
It would not plane out, but they were moving. Bria took in
everything as Lewis made the sharp turns that would keep them in the channel and
follow the river to him. If he didn't know where he was, this
could pass as a tributary of the Great Amazon. In South America, there
were no power lines, no houses, no sign of civilization anywhere. And
Isabel watched his monitor and on the screen he could see the boat and the
wake that it was leaving as it traveled. He could also see the squatch
called Satan. They were still forty five minutes away by river. It struck
Isabel as funny that had they been able to move in a straight line,
they could have intercepted the beast in fifteen minutes, but due to the route
the river had carved thousands of years ago, the fastest route was by water.
He tried to relax the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders. They
were beginning to cramp. What they faced ahead of them, though, would
cause anyone to stress. Lewis saw that Isabel was nervous, and he spoken
to his might. If he gets you, Isabel, he won't eat you.
He's already had supper. Isabel looked back at Louis and they smiled at
each other. Everyone on the channel heard what Lewis said. The calm system
was open, and even to the folks at the agency who watched the events
unfold on their big monitor in the conference room, everyone smiled. They knew
this team was walking into a dangerous situation and joking was a way to relieve
the stress. The boat rounded yet another bend in the river and Bryant held
up his hand, telling Lewis to let off the throttle. The nose of
the boat plowed into the water and wake caught up, pushing them further up
river. He's about five hundred yards due north. If we go any further,
we'll be heading away from him. Put us over there on that sandbar,
Lewis, this place is as good as any to start walking. Lewis
cut the motor to idle and allowed the slow turn of the prop to gently
push the boat onto the sand. Bright stepped out and pulled the boat further
onto the sand, making it more steady for the others to exit on the
bank. They each arranged their gear to their preference. They checked their AMMO
and cleared their rifles, and then recharged rounds in the chambers. With their
rifles on safe they walked up the embankment and into the woods. The sky
had been cloudy all day. They had not seen the sun once or to
the west. Before walking into the trees, Isabel saw dark clouds approaching.
It would begin to rain, he feared within the hour. He know that
due to the time of day, which on a sunny day would be dark
in three hours, it would now be dark in two All right, what's
the plan, asked Brian. Looks like that assholes stop. He's been moving
since we got on the water. Why is he stopped? Lewis asked anyone
who could give him an answer. His heat signatures fading, guys, said
Agent Red. We're about to lose him now. This happens every time we
get a hit on him. How does he do that? If he's lying
flat to the ground, he's rolling in mud. That's how he masks himself.
It was Steve Lily talking from the backseat of Hook's excursion. He had
been thinking about that exact phenomenon as they drove in silent. That's exactly what
he's doing, said Brian. Look at that. He's vanishing before our eyes.
If we can't track him, this hunt just got considerably more difficult,
said Lewis quickly, before the creature disappeared from the screen. Bryant used a
feature on his handheld monitor to create a waypoint on Satan's position. The waypoint
was visible to everyone. If we're going to kill this thing today, we
got to move fast, said Bryant. This is the line he's moving on
while we took our boat ride. He's heading for the river. If we
move on this line, Bryant pointed to his monitor, running his finger across
the screen, we should be able to intercept him about here, and I'm
thinking he'll either engage us or he'll run when we start shooting. Either way,
we got to kill him right here, or we drive him to this
lake and force him into the water so the technology can get him when all
that mud washes off. Steve's crew was close and listening to everything. They
saw exactly what Bryant was saying. Confirm the name of the lake that you
think you can drive him into, said Steve. All right, let me
zoom in, said Bryant. A few seconds lapsed, and then he said,
looks like it's called Champion Lake. If he goes in the lake and
makes it across, he's only half a mile from the river, and we'll
all be behind him, said Steve. I don't know if we can keep
up with a squatch when he's running. Scared. This is assuming he runs,
said hook. If he bows up on us, it's going to be
a hell of a fight. Look, guys, said Bryan, we got
to do something. He's already gone from the screen and he's moving. We're
gonna lose him. Bryant's right, said Steve. We're passing the penitentiary right
now. We can get out in front of him. If we drive on
to the Fulton Road and get in that field that he's going to have to
cross, We'll get Matte set up with his fifty cow hooking ale spot for
him. I'll try your best to pushing that way, Steve said, Agent
Blue over the calms, you'll have your back to the river. If he
does run, you'll have to take him down right there. Well, no
shit, said Steve. That's why we're doing this, okay, sport.
If he gets by you, we have to go through this all again.
We ain't going to do this again. We're about to kill Satan today,
Steve said, somehow, I believe you said Blue. Screw all this talking.
Lewis's voice boomed over the colms. We're moving. On the screen,
the agency crew watched the heat signatures of the three men begin to move.
They started slow moving through the undergrowth that was wild at the edge of the
river where the sunshine half of the day, but once they broke into the
canopy of trees, they picked up speed. They were on in an angle
of pursuit that most in the room thought would meet the beast. Several in
the conference rooms squirmed in their chairs, wondering what would happened when they engaged
Satan. Tom Chatham and Renee tends It sat in lawn chairs behind in the
barn located on Old Fulton Road. Renee had developed a friendly relationship with the
landowner who owned the property and struck a deal with him to rent the area
for a week. The landowner left when she told him they were a Bigfoot
research group that wanted to have a camp out there, but when she offered
him twenty five hundred dollars, his face went straight, and he agreed right
away. He wanted cash up front. Renee had Roger her husband, count
out the one hundred dollar bills on the hood of her car and pay the
man. The leaders of this scamming operation had immediately set up their tents and
arranged their gear so they could relax while the local men they had hired walked
into the lower Hatchee refuge and hung speakers. The men were given walkie talkies
and told the radio Chatham when they had each speaker hung. At that point,
Tom would press the button on his remote to test it. If everything
worked properly, the men were to move a few hundred yards away and then
hang another. This process was to be repeated six times. It had been
four hours since the men had hung the third speaker. Everything was working as
planned to this point, but where were the hired help. Had they decided
the work was too hard? What was wrong with these river Rednecks? They
both discussed. Chatham had tried to raise them on the radios, but he
never got an answer, and it would soon be dark. They finally came
to the conclusion that the men had stolen their speakers and left. Apparently the
gear was worth something in those men's minds at a pawn shot. Rather than
getting paid the hundred dollars each for finishing the job, Renee and Tom felt
that they were okay with the three speakers that did work, and thoughts of
the men they had hired faded from their minds. Roger, put your damn
phone down and get a fire started. Tom and I are hungry, said
Renee to her beta male husband. Roger dutifully obeyed her command, and soon
a nice fire was blazing. Now get the hot dogs out and get them
ready to cook, she said. Drive to tell you every move to make.
Shots rang out in the woods to the south. The sound of rifle
reports echoing through the trees sounded familiar to the scammers. They both walked toward
the barn, away from the fire, toward the road so they could hear
better. It's probably dear hunters, said Chatham. Yeah, probably so,
agreed Renee. Dear season ended two weeks ago, said Roger. They could
be pig hunters. They can shoot those things year round. Oh, shut
up, dumbass, Renee said to Roger, what do you know about it?
Pig hunters? Chatham said, in a low voice, do you think
he ended his sentence without finishing. Renee knew exactly what he was saying.
There's no way. I wouldn't that be something? Said Roger from behind the
pear. Wouldn't that be something? Roger, with a slike ran across his
face, slid a hot dog on a coat hanger, and began cooking their
meals. Bryant saw the beasts first. He stopped in his tracks, shocked
at the monstrous size. Bryant was ahead of Isabella and Lewis. Both spoke
into the mic when he stopped, what's got bright? The marine didn't answer.
He didn't have time. The creature was hard to see in the fading
light, and it was about to bail off into the thick undergrowth in front
of Champion Lake. Bryant raised his A R ten and began sending thirty caliber
rounds into the creature, and when he was empty, Louis and Isabel ran
past him in a flash, trying to gain ground on the monster that they
had not seen yet. Bryant ejected an empty wagon, replaced it with another,
and then took up on their heels. Louis caught a fleeting glimpse of
the giant beast and he unloaded on it. Isabel, never seeing the creature,
emptied his mag into the same direction Louis was shooting. They both slapped
fresh mags in. The three of them stood together at the edge of the
woods, listening for anything from the overgrown field in front of them. Where
is he sixty rounds? Somebody had to hit him several times, said Bryant.
Each man held their rifle to their shoulder, ready to fire. Spread
out, said Louis. He may come out ready to fight. The three
men side stepped, put distance between them that they never lowered their rifles.
A short distance away, they heard water splashing and then a roar that let
them know the fight was still on. He's hit, but he's pissed,
said Louis. We've got to go in there and finish him off. WHOA,
said Bryant. Let's give him a minute. He might bleed out and
die. Yeah. I like that idea better, said Louis. Isabel took
three steps closer to try to get a better look. With the sun going
down, it would be dark in an hour. The forest floor was dark.
They needed to move if they were going to deal with Satan and be
able to see. We've got to get out of these trees. If he
comes back in here, he's going to be hard to see, said Isabel.
Greece, said Bryant, But let's stay together. Louis held his hand
up. Steve, are you in position? Yep, Run that fucker out
of those trees to us. Max got a surprise for him. Can you
see him, said Louis, Yeah, he's right there beside me. You
want to talk to him? Steve leaned over it, mate, and laughed
while pointing to his phone. Steve usually chose the worst times to make a
joke. I ain't got time for your bullshit, Steve said, Louis.
Do you have eyes on the squatch all? We can see your trees,
We can see you on the monitor, but between you and us is a
lake and two hundred yards of overgrown field. You're either going to have to
drive him to us or kill him, or we need to come to you.
It's your call, Lewis, Steve said, taking the situation more serious.
Hold where you are, said Louis, and then he turned to the
others and he said, any ideas, boys, Let's spread out and move
out of these trees, like Isabel said, said Bryant, we need to
be able to see what we're shooting at. After that, it's going to
be what it's gonna be. We're gonna try to flush him out, Lewis
told Steve through us, might I keep us posted? Lewis, how about
you circle around to your left, Isabel goes up the middle, and I
cover the right. Bryant had already started moving. The others stepped forward.
I got a hit on him, boys, said Steve. That's confirmed,
said Agent Red. He's less than forty yards in front of you, Lewis.
Looks like he went in some water, and we can see him now.
Each man stopped and looked at their monitors. Now they had him,
they moved ahead, rifles ready to shoot the second they saw a movement.
Isabel was closest and would reach the creature first. Lewis and Bryant knew this,
and they began to make noise, both of them yelling and taunting the
mutant creature. This would take his attention off Isabel. When he got eyes
on the creature, and hopefully he could end the standoff. Isabel stopped abruptly.
He and Satan locked eyes in that brief moment where Isabel lined up his
head shot. The creature exploded from the brush and was on him before he
could pull the trigger, running over the small man and then wrapping its massive
hand around Isabel's leg, it headed back into the trees. Louis saw it
all as it happened. With Isabel being dragged behind, he took a chance
and started shooting any way. In his mind, if he hit Isabel he
would be saving him from a painful dismemberment. But if he hit Satan,
maybe it would drop his friend and keep running. Taking great care to lead
the furious creature enough so that if he missed, the bullets would pass in
front of the beast, Louis shanks methodically began squeezing round after round off.
He knew his shots were landing in the right places. He heard the lead
meeting meat and saw the flinch each time around struck Satan in his right shoulder,
his arm, his chest, and stomach. Isabel was dropped into the
leaves. Louis kept the pressure on Satan by continuing his fire until the beast
turned away from him, trying its best to evade the pain. This pushed
Satan passed Bryant, who had by this time made it back into the trees.
It was a right to laugh shot for Bryant. He didn't hit Satan
with every shot, but he hit him enough that he kept running and he
was soon out of you. That damn monster's gotta have forty bullet wounds.
How's he still standing? Said Bryant. Lewis made it to Isabel, and
other than puncture wounds in his right leg, he was no worse for the
wear. Louis lifted Isabel to his feet. Can you still fight? He
said? Hell, yes, I can fight. Let's go, said Isabel.
He readjusted his rifle that had been dragged with him, set it straight
on his chest attachment, and he cleared around. He's running north now,
heading for Highway eighty seven. I'm guessing he's going to cross the highway and
keep heading north, said Agent Red over the calms, Steve, can you
move your team already? On it? Steve's voice sounded excited. He loved
the stuff. Red Cassie on the monitor that the excursion was moving at a
good speed. We're gonna move over on Old Fulton Road and hold there until
we see where he goes. I don't want to get caught in a bad
position. This time, but eventually he's going to head to that river.
We just need to know where so we can cut him off. Good call,
Steve, said Agent Blue. But I have to say if he continues
north, I don't see a way for you to get your vehicle out in
front of him and cut him off. That's what we're thinking too, said
Steve. Let's just see what he does. Roger Tensi had been given the
task of policing up the camp while Chatham and Renee discussed all the shooting they
were hearing in the refuge. They were becoming increasingly worried and almost decided that
they should get the hell away from the area. They didn't know what the
shooting was about, but it couldn't be good, and it sounded more like
a wharf than someone hunting. The two had come back and sat in their
long chairs after the last rounds of rifle bullets. They were turning the conversation
to the upcoming weekend with their followers, making plans and thinking of new ways
to fool the followers. Roger had walked to the barn, where the owner
had set out two barrels for the campers to throw their trash and from the
back of the barn. He had a clear line of sight across Old Fulton
Road and into a field directly across. He had to double take the image
that appeared before him, but when he was sure what he was seeing,
he reached for the door on the barn. It was locked. Moving forward
a few feet to the large swinging doors that opened into the equipment stalls,
he saw a gap in the doors that were locked, and he could fit
his all framed through it. Once inside, he climbed onto one of the
massive pieces of farm equipment, and then he climbed into the floor of a
cab. To him, it was the safest place to be. The massive
bleeding sasquatch he had seen running full speed at their camp would never think to
look for him there. Everything was quiet for a minute, even in the
weatherproof cab of the machine. He heard the creature's feet stamped by the door
of the barn he had just entered, and then he heard his wife and
Chatham scream, and there was a loud crash and a terrifying roar, and
then it was quiet again. A sly grin turned Roger tends it's cheeks upward.
The creature just grabbed someone from behind the barn, said Red into her.
He's headed due west to the river. Steve, do you have an
angle on him. We're away ahead of you, Agent Red, stand by,
said Steve. She turned her attention away from the giant beast that she
could clearly see on her screen carrying a human in its grip, to the
place on Old Fulton Road where the excursion had been parked, but it wasn't
there. Panning out, she saw the vehicle. It was now in the
trees and it was moving fast. She knew hook Johnson was driving. He
must have found a road that they could not see from the air. The
excursion approached a field and then turned left and followed the west side of the
field until it stopped. Red watched one man deploy from the back seat.
The big car began to move again. It deployed another man and moved on
until all three men in the car were covering the field, and she smiled
and wondered, from what place on the planet could she have had a better
and more into would have said of hunters working for her. These men were
absolutely in their element. Steve. We are deploying the backup team. Now
we see you covering the field. If that thing gets by you, our
team will pick him up and try to kill him before he makes it to
the river. Do you copy? I copy, said Steve. He's heading
right for us. I don't think you'll need the other team, but it's
a good idea to get him in the air just in case. Steve hook
and Matt waited. It was scary quiet, except for the zicadas that sing
the woods to sleep each night of the summer. The men had fifteen minutes
of light left. They each felt sure the mutant would appear in the clearing
before full dark, but each passing minute made it harder to see. Matt
reached up and wiped a row of mosquitos off his neck, and he settled
his eye back into the scope of his personal fifty caliber bolt rifle. He
wasn't looking for the creature. He would take his eye out of the scope
to do that. He wanted to make sure the expense of light gathering scope
he had mounted on the cannon would give him a better and more illuminated image
than his naked eye. He could, and he was happy with that,
And he raised his head above the rifle and watched each man ignored the monitors.
Others were verbally giving them intel on the creature's movements. Louis, how's
Isabel and bright, Steve said into his might, Bryant's fine, Isabel tried
to take that thing on in hand to hand combat. He's got a few
nasty puncture wounds in his leg, but he's moving. We are standing by
good deal. Brother. I need you to hold there for just a little
while. This'll be over one way or another in a few minutes. I
need you there in case he doubles back. Copy that, said Louis,
He's comin right at ye, Steve. The creature will come into the open
And five four three Matt had taken a peek at his monitor. He knew
exactly where that thing would pop out. Laying in a prone position, he
snugged the rifle stock into his shoulder, got his eye relief perfect to his
scope, and let his visions settle. That thing would come out near a
giant sweet gum tree that stood a few feet into the scrub brush covered field.
Matt wasn't sure what he was seeing when movement caught his attention. He
focused on it for a second, and he still couldn't make it out.
Something had come into view, but there were no defining features. Whatever it
was, it stopped at the sweet gum tree and it stood behind the trunk,
only partially concealed. Squeezing his fists to make the scope raise a few
inches, he discovered why he couldn't make the figure out in his view.
This monster was so big that he had to zoom out a few clicks to
get the whole thing in his scope, in its hand with something hanging,
something with clothes. It was a person. Are you guys seeing this?
Matt said into his mic. Damn, a thing's big, said Hook.
Yeah, and he's been hit a few times. Look at all that blood,
said Steve. Matt, do you have the shot? I have a
shot, but he's holding someone in his hand. This fifty cow will kill
that person too if I shoot. Just from the concussion, I'm not sure
what to do, guys, Matt, can you hit him if he's moving?
Said Hook. I don't know, said Matt, But he's not moving.
What are you talking about? A voice came over the colms. The
men had not heard. Men. This is your agency backup, where the
team sent to help you if something goes wrong. We're in the air now
and can be over your field in sixty seconds. We're holding until you need
us. We will not deploy on the ground. We will take the creature
out from above should he get past you. If you have a plan,
deploy it now. We're sure we can get him with a mini chain gun
mounted on this helicopter before he gets to the river. Do you copy?
Silence? Steve thought he could vaguely hear the rotor wash of a chopper in
the distance. Matt, you and Hood get ready to shoot. I'm gonna
get him moving and hopefully he'll drop his hostage and run. He's gonna either
run at me or away from me. Either way, you guys should be
able to take him down. Steve, he's full of aar ten rounds now
and he's still going strong. I don't think a few more are going to
do any damage. Well, then it's up to Matt. You gotta hit
him, Matt, or we're gonna call in the cavalry. Are you ready?
Said Steve, No promises, said Matt. I'm sure he'll be moving
faster than I can keep him in the scope. Well, we gotta tribe,
brother, All right, here we go, Steve burst from the woods
and ran straight at the beast, firing harmless rounds high into the trees.
Matt watched patiently through his scope. He was willing the creature to drop the
person in his hand. Satan stepped from behind the tree. Matt had had
a shot the whole time, and he wished he could have sent around into
its center mast. But now the beast was in the clear, his view
was even better, and he began to increase the pressure on the trigger.
Drop it, Matt whispered, drop it and give me a shot. In
the blurry background of Matt's picture of the area, he saw more movement.
Something was coming in behind the massive beast. Steve was halfway across the field
by this time, still firing around every ten steps. With all the commotion
happening, Matt held a sight picture, ready to finish his trigger pull when
and if the creature dropped the person in his hand. Mister Sabe person,
please, mister sybe person, that go of my friend. We mean you
no harm. We come in peace, said Renee. Tends it. That's
that crazy woman from Texas, said hook, What the hell that thing's gonna
kill her. Matt, still holding the crosshairs on the creature's chest. Watched
as Satan turned and threw the person in his hand at Renee tends it.
When Matt saw that the person was now out of the concussion danger zone of
the fifty caliber round, he finished his pull, sending a cannon sized projectile
into the back of Satan center mass. Matt didn't see the creature explode because
he had not come back out of the recoil, but when his scope settled
he still got to watch the legs of the beasts still standing in its original
position. The top half of Satan was gone, and Gore rained down on
the hostage, and Renee tends it, her white and blue summer blouse now
covered in guts and bone fragments. Damn, good shot, Matt said,
hook. I'm glad you shot when you did, said Steve. I was
just about out of bullets. Matt leaned his head forward in the grass and
tried to let the tension out of the back of his neck. It wasn't
the longest shot he had made, but it may have been the most important
shot he would ever make. He allowed his head to drop face first into
the grass and taking in the scent of fresh June grass. Seemed to ease
the pressure for the moment, Steve Lily ran to the person Satan had thrown
at Renee tends it. It was Tom Chatham and he was dead. His
neck had been broken. Lily walked a few more steps to check on Blabbermouth.
She was alive and well, a bit in shock, but she was
okay. Before he walked away, he noticed her coming around some as she
began cleaning and wiping the squatch gore off her face. The chopper flew over
the field and then circle back to land, and five men clad in armor
and weapons that left no doubt they were full on operators, exited the helicopter.
Two of the men headed toward the remains of the creature with their weapons
raised. The remaining operators fanned out into the field, heading to the other
bounty hunters. Steve looked around and saw his men walk out and greet the
military men. He saw them shaking hands and patting them on the back,
and when he looked up, the two headed his way were right beside him.
How's it going, Steve said a familiar voice. Steve couldn't place it,
but he knew the voice. How are those people? Do they need
medical attention. The soldier pointed to the two bodies laying flat to the ground.
Ah, the male's dead, he's got a broken neck. The female,
well, she's okay, but you don't want to get her started The
man in front of him in military gear nodded. The operator. Apparently the
officer in charge removed his goggles, unsnapped his head gear and removed it.
Hey, I know you, said Steve. How are you, Captain Clark
and what the hell are you doing here? Steve looked over to the ungoggled
soldier to his left and Frank Margalin stood there smiling at him. Damn,
is this the whole wild Hunt team, said Steve. Hey, Steve,
we asked to be a part of this operation. The word guy to us
that you, fellow us were about to take on Satan. Your agency's regular
in house team had just come off an op. We thought we would do
this in their place so they could get her rest. But in the end
you didn't need us anyway. Either way, it's damn good to see you.
Good work. By the way, we followed you the whole way.
I'm not sure we could have of this creature any better than you fellows did.
By the way, it's major Clark. Now. Well, shit,
Daniel, I'm sorry you got demoted, Steve said, shaking his head.
It was a promotion, but that doesn't matter out here. We're all the
same. Clark laughed. He wasn't sure if Steve was messing with him or
if he was serious. Oh you got that right, Steve said, and
he cocked his head and winked at Clark. Steve turned to the man on
Clark's left. Frank, is that you said, Steve? That's me,
sir, said Margolin. I'm a little pissed at you, Steve. You
should have called us sooner. We came all the way to West Tennessee and
we never fired a shot. Well, Frank, how about you go over
and shoot that monster over there, Steve said, and he pointed at Renee
tends It, who was now on her feet and walking toward the men.
Just another fun weekend killing the Sabe people. I see. You are the
most disgusting men I have ever met in my life. You are going to
hear from my attorneys on this, and you can expect a large lawsuit soon.
I mean that for all of you. Five additional people approached the group.
Matt and hook, accompanied by three soldiers from the helicopter. The first
to remove their head gear was a female. Steve noticed she carried a long
sniper rifle, Valkyrie. He said, Hi, Steve, my name's Miranda
Masterson. You can call me Valkyrie if you like. Hey, great job
here. You fellas are the real deal, aren't they, Major Clark?
Yes they are, Steve. Where are the other three men from your team?
Oh damn, said Steve. With all this commotion, I bout forgot
about them. They're okay. They may still be holding the ground and the
refuge. Steve spoke into his mic and tried to raise Lewis. I'm right
here, Lewis said. His voice carried across the field. There they are,
said Steve. Hurry up, boys, I want you to meet some
old friends. Renee tends It stepped in the middle of the group again,
wagging her finger in Steve's face, continuing to threaten a lawsuit, and when
she had had sixty seconds to spew her hate, Valkyrie stepped in and said,
get lost, Karen. These men saved your life, and if I'm
not mistaken, this is the second time they've saved your life. That's right,
Clark, said. Furthermore, do you think you have deep enough pockets
to take on the federal government in a lawsuit for killing a species that does
not exist? If you think you do, I can assure you there are
five witnesses here who will testify that mister Lily and these other five men were
never here, This event never took place. Is this all real clear to
you? Renee's face twitched in anger, so much so that the blood and
sinew caked on her face in a crack and fall to the ground. Ma'am,
I think you need to get on back and pick all those bones out
of your hair, said Hook. Renee turned away in a huff and stormed
up the path she had taken from the Barnyard camp site. She turned to
say something when she had walked a few steps. Keep moving, Karen,
said, Valkyrie. Renee walked from sight. What's up her butt? Asked
Margalin. Bryan Lewis and Isabel walked to the group. It was dark by
this time, but Clark saw that Isabel needed help walking. Are you injured,
sir, he asked? He is, Sir, said Bryant. He's
got puncture wounds from the creature in his legs. The wounds are not critical,
but I think we need to get him medical attention to ward off infection.
Captain VALLETTI, would you please see to this man's wounds, said Clark.
He was speaking to Captain Francesca Valetti. Call signed ear. She was
a team sir, and proficient with battlefield wounds, of course, said Valtti.
What is your name, sir, Isabel Garza? He said, if
you could please help mister Garza to the chopper, I can take a look
at him there. She looked at Bryant. Bryant nodded. Instead of helping
Isabel walk, he lifted his new friend over his back in a fireman's carry
and walked him to the chopper. Isabel moaned when he was lifted. The
pain was beginning to get to him. Captain OVELETTI, if you'll get him
stable, we'll fly him to the nearest hospital, said Clark. The conversation
went on for another thirty minutes. The Lily team was exhausted from the day's
work. Clark called a Valkyrie that they needed to get everyone moving. She
had walked off with Matt. They were discussing rifles and precisions shooting in combat
situations. How about we fly these men back to their boat so they can
get loaded up and get home, said Clark. Forget it, said Louis.
There's enough room in Hook's excursion for us to all fit, and we
want to go home. We can't come back for the boat in a daylight
tomorrow, okay, men, said Clark, we need to head back to
base again. Good job on this one. If you ever need us,
you know we'll be there if at all possible. I believe you would do
that, major, said Lily. I appreciate everything. If you would get
Isabel to an ear in that helicopter, that is all we need. It's
not a problem, said Clark. Margolin had left the group fifteen minutes before,
and some of the men noticed him walking around with his head lamp pointing
at the forest floor. He was looking for something. When he returned,
he was carrying something large under his arm. Hook and Lewis started laughing,
and Steve turned to see what was so funny. Look at what Frank found
for us, Steve said, Lewis, that's the ugliest thing I've ever seen.
It's Steve Margolin, with great effort, hoisted Satan's head up in front
of him. I knew it was there somewhere. Those fifty caliber rounds will
Papa targets head off in a lot of cases. You guys want a trophy.
I've never seen anything like this, said Steve. Is it even a
squatch? This is a mutant version of your typical squatch, said Clark.
We're seeing more and more of these in recent months. We've taken down to
ourselves. We can't seem to figure out whether they're coming from or why they're
here. We do know that they are bigger, faster, and stronger and
more aggressive than your typical size squatch. Less scary as hell, said Matte.
Nasty too, said Hook. That thing took no less than twenty rounds
from our ar tens, said Lewis. Bryant can attest to that. We
can see that in the lower section that is intact, said Valkyrie. Look
at all the thirty caliber wounds in its legs. She shined her head lamp
on the legs that had been laying only a few feet from the group.
What are you fellas shooting, asked Brian. Oh, these are four fifty
eighth so calm rounds, said Margolin. If we're going to take on creatures
like this. We may need some of those, Steve said Lewis. Well,
I think we can fix you guys up with a few, said Clark.
Call me next week, Steve. We'll set up a meeting for you
with our armorer. I'll let him know what we talked about. I'll do
that, Major said Steve. Okay, sounds good. Do you men need
anything else from us? Clark said he was as genuine a man as the
Lily Crew had ever met. Nope, get your people home, Major,
said Steve. Thanks for dropping in. The Memphis crew watched the chopper lift
off and assumed that they would head to the closest emergency room so that Isabel
could have his wounds properly treated. They would get a call later that Captain
Olivetti had made the call to take Isabel back to Fort Leonard Wood. She
wanted to watch over Isabel until she was sure that he was out of the
woods and healing. She told Steve over the phone that he might be on
the base for a week or more, and Steve called Isabel's wife and let
her know the situation. The crew headed toward Memphis. Lewis drove the excursion.
The rest of the team slept the whole way. The next day,
Steve drove Lewis back to the boat ramp at the end of the Hatchee River.
They retrieved his boat, and Lewis and Steve drove home in their respective
vehicles. On his way home, Steve dropped in at work to get caught
up on all he needed to do. There was so much going on that
he clocked in and put in eight hours. On his way home, he
stopped did Pizza Hut and he ordered two pizzas, one for him and one
he knew Angela liked the best. He called her on his way home to
the trailer. Have you eaten yet, Steve asked, I have not.
I thought about fixing some chicken and vegetables. Would you like to join me?
She asked, nope. I have your favorite pizza and it's steaming hot.
Just picked it up at Pizza Hut. How about you come over and
eat it with me, and then you and me and Lily can watch something
on Netflix. There was a long pause. Are you serious? Steve?
Angela said, well, share, I'm serious. I'll be home in ten
Now, come on over. We'll make a night of it. Okay,
then we'll see you in a minute, she said. Angela ran to her
bathroom and brushed her hair and brushed her teeth. Then she moved to the
bedroom and changed into something she thought Steve would think look good. She waited
at the window, looking out through a small slitt in the blind. She
didn't want Steve to see her watching. Once he had walked inside his trailer.
She waited in excruciating five minutes before she walked over. It was not
good for him to act like she was too eager, but she didn't want
to be laid either. The couple sat at Steve's table and ate their pizza
and drank a few beers and fed Lily the scraps. When they took their
eyes off each other, they saw that five hours had passed. Have we
been here talking for five hours? Asked Angela. That's what the clock says,
said Steve. I should be getting home. My dog is going to
worry about may All right, I'll walk you over, Angela, said Steve.
Under Angela's porchlight. She turned to face Steve. Thank you for inviting
me over. It was good to talk to you and get to know you
better. I've known you for a few years now, but tonight I think
I know you twice as well. It's very nice of you to buy the
pizzas too, so thanks. She started to turn to walk inside, but
Steve held her arm to stop her, and when she turned, he kissed
her cheek as she had kissed his two days ago. She stopped and faced
him. All right, come on, Steve Lily, she said, come
on where, come on and kiss me proper. Steve Lily leaned in and
softly kissed her mouth. He ended it with a couple of pecks on her
cheek as he pulled her closer for a warm embrace. With his hands on
her arms, he separated them and looked into her eyes. I haven't done
that in years, he said, I haven't either. I guess I should
get going now, said Steve. Well, I guess you should. She
said, Well, maybe we can do this again soon. I'd like that,
mister Lily, I really would like that. Steve let go of her
hand. He had held it until he was almost at the bottom step of
her porch. She was having to hold onto the rail with her other hand
to keep from being pulled off her porch. She laughed when he released her,
and Angela watched Steve and Lily walk to their trailer. She shut the
door behind her and leaned her back against the door, and she took in
a deep breath. Inside, Steve thought about what he was getting himself into.
He couldn't drop this one like some of the others he had been with.
Angela was too good for that. She may have been the best woman
he had known in years. Now, he was going to go for this
one and see where it took him. You only live once, he thought,
Life might be good if I share it with someone I love and respect.
Steve. Lily got into bed with a scent of Angela's hair on his
shirt. He had not taken it off. He liked her scent. Lily
nustled against his body. He reached his arm around her neck and rubbed her
Ellie. The dream that tortured his soul that night would haunt him for weeks