1 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: War of the Species by Greg Ballin. My friends were 2 00:00:16,039 --> 00:00:19,719 several miles south of deer Camp, anxiously hoping to fill 3 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,559 their deer tags. I wanted to take some shots too, 4 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,839 with my nikon and my new twelve hundred millimeters zoom lens. 5 00:00:28,879 --> 00:00:31,239 I didn't mind the constant teasing on the six hour 6 00:00:31,359 --> 00:00:35,079 drive to Five Pawns Wilderness in upstate New York, but 7 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,200 it got a bit old on the two hour height 8 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,640 to the remote woodlands. One can only hear the p 9 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,679 words so many times my friends weren't in the best shape. 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,280 Their beer bellies and love handles spilled over their blaut 11 00:00:49,359 --> 00:00:54,280 camo double chins, overflowed tight and flannel collars, and wheezing 12 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:58,479 from carrying those heavy frames and extra pounds were clearly audible. 13 00:00:59,359 --> 00:01:02,560 My retorts regarding the less than stellar physiques hid a 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,000 few raw nerves, and by the time we'd set up camp, 15 00:01:06,239 --> 00:01:10,799 the light hearted animosity was all but forgotten. They'd planned 16 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:14,359 their hunt and I'd planned my route for pictures. These 17 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,040 were my friends of twenty five years. We all shook 18 00:01:18,079 --> 00:01:21,640 hands and headed into the deep forest on opposite directions, 19 00:01:22,159 --> 00:01:24,879 them to fill their tags in freezers and me to 20 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:29,599 fill a sim card with photos. I had been walking 21 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:34,159 and taking pictures for over two hours. The forest was kind, 22 00:01:34,439 --> 00:01:38,079 providing me close up shots of deer, dozens of bird 23 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,359 species and squirrels, and a few fox that sprinted into 24 00:01:42,439 --> 00:01:47,680 their den as I photographed them. Fall provided a kaleidoscope 25 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:52,359 of colors and background for some amazing scenic shots. The 26 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,840 miles of hiking and walking, along with carrying my camera 27 00:01:56,079 --> 00:02:00,319 and bulky pistol, took a toll on my legs. I 28 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,879 stopped by a creek and splashed some water on my face, 29 00:02:04,159 --> 00:02:07,519 and I flopped down upon a large moss covered rock. 30 00:02:08,439 --> 00:02:11,639 The autumn sun was getting low in the sky, adopting 31 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:16,439 an orange glow versus the yellow shine of early afternoon daylight. 32 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,439 The GPS on my phone could take me back to 33 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:24,280 our camp easily, but navigating a strange forest in the 34 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,560 dark wasn't the smartest move. I'd have to move fast, 35 00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:31,159 but I was confident I could beat the setting sun. 36 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,639 I took one last splash of cool water before heading 37 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,479 back to camp. The woods were eerily quiet, and the 38 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:44,439 constant afternoon breeze ceased rustling the leaves. Nothing in the 39 00:02:44,479 --> 00:02:49,319 forest moved, a blanket of silence. Dominated everything around me. 40 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,840 Dread crept from my lower back up my spine, raising 41 00:02:53,879 --> 00:02:57,439 the hair on the nape of my neck. I hastened 42 00:02:57,439 --> 00:03:01,639 my pace, following the GPS indicator on on my phone. 43 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,840 Rapid light footsteps off a narrow game trail paced me. 44 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,360 I stopped to listen. The steps fell silent. I was 45 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,879 breathing hard, sucking in deep breasts, and gulping the air. 46 00:03:15,599 --> 00:03:20,080 The footsteps circle behind me. My hand fell off my 47 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,639 camera case, caressing the grip of my forty four magnum 48 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,639 Tucked in my shoulder holster, my right index and middle 49 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,120 finger unsnapped the locking loop, and my hand circled the 50 00:03:31,159 --> 00:03:35,080 pistol grip, slowly freeing the eight inch stainless steel barrel. 51 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,319 I continued walking, and my past not as frantic, but 52 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:45,520 quick and determined. The footsteps followed, staying hidden deeper off 53 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,960 the trail. I'd gone another half mile, ignoring my woodland stalker, 54 00:03:51,039 --> 00:03:54,439 but keeping my ear peeled. If the steps grew closer 55 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,759 and the woods erupted in the yelping of coyotes, the 56 00:03:58,759 --> 00:04:02,360 scream of a child through the howling, my stalker was 57 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:07,039 a kid. A tore through the forest, chasing the horrible, 58 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,000 terrified shriek. A pack of large codies surrounded a tiny 59 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:17,199 child covered in black clothing. One of the canines leapt forward, 60 00:04:17,319 --> 00:04:20,480 tackling the child, and I screamed a warning and then 61 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,839 fired my revolver in the air. The creatures broke off 62 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:29,439 their attack to face me a new threat. Fear raced 63 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:34,680 through every fiber of my being. These weren't coyotes. They 64 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:39,120 were far too big, with savagely large teeth. One of 65 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,519 the canines rushed forward, gaping, maul open and threatening to 66 00:04:43,639 --> 00:04:47,519 rip me apart. I fired, and a plume of flame 67 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,560 and a concussion roared through the forest. The wolf like 68 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,480 creature dropped in a heap barely ten feet from me. 69 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,680 The three other creatures growled and hissed angrily, burning red 70 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,639 eyes locked in the still smoking barrel of my weapon. 71 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,680 Leave the kid alone, or I'll kill you all, appointed 72 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:11,000 the gun, sweeping the barrel on each creature. They couldn't 73 00:05:11,079 --> 00:05:14,120 understand my words, but the animals knew the gun was 74 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:18,680 a danger. Something came out of the woods behind the 75 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,279 wolf like creatures. Long powerful arms part of the tall 76 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,279 sapling pines like twigs. Its hands were massive, with long, 77 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:33,279 bony fingers ending in savage two inch claws. The face 78 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,959 was pure wolf, eyes burning like hot coals. The canines 79 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:43,800 retreated behind the man wolf, and the thing raised both arms, 80 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:48,240 growling as it charged toward me. I raised my weapon, 81 00:05:48,319 --> 00:05:53,240 firing twice. The funk of three hundred grain magnum slugs 82 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:57,800 tearing into meat made a sick sound. The creature buckled, 83 00:05:57,959 --> 00:06:01,759 falling on all four. Still charged forward, and it hit 84 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,120 me with the force of a freight train, knocking me 85 00:06:04,199 --> 00:06:08,680 off my feet. Razor sharp claws swiped across my chest, 86 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,879 shredding my jacket and my camera straps, and slicing my 87 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:17,480 flesh like a scalding knife. Well. The pain burned, and 88 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,560 an agony of endless throbbing and bony fingers wrapped around 89 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,000 my throat, lifting me off the ground. I felt my 90 00:06:25,079 --> 00:06:29,600 bladder empty. Hot urine ran down my legs as this 91 00:06:29,759 --> 00:06:33,399 hell beast held me dangling two feet off the ground. 92 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,879 Fist like claws squeezed my throat, and by some miracle, 93 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,920 I still had my weapon. I pointed the revolver at 94 00:06:42,959 --> 00:06:46,600 the beast's head, shoving the barrel into its tooth filled maw, 95 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:51,720 and squeezed the trigger its head exploded, and brain matter 96 00:06:51,879 --> 00:06:56,600 and bits of skull carpeted the forest floor. The remaining 97 00:06:56,639 --> 00:07:00,000 wolf like creatures howled in shock as their leader crumped, 98 00:07:00,519 --> 00:07:06,160 blood still pumping out its exposed neck arteries. I hit 99 00:07:06,199 --> 00:07:10,360 the ground hard, still gripping my gun. Adrenaline course through 100 00:07:10,399 --> 00:07:15,560 my body. My limbs trembled with excess energy. The raw 101 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,319 fear ebbed away as I studied the dead creature. It 102 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,800 was easily eight feet tall, even without the head, which 103 00:07:22,959 --> 00:07:27,279 was splattered across the woods. My mind struggled with what 104 00:07:27,439 --> 00:07:32,040 my eyes beheld. Things like this existed only in horror 105 00:07:32,079 --> 00:07:38,639 movies or bogus television documentaries. A weeping sound interrupted my 106 00:07:38,759 --> 00:07:43,519 struggling brain. The child. How bad? Had that wolf like 107 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,720 creature harmed the child? What the hell was the child 108 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,959 doing in the middle of this isolated forest. I holstered 109 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,920 my weapon and leaped toward the unmoving form huddled in 110 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,920 a ball. Hey are you okay? The child continued to whimper. 111 00:08:00,519 --> 00:08:04,360 As I got closer, reality kicked me in the groin again. 112 00:08:05,199 --> 00:08:09,360 This wasn't a human child. What I thought was black 113 00:08:09,439 --> 00:08:13,720 clothing was black fur or hair. The small being was 114 00:08:13,759 --> 00:08:17,680 barely three feet tall. It was thin with lanky arms. 115 00:08:18,079 --> 00:08:22,160 They were covered with black, matted hair. The tiny face 116 00:08:22,399 --> 00:08:27,040 was the only part having exposed skin. The naked creature, 117 00:08:27,199 --> 00:08:30,480 clearly a male, looked at me, eyes wide with fear. 118 00:08:31,399 --> 00:08:35,120 I cursed my own stupidity. What child would be alone 119 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:40,279 in these desolate woodlands? What was I thinking earlier? You idiot? Yeah, 120 00:08:40,279 --> 00:08:44,799 a kid following me. The boy was trembling, curled up 121 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,240 in a tight ball. Look, I won't hurt you, and 122 00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:51,440 I held my hand out open. I hoped he would 123 00:08:51,519 --> 00:08:57,320 understand the gesture. The howl of wolves echoed through the forest. 124 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,399 Oh man, those wolf lies like animals were calling reinforcements. 125 00:09:03,039 --> 00:09:05,559 I needed to retreat fast, but I wasn't going to 126 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:09,559 leave this poor thing behind to get torn apart. I 127 00:09:09,639 --> 00:09:13,240 reached out my open hand, moving toward him slowly. I 128 00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:17,240 won't hurt you, I said. I kept repeating those words, 129 00:09:17,279 --> 00:09:20,840 forcing my thoughts out, praying to God that somehow this 130 00:09:20,919 --> 00:09:25,679 boy would understand my gesture. He pointed a tiny finger 131 00:09:25,759 --> 00:09:31,399 toward my bleeding chest. Hurt. The word came out as 132 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:35,639 a guttural grunt, but I understood what he said. Was 133 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:40,440 this a wild boy somebody abandoned? Nothing about him made sense. 134 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,720 I saw the gaping wound in his leg, and I 135 00:09:43,759 --> 00:09:48,360 pointed to it. Hurt, I repeated. I tore a piece 136 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,639 of flannel off my tattered shirt, dousing it with the 137 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:56,039 last of my water. Held up the soak cloth help. 138 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,759 I cleaned the wound and wrapped another piece of cloth 139 00:09:59,759 --> 00:10:03,879 around his thin leg. As I tightened the makeshift bandage, 140 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,639 the answer dropped on me like an anchor. No, it 141 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:12,720 can't be. You're a baby bigfoot wolf men and now 142 00:10:12,799 --> 00:10:16,320 a pint sized sasquatch with a dragon dropped from the 143 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,639 sky's next. The tiny boy stared at me with his 144 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,600 black eyes, his head tilted and almost a human look 145 00:10:24,639 --> 00:10:29,639 of confusion, not understanding what I was saying. The wolf 146 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:33,759 cries were even closer. We had to go now, and 147 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,159 I took a wrist and gently picked up the child. 148 00:10:36,919 --> 00:10:39,639 It seemed to understand, and it wrapped its long arms 149 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,799 around my neck and shoulders. My camera gear was scattered 150 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,519 across the leaf covered ground. I couldn't carry the child, 151 00:10:47,759 --> 00:10:50,600 my weapon, and the camera gear. I would have to 152 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,879 leave it behind. Say goodbye to a two thousand dollars lens, 153 00:10:54,919 --> 00:10:58,679 I thought. I took the child away from the battlezone 154 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:01,639 as fast as my legs were to carry us, stopping 155 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:06,600 only to glance at my phone's GPS screens. The howls 156 00:11:06,639 --> 00:11:10,720 became deafening, My gut tightened, and the fear spread deeper 157 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,559 into my soul. I silently prayed. My friends heard the 158 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,080 sounds and were also on their way to camp with 159 00:11:17,159 --> 00:11:21,279 their big boar rifles. I was woefully unprepared for this 160 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,519 kind of conflict. The sun was setting as I reached camp. 161 00:11:27,039 --> 00:11:30,000 My friends were nowhere to be seen, and the wolf 162 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:34,240 house seemed to be everywhere. In my brilliance, I had 163 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,519 managed to piss off an entire army of wolf like monsters. 164 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:44,200 Good job, idiot, I muttered, desperately, igniting the largest campfire 165 00:11:44,279 --> 00:11:48,440 I could control safely. The warmth in the light was 166 00:11:48,519 --> 00:11:53,120 small comfort as darkness wallowed the forest. My companions set 167 00:11:53,159 --> 00:11:57,240 away from the flames, wrapped in the thermal blanket. The 168 00:11:57,279 --> 00:12:01,840 tiny sasquatch devoured two blueberry nola bars and three pieces 169 00:12:01,879 --> 00:12:06,679 of deer jerky. I ransacked my friend's tents, desperately looking 170 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,919 for anything I could use as a weapon. Jim had 171 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,200 left a semi auto twelve gage shotgun behind in a 172 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,720 box of heavy slug grounds. I loaded the shotgun to 173 00:12:16,759 --> 00:12:21,240 you with six rounds and reloaded my revolver. I had 174 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,279 two speedloaders prepped, expending the last of my pistol ammunition. 175 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,559 The blood curdling howls were barely twenty yards away. The 176 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,679 hairs on the nape of my neck stood, and my 177 00:12:32,799 --> 00:12:37,120 spine tingled, and every instinct I had told me to run. 178 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,840 My brain knew there was no place to run toward. 179 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,120 The firelight was my only protection. The woods around my 180 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:49,480 camp rustled with footsteps. They were here, following the scent 181 00:12:49,639 --> 00:12:52,480 of our blood through the three plus miles of forest. 182 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,559 The child bigfoot shrieked a cost so loud and powerful 183 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:03,080 my ribs and stomach vibrated inside my body. The world 184 00:13:03,159 --> 00:13:07,200 went silent. Three wolves broke from the tree line, sprinting 185 00:13:07,279 --> 00:13:10,919 toward me. I fired the shotgun into the burning red eyes, 186 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:15,240 and the animals dropped. Two larger wolfmen broke from the forest, 187 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:19,399 hurling rocks in my direction. I ducked as the softball 188 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,480 sized boulders whizzed over my head, crushing my buddy's tent. 189 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:28,200 I emptied the shotgun toward their heads, splattering one skull 190 00:13:28,279 --> 00:13:32,279 but striking the other in the chest. Twice. The wounded 191 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,559 one stumbled forward. More wolves appeared, leaving the tree line, 192 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:41,120 approaching the camp. I emptied my revolver into the wolfman, 193 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:44,840 giving a silent thanks that it finally fell to the ground. 194 00:13:45,879 --> 00:13:50,279 The three wolves stopped and then retreated slightly. I was shaking, 195 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,919 but I managed to reload six more slugs into the 196 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:57,200 shotgun and another six rounds into my revolver. I was 197 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:01,399 pitifully out matched, only prolonging the inevity. They must have 198 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,960 sensed it. The woods erupted and five wolf men charged, 199 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:10,000 followed by a dozen of the four legged beasts. I 200 00:14:10,039 --> 00:14:14,759 emptied both weapons, barely slowing the oncoming onslaught. The wolf 201 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,399 slammed into me, knocking me backwards, its tooth filled mal 202 00:14:18,799 --> 00:14:23,679 snapping inches from my throat. I was fighting for my life. 203 00:14:23,879 --> 00:14:26,879 Desperation gave me strength, though, and I got my legs 204 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,240 under this creature, and I pushed it off with the 205 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,360 last of my waiting strength. The animal fell back, landing 206 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,399 in the blazing campfire. Its shrieks of pain gave me 207 00:14:37,559 --> 00:14:42,679 some satisfaction as its heavy fur set of blaze. More 208 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,159 wolves tore through the camp, destroying everything in their path. 209 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,000 The iron hard claws of a man wolf wrapped around 210 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,360 my throat. The large thing snarled, holding me in mid air, 211 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,960 and a single claw tore through my shoulder. But I 212 00:14:58,039 --> 00:15:01,440 refused to scream. I go to die. This bastard wasn't 213 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:06,240 going to hear me howl in pain. A basketball sized 214 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,360 rock flew from the darkness, crushing the wolf barely three 215 00:15:10,399 --> 00:15:14,799 feet beside me. Another type of wolf echoed through the forest. 216 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:19,879 The wolfmen and their canine army fell silent. I was 217 00:15:19,919 --> 00:15:24,559 tossed away like a rag doll. The canine army formed up, 218 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,200 growling and hissing, and the ground beneath me shook with tremors. 219 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,240 An angry stampede of large, heavy footsteps charged the campground 220 00:15:33,279 --> 00:15:37,480 from the opposite direction. My little sasquatch friend must have 221 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,559 called his parents, and they brought the rest of the family. 222 00:15:41,559 --> 00:15:44,639 I crawled toward the young creature. It was wounded, blood 223 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,159 hemorrhage to spilling on the green grass and staining at red. 224 00:15:49,159 --> 00:15:52,960 Several large rocks were batted away by the wolfmen, and 225 00:15:53,039 --> 00:15:55,759 I dared to look up. Ten of the wolf men 226 00:15:55,919 --> 00:15:59,440 stood ready, and at least a dozen massive wolves stood 227 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:04,759 by their growling. Upon a command, they charged forward toward 228 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,480 the stampede. I scrambled over to the child, shielding it 229 00:16:08,559 --> 00:16:11,919 with my battered body, desperately covering us with the remnant 230 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,039 of my tent. The child was shivering, or was that me? 231 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,559 The night roared with sounds louder than any lion or 232 00:16:20,639 --> 00:16:25,159 angry elephant could ever hope to match. The shrieking and roaring, 233 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:29,320 and sometimes the screams of agony continued for almost twenty 234 00:16:29,519 --> 00:16:34,679 terrifying minutes. Without warning, the forest went silent, and the 235 00:16:34,759 --> 00:16:38,440 roars and screams of rage and agony didn't fade gradually. 236 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:44,279 All sound just ceased. My thundering heartbeat was the only 237 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:49,399 noise defying the silence. I lifted the piece of tent 238 00:16:49,559 --> 00:16:53,720 off of us. My campfire was still crackling, burning brightly. 239 00:16:54,679 --> 00:16:56,879 The child held on to me with a grip of fear, 240 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,440 and I struggled to stand, and the pain in my 241 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:04,319 chest and shoulder were almost unbearable. The child pointed at 242 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,559 the bloody, gaping wound in my shoulder hurt. It grunted. 243 00:17:09,799 --> 00:17:14,480 I nodded, instinctively, holding it like it was my own hurt. 244 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:19,960 I whispered back. My foot kicked something large flashlight rolled 245 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:22,839 a few feet from me, and I knelt down, ignoring 246 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,559 the searing pain, and picked up the light, and by 247 00:17:26,559 --> 00:17:31,119 some miracle, it survived. The hideous onslaught. A three thousand 248 00:17:31,279 --> 00:17:35,000 candlepower beam punched hole in the darkness beyond the fire. 249 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:39,359 Now dial the beam into a wider setting. Cautiously walking 250 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:45,240 toward the now silent battleground, the spotlight bathed several still 251 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:50,200 figures sprawled on the blood soaked earth. Two wolfmen were 252 00:17:50,279 --> 00:17:54,799 quite literally broken in half. A being that I could 253 00:17:54,839 --> 00:17:58,200 only identify as an adult bigfoot was sprawled over a 254 00:17:58,319 --> 00:18:03,039 large stone. Foes carved away a large section of its torso. 255 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:07,480 I moved the light in a semi circle. The field 256 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:11,720 was a sea of death. A large wolf was whimpering 257 00:18:11,799 --> 00:18:15,880 in pain, its hind leg twisted in an unnatural angle 258 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:19,799 as blood poured from its mouth. Dear God in Heaven, 259 00:18:20,039 --> 00:18:23,000 I said, that was all I could come up with. 260 00:18:23,039 --> 00:18:26,319 As my brain struggled to comprehend the level of ferocity 261 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,880 needed to inflict these mortal battle wounds, I heard movement 262 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,839 and I spun the beam of light. A large wolf 263 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:38,240 man was carrying away a dead comrade. It looked at 264 00:18:38,279 --> 00:18:42,720 me and then turned swallowed by the dark forest a 265 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,559 few meters away, being easily ten foot tall, was helping 266 00:18:46,599 --> 00:18:50,839 another hairy creature limp away from the carnage. The battle 267 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,480 was fought, and they were carrying away. They're dead and 268 00:18:53,519 --> 00:18:57,279 assisting the wounded, and I had no interest in discovering 269 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:01,200 who was the victor or who was the vanquished. From 270 00:19:01,279 --> 00:19:06,440 what little I observed, both sides suffered heavy losses. I 271 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,279 carried my wounded friend back to the campfire and did 272 00:19:09,279 --> 00:19:13,279 my best to clean the puncture wounds in its upper arm. Hurt, 273 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,880 it whispered as I tied more flannel shirt around his 274 00:19:17,039 --> 00:19:22,000 arm as a makeshift bandage. I nodded sadly as the 275 00:19:22,039 --> 00:19:27,119 images of death and blood stained my conscience hurt. I 276 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:33,000 could feel myself going into shock. Bigfoot was real. What 277 00:19:33,039 --> 00:19:36,240 other horrors lay out in the wilderness that I scoffed 278 00:19:36,279 --> 00:19:40,440 at as mere fairy tales? The wolfmen or the dog men, 279 00:19:40,519 --> 00:19:45,319 as the documentaries had labeled them, were supposedly supernatural creatures 280 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:50,519 with paranormal abilities. I'd heard stories about them. They were 281 00:19:50,559 --> 00:19:54,319 the enemy of the s squatch, the fairy tale version 282 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:59,680 of lions and hyenas natural enemies and rivals battling over food. 283 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,279 And t territory, each killing the other with no remorse. 284 00:20:04,519 --> 00:20:07,319 Both factions fought some kind of turf war, and I 285 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,680 was in the middle of it. Was this round one 286 00:20:11,319 --> 00:20:15,079 with the survivors licked their wounds and regroup and re engage. 287 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,240 Where were my friends? It was well passed dark, and 288 00:20:19,279 --> 00:20:22,440 they should have been back by now, had they met 289 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:27,000 a horrific end like I almost did. The small one 290 00:20:27,039 --> 00:20:31,839 tapped my shoulder, pointing toward the darkness. Zaba. A si 291 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:36,279 squatch easily twelve feet tall, emerged out of the darkness. 292 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,440 My bowels clenched. I'd already peed myself at least three times. 293 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:46,079 I struggled not to soil my drawers. Next to the 294 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:50,160 behemoth stood a definite female, shorter and more demure, but 295 00:20:50,279 --> 00:20:53,240 easily eight feet tall and capable of killing me with 296 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:57,759 one blow. I had no means of defending myself, not 297 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:02,799 that I considered shooting these creatures. The female took several 298 00:21:02,839 --> 00:21:06,799 steps towards me, and the child continued to repeat Saba. 299 00:21:08,039 --> 00:21:11,240 I assumed that meant mother. I picked up the little 300 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:15,359 bigfoot and carried him toward his mom. My insides were jello. 301 00:21:15,759 --> 00:21:20,720 Every nerve frayed as I struggled not to soil my underwear. Saba, 302 00:21:21,319 --> 00:21:24,400 I said loud enough to be heard, and presented her 303 00:21:24,519 --> 00:21:29,920 the child. Massive hands relieved me of the baby bigfoot. 304 00:21:30,519 --> 00:21:34,000 The mother studied the flannel bandages as the child kept 305 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,400 repeating hurt. The mother looked at me and nodded her 306 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,400 head and actually smiled. I nodded back as a smile 307 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:48,200 decorated my face. The massive male grunted once both turned 308 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:53,240 and disappeared, swallowed up by the darkness. My body was shaking. 309 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:59,440 Fear and shock and terror simultaneously rocketed through me. I 310 00:21:59,519 --> 00:22:03,359 dropped her one, allowing myself a moment to recover. Struggling 311 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:08,839 to rationalize the horrors I'd witnessed, I knelt in silence 312 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,960 for several minutes before daring to stand. The woods were 313 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:17,640 alive with noise again. The horrors had passed. A cold 314 00:22:17,759 --> 00:22:20,759 mist settled over the woodlands, chilling my bones in a 315 00:22:20,799 --> 00:22:25,160 different way than the earlier terror. I needed to focus 316 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,200 on survival and forced my brain out of the shocking 317 00:22:28,279 --> 00:22:33,000 deuced fog. I sorted through the camp wreckage and salvaged 318 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,880 a pillow and a sleeping bag and a first aid kit, 319 00:22:36,559 --> 00:22:38,960 and I patched myself up as best as I could, 320 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,960 and I scavenged for food that had been kicked around 321 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,720 the area. I piled several more logs on the fire, 322 00:22:45,839 --> 00:22:50,200 hoping the roaring blaze would discourage any more visitors. The 323 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:53,240 carcasses of the dead wolves and wolf men around my 324 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,240 camp had also been retrieved. My gut told me there'd 325 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:01,799 be no more fighting tonight. More death would be senseless. 326 00:23:02,319 --> 00:23:07,039 I had nothing left. An exhaustion overtook the waning adrenaline rush, 327 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,440 and I crawled into the sleeping bag. And I let 328 00:23:09,519 --> 00:23:14,200 the blackness of oblivion claim me. I succumbed to the 329 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,839 pain of my wounds and the shock to my psyche. 330 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,079 It was even money if i'd make it through the night. 331 00:23:22,079 --> 00:23:27,279 I woke to the sound of birds and chipmunks. Everything hurt. 332 00:23:27,559 --> 00:23:30,680 A cool breeze hit my face, forcing me deeper into 333 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:35,039 the sleeping bag. The memories of last night trickled into 334 00:23:35,079 --> 00:23:39,279 my head. The fear grew inside me. I was exposed 335 00:23:39,319 --> 00:23:42,480 and vulnerable. My body was a mass of pain and 336 00:23:42,519 --> 00:23:46,640 knotted muscle tissue. The ribs on my left side ached 337 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,839 with each breath. I inhaled, deep, wincing, unzipping the sleeping 338 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:56,519 bag and painfully wriggling out. My jeans and undergarments were 339 00:23:56,599 --> 00:24:00,039 damp and reeked of furine. How many times had I 340 00:24:00,039 --> 00:24:02,559 wet myself during the battle, And how deep was my 341 00:24:02,759 --> 00:24:06,680 shock after that battle that I didn't even feel the discomfort. 342 00:24:08,559 --> 00:24:13,519 Our once orderly camp lay in ruins, completely destroyed. God 343 00:24:13,559 --> 00:24:16,799 only knows what happened to my friends. Were they alive 344 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,799 or had they met some horrible fate last night, a 345 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:24,240 fate I had somehow been spared well. The fire was 346 00:24:24,319 --> 00:24:26,440 still going, and I took a few minutes to stir 347 00:24:26,559 --> 00:24:30,319 the embers and feed the flames, and the warmth was comforting, 348 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,720 and I scrambled through the scattered belongings and found a 349 00:24:33,839 --> 00:24:37,279 change of clothes and some wet naps and several bottles 350 00:24:37,319 --> 00:24:41,640 of water strewn throughout the camp. Daylight made it easier 351 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,960 to salvage what was left of our supplies, and the 352 00:24:45,039 --> 00:24:48,759 crewed wet nap, bath and a change of clothing made 353 00:24:48,839 --> 00:24:53,880 me feel a little better. I spent more time inventoring 354 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:59,720 what supplies weren't trampled or destroyed. The tents were beyond salvage. 355 00:25:00,039 --> 00:25:05,559 Uler of food miraculously survived unharmed. My friend's beer cooler 356 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,640 was a total loss, as was the propane cooking stove 357 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:13,000 and two bags of dried goods. Sometime during the evening 358 00:25:13,039 --> 00:25:17,000 and early morning, raccoons and other scavengers found the cookies 359 00:25:17,039 --> 00:25:20,519 and crackers and bread no other dried goods scattered by 360 00:25:20,519 --> 00:25:24,720 the rampaging wolf army. I salvaged what I could, which 361 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,480 wasn't much. I crunched the cookie as I carried back 362 00:25:28,519 --> 00:25:33,400 a small number of recovered supplies. I hung a kettle 363 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,799 of water over the fire and enjoyed a cup of 364 00:25:35,799 --> 00:25:39,920 instant coffee with dried creamer. It was getting warmer as 365 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,440 the sun rose higher into the sky. The shock of 366 00:25:43,519 --> 00:25:47,039 last night lingered in my system. I didn't know if 367 00:25:47,079 --> 00:25:50,119 these things were watching me, ready to finish what they 368 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:53,400 started last night, or if they had moved on or 369 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,200 to another part of the woods to recover and regroup. 370 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:03,640 I was exposed and literally helpless. Curiosity gradually replaced my 371 00:26:03,759 --> 00:26:07,240 sense of fear and shot I needed to find my 372 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,200 revolver and the shotgun, so I painfully made my way 373 00:26:11,279 --> 00:26:15,319 to where I'd made my last stand. The table was 374 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,920 knocked over. My super red revolver lay half buried under 375 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,400 kicked up debris, and by some miracle, the weapon was 376 00:26:23,519 --> 00:26:26,880 unharmed and the last six round speed loader lay barely 377 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,400 a foot away. The shotgun was buried under tent debris, 378 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:35,160 and the remaining slugs were scattered among the earth. I 379 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,960 managed to find half the box of shells my friend 380 00:26:38,079 --> 00:26:41,400 left behind with the weapon. I took a minute reloading 381 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:45,599 each weapon, replacing the shoulder hoster and cycling a slug 382 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:50,119 round into the shotgun chamber. There was a false sense 383 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,119 of comfort. Being armed weapons gave me a small but 384 00:26:54,279 --> 00:26:58,240 misplaced sense of security. Armed as I was, I was 385 00:26:58,279 --> 00:27:01,279 still no match for the horrors living in these woods. 386 00:27:02,039 --> 00:27:07,920 Last night's encounter made that all too clear. Where were 387 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:12,279 my friends? That was my objective through the morning, find 388 00:27:12,319 --> 00:27:15,599 my friends and get the hell out of here. I 389 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:18,640 made my way toward the main battleground, expecting to see 390 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:22,880 a field of devastation, but to my surprise, several deer 391 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,880 were grazing at the clearing's edge, and a flock of 392 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,079 wild turkey meandered through the middle of the torn up clearing. 393 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,400 All dead were gone, the blood soaked rocks were missing, 394 00:27:34,599 --> 00:27:37,359 and the red stained grasses were plowed under with a 395 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,839 fresh coat of dirt. More signs than These creatures were 396 00:27:40,839 --> 00:27:45,559 not just intelligent, but synthient. I headed into the woods 397 00:27:45,599 --> 00:27:48,960 on a northwest game trail, following the hike laid out 398 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,839 by my friends the day before, and I silently prayed 399 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,920 that they had found refuge somewhere and we would meet 400 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,839 up within the next hour or two. Had been hiking 401 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:04,519 for over an hour, following a well used game trail, 402 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,680 I found their tracks and I knew I was heading 403 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:12,640 in the right direction. Shit large wolf tracks intermixed with 404 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,839 my friends. I quickened my pace, ignoring the searing pain 405 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:20,519 in my left lung. The trail turned a sharp corner 406 00:28:20,559 --> 00:28:24,880 and I came across another hellish scene. Blood and tattered 407 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:28,839 fragments of clothing and over a dozen empty brass casings 408 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:34,200 from my friend's rifles littered the area. Small pine saplings 409 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:38,279 were bathed in dark, dried blood. They were attacked by 410 00:28:38,279 --> 00:28:41,759 the wolves, and they did fight back. My grip on 411 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,559 the shotgun tightened and I raised the weapon, turning a 412 00:28:44,599 --> 00:28:48,039 complete circle, ready to empty the tube with the slightest movement. 413 00:28:49,039 --> 00:28:53,119 But I saw nothing, and the chipmunks chattered endlessly, and 414 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:58,240 the sparrows and crows seemed oblivious to any threat. Three 415 00:28:58,279 --> 00:29:02,480 gray squirrels scampered through the grad, ignoring my presence. Were 416 00:29:02,519 --> 00:29:06,119 they dead, torn apart limb from limb like I would 417 00:29:06,119 --> 00:29:10,000 have been if not for the sisquatch army. I was 418 00:29:10,039 --> 00:29:13,200 afraid to keep looking, afraid that if I kept going, 419 00:29:13,279 --> 00:29:16,279 I'd find the hell beasts, and I too would have 420 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:21,000 forfeited to my second chance at life. Was retreating the 421 00:29:21,039 --> 00:29:24,440 act of a coward? Could I live with myself if 422 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,759 I didn't go on? What rational sane person would believe 423 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,920 my tale? I was in the middle of warring species. 424 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:37,319 Were my hunting buddies casualties of that war taken by 425 00:29:37,319 --> 00:29:41,000 the dog men and their wolf like army. Nobody would 426 00:29:41,079 --> 00:29:45,000 believe me. I lived through it, and it still sounded 427 00:29:45,079 --> 00:29:48,119 like the ravings of a lunatic covering up the murder 428 00:29:48,279 --> 00:29:53,559 of his friends. I'd like to say courage pushed me forward, 429 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,119 but fear of three murder accusations, along with some courage, 430 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:03,119 motivated me to continue. The blood trails continued another one 431 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:09,160 hundred yards. There, partially buried were the bodies of my friends, 432 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:14,359 torn to pieces and half consumed. I couldn't stop my 433 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:19,240 screams of despair. They died the horrible death I was spared. 434 00:30:20,519 --> 00:30:23,519 I had to hike out and inform the park rangers, 435 00:30:23,559 --> 00:30:28,359 and the police owed them that much. Maybe I'd be 436 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,759 placed in a psychiatric ward instead of prison after I 437 00:30:31,839 --> 00:30:34,799 told my tale. But I had to take the chance, 438 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,920 so I had faith maybe somebody would believe me. Maybe 439 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:43,440 the moon was made of cheese. I turned and headed out, 440 00:30:43,559 --> 00:30:46,079 knowing I was doomed no matter what kind of tale 441 00:30:46,279 --> 00:30:51,640 I told. I was in the hospital for two weeks, 442 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:56,000 in the psych ward for another several months. The park 443 00:30:56,079 --> 00:30:59,440 rangers found my friends exactly where I said they would be. 444 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,759 They found my camera and lenses and shredded pack and 445 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:09,000 confirmed the devastation of our campsite. The police questioned me 446 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:13,079 five times three with light detectors and experts in the 447 00:31:13,079 --> 00:31:17,640 field of criminology and psychology. All the experts said I 448 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,000 was telling the truth, or what I believed was the truth. 449 00:31:22,279 --> 00:31:25,960 The forest rangers found massive footprints and paw prints in 450 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,359 the outlying woods by the clearing. Their searches were far 451 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:34,000 more thorough than mine, as they returned with fur and 452 00:31:34,079 --> 00:31:39,599 hair and blood samples for DNA analysis. The tests on 453 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:44,759 the samples must have corroborated something in my fairy tale. 454 00:31:44,839 --> 00:31:49,279 The looming threat of murder charges magically evaporated, and some 455 00:31:49,519 --> 00:31:52,599 science nerds came to my room asking me all sorts 456 00:31:52,599 --> 00:31:57,039 of questions. The official word was that I was attacked 457 00:31:57,079 --> 00:31:59,640 by a stray pack of wild dogs and my friends 458 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,119 were the victims of a savage bear attack. I knew 459 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:07,160 it was all bullshit. They knew that. I knew it 460 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,680 was bullshit, But the key to getting released from detainment 461 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,680 was swallowing the BS tail and keeping my mouth shut. 462 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:21,200 Sweat streamed off my body. Another night waking up screaming, 463 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:25,480 reliving the horrors in my sleep. No amount of alcohol 464 00:32:25,559 --> 00:32:29,599 or sleeping pills could get me through the night. Two 465 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,319 thirty am, like clockwork for the past five months, I 466 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,119 crawled out of the sweaty sheets, making my way to 467 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:41,599 my bowflex working out became my occupational therapy, much to 468 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:46,839 the dismay of the neighbors in my condo complex. I 469 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,400 had no one to talk to and no one to 470 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:53,359 share the horrors of my reality. I knew a dark 471 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,599 truth about the world and was forbidden to speak of it. 472 00:32:57,359 --> 00:33:02,240 Who would believe me anyway? Two hours of exercise in 473 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,400 tai Chi and my mind still wasn't calm, and I 474 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,920 stared at the half empty bottle of jim Beam on 475 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,359 the top of my refrigerator. My booze wasn't going to 476 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,480 put my inner demons to rest. No matter how much 477 00:33:15,519 --> 00:33:20,720 I drank, I couldn't drown those horrors. They were surfaced 478 00:33:20,839 --> 00:33:24,000 every night, though, and I would slip into my sneakers 479 00:33:24,039 --> 00:33:26,480 in a hoodie and my five in the morning heavy 480 00:33:26,519 --> 00:33:31,079 bag session awaited me at the anytime fitness. After that, 481 00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,720 I'd get my morning coffee and read the paper and 482 00:33:33,799 --> 00:33:37,400 stare out the window, watching the blissfully ignorant lead their 483 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:42,960 annoyingly normal lives, unaware of the horror surrounding them. I'd 484 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,759 explored miles of woodlands around my home, and the woods 485 00:33:46,799 --> 00:33:49,480 were full of small coyotes and deer and a few 486 00:33:49,519 --> 00:33:53,880 black bear, nothing out of the ordinary. I should take 487 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,480 comfort in that, but it just pissed me off further. 488 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:00,839 Why didn't we just hunt here? You'd all be alive 489 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:04,759 and together I could live as one of the blissfully ignorant. 490 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:09,639 The sky was a beautiful shade of pink and orange. 491 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:14,000 As the sun rose, I sept my unusual brew, watching 492 00:34:14,039 --> 00:34:17,960 the day star rise higher in the sky. The stream 493 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,840 of normals flowed in for their morning fuel, and I sighed, 494 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:26,800 rubbing my swollen knuckles. My mortgage payments were three months interrears, 495 00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:30,119 and I couldn't focus on any kind of work. My 496 00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:34,079 camera sat on the shelf, mocking me. The desire for 497 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:37,880 that perfect shot no longer burned in my heart. Taking 498 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:42,400 portraits and shooting weddings no longer appealed to me. I 499 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:47,360 pissed off several clients by simply canceling jobs. Soon I'd 500 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,440 be out on the street. I'd be homeless and jobless. 501 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,760 I should be afraid of losing my material things, but 502 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,320 I wasn't. I should be afraid of losing my home, 503 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,400 but I wasn't afraid of that either. I no longer 504 00:35:01,519 --> 00:35:05,800 feared the normal. My terrors were nestled deep within two 505 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:11,159 hundred thousand acres of untamed wilderness woodlands that were best 506 00:35:11,199 --> 00:35:16,000 forgotten and never trespassed by human feet or machine. Man 507 00:35:16,159 --> 00:35:20,480 was not the alpha predator in those woods. Man was 508 00:35:20,519 --> 00:35:23,719 the prey animal, like a deer, rabbit or wild turkey. 509 00:35:24,559 --> 00:35:31,039 Man was on the menu. An epiphany befell me in 510 00:35:31,159 --> 00:35:35,360 that corner booth, nursing my cup of tepid coffee. I 511 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:39,639 didn't belong among the living anymore. I should have died 512 00:35:39,679 --> 00:35:43,360 with my friends. Maybe that's why I couldn't focus, or 513 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:47,599 concentrate or sleep. My clock should have been punched eight 514 00:35:47,679 --> 00:35:52,280 months ago. Part of me desperately tried to convince myself 515 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,920 that I hadn't seen what I had seen. My experience 516 00:35:56,039 --> 00:36:00,400 was a grand illusion born of some crazed hysteria. I 517 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,440 wanted to cling to that delusion and join the ranks 518 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:08,639 of the living again. My rational brain struggled unsuccessfully to 519 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:13,000 surrender to the false reality put upon me by therapists 520 00:36:13,039 --> 00:36:17,360 in some unknown government agency. I knew what I had 521 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:19,840 to do. I had to go back and face the 522 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:25,960 unknown again. I was armed with awareness and knowledge this time. 523 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:29,679 Not that those two ideals would save me from being 524 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,880 torn limb from limb, but I needed to face the 525 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:38,239 demons that still haunted me. Mid Spring was the perfect 526 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:42,000 time to camp in the northern woodlands. The black flies 527 00:36:42,079 --> 00:36:46,159 weren't hatched, and the mosquitoes couldn't endure the cool evenings 528 00:36:46,159 --> 00:36:49,920 of a mountain spring. The snow had melted away and 529 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,480 the sun rose high in the afternoon sky, providing ample 530 00:36:53,599 --> 00:36:58,159 ambient warmth. I camped in the same spot we had 531 00:36:58,199 --> 00:37:04,320 before almost didn't recognize the area. The clearing had overgrown 532 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,599 with lush grass and clover, and the forests were green 533 00:37:07,679 --> 00:37:11,599 with oak and maple leaves forming an emerald canopy over 534 00:37:11,639 --> 00:37:15,519 the woodlands. I felt a sense of peace as I 535 00:37:15,599 --> 00:37:18,760 set up my tiny camp, enjoying the sounds of birds 536 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,159 and chipmunks. All I had to do now was wait. 537 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:26,960 The dog men in the Bigfoot knew I was here. 538 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,960 You can't enter someone's home and have them not know 539 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:35,519 something somewhere was watching me. I couldn't feel it, but 540 00:37:35,639 --> 00:37:40,159 I knew it. I emptied a nine pound sack of 541 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,239 apples and a three pound tenderloin i'd cooked before surrendering 542 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:48,159 the keys to my older brother. The wind would carry 543 00:37:48,199 --> 00:37:51,239 the scent through the woods, and either Sasquatch or dog 544 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:54,719 men would smell the dinner bell. I didn't know whose 545 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:59,159 claim in this territory was valid. My guess was whichever 546 00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:01,719 came to claim the meat was the winner of last 547 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:07,039 year's battle. I didn't have to wait long. The woods 548 00:38:07,079 --> 00:38:10,400 went deadly silent, and I heard motion in the trees 549 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:13,280 barely twenty yards from my camp, behind the rows of 550 00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:18,280 pine saplings. The thin trees parted and a side. Squatch 551 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:22,920 barely four feet in height, stepped into the clearing hurt. 552 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:27,480 It was the young one I befriended, and I reached 553 00:38:27,519 --> 00:38:30,079 in my pocket, pulling out the three torn pieces of 554 00:38:30,199 --> 00:38:35,039 flannel fabric. I held them up Friend, I called out 555 00:38:35,079 --> 00:38:39,519 and pointed to the food offering. The youngster moved to 556 00:38:39,559 --> 00:38:44,000 the apples, happily gorging himself. He slowly made his way 557 00:38:44,079 --> 00:38:47,079 to me, extending his hand, and I reached out my 558 00:38:47,199 --> 00:38:52,239 hand and our palms and fingers touched Friend. He grunted back. 559 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:56,159 He took the whole steak in one hand, grabbed three 560 00:38:56,199 --> 00:39:00,840 more apples, and walked back to the woods. There, silhouetted 561 00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:04,519 by the trees, was the same mother Sasquatch I'd seen before. 562 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:09,639 Not knowing what to do, I stood slowly and waved. 563 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:15,880 She lifted her massive hand, awkwardly repeating my gesture. Junior 564 00:39:16,039 --> 00:39:20,840 shouted friend several times as they disappeared into the woodlands. 565 00:39:21,559 --> 00:39:27,199 I had made successful contact. The Sasquatch family ruled here now, 566 00:39:27,559 --> 00:39:30,360 and I hoped I'd be accepted and allowed to stay 567 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:34,360 here and continue making contact for whatever time I had left. 568 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:37,800 I had nothing else to live for, and it seemed 569 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,559 they didn't want me dead. Maybe out here where I 570 00:39:41,599 --> 00:39:46,519 lost everything, I could find myself again. Maybe I could 571 00:39:46,519 --> 00:39:49,840 finally find the peace denied me by civilization.