WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:15.960 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