pedal, pushing the camper ten miles above the recommended speed limit. The camper groaned in protest as they began an upward climb, taking them above Yellowstone Lake.
“It’s okay,” Arthur assured them between breaths. “We’ll be at the ranger station in ten minutes,” he told them, managing a smile.
The driver’s side window shattered, spraying glass in Arthur’s face. A black arm with three thick fingers reached through the opening and dug its three-inch claws into Arthur’s eyes. The arm withdrew as Arthur pulled hard on the wheel, driving off the highway and beyond the gravel shoulder. They screamed in unison as the camper fell weightlessly toward the freezing water of the lake below. Only a camping chair left at the site and some light skid marks on the highway showed they were ever there.
17
I t had been two full days now since Rowena and Doug had disappeared and there was no sign of them. Kelly and Richard awoke early the next morning, dressed, and went to Stew’s cabin, where they’d knocked on the door. They had to wait for five minutes before Stew answered, his eyes bloodshot.
“What the hell, dude?” Stew looked at the sky and squinted, despite the lack of sun. “What time is it?” He stood bare-chested in his boxer shorts.
“Six thirty.” Kelly looked under his arm and saw Sonia in her usual fashion, passed out on her stomach, subtly snoring. “We need the keys to your jeep.”
“The what?” Stew yawned, scratching the back of his head, looking like a zombie.
“Your keys. We need to borrow your jeep.” Richard spoke loudly and slowly.
Stew nodded, the words finally boring through his sleeping brain. He turned and shuffled across the room, bending down to dig through his pants pockets. He returned with the keys, handing them off to Stew. Without another word, he shut the door in their faces.
“Guess that’s it then.” Richard smiled, both of them sharing a little laugh at Stew’s expense.
They drove to the campsite and spent the next two hours walking the trails, circling the site and combing through the brush. They ventured a few miles beyond the thermal pools, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to rule them out. They found nothing; not a single shirt fiber or footprint. Kelly couldn’t stand leaving Doug and Rowena’s stuff there another night, like discarded junk. She got down on her knees and rolled Doug’s bag, tossing it to Richard before moving a few feet to Rowena’s. But as she started rolling it up, she paused, lifting up the bag to look at the ground beneath.
“What is it?” Richard tossed Doug’s bag into the back of the jeep and hurried over, looking down at the partial footprint left in the dirt. “What the hell is that?” Richard got on his knees and leaned in close, tracing the large print with his eye. “Looks like Bigfoot.”
“But what’s that slimy goop around the toes?”
Richard shook his head, wondering the same. It looked like someone had sneezed all over his foot and then stepped in the dirt. It was dark green, on the verge of being black. Richard pulled back as a smell drifted up, assaulting his nostrils. He covered his nose with the back of his arm and scooted back, waving a hand before his face as if he’d just cut one.
“Smells awful.” Kelly turned her head back toward the jeep. “Like rotten garbage or decaying meat. What could it be?”
“I have no freaking idea.” Richard braved the smell and leaned toward the partial footprint, searching the nearby soil for a second, but there was nothing. “Why’s there only the one print? Where is this thing’s other foot?”
“What thing? You’re speaking as if some kind of creature carried them off.” Kelly’s eyes went wide with horror. She turned her head and saw herself sleeping in her sleeping bag, helpless and vulnerable as something crept into their campsite and plucked up her friends like a couple of chickens. It could just have easily been her that was taken. “Oh my God,
“It’s okay,” Arthur assured them between breaths. “We’ll be at the ranger station in ten minutes,” he told them, managing a smile.
The driver’s side window shattered, spraying glass in Arthur’s face. A black arm with three thick fingers reached through the opening and dug its three-inch claws into Arthur’s eyes. The arm withdrew as Arthur pulled hard on the wheel, driving off the highway and beyond the gravel shoulder. They screamed in unison as the camper fell weightlessly toward the freezing water of the lake below. Only a camping chair left at the site and some light skid marks on the highway showed they were ever there.
17
I t had been two full days now since Rowena and Doug had disappeared and there was no sign of them. Kelly and Richard awoke early the next morning, dressed, and went to Stew’s cabin, where they’d knocked on the door. They had to wait for five minutes before Stew answered, his eyes bloodshot.
“What the hell, dude?” Stew looked at the sky and squinted, despite the lack of sun. “What time is it?” He stood bare-chested in his boxer shorts.
“Six thirty.” Kelly looked under his arm and saw Sonia in her usual fashion, passed out on her stomach, subtly snoring. “We need the keys to your jeep.”
“The what?” Stew yawned, scratching the back of his head, looking like a zombie.
“Your keys. We need to borrow your jeep.” Richard spoke loudly and slowly.
Stew nodded, the words finally boring through his sleeping brain. He turned and shuffled across the room, bending down to dig through his pants pockets. He returned with the keys, handing them off to Stew. Without another word, he shut the door in their faces.
“Guess that’s it then.” Richard smiled, both of them sharing a little laugh at Stew’s expense.
They drove to the campsite and spent the next two hours walking the trails, circling the site and combing through the brush. They ventured a few miles beyond the thermal pools, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to rule them out. They found nothing; not a single shirt fiber or footprint. Kelly couldn’t stand leaving Doug and Rowena’s stuff there another night, like discarded junk. She got down on her knees and rolled Doug’s bag, tossing it to Richard before moving a few feet to Rowena’s. But as she started rolling it up, she paused, lifting up the bag to look at the ground beneath.
“What is it?” Richard tossed Doug’s bag into the back of the jeep and hurried over, looking down at the partial footprint left in the dirt. “What the hell is that?” Richard got on his knees and leaned in close, tracing the large print with his eye. “Looks like Bigfoot.”
“But what’s that slimy goop around the toes?”
Richard shook his head, wondering the same. It looked like someone had sneezed all over his foot and then stepped in the dirt. It was dark green, on the verge of being black. Richard pulled back as a smell drifted up, assaulting his nostrils. He covered his nose with the back of his arm and scooted back, waving a hand before his face as if he’d just cut one.
“Smells awful.” Kelly turned her head back toward the jeep. “Like rotten garbage or decaying meat. What could it be?”
“I have no freaking idea.” Richard braved the smell and leaned toward the partial footprint, searching the nearby soil for a second, but there was nothing. “Why’s there only the one print? Where is this thing’s other foot?”
“What thing? You’re speaking as if some kind of creature carried them off.” Kelly’s eyes went wide with horror. She turned her head and saw herself sleeping in her sleeping bag, helpless and vulnerable as something crept into their campsite and plucked up her friends like a couple of chickens. It could just have easily been her that was taken. “Oh my God,
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