The Beast

“Are you awake?”

“I am.”

“How long have we been out?”

“Hours. Maybe longer.”

“Longer than hours?”

“I don’t know. It’s pitch black in here, smells like goat guts, and my head is aching with confusion. And my hips are killing me from laying on the ground.”

“Same. I’m real thirsty, too.”

“Yep. Like cotton balls.”

“I don’t hear…the thing…anymore, do you?”

“No.”

“What should we do?”

“Find a way out.”

“Agreed. But how?”

“We’re on a dirt floor. I think we’re in some kind of cave. It must have dragged us here.”

“That doesn’t answer how we get out.”

“Shh. Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, what was it?”

“Lower your voice.”

“Sorry.”

“Maybe it was my imagination. Thought I heard it breathing.”

“I feel something next to me. Your bag maybe.”

“I dropped it into the ravine on the chase, remember? Right after you tossed yours?”

“Oh, right. Then what is this?”

“Let me come over to you.”

“It’s right here. Feels like canvas. Jeans maybe? Do you feel it?”

“Jeans for sure. There’s something solid inside. A rod or stick, I think.”

“A stick inside of canvas?”

“Wait. Feels like corduroy. A coat. Jeans and a coat?”

“Oh, yeah. For sure.”

“Is this…hair?”

“What?!”

“A beard! Oh, no…”

“I’m not touching it. What is it?”

“I think it’s another person.”

“Oh dear god! Is he alive?”

“Hey, buddy. Wake up. We’re getting out of here. Ahh!”

“What?!”

“His face!”

“What about it?”

“It’s all…wet. Gooey.”

“Ok, I’m done. We need to find a way out of here now.”

“Feel your way along the wall. Try to find a door or something.”

“A door? Inside of this…cave?”

“Doorway. Is that better? Just follow me.”

“Is that your pantleg? Please say that’s your pantleg.”

“Yes, and you’re grabbing too tight. I can barely crawl along. Second thought, just stand up.”

“Slow down. Give me a second. My legs are wobbly.”

“Easy on the shirt. You’re going to rip it off my back.”

“My bad. Ok, proceed. Lead the way. Get us the hell out of here!”

“Watch your step there.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t think either of us wants to know.”

“Another body?”

“I said don’t ask.”

“Oh, god, what is this place?”

“Here’s something.”

“What is it? Don’t say it’s another body.”

“I think I actually found a doorway. Possibly. I can feel the rock face turning here. And do you hear that sound?”

“Water?”

“Yeah. Dripping water. We must be in a tunnel. Let’s go a little faster here.”

“It’s still pitch black for me. Can you see?”

“No, I’m just following the sound of the water. It’s distant, so it must be a long tunnel.”

“Ok, not so fast.”

“Try to keep up—and don’t pull so hard. You’re strangling me with my own shirt.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“OK, another turn.”

“Did you get splashed with water?”

“I did. Hopefully just water. Can you see the light ahead?”

“I see nothing.”

“There’s a light. Real faint. Can you see the walls of the tunnel? It’s all dirt and rock and vines.”

“Are we underground?”

“Possibly.”

“A growl. Did you hear it?”

“Could be my stomach.”

“I don’t think so. It was more like an animal sound. Definitely not a starvation sound.”

“Oh, damn. You may be right. I heard it.”

“Yeah, right? Another growl, right?”

“Yeah. Definitely a growl.”

“Is it back?”

“I just saw a flicker in the light ahead. Like a shadow moved across the tunnel.”

“Oh, man. If that thing is back…”

“This way.”

“Wait, why are you turning?”

“I think it’s coming down the tunnel ahead of us. I can smell it.”

“Oh god, that smell.”

“Stay with me. Stop talking.”

“I’m terrified.”

“Quiet, would you.”

“Sorry.”

“Here, tuck into this alcove.”

“How can I tuck into something I can’t see.”

“Use your hands. Feel the wall. And sit already, would you!”

“Ok, I’m tucked in. Now what?”

“Be. Quiet. And wait.”

“For what?”

“For the thing to pass.”

“Won’t it smell us?”

“We don’t have any other option. I’m not going back to that…lair…or whatever that is. And we can’t just skirt past it.”

“Right.”

“Shh. I can hear it getting closer. Don’t say another word until I give us the go.”

“Got it.”

“Ok, I don’t hear it anymore. Let’s go.”

“Wait. Give me your shirt again.”

“Not so tight this time.”

“Yeah, sure, sorry.”

“This way. Do you see it now? The light is getting brighter ahead.”

“Yes, I can see it. It’s an opening, right?”

“You got it. Our ticket out of here.”

“Wait, what am I seeing?”

“Trees. Lots of them.”

“And loads of sky, too. Those trees are either really short or we’re really high above them.”

“A valley. Here, stay to the wall. Careful now. Look. It’s a ledge.”

“We’re trapped on this ledge now?”

“Look around. There must be a way down from here.”

“Look down. That’s the only way out of here—a leap to our deaths. We’re at the edge of a sheer cliff facing a blender of tree limbs at the bottom.”

“Calm down. Think. We’ve got to be quick.”

“Dude, look at your hands.”

“Oh, yeah. The guy’s face.”

“Is it blood?”

“I think so. Never mind that. Look around.”

“How about that way, over to the left.”

“It’s possible. You’ll have to stay close to the wall and shimmy along. Put your back against it and don’t look down.”

“Oh man, there must be another way.”

“If you see one, point it out.”

“I got nothing.”

“Right, let’s do this. And…you can let go of my shirt now.”

“Oops. Sorry. Nervous.”

“I can tell.”

“Slow down. You’re moving too fast.”

“Keep up. Feel your footing. The ledge is wider than it seems, just make sure your back is to the wall.”

“Easy for you to say. How long are we on this?”

“Not sure yet.”

“I can’t take much more of this. I’m starting to feel dizzy.”

“Stay with me. Do not look down.”

“I’m trying. My palms are sweating like mad.”

“Keep them on the wall. If you put your arms in front, you’ll lose your balance for sure.”

“Did you hear that?”

“That was a loud one. It must have realized we’re not in its lair anymore.”

“It sounds like a lion and a dinosaur roaring at once.”

“It’s not pleasant. Focus. I see a clearing over here. Only a few more steps and we can jump to it.”

“It’s coming!”

“Jump!”

“Whoa!”

“Gotcha. Pull yourself up. Come on, you can do it.”

“Holy hell, I nearly went into the blender.”

“Look down. There’s another landing just below you. You would have been fine.”

“Still, that was dreadful. Now where?”

“Up. Get the high ground.”

“You want to climb those rocks? Why not go down that way?”

“Look at the size of those boulders. They must be twenty feet high. We wouldn’t make even one of those jumps without breaking an ankle.”

“What if we went around to the other side? Maybe there’s a path or something.”

“That roar is getting louder. It must be searching the tunnels for us. Not much time to make a decision here.”

“Up it is. Go!”

“Watch your step there.”

“I’m exhausted already.”

“Use those two boulders and jump to the shelf.”

“How much further?”

“Don’t know. Just keep going, fast as you can climb.”

“Give me a hand here please.”

“Pull up. Grab this branch, then swing yourself here. Good. Easy on that boulder, it rocks. Here. Yep, good. Almost there, I think. Wait, what’s that sound?”

“The thing?”

“No, something else. Like an engine. A chainsaw, maybe?”

“Yeah, I think you’re right. Where’s that coming from?”

“Not sure. Keep climbing. There’s a pinnacle at the top of these steps. We can look out there.”

“Ouch!”

“You ok?”

“Twisted my ankle.”

“Give me your hand. Pull. Up. Good. Wait. Look down there.”

“What is it?”

“I see smoke. Probably from the chainsaws. That bit of yellow there could be a truck or logging equipment.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Call for help.”

“And announce to that thing where we are?”

“That…thing…will find us no matter what we do. We’re stuck on the top of this mountain, with that beast’s lair underneath us and the only way out of this is to hop down twenty-foot drops…or call for help. Do you have a better idea?”

“I do not. HELP!”

 “HELP!”

“Up here!”

“Help us!”

“We’re up here!”

“Wait. Shh. The chainsaws. They stopped.”

“Do you think they heard us?”

“Maybe. Call again. Help!”

“Help!”

“Hel…..”

“Tommy…turn around.”

“Shhh. Easy now. Don’t move a muscle.”

“I couldn’t if I wanted to.”

“Hey, listen, you! We’re not trying to hurt you. We just want to go home. OK? We’re not here to harm you. Now, go back inside your home and let us go.”

“I don’t think it’s working. I think it’s trying to corner us.”

“Shoo. Go away. Get out of here.”

“Dude, it’s eight feet tall. You think you can just shoo it.”

“Hand me that rock by your foot.”

“Here.”

“I’ll throw it! I mean it! I was a pitcher through college. Got a mean fast pitch. Don’t make me. I’ll do it.”

“It’s not working, Tom.”

“Back off, you!”

“Holy shit, you hit it right in the eye.”

“Oh, damn, duck!”

“This way!”

“Here. Whoa. Gotcha. Jump. Over here. Come on. Onto this ledge. Good, knock that log down into the ravine. It can’t get us here.”

“It’s back. Uh…and you made it pretty mad.”

“You stay where you are! You see this?! Another fast pitch winding up just for you. Beat it!”

“Something tells me it could easily make the jump over to us.”

“Stay put, you fowl-smelling creature.”

“Name calling probably won’t make it go away either.”

“Whoa! What was that?”

“Sounded like a gun. But what was the blast of purple light that surrounded it?”

“Whatever it was, it sent it flying over the side fast.”

“You fellas alright, then?”

“Oh, man, you gotta help us. There’s some kind of….bear…or…monster….”

“Bear? No. Monster? Sometimes.”

“Listen, we were just out for a hike and this thing came across our path. Started chasing us. We lost all our stuff and ended up inside its cave.”

“You boys got yoselves a glimpse of somethin’ real rare out these parts. You oughtta feel lucky you ain’t being digested right ‘bout now.”

“What is that thing?”

“Let’s just say you never mind what you seen here. Now give me a minute and I’ll git you off that there rock so you can be on your way.”

“Where’s he going?”

“Beats me. Did you hear what he said?”

“Yep—we ain’t never seen nothin’ here today.”

“That guy is a hunter.”

“And?”

“He said we saw something rare. He’s hunting bigfoot. That thing is bigfoot!”

“Bigfoot? Come off it already. Are you being serious?”

“No doubt. I can’t believe this! This is amazing! People all over the world have been dying to get their hands on some kind of evidence proving it exists.”

“Why do you have that look in your eye?”

“John, we just survived a bigfoot attack. We were that close to it.”

“Do you really think anyone will believe you?”

“When the hunter gets us off the ledge, we’ll head back to the car and get the rifles.”

“And then?”

“After that fall, there’s no way it got back up yet. We’ll make our way back up here and shoot it.”

“Shoot it? We’re lucky to be alive, and you want to come back and try to shoot it?”

“We’ll make a deal with the hunter. We can take the thing home and start making some calls. Find the biggest bigfoot nut out there and make a fortune. Split the earnings with him.”

“Do you remember the dead bodies piled up in its lair? We were about to be tomorrow's dinner before we ended up out here. I just want to go home and forget this ever happened.”

“Hold on. He’s back.”

“Right. Now, I’m gonna’ toss this here log acrost them two rocks. You two fellas will wanna step back so as you ain’t get whacked when I drop it.”

“Got it.”

“Say, mister, you shot that thing, right?”

“Well, what do you think? Ain’t no one else out here but us, and you ain’t got no guns.”

“Did you see where it landed?”

“Just down the other side of the boulder. He’s takin’ a little nap down in that there crevice. You safe to go now, but better git a move on before it wears off and he start a wakin'.”

“Look, my friend and I here, we have a little proposition. We’re thinking if we went in three ways…”

“In case you didn’t hear me the first time, you need to be gittin’ outta here.”

“Right. You saw him first. How about you get half and we…”

“Listen to me, junior, you don’t want to be makin’ no ideas about this here being. It ain’t bigfoot or yeti or Loch Ness. Every so often he gets loose from the spell and finds eemself a couple a hikers to munch on. You wouldn’t understand it and you don’t want to understand it. Far too many generations been up and down this mountain keepin’ eem in check and keepin’ fellas like you from gittin’ yo head split open and scooped out fo’ lunch. Now I knows you prolly found another friend or two in his dungeon. That ain’t no accident, that’s how this works. You two just showed up at the wrong place and at the wrong time. If you wanna end up like them, I suggest you keep on pushin’ your grand idea to take this to the media and make a million. Ain’t the first time I been propositioned on it.”

“Tommy…can we just go?”

“What’s it gonna be then, Tommy? You wanna be lunch or you wanna listen to your friend there?”

“Fine. Toss the log over.”

“Wise choice. Step back, now. Alright, watch your footing.”

“Hey, mister, behind you!”

“Whoa, it knocked him out that quick! Get his gun.”

“I’m not going over there!”

“Fine. I’ll get it.”

“Watch out!”

“Got it.”

“Aim it at it's head!”

“Stand back, you. This is more powerful than my fast pitch.”

“Tommy, look out!”

“You give me that gun, son. You ain’t gonna be able to fire it.”

"It's blinding!"

“How the heck…?”

“...did we get in the truck?”

“The hunter fired the gun again. That purple light, it was everywhere. And now…?”

“Look. Our bags. They’re in the bed of the truck.”

“Dude, I don’t know what just happened. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

"I can agree with that."