Baker County Bigfoot Chronicle Page 9

  Cochran pulled the gun back and returned it to the holster on his belt. He then turned toward the door. “Tony, let’s go,” he said.

  “Right behind you,” Tony replied.

  “Wait!” Julie called out behind them.

  Cochran glanced back over his shoulder at her.

  “Go left, there is a stairwell at the end of the hallway. If you go right, you’ll probably run into trouble again,” she said.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I suppose you don’t want to join us?”

  Julie took a step forward, but then glanced over at John. He was shaking his head.

  “No,” she said a bit reluctantly. “We’ll be able to tell when the power goes down completely, and when it does, we’ll get out of here.”

  The sheriff frowned and glanced over at John. “If anything happens to her, it’s on you,” he said, pointing at him. “Y’all sit tight until the power goes down…and when it does, make a beeline for the stairs and get the hell out of this building.”

  “We will,” Julie assured him.

  There was a moment of hesitation as Cochran felt a deep desire to plead with her to follow him, however he resisted the urge to follow his instinct. Without another word, he and Tony entered the hallway amid the eerie shower of red light and the increasingly loud stench of the nearby wood apes.

  ***

  “What the hell is taking them so long?” Marie asked as she paced between the walls of Kurt’s cell.

  It seemed the longer she had been in there, the smaller the room became. She looked at her watch and estimated at least half an hour had passed. A passing glance at the open vent in the ceiling caused her to briefly consider leaving the cell and trying to figure out how to open the door on her own. Marie couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the sheriff and Tony had been caught—or worse yet, killed. She shuddered at that thought and refused to accept it.

  Kurt, meanwhile, had become quite lethargic and distant. At first, it seemed obvious that he recognized Marie and knew who she was. Furthermore, he seemed to understand that she, the sheriff, and Tony were all working together to try and free him. Though he could not talk, his eyes said a great deal. Now, however, the liveliness that had been Kurt Bledsoe seemed to be fading into something…else.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling beside him.

  Kurt stared straight ahead, emotionless though his eyes began to turn a darker shade than what they’d once been. A bit of drool fell from the corner of his mouth and his large hands rested on the floor beside him, palms up. Marie began to feel a bit uneasy, so much so that she regained her footing and moved to the opposite side of the room, just watching him.

  After a period of several minutes the creature that had once been Kurt finally turned its large head and peered over at her. The eyes had finally settled on a dark shade of brown and the beast’s head cocked to the side, clearly confused and curious about what was going on. Marie looked on as it clumsily stood, using the sturdy wall to support the enormous frame.

  “Kurt?” she asked, though she seemed quite aware that he was no longer there.

  The wood ape glared at her and then responded with a low guttural growl. Marie felt her heart rate increase and tried desperately to remain calm.

  “Kurt, it’s me,” she said softly. “It’s Marie. I need you to focus…to hear my voice.”

  The wood ape took a step toward her, still growling. It was a hulking beast with wide shoulders and a muscular build. She took note that it was larger than all the other wood apes she’d encountered in the laboratory. The creature took another step and at that point Marie did something she really did not want to do.

  “Stop right there,” she said firmly. The barrel of the gun she was pointing at the wood ape shook slightly, but she kept it steady enough to do the job if it came to it.

  The creature looked at the gun and then down to the bandaged wound on its leg. It seemed to know that the two were connected, and it did nothing but fuel the already mounting frustration.

  “Please don’t make me use this,” Marie said pleadingly. “Kurt, I know you’re in there…please don’t make me use this. Stop where you are now!”

  The creature did stop, but whether Kurt was behind it, she could not be sure. Marie’s back was against the wall, there was no where else to go, but up into the air ducts again if it came to that. Even then, she didn’t know if she’d be able to do it before the wood ape grabbed her.

  Sheriff Cochran…please hurry, she thought.

  Chapter 14

  “Keep up…and stay close!” Cochran commanded as they entered the stairwell.

  Tony did as he was told, though he was fearful enough to do it anyway. They reached a door and it was apparently the final level. The door was labeled CONTAINMENT LEVEL 5. Sheriff Cochran opened it carefully and peered into the hallway. There was no one there, and no movement at all except for more flashing red lights on the ceiling. He glanced at the floor and immediately saw the red line that John had mentioned—the line that would lead him to the power source.

  Cochran pulled his gun again and motioned for Tony to follow as he scrambled into the hallway. As they moved along the corridor, he noticed more labs on either side, and through the windows he could see more lab workers hiding within them. The employees looked terrified and watched them curiously as they continued to follow the red line. None of them made a move to open the door.

  “Do you see those people?” Tony whispered.

  “I see them,” the sheriff replied. “We don’t have time to check on them right now. Let’s find the power and get back to Marie before it’s too late. I’m sure she’s wondering where the hell we’ve gone off to.”

  After a series of twists and turns through the hallways, finally they encountered the door they’d been looking for. Cochran barged in, pushing the door open so hard that it crashed into the wall as it swung around. There were multiple large generators humming in front of them, all of which were elevated on a massive concrete platform.

  “How do we turn them off?” Tony asked.

  Cochran climbed some metal steps that led to a large control panel. There were multiple knobs and switches. After looking it over a moment he found what he was looking for. He turned to Tony and tossed him his flashlight.

  “Get ready to turn this on,” he said. “It’s about to get real dark.”

  Tony nodded as Cochran turned back and grabbed the large switch labelled MAIN POWER. Without hesitation he flipped it off and at once the flashing red lights ceased. They instantly became enveloped in pitch black darkness. A second later, the flashlight Tony was holding flickered to life.

  “Give me the light back,” Cochran said. “Stay close to me…we’ve got to move fast.”

  They stepped back into the hallway and began following the red line again to find their way back to where they’d first entered level five. They’d been travelling only a minute when a piercing shriek unlike anything they’d ever heard echoed from somewhere up ahead. It was a nightmarish sound and Cochran felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

  “What was that?” Tony asked.

  Sheriff Cochran had stopped dead in his tracks and listened intensely. The shrieking happened again. It was both haunting and otherworldly—unlike anything he’d ever heard before. And then…the screaming started.

  “Oh my god…oh my god,” Tony began to mutter over and over.

  Cochran pointed the beam of the flashlight ahead of them and kept the gun tight in his other hand. “We’ve got to keep moving,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “Obviously, something else has gotten free—and it ain’t no wood ape. Stay close and stay quiet.”

  Tony nodded and hurried after the sheriff as soon as he began moving. They walked briskly, staying just fast enough to keep a good pace, but slow enough to stay quiet. When they drew near the windowed laboratories where the employees were hiding, Cochran slowed his gait dramatically. There was no sound there anymore and he wondered if the screams they’d heard
had originated from those very rooms. With great reluctance, he shined the beam of his light into the windows and immediately got his answer.

  Tony dropped to his knees and wretched. Cochran turned to tell him to be quiet but realized the boy could do little to help it. The scene before them was horrifying, and nothing a teenage boy should have to see. The door to the room had been broken loose from its hinges. The windows were mostly painted red with human blood and chunks of flesh. The lab workers, or what was left of them, were sprawled awkwardly all over the room. The chest cavities of each had been torn open, and it appeared to Cochran that each of the corpses’ hearts had been removed.

  “Get up,” he said, glancing over at Tony. “We’ve got to keep moving or we’ll end up like them.”

  “What in the hell did that? And where did it go?” he replied, still fighting the urge to throw up.

  “I’m not sure I want to find out the answers to either of those questions, Tony,” Cochran answered. He held out his hand to pull him up. “Come on…keep moving.”

  Tony nodded, and seconds later they were off again. As Sheriff Cochran began to climb the stairs to return to level four, for the first time he began to feel the pains of exhaustion. It seemed that ever since he’d entered Walker Laboratory hours earlier, he’d been not only running for his own life, but trying to keep Marie and Tony alive as well. He was desperately hoping that the end of the terrible day was now near its end since all the doors should now be unlocked, ultimately providing their ticket to freedom. His main concern now, however, was the well-being of Marie. She’d been in that cell with Kurt for a very long time.

  Upon reaching the entry to level four, Cochran paused and put the side of his head against the door.

  “What are you doing?” Tony asked curiously.

  “Listening, now keep quiet,” he snapped in reply.

  After he was satisfied that it was safe, he slowly turned the handle and opened the door. The hallway was much like what they’d left on level five, total darkness. There were no sounds, good or bad. Cautiously, Cochran moved into the hallway with Tony tight on his heels. They stayed close to the wall and did not stop until they reached the cell where they’d left Kurt and Marie. To Cochran’s surprise, the door was already opened, and when he shined the flashlight inside, he was dismayed to find it empty.

  “Maybe she’s already made a run for it,” Tony said.

  Cochran looked over his shoulder at him. Even in the darkness he could see how terrified the young man had become. Truthfully, Cochran couldn’t help but feel proud of how brave he’d been through the entire ordeal. Exhaustion, both mental and physical, had to begin taking its toll on him too.

  “It’s possible,” the sheriff replied. “But we’ve got to be sure. I brought her here and I need to make sure she got out.”

  “What are you saying?” Tony asked, clearly uneasy with the answer he’d gotten.

  “Don’t worry,” Cochran said. “We’ll be out of here very soon. Now, keep up with me.”

  The sheriff turned back into the hallway and began the brisk walk deeper into the bowels of level four. He decided the first place he’d check was the room where he’d left John and Julie. Though the responsibility he felt for them was far less than that of Marie and Tony, there was a responsibility his job bound him to, nevertheless. As they approached the doorway, the beam of the flashlight shone across a glossy dark surface on the tile floor ahead. It was clearly blood—and a lot of it.

  Cochran stopped in his tracks and considered turning back. He knew at least one of them had to be dead, there was just too much blood for the outcome to be any better. When he thought of the wood apes and the mystery creature that had escaped on level five, if he and Tony continued onward their odds of survival would continue to diminish. Cochran could live with continuing to put himself in harms way, however putting Tony in further danger was getting harder for him to justify.

  “Sheriff Cochran,” a feminine voice suddenly whispered from somewhere inside the room. It was a familiar voice…it was Marie’s voice.

  Cochran quickly stepped through the slick pool of blood and into the room, his gun and flashlight still leading the way.

  “Marie,” he said. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, get in here and get down,” she replied.

  Cochran crouched down and followed the sound of her voice, the beam of his light finally finding her sitting in a corner between two lockers. Next to her was Julie, her eyes reddened and puffy. Cochran made his way over and plopped down in front of them.

  “Are you two alright?” he asked, his voice as low as he could get it.

  Marie nodded but Julie was unresponsive. She just kept her head down.

  “Where is John?” he asked.

  Marie sighed and glanced over at Julie who immediately began to sob.

  “Oh no,” Cochran said.

  Marie’s expression was all the confirmation he needed. “That’s his blood in the doorway,” she whispered somberly.

  “Dammit,” the sheriff replied in disgust. “What got him?”

  It was at this point that Marie began to cry. “Kurt…Kurt got him,” she replied.

  Tony crawled closer to where they were talking. “What?” he asked. “We left you with Kurt. If he didn’t attack you then why—”

  “He changed,” Marie interrupted as she wiped the tears away from her eyes, smearing mascara as she did so. “At first, he was fine, and I felt completely safe with him, but then…”

  “Then what?” Cochran asked, leaning closer. “What happened?”

  “H-he changed,” she replied. “His eyes changed…his whole damn personality changed. Suddenly, he wasn’t himself anymore.”

  Sheriff Cochran reached over and grabbed Julie’s forearm. “Honey, did you tell her what you told us?” he asked.

  “Tell me what?” Marie asked, looking over at her.

  Julie shook her head. “No,” she muttered just above a whisper. “I didn’t get a chance. The thing chased her in here and John tried to intervene. It didn’t end well.”

  The sheriff looked over his shoulder. “Where the hell is he now?”

  Marie shook her head. “I don’t know, he dragged John out of here and disappeared down the hallway. He will probably be back.”

  “Which is why we need to move,” Cochran replied. “I assume you two are okay…you can walk?”

  “I’m not going anywhere without my brother,” Marie shot back, her words firm.

  Cochran sighed and closed his eyes. “Marie, you said yourself that he’s not himself anymore. I’m thinking maybe you should start to consider that the Kurt you knew is gone for good.”

  She frowned, and her eyes tightened as she tried desperately to fight off more tears. “I can’t accept that,” she said, her voice trembling. “He’s all I have left.”

  Suddenly, Tony moved closer and held her hand. “Marie, he’s the best friend I’ve ever had,” he said softly. “And I don’t want to give up any more than you do. So, tell me…at what point do we give up?” he asked.

  She glared at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and anger. “What are you trying to say?” she asked.

  “I’m saying,” he continued, “that I don’t want it to take Kurt tearing you apart and killing you for you to finally come to the realization that he’s gone.”

  Her green eyes locked on his and he could see that she suddenly understood what he was trying to say. She took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. “Alright,” she said, closing her eyes. “Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.”

  Cochran smiled and patted her leg. “Atta girl,” he said, rising to his feet. He offered a hand and pulled her up while Tony did the same for Julie. “I promise you, I’ll tell you what I know when we get out of here,” he said, and then he glanced over at Julie. She looked away, seemingly ashamed of her role in the ordeal.

  Once all of them were on their feet again, they turned to make their exit. What was in front of them stopped them immed
iately in their tracks. Julie and Tony gasped at the exact same time while Cochran and Marie immediately pulled their guns. Looming in front of them stood the six wood apes they’d been trying to avoid for hours now. The dark one, the largest and seemingly the leader of the pack, snarled and released a nightmarish roar that rattled all their bones.

  Chapter 15

  “What do we do?” Marie asked, her voice quaking.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Sheriff Cochran could see the barrel of her gun shaking. “Hold that thing steady,” he muttered back to her. “Stay calm!”

  “Sorry, but that ain’t gonna happen right now,” she replied.

  The massive dark wood ape took a step toward him and then the others moved too, though none of them dared step past him.

  “This is it…we’re going to die,” Julie said, and she began to sob again.

  “We can’t give up…we can’t give up,” Tony said—and he said it again, and again.

  “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Cochran said as sweat trickled down the front of his face. “I’m going to open fire and do everything in my power to make them all come after me. And when I do, you three get your asses out of here.”

  Marie glanced over at him in awe. “Are you out of your mind? That’s a terrible idea!”

  “Well it’s all I’ve got,” he snapped back. “If you’ve got a better one, I’m all ears.”

  “There has to be something we can do that doesn’t require you to get killed,” she answered.

  “Again, I’m open for suggestions,” he said.

  The dark wood ape drew even closer, but it eyed the guns Cochran and Marie were holding with intense curiosity. Each step seemed to be calculated and made with a healthy dose of caution.

  “No more time,” the sheriff said. “On the count of three…”

  “No,” Marie said. “I said no.”

  “You don’t get a vote,” Cochran replied. “One…”

  “Dammit, don’t do this…there has to be another way!”

  “Don’t think so. Two…”

  “Please,” she pleaded. “Don’t do this!”