2

something escapes

It wasn’t quite spring in northern Minnesota. The sun beat down melting the clumps of snow off the birch trees making the only audible sound throughout the great forest.

Gerald Koske had been a ranger for the Minnesota Park Service for 28 years. He had cross country skied this trail every day after lunch for the past 10 of those 28. Doctor said his cholesterol was high and his blood pressure and losing a little bit of that winter weight wouldn’t be a bad idea, he had said.

So what started out as something to appease the nagging doctor had ended up being a daily routine.

As he came to the top of a hill he had named “Hezbah’s Hill” after the only human resident in the forest. Her cabin sat in the valley below along the half frozen river. It was a shame what happened to her. She was friendly enough, always had a cup of home made hot chocolate for him when he happened by, and a tale or two to spin. She was known to the residence of the nearby town of Tower and avid hikers as “Mama Hezbah”.

Gerald coasted down the hill to check out her cabin. He wanted to make sure the weather, nature or some vandal hadn’t disturbed her home. On his decent, he gasped at the scores of deer feeding in the bushes of her home. There had to be at least 30. He slowed his decent so not to spook them.

Several of the males lifted their heads in suspicion.

“This is beautiful!” he thought quietly to himself.

At that moment all the deer, both male and female, young and old raised their heads in alarm. At first, Gerald thought it was his presence that made them jumpy but then he felt it. There was something in the air, like an electrical pulse, that raised the hair on his face and arms. The deer scattered in all directions. Some even ran at him and knocked him over as they gracefully launched themselves into the air and over him. He heard some of them bray and then a breaking of glass.

“Hezbah’s cabin!” he thought, “They’ve ran themselves into her cabin!”

He sat up surveying the area around him and then straight ahead at Hezbah’s cabin. There before him was a wolf of enormous size tearing into two deer at one time. He couldn’t breathe because he had never seen a wolf this size before and he knew wolves traveled in packs.

Nervously he reached for his revolver. The Park Service made him carry one when the powers that be decided that just having a .22 strapped around your shoulder was not only inconvenient, but impractical. It was hard to work the hammer with his gloves on but he managed it. He checked to make sure there were bullets in the chambers, and then he tried to steady an aim on the wolf.

That’s when it did something he never had seen before in the last 28 years. It stood up on it’s hindquarters like a man, wiped it’s fang-filled jaws of it’s victim’s blood, and then looked directly at Gerald. It was even larger on it’s hind legs and it’s eyes were human-like.

“Oh, my dear God!” he croaked.

The wolf thing let out a roar that chilled the marrow in his bones. Then, slowly it walked towards him. He was drooling from that carnivorous maw. He struggled to get to his feet, but every time he tried to brace himself, he would push through the snow pack.

He let out two shots that echoed off the surrounding hills. The wolf thing yelped but kept coming at him slowly and hungrily. One last shot went into the things chest and it buckled, painting the snow with its blood.

He tried to kick off his cross country skis but the bindings were caked with ice. That’s when the thing began to growl. It was guttural and it seemed to be designed to paralyze whomever it was for because he couldn’t move. It was on all fours, still dripping blood from its gunshot wounds.

It pounced an impossible distance and it was right on top of him. Gerald couldn’t even get a scream out. It pinned him deep into the snow. Blood and saliva mixed dripping onto his face.

Just before this thing knocked him down a level on the food chain, Gerald Koske realized that this thing looked more human close up than wolf.

Reviews

[Quinn Blackburn]

Perfection! Again, the only suggestion I could make is breaking up the text a little for easier reading. Great buildup and action... when the deer started running into the ranger, I got seriously worried. Deer will jump over or dodge around you before they will run you down in panic. Excellent!

[Michael of Gilead]

Liking!

[Robin]

oh here we go ~

[Ruth]

The level you have taken this to is fabulous hon! I adore this :) I didn't expect that turn either, great work!
xx

[.]

Oh my Gosh!! I am hooked also..you are a story teller Mister! I love it..!!!!

[Jonathan De Elvira]

now I'm hooked, better hurry for the next chapter bro....lol, now I sounded like a fanboy..lol

[David W Moore III]

oh my, lions and tigers and bears oh my! So a man/wolf/beast is at nana's house, obviously something going on. what was she the guardian of and how will her granddaughter make it right? we must wait for... 3

[Bubo]

Poor Gerald! What an awful end.........and a man/beast............wolf.........the description was tense, and bloody, I could see this playing as a movie......great write!