1
The sun started to dip low on the horizon, its last rays illuminating the snow flanked sides of the mountain in a golden hue.
"It does look stunning," Diane said, before sipping her bottled water.
"And a little eerie," Madison replied, surveying the high peak through a small set of high-powered binoculars.
"Shouldn't be long now, we'll be through town in no time and turning off. Then it's only about a forty minute drive to the camp site. Hopefully, we can get the tents up before dark," Conner said, as he negotiated a sharp right-hand bend.
"Cool, we'd better, I don't want to be putting up tents in the pitch dark," Madison said.
"No way, screw that!" Diane added.
"We'll get them up, stop worrying," Ianto said, still uncomfortable with this assignment. Not only was he still trying to train Diane, he found himself teamed up with these two … he didn't play well with others you know, not really. But, the Agency made the rules and here they were "Did you guys know that the total population of this place is only about three thousand?"
"Well I'm not surprised. The volcano looks beautiful, but what would you do here? Be as boring as hell after a while," Madison said, pushing her shoulder-length, dark hair behind her ear.
Conner turned off the main street, following a signpost to the mountain road. As he slowed down to take the bend, they passed a gun store. Displayed outside were various stuffed animals; bear, elk, deer and one odd looking creature that was standing bipedal, around eight feet tall.
"Shit, what the hell is that," Diane asked, pointing at the menagerie of animals outside the store.
Ianto craned his neck to look out towards where Diane was pointing, and then laughed. "That's supposed to be a yeti, you know Bigfoot. They've been spotted around here apparently."
"You're kidding right!" Diane said.
"Oh jeez, of course he is. That's not a real Bigfoot. There's no such thing, just made up stories by assholes trying to make some bucks with nothing better do to!" Conner said.
Ianto shrugged. "Who knows? People swear they have seen the creatures, but Conner's right. No real evidence has ever been presented to confirm their existence, and most of the stories are hoaxes, no doubt. Probably Weevils."
"Okay guys, can you shut up, you're beginning to freak me out," Madison said, turning around.
Conner manoeuvred the Chevrolet around a deep pothole that had formed in the road, continued to the junction, and turned right onto the mountain road. Found within the grassy expanses of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The Black Mountain Range, sometimes just called Black Mountain, is to the west, north of Swansea.
Either side of the narrow road, the pine woods grew denser and stretched out like a carpet of green surrounding the steep snow-white sides of the mountain, just a few miles distant.
Madison slid the window down, letting the cool September air rush into the truck. "Wow, can you smell that?" she said, referring to the refreshing fragrance of pine.
"Yeah, smells like my mum's bathroom freshener back home" Ianto said, smirking.
After thirty minutes of driving along the mountain road, a yellow, and barely visible sign-post, confirmed that it was only 2.5 miles to the Barrens Wilderness Campsite.
"We're almost there, guys," Conner shouted.
They continued on for another fifteen minutes until finally, on the left, the road branched off. Another sign, pushed over to an angle of forty-five degrees, as if hit by something, announced that they'd reached the camp site.
Conner pulled into the large, empty parking area and killed the engine.
"Look at that, guys, this is what we came for," Conner said, looking out at their surroundings. Just beyond the hard natural earth parking lot was small lake, and beyond, pine-covered mountain peaks as far as the eye could see.
"Wow, amazing! Well let's go find a suitable spot and get our tents up before darkness falls," Madison said, opening the truck door.
"Good idea," Ianto said to Diane.
The four of them grabbed their backpacks from the back of the truck and headed off in the direction of a small hut, near the edge of the lake. The hut was empty and locked with a Season Closed sign across the Perspex screen where the campsite warden would usually sit.
"Ah well, at least the stay won't cost us anything," Ianto said, peering into the hut.
"If the showers don't work, we can always bath 'au natural' in the lake," Conner added.
"You got to be kidding! It'll be bloody freezing in there," Diane replied, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, looks like a good spot over there," Ianto said, pointing past the hut towards a clearing in the woods, fifty feet away, just shy of the lake.
The four of them headed towards the spot and as they got closer, a rancid smell became noticeable, overpowering the fragrant scent of pine.
"Jeez, it stinks," Diane said, screwing up her nose.
"It sure isn't very pleasant," Ianto said, trekking behind Conner to the clearing.
"Eew, we can't sleep here, it bloody stinks like something just died," Madison said.
They headed over to a large tree bordering the clearing. As they rounded it, a buzzing sound, increasing in volume, became evident.
"Ah shit! What the hell is that?" Diane said, stopping in her tracks, snapping a hard twig underfoot as she did, the loud crack startling everyone.
On the ground, obviously dead by the way its neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, and partially covered in dry leaves, was a large, bloodied stag, the source of the stench.
"Stay there, guys," Ianto said to Diane and Madison as he and Conner walked over to the dead animal. The buzzing was emanating from the hundreds of flies swarming over the exposed flesh of the stag, where its hind legs and abdomen had been ripped open by a wild animal, exposing what was left of its torn and shredded innards.
"Christ, a black bear you think?" Ianto suggested, glancing up at Conner. "Closer to believable than a Big Foot! There used to be cave bears but they are thought to be extinct now … who knows."
"Got to be, or a pack of wild dogs maybe?"
Ianto shrugged. "I've never seen a pack of wild dogs taking down something this big before. Maybe this is what we are looking for."
"Come on, let's get back to the girls, best not scare them," Conner added, as they turned and walked back to where the girls were waiting.
"We'll find another place to set up camp. It's just a stag, been dead for twelve hours or so. Some pack of wild dogs must have brought it down. Don't worry, once we have the camp fire going, they won't come anywhere near us," Ianto said, trying to reassure the girls even as he shared a look with Diane who knew as well as he did why they were here. Suddenly he didn't' have much faith in this other tea they were paired up with.
"We can go over there," Conner said, pointing to another clearing, about seventy feet farther along the lake edge.
As they walked alongside the lake, a distant cry from an animal or bird made its presence known from deep within the woods.
Ianto hammered the final tent peg into the ground, securing the second of the two two-man tents that he and Conner had just finished erecting in the pine woods clearing.
"Nice one mate, just in time. Sun is just about to disappear," Conner said.
"Well done, guys. At least that icky smell has gone," Madison said.
"Come on; let's get the fire going quick. I'll go search for some tinder," Diane said, rubbing her hands together as she headed towards the trees that bordered the clearing, Madison following her.
"Help me get some stones for the fire," Conner said to Ianto. Ianto was looking up towards the mountain and its snow covered sides, which were reflecting enough of the light that was left to illuminate the surrounding woods in an ethereal glow.
"Yep, sure," Ianto said, peeling his eyes away from the surreal view.
The pair of them headed to the lake edge and found enough small boulders to arrange around a depression they'd found near the tents, to make a perfect fire. Forty feet away, Diane and Madison were in the woods gathering large twigs. They had a good armful each, but the fading light was making it difficult to see.
"Come on, let's get back, I think we've enough here," Diane said. Madison nodded. As they turned to walk back, they heard a distant crack from deep in the woods, like a tree branch, or piece of wood snapping.
"What the hell was that?" Madison whispered.
"God knows. Probably just an animal," Diane said.
"Come on, let's get back and get the fire started," she added, as they both turned and headed back to the lake edge.
"Here you go, guys," the girls said, dumping the tinder they'd collected on the floor by the ring of boulders. Diane nodded in the direction she had come from and Ianto glanced that way, interested in the silent warning that something was out that way.
"Nice one," Ianto said, grabbing the twigs and sticks and arranging them inside the stone ring. A few minutes later, he'd managed to set the smaller twigs alight and the tinder was now burning nicely, the flickering flames warming and bathing the four of them and the small clearing in an orange glow.
Ianto opened two tins of baked beans and stirred them in a pan that was resting on a couple of flat stones and started to heat them up.
"So, come on, Mr. Expert, tell us some stories about this place," Madison said, as she lit a Marlboro and took a long drag on it.
"Yeah, go for it," Diane said, as she shifted on the blanket that she and Madison were sitting on.
Conner rolled his eyes.
"Hold on, I'm going to get us a couple of beers," he said, as he got up and headed over to the truck.
Ianto gave the beans another stir. "Well, legends and mysteries abound in this place. There are records of hikers and campers feeling an ethereal aura when trekking near or around the mountain, and native people have always held the mountain as a sacred area."
"Well, all we've experienced so far is a nasty smell," Madison interrupted.
Ianto continued. "UFO proponents are said to believe a secret alien base is located deep within the mountain."
"That's just silly!" Madison said.
Conner returned with four cans of Budweiser.
"Actually, there's some support for that theory," he said, sitting down next to Madison and handing them each a can. "A chap was flying his light aircraft near the Mountain, along the crest of the Ranges back in, I think 1947, when he spotted nine high-speed objects, which he described as, flying like a saucer would. His report made international headlines at the time."
Ianto opened his beer and took a gulp, before turning to his friend. "That's correct; I didn't expect you to have known that. There are also some, admittedly strange sects who believe the mountain is even an entry point into a fifth dimension. Many strange, pulsating lights have been reported over the past five decades by some very credible witnesses."
Diane suddenly shivered.
"Now you're freaking me out," she said, opening her beer.
Ianto shifted the pan over the flames to give the beans one last blast of heat, before serving them. "In 1931, a woods fire swept through, but was apparently stopped from advancing by a mysterious fog that appeared from nowhere. Interestingly the weird fog created a fire-line demarcation of charred woods, which was curved in direct correlation with the Central Time Zone line."
"Hmm, that's a bit freaky," Madison said, looking at Diane.
"But, the most worrying fact for us, tonight, guys is that we might be sharing the woods with…Bigfoot. Many sightings have been reported on Mt. Black. It's believed by many to be the hiding place home of the mythical creatures."
"Now you're freaking me out, too Ianto. Don't be an asshole!" Diane said.
"Now that's BS," Conner said. "If that was the case they'd have a real stuffed Bigfoot, Sasquatch or whatever you want to call it back down at the gun store, not a silly fake one. The Agency would know for sure."
Ianto shrugged.
"I'm just reciting the stories," he said, grabbing the pan from the fire and serving up four plates of hot beans for everyone. "Tuck in, guys."
The four of them ate in silence, apart from the odd crack and pop springing from the fire in front of them as the tinder burned.
"What's the time now, guys?" Madison asked, finishing a last spoonful of beans.
Ianto checked his watch. "Coming up to ten."
"Blimey, that late already? What time are we setting off hiking tomorrow?" Diane asked.
"Let's try to get going around seven. It's going to be a long day," Ianto said, finishing his beer.
"Well, I'm not going to get much sleep after those spooky stories you told," Diane said, glaring at Ianto.
"Well you asked to hear them! Besides, they're only stories," he said.
"Chill out, honey. When Ianto pulls you in that tent and uses his Welsh charm on you, you'll be asleep in no time!"
"Funny," Ianto said, picking up a small twig and throwing it across the fire at Madison.
,,,,,,,,,,
"Stop scratching my ankle with your toes, please," Diane said, prodding Ianto in the stomach.
"Hey, it was an accident, buddy," Ianto replied, shifting in the twin person sleeping bag. This thing of pretending to be a couple was getting annoying, why they had to go through this farce was beyond him. The inter-agency thing was stupid. If the American Agency didn't know by now that he was married to another Male Hunter then they were useless at their jobs. Like … it was OK to be with a woman partner but not a man?
"I can't sleep," Diane whispered.
Ianto cuddled up, kissed Diane on the lips, then pulled away.
She whispered. "What time is it anyway?"
Ianto checked his watch. "One forty."
Suddenly, from somewhere outside the tent, a low pitched growl was audible for a brief moment, followed by a couple of thuds, and the sound of a dry twig snapping.
"What the fuck was that?" Diane whispered, her eyes wide-open with fear. "That is not a bloody Weevil is it!"
There was another flurry of heavy footfall, followed by a loud, hollow, thud…thud…thud, as if someone, or something was whacking the trunk of a large tree with a baseball bat.
"Shhh," Ianto whispered, raising his finger to his lips. Diane stared at him, her eyes fearful. Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the ground right outside, followed by an eerie, low Neanderthal sounding growl.
"Is it a bear?" Diane whispered, petrified.
Ianto edged slowly to the end of the tent, and very quietly, started to unzip the entrance, bottom to top.
A three-quarter Moon bathed the clearing and pine woods beyond in light, giving quite good visibility. Everything appeared normal at first, until his eyes focused on a large, dark mass which he'd first thought was part of a huge tree at the edge of the clearing. Were the shadows from the trees branches playing tricks?
Then he saw something, a pair of eyes, white and green, eight feet or so off the ground. Ianto felt his knees shake as he tried to fathom out what the object was that he was looking at. What the hell? He said to himself, as he traced the outline of a large, hairy animal, which was standing upright on two legs in the shadows of the tree.
Could a bear do that?
He quickly zipped the tent flap back up and quietly moved back over to Diane.
"I think it's a bloody bear, we…we need to stay calm, don't move," he whispered nervously, while reaching into the side pocket of his backpack for his hunting knife.
Suddenly, there was another growl, this time much louder, and coming from just outside the tent. The growl was followed by the sound of material ripping…tent material. And then a blood curdling scream pierced the night air.
"Fuck, that's Madison!" Diane screamed.
"Jesus," Ianto replied, gripping the knife tighter in his right hand. He was fumbling with his pack for the gun, then saw Diane already had it as she backed away from that side of the tent.
"We need to leave the tent. When we do, I want you to run. Run for the car and don't look back! Here's the keys, get in, lock the doors, and wait for me," he whispered.
Madison screamed again, but this time the scream was different, more muffled, and weaker.
Ianto unzipped the tent flap and he and Diane crawled out, a stench of rotting flesh greeted them as they inhaled the cool night air.
The scene in front of them defied all rationality. A huge, muscular creature, covered in matted, brown hair and a large ovoid head, was standing upright, its arm held out, and its hand gripping Madison around her neck.
Madison's legs were dangling beneath her, frantically kicking the air.
"Run for the car," Ianto shouted to Diane, as he crouched, frozen to the ground at the sight in front of him. His brain was telling him it had to be a bear, but his eyes were looking at something different.
Diane scrambled off in the direction of the car, her hands across her mouth, as she tried to stifle her cries.
The creature cocked its head over to one side, and stared directly at Ianto, its green eyes appearing luminous under the bright Moon. A sickening crack followed, as it snapped Madison's neck with one quick jerk of its huge, hairy hand.
Then, from the side of the tent, Conner appeared, holding a gun, which he used to fire several shots at the creature's neck. It slowly turned to snarl at him.
No way, Ianto thought, as he instinctively ran over to help his friend. He plunged the hunting knife he was holding into the creatures flank, but its hair was so thick he had no idea if the blade had gone in.
The creature twisted its upper body towards Ianto and let out an ear-piercing, guttural scream that made Ianto's neck hair prick up in sheer terror.
The creature then yanked the knife out, grabbed Conner, and proceeded to batter his head hard against the ground. Conner didn't stand a chance. The creature was mercilessly smashing his head and torso against the ground as if he were a rag doll.
"Run…fucking run, mate," gurgled Conner, from his bloodied mouth.
The creature then twisted its upper body towards Ianto and let out another ear-piercing scream that sent an icy shiver racing up Ianto's spine.
Ianto glanced towards the truck, which was in darkness.
There was no sign of Diane. He hoped she'd managed to get inside. She knew her way around, she had been trained to survive. He was about to run in the direction of the parked vehicle, but feared he wouldn't make it, so he turned and sprinted as fast as he could towards the river bank, leaping into the fast flowing river as he reached the edge, without looking back.
He winced in pain as the freezing water enveloped him, the fast-moving river carrying him downstream.