Chapter Fourteen: iChase Down a Monster

Carly Shay was currently about to make the hardest and most heart breaking decision of her life. She had to somehow make the impossible choice of picking between her two closest friends, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson, or her beloved boyfriend, Brad. Brad was currently on the far side of the park, standing under the shade cast by the sturdy branches of a spruce tree. He was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt. He was looking down at the ground with his hands shoved into his pockets. His eyes had a faraway look and he was clearly lost in thought. He was unaware of his surroundings. He hadn't even noticed that less than 3 metres away, a group of common gray wolves were closing in on him.

There were several wolves. They all were covered in bristly grey fur with pointed ears and jaws filled with sharp teeth. A powerful male with stocky limbs led the approach with its ears flattened and its eyes narrowed to slits. These wolves had come in from the countryside and had been following a young stag with velvet antlers. Now, the deer was pickling at the grass in the park and the wolves were stalking Brad. They approached slowly, using the long grass to hide themselves. Once they got within striking, distance, they would break into a sprint and lunge. Even worse, the wolves hunted and also attacked in groups. The wolves were closing in from all directions.

But an alligator spanning 3 metres was dragging itself towards the lake. The wooden bench her friends were sitting on was directly between the reptile and the water. The alligator opened its jaws and emitted loud hisses as it approached. The reptile was issuing a warning to get out of its way but Sam and Freddie were blind and deaf to their environment. They both wore jeans and Freddie wore a checkered sweatshirt whilst Sam wore a blue top. They were kissing passionately with their eyes closed. They were hugging as well and would never notice the approaching creature in time.

She had to make a choice. Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. However as she opened her mouth to call out her choice, barking rang out and a voice shouted "Brad! Look out man!" SirLicksALot charged into the park barking furiously.

The powerful black-and-white sheepdog raced through the grass towards the wolves whilst Gibby sprinted into the park, red faced and yelling. Brad started and his eyes widened as he spotted the wolves. The leading wolf growled and bared its teeth as Gibby's sheepdog ran up with jaws snapping and ears flattened.

Gibby tackled Brad and slammed him to the ground. The teenager's heavy frame pushed the older boy down into the grass whilst Gibby rolled over and called out "SirLicksALot! Run boy run! The sheepdog pricked up its ears at the command and barked at the wolves. Brad sat up, breathing heavily and looking terrified. Both of their faces were flushed. Two of the wolves snarled and the leader howled a death cry. The dog was clearly outnumbered and out matched by the forest-dwelling wolves.

Yet still SirLicksALot stood his ground and barked at the wolves. The wolves encircled him, growling and snarling. They were stronger and faster and there were seven wolves to only one sheepdog. But the dog refused to retreat whilst his owner was in danger and in reach of the wolf pack. The fierce look of loyalty in the dog's eyes kept the wolves at bay. Gibby yanked the teenager to his feet and they backed off. At last, the sheepdog turned and ran back to his owner.

The wolves growled and snapped at one another. The leader howled once more and suddenly went racing off. Growling and snarling, the other wolves followed and the group retreated. They seemed almost eager to leave as if something had suddenly spooked them. Sam and Freddie had pulled apart and sat watching the scene with surprise and alarm. Brad suddenly the approaching alligator and yelled out "Sam! Freddie! Move now!" Freddie turned, spotted the creature, and momentarily froze. Sam, however, having been in tough situations before, reacted faster and pulled him off the bench.

The alligator strode up and, swinging its powerful head, smashed the bench into splinters with a loud splintering crash. Broken wood flew into the air as the reptile flexed its mighty tail. Then, growling, it slithered into the murky water and vanished from sight into the watery depths. Now, only ripples remained, to show it had even been there at all. Everyone relaxed and Carly still stood frozen to the spot with shock. Her face had turned severely pale.

Gibby turned to Brad "Jeez!" You okay there man?" He nodded and swallowed "Yeah, yeah. I'm ok. Holy crap, thanks Gibby! Seriously you saved my life!" He merely shrugged "Yeah it was no big deal. Thank the dog. Come here boy!" The sheepdog trotted over, looking pleased. Gibby stroked and fussed over the panting mongrel. "Oh you're a good boy! You're a very good boy!" Brad also scratched and petted the sheepdog before looking into its eyes "Thank you." He said and the dog barked before licking him with his long tongue.

Sam turned to Freddie and hit him in the shoulder "You nub! You froze!" She scolded. He nodded and rubbed his shoulder and looked away. He seemed guilty "I know I'm sorry. I nearly got us both killed..." He closed his eyes regretfully. Seeing this, she hit him again.

He opened his eyes and turned to her in surprise "OWW! What was that for?!" "THAT was for being a nub. You froze because you're human. You made a mistake. So what? We all make mistakes. Heck, just look at me. But it doesn't matter. I still love you." She said softly, smiling as she finished.

At this, his expression lifted and they kissed. Brad patted SirLicksALot and nodded to Gibby "I think we should all head back." He said, still looking slightly shaken. They all nodded and the group headed back towards the apartment complex. After a moment, Carly shook herself out of her stupor and followed them. She knew she was strongly indebted to Gibby for what he had done and to Brad for managing to warn Sam and Freddie. They hadn't seen her and she hadn't been able to catch Brad alone but at least her friends were boyfriend were alive. She went to follow. Unbeknownst to her, the wolves and the alligator hadn't been the only predators in the area. There had been another, far more vicious killer in the region as well.

They hadn't seen or heard it because it had been perched on the concrete roof of one of the deserted office towers that bordered the park. This predator was a fast and ruthless ambush hunter. It was an aerial hunter and cruised high above the ground at nearly 10, 000 feet up before gliding down to ambush unsuspecting prey. This creature flew almost silently on its huge wings.

Prey animals never saw or heard it coming and when it struck; the power of the strike alone would stun the prey briefly and allow the creature to deliver the killing blow with its deafly hooked beak. It was not a bird and not a bat but it was capable of powered flight. Its wingspan measured nearly 40 feet and it was strong enough to carry away large dogs.

This reptilian monster preyed mainly on dogs, sheep and young foals or calves. Wolves were too fast for this cold-blooded predator. Lions and tigers were too large for it to kill and hunting elephants would be impossible due to their size. Large mammals were too difficult to kill even for a flying reptilian predator with a wingspan of nearly 40 feet. Even the alligator had retreated into the depths to hide from the monster. Back on the office tower roof, the monster shrieked before unfolding its leathery wings. Diving from the roof, it glided above the city on massive wings, all the while looking for food. The creature could kill a fully grown human and could swiftly dispatch a teenager. The group were now in real trouble…

Meanwhile, several wild dogs were snapping and snarling as they relaxed in the long grasses of another park due 7 miles east of the apartment complex. There were four German shepherds; having been bred as guard dogs, their natural instincts to chase and take out intruders had enabled their breed to survive even without humans to provide food. These guarding instincts had also enabled the breed to retain their predatory instincts. By retaining these instincts, they were able to bring down prey. And their intelligence also meant they could work together when hunting, a significant advantage.

They were accompanied by a powerful hunting dog; known as a mastiff. This powerful dog used its brute power to wrestle prey to the ground and its powerful jaws to crush an animal's windpipe to kill it. Their speed and stamina also allowed them to chase prey over many miles to exhaust animals. Next to the panting mastiff lay a pair of golden retrievers. These normally docile and bouncy dogs had survived against great odds. Their size meant they could aid in holding down struggling animals and this allowed them to hunt with other dogs. This breed had survived whilst other pet dog breeds, such as poodles, daschunds and hairless terriers had died out. The pack had recently chased down, overpowered and killed a young male horse; also known as a stallion.

The horse had been weakened by an illness from being housed in poor conditions and had been too exhausted to run or fight off the wild dogs. The kill had been easy and the food was worth the risk. They had finished feeding, leaving only the bones, hooves and skull. Weakened by the effort of taking down prey, the wild dogs had come to rest in the park.

The park was part of their territory and they were under no threat of being attacked by other dogs. The females rested and slept whilst the males frolicked and snapped at one another. Unknown to the dogs, a terrifying aerial reptile was now hunting them.

Screeching, the approaching killer soared through the skies. From nearly 8000 feet up, it spotted the wild dogs using its super-sensitive vision. The creature croaked and adjusted itself before diving raising its wings and diving down towards the park at incredibly high speeds. At 700 feet, the monster appeared as a tiny blip high above the city. The dogs did not even notice its shadow. At 500 feet, it appeared as a large bird soaring high above the ground. The retrievers barked at the approaching monster but the others paid little attention. At 300 feet, the golden-haired dogs turned and raced away through the long grasses as the creature descended and screamed at its prey.

At 100 feet, the shepherds suddenly the approaching predator and set off a frenzy of barking as they scrambled upright. The mastiff turned and gave a terrified howl but it was all too late. The aerial killer suddenly upon them, it grabbed the dog with its huge claws and lifted the struggling animal off the ground. Its razor sharp talons shredded the dog's skin, ripping through its fur and drawing blood. The struggling mastiff howled in agony as the huge reptile turned to fly away with its prize. The other dogs panicked and barked. They darted around and bravely nipped at its wings but it turned in mid-air to fly away, and the beating of its wings nearly knocked the dogs over. Once they had regained their footing, the huge flying bat-like creature had soared away and out of sight before they could even bite.

The whole event had taken less than 60 seconds and although, the other wild dogs didn't know so, the mastiff was dead. The dog had struggled and bit the creature's ankles and twice the reptile had nearly dropped its struggling meal. So, rather than flying to its nest and then killing the mastiff, the aerial reptile had craned its long neck and broken the dog's neck with a piercing blow of its curved beak.

Back at the apartment, Sam sat slouched on the sofa in the Benson's front room. A bottle of soda and a beefburger sat on the table beside her and her favourite TV programme, The Simpsons, blared on the screen. Her tomcat, Frothy, lay curled up beside her blinking his eyes and watching the TV. Of course, with the power off everywhere else, and the producers gone, new episodes were no longer being created or broadcasted but she could still watch the old episodes through her DVDs. Freddie and Gibby had gone to play football in the nearby park for some "guy time" as Gibby had called it. He claimed he was lonely and bored; he always walked his dog or hung out with his younger brother.

He needed to hang out and spend some time with people of his age. Freddie also needed some time with his other friends and Sam also felt lazy; all she wanted to do was sit on the sofa, eat and watch TV. She was in one of her common lazy moods and wouldn't be in the mood for cuddling or kissing or even talking. So, the arrangement worked out perfectly for everyone. Mrs. Benson was out shopping with Spencer and Guppy was being looked after by his grandfather who kept a watchful eye over the boy as he sat drinking his beloved plum juice.

The pair had asked Brad to come along but he had quickly declined and had gone back to his apartment to rest. He still seemed fairly shaken from the close encounter from the gray wolves. The two teenagers questioned their friend's strange actions but had quickly shrugged it off and excitedly headed off to play.

Sam however was far more perceptive than the guys and knew the real reason for Brad's strange behaviour. She knew it was similar to the reason why her best friend had spent the last day moping around her apartment. Spencer had told her of his changed decision and asked her at Carly's closest female friend to convince Carly to talk to Brad or to ask Brad to at least talk to Carly or convince Freddie or Gibby to talk to him.

She had made up her mind. It was time Carly and Brad stopped acting so stupid. She, Sam Puckett, was going to fix this situation single-handedly because she was amazing. She switched off the TV, stood up and stretched. "See you later boy." She said, stroking her cat. He purred and she left him lying on the couch. She opened the door, stepped outside and shut it behind her before heading down the hallway to the Shay apartment. She reached it and knocked on the door. A dog barked from inside and she rolled "Yo Titan! Go tell Carly to get her butt down here!" "It's okay Sam, I'm coming." A weary voice replied. The door opened and Carly stood in the doorway. She looked upset but tried to smile "Hey." She said. Without replying, the blonde teenager grabbed her friend's wrist and dragged her out of her apartment.

"Oww! Sam let go of me! What are you doing?" The teenager said nothing but continued pulling Carly in the direction of Brad's apartment. "There. Now knock." Puzzled and rubbing her wrist, Carly turned to Sam "Sam! What's going on? Why have you-""Just knock." "Sam, you know I can't." The teenager sighed "Why not Carly?" "He won't believe me and I don't want to damage our relationship further by making him think I'm lying to him." Before Sam could reply, the door opened and Brad stepped out.

"Hey what's-"His words stopped dead the moment he spotted Carly and his eyes widened. Both girls turned and Carly floundered. Sam nudged her friend sharply and she regained control of herself "Hey Brad. Listen, can I talk to you for a moment alone?" He nodded and swallowed "Yeah I-I guess. Come in." He suddenly looked upset and seemed to be struggling not to show his emotions. Sam nodded "I'll leave you two alone." As she turned to leave, she caught Carly's thankful grin and she smiled back before walking back to the Benson apartment. A smirk appeared on her face. She truly was the best.

Carly and Brad stepped into his apartment and Carly sat down. Brad shut the front door before sitting down himself. Carly took a deep breath "Brad listen." Brad sighed "I get it. I totally get it. I understand." She frowned "You don't even know what I was going to say." He nodded and looked down miserably. "I do." "What am I going to say?" "You're breaking up with me." He whispered and her eyes widened "What! No, no, no, I'm not. That's the last thing I came to do, I came to MAKE UP with you." He looked up with sudden hope in his eyes "You're not breaking up with you?" She shook her head, smiling "Of course not. I love you and I've missed you. Spencer said we can get back together." His eyes lit up and he began grinning. "What! Really?!" She nodded also grinning and he sprang to his feet and punched the air victoriously. Then he pulled her to her feet and at last, captured her lips in a soft and tender kiss.

The kiss was soft, gentle and tender but on the inside it was exploding with pent up passion and longing. Their arms tightened around one another in a passionate embrace as their lips locked once more. Their tongues battled for dominance as their hormones were released. They fell back onto the couch and continued kissing. Lost in a hazy world of passion, they became oblivious to their surroundings…

Outside at the local park, Gibby and Freddie sat on a park bench. Both were sweaty and tired from the game and both were also frustrated. Playing football with only two players was not simple and to make matters worse, they had been driven off the field by two curious male lions. The larger lion had gripped the ball with its powerful jaws and had torn it to shreds. They had thought the lions would have migrated south by now like the elephants had to escape the coming winter, but it seemed the lions would be remaining in Seattle for a while yet. The zebras weren't leaving yet and as long as the prey animals stayed, so would the lions.

"Wanna head back?" Freddie asked once they had caught their breath. Gibby shrugged "Yeah I guess." The two weary teenagers got up and headed back towards the apartment complex. As they walked, Gibby noticed Freddie staring thoughtfully into space. "Hey you okay man?" "Huh? What did you say?" "I said you okay? You kind of zoned out there…" Freddie nodded "I'm fine. I was just thinking about Carly." Gibby looked shocked "Wow, easy dude, you have a girlfriend!" Freddie rolled his eyes and thumped his friend on the shoulder "Oww! What was that for? I should be the one hitting you!" "Not like that." At this Gibby's expression changed "Oh. Well then in what way were you thinking about her?"

"It's just I feel bad for her. I have Sam and my mom and Sam has me. You have Guppy, your grandfather and your dog. Guppy has you and your grandfather. Your grandpa has the both of you. My mom has me and John, John has Spencer and my mom. Why does Carly have to be close to besides Spencer? What about Brad? He's my best friend and I'm kinda concerned about him."

Gibby shrugged "I'm sure they'll talk soon." Freddie nodded "I hope so. I don't like seeing them so sad." Then he spoke again "Hey do you think there's any meatloaf left in the fridge?" Freddie sighed and rolled his eyes "I'm sure there will be." "Awesome!" The other boy replied.

At the apartment complex, Spencer kicked open the door and staggered into the apartment carrying heavy bags of food. "Carly? Are you there?" He called. Only barking answered him and his dog raced down the stairs to greet him, jumping and barking. He smiled, patting the dog. "Hey there Titan. Do you know where Carly went?" The dog barked, went outside and ran up to the door of Brad's apartment. He scrabbled at the door with his claws and barked. Spencer smiled knowingly. "Alright thanks boy. I guess I'll see her later then." He turned to head back to the apartment and Titan followed with its long tail waving.

Back in Brad's apartment, the pair finally pulled apart after a long make-out session. Their faces were flushed, their clothes crumpled and their breathing heavy but they were both grinning. "I need that." Brad said and Carly nodded. "I missed you." Carly whispered to him and they kissed again. The pair sat up and Brad yawned "I'm hungry." Carly nodded "You know what, so am I." Brad got up and walked into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he sighed. All that remained were two bottles of soda, some fruit and a frozen bar of chocolate.

He turned and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm out." "That's okay. We can go down to the supermarket and stock up." He nodded "You sure you don't mind?" She smiled and shook her head "I haven't seen you in nearly two weeks. I'd go anywhere with you right now, even to the local dumpsters." She said jokingly. He smirked "Then to the dumpster!" He announced. Laughing, they left the apartment, walked down the stairs and down the streets towards the supermarket.

On the way, they passed the entrance to the Seattle Zoo. They paused and looked at the sign arching over the unlocked gates." Wanna go in?" Brad asked. She shrugged "Why not?" They walked in through the towering gates and wandered through the deserted area looking into the various exhibits. Many of the enclosures sported fences that been forced open with broken bars jutting out where large and starving animals had broken out in desperation. At the elephant house, the mangled steel fence that bordered the enclosure had been knocked over and trampled over.

Once it had been buzzing with electricity to keep the huge beasts contained. With the power off, the starving elephants could break out. In some of the predator exhibits, the rounded glass viewing panels had been smashed through where the inhabitants had smashed through the windows. Most chilling were the enclosures that had been left intact, they all contained the dead bodies of the unlucky animals that hadn't managed to escape.

In the llama and alpaca pens, dead animals lay rotting inside their enclosures. The carcass of a giraffe lay decomposing outside its shelter. The aviary cages were filled with dead birds and stunk of rotting flesh. The reptile house contained dozens of glass vivariums. Many of the large tanks had dead reptiles inside. The larger snakes had slithered out of their tanks including the rock python, the anaconda and the boa constrictor. All the other lizards, tortoises and snakes had died from starvation and lack of heat. It was a morbid, chilling sight and the smell of decomposing flesh soon drove them out.

But as they exited the reptilian graveyard, they started and stopped dead. A large horned mammal was wandering around the plaza. Its stocky body rested on long legs and hooved feet. Long curved horns spouted from the sides of its head. Its long tail ended in a matted tangle of thick black hair. The animal grunted and snorted as it walked. Yet to their relief, it lowered its head and began nibbling on the fresh shoots sprouting from the concrete.

At this, the pair relaxed. "What is it?" Carly whispered. Brad frowned "I think it's a wildebeest." "You mean those cow-like things that live in Africa?" He nodded "I think so." "What's it doing here?" Carly asked. He shrugged "Must have escaped from its cage." "But how did it survive up until now without food?" "It can survive only on grass and rainwater."

"Grass would grow anyway in the enclosure and whenever rainwater fell, it would drink then store water in its organs until the next storm. The grass provided the nutrition. It's an incredible survivor. But eventually, it would be forced to break out. The cage bars would be weakened by rust and rainwater so one good hit would split the cage bars open and the animal could get free." He explained without taking his eyes off the grazing wildebeest.

Carly nodded "That's pretty tough." Brad nodded. "Are they dangerous?" she asked. Brad shook his head "It's no more dangerous than a zebra. If we move quietly and don't frighten it, it won't charge."

She nodded. Quickly and quietly, they moved past and away from the wildebeest and left it grazing. As they exited the zoo, they spotted three other wildebeest galloping off into the city. Their grunting mingled with the barks of wild dogs and the occasional roaring of lions. Carly sighed "Great, more wild animals moving into the city." Brad merely smirked and they continued heading to the supermarket.

They reached the supermarket and wandered through the various aisles, laughing and flirting, as they collected the items they needed. Some of the shelves had been knocked over and the products ransacked by hungry animals. Raw meat had been consumed by wild dogs and wolves whilst fresh fruit and vegetables had been eaten by goats and horses. They even discovered two shelves that had been toppled and crushed by a curious elephant. The huge pachyderm had pushed the shelves aside to reach packets of salt in the next aisle. Elephants had an unusual craving for certain salts and these packaged salts were just as good as the salts they found in their natural habitat. Luckily, most of the products they needed were of no interest to predators or plant eaters. They collected ready-made meals, vegetables, tinned fish, chocolate, bread, cheese and biscuits.

With all their items in bags, they headed back to the apartment complex. Brad as usual acted the gentleman, offered to carry Carly's bags. She declined but he insisted and at last she relented and he took two of her shopping bags. Unfortunately, the extra groceries slowed them both down. He couldn't walk too quickly whilst carrying the groceries and she wanted to walk with him. The journey was pleasant. They talked, laughed, joked and flirted.

But they were being hunted. The aerial predator had sighted them from nearly 5,000 feet up. From its cruising position, it adjusted its wing position and began a swooping glide towards its intended target. Its high metabolism rate demanded that it ate regularly and for this creature to power its streamlined body, it required rich sources of protein like a tender teenage human. On the ground below, Brad and Carly had no idea they were being stalked.

On the ground below, several wild dogs watched the pair from across the street. Hiding behind cars and dumpsters, they growled and snarled as they waited to ambush the approaching pair. The pack consisted of a bloodhound, a rottweiler, an American bulldog, a boxer dog, a Dalmatian and a foxhound. The leader, a powerful pitbull terrier, prepared to pounce. Suddenly the dogs noticed the approaching reptile, cawing at the dogs to warn them off. Snarling, the dogs retreated and went running off. Carly and Brad noticed the retreating dogs and suddenly felt safer, thinking the dogs had spotted an easier target, but they didn't know the true reason as to why the wild dogs had fled.

They were keeping an eye out ground-dwelling predators but they hadn't anticipated an attack from the skies. As far as they knew, there were no birds or flying animals capable of attacking humans. But this monstrous reptile was no bird or bat. The creature screeched as it closed in for the kill…