Lost Tapes Season 4 Episode 2
Mega Bear
The presence of hidden creatures is subject to continued debate. The following story is inspired by the possibility of their existence. Viewers may find this material graphic and disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Opening scene
Two Kluane National Park rangers, Mike and Jack, walk through the dense forest, chatting about their daily lives.
"So, Josh, I've heard you and the missus are expecting a newborn. Is that right?"
"Yes, indeed! We're overjoyed and waiting for the baby to come."
"Well, congratulations pal! After all this fire watching, you must be looking forward to a nice rest with your family."
"I am! And our little Jake is very excited for his little sis-wait, did you hear that?"
A large roar can be heard emanating through the trees.
"Must be a bear. Come on, Jack, let's get back to our truck."
As they continue to walk, sounds of movement can be heard in the nearby bushes. Suddenly, Mike screams as something drags him into the tall grass.
"Shit! Mike, you OK? Mike, should I call HQ-AAAAH!"
Jack lets out a shriek of terror as an enormous bear charges at him through the bushes and pounds on top of him. His bodycam captures his last moments as the bear viciously mauls him before the footage cuts out.
There are creatures science refuses to recognize.
But new technology makes us question what is real.
If our eyes see it…
If our cameras capture it…
Does it exist?
Enter a realm where fact meets fiction…
Science meets legend…
Where nightmares come to life.
Do you believe?
Lost Tapes
Mega Bear
In November 2009, divorced father Mike Thompson took his children, Lucas and Jessica, as well as their dog Suzie on a camping trip in the Kluane National Park of Yukon. What was supposed to be a bonding exercise with his kids soon turns into a nightmare as a prehistoric beast stalks them.
1:00 P.M.
The episode begins by showing the dash cam footage of the Thompsons' pickup truck driving down a dirt road with trees on both sides.
"So, kids, are you excited for this trip? Just us and the great outdoors, eh?" – asked Mike.
"Ugh! Dad, did you really have to drag us out here? I'm gonna miss the new Hannah Montana episode!" – complained Jessica.
"And I wanted so much to play Modern Warfare 2!" – whined Lucas.
"Oh c'mon kids, this is a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and experience the wonders of nature! You can play the game when we get home, Lucas.
"At least that would be better than staring at nothing but trees" – Lucas murmured to himself. Suzie, on the other hand, was very excited. She wagged her tail and couldn't wait to get out of the car.
"Aww, look who wants to go camping! I bet you'll enjoy this much more than I will" – spoke Jessica to the dog.
"Hey look! A wolf!" – Lucas shouted as the car passed a wolf standing on the side of the road.
"Cool!"
"See? Maybe you kids will like this after all!" – said Mike.
"I want to check out the camera you gave me for my birthday, Dad." – replied Lucas.
"I'm sure you'll get the chance, buddy. The views here are stunning and there are lots of animals frolicking about. Oh, there's our campsite!" – said Mike as the car pulled up to a clearing with a sign reading "DESIGNATED CAMPING AREA".
They stop and unload their camping equipment from the back of the truck. The family looks on in amazement at the beautiful nature around them.
1:30 P.M.
The family has finished setting up their tent and are talking about what they should do next. Lucas is filming with his new camera.
"Alright kids, this is going to be a weekend to remember. We have the tent, the fishing gear, and a whole lot of nature to explore" – proudly states Mike.
"Yeah, if the bugs don't eat us alive first. I've already been bitten by mosquitoes twice!" – groans Jessica.
"How about we go fishing? I'd love to catch something!" – shouts Lucas excitedly.
"That's a great idea, buddy! C'mon, let's take the rods and go." – replies his father.
The trio sets out down a path to the nearby creek.
The short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) was a genus of prehistoric bear which ranged across North America from the mid-Pleistocene until about 11,000 years ago. It is one of the largest known terrestrial mammalian carnivores that has ever existed. Although generally believed to be extinct, some cryptozoologists have theorized that it may still exist in the North American tundra.
4:00 P.M.
The family has been fishing for two hours and still haven't caught anything. Lucas is about to give up.
"C'mon man, where are all the fish! There should be plenty around here!" – he shouts angrily.
"Calm down Lucas, your shouting is scaring them away." – teases Jessica.
"Well, there are plenty of bears around these parts, and they love eating fish." – adds Mike.
"Hold on! There's a nibble on the line!" – Lucas says excitedly.
He gives a great pull and out comes a large pike.
"Hooray! Our dinner's here!" – Lucas shouts, proud of his catch.
"Great job, son!" – congratulates his dad.
Suddenly, a low, distant growl is heard in the distance.
"What was that?" – asks Jessica.
"Probably just a bear," – answers Mike. "Like I've said, there are many of them around here."
"Dad, can we go back to camp? It's getting late." – interrupts Lucas in a nervous voice.
"Sure thing, bud. Last thing we want to encounter out here is a big old bear."
The family packs up their belongings and leaves for the campsite.
5:30 P.M.
The family is walking back to their campsite when they see some large, strange tracks in the mud.
"Ew, what made these? They look disgusting." – winces Jessica.
"I'm not sure. These are too big for any bear I've seen." – replies Mike.
Suzie stops to smell the tracks and suddenly becomes quiet, as if she smells danger.
"Come on Suzie, what's wrong? Here, girl!" – says Lucas.
Suzie reluctantly follows as they head back to camp.
In 1864, Inuit hunters shot and killed an enormous yellow-furred bear and gave the skin and skull to naturalist Robert MacFarlane. MacFarlane shipped the skin and skull to the Smithsonian Institution where they were placed in storage and soon forgotten. Eventually, Dr. Clinton Hart Merriam uncovered the remains, which he thought had been shot very far outside the brown bear's normal range, and concluded that it wasn't a brown bear at all. He thought this animal's unique dentition more closely resembled that of Arctodus simus than a brown bear.
7:00 P.M.
The family is sitting at a campfire, roasting the pike that Lucas caught. Mike looks uneasy, constantly looking around.
"Dad, what's wrong? You haven't eaten at all." – asks Lucas with a concerned look in his face.
"Nothing, son. Just thinking about those tracks we saw earlier." – his father replies.
Suddenly, Suzie smells the air and runs off into the dark forest.
"Suzie! Where are you going? Come back!" – shout the trio as she disappears into the bushes.
"Crap, I better go look for her. You kids stay here and call me if you see anything."
Having said that, Mike takes Lucas' camera and sets out into the woods. The two siblings exchange nervous looks.
7:15 P.M.
"Suzie! Suzie! Dang it, where did that stupid dog run off to?" – shouts Mike as he searches for Suzie.
As he goes deeper and deeper into the forest, Mike starts hearing rustling in the bushes.
"Suzie? Is that yo-" – Mike is cut short as the trips over something.
Getting up, Mike gasps in horror as he sees the object he tripped over is Suzy's mauled body.
"Suzie! No! What the fuck?!" – screams Mike as he frantically shines his flashlight around, revealing a large shadow moving between the trees.
"I better go back to the kids." – Mike says silently as he turns on his heels and begins walking quickly back to the campsite.
7:30 P.M.
Mark reaches the tent and climbs inside, where Lucas and Jessica are cuddled up.
"D-dad? What were those strange noises we heard outside the tent while you were gone?" – asks Jessica with fear in her voice.
"Stay quiet, kids. Whatever it is, it got Suzie." – whispers Mike with a shaky voice.
"You mean… some animal attacked her?" – says Lucas silently with tears in his eyes.
"Probably, but I don't know wha-"
Their conversation is interrupted by a loud, monstrous growl right next to the tent.
"Stay inside! Don't make a sound!" – warns Mike as he puts a finger up to his lips.
The tent is violently shaken as the creature tries to claw its way in. Lucas films through a small opening, capturing a brief glimpse of the massive bear.
"Oh my God, it's huge!" – screams Jessica.
Before the bear can get in, Mike grabs a bear spray and sprays it through the opening, scaring the giant creature away momentarily.
"We have to get out of here, now!" – commands Mike as the trio get out of the tent and run for their lives towards the truck. The bear roars in the distance as they get in and drive away.
The family drove to the nearest ranger station, where they relayed their story to the rangers. The park rangers investigated the campsite, where they found the tent slashed to pieces and the picnic table torn in half. The site was permanently closed to the public and Suzie's body was never recovered. The higher-ups of the park explained it as an attack by a particularly vicious brown bear, but the footage leaves us wondering…
Are the giant bears of the Ice Age truly extinct, or do they live among us?
Lost Tapes belongs to Animal Planet. This fic is purely for entertainment. Based on a concept by MikeSpikester11.