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I wish to thank Voldy for his help on making my story more complete. Such dedication is something that all authors admire, he read through 'Creatures' three times to get it to the point it is. I thank him for everything he has done for me now and in the past! Another world, long ago The macabre creature looked upward into the strange sky, one of its twin suns grew dim causing odd light to be cast upon the land. Tilting its strange triangle-shaped head slightly, it turned then raced back toward its nest to protect a small clutch of sleek and nearly impervious silver mirror-like eggs. The eggs were nestled within the earthen bowl, each reflecting the face of the alien beast as Christmas ornaments would reflect back a child's face - distorted and bent across its surface. She hovered over them, instinctively using her body as the last bit of protection from what was racing down from above. Slowly she raised her head, just as the meteorite entered the thin atmosphere burning and tumbling toward the ground. The impact of the city-sized meteor sent debris high into space, causing a ground swell- rippling upon the surface of the land as if it had struck water. The alien world shook with a thunderous explosion of rock, mineral and plant alike. The strange creature became tangled in a tsunami-like wave of vegetation and rock, buried within the melee under hundreds of tons of debris. The plume made from the initial impact towered high into the sky, some of it was actually jettisoned into deep space- propelled into oblivion for millennia. An ominous quiet settled back over the planet as dust and rock rained from above. A wisp of debris far above the surface of the planet became caught in a magnetic current, slowly being pulled away from this bizarre world. In the midst of this wisp of rock and dust tumbled the eggs that the creature had desperately sought to protect. Chapter 1 (The Present) The middle-aged woman walked inside Grant's office and handed him a personnel folder, giggling as she spoke. "Here is your one and only applicant." "Does the kid know he's my 'one and only'? I'd like to keep him in the dark, maybe let him think that he was chosen out of a dozen or so." Grant removed his dark campaign hat and set it on his desk, off to the side. She laughed slightly. "I've said nothing to him, but he's here. Do you want me to bring him on back?" "Yeah, I guess so, Betty," Grant sighed. Ever since all of the attacks on police began across the nation, the mayor in their little town had pressured Grant to hire another deputy. This would make a total of four - two for day shift and two for night shift. The mayor believed that it would be safer to respond to situations if there was a back-up officer also in the car. Betty returned to his door, with a figure standing partially obscured in the hallway behind her. "Sheriff, your 1:30 interview is here." Grant looked up at the youth; he was of Hispanic or American Indian decent. Grant stood, then held out his weathered mitt and grasped the youth's smaller hand. "Grant Douglas, Sheriff- Akokisa County." His accent was pronounced as he spoke. "I am Rosario Mata. I'm pleased to meet you." Grant noticed that the kid wasn't much past five six or five seven, his hair was jet black, and his complexion was a light coffee color. One thing which did surprise Grant was that the youth's hair was well past his collar, probably falling to the bottom of his shoulder blades. The Sheriff indicated the youth to take a seat. "Can I get you anything to drink - water, coffee or a Coke perhaps?" "Water would be fine, thank you." Grant pivoted in his chair and opened a small dorm-style refrigerator, removed two bottles of water, and handed one to Rosario. In the warmth of the stuffy room, condensation began to collect on the cool surface of the bottles. Grant sat back in his chair and began to leaf through the young man's file and application that Betty had given to him. "I see you were in the top ten percent in your Criminal Justice class. Your grades are quite good." He turned another page and began to write something in a notebook that was beside him, yet shielded from the view of Rosario. The youth made himself taller in the chair as he tried but failed to see if he could read what was being written. Inwardly Grant smiled as the youth showed his nervousness. Grant placed his pen down and folded his hands on the top of the folder. "Tell me, Rosario, why did you choose to apply in our small town and not in a bigger city?" He patted the folder. "From the looks of all this, you could have applied at really any larger city." Rosario shifted in his chair, his dimples recessed even deeper as he smiled. His smile reminded the Sheriff of an actor, but the name eluded him. "Sheriff Douglas, I have always wanted to be an officer of the law. When my sainted grandmother passed, she was my last obstacle keeping me from being an officer of the law. As for the city, grandmother lived not far from town here, and I often came back from school to visit her. She was my last family living here in the USA." "I hate to ask this, but I am required by law: you are a legal citizen, yes?" "As far as I know, my grandparents came here in the old days as migrant workers. They stressed upon their children to assimilate into the American culture in hopes of getting citizenship one day. President Reagan granted them amnesty and my father eventually became a citizen while he was young. Sadly though, both my mother and father were killed during the World Trade Center collapse. Each had been working as a custodial staff in one of the towers." Grant nodded, understanding what would push a youngster to pursue law enforcement. "That was a terrible day - and to lose both parents in such an awful way." He drummed his fingers on the table, for a few seconds as he contemplated whether the youth was a good fit for his team. "Rosario, I like you. You seem like a man who knows what he wants. I'd like to offer you the position as one of my deputies - the pay isn't great, and the hours are long. Knowing this, are you still interested?" The youth nodded vigorously, his grin broadened setting off the deep dimples and white toothy smile. "You will not regret your decision, Sheriff!" Grant stood up and reached out his hand to the youth. "Call me 'Grant'. So, how you set up for a place to live?" Rosario's smile faded. "I'm not. I graduated college with no money and until I'm paid, I will have nothing." He squirmed slightly, and then added, "Could I sleep here in the jail until I can find a room?" Grant frowned, shaking his head slightly. "The mayor only allows that when bad weather prevents us from getting back and forth from our homes." Rosario's shoulders slumped slightly, and Grant noticed him thinking hard on what to do next. Before Rosario could change his mind, Grant spoke, "I've got a small room in the back of my house; I could let you rent it for say...a hundred bucks a month. The money is only to help with lights and such, otherwise I wouldn't need anything. We can try you out for a few weeks and see if we can stand each other." The Sheriff grinned. Rosario smiled. "I appreciate the offer, I really do - I feel I have to let you know though...that I am gay." Grant almost laughed until he realized that Rosario was being serious. Shrugging, Grant offered, "I'm not so old fashioned that I have a problem with it, however if you stay in my house - I want no visitors - if you catch my drift." "No visitors," Rosario agreed. "If you feel you have to do that sort of thing, there is a hotel about sixty miles away that you can visit on your time off." Grant watched him flip his shiny black hair over his shoulder. "Oh, that reminds me - the hair either comes off or you have to put it in one of those damned man-buns or whatever they call them. I'm one thing and that's for sure, but our town folk don't like anything unusual. Either way, just keep it hidden or under your hat, and we'll all be A-Okay." Rosario smiled and gave Grant a quick and appreciative nod. "Hair under the hat, dates not in the home. Got it. I have my gear out by the Dispatcher's desk. I guess I should probably go get it." "Put it into the black Suburban outside, let me finish up here and we can run you through a quick tour of the town before heading home." The youth nodded and as he turned to leave, Grant watched him walk on down the hallway. It finally dawned on him who Rosario reminded him of: it was that Mario Lopez from the old 'Saved by the Bell' shows - except with the long hair and lack of any real manly build. Grant sat back down and collected the paperwork for Rosario's file. As he was exiting the room he met Rosario coming back in. "I guess you should probably follow me and we'll get you set up for your uniform." The Sheriff led Rosario into the back where they kept the unused uniforms, there Rosario picked out the items that fit him the best. Grant said nothing of the pants that Rosario chose, they had been some of Betty's that she had outgrown. The style was similar to the men's, only the cut was slightly different. He waited for the youth to quickly put his hair into a tight bun, then adjusted a campaign hat onto his head. "If the hat is too big, you can tighten the leather strapping inside to snug it up some. Otherwise, I think we're good for now." Grant began to walk away when Rosario cleared his throat, causing the Sheriff to pause. "Do I get a weapon issued to me?" The larger man rubbed the scruff on his chin while he pondered the question. "I'll issue a gun but until you are certified with it- I can't give you bullets. Well, you'll get them when we're on the range," he replied as he passed his deputy a vintage gun and holster. The empty belt was wound around both. Rosario's grin broadened. "Just like Senior Barney Fife?" "Fife? Oh, from Mayberry...I get it." Grant laughed. "We'll get you certified quickly enough, that's something we can work on this weekend. Then we'll see about bullets." Chapter 2 The two drove through town, Grant pointed out areas of interest and he introduced him to a few of the business owners. Each eyed him suspiciously but were pleasant enough to be respectful. Eventually, they ended up at Grant's small home where they entered and Rosario was showed his room. Within a half hour of their arrival, Rosario entered into the living room where Grant was nursing a beer. "You a drinking man?" Grant asked as he held up his beer. "I can't remember, are you even old enough?" "I am twenty-two," Rosario replied with a smile, once again showing off his prominent dimples. "It was in my file." "Sarcasm, son." He laughed and then said, "On the second shelf in the fridge." Grant pointed into the kitchen. "I'll buy this batch; you can get the next one when you have a little money." "Sounds like a plan," he spoke as he was already opening the refrigerator door. "Hey kid, can you cook?" Rosario stood at the threshold between the kitchen and living room, twisting off the cap of the beer. "My grandmother taught me very well." Grant settled back into his chair, basking in the breeze caused by the oscillating fan nearby. "That's good to hear. You can find whatever you think you'll need in the fridge or freezer. Wake me up when it's ready." Rosario laughed and returned into the kitchen. The last thing that Grant heard was him opening the refrigerator door again. Grant's eyes fluttered open with a start, then he sat up quickly and began to look around. Momentarily disoriented, he ran his hand through his hair and shook the empty beer can that was wedged between his leg and the recliner. He stretched and lazily looked back toward his kitchen, where a thin heavenly-smelling smoke hung in the air. He left the empty can on the coffee table, and slowly walked into the kitchen where Rosario was busy with supper and had his back to him. He had forgotten that he was even there and with his long hair in a pony- tail, dancing to the music coursing through his earbuds, nearly forgot that he was a man. Rosario glanced over his shoulder at Grant. "You were asleep for a long time, compadre." Grant yawned and sat down at the table. "You learn to take naps where you can get them." He glanced toward Rosario's concoction. "What you making, kid?" "I found some chicken breasts in your freezer and quickly pan-seared them in mushrooms and onions, then I smothered them with a can of Cream of Chicken and baked it for thirty minutes. I was busy, Compadre. I found a bag of noodles in your cupboard and cooked them. These have been put on our plates and now I will spoon the chicken, onion, mushroom soup concoction onto the noodles. As a side, we will have steamed broccoli with cheese." Grant's eyes widened as he watched Rosario ladling the soup mixture over the chicken and noodles. "Damn, son, where you learn to do that?!" Rosario smiled; his dimples seemed to grow deeper. "Keep feeding me like this and I'm going to be fat!" "I enjoy cooking. I did much of it when I was in college. Always seemed to have a knack for it." Grant stood and worked his way around Rosario to the refrigerator. "Want another beer?" "I have that covered too, compadre, I found several packages of lemonade in your cupboard and have made it for our drink. It is not always good to drink so much beer - loads of sodium - makes you sweat." As he was speaking, he set plates down on the table and then carried his concoction there as well. Grant removed two tall glasses and knocked ice from his trays into them, after filling each with Rosario's lemonade, he carried them to the table. He took his seat and let his eyes drift from one amazing item to the next. "Damn, Rosario..." He sighed and then happened to glance up, the young man had his eyes closed in prayer. Grant grew quiet out of respect. After several long seconds, Rosario mouthed 'Amen' and picked up his fork. "Bon Appetit...or whatever those Frenchmen say when they eat." He watched Grant as he tasted the entree; when Grant began to nod at the savory meal he was chewing, Rosario grinned from ear to ear. "Okay, you win. You get to cook all the time," Grant joked. Rosario shrugged. "I don't mind, I enjoy cooking." Grant's eyes again were drawn to Rosario's long dark hair. "Is there a reason you won't cut your hair? I mean, I ain't complaining but if I'm asked, I have to be able to say why." The younger man again smiled broadly. "I could say it is much like a cat's whiskers - it uses them to guide it along in the dark. I too use my hair to guide me in the dark." He grinned, causing his dimples to deepen. Grant laughed hesitatingly because he was unsure whether the youth was kidding. Rosario continued. "I prefer to leave it down but out of respect for you and my job I will keep it hidden." He ate a few bites of the noodles. "It is also warm on my shoulders when the air is cool." Grant smiled. "My wife used to say the same thing." "You were married?" "She was killed back in 2009 in an automobile accident. She lost control on the ice and was trying to avoid hitting the oncoming cars. She aimed the nose of the car toward the ditch, but the snow had been piled high and was like hitting concrete- it bounced her back into traffic and both she and our little Meghan was killed." "I am so sorry!" Rosario looked away with obvious emotion, tears welling in his eyes until he quickly blinked them away. "I couldn't stand being there in that town anymore, so I packed up and came out here to the middle of nowhere." He absentmindedly stabbed at a piece of chicken, and then finally ate it. The two grew quiet as they continued with their meal. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Grant stepped out and took a walk, thankful to leave the heat of the house as the evening air was dry and the night cool. By the time he had returned home, Rosario cleaned everything up and had gone on to bed and the house was once again quiet. It felt strange to have someone other than himself in the house; not since he lost Cathy and Meghan had another soul slept here. He lay awake in bed missing them, the fan oscillated slowly over him as he drifted off to sleep. The next three weeks went by quickly. Rosario practiced and became quite proficient with his weapon and was eventually certified by Grant. Finally, the force was at the maximum four officers that the government deemed were necessary for a county their size. The townspeople were warming up to Rosario quite nicely. They would bring him in on their conversations if he was on foot or stopped by to check on something. Today, though, Grant had dropped him off at the area they liked to target shoot and was on his way back to pick him up when Grant's cellphone rang. "Sheriff here." "Grant, it's Betty. Cleve Lamar wants you to come to his farm when you a moment - seems he has a couple of cows missing." "Sure Betty, I'm heading that way anyway, I have to pick up Rosario first though, he's been plunking cans for practice." Grant pulled up behind Rosario and let the truck idle, speaking through the open passenger window he called out to his deputy. "We've got a call from down the road a piece, sorry but you'll have to shorten up your practice a bit." Rosario reloaded his revolver and returned it to the holster. "What's up?" "Cleve has a couple of cows missing. He wants us to help find 'em." The young man climbed in and pulled his door shut. As he was buckling himself in, Grant turned around and pulled back onto the road. "How did you do?" "I've got the grouping down to about a three-inch circle. Not bad for a scrawny kid from nowhere," he chuckled softly to himself as he looked out the open window. "I guess we can issue you a real policeman's service - so you don't have to use that antique anymore." Rosario smiled. "I think I'd like to keep this one, I've gotten used to the weight on my hip and the heft of the gun. Anything different and I might not be as accurate or sure with it." The Sheriff shrugged. "Suit yourself, if you get tired of it - we can always change it out for something a bit smaller and lighter." "I'm good," Rosario replied. "I like the heft of it, makes me feel like I actually have something on my hip! Grant turned off the main road and followed an old trail for nearly a mile until it abruptly ended. Rosario sat up and looked toward his boss as the Suburban stopped. "Well kid, that's about as far as we go. The trail ends here." Grant stepped out and leaned against the fender of the Suburban. "We'll have to climb around in these rocks and crags a bit, give 'em a good look-see. There's plenty of places that a stupid cow could fall into so keep your eyes open. If you find one of them, just fire a shot into the air." As they started to separate, Grant cautioned Rosario. "Keep your wits about you; there's wolves around here and we've also had a black bear sighted hanging around from time to time." Rosario paused as he was walking away and did a quick head turn back toward the Sheriff, his hand quietly dropped back down and touched the wooden grip of the big revolver hanging off of his hip. "Great...wolves and bears," he sighed as he resumed walking. Chapter 3 A half hour later a shot rang out breaking the quiet. Its reverberation within the rocks made it hard to tell exactly where the sound came from. Within minutes though, Grant was standing on an outcropping looking down at his deputy. "I see you found her," he shouted down. "She isn't moving - is she dead?" "She's dead." Rosario began to walk around the carcass. "Does it appear that she fell?" Grant asked as he picked his way down. "She didn't fall, but it looks like something tore her the hell up!" Grant began to walk toward the carcass. "Damn," he sighed as he took several pictures to show Cleve. "You're right about something tearing her up! If you had to guess what attacked her, Rosario, what do you think it looks like?" The young deputy realized that the Sheriff was using this as a learning tool. "Well, most of her face is gone - lips, cheeks, eyes and ears." He let his eyes examine further along her body. "Her sack and teats are torn all to hell." "And?" "If I had to guess, I would say that a Chupacabra killed this cow." Grant chuckled, softly repeating 'Chupacabra' in sarcastic disbelief. He crouched beside Rosario. "Wolves - maybe a dozen or so of them." "Wolves?" "A dozen or so," he added. He then pointed toward the lips and cheeks. "They will eat after the softest flesh first, then once they get into it a bit, will remove the insides." He stood up. "Our milling around up here must have made them nervous and they moved off...for now. I'd suggest we get out of here before they come back." Rosario also stood. "What about the other cow?" "It's too late. Most likely the other one has met up with the same fate. We'll find Cleve and tell him, but chances are that he won't be coming back here to bury it or search for the other one." They began to work their way out of the area, heading back toward their Suburban. "We'll come back out here tomorrow with my high-power and maybe a drone. We can try and locate the other cow, and while we're at it - thin out that pack a bit if we find them. For now, it wouldn't be none too good to be caught out here should they return." Once again Rosario nervously dropped his hand down to the butt of his gun, quickly glanced around and then turned his head back on their trail. Chapter 4 They had informed Cleve what they had found and as Grant suspected, he was reluctant to go out and bury the carcass especially by himself. He did seem to be relieved when the Sheriff told him they would return to thin out the pack. As they were driving back toward town, Grant noticed how quiet Rosario had become. "Not quite what you expected?" Rosario looked at the Sheriff. "I always knew I'd have to deal with people, but I really didn't expect to have to worry about any dangerous animals. Snakes, wolves...and you said something about bears?" "You must be speaking of Old Three-toes. He's the only bear that I've heard of around here...and he's a BIG one." He smiled at the deputy. "A record black bear was once killed and it weighed over a thousand pounds, Old Three-toes is probably in the high eight-hundred to low nine-hundred pounds. He's seen from time to time but stays pretty much in the high country." "So how he come to be known as 'Three-toes'? Get his paw in a trap?" Grant smiled. "I think he was born with a deformed foot, he's a damn smart bear...sort of a local celebrity. I've seen him personally once or twice since I've been working on the force, but always far away from town though. He likes to keep to himself." "So, about tomorrow," Rosario began. "Just exactly how are we going to 'thin out the pack' as you had mentioned?" Grant shrugged as if his thinking were common knowledge. "We'll load up the ATV's onto the trailer and haul them out to Cleve's. Haul them to where we parked today, then drive the ATV's back as far as we can go. I'll let you view them in the binoculars and I'll see if I can locate the pack with the drone. They shouldn't be weening any pups so all are fair game." "Seems sad to take them, 'cause they're only doing what comes natural to them by hunting." The Sheriff nodded. "True, but they are within a mile or so from about three ranches and two or three individual homes. Those folks have pets and kids. It's up to us to protect everyone - and their livelihoods." Rosario looked out the window. "I suppose so." Grant knew what the youth was thinking; his gentle soul was not meant for just going out and blasting away at a defenseless animal. "You know you don't have to enjoy doing it, but imagine how you'd have felt if that was a child back there instead of a cow?" Rosario answered his question with a knowing quick nod of his head. "If it'll help any, I'll take any shot out there tomorrow - you can just let me know if you see movement and all, whether it be from binoculars, scope or drone." Chapter 5 Later in the evening, Grant needed to meet one of the other deputies in town to transfer a prisoner to another county's squad car. Afterward, he was supposed to go past the little store and pick up a six pack of beer and a package of shredded cheese for Rosario. Meanwhile, Rosario was preparing 'twice baked potatoes' to go along with some grilled chicken that had been moved so they could finish slow cooking in the crock-pot. He stood back and looked over their supper, mentally checking off everything that had been or needed to be done. He lifted off the cover of a pan and examined the green beans, diced ham and onion that were cooking...and it smelled heavenly! Using an old grocery store bag, he swept in the trimmed pieces of the potato, green beans as well as the fat from the chicken. He headed outside to place the bag into the trashcan. As Rosario raised the lid, the strangest of sounds reverberated between the buildings around him. It began so low that it seemed to vibrate within his chest, causing a shiver to race up his spine. It grew in volume as some sort of odd 'scraping metallic' sound. He knew the sound was real because an old man paused while walking his dog. The dog tilted its head and ran a paw over its ear, letting everyone know he didn't like it at all. Turning his head toward Rosario, the old man winced as the loud sound continued until it slowly drifted off. "What the Sam hell was that? It's like damn fingernails on a chalk board!" The young deputy shrugged and adjusted his ball cap that was hiding his top-knot. "I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one who heard it," he replied shuddering. "I used to work in the shipyards on the East Coast when I was younger, and I can only compare it to when the ships run into the docks, scraping their hull from stem to stern." He scratched his head. "But out here - we got nothing that would compare to that sound!" "How about a train boxcar scraping against something?" Rosario offered. "That was no train...but she was sure loud and shook the ground too!" "I'll have to mention it to the Sheriff when he gets back from town." He closed the trashcan lid and slowly returned to the house, pausing once on the porch to get his bearings on the direction he thought the sound had been coming from. Chapter 6 After Grant returned and they were in the middle of eating, Rosario mentioned the strange sound he had heard, telling him about what the old man had said as well. Grant had been leaning over his plate, pushing his potato around in the barbecue sauce from the chicken when Rosario spoke. "Sheriff, if I had to guess I'd say it was two giant sheets of metal dragging on top of another. It seemed to rattle the windows...I could feel the reverberation in my chest!" Grant paused, using his fork to point over his shoulder. "Which direction did you say it came from?" Rosario stood up and walked toward the outside door. "It was a little south and east." "Do you think it was here in town?" The youth shrugged. "All I know is it was loud!" Grant turned in his chair slightly. "There's quite a lot of farms in that direction, I bet one of them was pushing a big trash container across the ground on their farm." Rosario frowned and scraped his chicken bones into the trash. He was still puzzled when he returned to the table. "That sure would be quite a feat on gravel barnyards like most farms probably have." Grant stood and knocked the chicken bones off his plate and into the trash. "That was one hell of a supper, Rosario! You keep cooking like that and I'll not be able to fit through that door." Laughing, Rosario took his empty plate from him and stacked it upon his own. "Thanks, that's one of my favorite meals." "Now it's mine too!" Grant slapped him on the back. "Someday, you're going to make someone a great wife!" Grant began to walk toward the living room when he realized what he had just said, "Ohhh...shit! Sorry about that, kid. I sure didn't mean it coming out the way I said it." Rosario smiled, his dimples grew very pronounced. "Think nothing of it, I know what you meant." Chapter 7 It was late and Grant was sitting in the dim light of a lamp, his feet were propped up on an old ottoman. It was quiet in the house and most lights outside were out, as folks had turned in for the night. He knew Rosario was still awake as he heard him turn off the shower and the hall door opened, suddenly bathing that part of the room with light. The light suddenly went out and the bedroom door closed, as did Grant's eyes. Even in the quiet, he could hear the kid's blow dryer turn on. Yawning, Grant reached up and turned off the light over his chair. He was sitting near the window, his fan quietly oscillating beside him. A door suddenly was thrown open, and the sound made Grant jump. Rosario padded through the living room on his way to the kitchen. Grant momentarily watched him and then closed his eyes. He had gotten used to seeing him around the house, Rosario was a handsome kid and those deep dimples made him quite striking with his darker complexion. The long raven black hair seemed to gleam and reflect the light around it as if it were alive. On a woman the hair would have been incredible! There were a few young cuties here in town that about knocked themselves over trying to get Rosario's attention, but he paid them no mind. He was always very polite and cordial to them, but that was it - as he had told Grant earlier, he was not interested in dating women...such a pity. To Grant, the lad was rail-thin. He was surprised that his hips could even hold up underwear at all. Grant chuckled to himself as the thought passed through his mind. His legs were not muscular at all, nor did he have much of a 'manly chest' - he just flat out lacked hair and muscle. The one thing he did have going for him was that he had a very impressive six pack...but it was wasted on someone who wanted nothing to do with any female. After a few minutes, Grant heard Rosario go back to his small bedroom. Stretching, he sat up and ran his hands through his hair. Slowly standing, he bent down and picked up his boots and began to shuffle off to his own shower and bed. Tomorrow, with a wolf hunt planned, would be a very long day. Chapter 8 A cloud of dust engulfed the two ATV's that were on the trailer behind the Suburban in the early dawn sunlight. Leaning against Rosario was a long rectangle case containing Grant's high-power shells and scope. Grant turned the radio down so Rosario could hear him. "When we get into about half way back, we'll leave the Suburban and take the ATV's back to the rocks. We'll walk the rest of the way on foot. I'm going to work my way to the high rocks that I was on when you first found the carcass. That'll be the best spot to pick one or two off - We'll hole up there until it gets too hot, probably sometime after noon." He glanced toward the stone face of Rosario. "You nervous?" He shrugged but answered truthfully, "Maybe a little." Without looking from the road Grant continued. "You know this has to be done. We've talked of this before." "I know. In my culture though, animals as majestic as the wolf are to be revered." "I'm sure folks from your culture took their fair share of them over the last thousand years." "Most likely," Rosario agreed, as he picked up the binoculars and blew the dust from the lenses. "We should be all set for today, although you still need to show me how to run that drone you were bringing." "Yeah, about the drone - whoever used it last...they forgot to recharge the battery. When I stopped to pick it up, it was as dead as a doornail." Rosario sighed. "Well, that's unfortunate." "Tell me about it," replied Grant as he navigated the Suburban down the lane. As the Suburban began to slow down, the movement caused Rosario to look up as Grant pulled to the side of the lane in a spot where he could turn around to face the other direction. "Alright, let's get those things off the back and get into position while it's still cool." Both men exited the vehicle and walked to the trailer. Then Rosario began to unhook the safety straps from the ATV's. "Just lay the strapping to the side, no one's going to mess with anything out here." Rosario nodded, then coiled the straps and placed them on the front of the trailer, and shortly they had both 4-wheelers on the ground. He disappeared for a few seconds and returned with Grant's rifle and was wearing a backpack. Grant gave him a curious look. "Water and a couple of sandwiches- in case we get hungry." Rosario smiled broadly. Grant smiled. "Like I said..." The youth knew what he meant, but only grinned and shook his head and watched Grant strap the gun case to the back of the ATV. Soon they were picking their way along the trail high up in the rocks. When they neared the higher elevation, they began to slow down. At a flat area, the Sheriff directed the ATV's to pull in. Shutting them off, each quietly climbed off. Grant led the way through the boulders, working up to the high rocks where he had come upon Rosario and the cow's carcass yesterday. Prior to scaling the last rocks, Grant turned slightly and placed his index finger to his lips. From here on up, they wanted to be as stealthy as the wolves themselves. Grant eased over the last rock and peered through the scope, slowly panning from side to side. By this time Rosario was beside him and was quietly removing his backpack. "Nothing's moving down there." Grant whispered almost sadly. Rosario lifted the binoculars to his eyes and carefully swept the area below them. Eventually he lowered them with a puzzled look on his face. "Something doesn't look right down there." Again Grant peered through the scope. "I see the carcass of the cow..." Rosario interrupted, "But what are those other three objects laying around it?" "Looks like our hunt may be over even before we started." He frowned. "Come on, let's go down and see exactly what we're looking at." Within ten minutes they were both warily walking toward the carcass. Both were alert and brandishing their weapons in readiness. Less than ten feet away lay a withered ball of blackened fur. Grant touched it with his gun barrel, and it slid with little effort. Rosario gave the taller man a puzzled whisper, "What the hell is it?" Grant crouched down and hesitantly touched the furry object. "I..I think it's a wolf...or, what was left of one." "What killed it - Cleve maybe?" "That's just what I'd like to know." He used the gun barrel to slide the animal carcass closer to the cow. "Damn thing weighs almost nothing!" Again he crouched down and looked at the muzzle of what used to be a wolf. "It's almost like the damn thing is mummified! He gingerly touched a paw, nearly frozen in place like it was running. "There isn't a drop of moisture left in the carcass!" Grant lifted it up and had it balanced on its feet until the wind gently pushed it over on its side. "It can't weigh more than a pound or two...what the hell caused something like this?" Rosario stiffened and took a step back from it, as fear washed over his face. "I tell you, Grant, it is the work of a Chupacabra!" Grant frowned. "And I tell you...it isn't a Chupacabra!" "Then what has sucked these animals dry? Another name for a Chupacabra is the 'Goat Sucker'!" "There has to be a logical explanation for what has happened to them all - perhaps with the heat and certain conditions that may be just perfect, they were just spontaneously mummified!" Rosario walked to where the cow lay. "How do you explain this one? It looked like a dead cow yesterday...now it looks as though it should have been buried with the pharaohs! It is all dried like jerky and..." He grew quiet suddenly. "What is it?" "Had we stuck around here yesterday...those wolves might have been us!" "Look kid, get hold of yourself. We can't go off all half-cocked. We're officers of the law and our priority is to investigate - and make sure that whatever happened here doesn't happen to any of the town-folk." Rosario only nodded fearfully, his mind so full of Chupacabra's sucking the life out of him that he visibly shuddered. Grant stood and removed his hat, running his free hand through his hair before once again returning the hat. "What we need to do is get one of these wolves, and probably all or part of the cow - gather them up and take them into Doc Byerley." "And 'Doc' will tell us what caused...all of this?" he asked sweeping his hand over the melee that lay around them. Grant looked at the sun as he gauged the time. "I'll go back to the Suburban and get us some rope and a tarp. We'll try to take as many of the dead out of here and get them to Doc, if anyone can tell us what the hell is going on - it'll be him." Minutes later, Grant climbed over the last rock and was gone from view. Rosario constantly scanned the landscape with terrified eyes, fearful of being caught by surprise. He began to count the minutes, hoping and wishing that Grant would return soon! Every rock that would lose its position and fall caused the young deputy to jump. His heart was beating so loud that he swore it was heard. He kept looking down at the wolf carcass, it was then that something caught his eye. There among the petrified remains was a hole which penetrated deep in its side. Curiosity overcame his fear. From further examination, he saw that it had once been a female. "Well that is one that won't be breeding anymore." He picked up a long straight stick, then he knelt and gently pushed it into the hole. Further and further it went in, and Rosario was surprised that the stick went in nearly six inches. As best as he could figure, the hole was positioned perfectly between the hips, and looked as though it completely severed the spinal cord. Whatever had caused the hole had deadly accuracy. He examined another wolf and discovered that it also was a female and it also had a hole over the spine. But the hole in the second one was between the front shoulders. Slowly he moved to the third wolf, which was slightly bigger than the others. It also had a hole between its shoulders...and a second near the back end, over the right leg. He glanced around, puzzled, as he positioned the carcass on its back. Rosario had assumed that it would have been a male - but this too was a female. He sat back on a large rock and rubbed his smooth chin. "In the world of wolves, the pack would be devastated to lose three females in their prime. "One obviously was the alpha female," he thought out loud. He heard a noise from his left; he quickly stood and reached for his revolver. Fortunately, it was Grant returning with the rope and tarp. "You have this all figured out by now?" Grant said with a laugh as he dropped the tarp on the ground. Rosario chuckled softly. "Hardly, but I think I found something interesting." He quickly explained to Grant what he had discovered about the hole in each of the carcasses. "With enough force, whoever or whatever did this, drove a weapon clean into the spine of each of these wolves - with the exception of the larger one, which took two hits to sever the spine." "Okay, I'll buy that. One thing you aren't taking into consideration is the cow - it was already dead. Why is it also dried out like a three-thousand year old mummy?" "Maybe it drinks the blood like we drink water?" Grant began to spread out the tarp and laughed. "There you go with the Chupacabra again..." Rosario shrugged and helped him flatten out one end of the tarp. "I have to keep going there, it's the only theory I've got." Once the tarp was loaded down, they were only able to take the cow and the larger wolf. Even that barely weighed a hundred pounds. "It's like they are made of paper shells..." Grant said as they carried the bundle as far toward the rocks as they could. He suddenly stopped and as soon as they placed the bundle onto the ground Grant quickly returned to a spot in the sand. "Well, well...what do we have here?" Rosario also walked to where Grant was standing. "What is it?" Grant carefully laid his ink-pen on the ground to get a perspective on size, then pulled out his cellphone. "We almost walked right through this footprint!" He took several pictures of the strange print. Rosario moved to where he could see the print more clearly, then he removed his campaign hat and wiped the sweat from the inside hat band. "So, what made the track?" "Whatever it is, walks on three toes." "Your old bear? Three toes?" Rosario crouched and put two of his hands together, even beside each other they failed to span the entire print. "I've never seen a bear print, but that doesn't look much like a bear to me." "It almost looks like an eagle or really big raptor print. See how far out the talons reach?" He glanced upward and began looking at the rocks that rimmed the area they were standing. "I think whatever it was, jumped the wolves while they were feeding on the cow's carcass." "A raptor...you mean like an eagle or hawk, not a velociraptor? So, what is it then?" Grant looked long and hard at the print, then slowly shook his head. "Well, I know what it isn't...and it isn't a bear." Again the sheriff slightly tipped his head curiously. "For now, let's just call it your Chupacabra." Rosario smiled. "But you don't think it is that." "I don't know what to think right now...other than it's getting late in the day, and I don't want to tangle up with whatever it is, with it owning the high ground." Grant scoured the ground for other prints, but the one he had found was their best print. As they returned to the bundle, Grant began to climb with the rope in one hand. "We get back to the Suburban, I'm going to return with some plaster and water to make up a cast of that print before it is completely gone." From the look on Rosario's face he laughed. "You going to be okay while I'm gone?" It took a while for Rosario to securely tie the bundle to the Suburban so it wouldn't blow off while they were driving back. During that time, he became concerned that Grant hadn't returned, so he set off to find him. He met Grant as the latter was walking back toward the Suburban. "I wasn't sure whether to go out looking for you or not..." Before he could finish, Grant smiled broadly. "Aww, you were worried about me?" Rosario's face flushed with embarrassment. "No, I know you're a big boy - I just figured that it wouldn't have taken that long." Grant showed him the cast. "It takes twenty minutes from the start of when I mix the plaster to when it is dry. I had some time to look around while I was waiting. That big wolf must have been struck the first time while it was at the carcass and drug itself to where we found it." Rosario nodded; he had observed the same thing while he had been waiting for Grant to return with the rope and tarp. "I figured the second blow came at the spot where we found her." Grant nodded and began to place the cast carefully on the back seat. "That sure is an eerie place back there. My head was on a swivel at every noise I heard." He closed his door and turned toward his deputy. "Well, you ready to go back into town and see Doc? Hopefully he'll have answers really soon for us." Both men were quiet as they rode back into town. Grant was deep in thought as he drove, trying to figure out what sort of creature could wreak so much havoc on animals of substance. Rosario finally broke the awkward silence. "In all this time I have known you, not once have you gone on a date...why?" Grant laughed. "Trying to take my mind off of all that?" He gave a nod of his head toward the back. "Maybe so." "Fair enough..." Grant gave him a quick glance. "I just never had much use for the sorts of women here in this town, not enough of a selection. I mean, I compare the women to cars, a station wagon here - a truck there, over there is a mini-van..." "And you are looking for that elusive Corvette?" Grant touched his nose. "Bingo! All the cute ones would put me into jail- jail-bait you know. By the time they're old enough - they ain't so much to look at." "Jail-bait?" the deputy rubbed his chin in deep thought. "I don't understand the term, jail-bait." Grant laughed. "No, you probably wouldn't - you are still young enough to not have to worry much. Jail-bait is a term for a girl who just happens to look much younger than she really is." He glanced toward his companion. "She may look eighteen but is really more like fifteen." "Ah...jail-bait." Rosario smiled ruefully. "So the ones who are old enough and not much to look at...they are probably thinking the same thing about you." "Probably, but now that you've opened this old can of worms, I haven't seen you going out on dates much either." The younger man shrugged. "There is not so much in my taste here to like. There are a few, but as soon as they found out my secret - I'd be dead." Grant laughed. "Well you never know. Don't think about them I say and then one day, like when I met my wife...plop, she'll fall right into your lap." "Plop?" Rosario snickered. "I bet she'd love to hear you say that...plop." "Well, she literally fell into my lap at a country bar." "Drunk?" "No she wasn't drunk, you confounded kid! She fell off her damn high- heels, trying to strut her stuff for me. One thing is for certain, my lap is where she stayed for the rest of the evening!" "Is this where I lift my feet to keep the excrement from ruining my shoes?" the youth kidded. "Hey kid, when I want to, I can really throw on the charm...that is, when I want. Right now there ain't nothing here worth my time." "Your problem is that you've set your sights on that Corvette and are probably missing the mini-van that may be just your thing." Grant shrugged. "Maybe...can it at least have a Hemi?" Rosario smiled and shook his head, causing Grant to laugh at his own joke. Chapter 9 An hour later, they had delivered the carcasses at Doc's. Wearing surgical gloves, the elderly man began to carefully unwrap the tarp. "Sweet Jesus..." He sighed as he took in the blackened corpse of the cow. Its lips had drawn up so much that had revealed the entire mouth structure. "It has the look of a 4,000 year old Egyptian mummy! Where did you say you found the hole?" Doc asked the younger man. "We didn't find any on the cow...just the wolves," he spoke, pointing at the withered carcass beneath the cow's legs. Doc used one hand to lift up the legs, and this allowed him to gently maneuver the large wolf from below. "They don't seem to weigh anything." Grant pointed with the hat he held in his hand. "Any ideas on what could cause this sort of nearly instant mummification?" The doctor rubbed the stubble on his chin. "It does happen sometimes when conditions are right, but even those take quite a bit of time and involves a bog or large quantities of salt." "...And don't usually happen in one day?" Rosario added. The doctor ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stick up all over. "Leave this all with me, I'll see if I can't come up some sort of plausible reason for it happening." He looked up at the two men and removed his glasses. "You two be safe out there, you hear. We've no answers on this yet and no reason to rule out anything." As Grant and Rosario were walking toward the door, the Sheriff stopped and slightly turned to the older man. "Do you think an animal could have caused this?" The doctor shrugged. "Animal or biological...it's dangerous at any rate." He fingered the carcass of the cow. "If it's an animal...it didn't come from around here." "Tell him..." Rosario whispered. "Tell him what?" the doctor asked, his curiosity piqued. Grant smiled and indicated Rosario with a nod of his head. "The kid here thinks it's a Chupacabra." "That's as good as any answer as I can give right now." Grant's smile faded as he heard the doctor's reply. Chapter 10 Later that evening Rosario was in the kitchen working on a version of potato salad, using a recipe that his Grandmother had taught him. He glanced out one of the windows at the grill smoke slowly drifted past the window. Grant was in his element, as the grill was expressly off limits to anyone but him. Rosario smiled as he peered through the screen. Grant stood by the grill wearing sunglasses, flip-flops, shorts, and a raggedy old Hawaiian shirt hanging loose and unbuttoned. An ice-cold beer was in one hand and a spatula turner was in the other. He smiled to himself while he listened to Grant humming softly to himself as he cooked their supper. Rosario finished up the salad and then placed it into the refrigerator. The creaking screen door caused Grant to glance up. "Everything will be ready in about ten minutes." "Great." Rosario stepped outside and sat on the stoop then leaned upon his folded arms, his feet propped on the step below. "Smells good." Grant smiled at the compliment. The youth slowly tipped his face toward the sun, his long black hair fell until it slightly caressed the stoop behind him. Grant glanced toward him, sitting there barefoot and in his shorts. He shook his head and continued to work at their supper, if he were to squint and make the youth a blur - he could easily confuse him for a female. His legs were essentially hairless, and his feet and hands were small like a woman's. He just wasn't a manly man, Grant decided. Suddenly a long drawn out wail came from the hills behind them which caused Grant to suddenly turn. Rosario stood quickly and moved beside Grant. "That is the sound..." "Sorta goes right through you doesn't it?" Grant gave a visible shudder. "I've never heard a sound like that in all of the years I've been here!" "What do you suppose it is?" Rosario looked up at the Sheriff. "It sounds like a train car with locked breaks is being drug along a track." After several more interruptions of the 'nail on chalkboard' sound, it finally died away and the birds once again begun to make noise. Rosario noticed and mentioned it to Grant. "Did you notice that all the while that 'whatever it was' was wailing - the birds and insects were strangely silent?" Grant paused and looked back in the direction they assumed it was coming from. "Interesting...I think tomorrow we're going to head that way and see what we can locate. There has to be a logical explanation for what is making that sound!" Rosario grinned broadly, setting off his dimples once again. "I told you already, it is a Chupacabra!" Grant laughed as he held the door for the younger man, balancing the steaming steaks and grilled vegetables in his other hand. "It's as good a guess as any, I suppose." Rosario pulled the screen door closed once Grant entered, then stood looking into the direction of the sound. "I hope I get to see what is making that noise." "Be careful, you may get your wish!" The youth shrugged. "It could be sounds of Earth's tectonic plates as they grind against each other. Science has already proven those sorts of things can and do happen." Grant speared a steak and placed it onto Rosario's plate, then spooned some of the grilled vegetables. "I've heard of that... I suppose it is plausible. At any rate, something is causing it and we're bound to figure it out before it's all said and done." Rosario walked back to the table with two tall glasses of ice-cold lemonade. As he set one beside Grant he commented. "I'm sure it has to be something logical - I'm just surprised that no one has called in a sighting." "We ARE getting calls, everyone wants to know what is making that sound. It's all the talk at the diner in town." "Yeah, but no one has sighted it yet," Rosario replied. Grant settled into his chair and began to saw at his steak. "Ah, just the way I like it!" Using his fork, Rosario pushed a small cube into his steak sauce. "Something is worrying me about whatever is making that sound...it's like a feeling of dread. My Grandma used to have them from time to time." "We'll get an early start on it tomorrow morning - take the ATV's and get off the beaten path a ways. Probably need to swing by the office and get my rifle, never know what the heck is out there." "Pays to be safe," Rosario added, as Grant nodded his head slowly. Chapter 11 The next morning the two travelled to the outskirts of town. They parked the Suburban and loaded their gear onto the racks in the back of the 4-wheelers. "We've got about three or so hours to give this area a sound look see - after that, we'll need to come back for more gas." "I have our lunch and water in my backpack, fresh revolver cylinders ready to go in my utility pack." Rosario put on his blue tinted sunglasses and adjusted his campaign hat so it wouldn't blow off his head while riding. "Keep track of your time out there; if we get separated, you return to the Suburban." He gave the younger man a steady look. "Keep your wits about you - we don't know what it is we're dealing with and I sure as hell don't want to be filling out any paperwork that I don't have to!" Rosario smiled and crossed his chest. "I promise I won't do anything stupid." Grant started the engine on his ATV and nodded. "I'll be holding you to it!" He released the clutch and quickly pulled away from the younger man. Rosario laughed at the dust caused by Grant and sped off after him. Chapter 12 Their search started out as more of a joy ride across the open prairie, as they dodged brush and undriveable terrain as much as possible. Twice they came upon a carcass of a wild boar that was substantially torn up but not mummified. One had been considerably fresher than the latter. Around each, Grant was able to discern that 'Three Toes' had been there to make the kill, or shortly after to clean up. While they were examining each kill site, Grant crouched down and pointed out the nuances of the big bear's strange print. "You know, that big bear has to be somewhere around here. Let's go up to the high ground toward the north and glass the area. Perhaps we'll catch a sight of him." "You planning on shooting it?" Grant shook his head. "He's keeping to himself out here, so there really isn't any reason to go after him just yet - it's when he decides to rummage through the trash in town that the folks want him moved or dead. If he knows we're on to him, he may just keep moving right on out of the area." They drove slowly along a riverbank because Grant was tracking the bear as it came down for a drink. Over the idling of the engines, he raised his voice. "He's hiding out the heat of the day somewhere around here, I'm sure of it!" With a motion of his head, he began to work the ATV up into the higher terrain, as Rosario followed. After nearly half an hour, they stopped on a rise that was slightly higher than the surrounding area. Grant removed his binoculars from his pack and slowly examined the ground below them. Areas of green seemed to be prevalent along the river, while further away it was more yellowed. Grant lowered the binoculars and pointed to a darkened patch along a small creek that branched its way off the main body. "I can't rightly tell what it is, but there's something dark laying along that small creek over there." "Is it the bear?" Grant removed his hat and wiped the sweat from the inside band. "No, it's too small for Three Toes, but I guess it could be a young bear." He removed his water bottle and took a drink. Rosario handed his boss a sandwich. "Okay then, is it moving?" Placing the empty baggie in his pocket, he began to take bites of his lunch. "Nah, whatever it is - is either dead or asleep." He looked up towards the sun. "It has to be close to time for us to be heading back." "It's one thirty." Rosario lowered his arm after glancing at his watch. He began to smile as he watched Grant make short work of the sandwich. Shaking his head, he asked with a laugh. "Hungry?" Grant smiled. "Always." He walked back to his machine and climbed on, then examined the gas level in the tank. "Rosario, how about you and I take a path down there and find out what that black spot is?" Rosario climbed on his ATV and pushed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, as they began to work back down the hill he still had a portion of it hanging from his lips. At the bottom, Grant slowly moved to an open area and shut off the ATV. "We'll hoof it in from here." Removing his rifle, Grant and his younger prot?g? worked their way slowly toward the creek. Here the grass and plants had a healthy shade of green. He slightly turned back toward Rosario and whispered. "Keep the sound down, if that is a small bear or cub - its momma is sure to be around here and we don't want to piss off a mother bear!" Rosario nodded silently. Inching toward the dark patch, Grant kept moving his head slowly to look around brush or weeds that kept whatever it was from view. Finally, he relaxed and began to walk toward it. "Damn...another one!" "What is it that you're seeing?" "Another one of those damn mummies!" He crouched down beside it. "This one looks as though Three Toes got to it first...and whatever is mummifying them came along later." "What is that?" Rosario said staring down at the blackened carcass. "Another wolf?" "That's a wild hog." He lifted it by one foot without effort at all. "A sow to be exact, a big one at that." Rosario's head was like it was on a swivel. "We're quite a distance from the wolf kill area." "I know, and that has me concerned." He stood up and began to follow the tracks of the big bear. "Uh-oh, looks like there was a fight here over the carcass." He touched a darkened patch that appeared to be liquid. "This here's blood." He followed it for several steps. "Holy shit!" Rosario was instantly at his side. "Jesus, what's that?!" The two men were looking down at a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. It was sprawled in death, great gaping wounds slicing it across what could only be its chest. Its smell was purifying, it was so bad that both were covering their noses. Its skin had a strange chrome-like coloring, almost if it were made of a shiny Mylar. "Jesus, you see its head?" Grant stepped around the creature and crouched beside it, turning toward Rosario he pointed. "Its head is like a big triangle, sort of like a praying mantis." The body of the thing stretched back and under some bushes. "Check out the tail - it has to be twice the length of its body!" Grant stood and moved to what Rosario was indicating. "Reminds me of a scorpion. Holy cow, look at the length of that spike!" The young deputy looked up at his boss. "Well, I suspect we now know what took out the wolves!" "And finished off the cow," Grant added. "Take some photos with your camera, I'll see if I can remove the stinger end of this crazy thing - it may help Doc with his investigation." Rosario stepped aside and let Grant get closer to the stinger. "Just be careful, I would hate to see you looking like a mummy." Grant grinned as he removed the knife he always carried at his hip. "Aww, you care." He carefully stepped close and began to saw the appendage off, taking extra effort to stay far from the razor-sharp point. "Imagine how tall this thing was standing - it had to be close to two stories tall!" "Nothing has walked on this land that big - since the dinosaurs." Rosario slowly walked around the creature, still covering his nose as he moved through the taller brush and studied the ground. "Hey, there's tracks here of that big black bear, Three Toes!" Grant very carefully lowered the stinger into a plastic bag. "Well that would explain what killed the creature. Very few animals can fend off the sheer power and claws of a bear - especially one as big as Three Toes!" Once the stinger was carefully tucked away safely in the bag, Grant studied the creature more closely. It appeared to stand on two massive hind legs, its front appendages were only about half the length of its leg. Its eyes were wide set, nearly at the top corners of the triangle. Each eye was silver in color and reflected back everything around it like a shiny Christmas bulb, even in death. At the lower end of the triangle was its mouth, however like an insect it resembled a mandible, the body though resembled a T-rex. "I bet this thing would be hard to see," Grant commented as he pushed at one of the legs with a stick. "The silver that is on the surface is so shiny, it would reflect everything around it, plants, brush, trees, rocks. It would be much like holding a massive mirror in front of you...seeing everything but IT!" Rosario walked back towatd Grant and upon hearing Grant's comment, began to search the area around them. "You'd have to keep on your toes to keep safe." He tilted his head and looked at the reflection of himself in its eyes. "Where do you think it's from?" "Mutant or Alien, I've never seen or heard of a creature like this." "What do we call it?" Rosario glanced up at his boss. "That there is a Chupacabra," Grant replied smiling. "Not like any I ever remember seeing in books or on the internet." "Well, there's always a first. Like it or not, we have to call it something and Chupacabra fits it about as good as anything else." He retrieved the sack with the stinger. "Let's get the hell out of here and try and find out just what we have!" As they walked back toward the ATV's, Rosario slowly cycled through images he had taken on his phone. "That was a hell of an idea, kid! I completely spaced and forgot to take even one!" "Not that they'll be much help, it's hard to see it laying in the brush! It sort of camouflaged itself into the surroundings, with everything reflecting off that mirror-like surface. It's almost more like a sort of distortion within the brush." "Right! That's the exact reason I wouldn't want to stumble up on it unaware! It'd kill you before you even knew it was there!" With Grant's comment, the youth began to look around nervously. "Do you suppose there are more out there?" "I sure as hell hope not! The last thing we need is a few of them things running around, feeding off of our livestock and giving folks grief." They rounded a particularly thick area of brush, which then opened out into a rocky rise. At the top were the ATV's. "Sure glad to see those puppies!" Rosario nodded and threw his leg across the seat. "I'm wondering, Grant, what is the possibility of that thing making the weird sound that we heard the past few days?" "You may be onto something, kid." He started the engine and Rosario followed suit. Just before he began to pull away, Grant hollered over the rumble of the engine. "Let's keep this between Doc and us for now, I don't want to panic the folks in town needlessly." As Grant quickly sped away, the dust floating all about the deputy. Rosario again took a hesitant look around, wondering if another of those creatures could be staring him down at that very moment. The strange intuition he inherited from his Grandmother was sending him ominous signals by the score, everything screamed at him that it would be far worse before it became better. Chapter 13 They returned to town and promptly entered the doctor's office. Rosario stood just behind Grant, waiting at the doorway as he handled their most recent business. "Hey Doc?" Grant called back to the doctor from the receptionist area of his office; without waiting he began to walk back to where he could hear Doc talking. Turning to his deputy, he motioned for him to follow. As Grant and Rosario entered the room, Doc held up his index finger in an attempt to hold off Grant's conversation until he was finished with a phone call. From the answers that Doc was giving to whomever was on the other end, their conversation had to do with the mummified remains. The officers stood quietly and waited for Doc to hang up the phone. "Well, that's mighty interesting!" Without waiting, he began to relay to Grant and Rosario his discussion. "I took the liberty of driving samples to a biologist friend of mine who teaches at the state university. He too was puzzled at the entire mummification process, especially when neither the climate nor the elements are conducive to drying muscle mass at the scale of what you found! From my initial investigation, everything you provided was of the female characteristics - that includes the cow." The two officers stared blankly at the doctor, he spread his arms wide - indicating their entire case. "Don't you see? ALL of the animals were female! Don't you find that odd?" Looking at Grant, he continued. "I was perplexed, Sheriff; I find nothing in our modern world that could do this on such a scale. It has me wondering if the conditions in that given area were of such that it created the 'perfect storm' of this sort of genetic atrophy!" "We found another one today, it was a wild pig!" Grant slowly raised the bag with the stinger in it. "We also found this..." "What is it?" he asked, interrupting Grant. "...It was attached to a creature like none we had ever seen before! Rosario has pictures of it on his phone. The creature is massive!" "We're guessing, it's at least two stories tall!" interjected the deputy. The younger officer began to cycle through the pictures on his phone. "The body is really shiny, almost mirror-like! Here's the head, legs and tail...that's the stinger before Grant cut it off." He slowly put his phone away when the doctor raised his head up and removed his glasses. "There is one other thing - the smell of it is putrefying." "A creature such as this must be brought in so scientists can examine it! You may have found the only species of this sort of creature...perhaps a throw-back of a prehistoric kind." "Could be alien too..." Grant added, setting the stinger, bag and all into a blue plastic bin. As he was placing it, the doctor began to slip a mask over his face and open the bag. "From the amount of liquid in the bag, I'd say it is decomposing at an alarming rate! Woo...Rosario, you are right about the stench! Grant, please flip the switch behind you to turn on our ventilator." Grant calmly turned and toggled the switch on, as great blowers quickly sucked the stench out of the room. Pulling a tray out, Grant slipped on rubber gloves and lifted the stinger out of the bag. Decomposing ooze dripped in jelly-like drops onto the tray. "Damn, it is degrading quickly!" Grant was irritated. "It was not like this when you removed it?" "Not at all. It was intact: muscle, tendons - everything!" Grant folded his arms and frowned. "At the rate it is dissolving, there may be nothing left by the time we get back there." The doctor scowled. "You said that something had killed it? What would have the power to take down such a beast?" "Three Toes...that big black bear we see from time to time. His tracks were all over the place around the carcass." "He may have just been curious..." Grant shook his head. "There were three massive gashes across the chest of the creature. They were deep and, in an area, which only could be fatal, in fact what could be considered guts were beginning to spill out." The doctor stood up and quickly removed several jars from a shelf. "Return to the site, fill them with contents from the creature. Label them 'stomach', muscle...you get the idea. We need as much as humanly possible before it decomposes further!" He pulled a drawer open and removed masks and gloves. "Take these precautions seriously, we don't know how harmful contact with this substance could be!" The doctor looked down at the stinger and sadly shook his head. Chapter 14 Late that afternoon, as the sun was beginning to set behind the distant hills, the two men returned to the carcass of the strange beast. Rosario held a pistol as he stood on a slight rise in the ground, not far from Grant. "Make sure that if that damn bear comes back to the carcass - you shoot it and not me!" he growled as he positioned himself over the jelly-like tissue of the creature. Even though he was speaking through his mask, Rosario understood what the Sheriff was saying. "The tissue is breaking down so quickly that by morning, I bet there won't be nothing left but a puddle!" Rosario glanced toward Grant as he was pushing the slimy substance into one of the containers the Doc gave him. "Gee-Ish...that is one foul smelling critter!" He turned his nose away as he attempted to write the location of where he pulled the samples. The youth smiled, thankful that he wasn't as close to the beast as Grant was. Nervous perspiration drifted down Rosario's temple, his eyes constantly on the move, looking out for his friend. A slight sound caused his heart to beat so that he felt it may come out his chest - but it was nothing more than a bird scurrying along the ground looking for insects. Again he looked toward Grant hovering over the open belly of the carcass, something about this man caused Rosario to feel safe, even though he was exposed and in the open and it was Rosario who held the gun. Grant sat upon his haunches and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. Looking at his surroundings he began to gather the containers and push them into a small cloth bag. He turned back toward the youth and craned his neck until he could see him perched on the rise. "I think I have everything the Doc wanted." "Good. I don't relish being out here so late in the afternoon!" "And you think I do?" Grant said with a laugh. "Look at me, wading around in this primordial soup like I am. Only God knows what this crap will do to a person...and I'm standing in it! Now that I think about it, how the hell did I get stuck on this detail? You are the rookie here - you should be doing the shit job!" Rosario smiled, his dimples recessing deeply. "Aw come on, Grant, you just did it because you know I'm better looking than you. If it's going to harm anyone, better you than me." "Har har," Grant mocked. "Even if it's true, you should still be standing in all of this ooze instead of me!" Rosario chuckled. "I'll take the next one, I promise!" "I'll hold you to that!" Grant replied as he carefully picked his way back toward Rosario. Together they returned to the ATV's and carefully drove back toward the Suburban and the trailer, their ride made increasingly harder due to the sun rapidly setting upon them. Both men breathed easier once they were safely back on the main road, heading toward town. "We going to drop off those containers at Doc's?" "Yeah, he'll want to cool them down a mite and slow the decomposition some." Grant turned his lights on as they drove, as the sky had a burnt orange color to it as the sun was setting. "Grant?" "Yeah, kid." "Do you think there are any others?" He was looking at the Sheriff, they exchanged a brief glance. In that minuscule look, Grant knew the youth was frightened. Hell, he himself was perplexed by the unknown. "Don't fret over it, kid, I'll watch your back and keep you safe!" "Thanks. If it means anything, I'll watch yours too!" Grant smiled, giving him a sidelong glance noting the mischief in his eyes. "I'd feel a lot better about that statement if I didn't know you were gay!" Rosario laughed and looked out the window; he knew that Grant was trying to diffuse the tension that seemed to envelope them both. "You know what I mean, right?" Grant sighed and nodded. "I know what you mean, kid, I know EXACTLY what you mean." Chapter 15 Grant was seated with his feet propped up on an ottoman. On the opposite side of the room, Rosario was sprawled lengthwise on a loveseat, from his calves forward hung over the armrest. Tunes on an old stereo floated through the air, Grant was playing some cool jazz music that both seemed to be enjoying. "That was a pretty good supper," Grant complemented his younger roommate as he shifted a toothpick in his mouth. "I never grilled fish like you did there - it was quite tasty!" "It was something my grandmother had taught me. It all has to do with the right seasoning," Rosario replied with a 'thank you' wave. "That and not have the fish fall all apart when it is grilled." He yawned and scooted forward in the chair, placing his feet on the floor. "You want to go down to the 'Neon Armadillo' for a drink or two? I'm buying." Rosario lifted his head and gave Grant a quick glance. "Are you trying to get out of doing the dishes?" "Whatever works," Grant snickered. "Nah, I'll take care of them when we get back." Rosario sat up and pivoted on the couch, placing his feet on the floor. "Do I have to wear a hat and hide my hair?" Standing up, Grant shrugged. "Makes me no never-mind, I'm not bugged by fellas with long hair." Pushing his wallet back into his pocket after checking out his cash, he held the door for Rosario to exit the house. "Ladies first." Rosario laughed and walked through, and waited for Grant at the bottom step. "We walking or driving?" "We can walk, it's a decent enough night for it. It also doesn't hurt that the Armadillo is only three blocks from here." The evening was cool. There was a cacophony of insects making themselves known, each with its unmistakable sound. Rosario walked just ahead of Grant, since showering prior to supper, both were not in uniform. Grant ears were in tune with the rhythmic striking of his boot heel as it hit the sidewalk. He was wearing jeans and a light button-down shirt, perfect for a nice summer evening stroll. Rosario's steps were nearly silent, preferring to wear his tennis shoes. He too was dressed for a quiet summer night, wearing shorts and a loose bright yellow t-shirt. With his hair so long and hanging down his back, it was swaying with each step like some human metronome, it was easy for Grant to imagine a beautiful girl walking with him...but, he sighed, it was only Rosario. As the two men walked down the main street toward the tavern, a vehicle slowly pulled alongside Grant causing him to glance up as he heard the motor. "Going dancing?" Grant eyed his officers as they sat grinning in the squad car. "Not hardly, you fellas know I can't dance." The officer in the passenger seat laughed. "Maybe not, but your date might be able to show you something." "My date?" Grant gave them a puzzled expression. "Oh, that's Rosario." The youth walked closer to the vehicle when he heard his name. "Guys!" He gave them a wave. "Oh shit...sorry, man. Dude, you got to cut your hair - we thought you was a chick!" Rosario looked slightly embarrassed. "I get that a lot." "We was fixing to give Grant the business for dating a pretty young filly without introducing us, but...well, it was just you." Grant scowled at them. "Don't you two have something better to do, other than cruise the main drag like a couple of teenagers?" They laughed and slowly pulled away, one of them whooped it up as they sped off into town. "Sorry, kid, that was uncalled for." "No harm done," Rosario replied as they resumed walking toward the tavern. Once inside, the music was loud, the bass so low it could be felt thumping in one's chest. There were couples dancing, talking or just enjoying the evening drinking. Grant sat at a table and Rosario took the seat to his left. "Decent crowd for a weeknight." Rosario nodded and motioned for the waitress to come over. "I'll have a beer." "I'll be buying our drinks...Make that two." Grant fished out a ten- dollar bill and handed it the woman, who flashed a smile at him and walked toward the bar. Rosario leaned in and smiled. "She's cute." Grant broke open a peanut and while he was crunching it, replied. "She's taken too - has three little ones!" "That sucks." "Like I said before, kid, all the good ones are spoken for." The younger man looked around and spied a pretty woman in the corner. "How about that one, she is by herself...and she is cute too!" "That's Eve, she's dating Stew from the gas station." He accepted his beer as he finished speaking, then took a quick swig. "She's waiting for him to get off work, they have a drink or two and then walk home together." He sat his bottle down and ran his thumb along the condensation. "All that's left are the jailbait or the really old." He looked over his own shoulder. "Yeah, the pickings are slim for me too." Grant laughed. "I told you that it may be hard to find that fella that swings your direction." Rosario shrugged. "Never hurts to look though, does it?" "Now kid, you're speaking my language - it never hurts to look...and appreciate the finer things in life." "Like a Corvette..." Grant lifted his bottle in the air. "And mini-vans...with a Hemi." Rosario laughed, his dimples deepening. Twice, while they sat listening to the music, Grant tried to get Rosario to go up and dance with the group that was there. It was a line dance and he thought it might coax the shyness out of him. It wasn't until he himself got involved in one that the younger man finally stood up and also danced. It had been a long time since Grant actually 'kicked up his heels', before his late wife died, had he stepped foot on a dance floor. Grant was actually having fun for a change. Eventually they returned to their table, and there was a mixed drink setting where Rosario had been seated. It was the type that a woman might order. "You got an admirer?" "Search me?" He began to look around the room. "I wonder who sent it?" Grant also glanced throughout the room, trying to catch someone turning away as if found out. "Be careful, kid. These fellas around here wouldn't take it too kindly if they bought it, thinking you was a girl." "Should I drink it?" He studied the glass for a moment. "Maybe someone just set it down when they went up dancing." "I guess that's possible, but not likely." Rosario slowly pushed it into the center of the table and left it there. "I'd hate to think that someone bought it for me and it getting wasted." "Then drink it," Grant calmly replied. Rosario threw his hair over his shoulder, tucking a few strands behind his ear. "I'm not sure what to do...maybe we should just leave and head back home?" Grant glanced toward a clock on the wall. "I guess it is getting a bit late." The two slowly stood and began to work their way toward the door. As they stepped outside, Eve and a man were also exiting. "Well, hi there, Eve!" She smiled and followed Stew and Grant through the doorway. "How you doing, Stew?" "Doing pretty good. You going to introduce us to your date?" They all had stopped below a light outside, and Stew put his arm around Eve's waist. Rosario grew red-faced, but only Grant noticed it in the darkness. Yet it was there. Grant saw his embarrassment and only smiled. "Oh, we're not an item - we were just out looking for a bit of fun on a lazy evening." Stew nodded toward Rosario. "Ma'am." Eve had begun to walk behind him and was still holding his hand, causing him to pirouette in the stones. "Well I guess the woman here is in a hurry to head home!" He smiled. Grant flexed his back, his muscles tired from sitting in the wooden chairs inside. "If I drove my truck, I'd offer you a lift. That's a far piece you'll be walking tonight." "It's only a mile straight south. We're okay though - we've walked it a million times!" Rosario eyed Grant, without words, and the Sheriff knew what was on his mind. "You still packing your pistol?" Stew patted his hip, then raised up his shirt and showed the little silver hand-gun. "Always, we'll be fine." "Saw signs earlier today that Three Toes is on the prowl, sure would hate for you two to run into him." He purposefully left out the strange creature they saw sprawled and decaying on the ground. Eve gave Stew a frightened look. "Maybe we should get a ride?" He kissed her cheek and hugged her. "We'll be just fine. It'll only take us about fifteen to twenty minutes to walk home." Grant nodded. "Keep your wits about you. Hell, just head on home, we've kept you waiting long enough!" As they began to walk toward the south, Grant and Rosario began walking back toward Grant's house. Rosario commented. "I sure would feel better if they had a ride or drove home." Grant glanced back over his shoulder; they could just make out them passing under a light at the edge of town. "Stew's right, they'll be fine. Besides, the creature is dead so they won't have to worry about it." Rosario hesitated as he too turned. "True - but what if that one wasn't the only one?" "They'll be fine." He sighed as they too began to exit from the downtown lighting. Theirs was a safer walk anyway, because they would pass by row after row of little houses before they arrived at Grant's home. Chapter 16 Attempting to keep quiet, Rosario padded softly into the kitchen. He began to get out their customary breakfast items for a Sunday morning. As he was placing Grant's griddle onto the counter and plugging it in, he noticed movement outside. Stepping closer to the door, he saw Grant seated on the steps holding a steaming coffee. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that there was still coffee left in the carafe so he poured himself a cup. The screen groaned slightly as Rosario stepped out. "You sure are up early - and this being a Sunday too!" Grant shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." The younger man smiled. "You just need something warm in the bed with you, then you won't want to get out." Grant eyed him coolly, yet there was a slight twinkle in his eye. "If that's the case, I'll go out and get a dog." Rosario laughed. "You should get a dog, maybe even train it like a police dog." Grant took another sip of his coffee, as he lowered it, he sighed. "I suppose." "You feeling like pancakes this morning?" the younger man spoke as he was sitting down on a higher step. In the distance, they could hear a church bell ringing. The soft sound made him smile, reminding him of years so long ago. The youth noticed. "Remembering back to your childhood?" "Sort of. My folks lived out in the country - had around eighty acres. Us kids were all over that land, fishing, climbing, messing around." He nodded in the direction of the bell sound. "When Mom or Dad wanted us to come home, they would ring a bell. It wasn't a huge one, like a church has, but it was big enough. They had it mounted on a long pole in the corner of the yard, not far from the woods." He laughed and looked down into his cup. "If you didn't come directly, there was hell to pay." Rosario lifted his face up to the sun, and smiled as he placed his hands upon his knee, but intertwined them around his coffee cup. To Grant, the movement was almost feminine: graceful and very natural. Rosario closed his eyes and smiled, sighing. "That sound reminds me of going to church with my grandmother. She was a woman of faith - strong in her convictions and the first to offer help. She wouldn't take no for an answer - and 'can't' wasn't in her vocabulary!" "Sounds like a good woman." "She was - she was the best!" "Did she know about your...your secret?" He lowered his face and nodded. "She did. She wasn't happy about it, but always said that if it made me happy, then what could anyone say?" Grant took another sip of his coffee, then tossed the remainder into the grass. "So, you said something about pancakes?" "I haven't started them yet, but I can have them on your plate in a matter of minutes. At least the griddle should be good and hot now, so it shouldn't take too long." Grant slowly stood and held the door, then followed the youth inside once he had passed. As Rosario began to make the pancakes, Grant set the table and started a fresh pot of coffee. By the time Rosario was pouring the batter onto the hot griddle, Grant had already seated himself at the table, and pouring both of them coffee in old white mugs. As soon as he had three pancakes ready, he placed them carefully onto Grant's plate. "Butter?" Grant nodded as the younger man moved the little plate with the stick, to the table. He carefully took it from Rosario and placed it down beside himself. "Smells good. I see you found the blueberries." "Sure did!" He held up a plastic jug of syrup. "You want any of this?" He took it from the youth and drizzled it over his pancake. "It's alright, but I don't want it drowning in that sweet stuff." Rosario smiled, the ever present dimples deepening. "The sweeter the better!" The two ate in silence for several minutes, finally Rosario took a moment to sip his coffee. As he was placing his mug down, he spoke. "So what's on our agenda for today?" Grant shrugged. "It's going to be hot I'm figuring." Rosario looked at him thoughtfully. "Is there any place around here that a person could go swim?" "It depends. Do you want deep water or something like a creek or small river?" "Someplace that I can dive in and just soak up the cool water." "There's one or two places close by. I suppose if I take you swimming, I could drop in a line a bit further on down and maybe catch us a fish or two for supper." "That would be wonderful!" "Alright then, let's finish up here and pack something good to take with us for lunch and head on out." Grant smiled; it had been awhile since he had been fishing. "Hell, if they're biting - maybe we can cook a couple over an open fire for lunch?" "That's an excellent idea! I can grab a few items to go along with it!" "Don't get your cart before the horse, kid - I still have to catch them first!" Rosario smiled broadly. "I have complete confidence in your ability to catch something." Grant sat his coffee down and smiled. "So whatever I catch, you'll eat?" "Within reason. I don't eat boots, car tires or grass!" "I thought so," Grant snickered as he ate the last forkful of his blueberry pancake. After the two finished their breakfast, each carried his plate to the sink. Grant paused after placing his plate down. "Go get your gear, and don't forget your swim duds." Chapter 17 The remainder of the morning and afternoon was pleasant, as Grant had caught five fish at his favorite spot. He had already gutted them and placed them in their cooler until Rosario was ready. He then moved even further up the shore line so he could cast back beneath the old tree - hoping to catch a few more for the freezer at home. There was a massive low hanging willow that shaded much of the corner of this pond. Grant knew that when the weather got warm, they would congregate here to keep in the cool shade. It also didn't hurt that it was considerably deep at this point, although it was deeper where Rosario was swimming. From this new vantage point, a couple of times Grant saw him dive in from a rock which rose nearly five feet above the water. Clad only in his trunks, the youth was rail thin yet seemed to be quite lithe and sinewy - it was evident that his job was building muscle where there had been none. Grant smiled as Rosario climbed back onto shore and flipped his long hair over his shoulder, the act was quite feminine. He began to twist it to repel some of the water, then tied it into a makeshift pony tail which he hung down his back. About an hour later, he spied smoke trailing upward from where they had set up their camp. He knew that Rosario had begun to make lunch. Not quite ready to give up fishing, he continued to cast back into the shadows under the canopy of the willow. It was only when he began to smell whatever Rosario was making that his stomach overruled his desire to continue. "Well, maybe I can come back after we're done eating?" he softly spoke to himself as he began to reel in his line. He walked back to their camp for the day. "Smells good." "Thanks," he replied as he took the lid off an ancient cast iron cooker. "Fish are done, potatoes are almost done and dessert will be done soon." "Dessert? I didn't know I had anything to make a dessert?!" Grant rubbed his hands together. "What is it that you've made?" "After supper," was his reply. Rosario placed a generous portion of the fish onto a plate, then he piled a home-style sort of potato concoction that had slices of potato, onion, mushroom and chunks of ham. Grant was impressed. "I had all the fixings in my house for this?" "You'd be surprised what you have in your kitchen." He smiled and then added. "And most of it is still good." Grant sat down on a log, tasting the fish first and then the potatoes. "Wow! That's got some good flavor!" "Thanks!" "If you were a woman, I'd let you marry me!" "If I were a woman...I might be choosy," Rosario quipped. Grant laughed. "Yeah, probably." The two lazed away some of that afternoon, as Grant resumed fishing and Rosario sat at the edge hanging his bare feet into the water. Finally, as it neared the five o'clock hour, they packed it in and headed home. Chapter 18 The drive back to the house was much quieter - Rosario rested his head toward the window, the air blowing his hair gently. Grant searched on the radio for a decent station that wasn't all static, by the time he neared the town he had found one. Checking his gauges, he noticed that he was getting low on gas. Since it was a Sunday, it would be easier to get it now instead of waiting until the morning. He passed the Neon Armadillo and went the extra blocks to the station. Rosario opened his eyes when Grant turned into the station. He glanced toward Grant. "Can I take a pee while you get gas?" Grant made a face. "You can't wait till we get back to the house? We'll be there in just a few minutes." He sighed. The look the youth gave him caused the older man to laugh. "Oh go on, may as well. I know what it's like to have to hold it in when you really have to go." Rosario popped the door open, with an exasperated and relieved. "Thank you!" He raced toward the restroom door. As Grant began to fill the truck with the gas, he saw Stew's father approaching him. "Hi Elmer, decided to give Stew a break on the afternoon shift?" Elmer scowled. "No. He was a 'no call, no show' today. I'm staying for mine and his too, I reckon." Grant frowned. "That's not like him." "No, it's not. That's why I walked out here...asking you to swing on by his place and see what may be holding him up." "Sure. No problem Elmer. I have to drop off some fishing gear and then I'll head right on over to his place." "Thanks Sheriff." He started to turn, hesitated and smiled. "By the way Sheriff, who is the little cutie you have with you today? She sure is a looker, if I was a good forty years younger..." Grant laughed out loud. "Thanks Elmer, I'll pass that along to her! I'm sure she'll appreciate it!" When he was finished, Grant hung up the gas hose and paid. He climbed into the truck and pulled it over to the side of the parking lot close to where Rosario would come out of the building. Finally, as he was getting into the truck, he had a puzzled look on his face. "That old guy just whistled at me." Grant nearly ran over the curb laughing as he pulled back onto Main Street. "Yeah, about that..." he began while still laughing. Chapter 19 Pulling to a stop outside Grant's house, he grabbed Rosario's arm as the latter was climbing out, hesitating him so he could talk. "As soon as we get our gear unloaded, I have to take a drive to Stew and Eve's home." Rosario was still holding onto the truck door, and then turned back toward Grant. "Oh? What's up?" "Elmer, the one who whistled at you..." his smile crept wider on his face, remembering how put-out Rosario was when he entered the cab of the truck. "Well, Stew was supposed to begin his shift a few hours ago and never showed." "That's not good." Rosario frowned. "Elmer just wants someone to swing by their place and make sure nothing has happened. I can go alone if you've had enough for the day." "No, I'll go. It'll be better with a second pair of eyes." Grant nodded and removed their cooler from the truck. "We'll get this all iced down and make a quick trip." "Is this official police business?" "You asking if you have to wear your uniform?" He shrugged. "I think what we're wearing is fine, it's not like we're going to haul them to jail in cuffs anyway, they're probably in the sack doing what young kids their age do." Rosario opened the screen door and held it for Grant to pass through with the heavy cooler, under his breath Grant heard him sigh. "I wouldn't know." Chapter 20 Stones ground and rolled under the weight of the tires as they drove up the gravel drive. As they came to a stop before the house, a cloud of dust washed over the Suburban, turning into a miniature tornado as it scurried across their lawn. Grant climbed the stairs of the mobile home, knocking respectively on the door. After no answer, he pointed to a building not far away. "Check out Stew's garage; he tinkers on autos when he's off the clock...he might be out there." Rosario sauntered toward the old building, most likely one that had been on the property long before the mobile home was moved here. He slowly opened a door and peered inside; only dust specks filtered in the beams of sunlight. In the distance he saw an old rusty 1950's car with its hood still up. Stepping inside, he listened. A tool fell from the covered fender, clanging against the gravel floor. "Stew?" The young deputy called out. "You in here?" Nothing. As he approached the front of the old Chevy, a gray tomcat raced for the doorway nearly scaring the wits out of the man. It was evident that the building was empty. Grant pushed the door open. "Rosario?" "Back here." "There doesn't seem to be a soul on the property. There aren't any tracks in the drive but ours -I just can't figure it out." "I'm sure there's a logical explanation for them not being here." Grant rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Come on, we'll head on back towards town. Only, this time we'll go slower and be more vigilant." "And if we don't find any sign of them? What then?" "We'll have to get hold of Chet Reinhold and see if we can borrow his hunting dogs! They're good dogs, have a real keen sense of smell, I have had to use them before, in finding a kid. Sucks though, we'll have to drive all the way out here and back again to town...but, I'm sure we'll find something to go on." "I sure hope you're right." Rosario sighed as he climbed into the Suburban and pulled the door shut behind him. By 7pm that evening they still had not found any sign of either Stew or Eden. They had been using the dogs and working the left side of the road, then worked them around the property with no luck. Finally, as they began back toward town, an older dog seemed to pick up a trail. Rosario was walking with Mr. Reinhold and the dogs, while Grant was about thirty feet to the left of them. The sheriff purposefully placed distance between them, one so they could cover more area and two, his mind was in turmoil and he just needed to think. "They're onto something, aren't they?" Rosario noticed. The man leading the dogs, with graying hair at his temples nodded. "Yeah...it looks like for some reason they came off the road and worked their way into the tall grass." This comment caused Rosario to whistle loudly toward Grant and motion him to come over. "They're on a trail," the deputy spoke as soon as Grant was in ear- shot. "Wonder why they left the road?" The Sheriff's brows furrowed. Grant touched Chet on the shoulder. "Hold up on the dogs for a sec. Rosario, come up here with me." The youth followed as directed, as both men passed the dogs and stood on the trail. Grant pointed toward the distance. "Notice how the grass is trampled from the tree line to here?" "Three Toes?" Grant crouched down and examined several places in the grass, after standing back up he pointed toward the north. "They saw, or heard something coming right at 'em." Rosario repeated, "Three Toes?" He studied the Sheriff as he slowly walked to where the paths had intersected; the more he studied them, the more the muscle in his jaw flexed. Finally, he slowly shook his head. "It weren't a bear, kid. This was big...real big." "Our Chupacabra, or one like it?" Rosario reluctantly whispered. "There had to be more than just one." Rosario spied something in the grass and quickly bent down, Grant noticed and eyed the young deputy. "What did you find?" "That gun of Stew's, do you know what it was?" Rosario asked. Then, breaking off a stick he carefully leaned forward, in a way that blocked what he was doing from Grant. "He had a .38. Why, did you find something?" Rosario swung around and held the spent cartridge for Grant to see. "This here is a .38 casing, Grant." The casing was inverted and hanging from its open end on the stick that the deputy held. "Shit," Grant spit. It was common knowledge around town that Stew carried a spare cylinder for his gun...finding spent casings showed that he had emptied and then reloaded. Grant sighed as he realized that everything seemed to have happened within the blink of an eye. Grant moved past the shells and stood; Rosario moved in just behind him. "Whatever it was came at them from this way..." He pointed. "It caused Stew to shoot at it..." Looking down at the trail he pointed. "They took to running that way - with whatever was after them right behind." "Grant. There's Stew's gun." Rosario pointed into the grass, just outside the path. Grant stooped and retrieved the weapon, inserting a stick through the trigger, lifted it up and looked closer at it. "It's his alright. Damn! He reloaded and never had time to shoot again!" "Oh my God!" Rosario suddenly stopped, there not but a dozen feet away lay a mummified corpse. Grant pushed past him. "Tell Chet to keep the dogs back so we can assess what the hell happened here - even though we both know what did this!" Numbly, Rosario turned toward where Chet and the dogs were. "Hey kid," Grant called out, his voice low and almost silent above the grasses and the light breeze. Rosario hesitated; his face ashen with what he had found. "Don't say anything about the creatures we found earlier to Chet. We don't need to get him spooked and getting the town all riled up!" "Don't you think it's almost too late to worry about that now?" Rosario snapped back, tears clinging to his lower lashes. He spoke to him almost fatherly. "I know it, kid - I know." Rosario's head lowered then he slowly trudged back toward the dogs. Grant watched him for several long seconds before turning back toward their grisly find. It was Eve - her skin was blackened into a leathery husk and drawn up. There was a macabre smile on her face where her lips and gums had receded during the bizarre process. Her legs were bent askew and her arms where raised, almost as if she was defending herself after falling. Grant stood up and walked a few feet away, blinking back tears. He knew the girl and knew her family very well...this would be hard on them all. A noise behind Grant caused him to place his hand on the butt of his revolver and turn quickly. "It's me, Grant," called out his young deputy. He relaxed and looked away, trying to blink the tears from his eyes. "It's Eve." The Sheriff bent over in despair. "Mummified like those wolves and cow!" "How, Grant?! We saw that the creature that did this dead!" "True. But we don't know how many of them we're dealing with." As he was turning, he saw dried blood in the grass. "Someone was injured, more than likely it was Stew." "You sure it wasn't Eve?" "No... I think whatever happened to her, happened damn fast!" He turned toward the path in the grass. "Come on, we'll follow the trail a little further." It opened up wider at this point, whatever had been chasing both of them had moved on from Eve. The officers saw where Stew had crouched down to hide in the weeds. They could also see where he was discovered and began to run in earnest. They could visualize where the beast had jumped nearly twenty feet to cut off his escape. "It's pushing him - running him ragged!" Rosario observed. "He couldn't have held out for long if he was injured." "The thing is smart. It understands that he had a weapon that inflicted pain. It is just biding its time until Stew was too weakened to run!" As Grant came up on a rise, he saw where the smaller trail came to a stop in the distance. From behind, Rosario watched his friend's shoulders slump. "I'm afraid that's where we're going to find Stew." He raised his field glasses to his eyes. "I can see where the creature broke off and headed into the hills..." Sighing, he lowered the glasses. "You can stay here, kid, if you want. I'm pretty certain I know what I'm going to find down there." "I'll go along with you." Rosario gave Grant"s shoulder a slight squeeze. He knew that his friend would be beating himself up for not seeing Stew and Eve got home safely. I wish to thank Voldy for his help on making my story more complete. Such dedication is something that all authors admire, he read through 'Creatures' three times to get it to the point it is. I thank him for everything he has done for me now and in the past! Chapter 21 It was dark by the time they had loaded both of the corpses into the Suburban, Chet and the dogs left a little while after they had found Stew. Each corpse couldn't have weighed more than thirty pounds. The skin on each was stretched tight like blackened paper, and only their clothes told the men who they once had been. Quietly, almost reverentially, they drove back to town where the doctor was already waiting for them at his office. Holding the door, he watched as both Stew and Eve were carried in and placed upon separate gurneys. "Do you want us to leave?" "No..no, you can stay." He began to cut off the clothing and place it into bags, one marked 'Stew', the other with 'Eve' written on it. Looking at the face and teeth of Eve, he sadly sighed. "Yes, this is Eve. I can tell where I repaired a broken jawbone when she was kicked by her horse." "Well, the other one is Stew; I can tell you that much." Grant sighed. "We have to make it official for the death certificates, so just let me be the judge of who is who." He scowled at Grant; it was evident he was tired. Under the supervision of the two officers, he quietly cut away the clothing from Stew. He examined his face and then the chest. Frowning the doctor began a closer inspection, not once but twice. Shaking his head, he stepped back and asked Grant to assist in rolling the corpse over. Adjusting his glasses upon his nose, he pointed to Stew's upper back. "Did you notice the puncture wound right there while in the field?" "No. But it doesn't surprise me in the least because we found blood where someone had been injured. We just assumed that it was Stew." "There's the rub, gentlemen." He settled back into a very tall chair. "That isn't Stew." "Sure it is!" Grant protested. "I have been a doctor for more years than you've been alive, brought babies into this world...so many you couldn't shake a stick at." He pointed toward the corpse on the gurney before them. "I should know a male from a female - that, my good man, is a female!" "Bullshit!" snapped Grant. "It's Stew and you damn well know it!" "If it isn't Stew, then who is it?" interjected Rosario. "See here, young man!" The doctor stood up and squared off at Grant. "You point to a penis on that body and then I just might believe you! Grab the other side and flip her back over." "It's a him doc. You and I both know it...look, I get it, you're tired." "Look at the bones, Grant." He touched the leg. "They're too small for a male! Compare them to Eve - nearly the same size as she is!" He held a metal tool to the head. "Even her head is small like Eve's!" The expression was slowly being ebbed from Grant's face as the doctor continued. "The fingers are long and tapered like a woman's - you can almost discern breast tissue upon the chest...and note the larger areola and nipple!" He then moved to the corpses side, Compare the height of this corpse to the other...nearly the exact same size! 5 feet 3 inches! If she ain't a woman, I need to be surrendering my diploma!" "Who then is she?" Rosario hesitantly moved closer. "And why was she wearing Stew's clothing?" The doctor sighed and gently patted Grant's shoulder. "I won't know until tomorrow when I can confide with the town's dentist. He has records on nearly everyone locally, if anyone will know who she is - he will." He slowly began to walk the two officers to the door. "There isn't a thing we can do for them until morning, I'll let you know what I find out." He opened the outside door and held it for Grant and Rosario to exit. "Go home and get some rest, you both have had one hell of a day!" They climbed into the truck but Grant hesitated before turning the key. "You know we have to go back out there tomorrow, don't you?" He waited until he saw Rosario nod. "There is another of those creatures somewhere out there running around and we have to put it down!" "We're not going to try and capture it?" "No. We have to end this right here, and right now!" He turned the key and started the Suburban. Rosario commented. "If that isn't Stew, we have to figure out what happened to him...and who the other girl is?" Grant nodded slowly as he sped down the street, with only the interior lights illuminating his worried scowl. "Now, we are faced with the hardest part of this job..." He sighed as he glanced toward his deputy. Rosario stared out of the window, speaking softly. "We have to tell his father." Chapter 22 Around one thirty in the morning, Grant heard the screen door to the house close. He sat up and made his way into the living room in the dark. The house was stuffy and even he was having trouble sleeping. He quietly eased to the doorway, just outside on the step sat Rosario in his shorts and t-shirt. Grant moved on into the kitchen and retrieved two bottles of beer and carried them with him to the door. As it opened, Rosario looked back over his shoulder. "Sorry if I woke you up." Grant sat down beside him on the step and handed him a cold bottle he had just opened. "Having trouble sleeping?" The youth nodded and accepted the bottle. "I just can't get the look of those mummified faces out of my mind..." He took a swig and sat the bottle on the step below. "Stew's father...it was all just too much!" He took another swig of his beer, and then shakily rotated it in his hands. "That's a hell of a way to die, your life sucked right out of you." "She probably didn't even feel it." Rosario shuddered visibly. "God, I sure hope you're right." He took another swig and sat it back. "What do you think happened to Stew?" "Honestly? I still think the other one is him...I think the doc will find that out in the morning." "Educated guess?" "Nah, just intuition." "You have to admit that the body we thought was Stew was a woman. Doc proved that to us as much as anyone could." The Sheriff sighed. "Yeah, it's a conundrum - that's for sure. Right now, we have two dead women, and Stew is missing." He leaned back with his elbows resting on the step higher. He was watching Rosario; the kid was trembling as he tried to nurse his beer. Grant took another swig as he saw a visible shudder race through the younger man, he quickly swallowed. "You okay?" After a lengthy pause, Rosario cleared his throat. "No...I have this...this unspoken feeling of dread about this creature." Grant nodded. "It'll be a tough nut to crack...but we'll get it!" "You may...but, I think it'll be the end of me." Grant sat up. "We'll have one advantage over Stew and Eve- and that's firepower! Throw a few rounds of buckshot at it - some serious lead, and it'll die sure enough. You remember what Three-Toes did to the first one we found!" Rosario looked back toward his friend; his dark eyes seemed haunted. "We aren't Three Toes." His face dropped in the subdued lighting. "I think this creature will be the end of me." "Oh come on..." Rosario interrupted him. "My Grandmother had this uncanny ability to have visions of the future. They would come in short dream-like snapshots. I too have that ability...I have seen my own death." "Rosario..." Grant interceded. "It is going to catch us...I saw the stinger swinging down at me - that's when I woke up." "So it gets me too?" Rosario shook his head. "I don't see what happens before or after the creature strikes...I don't see what happens to you - I just know I am directly under the stinger when it falls. There is no escape." "Look, kid. As long as there is breath in this body of mine, I will be there to prevent anything from happening to you!" Grant placed his hand on the back of the troubled deputy. "Don't you ever forget what I'm telling you right here, right now...I got your back!" Rosario smiled wanly. "I know that, Grant." They sat in silence, each deep in thought of what the coming day would bring. Suddenly to Grant, the beer didn't taste so appealing. They continued to drink, hopefully to numb their systems. After several minutes they stood up and returned inside, set the empty bottles on the counter and headed into their respective bedrooms. Sleep would eventually come, but both knew it would be a fleeting mistress tonight. Chapter 23 The two were very quiet the following morning. Perhaps they were tired, but each man was deep in thought of what may happen given the nature of the creature they pursued. After a quick breakfast consisting of a grilled ham & cheese sandwich and black coffee, they carried their gear to the Suburban and headed toward the police station. Grant backed the Suburban up to the trailer, already loaded with the two off-road vehicles. While he was making sure everything was safely connected, Rosario walked out of the police station. "This message was pinned to your door." He started to hand it to Grant who waved him off as his hands were busy. "Just read it to me." "Doc wants you to swing by his office first thing this morning...it says it's urgent." Grant only nodded once then eyed his deputy and asked simply. "You ready to go?" Rosario sighed, looking around at the town as if it were the last time he would see it. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." "All right - let's get moving. With luck we can be done before nightfall." Rosario shuddered. "You still thinking that we may have to sleep out there tonight?" Shrugging, Grant opened the back door of the Suburban. "Did you pack all the essentials for a night out if we are forced to?" He nodded. "Food, water, cooking gear, extra shells, tent, sleeping bags and extra gas for the ATV's." "Let's hope we won't need it." He removed his campaign hat on his head and placed it on the back seat. "Come on, let's head on down to Doc's and see what news he has for us." They climbed into the vehicle and carefully left the police station pulling the trailer. Within five minutes they were pulling into an alley beside the Doctor's office. Rosario opened the door and waited for Grant to enter, then together they walked back past the receptionist and quickly located the doctor. "Gentlemen!" He motioned for them to enter into the room. "I spoke with the dentist and..." "It's Stew, isn't it?" Grant folded his arms and leaned against the counter. "It is...but again it isn't." He walked to where a corpse lay and removed a sheet from over it. "Yes, the dental records show it is Stew, but the body is 100% female. Somehow, in some sort of bizarre way his body morphed into that of a woman! I have never seen anything of the like!" "But why?" "I spoke with my friend at the University, he thinks the creature you found was one of two...or three like it. He feels that it 'feeds' off the essence of females, probably the estrogen." "That's a highly specialized feeding system." "Indeed it is. Every victim you found has been female...not one male was located." Rosario cleared his throat. "But Doc, everyone has estrogen in their system, both men and women alike. How can it differentiate one from the other?" The doctor shrugged. "Smell perhaps? Men and women smell differently, even without cologne and perfumes. Perhaps it also applies to animals and other species." "Doc, we know that Stew ran for several hundred yards after that creature inflicted the wound on him..." Grant threw his hands up in total frustration. The doctor pointed toward the mummified corpse on the table. "And yet here on my table lies a VERY female corpse." He gently removed the cloth from Stew's corpse and allowed it to lay at the end of the table. "I believe, since he had no feminine essence, the creature converted him into a food source! We both feel that he was infected and injured somehow and then when he transformed far enough...the creature sucked the life from him - or rather her." Grant shook his head. "That's horrible!" "My colleague and I feel your creature feeds off the estrogen or some other female-only hormone and what it can't find...it makes." "Then these are aliens?" Rosario asked. Grant and the doctor both nodded slowly. "They have to be," the doctor replied. "They are like a weapon! Left unchecked, they could destroy the entire balance of male and female population on earth - and of every species!" Rosario whispered in fear, "Hopefully they haven't bred!" The doctor moved around to the other side of Stew's corpse. "My University colleague suspects that the one you had found earlier was a juvenile. If that is what we're dealing with we MUST keep them from reproducing, and if they have - find their offspring and eradicate them!" Grant folded his arms, he was deep in thought. "Doc, we have to keep this under wraps for now - if word got out to the Government, they'll want to capture it and do God knows what else. We have to kill all of them before any further harm comes to the living!" Grant eyed Rosario and motioned that it was time to leave. As they left the room the doctor called out behind them. "Be careful, gents, you don't want to end up like these two under the cloth." Chapter 24 The Suburban motored along a desolate, dusty road near where they found the bodies of Stew and Eve. Neither man spoke, only the tinny sound from their radio could be heard. Rosario was studying the horizon, his eyes glued to the thin ribbon of mountains in the distance while Grant was sipping his coffee, trying not to spill it on himself. Rosario sighed deeply as he adjusted himself in his seat for comfort. "Do you think we'll see anything?" Grant shrugged. "Six of one, half dozen of another." The young deputy smiled and examined his revolver once again, Grant noticed and shook his head. "Six bullets is all she'll hold, same as when you checked it about a dozen miles back. Your nerves have got you rattled; we'll either see the damn thing or we won't." He looked back toward the road and drove for a half minute or so. "If we do see it, it's our job to kill it so it can't hurt another creature." Rosario tilted his ear toward the open window. "You hear that?" "Hear what?" "Stop the truck. Listen!" Grant slowed down, and then he heard a strange sound over the engine. They quickly stopped on the gravel road, and Grant turned off the engine. "It's that metal-on-metal sound again!" The younger man pointed toward his open window. "Sure is." Grant inhaled deeply, as he opened up his door and stepped out into the dusty road. "Can't be no more than a mile or two back there in the tall brush!" Rosario hesitantly opened his own door. "We going to start out from right here?" "I'll have to find a place to pull off. We'll unload the ATV's and head out in the direction that sound was coming from." Rosario reached onto the seat and removed the county road map. "There's a pretty wide river near here, isn't there?" The Sheriff nodded. "Deep too! Yeah, Angry Bastard is due west of where we are right now." "The map says 'Knob River'." "The locals call it 'Angry Bastard', they made us change it some fifty years back so they could put it on a map." Grant leaned over and looked at the map. "There's a hell of a drop just to the east of here near Flat Rock Canyon. That canyon has a drop of like a hundred feet." Grant looked knowingly at the youth. "That creature is boxed in with the mountains behind it, the river to the west and the canyon to the east. If we push in toward the north, we'll have to come across it sooner or later." "That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Rosario under his breath, hoping that Grant didn't hear. "Let's get this Suburban parked and roll off the 4 wheelers so we can get after this beast from hell." He glanced toward the sun. "With any luck, we'll be on it before the afternoon gets too hot." The sun was just rising above the mountains when Grant found a decent place to park the truck. It was on the left side nearer to where the canyon was, but still far enough away to allow them easy removal of the ATV's. Leaving their campaign hats behind, both wore the unconventional baseball cap that the department recently issued. Each vehicle was topped off with gas, so they should have more than enough for the day. Grant quickly scanned the map while Rosario tied down the supplies, they had brought with them. By the time the young deputy mounted the 4-wheeler, Grant was folding the map and pushing it into his pocket. "We'll ride slow into the draw, and work our way toward the mountains. I figure that once there; we'll have to leave the wheelers behind and hoof-it on in." "We're looking for high ground then?" Grant nodded and removed his sunglasses from his pocket and putting them on. "Keep your wits about you, with this thing's mirror-like skin, it's going to be reflecting the surrounding and making it damn hard to spot." "True," Rosario pursed his lips and nodded. "But if it is mirror-like, we might be able to pick up a reflection of the sun off of it." "Now you're thinking!" Grant smiled and started the ATV. "Keep close - but not too close. This terrain isn't very forgiving if we should roll one of these things!" He put the vehicle into gear and sighed deeply as he glanced back toward the nervous youth. "I don't think either of us want to be hurt up in these rocks with that thing prowling around!" "You got that right!" Grant slowly let out the clutch and eased the ATV forward, as Rosario followed behind him. Chapter 25 For nearly an hour they slowly made their way up into the rocky foothills, until they were no longer able to press on. They chose to hide their 4-wheelers in a mosh-pit of boulders and weeds. The temperature was climbing as the day wore on, yet the higher elevation did offer a slight cool breeze for comfort. Grant paused at the bottom of a crag in the rocks, and whispered. "Try to keep as quiet as you can...that thing has got to be close!" "That's what I'm afraid of," Rosario whispered back with a worrisome look. Now they climbed even more slowly and carefully, because each step higher brought them closer to the vantage that Grant wanted, and probably closer to the creature. Grant mounted a tall boulder, and reached back to assist Rosario. Suddenly a heavy ear-shattering roar shook the ground they were trying to scale. Both officers' hearts raced wildly, and it almost caused Grant to slip off the boulder. Panting, both crouched defensively and immediately drew their weapons. Rosario was stunned in fear, it was the same 'metal on metal' sound that they had been hearing, only this time it seemed like it was right on top of them! "Damn, that thing is close!" Grant whispered, scooting near a much larger boulder just above his head. He half dragged the youth up closer to him. Rosario's eyes were huge, he was shaking in fear while trying to maintain a firm grasp on the gun he held. Silently, he began to pray in Spanish and ended with the sign of the cross. Slowly, the Sheriff rose above the boulder that had them hidden and peered over the edge. "Do...do you see it?" The younger man beside him trembled in fear. "No...but that don't mean a damn thing! Remember, it has a mirror-like surface...it could be hiding in plain sight!" For an hour and twenty minutes, they crouched down behind that larger boulder watching and listening. They had held themselves still for so long that both of them began to ache from the awkward position they were forced to remain in. Yet, no further sound was heard, no movement had been detected - nothing! "Is it safe to go out there?" Grant shrugged, and spoke softly. "I'm not sure. I've got a feeling that it knows we're here and is just waiting us out." "That is what I have been afraid of. It's waiting for us to move and then will be on us right away!" Rosario whispered as he trembled. Grant whispered, "How long do you think you can hold out sitting like this?" The younger man touched his lower leg, whispering, "My legs are already numb. If it attacked us now - I'm sure I could not run very well." Grant sighed deeply, but his eyes never ceased their movement. "Try to get blood back in them, we can't stay hunkered on this rock like we are forever. We need to get higher up so we can attempt to track its movements." The deputy nodded and began to try and work blood back into his numb extremities. Meanwhile, Grant was attempting to dislodge a rock from where it had been trapped. "Let me know when you're good, I'm going to toss this as far off as I can in an attempt to confuse the beast, and maybe allow us a chance to make it to higher ground." After several agonizing minutes passed, Rosario tapped Grant's foot signaling that he thought he was able to run. Grant hefted the rock about the size of a baseball in his hand. Grant leaned close to Rosario's ear and whispered, "See that gap between the rocks to your right? When I tap your shoe with my foot, I'm going to toss this rock as far as I can. As soon as you feel that tap, high-tail it to those boulders and climb up - I'll be right behind you!" The youth nodded, and then swallowed hard. He wanted so much to get a drink but their precarious position wouldn't allow for easy retrieval of the water bottle. Grant stood just behind a larger rock; both were balanced upon a smaller one positioned at its base. Because of the overall size of the one they stood upon; Rosario was unable to stand up straight. Grant tapped the deputy and promptly heaved back as hard as he could, throwing the rock so it careened and ricocheted off the distant rocks. He quickly jumped to the ground and raced off behind the frightened deputy. Nearly as soon as the rock settled at the bottom of the others, the deafening grating roar echoed among the boulders. Unfortunately, neither man could tell where the sound came from because the sound echoed among the boulders around them. Rosario beat Grant to the targeted boulder, but slid off the side as he was attempting to climb. Grant, who was more adept at climbing, secured a foothold and quickly launched himself on the top of the boulder. He silently turned toward the youth and offered his hand, but Grant's blood washed cold when what he saw Rosario's eyes take upon the look of sheer horror at the very moment the lad took hold of Grant's hand. He had never seen true terror reflected back from anyone ever before, as that which he saw in the deputy's eyes! They were wide as saucers, his mouth in an unspoken scream, and all the blood washed from his face. Grant was so stunned that he momentarily forgot what they were running from. When Rosario realized that Grant's back was exposed to the creature, Rosario immediately yanked his boss from the boulder with all his strength. Both men hit the ground rolling, with Rosario ending up on top of the Sheriff. Grant unholstered his revolver almost immediately as soon as he struck the ground. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" Rosario's blood-curdling scream echoed against the walls of the canyon, stunning Grant - whose eyes were instantly drawn to blood as it began to seep into his deputy's clothing. Pushing Rosario aside, Grant fired three quick shots into the distortion that he knew was the creature. For a moment it lost its mirror-like camouflage and Grant saw his shells had struck it high in its chest. With a scream of rage and pain, the beast fell backward and out of sight, its short arms flailing. But what caught his eye was the long whip tail and tip of its stinger, shifting and swinging like a counter-balance. There was no time to assess Rosario's injury! Grant picked up the youth and threw him over his shoulder. Then he raced as quickly as he could in the only possible direction for escape - toward the ATV's! Grant stumbled over rocks, boulders, and prickly weeds, as the dead weight of Rosario was straining his shoulder. Grant's back was growing wet with what he hoped was sweat, but without knowing how hurt the beast was, he could not afford to pause and check upon Rosario's condition. Chapter 26 Soon Grant located an old animal trail between two large boulders. Here he turned, thankful that it was leading him in the general direction of the ATV's. Twice the bigger man stumbled and nearly fell to his knees; only at the last second was Grant able to regain his balance each time and continue forward. Lungs bursting for air, his mouth parched and his hat laying somewhere in the vicinity of the attack, the sun mercilessly beat down upon them. Grant felt as though they were ants and somewhere above was a giant child playing with a magnifying glass - and cooking them. Still, Grant picked his way toward the bottom and hopefully safety. Pausing slightly, just long enough to adjust Rosario upon his shoulder, he lowered his hand to get a better grip and as he pulled away from his hold, noticed his hand covered in blood. "Oh shit, kid..." he whispered in horror! "That's a hell of a lot of blood!" He redoubled his efforts to put as much distance between the creature and themselves as was possible. Finally, he could see both ATV's about a couple hundred yards away. Grant felt his knees almost buckle, but continued on. By this time, he was wheezing for air, and his tongue felt as though it was twice its normal size. Again Grant stumbled, this time going to one knee, practically spearing it into the rough ground of the trail. Forcing himself up, he cursed in pain. His legs were burning, his shirt was stuck to his back, and he knew that he was running out of energy - he only hoped to get to the ATV before the beast was on them. A slow wail arose from the distance between them and their unseen adversary. The sound made the Sheriff shudder. He slowly turned and looked backward, as he heard a rock become displaced and fall. He began to run with recklessness toward escape, because he knew the beast had recovered and was searching for its prey. Just as he reached the ATV, Grant stumbled and fell to the ground hard ATV, dropping Rosario at the same time. He pulled himself up using the little front bumper and winch as his leverage. Again, in the distance the 'metal upon metal' sounding wail echoed among the rocks, but this time it was closer. He pulled himself to his feet, his arms bloody and aching. Taking the machine out of gear he started it, then hurried back to Rosario and dragged him to the front of the ATV. There he stood Rosario up and allowed his weak body to fall over the hood, his arms at his side and legs dangling off the other side. Grant hurriedly strapped Rosario to the hood using two bungee cords, and began to pull off the trail. There was a loud crash behind him, as a boulder rumbled down the hill and crashed against the other ATV. Grant didn't wait to see how close the creature was. with one hand he held onto Rosario, the other gave the ATV all the gas it was worth - he sped away. But where would he go? He didn't have the time to get to the Suburban, yet he had to tend to Rosario's wounds. "Driscoll's old range shack!" He suddenly remembered, and quickly began to race in the direction of the old building, which he recalled was one, maybe two miles away. He knew that there would be a first aid kit there as well as a few meager provisions enough to hold them for a day or two. Grant began to angle his direction so he would be close to the area where the river was shallow and he could drive across. His hair was violently tossed in the wind, and the sun beat down on them from above, but fortunately his sunglasses remained on his head. Taking a moment in a particularly flat spot in the trail, he glanced quickly around - there was no sign of the creature, either to the rear or either side. Still he continued to run wide open and race at break- neck speed toward the little range shack. Both their lives depended on it! Chapter 27 Turning down a familiar lane, he approached the line shack cautiously. The back side was firmly against a rise behind it, so there would be no danger of attack from that direction. He slowed down long enough to angle the ATV toward the porch and then drove directly up on it. Grant stopped then quickly killed the engine and climbed off. After several frantic seconds he was able to work the lever of the door and swung it open; fortunately, it still remained fairly intact albeit dusty. A shaft of light filtered through the window, and dust particles sparkled like snow in the sunbeam. He hefted Rosario by lifting him under his armpits and half-carried him, half-dragged him to a bed in the corner of the room. Grant found a bucket, quickly stepped back onto the porch, and scanned the horizon. It seemed that the creature had not followed. That was all he needed to know. Making a mad bee-line to the well he rinsed out the bucket and filled it with water, then hurried back to tend to his deputy. Once inside, he quickly scrounged for the first aid kit and returned to the injured man on the bed. Grant's hand was covered in blood as he rolled Rosario to his side and placed him upon his stomach. He tore the bloody shirt and exposed the injured portion of his lower back. He poured water over the puncture wound and wiped off the blood. The hole was deep and still bleeding. It lay just under the belt line and looked as though it mostly went downward and into the fatty part of his hip. It would be quite painful and would make walking considerably harder. Grant tossed the bloody rags onto the floor and poured hydrogen peroxide directly into the hole; it bubbled and fizzed considerably before running down his side and onto the bed. "Damn, kid..." he whispered with worry. In the distance he could hear the strange wailing roar of the creature, long and drawn out like a grating train's whistle. "Shit!" he spat, and stood in the open doorway. He could not see the beast, but he was sure now that it was searching for them. He removed his gun and reloaded it, mentally checking how many bullets he still had in reserve. He quickly removed Rosario's gun and holster and placed it within reach. Again the bizarre sound echoed against the rock wall that contained the shack, Grant sighed as he looked back at the wounded deputy - then slowly closed the door. Chapter 28 Grant lifted the bloody bandage from the puncture wound in Rosario's back, cursing silently to himself that he knew he had to stop the bleeding somehow. He was sure that it wasn't blood from an artery, but rather just the sheer size of the wound. If he had to estimate, the hole was nearly as large as a nickel. Wincing, out of inflicting any further pain to his friend, he pushed clean cloth into the hole and searched the cabin for anything he could use to close the wound. A box in the corner of the room contained just what he needed - heavy upholstery thread and a curved needle! Returning to the unconscious man, he settled down in a chair beside him and threaded the needle. With a great amount of trepidation, he began to sew the hole closed. Hurriedly he worked, his eyes constantly on Rosario, always praying, that the youth would feel nothing while he was unconscious. Sewing human skin was strange and made his stomach churn. It was tougher than he had expected, and he thanked his Creator that the youth remained unconscious. A half hour later, he set the needle down and sighed deeply- thankful that this chore was finally finished. Examining his handiwork, he nodded in satisfaction that what his mother had taught him long ago, had finally been put to good use. He ruefully smiled that his mother would have been proud. He stood quietly and reset the chair to where it once had been. Grant stood near a window and studied the ever-lengthening shadows outside. It had dawned on him that he had yet to let the folks in town know what he had planned to do that day. Disgusted with his forgetfulness, he removed his phone from his pocket and dialed the station. He listened to dead air and pulled the phone from his ear, then he saw that he had no signal and very little power left. He tossed it onto the table and crossed to remove Rosario's, but his deputy's phone was missing. Cursing quietly under his breath he folded his arms and returned to the window. "We're in a hell of a predicament, kid," he said, grumbling aloud, knowing that the youth was still unconscious. Grant sat in the lone chair beside the rickety table and worried about their situation. Folding his hands, he rested his chin and looked at his injured partner, looking for any sign that the dreaded mummification process had begun. The youth was lying on his side facing Grant; his shirt had been removed because Grant used it to make bandages. Grant's mind was seared with the images of the grotesque faces of those corpses they had found, their hollow eyes blackened as if being buried for countless thousands of years. He again looked up at the youth, this time for a longer duration. Rosario's 'stupid little man bun' had come undone during the melee, and his hair was splayed loosely about his face and shoulders. His brow furrowed, something about his friend didn't look right. Inwardly his heart sunk, knowing that it was likely the beginning of the end for his young friend. As the worried young man had nearly prophesized, this would be his end. It was only slight at first, but something about Rosario's jawline seemed different. Grant lowered his arms, his eyes staring intently on the miniscule changes as they began to race across his young friend's face. His ears also appeared smaller! Impossible! Grant shook his head and sat up. He then began to scan for a lantern and realized that the light would only draw the creature to their location. So, he removed a small twist flashlight from his utility pouch and shined it toward the deputy. Rosario's lips looked swollen and slightly redder as though there was more of a flow of blood directly under the surface. Grant then studied the curvature of where Rosario's waist met his hip; there was a deeper dip there than moments before! "Oh God, kid..." He sighed, literally believing he was watching his friend waste away, well onto the beginning of a horribly unwanted and mummified form. The Sheriff tilted his head slightly as he pondered these changes. If Rosario was becoming a mummified corpse like the others, why would his lips appear to be swollen? He again studied them - there was no doubt they were filling out even more. Then he studied Rosario's chest and was shocked to see that his dime-sized areolae were now nearly as big as a nickel! Grant sat up like he was shot out of a cannon. "It's feminizing him like it did Stew! That bastard creature is changing him into a food source!" Standing, Grant moved to cover the youth's chest with a sheet so his eyes wouldn't be drawn to studying him like some...some pervert! Something clicked within Grant's mind at that moment. No longer was he protecting a peer, a deputy or his friend. He was now helping a woman in distress, someone who was injured but couldn't fend for herself. Quickly, he placed the cover over Rosario. As it fell softly against the youth, he could already see how gravity was pulling at the skin upon her chest with each passing second. He shuddered to think of what was happening in those places where he couldn't see. Grant dropped back into the chair once again, and attempted to rub away the tension from his temples. He was rightly exhausted by the events of this day, gradually, he fell into a quiet sleep in the chair. There was a sudden sound which startled the man awake, instantly his hand was on the revolver laying on the table. It was pitch black outside, with only a sliver of the moon shedding any light through the filthy windows. Slowly flexing the kink out of his neck, the Sheriff stretched and quietly stood. Checking his watch, it was nearly 2:00 AM. Grant groped around in the dark and found the penlight on the table. He carefully shined it onto the floor trying to locate what had made the noise which startled him. There was Rosario's shoe lying beside the bed. It had fallen from her rapidly shrinking foot. Grant bent down and picked it up, then glanced toward the darkened shadow lying on the bed. With hesitation, he gradually eased the light higher and illuminated his friend. A great feeling of relief washed through Grant as he could see the skin was still vibrant and in a hue that was normal for Rosario. He had feared he would see the blackened corpse like he had seen in so many other attacks. He lifted the light higher, up over the much wider hips, and narrowed waist. Even higher, past the youthful swell of pert feminine breasts- thankfully still covered under the sheet. As the illumination gradually rose up the figure of Rosario, it came to rest on dark eyes. These were eyes of a woman, very long lashes which slightly curved at the end. And those eyes, so hauntingly brown - were open! "Do I look like hell?" the soft voice spoke. "I sure feel like hell." "I..uh," Grant stammered, then inhaled deeply. "Kid - we need to talk." Those beautiful dark eyes followed his movement to retrieve the chair and pull it nearer to the bed. Taking a seat, he opened up a water bottle and offered it to his injured deputy, which was gladly taken and swallowed vigorously. "Slow down there, Rosario, pace yourself a bit!" "I feel like my throat's been cut...what the hell's wrong with my voice?" Grant sighed, then leaned back in the darkness so Rosario wouldn't see the pained expression he was trying to hide. "About that..." Rosario waived her arm in dismissal, because she felt that Grant was about to thank her for saving his life...nor was she wrong, Grant continued. "When you yanked me from that boulder, you truly saved my life." The youth smiled, causing Grant to lower his eyes to the floor. "I'm sure you'll regret that smile when you realize what has happened to you." Rosario tried to set up but the excruciating pain nearly caused her to cry out. Grant stopped her. "That creature stabbed you with the spike...er stinger on its tail." Grant scratched the back of his head. "As near as I can figure, it went deep...maybe hit your pelvic bone - may have cracked or broken it too." Grant pointed to the wound. "It left a hole about yea big." He touched his index to his thumb, indicating the size of hole. Rosario felt the bandage on her back, then winced at how painful that simple movement made her lower back muscles feel. Grant watched Rosario as she pondered the past few days, how the creature's lethalness changed those it came into contact with. ~ The mummified remains had all been female, well except for Stew...and that poor man was rendered female in the end. Suddenly Rosario's eyes shot up toward Grant. Almost simultaneously she realized how it must have changed Stew prior to feeding off the feminine essence and making him a withered corpse. Slowly a slender arm lifted to a significantly changed chest. Grant looked away, trying to be as modest as possible. The youth raised the sheet to look under - an audible gasp escaped, followed by a stifled sob. She knew. "I know it's a big change to wake up this way and all...but considering your past, I thought you might..." Grant started, but was cut off by the deputy. "You thought since I was gay this would make it all right? Are you fuc..." Once again Rosario stifled a cry. "Sure I was gay - but I never 'wanted to' be a woman! I was perfectly fine being who I was!" Grant settled back down into the chair. "I'm...I'm going to have to leave at the first crack of daylight and go for some help. I'm damn certain that you aren't going to walk out of here and back to town!" He looked sadly away, then tenderly reached out and touched her hand. "I'll have to leave you...He never finished as she interjected her opposition to being left behind! "You are NOT leaving me here!" Rosario looked around. "Wherever HERE is?" "It's an old rancher's line-shack, it belongs to a friend of mine - last name of Driscoll. I use it from time to time, especially when hunting or fishing while in the mountains." He folded his arms. "Look kid, you can barely move without hurting - and that thing is somewhere outside this shack door just waiting to pounce. I have to move fast, I can't be worrying and fretting over you - let alone protect you should it jump us on the trail!" "If something happens to you, they may never find me until it's too late!" The pretty female gasped in sheer fright! "We have no cell service way out here, and my phone is almost dead! If I can make it to the Suburban, I can call from there and get a helicopter to take you to a hospital. But it means I have to move fast and travel as light as possible." Rosario stared into the darkness of the shack. "Am I going to die? I mean, that's what happened to Stew, isn't it?" "We don't know if it fed off of him after he turned; my guess is that it did. Maybe if you can stay away from it, you can live out the rest of your life as a female." "Maybe it would've been better if it had killed me." She looked away in frustration as she tried to avoid seeing her female self. "Now just stop that line of thinking...male or female - you're alive right now, and that's all that matters." The silence grew deafening and lasted for several seconds, Grant finally cleared his throat. "You...ah...you done changing, you suspect?" It was obvious she was feeling her body under the security of the cover, her expression spoke volumes. "If you're asking if there is anything left of the old Rosario...he's gone." The soft voice grew quiet. "I guess I can't go along calling myself 'Rosario' anymore." "Sure you can." Grant tried to lift up his deputy's spirits. "No. My Grandma once told me that if I had been born a girl, my parents would have named me Rosa." Grant smiled, thankful that it was too dark for the newly minted female to see him smile. Something about the cute Spanish accent was strangely appealing now that his voice was soft and feminine sounding...especially with how she slightly trilled her 'R'. "So...do I call you Rosa now?" She sighed, defeated. "I suppose so, I may as well start getting used to it." "You hungry or thirsty...Rosa?" "Only thirsty. God, my voice sounds so damned girlish!" She threw her hands into the air, then nearly came to tears from the pain, just from the movement of the bed. "Can you move your legs at all?" "Not very well...I think that bastard creature may have broken my pelvis like you originally suspected! If not broken, then it is severely damaged!" Grant sighed. "Yeah, that sucks. The only way you'll be leaving here is by helicopter or sheer determination." She reached out and held onto his arm, the pressure caused Grant to look down at her diminutive hand. "I'm afraid for you...heading off in the morning like you're planning!" "I'll be okay, I have my gun and bullets - and I have a shotgun in the Suburban if I can get to it." "It only helps if you get that far. Did my revolver make it from where we were attacked?" Grant shuffled in the darkness to the table, then picked up the old revolver and holster. "I'm going to leave it with you...just in case." "In case what? If that thing attacks, I won't be able to fend it off for long!" Grant crouched beside the bed and placed the gun and holster beside her. "If it gets this far, PLEASE promise you won't allow yourself to go through what Stew and Eve went through - I'd never forgive myself if that would happen." "Are you asking me to kill myself if it gets inside the shack?" She shuddered visibly. "Just promise me that you won't let it get you...alive." She looked up at his darkened features, and nodded grimly. "I will sell myself dearly if it comes to that end - trust me, I'm no quitter in that aspect." She spoke with determination and deep conviction. Grant patted her slender hand as he stood. "I know that - Rosa." Chapter 29 The morning sun was only a slight bit of yellow against the underside of the thin clouds; there too was a hint of red making the sky quite beautiful. Grant checked and rechecked his gun and then looked to Rosa while she was still asleep. He pushed a water bottle into his pocket and left everything else close to the transformed woman should she need it. He glanced toward his watch and computed the time it would take for him to get to the Suburban, then get to town for help. With God's help and a little luck, he should make it back before noon. There was a slight queasiness to his stomach; he hated leaving Rosa alone and unprotected in the old shack, but he knew that he had to get her some help or her wound could become infected. Slowly standing he stretched and pushed his sunglasses down in his shirt pocket further, it was too early to use them. As he raised his head, Rosa was watching him. "Please be careful," she whispered, reaching out and brushing the back of his hand with her fingertips before quickly pulling them away. It was a movement that to Grant seemed definitely feminine. "I'll do my best, kid." He pointed beside the bed. "I put a bag there with everything you should need while I'm gone. Your gun is beside you - it's loaded up and there is another six bullets available should you need them...after that, it'll be empty and if it isn't too late after that, hide like you've never hidden before! "You take it, I'll be okay." She hesitantly smiled. He shook his head. "I won't be leaving you unprotected. You keep the gun and use it if you have to!" His look toward her said it all, he wanted her to take her own life should the beast leave her no other option. Tears were clinging to her long lashes as Grant gave her a half- hearted smile. "I'll be back before you know it." Without another word, he slipped out into the porch, quickly closing the door behind him. She could still hear him for another minute, then once he pushed the ATV off the porch and onto the dirt, and she heard no more. Chapter 30 Grant pushed the 4-wheeler nearly fifty yards before starting it. He rode slowly and kept his eyes vigilant. The soft put-put of the machine under him seemed as loud as the creature's scream itself, and once he felt it a safe enough distance away, he began to gradually pick up speed. He found an old animal trail and eagerly followed it. It was in the same general direction and had descended into an old riverbed where he could move along slightly faster. Just as he was beginning to pick up speed, he heard a couple of 'pop's'. "Oh shit, that's a gun." Frowning he braked and listened, perhaps someone was out there looking for them already, signaling and trying to get them to reply? He unsnapped his revolver and was nearly ready to fire two shots into the air when suddenly four rapid shots in a row rang out, this time though they were behind him in the direction of the old shack! "Oh, shit! Rosa!" Immediately, Grant spun the ATV around in the wash, spraying gravel across the steep bank! He rode back the same trail he had just left, only this time there was no attempt to keep quiet or move slow. He raced along the old trail at a break-neck speed and the little shack lay just ahead, the sun illuminating it at the base of the rock wall towering behind it. The door was lying half off its hinge, leaning awkwardly out over the porch. As he hit the flat ground in front of the shack, he heard another four shots coming from inside the ramshackle building. He was only fifty feet from the shack when he heard another sound that made his blood run cold - a woman's scream! His heart was racing; he could feel it into his ears. Another single shot rang out from within the shack, then a roar of rage and pain from the creature. Grant had stopped the ATV and jumped off; his mind made up as he would sell his life dearly. He yelled loudly, his voice growing raspy with pain in an attempt to draw the beast away from the girl. As it attempted to back out of the doorway, he began reaching back for his gun, and only felt the empty holster. "Oh God NO!" He began to frantically search the ground around him, but found no weapon. Facing the shack with a mournful cry of terror on his lips, he shouted her name, "Rosaaaaa!" It was obvious what had happened - the creature waited for Grant to leave and then attacked feeling that the injured female wouldn't be able to protect herself without the man there. Again, he cried out "Rosa!" There was no way she could have heard him above the thrashing noise within the shack, as the beast attempted to back through the doorway. Grant looked on in stunned silence as he heard her scream one final time, which was drowned out by the roar of the beast, and the last firing of her weapon. Then silence enveloped everything. It seemed to Grant that even the birds and insects had ceased their sounds. Grant's battle-hardened and weary mind could no longer fathom what had just happened to his friend. His eyes spoke volumes; he stood there in a stupor as the creature slowly backed out of the shack, taking what was left of the door and part of the wall with it. Slowly Grant's mind was retreating into the 'fight or flight' mode. The creature's face was covered in what appeared to be a dark substance, Grant was certain that it was Rosa's blood. For a moment the beast was preoccupied by the frame of the door as it had fallen off and was caught upon its neck like a horseshoe. Quickly Grant again scanned the ground for his gun. When he looked up, the creature eyed him directly, as Grant's reflection was cast back in those mirror-like eyes. In that moment's hesitation Grant jumped on the ATV and threw gravel and dirt in the face of the beast that was only mere feet behind! He quickly raced ahead and made a bee-line for the trail, cutting across brush and thorns that were in the path. The beast had taken a path to his right and was attempting to hit him with the formidable spike. Grant narrowly dodged it and jerked the ATV back toward the left as he passed a small stand of trees. The creature missed its target, fell and ended up sliding several feet. As Grant burned down the trail, he ran over his gun. "Shit!" He cursed as his mind raced on whether it was worth chancing to go back and pick it up - he decided he had to keep increasing the distance between himself and the alien monster while he still could! Suddenly he was back at the dry wash, where he turned and raced off toward the Suburban. Behind him he could hear the creature bursting through the brush, also using the wash to try and catch the fleeing man. Grant silently prayed that there would be no lurking trees across the path, there were, however he saw them quickly enough to avoid them. Fortunately, the beast tripped on the branches and stumbled as it raced toward Grant in its attempt catch him. Here, Grant picked up precious seconds. By the time Grant was maneuvered the ATV out of the wash, he had a lead of nearly 100 yards. In the distance, he could see the gleaming reflection of the Suburban. Grant only hoped that he would have enough time to get from one vehicle to another without being killed. He glanced backward for only a fraction of a second, the beast was filled with rage at the fleeing man. Grant wondered - could he use that hate against the creature, causing it to make a fatal mistake? Chapter 32 Rosa heard the gravel crunch beneath the weight of the wheels, and understood that Grant was pushing the ATV away from the shack. Minutes later she heard the ATV start and pull away into the distance. ~'He must have done it to not attract the beast's attention'.~ She listened to the sound until it faded away. She felt for the butt of the old pistol, then lifted it and the holster and placed it on her chest, its weight provided a modicum of protection. She licked her lips in the diffused morning light, then felt in the pack for the water bottle that Grant had left. Twice she had it in her fingers only to have it fall back inside the pack. "Shit," she groused as she gingerly rolled to her side and peered into the bag as it lay on the floor. As she turned to lay on her back once again, a strange shuffling sound pierced the quiet. Her eyes darted toward a shadow cast on the opposite wall; something had disturbed the light where it fell. Her heart began to race as she quietly drew the revolver from the holster. She was trembling now, her furtive eyes darted between the door and the shadow on the wall...suddenly the door was completely blackened out. "Oh God..." she gasped as she saw the door shudder as if being pushed. Rosa scooted toward the wall, trying to make herself small as she pulled the hammer back on the big revolver. The click of it seemed to be extremely loud to her ears. Again the door shook, then suddenly burst open so hard that the top hinge fell completely into the room and skidded across the floor. There was a raspy breathing, then she saw the creature's distortion as it bent forward to enter the doorway. As soon as its head crossed the threshold, she pumped two shells into it causing it to stagger. One struck it just under the right eye and the other struck its jaw. The angry beast flexed its body, attempting to swing the long spike. Only this movement was thwarted as its macabre weapon was outside the shack and only slammed again and again against the external siding. The sound in itself caused Rosa to scream and scramble to the opposite end of the bed, so to put as much distance between her and the creature! It staggered toward her in rage and pain, the movement bringing the tail further inside the little shack. The beast was enormous, its tail became tangled with the legs of the table, and ended up sending the heavy furniture directly at the helpless female. Again, she fired four shots in rapid succession at the creature. Two struck it in the chest, the other two were deflected by the table as it slammed into the wall just above Rosa's head. She screamed and forced herself even further toward the wall as the great arching tail slammed into the bed, and became entangled with the bedding and springs. The interior legs of the bed folded under causing it to lurch. However, with Rosa being so close to the wall, she fell through to the floor beneath. Repeatedly, the creature slammed its stinger into the bed above the terrified woman. She half-held, half-propped the bed over her body as she desperately dropped the backup loaded cylinder into the gun. Rosa closed it up and fired another volley into the creature. In such a confined area as she was, the smoke burned her eyes. Tears cut through the dirt and dust on her face as she fired one shot directly into its chest, causing the creature to stagger backward. It planted its feet and cut loose with a horrendous roar, so loud that Rosa was sure it would burst her eardrums. Again, and again the vicious tail struck above her, penetrating deep into the mattress and springs. Rosa had mentally counted her fusillade of shots and knew that she had one last shell left. Through a crack in the siding, she saw that Grant had returned but by the look on his face he had already assumed she was dead. Once again, the spike burst through the bottom of the bed, using all her strength she held what was left of the old springs up. Suddenly the floor under her gave way and she fell into the crawlspace. As she was falling the stinger hit the gun she held, dropped perfectly into the trigger and ripped it from her grasp. The gun struck the bed springs then fired into the air. All of this happened nearly simultaneously, and Rosa screamed as she fell into the dirt under the floor and lost consciousness. Chapter 33 Rosa's eyes fluttered open, momentarily forgetting why she was lying in this dirty, cramped area on her back. There she saw a great wooden beam beside her head. ~ It must be a full log shaved and positioned to carry the weight of the little shack! That's why I wasn't crushed! ~ Craning her head around to assess her situation, she smiled to herself, for only inches from her head was a large hole in the wall. She could try to crawl through it to the outside world. Then she noticed that her foot lay adjacent to the bag that Grant had prepared. With herculean effort, and intense pain, Rosa snagged it with her foot, then slowly and painfully inched on her back toward the opening. The floor, which had caved in from above, tore at and scratched her bare skin along her torso and arm. She was nearly naked from the waist up, there was only enough material there to just cover her shoulders. The bedsheet lay twisted and caught in the debris; she had little protection from the wood, dirt, or rocks as she tried to crawl. However, her first, and perhaps only, thought was escape. Each movement was agonizing! The pain from the wound and from Grant's stiches, the floor boards scratching and impaling her like splinters - they all hurt like hell. ~ Oh, God, this hurts! Ahhh! A tortoise moves faster than I'm moving! ~ She cried in distress! She needed to rest and recover from the pain each time she inched forward. Still she pressed on because she was terrified of the alternative of those victims who had already been killed by the creature. She had countless scratches all over her back arms and chest from her ordeal, and scooting on her backside was only filling her oversize pants with dirt and gravel. She would live with the pain - she had to! She would have to address that once she was outside, for infection would be harder to survive should it get into such a deep wound. Rosa rested briefly at the outer wall of the shack, deeply inhaling air purer than the dank and dusty crawlspace. Now that she was outside, she was worried that the beast would return. Being caught in the open, knowing what would happen to her now that she was a female, would mean certain death! About twenty feet away was what appeared to be a tack house with a sturdy door. ~That's where I need to be~. For now, though, she needed to rest. Painfully she pulled herself into a seated position behind a rain barrel and hidden among tall weeds, and breathed heavily as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes continually looked to the trail that both the creature and Grant had raced down, while she gradually pulled the pack toward her. Rosa tore a portion of the oversize pant leg and began to clean her wounds with water from inside the rain barrel. Long minutes passed. The afternoon sun was hot, relentlessly beating down upon her as she lay hidden in the grasses. No longer was she protected by the shadow from the little overhang. The longer she lay in the sweltering sun, the more she risked severe sunburn to an already beaten-down body. Once again she looked the tack house; there large trees which shaded the structure from above, seemed to beckon her. She rested her head against the rain barrel, her hair drifting in disarray- she was in a terrible fix right now. She had to think, and ended up speaking out loud. "How do you get out of this mess, Rosario?" Then she chuckled at the strangeness of her old name to her new form and vocal timbre. "I pray you made it to safety, my friend," she spoke as her sunbaked mind thought of the creature hot on Grant's heel earlier that morning. Surely someone would be looking for them by now - but if something happened to Grant, would they know where to look for him? Again, she laughed at herself. "'Him' indeed...other than the pants I'm wearing, nothing is left of the man I once was!" She searched the contents of the pack that Grant had left behind and found a couple of road flares. She raised her gaze upward at the shack; there was a window above her that faced the tack house. Wincing from the pain, she slowly scooted away from the shack; picked up a hefty rock, and threw it back at the distorted glass above her head, shattering it. "Arugh! Oh God, that hurt!" she cried out. She felt strange doing what she was trying to do. Laughing almost crazily through her tears she asked aloud. "Is it arson if you are trying to attract someone to come help you? Oh well, most of the building has been destroyed already - I'll look at it as though I'm doing them a favor." Rosa lit a flare and lobbed it over her shoulder and into the open window. "That'll burn for a good long time, hopefully it'll catch fire and put up some thick smoke, letting somebody know where to find me." She heard it still sizzling while it rattled across the floor. From the reflection against the wall, it was sparking! Licking her dry lips, she began the arduous journey to the tack house. A full ten minutes had passed in the baking sun yet Rosa crawled less than eight feet, because the pain in her back and hip were so intense; that she bawled into her arms more than once. Behind her she pulled along Grant's supply bag, using her good foot. Behind the injured woman the structure popped and crackled as it began to burn. Fear and determination pushed her forward, because she was terrified that she would be caught between the buildings if the creature returned. A new fear emerged - she could feel the heat from the growing intensity of the fire behind her. ~Did I make a GRAVE error in judgement by setting the fire?~ Perspiration coursed down her face, neck and onto her chest, continuing downward in the gap between her breasts. Dirt caked her body, and new sweat created little rivulets along the surface of her skin. Crying out in terrible pain once again, she paused about ten feet from the porch of the tack house. As she cried, smoke drifted across the ground, sometimes white, sometimes blackened and foul- smelling from burnt rubber or plastic from within the shack. The moment she touched her palm against the hard surface of the porch, she laughed almost hysterically as if she just crossed the finish-line of a great marathon. She lowered her head and thanked her Maker for giving her the will and strength to accomplish a task which seemed impossible hours ago. Continuing her drive toward her goal, she dragged herself on her stomach, pulling forward with forearms onto the porch deck and passed out in the shadow of the trees. Rosa awoke more than two hours later. She painfully stretched upward to open the door, and then took another half hour to inch inside. Breathing laboriously, she propped herself against a bench with the door partially opened so she could watch the house burn. Finally, she sought out the water to drink, and chewed on sunflower seeds that Grant had brought along. Even though the creature had transformed her into a female, her muscle memory was still that of Rosario. She shook the seeds in her hand while she spit the hulls of those in her mouth as good as any professional ball player ever could, and never once thought it might not be "ladylike. Still exhausted and leaning her head against the bench, she watched the fire crackle and burn now that she was a safe distance from it. Thick dark smoke spiraled into the late afternoon sky...she prayed fervently that help would come soon. She kept repeating those four simple words - "Help will come soon" - over and over again, as she stared out the opening in the door. Soon sleep finally claimed her, pulling her into that dark place where she was safe once more. While asleep, she dreamed that Grant returned with the ATV to carry her to safety. Chapter 34 With the throttle nearly fully open, Grant raced through the brush toward where the Suburban sat. To his right and only 100 feet behind ran the furious creature, having closed the distance once in flat and open land. He had originally hoped to put enough distance between the beast and him that he could remove the trailer, but that was impossible now. He felt for the keys as he navigated wide to swing around to the driver's side door. The ATV was still moving when he jumped from it and began to attempt unlocking the door. Through the window's glass he could see the distortion of the beast looming closer and closer. As the key turned in the lock he threw open the door and slammed it closed behind him, and in one fluid motion he inserted it into the ignition and started the engine. Doubling its efforts, the creature sensed that the prey it had been chasing for so long was trying to get away! As Grant threw it into gear, the creature lunged for the truck and struck the bed. Falling and rolling it jumped to its feet and began to chase the Suburban with the trailer in tow. From a distance that surprised even Grant, it hurled itself onto the trailer. Grant began to swerve back and forth in an attempt to knock it free, but the beast's wide stance and use of its tail for balance kept it securely on the trailer. Grant had his foot to the floor as the creature began to work its way forward, attempting to enter the rear of the Suburban. Seeing this, the Sheriff mashed the brakes causing the creature to lurch violently forward. Hoping by doing this, it would fall between the vehicle and trailer and be crushed under the wheels. But it didn't work, as the beast had swung its tail overhead and speared the roof of the truck. Grant once again floored the pedal, but now the creature was on the roof over the vehicle's rear, and working its way forward. Grant engaged the cruse- control, then leaned back and pulled the shotgun onto the seat with him. As the creature worked forward, the roof of the car popped and groaned under its weight. Again, Grant mashed hard the brakes, hoping the beast would be launched in front and be crushed beneath the tires. 'POW!' it sounded like a rifle shot echoing inside the cab, and it was so loud it had startled Grant! Looking up from the windshield, Grant saw that the spike was sticking inside the vehicle just over the passenger seat, essentially anchoring it to the Suburban. Like some strange macabre surfer, it rode on the roof of the truck. Every method that Grant tried to dislodge it failed. He knew that it was now directly over him by the flex of the headliner. He jacked a shell into the shotgun and blew a hole right into the roof. The beast screamed wildly and repeatedly hammered the spike into the windshield, causing the glass to bust into hundreds of tiny spider web-like pieces. Grant knew he had only one chance to kill this creature, but that may kill him too! He turned sharply and began to drive toward the drop off at Flat Rock Canyon that he had told Rosario about. The drop would be nearly 100 feet, and Grant hoped he would have time to eject himself to safety before the Suburban flew over the edge. Again Grant shot through the roof of the Suburban, then as suddenly as before slammed on the brakes. The beast slid down what was left of the windshield, and with a great arching swing, planted the spike firmly into the roof once again. It extended several inches within the cab just missing Grant's head! Outside it was balanced on the hood as its talons punctured deeply into the metal. Flat Rock Canyon was approaching rapidly, and Grant quickly calculated when to attempt to jump from the vehicle. He had only one chance: if he jumped too soon, the Suburban might not go over the ledge; if he jumped too late, and he might go with it. Again with the gas pedal to the floor, Grant reset the cruise control. Using the butt of the shotgun, he repeatedly hammered the spike until there was a noticeable bend in it. The distance between the canyon and them was narrowing dangerously. He struck the spike twice more; it had a definite 'L' shape hook to it. At the last second, he threw the door open and lunged far outside, striking the ground hard and rolling...rolling...rolling. He came to a rest in a heap, and he knew that he was seriously injured. His last conscious view was that of the Suburban, trailer and creature all going over the edge of the gorge. He silently prayed it would be killed and its torment to humans would end here. Both creatures had killed people he knew, friends...even Rosa. His mind returned to her face in the darkness, her eyes twinkling even in pain. He swallowed once, the grit from the sand was all he could taste. An explosion and towering fireball lifted toward the heavens. Gradually, thankfully, he closed his eyes, praying that death would release him from this earth to finally be with those he cared about again. Chapter 35 Grant attempted to back his head away as someone began checking on the dilation of his eyes, the light was too intense for him to comply easily. "Grant, can you hear me...do you know what day it is?" Grant tried to speak but couldn't form the necessary words. "That's fine, young man. I'm Dr. Jones. You've been in a terrible car accident." The sheriff struggled to raise his arm, but the doctor gently held him at bay. The doctor looked up at another medical specialist. "It's still too early. With his brain swollen as it is, he must be under intense pressure and pain." The nurse nodded and began to write notes in her clipboard, while the doctor patted his hand. "Back to sleep, my good man, we'll wake you when you can converse better." As Grant's lids were closing, a large dark figure, like that of a specter in the corner of the room, caught his eye. ~It's the Angel of Death waiting to collect my soul! I will NOT let it go so easily!~ While he rested in his induced coma, his mind continually replayed Rosa's death. It was a death he felt partially responsible for. Often, he could hear her speaking to him, a soft voice that made him yearn to remain somewhere between here and there. Perhaps in death, he could be with her once again. Three weeks passed but Grant had no concept of the time. While Grant was not fully removed from the induced coma, they occasionally reduced the medicine so that his mind could partially clear. During one such moment, he lay in his room listening to the heart monitor beep rhythmically. He felt the nurse adjusting the cover on him. "Nurse?" She moved around his bed from where she was adjusting one of the many machines that were constantly beeping. "Would you care for some water?" She held a straw to his lips; Grant took a slow draw. The cool water felt wonderful on his dry throat. After he turned slightly from the straw, he swallowed. "My deputy...was Rosario found?" "I was told that if you asked, I was only to tell you that he was not found." The injured man sighed deeply. "Rosario was a good kid." She again touched his lips with the straw, Grant accepted another cool drink. "So - how bad am I busted up?" "You were pretty bad when you came in." He gradually opened his eyes, but everything was blurry and it pained him to be in such bright light. "The window, draw the shades." The nurse did as he bid, then she began to listen to his heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Grant cleared his throat. "You never said how long I have been here." The matronly nurse smiled and patted his hand. "You're right - but to be fair, you never asked." Grant's smile was tired, but to be able to hear anyone after what he had been through was amazing. "Okay, so I'm asking." She pulled a clipboard from the wall and began to flip through several pages there. "In just seven days, it will have been six months." Grant's gaze drifted town toward his feet. "I've lost six months of my life." "You shouldn't look at it that way - you nearly died out there in that wasteland." She walked toward the door as two men entered; one wore a doctor's coat and the other was wearing a dark suit. The doctor he had recognized from that first day, before they induced the coma. The dark-suited individual was someone whom he had not met...but remembered from before..."The Angel of Death..." he whispered softly. "Ha" he chuckled. "I could see how you would think that, my friend...but no, I am only a university professor. But I imagine I've been called worse." "Doc's friend?" "The one and only." He gently grasped Grant's hand. "We air flighted you out once we had found the vehicle wreckage." "And the creature?" The other two men exchanged glances. "I know you have an idea of what I'm talking about," Grant continued. "I'm Professor Young - Doc's friend." Grant licked his lips, wishing he again could have a sip of the water. "Are you the one who said that Rosario was not found?" Professor glanced briefly toward the Institutional doctor. "We found nothing of Rosario, anywhere near the accident site nor the surrounding area. We did, however, locate his ATV and some odds and ends that must have been in his possession at one time." "And the creature?" Grant eyed them knowingly. "By the time we located you and the wreckage, it had already dissolved - nothing was left." Grant's brows furrowed. "Rosario was in Driscoll's old line-shack, I had left him there. That's where the beast waited until I left, and then attacked him." "Our team of searchers was at the site of the old shack. It had burned to the ground. Nothing is left." "Oh Christ...Rosario." Grant turned away, preferring to gaze out of the window. "We figured that it had some role to play in this whole scenario, but by the time we arrived - it was only charred timbers. There were no charred remains, nor was there any mummified corpse." The doctor leaned against a monitor. "Most likely if your friend was attacked by the creature, his mummified corpse was vaporized in the ensuing fire." Grant turned his head back to look at the older man, tears clinging to the corner of his eyes. "You know of the creature then?" "Professor Young and your town doctor had collaborated with me on what had been your ongoing investigation. With what we knew before the event - and now after...I am quite well informed." Chapter 36 Several days later, Grant was standing at the window, leaning upon the walker he had been using. He was tired and very sore, but for the first time he was actually able to move about on his own. The reflection in the window glass showed a battered and bruised man; a man who probably should have died from his wounds. He was thin and sporting severe stubble of beard growth. Behind him in the reflection of the window, he saw a familiar nurse enter the room. With his back still toward the nurse he spoke, "I had assumed I was in the hospital." He heard her pause from her work as he continued, "This is no hospital - so, where am I?" She quickly scurried out of the room, without answering him. Grant glanced back to where she had been and frowned. He began to work his way along with the walker, but this time he had real purpose in his steps. Pushing the door open he hobbled down the hallway. One by one, he peered into the rooms that he had passed - all empty. Finally, as he approached the corner, he heard the bustle of people moving about...but as he reached the corner, he was so shocked that he halted abruptly. "Sir...sir, you should not be out of your room," he heard a voice say. Someone gently grasped his shoulder and began to turn him back, but he resisted and scowled at her. "Where the hell am I?" he demanded as he watched military personnel milling about during their daily jobs. Every branch of the military seemed to be present. The orderly who was trying to usher him back glanced toward the matronly nurse who had exited his room so quickly. "I'm not going an inch further until someone here tells me where the hell I am!" "Jane, Marcus, it's fine, I'll take care of our patient from here." Grant looked up and saw Mr. Young leaning against the wall. "We knew we couldn't keep our facility from you much longer, especially as you have been getting more and more mobile." "Where am I, Mr. Young?" He looked around him. "You are in a secluded Government facility designed to treat soldiers who have come into contact with alien radioactive devices." "Did I?" "No...but with the facility handy, we thought it would be wiser to treat your injuries here than where...reporters could ask questions." He smiled as they walked along toward an area which had coffee and doughnuts for the office help. They sat at a small round table where Mr. Young poured Grant a coffee and then poured one of his own. The two men studied each other for several seconds. Finally Grant spoke, "Since I'm up and around, I think I'll be leaving this place and heading back home." Mr. Young looked down at the steam rolling from his Styrofoam cup. "That isn't going to be possible." Grant tilted his head, brows furrowing and eyes glaring. "And why the hell not?" Mr. Young sighed. "One of the reports that was issued when we evacuated you from the accident site was that both you and your partner had been killed. It was erroneous, of course, but we decided it would be beneficial and keep certain folks from being too curious." Grant sat up, his finger pointing at the table, the pressure was making the tip white. "I don't give one red rat's ass about you trying to save face! My life is back there and I'm going back to it!" "They all think you are dead. They have already had a memorial for both Rosario and you. A new Sheriff was appointed by the Governor and a replacement for Rosario has been secured. There is nothing to go back to." Grant sighed with frustration as he looked down the polished floor of the hallway. "So because someone says I died, I can't go home? Do you realize just how messed up that is?" "The Government regrets the inconvenience." Grant laughed sarcastically. "My house, all my belongings...everything I own is back there!" Mr. Young leaned forward. "We sent a team in and they removed all of your belongings, only the furniture remained. We both know that it wasn't much to speak of." Grant only shook his head disbelieving how quickly his life fell out of place. "So you sold my house and all of my furniture?" "It's for sale still, but as far as you are concerned it has already sold." "And who bought it?" "Why, the Government of course...and you will be handsomely compensated." "Great...that's reassuring," he sighed with disgust. "The Government is paying you well above the price it's worth. They are setting you up with a new last name and job anywhere you choose, along with a nice nest egg...as long as you speak to no one about what you saw or battled out there. So, where would you like to live?" Grant shrugged. "You're serious? I'm in witness protection?" Mr. Young nodded. "Something like that...only more lucrative for you." Smiling, more with disgust than with genuine humor, Grant pondered for several seconds. "I've always wanted to live where the temperature is cooler, and it's green at least half the year...how about a farm on a few hundred acres in Wisconsin?" "I'll see what I can do...but you need to sit tight until you are released." Grant groaned. "And how long will that be?" "Can you give us a few more weeks?" Mr. Young asked. Grant stared at him with disbelief, then a slow smile began to spread across his face. If he has to be stuck here - it was going to cost someone handsomely. "All right then, while we're at it, I'll need livestock and the tools of the trade, so to speak." "Most definitely," Mr. Young replied with a smile. He agreed rather quickly, which left Grant thinking he didn't demand enough. Chapter 37 Three weeks later, Grant drove slowly down a secluded gravel road which was painfully familiar to him. His hands firmly gripped the wheel of a brand-new Chevy Silverado 4-wheel drive, his first real purchase since his deal with the Government. Behind him a plume of dust rose from the vehicle. Gradually, he rolled to a stop before a burned-out shack. He sat behind the wheel and studied the scene before him, remembering back to that fateful day. Reluctantly, he stepped out of the vehicle and removed a colorful bouquet of flowers from the seat. He slowly walked up to what was left of the building and crouched down, studying the tragic scene as he recalled his memory. "Sorry kid." He sighed... "It was all my damn fault! You didn't have to go out like this." Standing, he gently placed the flowers on a stud that jutted out from the porch. With a heavy sigh, he returned to the truck and climbed inside. As he was driving back down Driscoll's old lane, he spotted a large black dot on the horizon. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat, then he smiled to himself as he realized it was a large black bear. A sow to be exact, for behind her were three small dots that were her cubs. They crossed the road just ahead of his vehicle. Grant slowed down and quietly watched them pass, and a smile played along his face. As he eased up to where they had crossed, he paused - there in the sand was a perfect print of a large three toed paw. "The hell..." he gasped. "No way!" With a shake of his head he gradually pulled away, thinking that old cantankerous Three Toes may have gotten a new lease on life. "Not one that he had expected, but one that allowed him to live on," he said aloud. Chapter 38 One week later... Glancing at his smartphone, he slowed down and turned onto what appeared to be a driveway, with white limestone rock which carried on for nearly a quarter mile. Grant stopped in an unusually clean barnyard, then he opened the door and stepped out. Whether it was force of habit or just being wary, he had a new pistol strapped to his hip. His hand fell to the grip, just knowing it was there allowed him to rest assured that he could be confident in his own protection. The mustachioed man began to walk amongst the buildings, pausing to examine their animal inhabitants. There were dairy cows in one barn, and there were several horses within a corral. Grant was mildly surprised that the horses appeared to be quite docile and trained. Beyond the corral was a building stuffed to the rafters with clean, dry hay. He walked past an older John Deere tractor - his tractor, he thought - Grant made his way to a fence that paralleled his field, and leaned against it. His thoughts were overwhelmed by what he now had, and what he regrettably had lost to obtain this dream farm that had seemingly been beyond reach. A screen-door banged shut behind him, and he instinctively looked for the source of the noise. Coming down the stairs was a slender woman with jet-black hair. The woman was wearing a short white flowered dress that showed off her feminine figure very well! Grant was shocked! ~It couldn't be!~ Then a slow smile spread across his face as recognition set in. He began to walk toward the woman. The more he moved toward the lovely apparition, the quicker his steps became. As he neared, he paused just feet from her - still unbelieving his eyes. The sun created a glow about her that allowed Grant to see the silhouette of her shapely legs, it reminded him of a great painting by one of the masters. Her aurora to him, was nearly holy. "They told me you died!" he whispered softly. She pushed her raven colored hair from her face. "I thought I had...I probably should have. Thankfully, some boys joy-riding on their ATV's found me and took me back to the town of Shellpoint instead of home. I spent nearly three months in the hospital there before I knew what had happened to both you... and your deputy." "Rosa, you already know what happened to my deputy," Grant replied with a hesitant smile. She grinned; her beautiful dimples deepened. "Yeah, I know. I like the hero's ending Rosario received...it was a gallant ending for the young man." She studied him for several long seconds. "I like the mustache, it's a handsome addition on you." "Thanks kid." Grant hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead as he held her. "How did you find out about this place?" She dug into her pocket and removed something from the apron she was wearing. "There was this man in a dark suit who told me to make sure to give you this when I next saw you." Grant examined it. "It's a ring?" "We didn't even know each other at first. Our meeting was quite by accident. He noticed me at the memorial for the Sheriff and the deputy He thought I was Rosario's sister. When he understood who I was, he confided in me that you were still alive. He bought me a ticket and sent me here to wait for you...that was a week and a half ago." "The ring that he gave me closely resembles this one." Rosa held her hand up, palm toward her face. She was wearing a simple band of her own, with a solitaire diamond on a matching band. "I guess they wanted to keep tabs on us...and it was easier if we were together." She continued, the look she was giving him spoke volumes. "You don't mind, do you?" Grant only smiled his reply. He watched smiling as she slowly but deliberately removed the ring from his palm and then slid it upon the ring-finger of his left hand. "Are you okay with this...considering my past?" Grant grinned. "What past? We only have 'our' future." She hugged him tightly as together they began to walk back toward the house. As they were walking, he spoke without looking down at her. "I left flowers at the battle site...where Rosario met his death." "That was sweet of you." "I thought so too." He glanced toward her. "But this outcome is much more acceptable." "I think so too." "As I was driving out, I saw a huge black she-bear with three cubs." Her brows knit in confusion. "Okay?" "It was Three Toes." He waited as he watched her face grow in understanding what he was trying to tell her. "If he can make a life beyond being attacked and changed by that damn thing, it's nice to know that there's a possibility out there for you as well...if you choose to accept it." Rosa smiled. "It's not like I had much of a choice to fight it; It's been seven months after all. That's seven months of my body being flooded by female hormones, and people looking and reacting to me as being one. Grant looked down at the steps that were leading to the porch. "I know you didn't ask for this...you even said so when you first had changed. I'm sorry I couldn't have protected you from..." "Nonsense!" she interjected. "I could have chosen to hide myself after all of this changing, but somehow being in this form has made it easier. Easier to love a man and not have people looking down at you because you may be of the same gender. Grant smiled. "So then everything works out for the better...you've got this whipped!" Laughing at his naivete. "Hardly, hormones have been something else altogether! I hated my mood swings, being absurdly happy one moment, and then crying at the drop of a hat the next. But it was comforting that other women understood me." "Well then, I'm glad then that you found some kindred-spirits to help you along. I do have to admit that you look spectacular as a woman...it's good to see you have adjusted so completely." She grinned, then gave a slight laugh. "You make it sound like it was an easy adjustment to wear women's clothes. Bras, skirts and heels do take a lot of getting used to. But thankfully, after a while they felt comfortable enough, and I knew that I looked good in them. It was the same with makeup. After I became used to being a woman, I stopped thinking about how I had once been a man. I was simply "Rosa". "And the rest as we say it is history." Grant replied with a smile. She placed her hand upon Grant's chest. "In all of this, there has been one constant theme winding and ebbing through my life." "And that is?" he asked, even though he had an inkling of what she was about to say. Tears glistened in her eyes. "It was you. The whole time I was going through everything, I thought of you." Rosa leaned into him as he placed his arm around her and pulled her even closer, both were smiling as their kiss met. Eventually, the two climbed up the stairs, and as Grant opened the screen door, he quickly whisked her off her feet and carried her through the open doorway. Their shadows drifted into the old farmhouse as the screen slammed shut behind them, and swallowed them up in blissful darkness. ....and in that blissful darkness, could be heard a very appreciative feminine giggle!