Eric S Brown [Brown - The Guard

THE GUARD

Eric S Brown

www.severedpress.com

Copyright 2018 by Eric S Brown

THE GUARD

Mark Page wasnt up early. He had been up all night. There was a sheen of frost that covered the grass as he hoofed it through the woods. His breath could be seen in the cold morning air. The sun hadnt come up yet. It was just beginning to rise in the east. Neither he nor Clay had planned to spend the night in the woods but their efforts had paid off. A few minutes earlier, they bagged a black bear that Mark guessed had to weigh in at 600 pounds. It was their best kill of the season so far.

Clay stood next to the bears corpse, admiring it while puffing on a cigarette.

Getting this thing back to the truck aint gonna be fun, Clay griped.

Mark laughed. Well manage.

The dogs were going nuts in the aftermath of the kill as Nathan tried to round them up and get them under control.

What the heck is wrong with those dogs, boy? Clay snapped at Nathan.

Dont know. Nathan shrugged, having gotten two of the dogs leashed and struggling to hang onto them. Something has got them spooked. Cant you see that?

Mark raised his rifle. He had been in these woods countless times since he was a boy but there was somethingdifferent about them this morning. He had felt it during the night too but kept it to himself, figuring it was just his nerves. Now he wasnt so sure.

Forget the other dog. Well come back for it later, Mark said. Lets just get out of here.

Hold up now a minute, son Clay said. We aint leaving that bear and I am getting the feeling thats what youre saying right now.

Clay. Mark looked over at the older man. Theres something out here with us. And I dont think that its something any of us want to run into.

Something out here with us Clay frowned and took a long drag off his cigarette before continuing. What the devil is the matter with you two? Aint nothing out here that we cant handle, boys. Were the apex predators round these parts.

Nathan spoke up. Marks right, Dad. There was something following us while we was after that bear and you know it. I could smell it out there.

Great. Clay glared at Mark. You got my kid spooked now too. You two are crazy. And we aint leaving without that bear. Do I make myself clear?

Mark didnt want to leave the bear either but he would be damned if he was going to risk his life for it. His gut told him that they needed to run. He couldnt explain it.

You can drag it back if you want, Clay, Mark said. But Nathan and I are leaving. Aint that right, Nathan?

Caught between his father and Mark, Nathan sputtered an answer neither of them could understand.

What was that, boy? Clay demanded, taking a step toward Nathan. I couldnt understand that gibberish you were yakking.

Something shrieked in the darkness not too far away from where the three of them were gathered.

What was that? Nathan stammered, turning pale. The dogs broke his hold on them and ran away in the night, fleeing whatever had made that horrible sound they had heard.

Thats why we are leaving, Mark yelled.

Aint never heard anything like that before, Clay commented. But it dont mean we need to turn tail and run. Thats a rifle in your hands, aint it, Mark?

Mark eyed the old man as Clay readied his own rifle.

You got the stones to stand your ground, dont ya? Clay snorted.

Before Mark could respond, the beast came charging out of the trees. It stood nearly nine feet tall. Its body was covered in thick brown hair. The beasts arms and legs were thick with dense muscles and the claws at the end of its fingers gleamed in the light of the rising sun. How the thing had managed to stay hidden so close to them, Mark didnt have a clue. He could only stare at the beast in shock as it went after Clay. The old man tried to bring the barrel of his rifle up at it but was too slow. Claws of the beasts right hand tore away most of the left side of his face and dislocated his jaw in the process. Blood splattered onto the grass as Clay tried to scream. The beast rammed its other hand into the old mans chest. Its fist punched through his ribs and into him to emerge from his back. Blood poured from Clays open mouth before the beast ripped itself free from him.

Dad! Nathan shouted, his fumbling fingers trying to free the pistol on his hip from its holster.

Mark looked directly into the beasts glowing, yellow eyes as he brought up his rifle and braced it against his shoulder, taking aim at it. The beast roared, springing toward him as Mark pulled the rifles trigger. It bucked in his hands as its barrel flashed in the fading darkness. The shot he fired struck the beast dead center in its chest. Mark saw blood go flying from the wound as the beast whirled about, changing its course to go after Nathan instead.

Nathan managed to get his pistol out and ready. He fired three times into the beast as it came at him. The beast grunted in pain as each of Nathans bullets hammered its body. They didnt stop it though. Mark could see that they hadnt gotten any real penetration through the beasts layers of thick muscles. The beast plowed into Nathan, knocking his pistol from his grasp and him from his feet. Nathan landed hard on his back in front of the monster. Before he could even try to start getting to his feet, the beast slammed a massive foot down onto him. Mark heard the sickening crunching noise of Nathans ribs giving way and folding inward beneath it. Nathans body twitched a few times and then lay still.

Marks rifle boomed a second time but the beast was impossibly fast for something its size and was already on the move again. His shot streaked through the air where it had been standing a fraction of a second before. It was on him before he could get off a third shot. Hair-covered fingers closed about his throat, lifting him effortlessly from the ground, as the beasts other hand batted away the rifle. The weapon flew, spinning through the air to land in the grass several yards away. Marks hands reached up to grab the arm of the hand that was closed about his throat, fighting desperately to break its hold on him. His legs kicked wildly beneath him a good foot above the grass below where the thing held him. Mark couldnt scream. He could barely breathe as the beasts fingers grew even tighter around his throat. Holding him steady, the beast sunk the claws of its other hands into the top of his chest just below his neck and jerked them downward through his flesh, opening him up all the way to his groin. Mark saw his own blood spraying over the beasts hair-covered body in his last moment before the world swam before his eyes and then there was only darkness.

****

Sheriff Wallace covered her nose as the smell of the rotting bodies hit her. Despite the chill of the day, the bodies stunk badly. From the looks of them, they had been out here rotting for some time before Alex Johnson had found them. He had come to the woods hunting with his brother, Gerald, and happened upon them a few hours back according to the report her deputies had given her.

The three men had been identified as Mark Page, Clay Rigger, and his son, Nathan. Parts of Clay and his son were strewn about the small clearing in the woods, some even looking to have been gnawed on. Mark Pages body was opened up, his entrails spilling out onto the grass around where the body lay.

Told ya you didnt want to see them, Sheriff, she heard Deputy Holcombs voice comment from behind where she stood.

Theyre torn up pretty bad, Deputy Sharps said. Were thinking it was a bear that did this.

That would make sense, Holcomb agreed. Thats what they were supposed to be out here hunting.

Sheriff Wallace shook her head. This wasnt done by a bear.

How can you know that? Holcomb asked.

Thats the bear they were after over there. Sheriff Wallace gestured at the dead bear that lay just beyond the clearings edge. They killed it before whatever happened here went down.