Breathe Deep Fear Vol. 1 Page 3

  “Stop it.” He said under his breath. “You would be able to catch their stench. Sam definitely would.”

  Seconds crept by like hours, the cold nipping at the exposed skin on his hands and face. Trees blended in with trees, and more than once he questioned if he was going in the right direction or just aimlessly wandering in the dark – weakening as his senses dulled and muscles tired from cold and fatigue.

  He hadn’t even eaten. That soup would have been so good, excessive amounts of pepper included.

  Suddenly, the woods shook around him as a vicious noise resounded from behind him. His heart lodged itself in his throat. It was the same cry as the one from when he was at the Clarks’. God, it sounded like whatever made it was near the truck, maybe only a couple hundred yards or so.

  He broke out into a run, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Sam kept up effortlessly even as the crate swung lazily in his mouth. Dean growled out in annoyance with every extra motion. The tape came loose as blood started to pump through his system faster and faster. He wiped with his already sticky sleeve and picked up his pace. How well could those things hunt? Were they already around him? How long before that monster caught up to them?

  His left eye was completely covered, but he didn’t slow down. He couldn’t. Heart pounding in his ears and legs aching, Cale burst out into an open clearing. A lone bluish tinged light shone from a shadowed building across the pasture. He was scared to breathe, let alone sigh in relief.

  It was the barn, in all its old whitewashed glory. Only a barbwire fence and a hundred feet of land separated him from sanctuary.

  Another roar spurred him forward again. It didn’t sound any closer than before, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to stand around waiting to see what would show up.

  He closed in on the barn, the manure smelling like roses and promising safety and familiarity. Pushing open the milk house door, the smell of sanitizer and sulfur water brought a smile to his face. Sam carried Dean in, and he shut the door, then quickly grabbed a nearby wheelbarrow and jammed it up tight against the door. He wasn’t going to risk those things being able to use door handles.

  Walking around the large stainless steel milk tank, Cale opened the door to a small metal cabinet hanging on the wall and pulled out a roll of turquoise wrap, cotton, and a tub of salve they used for cows’ hoof rot. Moving over to the large basin sink, he kicked the water on hot and rested his forearms on the edge. The steam slowly rose up and calmed his nerves. Cupping his hands, he gingerly rubbed away the fresh and dried blood on his face and head, a grimace escaping every few moments.

  He scoped out a dollop of the black goop and rubbed it over the wound, or at least where he assumed it was. Why hadn’t his uncle replaced that mirror yet? Carefully pressing the gauze down, he kept it tight and wrapped the brightly colored self-adhering bandage around his head. A chuckle escaped his lips. If only a camera were around – his appearance probably looked clownish.

  At least he wasn’t bleeding all over the place.

  His eyes drifted down to the once tan leather of his favorite jacket.

  “Really hope this isn’t ruined.”

  He cast a quick glance at the grime covered clock on the wall. Barely ten, exhaustion was already tugging at his eyelids now that the adrenaline was starting to slow. Flicking the flashlight off, he pushed open the swing door leading to the colder main barn and turned a few of the lights on, just enough so he could see clearly. The cows were still, seemingly more like statues than the flighty kickers he’d dealt with several hours ago. It was good that they were alright.

  He took the crate from Sam and climbed the stairs up to the haymow that overlooked the rest of the barn. It was just a simple platform amongst the rafters, but covered almost three quarters of the ground floor. He did a once over of the entrances below as Sam followed up behind. Everything was still locked up and secure, just how it had been left.

  He settled down into a large pile of loose hay and rested his shotgun against his shoulder. Sam curled up at his side as he pushed Dean’s crate a little deeper into the pile to keep him well insulated. The kitten’s eyes quickly closed and Sam followed suit.

  Cale nestled in deeper and frowned. He hadn’t thought he was sore, but as the nerves faded away, numerous aches made themselves known. Honestly, it didn’t bother him. All he wanted was to eat and then sleep for a few days. Unfortunately, tomorrow was going to be rough, sunlight or not. Get to town and hunker down someplace with food. That would be what he should focus on.

  Sam shifted closer to his side as a cold gust cut through the gaps in the barn walls. Hugging the bloody jacket tighter to himself, Cale gave one last look at his companions before promptly passing out into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter

  5

  The sound wood makes just before it starts to slowly splinter is as distinct as it is sorrowful. The high pitched creak as fibers stretch beyond their means is more reminiscent of an animal’s cry than a simple material. It is mournful, gasping, and causes the heart to quicken just that extra beat or two.

  That was the sound Cale awoke to as something imposing pressed against the large double doors at the far end of the barn.

  Sam was already over to the haymow’s edge, growling as the wood-planked barrier bulged unnaturally inward. Patting the dog on the head, Cale crawled over the stacked bales until he was above the slowly splintering door, low guttural grunts coming from the other side. The more the door gave, the more the thing pushing it seemed to increase its efforts like it was testing the barriers strength.

  A massive clawed paw burst through the door and ripped back a head sized chunk of wood.

  A bloodshot yellow eye took its place, scanning the room before resting on the cattle. The cows shifted around nervously and pressed deeper into their concrete stanchions in a futile attempt to put distance between them and the thing outside. The same haunting roar that had plagued him all night shook the walls and the creature burst through, reducing the barrier to sawdust and splinters.

  The barn shook with such force that Cale had to catch himself from falling over the edge. The thing slowly stalked in amongst the cold gusts of air. His eyes widened as they snapped down to look at what had entered.

  He wished he hadn’t.

  It was a grizzly bear, or at least, it must have been at one time. He had run into several in his lifetime, but this one was by far the largest. It wouldn’t be surprising if the thing stood over twelve feet when upright; double his height and who knew how much heavier. The yellow eye from earlier was the only one above the creature’s rippled snout. The other looked like it had been gouged out, leaving only a hollowed out socket. Patches of mottled brown fur poked out through grayish white scabs of bone that encased the creature like armor.

  Abnormal amounts of coagulating saliva dripped from its fangs and onto its curled claws scratching the hard floor as it moved slowly towards the buffet cowering in front of it. Cale swallowed hard as his mind tried to process the thing below him. What happened to that thing?

  He spared a glance at Sam. The dog’s golden fur was straight up along his spine, a silent snarl revealing pointed teeth. Cale hoped the dog wouldn’t start barking. They were trapped, and there was no way to know whether that thing could get up to them. The stairs probably couldn’t hold it, but who knew how smart it was. It could knock out the supporting beams or just starve them out.

  The same couldn’t be said for the animals on ground level.

  Cale bit down on his bottom lip as the monster came agonizingly close to the livestock. The cows remained motionless. There was no doubt in their minds the stalls represented safety even with danger closing in on them. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they would have stayed even if they weren’t tied in. He’d seen it happen when Palmer’s barn caught fire. The cattle had run right back into the flames.

  An anxious feeling filled the pit of his stomach as the eye swept from one animal to the next, as if it was deciding which meal to st
art with. He had to do something. This farm was his responsibility. It was his livelihood. Cowering in the haymow wasn’t an option. He couldn’t hide while his animals were slaughtered by some demon bear.

  Quickly crawling over to Sam, he smoothed out the dog’s back and leaned down.

  “Get Dean.”

  The dog hesitated for a brief moment before reluctantly backing away and toward the crate. Happy the dog was still behaving; Cale reached for his shotgun and carefully stepped out into the rafters. It had been a couple years since he had climbed around them and his shoulders were quite a bit wider than when he was a kid. He’d done it all the time, even after that instance he fell and broke his arm … or disturbed that hornet’s nest and broke his other arm.

  He never considered himself the brightest of his family.

  The rafters creaked with his added weight, but the bear ignored him, even if it had heard. It seemed too enthralled in its decision making. Cale moved so that he was almost over it and aimed his gun. He hoped it wasn’t as resistant as the other things. Lining up the barrel with the bear’s head, his finger tightened around the trigger and squeezed.

  The bang was immediately followed by a shower of sparks as the buckshot ricocheted off its shielded back. It raised its head with a snort as Cale hid in as much shadow as he could find.

  The thing was more resilient than the rest!

  He was panicking freely now. There was no way to kill that thing from where he was. If he was smart, he’d let the bear take its fill and either slip away or wait it out. Maybe, it would be happy with just one or two cows. Those kinds of losses were normal in their small mountain community. He’d just have to stomach it and survive.

  The creature turned back to the cattle and reared up on its hind legs.

  Cale barely registered his body move.

  Dropping to the ground, his sore muscles almost audibly groaned as the jolt shot up from toe to head. He fired a round into the back of the beast’s leg and ran for a heavy chain hanging on the wall. The thick links were strong enough to hold a tree being dragged by a tractor. The thing shouldn’t be stronger than that.

  Latching the two hooked ends into the gutter cleaner links, he barely dodged the bear as it attempted to run him over. He grabbed the looped chain and threw it over the bear’s head, then sprinted down the aisle toward the breaker box on the other end of the barn. The monster spun around, the loop circling its neck and shoulders. It barreled forward with an enraged bellow.

  Cale desperately lunged for the cleaner’s start lever as the bear almost instantly closed the distance between them. Yanking the lever down, he rolled onto his back and raised his gun as the bear went to maul him. The gutter cleaner moaned as the cold engine started up and began to drag the scrapers along their predetermined path; the chain instantly going tight around the bear’s neck.

  The beast struggled for a moment, trying to reach through those last scarce inches between Cale and itself. Then slowly, it was pulled backward and began to struggle fiercely, gouging out long deep lines into the hard floor. For a moment, Cale worried the chain would snap, or the cleaner’s engine would give out.

  However, as inches became feet, he pushed his worry aside and focused on the next step. Shakily climbing to his feet, he whistled for Sam and readied his gun as the bear was dragged outside. The dog rushed down the stairs, cat case in mouth. Cale checked the cows one last time and then ran over to the smashed doors. Pushing whatever remained back in place, any heavy or large object that was available was piled against the door.

  It wouldn’t stop the bear, or another one like it, but it should keep anything else out.

  Cale moved even faster as the bear roared again. It wouldn’t be long before it would reach the end of the track. The last fifteen feet were on an incline reaching up to about eight feet high. There was a chance the machine would hold the bear in place, maybe even pull the chain tight enough to rip off its head … it could do it to human limbs after all.

  But realistically, the thing would probably get free, hungrier and angrier than before.

  He needed to get out of the barn and to town, while leading the monster away from the animals. It meant going back through the woods again, and through four miles of rough terrain.

  Running back into the milk house, he glanced at the clock. It had barely been an hour since he had arrived, there wouldn’t even be the comfort from the sun. Kicking the wheelbarrow aside, he waited for Sam and Dean to pass through, then slammed the door shut and hurried around the barn, flicking on the flashlight.

  The gutter cleaner shrieked and groaned as the bear’s massive girth prevented it from turning any further. It was nearly hanging as the chain constricted tighter and tighter around its bone covered throat. Pawing at the chain and roaring, Cale could literally feel the color drain from his face. The cleaner was made to move hundreds of pounds of manure and yet the creature seemed to be bothered more by its entrapment than any pain.

  It was going to be free in moments.

  “Come on, Sam!”

  He took off across the pasture as the machine started to smoke. Reaching the edge of the forest, the cleaner gave one final screech, the chain snapping as the engine finally died. Cale stopped for a moment, sucked in a lungful of air as the giant rose, and hoped it had good hearing.

  “Hey, over here!”

  It did.

  The one eye nearly glowing in rage, the creature snarled and tore off across the open field. Cale turned and sprinted into the woods. He had seconds to figure out a way to evade that thing for four miles … or kill it. The last thought would have made him laugh if he wasn’t so terrified.

  Sam ran off ahead, still carrying Dean as the sound of the monster crashing through the trees echoed within the fog. Cale split off in a separate direction and weaved through the trees. They needed to get further away, maybe even draw the bear’s attention so he could get behind it. What good it would do was a question for later.

  Quickly, he slipped behind a tree and loaded two more shells.

  The bear ran by him, shaking the last few remaining leaves in the trees to the ground. Cale took off after it. Everything hinged on the thing ignoring him long enough to get it to a one of the many steep drop offs and then somehow trip it up. If it doubled back on him- yeah.

  Impossibly swift, the fog enveloped the creature’s path. Only the heavy footsteps gave him any kind of direction. His legs ached, but he pushed forward as the sound rapidly diminished. He stumbled over a fallen branch and almost fell flat on his face. Catching himself, the bear gave a dominating cry, and everything went silent.

  He froze. Everything had suddenly become completely still as if even the wind had been paused. His throat tightened as the fog wrapped itself tightly around him. Had exhaustion taken away his hearing? Was he passing out without realizing it?

  A twig snapped behind him.

  He spun around, gun raised and finger firmly on the trigger. No, his ears worked. There was something very quiet out there. Another twig snapped, followed by another. He gripped the gun as his ragged breathing became worse. There were several things out there, hidden in the shroud and just out of his already limited range of vision.

  He gripped harder as his hands shook. Whether it was from the icy mist or fear, he wasn’t sure. Either one was as likely as the other. If only he could see a few more feet.

  The ground crunched lightly behind him. He spun again as a figure emerged from the fog. Its curly grey hair was matted with blood that dripped down over pale skin. The man stood almost a foot shorter than him, but had a stocky frame with calloused hands.

  “Mike?”

  The bear bellowed from further in … and Sam cried out.

  Chapter

  6

  Cale barely gave any thought about shooting what used to be Mike in the face. The creature’s head snapped back, disappearing into the fog with a soft thud as the body hit soft earth. He twisted and fired into another shadow emerging from the mist. Red mixed with grayi
sh white, but Cale ignored it and ran to where he had heard Sam.

  There wasn’t time to be cautious anymore. Sam and Dean must have been caught, and he had maybe moments to get to them. Protective instincts pushing aside any thoughts of self-preservation, his finger remained glued to the trigger and fired the moment something jumped out at him. He rushed blindly through the trees, only the sound of bestial growling guiding him.

  Emerging into a barren clearing, the fog cleared briefly. Sam stood defiantly in front of Dean’s upside down crate. Head low and shoulders furrowed, the dog’s lips curled up into as fearsome a snarl as he could muster; his weight shifting slightly off of his front right leg. Cale was amazed at how intimidating he looked.

  Or how pointless it was beneath the shadow of the bone covered monstrosity.

  Raising the barrel, he squeezed the trigger, pumped, and fired again. Two quick bursts erupted out of the end, and bounced fruitlessly off of the organic tank. The bear stepped toward Sam, raising its wicked paw and exposing a thin line of fur on its neck. Cale tossed the shotgun to the side and bolted forward while drawing his knife in a reverse grip. Sam dodged the first swipe, and Cale leapt onto the thing’s back, plunging the blade deep into the side of its neck.

  For the briefest of instants, the ghost of a grin threatened to tug on Cale’s lips as a thin stream of steaming blood rushed out of the gap between skin and carapace. Fur meant no bone, a weakness … a chance to injure it and survive.

  Then, the bear reared back and howled out.

  Digging his fingers into whatever edge they could find, he held tight as the monster began to buck like a crazed bull. He stabbed again and again at any patch of fur he could find as the bear whirled and thrashed violently. Sam barked excitedly as Cale was flung forward into the muddy ground. The world spun around him, and several copies of his shotgun came into view. Frantically, he crawled towards them as the bear bellowed and charged again.