Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Eight

EIGHT

The boy was confused. It all went pretty fast those fifteen minutes ago in his bedroom. He just didn’t understand where the accusations of Glory had come from. Did she have a very realistic dream or something?

As he walked he began to notice how it got cooled down quickly when night has fallen. He buttoned up his shirt. The only light in the vast outdoor space was that of the moon. It was so much darker there than in the city. Not that the absent of light scared him of course. Sleeping on benches in the outdoors at night was one of the first things he’d tried in his quest to feel fear. He’d heard many people got scared by the strange, unidentifiable noises they heard in the night. Some would get the feeling something was watching them. Something unseen. Oh, if only he could have those feelings.

That’s when he heard something scrape the sand behind him. He turned around. It was so dark he could hardly see anything. He switched on the flashlight of his cell phone. He looked right into the eyes of a coyote. Most people would have screamed or put a step back. He just stepped forward, slowly reaching out a hand to the animal.

“Hey there, fella… How are you?” he softly said to it.

The coyote was the biggest one he’d ever seen. It bared bright white teeth. There was a low growl, coming from the back of the animal’s throat. The boy felt no fear, but knew to be cautious. He slowly got his backpack from his back.

The coyote attacked, jumping at the boy, snarling. The boy managed to get his backpack in front of himself, the coyote’s teeth sinking into the fabric instead of his flesh. The animal hung onto it, trying to wrestle it from the boy’s grip. As a devoted vegetarian the boy hated hurting animals but knew he had little choice in this case. He kicked the animal as hard as he could. The coyote let go of the backpack and landed on its back. It yipped but got ready to attack again, back legs getting ready to jump again.

Bright lights bathed the boy and the coyote. The sound of an engine, a car coming to a halt. The boy turned to see the arrival of Blackcrow’s car. The conservation officer jumped out of the car and shot a round from his gun in the air. The coyote ran away.

“Thanks,” the boy said.

“Thank me later. I need to get a tranquilizer gun from the car to shoot that coyote. I don’t want it attacking other people,” Blackcrow said. “You can hop in.”

The boy got in the car with the conservation officer who was busy getting something from behind the seat. He produced a tranquilizer gun and put it on his lap.

“Okay, let’s get that animal,” Blackcrow said and fired up the engine, headlights searching for the coyote.

“I don’t see it anymore,” the boy said. The only animal in sight was a nighthawk flying up into the sky.

“Me neither. How did it get away like that?” Blackcrow wondered.

“No idea. The night is full of strange happenings, it seems.”

“Like? Why were you out there anyway?”

The boy shrugged. “That’s what I would like to know, honestly.”

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Seven

SEVEN

Glory stirred awake when she felt something wet brush her cheek. Her sleep was restless after all the excitement from that day. She opened here eyes and saw the boy sitting on her bed. Had he kissed her?

“What are you doing here? Did you just kiss my cheek?”

The boy said, “Come on, Glory… I’ve seen you look at me? It’s very obvious you are attracted to me.”

Glory shot up, sitting straight on her bed. “What? You’re crazy! You’re too young for me. I think you’re a nice kid. That’s all.”

The boy grabbed her arm. “Don’t be ashamed of your feelings. I’m just four years younger. That isn’t that much. I will be gentle with you.”

“Let go of my arm,” Glory insisted.

The boy’s head came closer to hers, trying to kiss her. That did it. She raked her fingernails across his cheek, drawing blood. The boy screamed and pushed her flat on the bed. He ran away.

Glory panted. How she had read that boy wrong. He seemed so nice. He turned out to be just as big as an asshole as Robert though. She got up, walked to her father’s room. She wanted to tell him what happened. Then she understood her dad might just kill the boy. As much as she was disgusted by what the boy had done she didn’t want him dead neither did she want her dad to get into trouble. She didn’t need her dad anyway. She was tough enough to face anything on her own.

She walked into the boy’s room. The boy was in bed, apparently asleep. Was he really going to just pretend like nothing happened. She tore the sheets off his bed.

“Huh? What?” he said sleepily.

“Get out,” she said. “Get the hell out of bed, pack your bag and leave.”

“Leave? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Don’t play the innocent. You almost raped me, you sonofabitch!”

“Raped you? I would never do anything like that,” the boy said. He was a great actor. She almost believed him.

He slowly got out of bed. “Listen, I don’t know what happened but I am very sure I didn’t do anything to you. Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?”

“Don’t give me that. You’re just the same as all of those guys in high school. Pack your bags and leave before I get my dad. He’ll kill you.”

“If you want me gone, I’m gone. But I swear I didn’t do anything to hurt you,” the boy said. He started to put on his clothes.

“Yes, I want you gone,” Glory said, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek.

The boy took his backpack, slung it across his shoulder. “I’m very sorry you think bad of me. I don’t know what happened to you, Glory. But you are obviously very distressed. So I will leave.”

The boy walked out of his room. Glory walked with him, wanting to make sure he was gone. She opened the door and the boy left the house.

“Keep on walking,” she told the boy. She watched the boy walk until he was not visible anymore, swallowed by the dark night.

She shivered, partly because it was cold standing there in just her nightgown, part of what had happened. Then she wondered why the boy’s cheek wasn’t bleeding anymore when he was in his bed again.

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Six

SIX

After working hard all day Glory sat on the porch drinking some iced tea. She’d enjoyed the boy’s company. He was so energetic it was contagious. Hard worker too. She liked sitting there, watching the sun go down slowly. The boy was in the shower, rinsing off the dirt of the busy day. She was going to go after him.

A red Mustang drove up the terrain. A handsome young man got out after it parked. He was wearing a pink polo shirt and jeans. He was tanned, his hair black. On his muscular jaw as a light beard. She recognized him.

“Robert Moreno. Long time no see,” she said to the man who walked towards her.

“A few years, yeah. Not since high school. I heard about the trouble with the cattle and I figured I’d better see if you were doing all right,” Robert said.

“I’m fine. A bit shook up, but fine,” Glory said.

“Are you sure? I heard it was a pretty brutal scene.”

“I just don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

“That’s fine. Maybe we can just catch up a little, you know?”

“Robert, I’m really tired. I just want to be left alone.”

Robert stepped right in front of her. He put his hand delicately against his cheek. “You know I care for you, Glory.”

She took his hand and gently but firmly removed it from her cheek. “I do. I know about your feelings for me, Robert. But I couldn’t reciprocate those in high school and I can’t know.”

“You just don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Just go, Robert,” Glory insisted, anger creeping into her usually so calm voice.

“Is this guy bothering you?” The boy stepped next to Glory, his hair still damp from the shower.

“Who the fuck is this kid?” Robert asked.

“I work here. Who are you?”

Robert raised a fist. “The guy who’s going to kick your ass.”

“I see,” the boy said. He didn’t even blink.

Robert cocked his head. “You seem pretty sure of yourself? You’re what, sixteen? I can punch you out with one good uppercut.”

“Probably,” the boy agreed.

Glory pushed Robert against the chest. “Leave him alone or I get my dad. You know how he likes to shoot people who trespass.”

“I’m going. Out of respect for you. Not because I’m scared of your dad or that freaky kid,” Robert said and backed down slowly.

“Whatever,” Glory said.

She watched the young man get into his Mustang and drive off. She was glad to see him go. He’d always given her the creeps.

“Who was that?” the boy asked her.

“Just some guy who thought he was in love with me back in high school.”

“Broken heart, huh?”

Glory shrugged. “I figure he just wanted to get into my pants. Oh, sorry. Language.”

The boy chuckled. “Don’t worry about the language. I have been to R-rated movies you know.”

That got a laugh out of Glory. “Of course. You weren’t lying before when you told me you don’t get scared… I was impressed by how you handled yourself back there. You didn’t even flinch when Robert threatened you. You want some iced tea as well?”

“That would be awesome.”

Glory went into the kitchen to get some iced tea. As she fixed it she wondered why Robert still got under her skin so much. He wasn’t the only one to have feelings for her back in high school.

She walked back to the porch and handed the boy his iced tea.

“Thanks,” the boy said and took a sip. “Refreshing. I was thinking… You told me earlier that your dad thought some guy who couldn’t take no for an answer was behind the cattle decapitation. Do you think Robert might be behind that?”

“Robert? No! He can be a bit of a dick but he’s not a psychopath. No way.”

“Okay, just wondering.”

Glory wasn’t so sure as she tried to sound though. She remembered Robert getting violent back in their high school days. He once broke guy’s jaw when he was tackled during a football match. He had a temper for sure. It did sound more logical than that skinwalker story Blackcrow told them. In both cases she was afraid she wouldn’t sleep easy that night though.

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Five

FIVE

Glory, Caleb, Blackcrow and the boy had taken a seat on the front porch of the ranch. Blackcrow explained, “According to our legends the skinwalker is a sort of witch that can turn into animals. Because some of the cattle slaughtered was actually inside a closed off barn my father suspected something else than a normal animal killed them. Only a skinwalker would have the ability to open doors and viciously kill those inside the way the animals were killed.”

“Couldn’t it just be some kind of normal psychopath freak? That whole witchcraft mumbo-jumbo doesn’t fly with me,” Caleb said.

“My father has seen many slaughtered remains. He knows what it looks like when teeth an claws did the work instead of knives. He had no doubt they were killed by an animal.”

“Could it be a human being opened the door, getting the predator inside to kill? I mean, don’t know why he would do that. But it could be an explanation, right?” Glory suggested.

“My dad was also good at studying footprints. He was pretty sure those of a human changed in that of a wolf.”

“That’s an amazing story,” the boy said. “So you say your dad never caught the skinwalker?”

“He never did, indeed. It is thought the witch found some other hunting ground for a while, stopping the killings. But it seems he might be back now,” Blackcrow said.

“So? You are going to track it down?” Glory asked.

“That’s what I intend to, yeah. Track it down and put it down. Avenge my father’s death.”

“So where will you start?” Caleb asked.

“I’m quite a tracker myself. My dad taught me. After the skinwalker strikes again I will be sure to arrive at the crime scene as fast as possible, when the tracks are still fresh.”

“Strikes again?” the boy said.

“Yeah, afraid so. When the skinwalker starts killing he won’t stop until things get a little bit too dangerous for him,” Blackcrow said.

Glory shuddered. “I really don’t want to think about more killings.”

The boy put a hand on Glory’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. That skinwalker doesn’t scare me.”

“Fuck all that stupid talk!” Caleb said. “There’s no such thing no matter what that idiot says. It’s just some stupid asshole who needs therapy. Or a bullet from my shotgun. And if he shows up here again he’ll be sure to get it.”

“Be careful,” Blackcrow said. “You might not believe me, but that skinwalker is hard to kill. So be careful and call me right away when you see something suspicious?” He handed Glory a business card.

Glory tucked away the card in her jeans. “I will.”

“Good. Take care of yourselves,” Blackrow said and walked back to his car.

“Lunatic,” Caleb told Glory, twirling his finger near his temple.

“He seemed pretty sure of himself. And mentally stable,” Glory said.

“I’ve seen a few stranger things the last few months,” the boy said. “Things people would relegate to the realm of fiction as well. There’s some strange things out there.”

“Quit that nonsense!” Caleb said. “Get to work!” With those words he walked away.

Glory shrugged at the boy. He shrugged back as well. They both laughed.

“What was that all about? That story about the stranger things you saw?” Glory asked the boy. He was starting to become more and more peculiar.

“Never mind. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” the boy said.

“Well, these days more strange things seem to happen. You sounded pretty heroic there when you said you were going to protect me.”

“Not really. I read somewhere a hero is someone who conquers his fear. I have no fear to conquer.”

Glory just couldn’t believe the things that boy said. Still not over the fact she thought she saw him in her room she just had to ask, “Did you sleep okay?”

“Sleep okay? Yeah, sure. I was pretty tired from the trip over here. Why?”

“No reason. Just being polite,” Glory answered.

“All right. Thanks for asking. I’d better get to work,” the boy said.

“Yeah, sure. Let me help you out a bit,” Glory said. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to help the boy or keep an eye on him. Yeah, strange things…

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Four

FOUR

After some time Glory managed to fall asleep, the warm comfort of her blankets overcoming the worries going around in her head. Her sleep was soon interrupted though by a strange, uneasy feeling she had. The feeling you get when someone is in the room with you, that kind of energy you cannot explain but are aware of, like a rabbit sensing the nearby predator. She slowly opened her eyes. There was someone there. An athletic, young body. It was still too dark to be sure though. Was it the boy?

“What… what are you doing here?” she murmured.

“I heard you scream,” the person said. But the voice sounded way older, gravelly than the boy’s.

Glory sat up in bed, covering her naked body with her sheets. The person in the room was her dad.

“Are you okay?” Caleb asked her.

“Yeah, I guess. Must have had a nightmare I guess.”

“Well, with everything that has happened the last few weeks that isn’t that strange.”

“Yeah, yeah I guess.” Why did she mistake her dad for the boy. It wasn’t like they looked alike. Even in the dark. She must have been still half asleep or something.

“Okay. Sweeter dreams then,” Caleb said and walked out of the room.

*

The next day Glory found the boy cleaning the stables, which basically came down to shoveling shit and dragging around big stacks of hay. His shirt was drenched with sweat but the didn’t show any signs of fatigue. Caleb was standing there, watching the kid with arms crossed. He looked like he approved.

“Hi,” she said. “I think I overslept.”

“You probably needed it then,” Caleb said.

“Good morning,” the boy said, leaning on his shovel for a minute to make eye contact with her.

“Are you doing okay?” Glory asked him.

“Just fine. Your dad told me what to do.”

“Great. Don’t forget to take a break every now and then. We don’t want you to collapse in the manure.”

The boy chuckled. “Thanks, I’ll be okay though.”

“Looks like we’re getting a visitor,” Caleb said, pointing behind Glory.

Glory turned around and through the open door of the stable saw a grey Silverado pickup truck park. A tall man in a beige uniform got out of it and walked towards them.

Glory and Caleb walked outside to greet him. Glory recognized the uniform of a conservation officer. The officer had a tan skin, looking Native American.

“Hi folks,” the officer said. “Michael Blackcrow, Utah Conservation Office.”

Glory and Caleb introduced themselves. “What brings you here?” Glory asked. “One of your colleagues visited us earlier and he said our slaughtered cattle was a job for the sheriff’s office.”

Blackcrow had a deep, warm voice. “Well. I happen to disagree. My father used to work at the Conservation Office as well. Some things about your case reminded me of something he’d worked on. Something that cost him his life.”

“His life? What the fuck are you talking about?” Caleb asked.

“My father thought he was on the trail of an ancient supernatural being called a skinwalker. The skinwalker slaughtered cattle and according to my father was responsible for a few missing persons. He thought he’d killed them. Worse, he even thought he’d killed some and

Caleb ‘s face reddened. “That’s totally batshit crazy! It’s terrible enough I have to suffer all these stupid tales from form employees and fucking tourists… Now even the Law starts to spout them.”

Glory put a hand on her dad’s shoulder. “Wait, let him speak.”

“I know it sounds incredible. Nobody believed my father either. But he was found dead in his car, his throat torn open. They said it was some kind of wild animal. I’m convinced he was killed by the skinwalker because he was getting to close to exposing him.”

“Tell me more about this skinwalker,” Glory said, intrigued. She noticed the boy had joined them. He looked fascinated as well.

“Yeah,” the boy said. “Please, tell us more.”

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Three

THREE

The room was small but the bed comfortable enough. There was a small desk, a chair and a radio. The Waldorf Astoria it was not, but the boy had slept on park benches and under bridges during his travels, so it was just fine with him.

“Get yourself comfortable. I’ll fix some dinner after my shower,” Glory said.

The boy massaged his stomach. “Sounds great. I have to admit I’m a bit hungry.”

Glory left his room and entered the bathroom. It held a toilet and a shower, nothing more. She took off her clothes and stood under the shower head. She put on the tap and let the warm water run down her body, cleaning her of the sand that clung to her body after a day of hard work outside.

As she washed her body she thought of the boy. For a kid barely allowed to drive a car he seemed pretty smart and strong. And eager to work. She had a good feeling about him. Hopefully he would stay for a long time. Well, of course she was going to have to see him work. She usually was a pretty good judge of character though.

She put some shampoo in her hair, massaging it into her scalp. As she rinsed it out of her long hair she was suddenly startled by a noise. She stopped washing her hair and strained her ears to hear exactly what the noise had been. Was somebody at the door? There was the sound again. It was as if someone was at the door, indeed. She turned off the shower and walked to the door. She opened the door just a little bit, peeking through it. She saw the boy just turning around the corner in the hallway. Had he been at her door? Had he been… watching her shower?

She shuddered. No, she was imagining things. The boy seemed like such a nice kid. She had to be wrong. She didn’t feel like continuing her shower though. She quickly toweled off and got dressed. Time to fix some dinner.

*

The boy had just put on another shirt, this one sporting the Thrasher logo. He always traveled light, alternating between three shirts and two pairs of pants. That made sure his backpack was light so it was easy to travel and nobody would mind him hitching a ride because he had to much with him. He felt he should look clean for dinner. Especially to a lady as nice as Glory.

There was a knock on his door. He opened it and Glory was standing there. Her hair was a bit damp and she was wearing a dress and cowboy boots. She looked good in a dress.

“Dinner is ready,” she said.

“Awesome!”

“Did you maybe want to take a shower?” Glory asked.

“After dinner that would be great, thanks.”

“So not just now. Half an hour ago?”

“Half an hour? No, I was still resting on the bed.”

“Oh, that’s strange.”

“Strange?”

Glory shook her head. “Never mind, let’s have dinner.”

*

Glory turned out to be not only a beautiful woman but a great cook as well. The chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables were great. The boy had a big glass of iced tea to go with it. The table was shared with Caleb and Glory. During dinner Caleb explained him what he was expected to do tomorrow. It sounded like a day of very hard work. He noticed Glory was a bit absent-minded though. He wondered what was bothering her. He decided to ask, no fear of course.

“Are you okay, Glory?”

The young woman blushed. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You seem… Preoccupied by something.”

“My mind just wanders sometimes, never mind,” Glory said.

“Preoccupied. You use fancy words for a kid,” Caleb noted.

The boy shrugged. “I read a lot when travelling.”

“Well, fancy words won’t get any work done. You’d better go to sleep right after dinner. There’s a day of hard work waiting for you tomorrow.”

“I will,” the boy agreed. He was also pretty sure something was bothering Glory, even if she said it wasn’t the case.

Skinwalker Valley - Chapter Two

TWO

The boy declined the coffee Glory first offered to him in the ranch’s kitchen. Unfortunately she didn’t stock Cherry Coke so he settled on a Diet one. Glory had one herself.

“Your father was pretty jumpy,” the boy told her.

“We’ve had a very unfortunate incident recently. A lot of cattle was slaughtered.”

The boy enjoyed the sound the can made when he opened it. He always did. “Slaughtered? How?”

“We’re not sure. It must have been a coyote. But I’ve never heard of any coyote with that much of an appetite an viciousness.”

“Sounds like a scary predator,” the boy thought, unable to curb his enthusiasm.

Glory shivered. “Yeah. I still have nightmares of discovering the slaughtered remains.”

“Oh, you were the one to discover them? I’m sorry about that!” The boy might be devoid of fear, he understood it could be quite upsetting to come upon a whole bunch of maimed animals. He loved animals.

“It was pretty… Distressing, yeah.”

“I guess I can imagine your dad getting a bit careful after something like that.”

Glory lowered her Coke after a sip. “Exactly.”

The boy took a long drink of Coke, thirsty after the long drive over to the ranch. “I guess I’d better cleaned up. I must reek after being cooped up in that truck for so long.”

“Truck? I didn’t see any car with you?”

“I hitchhiked. I don’t own a car.”

“Oh, really? You hitchhike a lot?”

“Most of the time, really. Cheapest way to travel.”

“Doesn’t that get scary sometimes?”

The boy smiled a wry smile. “Never.”

“You go ahead and drink your Coke and I’ll show you to your room. The shower is near that. You’ll have to share it with me and dad though.”

The boy couldn’t help but think sharing a shower with Glory wouldn’t be all that bad. Of course he understood he wouldn’t be sharing it at the same time. And that she was too old for him. He had a feeling he was going to have to repeat that a few times to himself in the days to come.

“Is there anything being done to find out what killed the cattle?”

“We had the sheriff come over but he figured this would be more of a job for the local conservation officer.”

“Conservation officer?”

“The game warden. It’s his job to investigate poaching and track wildlife. The conservation officer thought it was more of a job for the sheriff’s department. Figured the deed would have to be done by some person who bares ill will to us.”

“Anyone have a reason to?”

Glory raised an eyebrow. “You’re curious kid, aren’t you?”

The boy shrugged. “I guess.”

“Dad suggested there might be some guys who wouldn’t take my no for an answer that could be behind it. I can’t imagine though.”

The way Glory said it showed the boy how unaware of her beauty she was. “There’s some crazy folks out there. You never know.”

Glory gave the boy a playful push. “Aren’t you the wise old man?”

The boy blushed. “I’ve traveled a lot. But the conservation officer didn’t really investigate?”

“Let me say I didn’t think his heart was in it. He just went through the motions.”

“What about those talks of UFO’s and ghosts hanging around here?”

Glory rolled her eyes. “That thing again… Believe nothing of it. Just tales of farmhands that couldn’t stay off their liquor. I hope we’re not going to have that kind of issues with you.”

“I’m not even allowed to drink,” the boy chuckled.

“Right. Another good reason to hire you,” Glory said. “Come on then, let me show you your room.”