F E R A L
The Ballad of Benjie Guan, Book 1
“Damn, it’s dark in here,” observed Zak. Not quite so dark he couldn’t see, of course, but, with all direct sunlight blocked by the dense canopy of branches overhead, it felt more like dusk than two o’ clock.
“It is dark,” agreed Bekah, sounding perplexed. “Benjie!” she hollered.
Zak could hear her teeth chattering when she spoke. “Here,” he said, offering her his gloves and hat. “I don’t suppose it’ll do any good for me to try and make you go wait in the car.”
“No,” she confirmed, her breaths shivering as she donned the proffered garments. “Thank you, Zak.”
“You’re welcome.”
Zak paced ahead a few steps. “Beeeeeennnnnnnjiiiiiiiieeee!” he bellowed, cranking up the foghorn full blast.
A crow’s cackle overhead was the only reply.
“Fuckin’ kid,” he sighed, tramping on through the twigs and decaying leaves. Bekah trailed after him. Both went on calling Benjie’s name every few steps.
“So Dustin lives out here?” asked Zak at one point as they came upon a particularly dense copse of trees. Benj probably wouldn’t have gone in there—right?
“No,” said Bekah. “He lives in the town. He just has a cabin up here.”
“Outdoorsman, eh? And so you’re worried if he sees Benjie around here ….”
Bekah only nodded, her features anxious and drawn.
“You’re sure we shouldn’t call the police? If the guy’s that dangerous—”
“Police couldn’t stop Dustin,” said Bekah with a miserable certainty.
“Sure they could. He’s not fucking Lex Luthor.”
“Superman’s nemesis,” said Bekah. “I know that one.”
“Nice,” said Zak kindly.
Bekah drew to a stop and turned about, her gaze searching the trees. “I can’t feel anything anymore,” she muttered under her breath.
Zak frowned. “Eh?”
“Beeeeeennnnjiiiiiiiiiie!” she howled suddenly, desperately.
As before, silence.
“Damn,” she murmured. “He could be anywhere.”
“Probably blends right in around here, too,” said Zak, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m-a make that kid start wearing neon tie-dye and a collar with a bell on it.”
Crickets. Literally.
“Look, if we don’t find him in the next half an hour, I’m gonna say we get the hell out of here and call the police. Deal?”
“Deal,” said Bekah reluctantly.
A sound reached Zak’s ears. A low, distant, reverberating animal sound that shook the very ground beneath his feet. Bekah lifted her head, her eyes wide.
“What the hell was that?” muttered Zak. Whatever it was sounded big. He wasn’t aware of anything bigger than a groundhog making its home in these woods.
“Shhhhhhhhh,” hissed Bekah. She dropped into a sort of Spider-Man crouch, head raised, eyes alert and darting to and fro like an animal’s. “Get down,” she whispered.
Zak didn’t question. Just obeyed.
The call sounded again, this time from a different direction. The first had come from their right and some distance ahead. The second was on their right as well, but seemed to come from behind them. Zak felt the gooseflesh rise on his arms.
“He circles his prey,” intoned Bekah ominously.
Zak blinked at her. “You mean ….”
“It’s a game he likes to play.” She held stock still, listening. “Once more. Come on … just once more ….” She fell silent, waiting.
The call sounded again at last, farther away now and more directly to their right.
“Follow me close,” rasped Bekah, and she began half-crawling, half-loping through the brush to their right.
Toward it? thought Zak, his heart pounding in his ears; but he followed without hesitation, his own movements loud and clumsy next to his companion’s shocking agility and stealth.
A few shafts of sunlight broke through the trees up ahead. The beast’s call rang out once more, closer now, causing the branches around them to shiver and give up the last of their brittle leaves. Bekah scurried onward, darting deftly from shadow to shadow.
They came upon a small clearing. Bekah let out a tense puff of air and surged ahead, down the embankment. Zak winced and blinked his eyes against the sunlight, then quickly spied what she had seen up ahead. A figure in black, face-down at the foot of the slope.
Zak hurried after, watching bemusedly as Bekah struggled in attempt to lift Benjie off the ground, over-the-threshold style. “Careful, you’re gonna pull something,” he murmured, dropping to a crouch beside her.
“I can do it,” she insisted, but tried again to no avail.
“Benjie,” hissed Zak, slapping his cousin’s face. The kid was covered in dirt and sap.
Benjie’s eyes fluttered open as another low, fearsome howl shook the wood. He squinted drowsily, then his eyes glittered in fear. “It’s coming,” he choked out.
“You have to get up, Benj. Time to go.” Zak pulled the teen to his feet. Benjie wavered dizzily.
“Take him and go, Zak,” urged Bekah, touching Benjie’s face briefly. “I’ll hold him off.”
“That animal?” said Zak incredulously. “Like hell you will!”
Benjie’s eyes widened when he saw Bekah. “Bekah,” he slurred, reaching for her.
“I’ll be all right,” she insisted, scurrying off toward the sound “Go.”
“No!” exploded Benjie. He broke away from Zak and staggered after her. Zak followed.
Bekah turned. “Benjie! Zak! Go! Run!”
“Not without you!” wailed Benjie, charging unevenly after her.
“Damn it! Damn it!” she cried, whirling to face him. “I’d rather die than see you hurt. Don’t you understand?”
“Yes!” he croaked.
“Come on, Bekah,” said Zak firmly. “We’re not leaving you.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between them for a mere fraction of a second. Then she grabbed Benjie’s hand. “Run, then,” she exhorted again. “Run as fast as you can, stay close to me, and don’t look back!”
Bekah tore through the trees, breathing heavily, Benjie in tow. Zak took up the rear. The terrible baying sounded again, closer now. The air grew abruptly colder with an icy sigh. There was no time to ponder what was happening, what all this meant. Zak barreled on as fast as he possibly could, silently cursing his smoker’s lungs.
How she did it, he didn’t know. For all Zak could tell, they might be burrowing deeper into the wood or even running in circles. But Bekah found the way back to Lucy with ease. The small party cleared the treeline, just as an earsplitting roar sounded behind them.
Benjie toppled suddenly, his hand ripping free from Bekah’s as he rolled backward down the embankment. Bekah let out a wild cry and dove after him. Zak ran after, but only stopped and looked on in wonderment as Bekah thrust her arms under Benjie’s armpits and hauled him forcibly up the slope, veins bulging out on her neck and forehead.
“Start the car,” she coughed at Zak.
He didn’t have to be told twice. Lucy was running and ready to peel out by the time Bekah, intertwined with a half-conscious Benjie, tumbled headlong into the back seat.
“It is dark,” agreed Bekah, sounding perplexed. “Benjie!” she hollered.
Zak could hear her teeth chattering when she spoke. “Here,” he said, offering her his gloves and hat. “I don’t suppose it’ll do any good for me to try and make you go wait in the car.”
“No,” she confirmed, her breaths shivering as she donned the proffered garments. “Thank you, Zak.”
“You’re welcome.”
Zak paced ahead a few steps. “Beeeeeennnnnnnjiiiiiiiieeee!” he bellowed, cranking up the foghorn full blast.
A crow’s cackle overhead was the only reply.
“Fuckin’ kid,” he sighed, tramping on through the twigs and decaying leaves. Bekah trailed after him. Both went on calling Benjie’s name every few steps.
“So Dustin lives out here?” asked Zak at one point as they came upon a particularly dense copse of trees. Benj probably wouldn’t have gone in there—right?
“No,” said Bekah. “He lives in the town. He just has a cabin up here.”
“Outdoorsman, eh? And so you’re worried if he sees Benjie around here ….”
Bekah only nodded, her features anxious and drawn.
“You’re sure we shouldn’t call the police? If the guy’s that dangerous—”
“Police couldn’t stop Dustin,” said Bekah with a miserable certainty.
“Sure they could. He’s not fucking Lex Luthor.”
“Superman’s nemesis,” said Bekah. “I know that one.”
“Nice,” said Zak kindly.
Bekah drew to a stop and turned about, her gaze searching the trees. “I can’t feel anything anymore,” she muttered under her breath.
Zak frowned. “Eh?”
“Beeeeeennnnjiiiiiiiiiie!” she howled suddenly, desperately.
As before, silence.
“Damn,” she murmured. “He could be anywhere.”
“Probably blends right in around here, too,” said Zak, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m-a make that kid start wearing neon tie-dye and a collar with a bell on it.”
Crickets. Literally.
“Look, if we don’t find him in the next half an hour, I’m gonna say we get the hell out of here and call the police. Deal?”
“Deal,” said Bekah reluctantly.
A sound reached Zak’s ears. A low, distant, reverberating animal sound that shook the very ground beneath his feet. Bekah lifted her head, her eyes wide.
“What the hell was that?” muttered Zak. Whatever it was sounded big. He wasn’t aware of anything bigger than a groundhog making its home in these woods.
“Shhhhhhhhh,” hissed Bekah. She dropped into a sort of Spider-Man crouch, head raised, eyes alert and darting to and fro like an animal’s. “Get down,” she whispered.
Zak didn’t question. Just obeyed.
The call sounded again, this time from a different direction. The first had come from their right and some distance ahead. The second was on their right as well, but seemed to come from behind them. Zak felt the gooseflesh rise on his arms.
“He circles his prey,” intoned Bekah ominously.
Zak blinked at her. “You mean ….”
“It’s a game he likes to play.” She held stock still, listening. “Once more. Come on … just once more ….” She fell silent, waiting.
The call sounded again at last, farther away now and more directly to their right.
“Follow me close,” rasped Bekah, and she began half-crawling, half-loping through the brush to their right.
Toward it? thought Zak, his heart pounding in his ears; but he followed without hesitation, his own movements loud and clumsy next to his companion’s shocking agility and stealth.
A few shafts of sunlight broke through the trees up ahead. The beast’s call rang out once more, closer now, causing the branches around them to shiver and give up the last of their brittle leaves. Bekah scurried onward, darting deftly from shadow to shadow.
They came upon a small clearing. Bekah let out a tense puff of air and surged ahead, down the embankment. Zak winced and blinked his eyes against the sunlight, then quickly spied what she had seen up ahead. A figure in black, face-down at the foot of the slope.
Zak hurried after, watching bemusedly as Bekah struggled in attempt to lift Benjie off the ground, over-the-threshold style. “Careful, you’re gonna pull something,” he murmured, dropping to a crouch beside her.
“I can do it,” she insisted, but tried again to no avail.
“Benjie,” hissed Zak, slapping his cousin’s face. The kid was covered in dirt and sap.
Benjie’s eyes fluttered open as another low, fearsome howl shook the wood. He squinted drowsily, then his eyes glittered in fear. “It’s coming,” he choked out.
“You have to get up, Benj. Time to go.” Zak pulled the teen to his feet. Benjie wavered dizzily.
“Take him and go, Zak,” urged Bekah, touching Benjie’s face briefly. “I’ll hold him off.”
“That animal?” said Zak incredulously. “Like hell you will!”
Benjie’s eyes widened when he saw Bekah. “Bekah,” he slurred, reaching for her.
“I’ll be all right,” she insisted, scurrying off toward the sound “Go.”
“No!” exploded Benjie. He broke away from Zak and staggered after her. Zak followed.
Bekah turned. “Benjie! Zak! Go! Run!”
“Not without you!” wailed Benjie, charging unevenly after her.
“Damn it! Damn it!” she cried, whirling to face him. “I’d rather die than see you hurt. Don’t you understand?”
“Yes!” he croaked.
“Come on, Bekah,” said Zak firmly. “We’re not leaving you.”
Her eyes darted back and forth between them for a mere fraction of a second. Then she grabbed Benjie’s hand. “Run, then,” she exhorted again. “Run as fast as you can, stay close to me, and don’t look back!”
Bekah tore through the trees, breathing heavily, Benjie in tow. Zak took up the rear. The terrible baying sounded again, closer now. The air grew abruptly colder with an icy sigh. There was no time to ponder what was happening, what all this meant. Zak barreled on as fast as he possibly could, silently cursing his smoker’s lungs.
How she did it, he didn’t know. For all Zak could tell, they might be burrowing deeper into the wood or even running in circles. But Bekah found the way back to Lucy with ease. The small party cleared the treeline, just as an earsplitting roar sounded behind them.
Benjie toppled suddenly, his hand ripping free from Bekah’s as he rolled backward down the embankment. Bekah let out a wild cry and dove after him. Zak ran after, but only stopped and looked on in wonderment as Bekah thrust her arms under Benjie’s armpits and hauled him forcibly up the slope, veins bulging out on her neck and forehead.
“Start the car,” she coughed at Zak.
He didn’t have to be told twice. Lucy was running and ready to peel out by the time Bekah, intertwined with a half-conscious Benjie, tumbled headlong into the back seat.
Zak didn’t bother to make sure the door was shut behind them. He yanked Lucy into drive and floored the gas pedal. A banshee scream of rubber on asphalt sounded as the Bug took off like a bullet down the North Wood road.
