Her Mistake

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Mrs. Owens had stayed put in her station that night, her concern for Matthew grew as he didn't answer. It'd only been a few minutes since he stopped answering, Yet she still worried for him. She thought of him as her own son. He'd gone looking for some kids a while ago, she wondered if they'd even listen to him. He'd been working so hard to be a good ranger, she knew the poor kid had money troubles. She put on a pot of camomile tea to calm her nerves. She'd been working here for twenty-three years and never once did she have a problem, There's no reason Matthew should have any either. "He's fine." She thought "That darn lab has driven all the animals away, nothing out there that can hurt him." She reassured herself. She knew if something was to go wrong, The police would come right away. Yet she was troubled deep in her soul, Burdened. Something felt very wrong. She knew the wooden beams on that overlook had just been redone earlier that week. "Those girls must've really taken a tumble to break them that way." She thought. Her tea whistled on the stovetop, the perfect melody for the percussion of the rain. It pounded against her rooftop now, It was getting worse. She heard the creaking of a falling tree, snapping and popping before a grand thud. She'd heard a hundred tree's fall, she'd begun to find that sound calming. The calm would last for only a moment, As her nerves got to her. She snatched the radio from the table and called out again "Matthew? Are you there? Is everything alright?". There was a brief moment of silence before he answered. 

"I'm alright," he said, "I think I may have messed up my ankle, we're definitely gonna need rescue services here. But I think everything is fine." The radio fell quiet, Before a question rang through that would send a chill up Mrs. Owens Spine. "Mrs. Owens, Are you sure all the animals left?" He asked.

 "I think so. But, Well, we can never be positive." She answered. 

"I think there's something out here," Matthew said "Something big enough to rip the fence apart"

 That made no sense, they'd done a sweep of the area earlier that day. There was nothing out there. "Matthew stay put," Mrs. Owens said, "I'm calling the police, they'll be here soon".  Mrs. Owens Picked up the landline and dialed the local police department. It rang six times before they answered. A sweet, young, female voice answered. 

"Hello, this is Davenport county sheriff's department," she said. 

"This is Ranger Nancy Owens, I'm calling from blue ridge national park. I need immediate assistance at the north tower." Mrs. Owens said. She could hear the rattling of computer keys on the other end of the phone. 

"Okay, Mrs. Owens, What's the nature of your emergency?" The young lady asked.

 "We've got a ranger down on the lake trail." Mrs. Owens answered.

 More typing rang through. "Okay, we'll send a car out to you right away".

 Mrs. Owens thanked her, and hung up. "Matthew, the police are on their way, is everything alright?" She asked into her walkie talkie. 

"Hey Mrs. Owens, Yeah I'm fine." Matthew replied, "My ankle hurts, but I'm up and moving around now. I think I found a cave". 

Mrs. Owens scanned over her map of the park. "No," She said "There ain't no caves anywhere near there". 

 "uh, well, I'm standing in one right now." Matthew replied. 

She looked over the area again on the map, there were no references to any cave system near there. 

"Mrs. Owens? Is there an animal that digs its own caves?" Matthew asked, His voice divided by the crackling of a failing radio signal.

 "A bear, maybe," Mrs. Owens said, though that answer filled her with fear. 

"Huh, must be one big bear." He replied, "There are massive claw marks on the walls in here. These are just like the ones in the fence, but way deeper". 

Mrs. Owens couldn't believe Matthew had wandered into a bears den, Or that he continued to stand there. "Matthew," She said "Perhaps you oughtta head back to the ranger station now".  

"Yeah, I'll head that way soon." Matthew replied, "With my ankle the way it is, I may need-" The radio fell silent. 

"Matthew?" Mrs. Owens asked, "You wanna try that again, son? I think I lost you". Her call was once again met with silence. "Matthew?" She asked again, as her fear began to invade her voice. The radio rang to life again, Fuzz. "Matthew are you there?" She begged. Her begging slowly turned to pleading, pleading with Matthew, with God, Yet no one answered. Nearly ten minutes had gone by when she heard a faint male voice, drowned out by the rain. "Mrs. Owens!" It cried. She raced out the door, Her heart began to pound in sync with the rain. She ran as fast as she could down those three short flights of stairs. Once on the ground, She cried out "Matthew!" Yet no one answered. She looked around, But there was no one. "Matthew!" She called again. Yet no one replied. As she turned to return to her station, she heard a sound that sent chills up her spine. The sound of a gunshot tore through the air, Then another, and another. Her heart pounded as she cried out again, "Matthew!". But no one answered. She ran toward the forest in front of her, But a new sound rang through. The snapping of trees, it raced toward her. She froze in place, Her hands grew numb. Finally, it broke from the trees. It was Matthew, His once yellow raincoat torn across the chest. Though the rain masked it well, Mrs. Owens could see the crimson puddle at Matthew's feet, He was losing a lot of blood. He screamed as loud as he could, yet from his mouth came not a sound. He waved his hands, Finally, He managed to release a single word. His voice cracked, and failed him. But Mrs. Owens could make out the faint voice over the rain, 

"Run." 

He said. Before she fully understood, A set of teeth erupted from the trees, Tearing his feet from the ground. This was no bear, It was much larger, much more aggressive. Mrs. Owens raced to the steps, But she stopped for a moment at their base. The creature was shaking Matthew's limp body in its jaws. It had to be at least Ten Feet tall. Its body was long and boney. Almost man-like, Though it lacked muscle. It crawled on all fours, on legs and arms like those of a spider. It lifted up the boy's dying body, and slammed it into the ground. Finally picking him up in its boney fingers, nine-inch claws sprouting from each tip, and tore the boy to shreds. As the creature ate her coworker, Mrs. Owens whimpered. The creature's eyes shot to her, They were deeply yellow, Yet still felt human. Its reptilian jaws shot open and released a mighty roar,  before dropping what little remained of Matthew. It began to race toward her, As she began her own race up the stairs. It clawed at her, The steps snapping beneath its feet. She screamed and cried as she reached the top. She slammed the door behind her as she entered the station. The creature clawed and snapped, It shattered the windows and tore holes in the ceiling. She sat in the corner and knelt, praying desperately for an answer. Suddenly, the room fell silent. The creature vanished. She slowly rose, searching every window. An hour passed before she felt anything that resembled safe again. She picked up the pistol she had been issued, And stepped out the door. There was no creature to be seen, It was as if it had never happened. Her heart began to steady as she turned to see them, a set of yellow eyes staring into her soul. As the creature slowly crawled down from the roof, It became visible again. It's bright white flesh had been hidden in the moonlight. It slowly approached her, as though it was deciding whether or not she was worth it. It looked her up and down, inhaling deeply. She lifted her gun, And with a scream, She fired six shots into the creature, yet it was not phased. "What are you" She said. The wood beneath the creature's feet creaked as it lowered itself, Preparing to pounce. The old woman remained still, Frozen by fear. As it lept towards her, She finally found the courage to move. Its claws sank into her shoulders as the creature passed her by. It clung to the railing of the ranger station, Pulling Mrs. Owens with it. Her stomach was pressed against the steel bar, When she finally heard it pop. As herself and the creature tumbled to the ground, She thought it may be the end. Though Mrs. Owens had dialed the police hours before, They wouldn't arrive till morning. 

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net