Bigfoot Story Jamie

Encounter

“This is it.” declared Jack. “Our big break.” Everyone in the room stared at the folder on the scratched and stained table, struggling to read it in the dim, flickering light of the bar.

“That’s what you said about the past three schemes you’ve got us into. What makes this one any better than the others?” questioned Jane Samios, a challenge creeping into her voice. She was a world renowned hunter said to be able to shoot an apple off your head from the top of an apartment building with the target in a crowd. Not that Jack was willing to try it.

“This one will work. There’s a reward offered for a live bigfoot of 10 Million Dollars. There’s been reports of one being spotted in the Lake Redwill area. There’s no way out of that place. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel.” he replied letting a bit of steel into his voice. He looked around the circle of faces and considered his choices for the team. Matt Drill, with his two bloodhounds, was a professional tracker. Kit Mark was a trapper, who could supposedly trap anything with just wire and his nimble, yet scarred  fingers.

Jack himself, was a con man and his beady little eyes were always looking for an opportunity to earn cash. And this was the get rich quick opportunity of a lifetime. There would be other groups, he knew. But I have a plan to take care of them.

In comparison with the dingy bar the opposition had met in, Amy Howard’s office was a Diamond Level Hotel Room. As the head of a successful business, she could afford the extra luxuries. After getting word of a reward for a live bigfoot, she had assembled a crew to make sure nobody succeeded in claiming it. When she had been in a plane crash in the Mt Everest region while filming a documentary, and had been the sole survivor of the event, she had woken up to find herself in a cave with food in a small pile next to her. Ever since she had done whatever she could to save Bigfoots and Yetis from hunters. Whilst she had no proof it had been a Yeti that saved her, that was her gut feeling about it. Everyone here was a steadfast believer in Bigfoot and would do everything to save one. The twin environmentalists, Ted and Bert Stone,  Zachary the Cameraman - They used cameras to let them know if a Bigfoot was in the area - and the Cryptozoologist Finn Burrell. With  all the details planned, there was only one question left. Ted obligingly asked it. “When do we start?”

The fire was giving off a twisting, changing, light that cast darkness on Jack’s face, turning his normally fair skin into a shadow.

“Are those cameras up yet?” he demanded. “If we miss bigfoot, this will all have been for nothing.” Matt looked up, his bright blue eyes startling against his ebony skin. “I’ve told you before. I always set them up as soon as I arrive.” he replied, his annoyance obvious in his tone.

“Well have you found anything yet? This place is giving me the creeps.” retorted Jane. It was true. They all felt as if they were being watched by someone. Or something.

In Amy’s camp the feeling was much the same. The sensation of being watched was enough to fray their nerves to breaking point. So when something popped up on the cameras, they all jumped.

“Get the equiptment! Zach, give us a location!” screamed Bert his voice rising in pitch. Following the heat trail they rushed through the wilderness, branches breaking and snapping underfoot. The heat signature flared before revealing a deer grazing on some berries. It bolted at the sight of them, and the teams hopes fell. Suddenly they could hear something crashing through the bushes ahead. They burst out of the foliage into a clearing, casting their eyes around for a large hairy figure. Instead they settled on the four people glaring daggers at them. If looks could kill.

“We had him! He ran through here and we would of caught him if it weren’t for you!” Matt Drill accused, his dogs growling in agreement.

Amy responded in a peaceful tone. “We’ll leave you alone, if you leave us alone. May the best team win.” Inside, she was swearing to herself that she would never let them harm a hair on a Bigfoot’s  head. Or any other part of it’s body.

Kit interrupted them. “Jack, we’ve got movement up ahead. If we want to find him we need to go now.”

With a final glare his team headed off to the north, deeper into the woods. Amy smiled. It had begun.

“Ted! There’s something over here!” yelled Bert. “It’s trapped  with it’s back to a cliff!” The team took off in hot pursuit. They made it to the cliff and saw large footprints leading into a cave.

“We need to keep an eye on it and make sure he doesn’t get out. Zach and Ted take the  first watch.” Amy ordered. The rest of them walked over to the shelter of the trees and set up the tents.

“So how long have you been working with Amy?” Ted asked Zach. Zach thought about it for a long time before answering.

“This is my first official mission. I don’t think I’ll be doing it again though.” he replied slowly.

“Why not?” inquired Ted. Zach let out a sigh before pulling out a Golf Club.

“Because I’m a traitor. You really think I want to help save some stinking beast when I can earn $2,000,000 just from chucking it in a cage. Jack gave me that and what did you give me? The glory of saving a Bigfoot. No thanks.” He let fly with the golf club and Ted slumped down unconscious. “Jack. I’ve got one.” he said into the Walkie talkie.

“God it stinks.” Jane complained. Despite the creature being trapped in a cage with a blanket over, the smell still reached them. Jack hadn’t run tests on the creature yet, but he couldn’t think of any way to fake that smell. After Zach called them in they had tranquilized the creature and put it in a cage. He couldn’t remember a happier day in his life. And then that upstart Amy howard walked in with her team. When he asked her what she was doing here, she just laughed.

“I didn’t think it would last this long. Have you actually not checked your so called “Bigfoot”? she asked, trying to hold her laughter in. “Have a look at it’s back.” Kit obligingly bent over the cage and removed the blanket. He found “Bigfoot” staring at him with a familiar human head. As anyone would do in this situation, he yelped in shock. It was Finn Burrell.

“I can’t believe you fell for it!” he laughed.

Out of nowhere, the bush was filled with police.

“This group is under arrest for the assault of Ted Stone and Finn Burrell.” announced a police officer in a solemn voice.

“You faked it all, didn’t you?!” screamed Jack. “You knew we’d go after it and you faked it. Fake pictures and fake Bigfoots!”

Kit asked them in a calmer tone, “You faked the heat reading so that we’d chase it. You knew about the spy and made sure he thought there was a bigfoot nearby. So it was you we got that photo of.”

Ted looked puzzled. “What photo?” Kit pulled out a very clear photo depicting an image of a shadowy person.

“We never faked a photo.”

The End