BEAVERS!
by Brent Moore
DISCLAIMAR: If
there could be a rating system for books as there currently is for movies
and television, this story could easily be rated B-14. This implies
that this work may contain violence, profanity, or adult situations.
Who am I kidding? It’s all violence. Just remember, if there
is a dead body covered in blood, it’s really just an actor covered in ketchup.
October 17, 1979:
It was a dark and
stormy relationship. For that reason, Julius and Nora decided to
spend the weekend together and alone in a cabin in the woods. They
were having a nice romantic time together. Unexpectedly, there was
a knock at the door. Not an ordinary knock, knock, knock, but more
like the sound of a five pound mackerel being thwacked against a doorpost.
At first, the couple decided to ignore the banging. Then the knocking
stopped and turned into a scraping or perhaps a gnawing sound. Despite
the unusual sound, the two continued to ignore it. Then the door
swung wide open. A horrible creature pounced into the room and there
was nothing the two troubled youngsters could do to escape. The next
morning, Owen Nichols, owner of the campground found the twosome dead,
in a pool of blood.
* *
*
20 years later:
“Michael is so dreamy!”
said Jenny.
“Id take Tim over
Michael any day,” Mary retorted.
“Michael rides a motorcycle.
Michael is the quarterback on the football team.”
“Tim can get into
college!”
“Well, your just jealous
cause you can’t have him! Look! Here he comes now,” Jenny stated
as Michael, clad in his leather jacket, rode his Harley over to where the
ladies were standing.
These three and another
six of their friends had decided to rent a large cabin for the weekend.
Simon drove up in his large van with Tim about five minutes later.
By the noon departure time, Carla and Cindi arrived also.
“Should we wait for
Brady and Susan?” Carla pondered
“They knew to meet
here at noon. We should give them fifteen minutes and then leave.
Besides, they wouldn’t want us to wait,” Tim explained. At 12:15,
Tim, Mary, Cindy and Carla piled into Simon’s van and pulled out.
Michael and Jenny rode off on his motorcycle.
* *
*
Susan’s car broke
down on the way to the meeting site. She wouldn’t miss this weekend
trip for anything, even if she had to walk to the rendezvous spot.
She didn’t make it until 12:45, when the rest of the group were long gone.
There was only one thing she could do to make it to the campsite on time
- and that was to hitch a ride.
As Susan was walking down
the highway, a man in an old pickup truck pulled over to pick up the coed.
She got into the front seat and noticed the man had a gray beard that hadn’t
been trimmed in months and wore a ragged orange shirt.
“Where ya goin?” he
asked with a ragged voice.
Camp Castorcanadensis!”
was her reply.
He grunted in understanding.
* *
*
“What’s going on back there?
What’s that smell?” Simon asked while driving.
“Nothing!” came the
reply. Carla was riding shotgun, Tim and Mary were in the second
seat and Cindi was in the back, smoking pot.
Carla responded, “Now
that’s not true, Cindi is back there inhaling wacky weed.”
“Are you crazy?”
Simon lamented. “If a cop pulls us over, we’re all going to jail!”
* *
*
Susan, while riding
as a hitch-hiker noticed that the driver had a noticeable scar on the left
side of his face, was missing the end of his pinky finger on his right
hand, and had a tattoo on his right bicep of the state of Colorado.
He had a colt 22 pistol on the dashboard and a hunting rifle behind the
seat.
The truck stopped
at one of the very few red lights on the state highway. A man with
a Bronx accent came up to the truck with a bottle of Windex and a squeegee.
He poorly attempted to wash the windshield and walked to the driver’s window
asking for a tip. The driver grabbed his gun, shot the man in the
shoulder and sped through the intersection as Susan watched in disbelief.
It wasn’t too much
longer until Susan decided to take her chances walking to the campsite
instead of spending another 15 minutes with a psycho. She ordered
the scruffy guy to pull over and let her out. He didn’t. Now,
she was terribly afraid. A mad scramble ensued when she grabbed for
his rifle and aimed the barrel right to his head. “Stop the car right
now!”
The truck pulled over
and he allowed her to get out. She, with the rifle still aimed at
his head, got out of the vehicle. “It’s not loaded. I like
your attitude,” he laughed as he drove off.
* *
*
The other seven coeds
arrived at Camp Canadensis right on time. Waiting for them was Owen
Nichols. Tim gave the man $120 in cash, the cost for the cabin, and
Simon and Michael unloaded the food. All the ladies unloaded the
bags and gossiped more.
Michael was looking
through the belongings in disgust. “Hey, guys! Nobody brought
any knives! Now what are we going to do?”
Everybody looked at
Cindi. “What did I do?”
Mary quickly commented,
“Don’t be too disappointed. The human sacrifices can still go on
as planned.”
They all had a good
chuckle.
As this was transpiring,
Owen Nichols thought to himself, “I forgot. This is the night I’m
not supposed to rent the cabin to anybody!”
* *
*
Susan, now on her
own, figured if she cut through the woods, she could make it in about an
hour. Her rifle came in handy as she could use it to whack away all
the branches and vines that were in her path.
As she was walking,
she heard a rustle through the leaves behind her. She paused and
listened. The sound was getting closer. Then it stopped.
“Who’s out here?” she exclaimed as she brandished her rifle. “I’m armed!”
Now, she heard a rustling sound from her left. She turned and looked
and couldn’t see anything moving. She heard a sound coming from behind
her. She peered over her shoulder and again, saw nothing. Then,
she heard sounds coming from all directions. It was hideous; it was
terrible. There wasn’t just one but ten of these monstrosities!
These beasts encircled her. There was nothing she could do.
One jumped on her back; one on her arm, one on her leg, one in her hair.
They tore off her flesh as they scavenged her body. She had been
reduced to a carcass.
* *
*
Sundown was soon approaching.
Carla turned on the cabin’s television set so that they could watch the
“Gong Show” even if the reception was staticy.
“Tonight on channel
46: 7 O’clock: “Celebrities caught doing embarrassing things while
under hypnosis” followed by “Teenage Hedonist Beach Party” at 8:00”
Then an urgent news
bulletin came on. “This just in. An inmate has just escaped from
Kennedy Federal Penitentiary. The escapee is the notorious axe-murderer
Chuck Strappard, better known as “Chuck the Scraper.” He is to be
considered VERY armed and VERY dangerous. Officials suspect that
he is either on foot or driving a truck that an outside contact has left
for him. His distinguishing features include a noticeable scar on
the left side of his face, missing the end of his pinky finger on his right
hand and a tattoo on his right bicep of the state of Wyoming. Be
on the lookout because he might want to kill you!”
Just then a huge thunderclap
screamed across the sky, despite the fact that moments earlier, the sky
was cloudless. Seven grown adults screamed
as loud as their lungs would allow.
Then, there was a
knock on the door. The seven grown adults stayed as quiet as their
lungs would allow. The door fiercely swung open. A man with
a disfigured face and clothing soaked in blood came towards them swinging
an axe.
“Hi, Brady” Mary calmly
said.
Brady lifted the mask
off his face, put down his nerf axe and questioned, “How did you know it
was me?”
“This is how you always
make an entrance. Frankly, the effect has worn off.”
To nobody’s interest,
Brady started to explain how he made his costume. He is the type
of person who speaks a lot without saying anything.
* *
*
Mr. Nichols had feared
that he made a terrible mistake by renting out the cabin this night.
He and his dog Rufus had started to search out the area a few minutes before
sundown. After half an hour of searching, he found his shocking discovery.
He found Susan’s dead body in the woods.
“No! No! Noooooo!
It’s happened again! The BEAVERS! The beavers are back.
What have I done? What have I done? I’ve rented out the cabin
when I knew the beavers would come back. I should warn the authorities.”
* *
*
“Hey, do you know what we
could do to pass the time?” Michael asked sinisterly as he pulled out
a deck of cards. “Strip poker.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“I’m in.”
“Count me in.”
“Me, too!”
“Wait a moment,” Carla
said as she looked at her watch. “It’s nine o’clock. It’s past
our bedtimes.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m out.”
“Count me out, too.”
“Maybe next time.”
Everyone in the group
went to their separate rooms. The guys went upstairs in the same
cabin and the ladies went to another cabin around the other side of a lake.
Tim and Mary stayed behind.
* *
*
Tim and Mary were
enjoying a nice romantic evening. They were in a cabin in the woods
while enjoying a nice romantic fire. They were discussing how they
could stop the depletion of the ozone layer. They heard a knock at
the back door.
Tim said, “I should
go see who is at the back door.”
Mary responded, “Don’t
leave me! I’m afraid of being in the dark and I’m afraid of being
without you and I’m afraid there might be a monster out there.”
Tim replied, “Don’t
be silly, Mary. There’s no such things as monsters; and if there
are, why would they be knocking on the cabin door of two perfectly innocent
teenagers?”
Mary cried out, “Don’t
go out there!”
Tim opened the door
and there was a beaver sitting right outside the door. “See, Mary,
it is just a cute little beaver. I told you it wasn’t a monster.”
Just then, the demon-beaver leader lept into the air and bit Tim in the
jugular, killing him instantly.
Then, the other nine
Demon-Beavers came into the cabin. Mary screamed, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
All ten demon-beavers
started to walk towards her. She raced to the fireplace and picked
up the poker. She waved it around while yelling, “I’m not afraid
of you!” The demon-beaver leader laughed as all ten continued to
inch closer to her. As Mary continued to creep backwards, she fell
backwards into the fire, where her body burned into a crisp.
* *
*
A minute ago, Mary
screamed, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Simon, Michael and
Brady, in the men’s quarters, were startled by the shreik. “Someone’s
in trouble!” Michael yelled. “Let’s see if they’re o.k.” The
guys rushed down the stairs to see what was the matter. That’s when
they found the two bodies and horror set in.
“What ghastly terror
could have done such a thing? We need to go to the girls cabin to
warn the others.” The three ran to the other side of the lake.
* *
*
The group had been
full of tears for a few minutes when an old jeep pulled up to the cabin.
Out of the jeep came Owen and another older gentleman.
Simon rushed out of
the cabin to meet the two. “Something terrible has happened!”
Owen acknowledged,
“I know and I’m afraid it’s all my fault.”
“Is there something
you’re not telling us, Mr. Nichols?” Carla prompted.
He responded, “This
man can answer all of your questions. This is Dr. Alex Von Braun.
He used to work for the Genetical Research of Animals Laboratory.”
“Hi. I’m Dr.
Von Braun. You might remember me from some other famous animal disasters
like the Killer Rabbits, the Deadly Minks or the Great Platypi Terror of
`84. But, I’m afraid that what we have here is much worse than what
we earlier thought. I’m afraid we have demon-BEAVERS!”
“Gasp! Not demon-beavers!”
Jenny exclaimed.
“Yes, demon-beavers.
Let me give you the story. It started in the summer of `79.
Officials from the Pentagon contacted us at the Genetical Research of Animals
Laboratory, or as we like to call it, GRAL. [pronounced: growl] They
wanted us to develop an animal species that the U.S. military could use
for zoological warfare. To make a long story short, we genetically
engineered a male and a female. Together, they had eight offspring.
We even named them Buckwheat, Chomp-Chomp, Woody, Flapjack, Skinny, Gnawboy,
Chucky, Gaptooth, Beavis, and Merle. We couldn’t foresee the horror
that we created. They broke free and have been running amok ever
since. Every year on the anniversary of their escape, they go on
a killing spree. For the past several years, Owen has remembered
to not rent the campsite, but this year, he forgot.”
“In October of 1994,
3 student novelists disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland
while writing a documentary. A year later, their writings were found.”
Simon chastised, “Dr.
Von Braun, let me get this strait. You created these monsters?
You engineered demon-beavers? What in the name of Gregor Mendel were
you thinking? Surely, you are a mad scientist. The beavers
should kill you! What do you think of that, mad scientist?
He apologetically
and tearfully responded, “How were we to know? We were playing god.
If I knew this would happen, would I have done it? No! We all
make mistakes.”
Simon retorted, “Well,
Mr. Mad Doctor, my mistakes don’t kill two of your friends!”
Owen sighed, “Oh,
dear. There’s another? I only knew about your friend Susan.”
Cindi cried, “Susan,
too? Oh, my goodness. That makes three beaver related deaths.
This has been the worst weekend ever.”
Brady, for once, had
a good idea. “Let’s not just sit here as beaver food. Let’s
get outta here!”
Dr. Von Braun tried
to start his jeep, but his engine did nothing. Upon examination,
he found a hole had been chewed in the gas tank. All the other vehicles
had their tires slashed.
“We need to call the
sheriff,” Michael commented. He picked up the phone receiver.
“The line’s dead. How can this get any worse?”
Just then, the power
went out.
Owen and the doctor
checked out the power lines. “These wires. They’ve been gnawed
on!” Owen went to address the kids: “The doctor and I are going to
turn on the emergency power generator. However, it is a couple of
miles over the hill. There are a half dozen lanterns and a couple
of flares in the closet behind you. Whatever you do, stay here where
it’s safe!” With that, they started off.
Five minutes later,
Jenny said in disgust, “I don’t want to sit here waiting to die; we should
do something. I don’t care what Mr. Nichols thinks.”
Carla agreed, “We
should form groups, blatantly breaking our safety in numbers, thus each
of us has a reduced chance for survival, thereby making a much more interesting
story.”
Michael continued,
“Good idea. Jenny and I will go to the other cabin to check for a
working phone or weapons.”
Simon added, “I’ll
take Cindi and we’ll keep watch in the third cabin.”
Carla finished, “Maybe
Brady and I should stay here in case Mr. Nichols and the doctor come back
alive.”
* *
*
Owen and Dr. Von Braun
were not far from the emergency generator. The doctor commented,
“These are smart beavers, not to be underestimated. They could have
set traps that we need to prepare for. Keep your eyes open for anything.”
Moments later, the
doctor snagged over a tripwire. This set off a tree with an almost
completely gnawed off base, tipping it over, crushing the doctor as a whittled
tree branch impaled him.
As was customary,
Owen cried out, “Not again. The beavers. They’ve killed
again.” He started to run off. Then he heard something.
He stopped and sat on the ground.
The beaver mother
crawled over to him and started making noises: “chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk.”
Owen responded, “Yes,
Mother.”
chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk.
“Yes, Mother.
I will, Mother.”
chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk.
“The girl? She
means nothing to me. I will, Mother.” With that, he got up
and left.
* *
*
Carla fished in her
pocket for a match to light a gas lantern. She found a Canadian nickel
and threw it to the ground in disgust.
* *
*
Simon and Cindi decided
that one of them should keep watch, while the other tries to sleep.
Simon volunteered to go first.
* *
*
Michael and Jenny
were in the other cabin, and, of course, the phone lines were chewed up.
There was nothing that could be used as a weapon, except for a fireplace
poker.
“You know,” Michael
quipped, “We can take advantage of the darkness.” So they did.
The only light in the room was from a gas lantern. They were so engrossed
with each other that they failed to notice a beaver enter the room.
This demon-beaver had a leather glove on its tail. Each finger of
the glove had a razor-sharp blade on it. The beavers slashed Jenny
all over her body until she was dead. Michael watched with horror.
The other beavers smeared her body all over the walls and ceiling as blood
ruined the new wallpaper. Finally, a machete came down and cut off
the Michael’s head, causing it to roll to the floor.
chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk.
* *
*
It was Cindi’s turn
to keep watch while Simon rested. Halfway through her stint, she
heard a voice sing from outside, “Ciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiindiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.”
She looked out the
window as the voice was heard again, “Ciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiindiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.”
She thought it was Mary’s voice. “Help me, Cindi.”
She left the cabin
and once again heard, “Help me, Cindi. I’m on the lake.” She
ran to the lake, climbed into a rowboat and started rowing. “Help
me, Cindi. A little closer. A little closer.” She made
it to the center of the lake and could not see anybody. She realized
she had been fooled. There was nobody out there.
At that moment, a
demon-beaver leapt out of the water and capsized her boat. She screamed
as she started flailing in the water. A couple of beavers tried to
pull her under as the first beaver attempted to push her head underwater.
After a few minutes of struggle, she drowned.
* *
*
Simon, who had been
asleep, opened his eyes. There was a beaver over him and it was holding
one of those rods that you roast hot dogs on. The beaver started
to thrust it into Simon’s chest.
It was only a dream.
Simon sat up and started screaming. He quickly realized that Cindi
was not around and had left him alone. He checked his watch and it
was 3:30. If he could make it to sunrise, he would survive.
As for the moment, he needed to find Cindi. He ran out of the cabin
and immediately fell into a beaver-dug pit. Then a hot dog roaster was
thrust into his heart.
* *
*
Brady and Carla were
pondering about the others. Brady first commented, “Owen and Dr.
Von Braun should have been back by now,” to which Carla replied, “We haven’t
heard from any of our group. Maybe we should check on them.”
They went to check for the rest and couldn’t find anybody.
“Do you hear that
buzzing sound?” Brady questioned.
“Yes I do, and it’s
getting louder!” she replied.
“CHAINSAWS!” they
both blurted.
“The beavers are after
us with chainsaws. Look at that hill over there. If we can
make it to the top and find some long sticks, we’ll be safe until daybreak.”
They both began to run towards the hill with Carla in the lead. “Brady,
there are some nice branches over there!” No reply. “Brady? (pause) Brady?”
She turned around and Brady had fallen on the ground. She was turning
around to get him when she heard the sound of human flesh being torn up
by a chainsaw. She couldn’t watch. She got back on course and
would defend herself on the top of the hill.
It was five o’clock-not
too long until the sunrise- but Carla was extremely tired. She had
trouble staying awake as she kept nodding. Oddly, there hadn’t been
any beaver-ish activity for a while.
She opened her eyes
and now it was dawn. She had made it through the night. She
was going to survive. At that moment, a six-foot tall beaver running
on its hind legs and carrying an axe was coming towards her. When
it was about 20 feet away, she heard a gunshot and the beaver fell over.
About 50 years away were the county sheriff and Deputy Bubba.
The two of them ran
towards her. “Ma’am, are you alright? you look frightened!” she cried
and nodded her head yes. The deputy examined the beaver. “Ya got
`em in the leg. He’s still alive. It’s not a beaver but a guy in
one a doese beaver costumes.” The sherrif went over to the beaver and took
off the mask - it was Owen Nichols. “Owen, Why?”
“My mother - she told
me too. I would have gotten away with it had it not been for those
meddling kids.”
“It’s jail time for
you Owen. Can you tell me what happened here, Lady?”
“Carla stopped her
crying long enough to say, “Oh, it was terrible. There were a group
of beavers and they killed seven of my friends.”
“Beavers, you say?”
The sheriff nodded. “We have that beaver right here.”
“No! there were others.
Real Beavers. Ten of them - I think. Demon-beavers.”
“Real Beavers? Did
you see any of these....beavers?”
“No, but I saw what
they did. Trust me. They’re real.”
The deputy replied,
“There are no such things as them there Demon-beavers than kill people
and stuff. I think you should go home and rest.”
THE END
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