Connemara Woods

There is something that lurks outside the human condition. I believe, deep down, that it has always been there. When the time is right, it will reveal itself.

I sipped piping hot coffee, watching the steam lift in cloudy wisps. My mind, like a sailboat breaking free from its anchor. I felt the rustic ambience of this remote log cabin in Connemara Woods.

Ambling down the winding path I came across an old timber bridge, a stone’s throw from the woods. I marvelled at the blue shimmering lake, with its flashes of golden brown, darting around like tadpoles. My gaze turned to the fluttering of orange-tipped butterflies. Continuing my stroll, I soaked up the earthy aroma of towering firs, swaying in the gentle breeze. Scatterings of moss and shrub thicket loomed, bordering onto the woodland edges. My eyes closed momentarily, feeling nature’s embrace.

Without warning, the sound of rumbling shattered the silence. At first glance, I could not see where the noise was coming from. But shortly afterwards, I caught sight of a herd of deer stampeding towards me, snorting furiously. Rushing back towards the bridge, I leapt down onto the boggy mud banks. I listened to the wild stomping of deer hooves on the timber floor above.

Crouching down low, I waited for the thudding to cease, before clambering back onto the bridge.

I thought of firs as guardians of the woods, only now they were eerily still, as if hiding their whisperings. I could no longer hear birdsong, or the rustling of leaves. The glow of a crimson sunset afforded little comfort. It meant the darkness was coming. As the light began to fade, terrifying howling reverberated through the woods. Although gut instinct warned me to leave, I felt compelled to investigate, walking briskly towards the menacing wall of firs. I then caught sight of my fine silver cross: the good luck charm my Mother had bought me on my fortieth birthday. It seemed to sparkle more brightly this evening. Maybe Mum, my Guardian Angel, was looking out for me.

Tentatively, I ventured into the woods. It wasn’t long before I heard the sound of running footsteps, and sobbing coming from nearby trees. Two children, a tall skinny boy, and a small girl with freckles, rushed towards me.

“Quick! Help us! There’s a m-m-m M-O-N-S-T-E-R in the woods! It’s after our cousins, Billy & Sarah…we have to help them...P-L-E-A-S-E!” The children pleaded.

“O-K-A-Y…okay…but for now…let’s get you out of here…I promise we’ll get help and come back for your cousins...” I cried, clutching their hands as we moved swiftly through the undergrowth.

“You promise you’ll get help?” The boy swallowed.

“Don’t you worry…I will. Oh…by the way…what are your names?”

“My name’s Penny, and this is my brother Carl…” The small girl whispered nervously.

“Well, Penny and Carl, it’s nice to meet you both. My name’s Tony.”

The sound of feral snarling became increasingly louder and sharper, as we stared at one another in disbelief.

“Whatever this monster is… it’s getting closer alright! So…we need to be quiet…and quickly find somewhere to hide…” I spoke softly, as we slowly crouched down behind thicket.

A sense of unease gripped me, as we struggled through dense woodland. Finally, we reached the timber bridge, where the children were overjoyed to see their parents, waiting in a parked jeep.

I fled to my cabin, pondering my next move. If I was to rescue Billy and Sarah, I had to be prepared! I flung open the kitchen door, emptying out the cutlery drawer in a frenzy. I snatched a stainless steel knife, and grabbed a small torch, in the cupboard above.

Scurrying along the zigzagging path, I crossed the timber bridge towards the woods. A full moon rose majestically in the starless sky. Venturing into the unknown, a cold sweat washed over me. With knife outstretched, my eyes began to acclimatise to the shadowy outline of trees and bushes. Trudging further into the woods, I listened out for children’s voices. But all I could hear were twigs crunching and bark scraping. It wasn’t long before the ground shook with hefty movements. I shone the torch in random arcs, before hurrying towards a nearby clearing.

The bright moon was now visible through the treetops, illuminating something massive leaping out from the shadows. As it happened so quickly, I couldn’t make out what it was. But then it came into view, springing up on all fours, sniffing and grunting, sending the knife flying. The Monster brutally pinned me down. Horrified, I could feel its slippery snout, razor-sharp teeth, and musky, bloodied breath, rising as steamy slobber on my face. The Monster was panting and snorting, almost erotically, all throaty and strained. In a blinding flash, it disappeared, allowing me time to retrieve my knife. But the Monster, seething with rage, circled once more. It swiped at my right arm, with a brutal twist of its claw, knocking the knife clean out of my hand. I hit the ground hard, screaming and thrashing about, blood spurting from my arm. Coiled up, ready to pounce, the Monster caught sight of my fine silver cross. Hesitating for that split-second, all I could do was gaze into its glaring yellow eyes. Gunshot fire startled the Monster, a bullet grazing its shoulder. A second bullet struck a flailing arm. The monster turned to face its hunters, snarling and roaring, before whimpering off into the woods.

A tall stocky man wearing a flat brimmed hat, and grey flannel uniform, rushed over towards me. He flashed his badge. “I’m Forest Ranger Oakley…are you okay?”

“Ahhh! It’s my arm! It really hurts!” I cried out.

“Let me take a look…ouch…that’s nasty! There’s a lot of blood…better get that cleaned up!” Ranger Oakley reasoned, firmly applying bandaging from his backpack.

“I’m so glad you turned up when you did, Ranger Oakley. My name’s Tony by the way.”

“Glad to be of service, Tony. But please, call me Luke. Now, let’s get you home.”

Exhausted, I climbed into Luke’s truck, parked on the other side of the timber bridge.

“What the hell was that thing, Luke?” I exclaimed.

“Well, a couple of months ago, there were reports of a wild animal roaming these parts, taking livestock!”

I swallowed hard before responding. “It just so happens I was in the woods earlier this afternoon. Came across two kids, Penny and Carl. They were absolutely petrified. Told me that a monster was chasing them and their cousins, Billy and Sarah. We hid behind thicket, then made our escape. Handed Penny and Carl over to their relieved parents. They were waiting in their car, down by the timber bridge! Went back to the woods to find Billy and Sarah; and was viciously attacked by the Monster!”

“That’s mighty brave of you, Tony, if somewhat reckless and dangerous. Why didn’t you get backup?”

“Well, in the heat of the moment… no time to get backup. But, I did find a stainless steel knife...oh…and a torch, in the place I’m staying.”

As Luke’s truck pulled up outside the log cabin, he leaned over towards me. “Don’t worry, Tony. Me, and my assistant, Doug, will check out the woods, for Billy and Sarah. Oh…and make sure you rest up, and do look after that arm of yours.”

“Thanks, Luke, I will. Well…at least you wounded the Monster.”

“Yeah, and it’s gonna be pissed!” Luke countered, tipping his hat.

I awoke before the sun rose, feeling more alive than ever. My arm was uncomfortably itchy and raw, so carefully I unravelled the bandaging Luke applied last night. I must have lost a great deal of blood, for the bandage was swamped. Inspecting my wound, I was surprised that it had almost healed. Well, that’s really strange, I thought.

Alone in my log cabin, I paced up and down. Nothing seemed to satisfy my insatiable appetite. I peered out of the rustic window at the rugged landscape before me. I felt drawn to a rising full moon, sailing high above the mountaintops and woodland firs. Its brightly lit craters contorted in rage. It felt like I could hear the darkness itself. Foxes and hares rustling in the nearby undergrowth, while moths flitted against the porch light, yo-yoing from side to side. Cutting winds shook the rafters with an unbearable violence. I began to feel each and every nauseous wave rush over me, invading my very being. It began as trembling, slight at first, followed by an uncontrollable shaking. Sweat-soaked, it wasn’t long before I was writhing in agony. Suddenly, my ears pricked up from the chilling howls coming from the woods, as I slumped down on the hardwood floor.

I awoke in pitch darkness, light-headed and confused, wondering where I was. I grappled around for the light switch. My eyes struggled to adjust to the familiar surroundings of my log cabin. Desperate for fresh air, I staggered out into the night. Deep claw marks on the heavy timber door made me shudder. I wondered whether the howling wolves I heard earlier had tried to rake their way into my log cabin.

Next morning, I felt like a prime athlete, moving around with considerable ease. I made myself a strong black coffee, and devoured scrambled eggs on toast.

It was then that I heard a sharp tapping at the front door. Ranger Luke Oakley stood there, his gun clearly visible in its holster.

“Hi Luke, come in. I was just making coffee if you would like some?”

“Hi Tony. I’ll have a black coffee, one sugar please. How’s the arm?”

“Actually, it feels way better, thanks.”

“Really? It was a deep enough wound.”

“By the way, any joy finding Billy and Sarah?”

“No news yet, Tony. The search party are still out looking. They’ve been at it since sunrise.”

“Oh, with any luck, they’ll turn up…they have to!”

“My Assistant, Doug, is leading the search party, as we speak.”

“Could I possibly assist with the search, Luke?”

“That would be most helpful. We need all the support we can get.”

“Cool! Have you contacted Billy and Sarah’s parents yet?”

“Yes, they’ve been informed. They’re out searching, too.”

Luke stared at me intently, grasping the hot mug of coffee. “There’s something wrong with these woods.” He cried, fidgeting with his holster.

“Yeah, that much is clear. But we need to kill that thing, once and for all...” I exclaimed.

“We will get it, Tony, whatever it is! You can be sure of that!” Luke cried, gulping down his coffee.

“You need to put out a public warning, or close off the woods!”

“Thing is…the woodlands cover a vast area; there are mountainous regions, lakes and caves too. And this isn’t the first time hikers have gone missing...”

“I didn’t know that, Luke. That’s really disturbing. There must be more we can do, surely?”

“Come on…better not waste any more time, Tony. Let’s join the search party.”

“Okay. Just let me grab my jacket.”

Adrenalin-fuelled, I probed the rugged woodlands for any sign of the missing children. Luke led the way, his mountain boots firm and heavy on the winding dirt track. We ventured through thick bracken, wildflowers and shrubbery bushes. Soaring firs, set apart, arched over moss-strewn clearings. Nearly an hour later we spotted a large canvas tent bound with knotted ropes. Smoke plumes came from a recently extinguished campfire.

“I’ll just check this out...” Luke gestured to me.

“I’ve got your back!”

“Good man, Tony!”

“Ranger Oakley, here! Are you folks okay?” He prompted, peering in over the tent zip, wedged half way up.

Luke then turned to me, shaking his head. “Nope. Nobody here…”

“Well would you look at these chicken steaks. They’re burnt to a crisp; seems the hikers left while the steaks were still cooking…” I surmised, catching sight of a whining fox vanishing into bushes; a rodent dangling from its jaws.

“So, with the zip jamming and the burnt food, I reckon…they must have left in a hurry.”

A short thin man with a bushy beard, leather boots, and grey flannel uniform arrived. “I’m Doug, Assistant Forest Ranger.” He extended a weathered hand.

“Hi, I’m Tony. I’ve come to help look for Billy and Sarah!” I piped up.

“Well, we’ve already covered several miles of Southern Corner.” Luke explained. “Where are we meeting the search party, Doug?”

“They’re at Piers Point. Near the waterfall.” Doug assured us, as he surveyed the wilderness with his binoculars.

“Exactly how far away is Piers Point, Doug?” I probed.

“Not too far from here, Tony. An hour’s hike, tops!” Doug replied.

Shortly afterwards, Luke and Doug rushed ahead of me, brushing past thicket.

“Wait for me, guys!” I cried, losing ground. “Luke? Doug? Where are you?”

Just then, I heard heavy movement in the bushes followed by the sharp splintering of twigs. Ravens suddenly erupted into the sky making deep rasping calls. Clutching my ears, I hurried back in the direction I had come.

When I reached the hiker’s tent, the canvas had huge slash marks across it, and the ropes were ripped out. Something huge had stomped over the camp fire. Deep footprint impressions left scatterings of ash and bog. Shortly afterwards, a familiar snorting sound followed by a terrifying roar, shattered the silence. A foul stench of blood and rotting flesh filled my nostrils. I could sense the Monster’s guttural snarling, closing in. Without warning, a menacing shadow loomed over me. Somehow I managed to escape, with the Monster bounding after me.

Racing to my log cabin, I flung the door wide open, bolting it quickly behind me. Swallowing hard, and gasping for breath, I must have fallen asleep on the couch. I awoke in the early hours, but couldn’t shake off that feeling of foreboding. I could hear something creeping around outside. I tiptoed over to the rustic window, and there, right in front of my eyes, I witnessed something truly chilling. Bones and joints began to crack and bolt, muscles and organs splitting under a growth explosion. Tiny hairs shooting, spiralling uncontrollably into thick black fur. A giant, wolf-like creature emerged, its yellow beady eyes flashing rage. Jagged claws stretched and twisted menacingly. Springing up onto all fours, it lets out a deafening howl at the full moon. Transfixed, I caught it grimacing back at me, the very same look as before. Listening to the unrelenting screaming would forever haunt me. Thrashing with its murderous razor-sharp teeth, the Monster dragged off its writhing victim; a tall stocky man wearing a grey flannel uniform, before vanishing once more into the shadows. All that remained was a dismembered head. Shuddering, my gaze turned to the bloodied, flat brimmed hat.