Aquifer: A Novel (34 page)

Clayton rose from his seat and addressed the group seriously, yet enthusiastically. “Based on all of this, not to mention the military’s involvement and the metal fragment we found at the crash site, and from our examinations of the samples we have been able to collect, I feel that there is no other logical explanation. I firmly believe that an alien space craft crashed in the mountains beyond Blue Spring and that these creatures survived that crash,” he concluded.

“I whole heartedly endorse your conclusions,” agreed Welton. “But what does that mean? We have two missing swimmers, presumably eaten by these creatures, and we have five other people that we know were attacked and taken to a cave to become the food source for their developing young.”

Larry could contain himself no longer. “It means we must destroy them as quickly as possible!” he emphatically stated.

Clayton held up both hands in a calming gesture, then addressed the group: “Let’s not be too hasty with that conclusion. We don’t know at this point just how aggressive these creatures really are. There’s no indication that these attacks are any less random or more frequent than those of sharks or alligators. And we live harmoniously with them. We just need to study these creatures, learn their habitat and mannerisms, and develop a plan to insure their survival while maintaining safety for the people who come into contact with them.”

“Dr. Clayton is right,” Welton added. “This is an alien species. We can’t just destroy it because our first contact hasn’t been positive.”

As the group continued their discussion, a guitar began to play softly in the background, blended with the laughter of a party on the riverbank of the swimming hole about three hundred yards away.

=/\=

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY
-S
IX

Swimmin’ Hole

Darkness had settled over the Jack’s Fork River. A dozen-and-a-half couples, a mixture of high-schoolers and college-age kids, sat around a bonfire, partying on the gravel bar at the edge of the swimming hole, not far from Clayton’s camp site. Summer was quickly drawing to a close and this would be one of their final gatherings before school began.

Behind them, on the other side of the river and reflected by the flickering light of the fire and the brilliant full moon, was a sheer limestone bluff that rose twenty feet above the water. It provided a wonderful diving platform from which swimmers readily jumped during the daytime.

In the middle of the wide river was a large, flat granite boulder that protruded two feet out of the water forming a tiny, fifteen-foot-long by five-foot-wide island. During the day this platform rock was often used by swimmers as a tranquil resting place or for sunbathing and tanning. The calm water around the boulder and at the base of the bluff was ten to twelve feet deep, even though within fifty feet, both upstream and downstream from the swimming hole, the water was barely knee deep.

The huge boulder provided a natural haven for young snorkelers. When it had fallen from the cliff, in eons past, its upstream end landed on top of another submerged boulder, preventing that end from resting flat on the river bottom. This created an underwater passageway through which snorkelers could swim. The archway became a natural hiding place for schools of bluegill, smallmouth bass, perch and even an occasional pike or pickerel. Snorkelers with underwater disposable cameras enjoyed snapping photos of their favorite fish, up close and personal.

The gravel bar itself, composed primarily of smooth pieces of limestone, quartz, granite, flint, and other igneous and sedimentary rocks, was less than one hundred feet wide but ran along the riverbank until it disappeared around the bend. From the bank, the gravely river bottom gradually sloped toward the bluff, providing a shallow wading area less than three feet in depth. Thirty feet out from shore, however, the bottom dropped off suddenly, forming the deep swimming hole.

Night had fully settled, yet the bonfire and the nearly full moon provided adequate illumination for the partiers to enjoy their surroundings. Sparks flying from the bonfire blended in with the hundreds of fireflies that blinked their mating calls up and down the riverbank.

The partiers were good kids, having fun on a warm summer evening. Unlike their counterparts on most college campuses, they did not need alcohol or drugs to have a good time.

Two of the young men were playing guitars, alternating between folk songs and their favorite country western tunes. The group sang along with the guitarists, while some of the kids awkwardly tried to dance. Deep, loose gravel, however, wasn’t exactly conducive for smooth dance moves.

Jena, a girl sitting on a log by the bonfire suddenly rose to her feet and grabbed the boy next to her by the hand, “Come on Jimmy, let’s go swimming.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, it’s too hot sitting by this fire. I’ve gotta cool off.”

Jimmy stood up and they both ran into the calm, clear water, only ten feet from the bonfire. It was a wonderful night for a swim. Jena was wearing cut-off shorts and a bikini top. Jimmy was in cut-offs and was shirtless. They waded out into the waist deep water and began splashing each other.

Unexpectedly, Jena jumped onto Jimmy’s back, catching him off-balance and dunking him under the surface. Then, diving into the water herself, she swam over to the platform rock in the middle of the swimming hole. Jimmy followed close behind. They arrived at the tiny island and Jena climbed out of the water onto the rock pulling her long black hair behind her neck. Jimmy remained in the water clinging to the platform rock near her feet. She looked down at Jimmy and smiled temptingly.

“You cliff dive?” she asked.

Jimmy eyed the bluff behind them, then confidently replied, “Piece of cake.”

With that he gallantly swam to the shoreline about fifty feet downstream to a point where the hillside gently sloped to the water’s edge, just past the bluff. He waded through the tall grasses that grew along the river’s edge and stepped out onto the bank.

With his back to the river Jimmy failed to see the V-shaped ripple that silently glided through the water. Something large was swimming upstream, underwater, right through the area where Jimmy had just swum. The eerie shadows cast by the flickering bonfire prevented Jena, or anyone on shore, from noticing it either.

Jimmy climbed the steep trail that led up the backside of the hill to the top of the bluff. He stood there for a moment surveying the scene and contemplated the jump. Jena shouted to their friends singing around the bonfire.

“Hey everyone, Jimmy’s going to jump.”

Everyone at the bonfire turned to watch Jimmy.

“It’s a lot spookier in the dark. I can’t see the water,” objected Jimmy.

“Oooh, come on Jimmy, you can do it,” Jena coyly encouraged him.

“It’s like jumping into a black hole,” Jimmy yelled back.

Spontaneously the group began to chant Jimmy’s name in unison, “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy . . .”

Jimmy looked at the group and then at Jena on the rock. Though he really did not want to jump, he was sure that she would lose interest in him if he didn’t. So against his better judgment, he squelched his fears, took a deep breath, then leaped from the edge of the bluff. Just before impact he brought his right knee up toward his chest, wrapped both arms around it and plunged into the water cannonball style.

Everyone cheered as the tremendous splash threw a geyser of water higher than the top of the bluff from which Jimmy had just jumped. The spray fell back and settled over the river as the gentle current briskly carried the ripples downstream. The swimming hole once again returned to a smooth, calm, glassy surface. Then silence settled in.

Jena became extremely alarmed when Jimmy did not resurface. She called his name, “Jimmy? . . .” but there was no answer. She called again with mounting anxiety and louder, “Jimmy!” When there was no response she hysterically screamed his name in panic, “JIMMY!”

The group around the bonfire rushed to their feet. Some of the boys started to run into the water. Then they, and the group on the shore, suddenly froze in their tracks. Fear and disbelief flooded their faces as they watched Gimp Foot climb up the back side of the platform rock in the middle of the river, rising behind Jena who was seated there. One of the girls on the shore screamed. Several of the others began to run away from the riverbank.

Slowly Jena turned around and saw the creature standing erect, chewing, with Jimmy’s arm dangling from its mouth. In panic she screamed. Then she jumped to her feet and dove off the rock, frantically swimming for shore.

Seeing his next intended prey escaping, Gimp Foot let out a loud roar then sprang from the rock with jaws wide open, landing upon Jena. They both disappeared beneath the water.

Pandemonium reigned amongst the partiers as the horror of what they had just witnessed sank into their consciousness. Several of the kids bolted from the gravel bar and ran toward the footpath that led through the woods to the parking lot a hundred yards downstream. Nearing the footpath, however, they found their escape route blocked by several other large creatures emerging from the thick forest.

Quickly the kids retreated away from the forest path. In their hasty retreat, two of the students tripped on the numerous tree roots that protruded from the pathway and were immediately attacked and eaten.

The rest of the kids managed to rejoin their friends at the bonfire, but they were immediately surrounded by the gathering group of aliens.

One of the girls, crying hysterically, dropped to her knees in despair. She was immediately attacked by one of the aliens. It grabbed her and tossed her into the air as effortlessly as if she had been a rag doll. Then it caught her in its open jaws and quickly swallowed its meal.

Shadows cast by the firelight upon the bluff wall on the far side of the river silhouetted another alien stepping upon a student and holding him down with its hind foot while lowering its head to feed.

*

Anyone who has heard a scream knows that there are more than one kind. There are screams of excitement, surprise, pain, fear, and terror. Clayton’s group was just concluding their meeting when they heard the screams of the partiers coming from the swimming hole. There was no doubt in their minds as to the kind of screams they were hearing. Immediately they jumped up from the table, grabbed the Coleman lanterns, and sprinted for the trail at the end of the parking lot that led to the swimming hole.

Along the way they were joined by several other campers who had also heard the screams. One of the campers was carrying a shotgun and two others had pistols strapped to their waists, not an uncommon sight in the Ozarks.

The would-be rescuers ran along the narrow path, winding through the dark woods beside the river until they reached the gravel bar by the swimming hole. There they halted, confronted by the badly mangled bodies of several of the injured kids strewn about the gravel bar and the sight of half a dozen large aliens that had herded the remainder of the partiers into a tight group trapped between the bonfire and the water’s edge. The creatures appeared ready to pounce upon the encircled students in a final assault.

“Sweet Judas Priest!” exclaimed the camper with the shotgun. “What on earth are
those
things!” But realizing the danger the creatures posed he instinctively raised his shotgun and leveled it at the closest alien, no more than forty feet away. Pulling the triggers he discharged both barrels. Unfortunately, the bird-shot with which it was loaded had little effect upon its target. Nevertheless, the sound of its blast startled the aliens and diverted their attention to the new arrivals.

The pistol-carrying campers each drew their weapons. One carried a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum, the other a Glock .45. Both men took aim and began emptying their chambers. The men were excellent marksmen, wounding several of the aliens. But the creature’s tough hide prevented any mortal injuries.

The gun blasts from the campers surprised the aliens and momentarily seemed to disorient and confuse them. Taking advantage of the chaos, one of the encircled youth hastily sprinted through a gap which momentarily opened between two of the aliens. He was narrowly missed by the quickly snapping jaws of the closest creature. The young man then dashed for the safety of the rescuers. The rest of the students, though, were too traumatized to take action.

Then the largest of the aliens, the one missing half of its right front paw, rose up on its hind legs and bellowed an ear piercing blast; a combination roar, trumpet, growling sound. Then it dropped to all fours and scampered a hasty retreat to the river. It was immediately followed by the rest of the aliens which stampeded to the river, dove into the water and were lost in the night.

As the aliens plunged into the river, Clayton immediately barked orders to the assemblage of rescuers in his usual take-charge attitude. “You five, head back to the campgrounds and start evacuating everyone; there’s no telling where these creatures will turn up next.” He then pointed to three others. “I want the three of you to go get your cars and drive them down to the trail head. We’ve got to get these injured kids into town for medical help. The rest of you need to start administering first aid as best you can, and then as quickly as possible start assisting these kids to the trail head so we can load them into the cars.”

Without hesitation, the group began following his instructions.