Elusive Peace

By Chris Kitchens

While growing up in Idaho, Emily and her father run into a Sasquatch clan during one of their elk hunts. Packing out what they can, they leave the rest and return to camp. During the night, the Sasquatch pays their camp a visit. Shaken from the experience, her father does his best to keep her calm and safe. Years later, Emily and her husband, Josh, have relocated to his home state of Arkansas as Emily closes in on her retirement from the Air Force.

Josh Lucas was considered a "Marines Marine" by those he served with. Now that he has retired and his wife was able to secure a billet at the Little Rock Air Force Base, he works with the Arkansas Department of Natural Resources to dispatch nuisance animals. While on assignment to help a local rancher, Josh is called upon to help a female Sasquatch who is having trouble giving birth. Not wanting to appear crazy, Josh shares his experience with Emily and their close friend and lab guy, Dan.

At Josh's request, Dan runs the DNA through the databases looking for answers as to what these creatures are. Alarms are raised once this is done, and now agents are on their way to help keep this discovery from being released. What these agents do not know is that Josh and Emily are not like most people they deal with during these matters. They will not be bullied into submission and have a plan to turn the tables on these agents.  
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charlie Foxtrot Outdoors
• Release date: Jan 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224686940

Book preview

For Ken and Steve, my brothers in arms.

Fair winds and following seas as you live on in our memories.

Elusive Peace

Chapter 1

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Josh landed the job of a lifetime with the Arkansas Department of Natural Resources as a nuisance animal control officer. While the job was not a full-time position, it did come with several benefits. The main one being he had time to work on their ranch in Cove, Arkansas. Josh met his wife, Emily, while on his third deployment to Afghanistan. Recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and nearing her twenty-year mark, she was able to get a billet at the Little Rock Air Force base to finish her career, which worked out great for their plans.

Although Josh truthfully believed Emily about the Sasquatch encounter she had while growing up outside of Bayview, Idaho, he often teased her over the Sasquatch movies and shows she made him made watch and the podcasts she liked to listen to about the subject. While Josh thought Bigfoot was a possibility, he never dreamt he would come face to face with one in his lifetime. After all, the only actual proof they existed was the video from northern California shot back in 1967.

Josh was dispatched to Wayton, AR, where ranchers were reporting livestock attacks from an unknown predator, and their efforts to thwart the attacks, along with identifying and terminating the predator, were going nowhere. Little evidence was left after each attack, and with the ground being rocky and hard, track impressions were all but impossible to find.

The animal had hit several chicken houses in the area, leaving only feathers and the heads of the chickens. Although cattle were present, none of them had been attacked at this point. Occasionally, some feed went missing, and if dogs were around, they were either scared of this predator or it was stealthy enough to avoid the dogs.

This led Josh to believe that a large cat was in the area, so he opted for his integrally suppressed .300AAC Blackout with low variable powered optic with four magazines of his handloaded 180 grain soft point ammo, along with his Nighthawk Custom 1911 in .460 Rowland as a secondary firearm. As per his personal standard operating procedures, his custom-made four-and-a-half-inch fixed blade field knife was a staple on the back of his battle belt he wore while in the field.

After meeting with the rancher from the most recent attack and going over the area, Josh parked his truck where the rancher said it would be out of their way and proceeded to gear up for the hunt. Carrying enough food and water for a week in his pack, Josh headed toward the nearest tree line with the confidence his tracking skills would lead him not only to the animal he was looking for, but also identify what he was looking for well before he encountered it.

Large cats are very stealthy, blend in extremely well in their environment, and have an uncanny ability to stalk their prey while being stalked themselves. While cougars, panthers, mountain lions, or whatever the locals referred to them as were not common in Arkansas, the Game and Fish had recently recognized them as being in the state. Josh had seen a few back in his youth and, like many others, knew they had been here for years.

The ranch bordered the Ozark National Forest, and though it was still spring, much of Arkansas had experienced a mild winter, which meant many trees bloomed early. The forest in the area consisted primarily of hardwoods, and being in the mountains, the underbrush wasn’t as thick as in the lower areas by the streams and rivers, or the Delta region of Eastern Arkansas. Josh scoured the ground for any sign of the animal as he began his search.

Checking his position on the GPS, Josh knew he had a couple of hours before sunset. He needed to make camp prior to nightfall and began scouting for a defensive spot to make camp. Light discipline was crucial with the probability of a cougar in the area. He would be relying on his thermal imager and night vision clip-on to see what he may not be able to see with his naked eyes.

Josh had found a small pocket against a rock outcropping that would be perfect. There was only one way in for whatever may be lurking in the night decide to attack. He set about running some fishing line with bells attached around the perimeter to act as an early warning system, and after ranging several reference points, he started making his supper. He still had cell service, so he checked in with Emily to let her know his was okay and sent her the coordinates of his location.

As Josh relaxed by the small fire he’d built, he was checking his GPS information. He was a little shy of two miles away from where he crossed the fence yet had covered six miles as he worked the area looking for tracks or clues. He finally picked up the trail he was currently on after finding some feathers and chicken parts. While this wasn’t much to go on, he felt confident he was on the right track.

While the sun settled behind the mountains, he snuffed out his fire. He did not need the flames to interfere with his night vision. Closing his eyes, Josh let the darkness of the woods envelope him. This was when he felt like he was most alive, in the forest and away from all the noise. Even small towns emit a lot of noise pollution. Focusing on his hearing, the forest was coming alive with the night critters that inhabited it. A lone coyote yelped in the distance as the crickets chirped their serenade. Apart from whatever was killing the chickens and making the larger livestock animals nervous, all was well.

After scoping the area with the thermal for a few hours, Josh settled in to get some sleep. He was startled awake by how quiet the forest had become. Checking his watch, it was 0425 in the morning. Josh strained his ears, listening for the slightest sound. It was as if a switch had been flipped or putting on sound suppression earmuffs. There wasn’t any noise at all. Moving as slowly and quietly as he could, Josh powered the thermal on and began scanning the area. Nothing.

Josh eased around to a sitting position with his back leaning against the rocks he had set up in. He placed his rifle where he could shoulder it quickly and waited. It would be another hour before the sun would begin rising, and the moonlight was waning. Josh was reaching for his water when he heard it: a feminine voice that said, Help me. The voice sounded strange, almost mechanical.

Josh sat there in silence, listening intently. He couldn’t have heard a voice as there wasn’t any direction from which it came. That’s it, Josh thought to himself, I’ve officially gone off my rocker. He had no longer finished that thought when he heard the voice again, Please hurry, was what sounded in his head. The voice was followed by what sounded like a loud thump against a tree.

Slinging his pack over his shoulders, he now had a direction to go towards. Walking cautiously with his rifle at the low ready, Josh made his way towards where he believed the noise came from.

Don’t be alarmed when you crest the knoll, we will not hurt you, another voice said. This was a different voice. Again, it was mechanical in nature, just different. Trying to control his breathing, Josh was experiencing a severe adrenaline dump to his system. His senses seemed to be in hyper-drive, and the air seemed to be bristling with electricity. The knoll was now less than one hundred meters away, and he was closing quickly. Scanning the woods for any signs of movement, sweeping with his weapon to check behind him every fifth step, Josh was moving quickly as a sense of urgency seemed to overcome him.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see as he topped the knoll. Josh almost lost his balance as he came to a sudden stop, lunging backward to help offset his forward momentum, at what was laying there before him: a very pregnant female Sasquatch. Her hair was auburn in color, and what skin was exposed around her face, hands, breasts, and feet was leathery tan color. Her hazel-colored eyes were large and soft, and as he looked in them, he could see pain, fear, and intelligence. Something is wrong, she said.

Lowering his weapon, Josh wondered, How is this possible out loud.

Please. Help quickly, was her reply. Josh knew she hadn’t said the words verbally, yet the words were crystal clear in his head. He set his weapon down, dropped his pack, and began digging his medical kit out. Scanning the area, he noticed another one peeking out from behind a tree. This one was larger, and Josh figured that one to be the male. I won’t hurt you, the voice tried to reassure him. Please help her, the voice pleaded.

Donning a pair of nitrile gloves and with his med kit in hand, Josh stated as sympathetically as he could, I will do all that I can to help. Let’s see what’s going on. Kneeling, he began his examination. The anatomy, though somewhat disproportionate, appeared to be roughly the same as a human. Josh had never delivered a baby human before, yet he had helped many Momma cows, and a few horses deliver their babies. Hopefully, those experiences will help him here.

Putting his headlamp on, Josh apologized to her, saying he was sorry for having to put his hand inside of her. She seemed to understand as she leaned her head back, clutching the ground with her hands. Being as gentle as he could, Josh could feel the baby’s feet and buttocks. Your baby is breech. We need to turn it, he explained as a contraction seemed to hit her. Josh hoped these beings could feel the empathy he felt for them in their situation.

Knowing they didn’t have the time needed for him to Google how to best help turn a breech baby the correct way, Josh recalled seeing a movie or show once where the doctor pushed on the abdomen of a pregnant woman in breech to turn the baby, so he decided to try. He could feel the baby shift a little with the pressure, so he began to push more. She grunted as he applied the pressure and manipulated the baby to correct orientation. He could see the baby crowning almost as soon as the head was in position.

I see it, Josh exclaimed excitedly. You must push with the contraction. Do you understand, he asked. He could hear her grit her teeth and take in a large breath. His heart was racing. Push, he exclaimed, and with a loud and long grunt, the baby Sasquatch slid into his arms. Josh could not believe what