Monsters in the Mountains

Jordan wondered if these children were the alpha's biological children, and if he was the one who had abused them. Jordan saw more injuries on their mothers now that he was looking closely. He hoped that the alpha's death would bring peace and safety to the family he had hurt so much.

***

Near sunset, the sleepers awoke and gathered. They exited the mine together, and Jordan left with them. He struggled to keep up as they ran through the woods.

He finally fell behind, and turned back to the cabin. He heard whooping and screams as the ladies took to the woods. They seemed to still be celebrating.

Jordan found Jane waiting inside his cabin as he arrived. He hadn't seen her sneak around him, and beat him in, but Jordan was tired and hungry, and wanted to sleep on his air mattress before he returned to civilization.

He started boiling water, and Jane watched him as he moved around making dinner. He popped some more ibuprofen as he waited for the freeze-dried meal to hydrate.

Jordan offered food to Jane, but she refused. She seemed to eat a thanksgiving feast's worth of food, then not need anything for a few days.

When Jordan was full, he sat on the bed next to Jane. She touched his face, and gently laid him back. She nuzzled his neck and purred, a gesture that Jordan came to assume was the Sasquatch version of a kiss.

Jane didn't attempt to strip or seduce Jordan, she just held him gently while he fell asleep.

***

Jordan woke late on Sunday morning. Jane was sleeping peacefully on his right side, curled up against him.

He untangled her limbs from around his, and climbed off the air mattress. He had to go home today. He wondered briefly if he should make a food run before heading home, but there were still some staples left for Jane and her family.

He wished that there was a way to tell Jane that he would be back. She would watch him leave today, and tomorrow, or the next day she would realize he wouldn't be back soon. He hoped that she would still be there waiting when he returned.

Jordan wondered if Jane and the rest of her companions would disperse now that the alpha was no longer there to hold them together.

He hoped that he could be back Saturday, but guessed that he would probably have to work. Maybe Sunday, but it would be a lot of driving for one day, and he wouldn't get to spend the night.

Jordan unpacked the last of the food from his backpack. He pushed his motorcycle outside, and Jane woke up when the bright light came in the door.

She seemed confused, but stood in the cabin's doorway as Jordan started his motorcycle and rode away. He looked over his shoulder as he reached the trees, and didn't see her. 20 minutes later, he had his motorcycle on the bed of his truck and was headed home to Denver.

***

When he got back in cell range, Jordan had a dozen missed calls and frantic voicemails from his parents. They knew he went up to the property, and his dad was worried for his safety, so he had told Jordan's mother about the cursed land.

Jordan told them all about the mountains, the forest, the meadows and the mines. He told them about the cabin his uncle had built, and the photos inside. He didn't say a word about the wildlife.

Jordan's father wasn't satisfied, and asked about the curse. Jordan decided it was time for a white lie:

"There was a bunch of pot plants growing wild up there, and some fertilizer bottles in the cabin. My guess is that Uncle Ira was trying to grow marijuana, and got in some trouble with the local growers." He said.

"So, no sign of the family curse?" his father asked.

"Well, not to panic you or anything, but I was cutting some trees and one took a nasty bounce and hit me in the side.

"I think it may have broken some ribs. I'm going to go get it checked out at the hospital after I clean up." He lied.

"I was serious about not going up there alone." Jordan's father chastised him. "What if the tree had fallen on you?"

Jordan apologized halfheartedly, and ended the call with his parents. He dropped for gas in Buena Vista before driving the remaning 3 hours back to Denver.

Jordan showered 3 times before he felt that Jane's musk had finally been washed off enough that he could go out in public.

Jordan went to the hospital and spent the afternoon in the waiting room. He finally got in for an X-ray, and was happy when they told him that the ribs were bruised, but not broken. The only treatment for it was rest.

He was given a prescription for pain pills and sent home. He had to work the next day and didn't want to feel groggy, so he took aspirin instead.

***

Jordan had a lot of work to catch up on from being gone a whole week. He went in to work early and still stayed until 6 PM.

When he got home, there was a slip on his front door from FedEx. He just had time to run over to the office and sign for the package before they closed for the day.

Inside the envelope was a cheap looking tablet computer with no markings on the outside.

Jordan waited until he got home to try turning it on.

A front facing camera showed his picture and asked him to blink, which he did. It then prompted him to put his right index finger on the button.

'Fingerprint confirmed. 'It said, and unlocked.

The screen could only be viewed from looking at it straight on. There were dozens of documents on the home screen. Jordan opened the introduction, and it was a short video from Dr. Stein explaining that this tablet contained all the known information about Bigfoot.

Jordan read all evening about what was known. They were clear about what they knew and what was theory and speculation.

He learned that Bigfoot have what is called indeterminate growth. This means that unlike humans, a Bigfoot will continue to grow bigger and taller their entire lives, even after reaching adulthood. The tallest specimen ever recorded was over 9 feet tall.

They could live as long as 50 years, but the average life span was much shorter. Most died in territorial fighting or accidents. They lived in caves and old mine shafts, and cave-ins were a common cause of death.

There were 3 distinct populations of Bigfoot in North America. The western Bigfoot were the tallest, and generally had reddish fur, though brown was also somewhat common. These were typically found in California up to British Columbia in Canada, though there was a population living in coastal Alaska.

The mountain Bigfoot were generally brown, and maxed out around 8'. They lived from Mexico all the way up to Canada, and Jordan's ladies belonged to this population.

The eastern Bigfoot were critically endangered. They tended to be black in color and were stockier than the other populations. They lived from Northern Florida up to Newfoundland, and there was a small population in the Appalachian Mountains.

There was plenty about eating habits, and even a short video of a deer hunt taken from a helicopter. There was nothing about the Bigfoot eating until it was full then refusing food for a day or more. Jordan wondered if the researchers even knew about that.

Before bed, Jordan wrote an email to Dr. Stein, thanking him for the tablet and asking him to call at his earliest convenience.

Jordan was laying in bed at 10 PM when his cell phone rang with Dr. Stein's number.

Jordan told the doctor all about his week, from finding Jane injured and helping her, to his fight with the alpha. He even told the doctor that he had sex with Jane, though he left out the details.

Dr. Stein seemed especially interested in the eating habits of Jane and the other females, as well as their method of murdering their abusive mate. Jordan could hear the excitement in the doctor's voice when he asked for details about the burial ritual.

Dr. Stein told Jordan that they had opened up a few mines and found these Bigfoot mausoleums, but no human had ever been present for an internment, and they had never found a human body interned with a Bigfoot. He took the information about Jim Stone's remains, and promised to alert his superiors about the human bodies interred on Jordan's land.

"We don't normally encourage filming of Bigfoot, but I wish you would have gotten at least a few pictures. That really could have helped our understanding of them." Dr. Stein gushed.

"How do you know I didn't film it?" Jordan asked.

There was a long silence before the doctor responded. "You know we monitor social media, but we also got a warrant to monitor your cloud account.

"The only pictures you took all week were of a broken down cabin and a mountain valley. Thank you for not testing our organization, and we're sorry for our lack of faith in you.

"We also monitored the phone call with your parents. We appreciate the discretion you used in telling them about your land."

They talked for nearly an hour. Dr. Stein was less than thrilled with the death of the big alpha. Apparently they had been watching him his whole life, and he was almost 50 years old, close to tying the record.

Dr. Stein was also uncomfortable with the revelation that Jordan had sex with a female Bigfoot, but did not press the point. He said that he would need to do more research to find out what the ramifications might be.

The doctor was excited about Jordan's idea of trying to teach some of them sign language.

"It's only been taught to primates in a captivity setting. I don't know how a non-captive audience would do with sign language lessons, but I'll check with my superiors to see if we can support your efforts. He offered.

It was 11 PM when Jordan hung up and went to sleep.

***

The next three days of work drug by slowly for Jordan. He put in hours of overtime, and didn't get home until it was dark those nights.

He finished up by 6 pm on Thursday got a phone call from Dr Stein as he was packing up to leave.

"Hi Jordan, we have a proposal to run by you. We were hoping we could meet in person to discuss it." He said.

Jordan asked when, and the doctor told him that he was in town now, and would like to meet him at 7 PM at a restaurant near Jordan's condo.

Jordan agreed. An hour later he arrived at the restaurant and was escorted to a private room where he finally met Dr. Stein in person, along with two other people.

Jordan recognized Dr. Stein by his voice. He was a handsome middle-aged man with a salt and pepper goatee, & a full head of black hair.

Dr Stein introduced his guests. There was an older man in his sixties named Christopher Doyle, from the EPA.

The woman was named Dr. Megan Reece, an anthropologist who appeared to be in her early 30s. She had dirty blonde hair, and striking blue eyes. She had a nervous excitement that Jordan found infectious.

Dr. Stein set a device on the table and pressed a button.

"This is just to make sure ours are the only eyes and ears in this room." He explained. "Jordan, your records show that you took the GRE test, but never applied for graduate school. How would you feel about going back to school?"

"I've considered it, but would want to make sure it's worth my time and money to get the degree." Jordan answered.

"Mr. Doyle here is a mine inspector for the EPA. You already know that Bigfoot like to live in caves and old mines. Mr. Doyle is one of only three EPA mine inspectors certified to work in or near Bigfoot habitats." Dr Stein explained.

"He's also one of the two inspectors that plan on retiring in the next five years. I wasn't kidding when I said that we are a fraternity of those who know the truth about Bigfoot and help keep it a secret. We are a small group, well funded, and well placed.

"We are hoping that you would be willing to go back to college to get your master's degree, so that you can replace the irreplaceable Christopher Doyle, inspecting mines and protecting Bigfoot. With your civil engineering degree and multiple certifications on soil evaluation and testing, you're an excellent candidate."Dr Stein could see Jordan chewing through the information, and paused a moment to let him digest.

The server came and took their dinner orders, which allowed Jordan more time to think that over. Once they were again alone in the room, Dr. Stein continued:

"You would, of course qualify for a full ride scholarship, that would cover room and board, provided you are willing to work for us after graduation." He said with a smile. Jordan's mouth fell open.

"Now, there are several good programs around the country, but we are hoping you will apply for the master's in environmental management program at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, as that would allow you to consider our second proposal:

"Your access to a population of Bigfoot, and your acceptance into their community is unprecedented. Bigfoot don't survive in captivity. The stress eats away at them, and we've been unable to study a specimen for more than a few days before we had to release them back into the wild.

"We are hoping that you can open the door into their community for our researchers. "Dr Stein said, nodding his head towards Dr. Reece.

Jordan started to protest, but Dr. Stein seemed to read his concern and stopped him. "We're not talking about a big team running over your land, and scaring off the creatures. We'd just like for you to take Megan here, and help them to accept her as they've accepted you.

"For safety sake, we don't want her up there alone, so we hope that you can escort her on and off the land when she visits." Dr. Stein explained.

Jordan explained that the tiny one room cabin was the only place to stay, but Megan wasn't deterred.

"I've done field work in Canada in the winter, living out of a backpack and a tent. Your cabin sounds like luxury by comparison." Megan laughed.

Jordan told them about his plans to build a cabin on the site of his great-great grandfather's old home.

"If it's a personal residence, we can't help you, "Dr. Stein explained, "but if there's work space and housing for guest researchers, we may be able to help with some of the permits and construction costs."

Jordan wanted to build the cabin himself, and was worried about a construction crew scaring Jane and the other Bigfoot away. Dr. Stein agreed, and offered to help with whatever resources Jordan needed.

They talked for hours, and schemed and planned. Jordan was happy to hear that the mine inspection job paid extremely well, and asked a lot of questions.

Chris explained that he rarely found any Bigfoot or even signs of Bigfoot, but it did happen. He was retiring because he was getting too old to go crawling into mines on his hands and knees, and he had easily saved enough money to retire comfortably for the rest of his life.

The job was simple, look for flooded and leaking mines, and test for groundwater contamination. He would be testing soil and water, and making sure that old, abandoned mines weren't destroying watersheds and stream ecosystems.

Megan offered to help Jordan with cabin construction, as long as he helped her with her research. She loved the idea of teaching sign language, and had contacted several researchers who were experts in the area of primate language research.

She was also going to look into bringing several medical devices, including some fit bits, which she hoped Jordan could convince the Bigfoot to wear. Little was known about sleep habits, especially during winter months.

It was suspected that Bigfoot were capable of hibernation, but no one had ever confirmed that. Chris claimed that he had never encountered a sleeping Bigfoot in the winter, and had no idea where they went if they weren't in the mines.

By the end of the meal, Jordan was excited to accept all of Dr. Stein's proposals. He exchanged his contact information with Megan, and promised to put in his 2 week's notice the following day.

Jordan walked home, brimming with excitement over the changes in his life in the past week. He couldn't wait to get back to Jane and his land.

***

Jordan gave notice the next day. He was called into his boss's office an hour later, and offered more money to stay. Jordan refused, and was asked to stay on until his replacement could be hired and trained. He was anxious to get back to the mountains, so he set his final day as the last Friday in June, three weeks from that day.

Part of his agreement for staying the extra week was no more working weekends. Jordan went home that night, and packed his motorcycle full of food for a weekend with his favorite Sasquatch.

***

Jordan arrived at his cabin the next morning around noon. Melissa Reece was out of town making arrangements to move to Gunnison, so Jordan arrived on his land alone.

Jane was the first to come greet Jordan as he parked his motorcycle outside the cabin. He could tell that she looked stressed, but was excited to see him.

The others were just leaving the mine when Jane pulled Jordan inside with her. He took off his backpack, and started distributing food. To his relief, everyone was accounted for.

Over the next 24 hours, Jordan fucked 5 of the 6 females. Only Sarah still seemed nervous around him, though she watched with lust as Jordan was claimed by each of her companions.

Jordan spent the day and night in the mine, and then most of the next day. He got to know each member of the little tribe better. Wilma was playful, and loved tickling and being tickled. She had a staccato grunt that Jordan took to be laughter, and she laughed often.

Missy was serious. Jordan guessed that as the largest, she was probably the oldest of the group, and therefore would be their leader. She settled squabbles and commanded respect.

From what Jordan had read, Sasquatch reach sexuality's maturity at between 17 and 19 years of age. Given her size and development, Jordan guessed that Jane was the youngest of the harem, at around 20 years old.

Her close relationship with Jordan seemed to give her a slight status boost, but she was still at the bottom of the pecking order, and seemed to accept that role.

Jill was the slut of the group. She was always up for sex, and seemed to masturbate constantly while Jordan was fucking anyone but her.

Ginger was forward, aggressive, and loud. After Missy, she seemed to be the next highest in pecking order, but lacked her elder's statesmanship. She was the instigator of most fights.

Jordan left on Sunday afternoon again with a heavy heart. Jane grew agitated when he climbed on his motorcycle and started it, and he stopped the engine and climbed down just to calm her. Once she was calm, Jordan left without looking back.

***

On Monday, Jordan was told that he would be training Mike, one of his field technicians to do his old job. Jordan put in long hours, Monday through Thursday, and left early on Friday.

He got two good pieces of news that week. His application (Which he hadn't finished or sent) had been accepted, and he was scheduled to start classes at Western State College in August. He was accepted into the Master's degree program for Environmental Management.

He was also being awarded enough scholarship money that he wouldn't have to touch his savings account during the next two years.

Jordan also heard that Megan Reese was completely moved to town, and had found Jordan an apartment in Gunnison next door to her own. She was ready to get started, and agreed to meet Jordan at the Taylor Park trading post on Saturday morning around 11. She wanted to travel to the land, in the hopes of meeting one of the Bigfoot Jordan had told her about.

***

The weekend couldn't come fast enough for Jordan. He couldn't sleep Friday night, hoping that Megan would like his Bigfoot, and that his Bigfoot would like Megan. He had to admit being attracted to Megan, but he wondered how much Dr. Stein had told her about his sexual relationship with the female Bigfoot. He worried that she would be disgusted by it, and hoped that she didn't make trouble for him.