Howard-Rogett's Cold Case (Night of the Wendigo)
Nov 18, 2015 8:56:20 GMT
Post by joannem on Nov 18, 2015 8:56:20 GMT
Here's a slightly edited version of a story submitted by Benjamin Soren James Newsom, a Canadian friend of Cole's.
Transcript #174461
Lee Palhuick:
So. Another one asking about that night, bothering an old man, disturbing my retirement. Fine. I'll tell you all about that damn night, and you'll wish I hadn't.
And before I start, you don't rush me, you don't ask questions, and you damn well don't interrupt. This story gets told my way, or it doesn't get told, got it?
Good.
Maybe I'll sleep a little better, knowing someone else has to share the burden. Doubt it, but maybe.
It was cold that winter. Oh, I know, I know, it's cold every winter, especially up here, but the winter of '97 was bitter.
But there's something out there for every hunter, something that drives them out into the cold and the snow to chase after a few white tails, hoping maybe an elk shows up. For some, it's the beauty out there, reconnecting with nature. For some it's the thrill of the chase.
For me, it was the peace. I used to love the silence, used to love the calm. My wife, rest her soul, could talk the ears off a man. Don't get me wrong, I loved her with all my heart, but an old boy like me needs some time to himself now and then, you know?
That night was one of those nights. It was just starting to get dark, and I was just heading back down the trail to my old house, when suddenly I spotted it; the prize deer every hunter was looking for.
It was big, that thing, a real champion deer, as many points on it's antlers as I'd ever seen. Color of ash but bigger than sin, a prize winner if I ever saw one. Problem was, it was too dark to get a good look at it, too dark to see the thing proper for what it was...
... I... Look, I was younger, ok? Stupid. Thought I knew what a deer looked like, light be damned, and I could make that shot with my eyes closed anyways. I chambered a round, lined up on it, and fired.
It screamed. Not a deer sound, mind you, not any animal I'd ever heard before. It was unnatural.
Well, whatever it was, at this point it was clear it wasn't a damn deer. It clambered away into the forest, kinda awkward like. Running on all fours, but sort of... Loping, you know? Like an ape runs, kinda stuttering, each step was half a leap.
I couldn't get another shot off. I was too surprised. My prize deer had turned into a bloody freak of nature. I knew I hit, I should have gone after it, but it was dark by then, and I'll admit it, I was scared. You think I'm gonna go stomping around in the dark, chasing some thing I'd never seen before that I just royally pissed off?
Anyway, I started heading home. I wasn't too far away, but the sun was already down, and the last bit of light was disappearing fast.
That's when it started. The noises. Chattering, scraping, branches breaking behind me. I'd whirl around, looking, but there was nothing. Sometimes I'd swear I saw something move, but it was too dark, I couldn't be sure. But the whole time, the forest was alive, shuddering, the sounds all around me.
I sprinted that last mile back to my house. I don't think I'd ever run that fast before, the animal chatter following me, sometimes getting closer, sometimes fading back.
But I got home, ran inside, and slammed the door. My wife, Marie, was just putting Jack to sleep, and let me tell you, she was in no mood for the story I told her.
Said I was drunk! Accused me of drinking! She knew I never touched a drop since I met her, not since I was 22. Well, there was a time or two, a wedding or a funeral, but not that night. No, I was sober as a nun.
We started to argue. We never yelled at each other, but that night was different. Well, I guess it woke Jack up. He came running downstairs, bawling his eyes out.
Jack. My little Jack.
I tried to calm him down, tell him that mommy and daddy still loved him, we weren't mad.
But he wasn't crying about that. He kept trying to say something, shrieking and hollering, but crying so hard I couldn't make out the words.
Well, Marie calmed him down, got him talking, and when I could understand him, well, that's when I started to panic.
All he said was "Daddy, there was a deer looking in my window."
I grabbed my rifle and ran to his room, Marie following me, shouting for me to calm down, that I was scaring Jack. I got to his room, and my stomach felt colder than the snow outside. The stench of death was... I saw a lump under the covers, I... yanked them back but he was ok, just cowering from what must have seemed a nightmare. I grabbed him up, I could still hear the chittering outside, still moving in the bushes, through the half open window.
And then I saw the bloody print left at the bottom. Half hand, half paw, with scratch marks leading down the windowsill... All the way down to the first floor. Jack's room was in the attic. Whatever made the marks had to have climbed two stories.
So... So I took my family and put them in the den. It had no windows, see? Then I called my friend Tom. Police would never have believed me. I knew Tom would come. Eighth Maliseet, same as me.
Tommy answered, and when I told him what happened, he was silent for a second and then he was on his way.
He lived about a half a mile down the road, down a dirt road to the North of the old cabin. Well, he made it in record time, I'll tell you what. By the time he got there, the forest was silent again.
When he got there, he looked around, checked out the window, then grabbed his gun and took me aside, just outside the den. Tom was... He was always smiling about something, but he wasn't smiling then.
Asked me about what I saw, but the questions, they were like he already knew. "Great rack of antlers?'' He said. ''Hollers like nothing you ever heard before?"
I told him what happened, as best as I could, asked him what we should do. He just... shrugged.
And then... The chattering was back. The forest came alive again, but not the way a forest usually sounds. Not peaceful, like I used to love.
These sounds were like wolves howling, bears growling, moose bellowing when they see another male in their territory.
Every sound the forest makes to let you know you're not supposed to be there.
Tommy was telling me something, something important. I only caught the middle part of it, something about Jack, about not letting him out of my sight, when Marie burst out the den, and the trees held their breath.
I looked at her, to tell her that she should go back in with Jack, when her eyes went wide and her face whiter than our sheets. I turned round to see what she was looking at.
It was Tom.
His back had gone straight with surprise.
His face had lost its grin but gained a snarl.
His hands tightened on his rifle.
His eyes fixed on mine.
His throat poured red around the claws of whatever held him.
He knew what it was, and he had tried to warn me. Whatever it was, the knowledge died with him.
As he dropped, the shape that killed him darted out the open window in the hallway, so quick for that awkward lope it made. So damn quick. Or maybe that monster could just walk through the walls.
Then the forest started up again. The chatters, the howls, the growling that set your teeth on edge. I swear, it sounded different. Those bastards were cheering this time.
Well I lost it. I shot out the window, into the forest. The chattering turned into shrieks, briefly, and then it went quiet again.
My Marie... My beautiful, kind, loving Marie...
I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her, and I felt something splash on my face. The shadows writhed behind her, and she fell into my arms.
What was left of her fell into my arms.
They... They took her from me. Opened her ribs like can of cheap dog food, and tossed what was left down the hallway into my arms.
I got another glimpse, another shape darted into a side room, and the night screamed again, louder this time, loud enough to cover my own.
And then. The forest was quiet again.
The silence.
Jack.
I ran as fast as I could into the den. I smelt it first, then I saw the beast there. Thin as a rail, antlers touching the roof. It was covered in sores, but bIed from the ribs, a bullet hole punched through it's skeleton chest. I saw it's face, the animal snout, the predator's teeth, the eyes... Like....
It was holding a smaller version of itself. Like, a cub, or a fawn, or something. A bullet hole clean through the side of its head.
I guess my shot hit more than just papa.
And then... And then I saw... No, then I heard what else it was holding. Jack. My little boy. He saw me, started screaming, beating with his tiny fists, but it held him, cradled like a baby in it's massive forearms.
I lunged forward, towards it, but I was jerked back. Claws dug in my shoulders, my arms and legs. The other creatures, they grabbed me, pulled me back out of the den, away from that monster.
Away from Jack.
They threw me into the hallway, and I hit the ground hard. I must have hit my head, cause everything went black. And they left me. They took Jack and they left me in the silence.
Oh god, the silence...
F/X Tape Ends
Board Chairman:
So, he's still sticking to his story?
Doctor:
I'm afraid so Mr Chairman. Hasn't changed in 18 years.
Board Chairman:
Insanity's always the easy way out at the time. If he'd just put his hand up, 3 counts of murder, second degree... No mention of the child's remains? They never found him.
Doctor:
No. Nor the...
Chairman:
The flesh he... ate. No...
Doctor:
There's no way I can sanction his release if he still clings to these delusions.
Chairman:
Nor I if he still denies his guilt. This board therefore recommends that Mr. Lee Palhuick remains detained at the Blue Brook mental health facility until further review....
Transcript #174461
Lee Palhuick:
So. Another one asking about that night, bothering an old man, disturbing my retirement. Fine. I'll tell you all about that damn night, and you'll wish I hadn't.
And before I start, you don't rush me, you don't ask questions, and you damn well don't interrupt. This story gets told my way, or it doesn't get told, got it?
Good.
Maybe I'll sleep a little better, knowing someone else has to share the burden. Doubt it, but maybe.
It was cold that winter. Oh, I know, I know, it's cold every winter, especially up here, but the winter of '97 was bitter.
But there's something out there for every hunter, something that drives them out into the cold and the snow to chase after a few white tails, hoping maybe an elk shows up. For some, it's the beauty out there, reconnecting with nature. For some it's the thrill of the chase.
For me, it was the peace. I used to love the silence, used to love the calm. My wife, rest her soul, could talk the ears off a man. Don't get me wrong, I loved her with all my heart, but an old boy like me needs some time to himself now and then, you know?
That night was one of those nights. It was just starting to get dark, and I was just heading back down the trail to my old house, when suddenly I spotted it; the prize deer every hunter was looking for.
It was big, that thing, a real champion deer, as many points on it's antlers as I'd ever seen. Color of ash but bigger than sin, a prize winner if I ever saw one. Problem was, it was too dark to get a good look at it, too dark to see the thing proper for what it was...
... I... Look, I was younger, ok? Stupid. Thought I knew what a deer looked like, light be damned, and I could make that shot with my eyes closed anyways. I chambered a round, lined up on it, and fired.
It screamed. Not a deer sound, mind you, not any animal I'd ever heard before. It was unnatural.
Well, whatever it was, at this point it was clear it wasn't a damn deer. It clambered away into the forest, kinda awkward like. Running on all fours, but sort of... Loping, you know? Like an ape runs, kinda stuttering, each step was half a leap.
I couldn't get another shot off. I was too surprised. My prize deer had turned into a bloody freak of nature. I knew I hit, I should have gone after it, but it was dark by then, and I'll admit it, I was scared. You think I'm gonna go stomping around in the dark, chasing some thing I'd never seen before that I just royally pissed off?
Anyway, I started heading home. I wasn't too far away, but the sun was already down, and the last bit of light was disappearing fast.
That's when it started. The noises. Chattering, scraping, branches breaking behind me. I'd whirl around, looking, but there was nothing. Sometimes I'd swear I saw something move, but it was too dark, I couldn't be sure. But the whole time, the forest was alive, shuddering, the sounds all around me.
I sprinted that last mile back to my house. I don't think I'd ever run that fast before, the animal chatter following me, sometimes getting closer, sometimes fading back.
But I got home, ran inside, and slammed the door. My wife, Marie, was just putting Jack to sleep, and let me tell you, she was in no mood for the story I told her.
Said I was drunk! Accused me of drinking! She knew I never touched a drop since I met her, not since I was 22. Well, there was a time or two, a wedding or a funeral, but not that night. No, I was sober as a nun.
We started to argue. We never yelled at each other, but that night was different. Well, I guess it woke Jack up. He came running downstairs, bawling his eyes out.
Jack. My little Jack.
I tried to calm him down, tell him that mommy and daddy still loved him, we weren't mad.
But he wasn't crying about that. He kept trying to say something, shrieking and hollering, but crying so hard I couldn't make out the words.
Well, Marie calmed him down, got him talking, and when I could understand him, well, that's when I started to panic.
All he said was "Daddy, there was a deer looking in my window."
I grabbed my rifle and ran to his room, Marie following me, shouting for me to calm down, that I was scaring Jack. I got to his room, and my stomach felt colder than the snow outside. The stench of death was... I saw a lump under the covers, I... yanked them back but he was ok, just cowering from what must have seemed a nightmare. I grabbed him up, I could still hear the chittering outside, still moving in the bushes, through the half open window.
And then I saw the bloody print left at the bottom. Half hand, half paw, with scratch marks leading down the windowsill... All the way down to the first floor. Jack's room was in the attic. Whatever made the marks had to have climbed two stories.
So... So I took my family and put them in the den. It had no windows, see? Then I called my friend Tom. Police would never have believed me. I knew Tom would come. Eighth Maliseet, same as me.
Tommy answered, and when I told him what happened, he was silent for a second and then he was on his way.
He lived about a half a mile down the road, down a dirt road to the North of the old cabin. Well, he made it in record time, I'll tell you what. By the time he got there, the forest was silent again.
When he got there, he looked around, checked out the window, then grabbed his gun and took me aside, just outside the den. Tom was... He was always smiling about something, but he wasn't smiling then.
Asked me about what I saw, but the questions, they were like he already knew. "Great rack of antlers?'' He said. ''Hollers like nothing you ever heard before?"
I told him what happened, as best as I could, asked him what we should do. He just... shrugged.
And then... The chattering was back. The forest came alive again, but not the way a forest usually sounds. Not peaceful, like I used to love.
These sounds were like wolves howling, bears growling, moose bellowing when they see another male in their territory.
Every sound the forest makes to let you know you're not supposed to be there.
Tommy was telling me something, something important. I only caught the middle part of it, something about Jack, about not letting him out of my sight, when Marie burst out the den, and the trees held their breath.
I looked at her, to tell her that she should go back in with Jack, when her eyes went wide and her face whiter than our sheets. I turned round to see what she was looking at.
It was Tom.
His back had gone straight with surprise.
His face had lost its grin but gained a snarl.
His hands tightened on his rifle.
His eyes fixed on mine.
His throat poured red around the claws of whatever held him.
He knew what it was, and he had tried to warn me. Whatever it was, the knowledge died with him.
As he dropped, the shape that killed him darted out the open window in the hallway, so quick for that awkward lope it made. So damn quick. Or maybe that monster could just walk through the walls.
Then the forest started up again. The chatters, the howls, the growling that set your teeth on edge. I swear, it sounded different. Those bastards were cheering this time.
Well I lost it. I shot out the window, into the forest. The chattering turned into shrieks, briefly, and then it went quiet again.
My Marie... My beautiful, kind, loving Marie...
I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her, and I felt something splash on my face. The shadows writhed behind her, and she fell into my arms.
What was left of her fell into my arms.
They... They took her from me. Opened her ribs like can of cheap dog food, and tossed what was left down the hallway into my arms.
I got another glimpse, another shape darted into a side room, and the night screamed again, louder this time, loud enough to cover my own.
And then. The forest was quiet again.
The silence.
Jack.
I ran as fast as I could into the den. I smelt it first, then I saw the beast there. Thin as a rail, antlers touching the roof. It was covered in sores, but bIed from the ribs, a bullet hole punched through it's skeleton chest. I saw it's face, the animal snout, the predator's teeth, the eyes... Like....
It was holding a smaller version of itself. Like, a cub, or a fawn, or something. A bullet hole clean through the side of its head.
I guess my shot hit more than just papa.
And then... And then I saw... No, then I heard what else it was holding. Jack. My little boy. He saw me, started screaming, beating with his tiny fists, but it held him, cradled like a baby in it's massive forearms.
I lunged forward, towards it, but I was jerked back. Claws dug in my shoulders, my arms and legs. The other creatures, they grabbed me, pulled me back out of the den, away from that monster.
Away from Jack.
They threw me into the hallway, and I hit the ground hard. I must have hit my head, cause everything went black. And they left me. They took Jack and they left me in the silence.
Oh god, the silence...
F/X Tape Ends
Board Chairman:
So, he's still sticking to his story?
Doctor:
I'm afraid so Mr Chairman. Hasn't changed in 18 years.
Board Chairman:
Insanity's always the easy way out at the time. If he'd just put his hand up, 3 counts of murder, second degree... No mention of the child's remains? They never found him.
Doctor:
No. Nor the...
Chairman:
The flesh he... ate. No...
Doctor:
There's no way I can sanction his release if he still clings to these delusions.
Chairman:
Nor I if he still denies his guilt. This board therefore recommends that Mr. Lee Palhuick remains detained at the Blue Brook mental health facility until further review....
