Page 6 of Gentle Giant

I’d made it. So far so good. Now I just needed to call someone who would come help me. I turned on the video comm and immediately set the screen’s illumination to the lowest setting. Then I squinted at the list of numbers taped to the wall, using some extra lighting from my phone.

9-1-1 got me nowhere. I tried about a dozen times, and no one even answered. It rang and rang and nothing.

Next, I tried the Airbnb host’s number. Maybe she could help me. I hadn’t met the woman in person, though she’d sent me a welcome text last month that had included the code I needed to enter the cabin.

To my great surprise, a woman’s smiling face appeared on the screen. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, I used my phone to illuminate my face and put a finger to my lips. She raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

“Hello, are you Shelly Cornwall?” I whispered.

“Sure am,” she whispered back. “Is something wrong? I can see you’re calling from one of my rental cabins in the Cascades.I very much hope you’re enjoying your stay.” She flashed me another warm smile.

“I need help,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I tried calling 9-1-1, but no one answered. Is there anyone you could call for me? I’m desperate.” My voice quavered and my insides trembled. I still couldn’t believe this was happening.Tap tap tap. Mr. Sasquatch sure was persistent. He was still out there knocking on the windows.

Shelly’s smile faded. “Well, unfortunately, the emergency call center in town isn’t open every day, and it’s always closed at night. What seems to be the problem? Are you injured?”

“Someone—something—is outside the cabin. It’s big and hairy and…” My voice trailed off. If I said it looked like Bigfoot, would she think I was crazy and disconnect the call?

“There are bears, cougars, and wolves in the forest. Mind you, wolf sightings are rare, but my tenants frequently see bears. Just make lots of noise when you go outside and you should be fine. Oh, and there’s bear mace in the entry closet that you are welcome to take with you on hikes.” She straightened and glanced at her phone. “Now, is there anything else I can help you with?”

“It’s not a bear or a wolf or a cougar. Please, you must call someone. It’sverybig. At least seven feet tall and it walks upright.”

A knowing look crossed her face, and she slumped in her chair and sighed. “Look, I will refund your money if you promise not to leave a negative review. If word gets out that there’s a tribe of Sasquatches living near my rental cabins, it’ll be terribly bad for business.”

I stared at her in shock. Atribeof Sasquatches? Had I heard her correctly? There were more of them? I swallowed hard and glanced at the closet door, hoping the big furry visitor hadn’t managed to open a window. I hadn’t heard any crashing noises,but I also hadn’t checked to make sure all the windows were locked. I’d just assumed.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my hands trembling in my lap, “did you say, ‘a tribe of Sasquatches’?” I prayed I’d heard her wrong.

She shrugged, a guilty look crossing her face. “Yes, a tribe. They usually keep to themselves, and none of them have ever harmed any of my tenants. Not many people know about them, but I grew up in a cabin not far from your present location.”

“Never harmed anyone?” I whisper-shouted. “The one outside the cabin banged on the door and yelled for me to open up. He spoke English! And now he’s walking around the house tapping on the windows.”

She paled and shifted in her seat. “Wow, that’s unusual. Never heard of that happening before. Most of the time they run off when they encounter a human. And I-I didn’t know they could speak. Are you sure it spoke to you in English?”

“Yes, I’m sure! Please call someone,” I begged. “I need help. The police. The FBI. The military. I don’t know—someone! This is a big deal! I’m afraid he’s going to break inside.”

“I doubt there’s anyone available to help you,” she said, “but I’ll see what I can do. If he’s really bothering you that much, I suggest you leave and head into town in the morning.”

“I can’t head into town,” I said. “My friend dropped me off and took her hovercraft with her. I don’t have any mode of transportation here.”

“I’ll call you back tomorrow,” she said quickly, and then the screen went black.

I doubted she would call me back, just as I doubted she would find anyone willing to help me. The other numbers on the paper proved useless. The grocery store in town didn’t answer, nor did the local restaurants, never mind that they were thirty miles away and it was eleven at night. I tried several hovercraft transport companies, including the one I’d hired to get me in twomonths, but no one picked up. I left messages on those that had answering machines, giving them my exact location and claimed I had a medical emergency, promising to pay double if they came to get me.

Would anyone come?

There was so much unrest in the country that traveling wasn’t always safe. Many cities were in lockdown and had restricted airspace. If you flew too close to certain areas, you risked getting shot down.

So much for my relaxing vacation in the mountains.

I held my breath and listened.

The tapping had stopped.

Chapter 4

BRUTUS

Pressingmy face to the window, I peered inside the cabin. A faint light shone from within, and I saw shadows moving along a wall. Then the woman appeared, walking slowly into the open. She cast a wary glance around, but when she looked in my direction, she gave no indication that she could see me. Perhaps in the darkness she couldn’t.

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