Sam rubbed his temples and took another chug of beer. “On the day he left, Boreas threatened to curse the town.”
Max stopped Sam in mid-sentence. “Ok, you’re already losin’ me, Sam. A curse? Come on, you can’t be serious. I don’t like science fiction books or movies. And I sure as hell don’t believe my life is a science fiction story!”
“I know it all sounds absurd,” said Larry. “But Max, regardless of how crazy the story sounds, we need you to just hear us out.”
Max shrugged in agreement and Sam continued. “If they all liked his town so much, Boreas would cast a spell to keep them trapped in Bayberry Cove like prisoners. Except he didn’t put them in a cage; he simply made it so no one would ever want to leave. And it stayed that way for seventy-five years. But the spell’s power faded with time, and people began to realize no one ever left, so in year number seventy-six, the first person escaped Bayberry Cove and never looked back. Others followed, and Boreas became enraged. He wanted to punish the town for their disobedience, so he blew a conch shell to summon two monsters – the beast of the forest and the creature of the sea. They guarded Bayberry Cove’s borders, killing anyone who tried to leave. Hundreds of people were killed that year, and Boreas realized the whole town would die out if he didn’t reset the spell. So, he did, and things went back to normal. No one left Bayberry Cove. No one wanted to leave Bayberry Cove. But Boreas learned his lesson. Every seventy-five years, the night before the spell begins to wear off, a horn blows and his henchmen take their positions to the east and west. For one full year, people try to escape, but they’re all murdered. What is left of the town eventually gives up, goes back to their normal lives, and eventually the spell is reset for another seventy-five years.”
Max couldn’t speak. He stared at Sam and then back to Larry. Finally he said, “Well, if this is true, and we are realizing it now, let’s just get the hell out of town before they show up.”
“Max,” Larry said, “the horn blew last night. Jed and Bobby were in the forest after midnight. They heard the beast. The only reason this is starting to make sense to any of us is because the spell has already been lifted. The beast and the creature are already in place. It has already begun.”
“So what do you need me to do?” asked Max.
Larry had a stern look on his face. “We need you to kill the beast.”
* * * * * * * * *
Max was still trying to make sense of everything he heard. He was a simple man, but he was also a smart man, and he definitely didn’t believe in fairy tales. “So you two are tellin’ me there’s some immortal magician that lives up in the mountains. And he put a spell on Bayberry Cove four hundred years ago to keep us from leavin’. And every seventy-five years he has to recharge his batteries, so in order to keep us trapped while he cooks up another spell, he sends two monsters to guard our borders. And if anyone tries to leave by sea, there is a creature that will kill him. And if anyone tries to leave by land, there is a beast that will do the same. That is what you’re tellin’ me?”
Sam and Larry exchanged another look. Neither wanted to admit they believed the nonsense, but the day’s events were too bizarre to ignore. “I don’t know what is happening,” said Larry, “but I do know we need to do some investigating…tonight…before anyone gets themselves hurt trying to leave Bayberry Cove.”
Max didn’t know what to think. He knew Larry and Sam were trustworthy men, but their story was absurd. “And how the hell do you two know all of this?” he asked.
“There are records. The beast and the creature have appeared four other times in Bayberry Cove, and there are written documents of all four visits. Journals kept by various mayors. Letters from some former townsfolk. The papers have always been in the mayor’s office, but they never really made any sense until now. I thought they were just all part of the urban legends. But this morning when I saw that elk with its neck snapped like a twig, it all made sense. That’s when I called Larry and well, we have been tryin' to figure out what to do about this all day.”
“So I'm the plan?” Max asked.
“You're the plan,” confirmed Sam.
“This just doesn’t make any sense,” Max said while rubbing his forehead. “Does the rest of the world even know we exist? Do we even exist? Is this hell?”
Sam stood and paced around Max’s living room. His hard-soled shoes made a clicking sound that caught Larry’s attention. “Sam, where do we get all of our stuff from?”
“What do you mean?” the mayor asked.
“Sure, we grow lots of our own food and make some of our own clothing and furniture. But what about our televisions, computers, and cell phones? We don’t manufacture that stuff here, so how does it get in? If no one gets in or out, how have we kept up with technology and trends all these years?”
Sam and Max both looked perplexed. “Well, I suppose I have no idea,” Sam finally admitted. “We’ll be sure to make a stop at the electronic store tomorrow and ask Mitch about it.”
“This whole thing gets weirder by the second,” Larry sighed.
“So what’s the first step? What do we do tonight?” Max asked.
“Well, that’s why we need you, Max.” Larry made eye contact will the burly man. “You are the best hunter in Bayberry Cove. You can track and, more importantly, kill any living creature on this planet.”
“Are you sure the beast is from this planet?” Max interrupted.
Larry grinned in spite of himself. “Either way, if anyone knows how to take this thing out, you do. They didn’t have someone like you back in 1856 or 1932. And they didn’t have our technology either. You have more firepower than most armies. And anything you don’t have, the sporting goods store is sure to stock. We can hit this thing with everything we got.”
“So I’m in charge?” asked Max.
“You’re in charge,” Sam assured him.
“We do things my way?”
Larry looked him square in the eyes. “We do things your way.”
Max walked out of the room and into the kitchen. He opened his refrigerator and pulled out an ice cold bottle of domestic beer. After twisting off the cap, he took a long swig, savoring the taste of barley and hops splashing over his taste buds. “And how the hell did you make it into town?” he asked the bottle.
“We don’t need any more guns,” Max said after walking back into the living room. “I have everything we’ll need right here.” Sam and Larry turned to each other and smiled. “But we can’t just go running into the woods with a bazooka and think we’re going to kill this thing, if it really does exist. A hunter’s greatest asset is his superior intelligence. We get into a fist fight with Mother Nature and we’ll lose. We have to outthink her.”
“So what do we do?” asked Sam, anxious to start.
“We get you two into some camouflage and we go on a scoutin' mission. I’ll bring a couple of pistols, and Larry, you can bring your primary weapon, but our gear tonight is gonna be night vision goggles, cameras, and a good pair of hikin' shoes.”
Sam looked nervous “And what if we run into the beast?”
“If you believe in God,” Max joked, “now would be a good time to pray that we don’t."
