Page 79 of The Secret Mate Society

Calder took the map from me, studying it intently, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Some of these attacks go back decades," he murmured, his finger tracing a line of red marks that stretched from northern Maine down through New Hampshire and Massachusetts."You think it's the same creature all this time?"

"I don't know," I admitted."Maybe it's multiple creatures of the same kind.Or maybe..."I hesitated, pulling out a notebook filled with my scrawled theories."Maybe it lives a long time.Longer than humans."

“Or they’re family,” Calder added, flipping through the notes.“A killing tradition passed down from father to son.”

I stopped, turning to face him.“I… I hadn’t considered that.”

“How would you know?”Calder asked, giving me a shrug.“My sources know of a monster that caused problems back in the sixties.But he was older and would most likely be dead by now.However, we have no idea if he managed to have any children or if he passed on his bloodlust.”

“Wait a second,” I gasped, suddenly remembering something.“I think I know what you’re talking about!”

I dug through the box furiously, locating a small box near the very bottom.Pulling the lid off, I saw it was filled with photos, small square vintage prints from way back in the day.Some of them were of mountain landscapes and some were forests with strange figures in the distance.But this one had always stuck out to me because it looked soreal.

“Here it is!”I said, pulling out a small sepia photo of a creature with glowing eyes.“This is the oldest one I ever found.I honestly thought it was fake for the longest time.”I flipped the photo over and began to read.

“November twenty second.Nineteen sixty-seven.I don't know what it was, but it killed Daisy, our best milk cow.I shot it twice and it didn't seem to notice.The sheriff came out and said it was a coyote attack and that I must've missed my shot.He's a damn fool.I've never missed a shot in my life.It came back last night and I managed to get a photo of it.But the family is coming up for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so I'll take a copy of this photo down to the sheriff after that.I just hope that monster, whatever it is, doesn't come back.I'm not sure my shotgun will be enough to stop it.”

I lifted my gaze to Calder.I expected to see surprise or shock on his face, but instead I saw understanding.

“Thanksgiving day of nineteen sixty-seven was the first incident we have on record,” he said softly, taking the photo for a closer look.“I didn’t know there was a photograph though.”

“Nobody does except me,” I said, stepping up beside him.“I found it at an estate sale in the bottom of an old shoebox.Nobody thought anything of it.I was half convinced it was just a costume or an art project.”

“Ethan… I can’t believe you found this,” Calder said, staring at the photo with an intensity that made me shiver.“This might be the only photo of this monster that has ever existed.”

“Uh… no it’s not.”I reached into the box, pulling out a solid handful of photos that all contained monsters.“I’ve found tons of them.”I reached inside the banker’s box, pulling out larger items.“I’ve got police sketches, reports, and even a few more modern photographs.Although I usually don’t keep anything after ninety-nine.Digital alterations were getting too good for me to trust them anymore.”

Calder flipped through the photos, his jaw hanging open.

“Some of them are obviously taxidermy or costumes,” I added.“But more than a few defy explanation.”

“My god…” Calder muttered, still rifling through everything.“You’ve found more than I ever thought possible.We… We’ve been socareful.”

“Careful?”

He nodded.“To keep it hidden.To keep it a secret.”He stared up at me, his hands full of photos, sketches, and reports.“But this box… it could prove to the entire world that monsters are…real.”

I thought he’d look excited or maybe awestruck.But instead Calder seemed almost…scared.

THE PORTLAND GAZETTE: Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Tourists Freeze to Death at Local Corn Maze

-Jake Harrison, Staff Writer

PORTLAND, MAINE An elderly couple at a local corn maze died due to exposure last night thanks to a sudden cold snap.The couple, identified as Carol and Bruce Thompson, were found only a quarter of a mile from the corn maze by a local farmer.

According to police, the couple wandered out of the corn maze sometime near dark and got lost.In an attempt to find their way back, they waded through a small stream that was swollen thanks to recent rains, soaking them through.The couple didn't make it far beyond the creek before they stopped to rest.As the cold set in, hypothermia took hold.

Several rumors have already sprung up around the deaths, stating that they could be related to the local cattle mutilations or Marcus Greer's mysterious death.However, police have insisted that the two are unrelated and that Carol and Bruce Thompson died of natural causes.

The corn maze will remain closed for the remainder of the season.However, the owners insist that they will reopen next year with more signage should anyone wander out of the maze again by accident.

Chapter34

Calder