Free An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley by Brian Keene Page B

there?”
    No one responded.
    “Anyone? I need help.”
    Crystal paused, suddenly afraid as the possibility occurred to her that the crazy bears might still be lurking. If so, her cries might attract or alert them. She fell silent, and waited. After a few minutes, she decided to take a chance.
    She tensed, expecting pain when she moved, but there was none. Other than her sore throat, she seemed fine. She flexed her fingers and then her feet. Finding her arms and legs unbroken, she wiggled back and forth, and then realized why she couldn’t see. There was something lying atop her face. She reached for it, and her fingers brushed against something soft and sticky. Hair? Fur? Crystal gasped, expecting it to be a crazy bear. But when she yanked it free of her face, she saw that it was nothing more than a bloodied scrap of blanket.
    The daylight was so bright that it hurt her head. She sat up, blinking, and shielded her eyes with her hands. Then she looked around her in bewilderment. The entire cabin had collapsed, burying them all in a mound of debris. One of Morgan’s legs stuck out of the wreckage. A shard of bone poked from the swollen flesh. Of the others in the group, there was no sign. Neither was there any sign of their attackers.
    Crystal didn’t bother to see if Morgan was alive or not. Instead, she searched amongst the rubble and scavenged what she could—food, a blanket, a knife, and a few other items, along with a bloodstained burlap bag to carry them in. When she was finished, she limped out of the wreckage. The horses all lay where they’d been slaughtered, their torn corpses already drawing a host of flies and other insects. None of the bodies of the creatures remained, although bloodstains marked where many of them had fallen.
    The clearing was filled with enormous footprints—dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them, leading in every direction. She stared at the tracks, trying in vain to decipher them—trying to determine where the surviving creatures had gone. Then she decided that it didn’t matter. She knew which direction she was going, and it was a place they couldn’t follow.
    Crystal limped down the hill. The forest echoed with birdsongs and other signs of wildlife, but the valley’s beauty had been tainted. The wildflowers and other plants had been trampled beneath many big feet, and what remained was withered and brown. The only color still prominent was the occasional splash of red where blood had been spilled the night before.
    She reached the shore, knelt, and splashed water on her face. Shivering, she cupped her hands and drank. The cold water soothed her sore throat. She splashed more, washing the blood and grime from her face, arms, and hands. Then, when she was finished, Crystal clutched her burlap bag tightly to her bosom and waded into the water until only her chin remained above the surface. Closing her eyes, she went limp and let the river carry her away. As she drifted from sight, silence returned to the valley once more.
     

STORY NOTES
     
    An Occurrence In Crazy Bear Valley was written for a collection of weird western novellas published by Cemetery Dance. The book was called Four Rode Out and also contained stories by Tim Lebbon, Tim Curran, and Stephen Vernon (name checked here as the character Vernon Stephens). Four Rode Out was published as a signed, limited edition hardcover, and is long out of print.
    I’ve always wanted to write a story about Bigfoot, and when I was asked to come up with a weird western novella, I figured this was my chance. I’ve been a Sasquatch aficionado since I was about six-years old. Over the years, I’ve amassed a number of books on the subject, and have even spent a considerable amount of time driving through the heart of Bigfoot country in the Pacific Northwest, hoping to catch a glimpse of one.
    I drew upon that background lore during the writing of this tale. The disclaimer at the beginning of the book states that this novella is based on true