KvsW- Casefile [005][SKINWALKER]

The day had been a lazy one so far, with the duo simply lounging around and relaxing. There really wasn't much else to do, anyway.

They were sitting together on the couch. Chris was lying on her back lengthwise, her laptop resting on her knees, and her head resting in Dave's lap. He was somewhat sprawled on one end, halfheartedly watching the talking heads on the news.

"Hmm, this one might be interesting," she said, filtering through e-mails.

"Got another case for us?"

"Potentially."

"Well, don't leave me in suspense, tell me about it."

"How do you feel about skinwalkers?"

"Fucking hell, you're serious?"

"Yup. Apparently our exploits have attracted the attention of a construction company over in Utah. They've contacted us with a description of something lurking in the woods, mimicking voices and spooking the fuck out of all their workers. The workers are actually refusing to return to their sites until the creature's taken care of."

"Fucking sweet. Maybe this'll be what launches us into the limelight? We could get famous."

"I doubt we'd get much media coverage. Specifically because the company has asked for the utmost discretion."

"Oh. Well, can we settle for internet famous?"

"Yeah, I can settle for that." She smiled up at him.

"Cool. When do you wanna set off?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Maybe later. Or tomorrow," she said, stretching out a bit while keeping her head in his lap.

"First thing tomorrow, then," he said. He smirked and patted her head.
They wasted the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing, and a bit more cuddling.

Dave wasn't really sure of the status of their relationship to each other, but since Chris didn't seem to feel a need to address it, he decided against pushing the issue.

True to his word, though, he set a phone alarm for 6 in the morning, much to Chris's chagrin. And he made sure that she actually got up with the alarm as well.

By 9 o'clock, they were on the road, with Chris behind the wheel of the Hummer, pretending he was leading a convoy in some godforsaken desert country. In the trunk and rear passenger seats, they had loaded up most of their combined arsenal, not wanting to take any chances.

Two days of hard driving commenced, broken up by periodic stops by the side of the road to release excess bodily fluids, and stops in small towns along the way to fill up on gasoline, as the V8 was proving itself to be a thirsty bitch.

Finally, on the third day, they arrived.

It was a forested area several dozen miles outside of Salt Lake City, where a new subdivision was slated for construction. But the place was largely abandoned, save for the foreman and his aide, who greeted Dave and Chris ar the gate.

"Thank god you came," said the foreman, looking quite relieved. "We're only a week away from totally losing this contract. I hope you really are as good as I've beeen hearing."

Dave smirked, wearing the pair of aviator sunglasses he'd bought specifically so he could look cool in these sorts of situations.

"Dude, we've got enough hardware with us that we could equip a small South American army. If we can't get the job done, nobody can."
The foreman nodded, a bit reassured. "Good. Because a lot of guys are out of a job if you don't succeed. This isn't exactly something I can explain away to corporate."

A few minutes later, Dave and Chris were sitting in the foreman's trailer while he explained the situation.

"So you see," he said, finishing up, "Pretty much everything we know is in that e-mail we sent you. Voices creeping the fuck outta my guys, sightings of something human sized, but not quite right, with deer antlers and a foul smell... a couple guys even got assaulted while operating heavy machinery."

"We're not 100% sure," responded Chris, "But given what you've told us, as well as where we are, we'd have to say those sound like telltale behaviors of a skinwalker. Shouldn't be too much of an issue for us, though."

"Thank god..." he let out a sigh. "What are your preferences regarding payment? Since, technically, you're not supposed to be here, and the company is not associated with you?"

"We can figure that all out once the job's done," said Dave. "But for now, you'll wanna clear out, so we can get to work."

And get to work they did, pulling their Hummer into the middle of the half-built subdivision. They set up camp in the skeleton of one of the proposed homes, and geared up.

Dave decided he'd channel a certain greentext hero and picked up an FN FAL painted with Rhodesian brushstroke pattern. Chris had her beloved AK with her, this time fitted with plum furniture that wouldn't catch fire and horribly burn her like the last time. Carriers and rigs were slid on and snapped tight, and both of them donned camouflage jackets, as the nights would be rather chilly, if reports were to be believed.

For the first night, they stayed at their little campsite, recovering from the hours cooped up in the truck.

Dave broke out a large pot from the back of the Hummer and started a fire beneath it. He began pouring the contents of several foil packages into it, as well as a portion of a leftover jug of homemade vodka.

"What in God's name are you making, dude?" asked Chris, looking over.

"Operator chili. I'm using MREs."

"It smells like shit."

"Because I haven't even added in the hot sauce yet!"

Chris groaned loudly.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that. It's going to be good, I promise," he said, pouring an entire bottle of tabasco into the pot.

He was wrong.

After puking his guts out from having a bowl of the stuff, they instead resorted to MREs for dinner.
Chris made him wash his mouth out with vodka, but let him sit next to her afterwards.

"Nice going, master chef."

"Shut up."

"Don't be a salty faggot. We both already knew that you sucked at cooking."

"Hey, at least I try!"

She smirked and elbowed him in the ribs. "Down, boy."

He rolled his eyes, still grumbling. "Alright, what are we doing for sleeping arrangements?"

"Well, let's think critically for a moment, right?" Chris put her MRE off to the side and folded her hands in her lap.

"Okay."

"We're dealing with a skinwalker, a mythical creature, famed for its ability to confuse and separate groups of people, then masquerade as them in order to pick them off one by one while they're alone and defenseless, taking advantage of the trust those in the group are likely to have in each other."

"Uh-huh..."

"So the obvious solution would be to stick together at all times, ESPECIALLY while sleeping."

"I... see?"

She smirked at him slyly and chuckled. "Come on, let's set up the tent."

Dave never pitched a tent so fast in his life.

Chris found herself laughing at the sight of Dave fumbling with canvas and tent poles. "Don't get too excited. The ground rules are still in place, you know."

"Yeah, I know, I know... I'm just tired and want to get some shuteye, that's all."

"Sure, sure. That's definitely the reason." She found herself laughing again at his reaction, and tossed her sleeping bag and a couple of guns into the tent. "Quit blushing, you look like a faggot."

Dave scowled at her. But it was hard for him to keep it up as she crawled into the tent halfway, keeping her rear end out just enough for him to stare. She messed around with something inside the tent, keeping her butt bobbing around at him for what almost seemed to be a deliberate amount of time.

She went all the way inside and turned around to poke her head out. "What are you standing around for? What, do you WANT to sleep outside?"

He snapped himself out of it, and joined her in the canvas shelter.

She was lying on her back on top of her sleeping bag, tucking her AK lovingly into the corner of the tent. He was almost jealous at how she touched the rifle, running her hands over the wood, feeling at the little divots of the wooden stock and following the grain... her fingers slowly running over the buttstock... her other hand petting the synthetic plum handguard... stroking it...

She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey, Earth to Dave! Did you fucking fall asleep sitting up?"

"Uh, no, no, I was just thinking about something..."

She sighed and laid back down on her back. "Well, stop thinking and get down here with me." She didn't have to ask twice.

He got down on his back, right beside her, and turned his head, looking at her expectantly.

"What," she asked, raising an eyebrow, "Do I have to lead you in everything?"

"But... you said ground rules are still in effect..."

"That just means use your goddamn common sense. If something gets too creepy or weird, I'll just stop you with a knee to your nuts. Sound good?"

"Uh... yeah... I guess...

She smirked and rolled on top of him suddenly, touching her nose to his and taking him totally by surprise. He focused all his mental energy on preventing his manhood from impaling her then and there.

"What's wrong? You're not liking this?"

"It's not that... uh... just..."

"Oh, I see what's wrong here," she said with a sly smirk.

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah, you're liking this TOO much, aren't you?" She pressed up against him, slowly moving her hips from side to side over his.

Dave closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "For fuck's sake, Chris..."

She stopped moving and gave him a strange look. "What is it?"

"You're just looking for any excuse to knee me in the nuts, aren't you..."

She chuckled. "Relax, if I'm doing it to you, I won't hurt you for the inevitable reaction..."

"Comforting..."

"I said relax. Come on, open your eyes and look at me."

He did so, and ended up staring back into her eyes. Her face was still right next to his, their noses just barely touching. Her shit-eating smirk had faded to a slight smile. He noticed for the first time ever that her cheeks were lightly freckled.

"What are you looking at, faggot?"

He couldn't help but smile back.

"You're... you're really pretty, you know..." He moved his hands up and placed them on her sides, above her hips.

"Don't start with any romantic talk shit... I hate that kind of stuff... all the time hearing it in shitty movies, and bullshit pickup lines from guys in bars drunk off their ass..."

She was a bit taken aback when Dave suddenly reached up and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes.

"Goddammit... now you're making ME blush..."

"You know... if you hate the talking part so much... how about we just not talk?" he said, cupping her cheek gently. Slowly, he moved the hand around to the back of her neck, and applying a tiny amount of pressure, he brought her head down a bit. Contrary to what he was expecting, she didn't knee him in the groin. She went with it.

Their lips met. It was almost magical for a moment.

And then came the issue that neither of them had closed their eyes, and they were both just staring at each other the whole time.

Chris broke the kiss when she burst into laughter, burying her face in Dave's shoulder. "Oh my god that was fucking goofy... you really don't know how to do this stuff..."
Dave grumbled at the comment. "Really now, what gave you that fucking idea..."

"Oh come on, keep the spaghetti in your pockets. Let's just try again, alright? And close your eyes this time."

He exhaled with a bit of embarrassment, and closed his eyes. She did as well, and met his lips with her own once more. They held the contact for a long while, before she had to break away to take a breath.

She chuckled a bit with her exhale, now getting flustered. "Better... better..."

Dave propped himself up on his elbows, and she sat up on his lap. "Are you... are you good to keep going?"

She nodded, and he sat up fully, wrapping his arms around her waist. He planted a few kisses on her collarbone and her neck, then went back to her lips. She parted them slightly for him, and soon he was caressing her tongue with his. It was somewhat clumsy, but every so often she'd break away to catch her breath, and didn't tell him to stop, so he took that as a good sign.
His hands started to ride down her sides, until he reached the hem of her shirt. At which point he slipped his fingers underneath and started to pull upwards.

With a single easy motion, he pulled her shirt up and over her head. He didn't know how or why he was doing it, but accepted it as one of those decisions made in the heat of the moment. Chris even lifted her arms up to allow it to happen.

She was left with her upper body clad in just her camouflage bra. She blushed profusely and looked away, but Dave took the opportunity to wrap her in his arms again and plant a few more kisses on her neck.

Gently and slowly, he started pushing her back down onto her back, and ran his hands over her body.

Down from her shoulders, her arms... to her sides and navel... down to her hips, and back up again... feeling every inch of smooth, soft skin...

Moving his hands back up, he came to carefully cup her breasts, still covered by the bra. He leaned down and kissed the top of one, then the other, eliciting a small moan from her.

He moved his hands again, and pushed the straps down her shoulders, intending to fully expose her...

And all the while she fiddled with the button and zipper of his trousers... getting them open and sliding them down his hips...

"Wait... w-wait... stop..."
He pulled back immediately, afraid of overstepping his bounds.

"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "What did I do wrong?"

Chris exhaled and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing's wrong..."

"Then what was it?"

"It's just... this is all so much to take in... I want this, trust me... but... not tonight... we can't do thos tonight..."

Dave sat back on his knees, catching his breath, the blood flowing back into his head. "Okay... that's... fine..."

"Again... it's not that I don't want to, but-"

"No, no, I understand... really, I do... this can wait, yeah?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah." She sat up and grabbed her shirt and putnit back on.

Dave zipped up his pants, and almost swore he could hear his manhood making a sad puppy dog noise as he put it away.

Chris took a deep breath and laid down on top of her sleeping bag, facing away from Dave. He did much the same, trying to kill the thoughts of the beautiful music she and him were about to make together.

"Goodnight, Dave..."

"Sleep well, Chris..."

The tension inside the tent was palpable, thick enough to be cut with a bayonet.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

His hands started to ride down her sides, until he reached the hem of her shirt. At which point he slipped his fingers underneath and started to pull upwards.

With a single easy motion, he pulled her shirt up and over her head. He didn't know how or why he was doing it, but accepted it as one of those decisions made in the heat of the moment. Chris even lifted her arms up to allow it to happen.

She was left with her upper body clad in just her camouflage bra. She blushed profusely and looked away, but Dave took the opportunity to wrap her in his arms again and plant a few more kisses on her neck.

Gently and slowly, he started pushing her back down onto her back, and ran his hands over her body.

Down from her shoulders, her arms... to her sides and navel... down to her hips, and back up again... feeling every inch of smooth, soft skin...

Moving his hands back up, he came to carefully cup her breasts, still covered by the bra. He leaned down and kissed the top of one, then the other, eliciting a small moan from her.

He moved his hands again, and pushed the straps down her shoulders, intending to fully expose her...

And all the while she fiddled with the button and zipper of his trousers... getting them open and sliding them down his hips...

"Wait... w-wait... stop..."

He pulled back immediately, afraid of overstepping his bounds.

"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "What did I do wrong?"

Chris exhaled and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing's wrong..."

"Then what was it?"

"It's just... this is all so much to take in... I want this, trust me... but... not tonight... we can't do thos tonight..."

Dave sat back on his knees, catching his breath, the blood flowing back into his head. "Okay... that's... fine..."

"Again... it's not that I don't want to, but-"

"No, no, I understand... really, I do... this can wait, yeah?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah." She sat up and grabbed her shirt and putnit back on.

Dave zipped up his pants, and almost swore he could hear his manhood making a sad puppy dog noise as he put it away.

Chris took a deep breath and laid down on top of her sleeping bag, facing away from Dave. He did much the same, trying to kill the thoughts of the beautiful music she and him were about to make together.

"Goodnight, Dave..."

"Sleep well, Chris..."

The tension inside the tent was palpable, thick enough to be cut with a bayonet.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

He pulled back immediately, afraid of overstepping his bounds.

"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly. "What did I do wrong?"

Chris exhaled and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing's wrong..."

"Then what was it?"

"It's just... this is all so much to take in... I want this, trust me... but... not tonight... we can't do thos tonight..."

Dave sat back on his knees, catching his breath, the blood flowing back into his head. "Okay... that's... fine..."

"Again... it's not that I don't want to, but-"

"No, no, I understand... really, I do... this can wait, yeah?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah." She sat up and grabbed her shirt and putnit back on.

Dave zipped up his pants, and almost swore he could hear his manhood making a sad puppy dog noise as he put it away.

Chris took a deep breath and laid down on top of her sleeping bag, facing away from Dave. He did much the same, trying to kill the thoughts of the beautiful music she and him were about to make together.

"Goodnight, Dave..."

"Sleep well, Chris..."

The tension inside the tent was palpable, thick enough to be cut with a bayonet.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

The morning after wasn't exactly awkward... but Dave felt uneasy nonetheless. He got up early, as the sun was rising, and started up a fire. He boiled some coffee while waiting for Chris to rouse herself.

When she finally woke up and crawled out of the tent, Dave offered her a cup of the bitter stuff, mumbling, "Good morning..."

She accepted it and took a few sips, staring at the fire.

They drank together in silence, listening to the forest awaken, with birds chirping and insects buzzing around.

"Hey," she said, finally breaking the silence. "About last night..."

"We don't have to talk about it..."

"Yes, we do..." She got up and went over to him, sitting beside him and taking one of his hands in her own. "I think we both kinda got an idea of what's going on between us... and I'm not averse to it... but it seems to be going really fucking fast and... I just don't know if I'm ready for it yet."

Dave was silent, looking off to the side.

"God... it sounds so fucking hollow and insincere when I say it out loud," she said, shaking her head a bit. "Just... we'll get there eventually..."

Dave nodded slightly. "I get it... it's fine, I understand..." He exhaled. "How about we focus on the job at hand then, yeah? We have only a couple of days to find a skinwalker in all these woods..."

"Yeah, let's just focus on that."
They didn't speak much for most of their second day there, other than little snippets of small talk, and asking for help with tasks.

They packed up their campsite and moved it away from the half-built subdivision, and moved it deep into the wooded area it bordered.

While Dave set up the tent again (with notably less zeal this time), Chris put up noisemakers and a wireless motion detector. And while they sat down and loaded up extra magazines, she had a small radio blaring garish modern pop songs that made her want to poke out her eardrums. But, she figured it was the best way to attract a creature looking for unwary humans to prey upon, using themselves as bait.

After that, they spent the rest of the day walking about the forest, mentally mapping landmarks, and searching for potential burrows or caves. They found nothing of any real interest.

They went back to their campsite. Everything was as they had left it. They were somewhat disappointed.

In the evening, their dinner again consisted of MREs, shared quietly across a crackling little fire.

The air was getting colder this time of year, and they wore their heavy jackets in the nipping air.

Chris turned in first, followed by Dave, but not before he did a quick sweep of their vicinity with his flashlight. Satisfied for the moment, he crawled in the tent next to her, laying on his back. She was facing away from him again, already asleep.

He listened to the owls and crickets for a while, before his eyelids began to droop, and he fell asleep.

And while he slept...

...he had a dream.
In the dream, Dave was alone. He was standing in the middle of what appeared to be some great salt flat, or a white desert, or some sort of snowy plain. He couldn't exactly tell, because his attention was not focused on the ground.

It was focused on the wall of fog rolling towards him, like some sort of ethereal tsunami. It hit him face on, and he felt the air temperature drop to below freezing. He wasn't dressed properly for such temperatures, yet he wasn't shivering.

He heard a scream in the distance, off somewhere obscured by the fog. It was nothing more but a distorted echo, so much so that he could only tell that it likely belonged to a woman. To Chris? He didn't know. But he wasn't given long to dwell on it, as he was suddenly aware of the fact that he wasn't alone.

Dark figures were all around him, approaching through the swirling fog. They looked ethereal, like they were made of black smoke. But they had eyes, very distinct and well formed eyes, that bore right through his soul. They came closer and closer, and as they did, the fog swirled faster around him, like he was caught in the center of a tornado. He turned around to look for some route of escape, but he was completely surrounded.

He suddenly felt something sharp pierce his side. He looked down and saw that there was a spear embedded in his flank. He didn't feel the pain, but he felt the sensation, and he started to get woozy. When he wasn't looking, something slashed across his belly, and he looked back in time to see his intestines spill out. He fell backwards, and hit the ground heavily.

A large knife made of bone materialized where he couldn't see, and was pushed into his chest by some unseen force. It split him open, and he felt his ribs being spread. The figures made of black smoke fell upon him, and he felt himself being ripped apart, piece by piece; he tried to scream, but no sound came out...
In the dream, Dave was alone. He was standing in the middle of what appeared to be some great salt flat, or a white desert, or some sort of snowy plain. He couldn't exactly tell, because his attention was not focused on the ground.

It was focused on the wall of fog rolling towards him, like some sort of ethereal tsunami. It hit him face on, and he felt the air temperature drop to below freezing. He wasn't dressed properly for such temperatures, yet he wasn't shivering.

He heard a scream in the distance, off somewhere obscured by the fog. It was nothing more but a distorted echo, so much so that he could only tell that it likely belonged to a woman. To Chris? He didn't know. But he wasn't given long to dwell on it, as he was suddenly aware of the fact that he wasn't alone.

Dark figures were all around him, approaching through the swirling fog. They looked ethereal, like they were made of black smoke. But they had eyes, very distinct and well formed eyes, that bore right through his soul. They came closer and closer, and as they did, the fog swirled faster around him, like he was caught in the center of a tornado. He turned around to look for some route of escape, but he was completely surrounded.

He suddenly felt something sharp pierce his side. He looked down and saw that there was a spear embedded in his flank. He didn't feel the pain, but he felt the sensation, and he started to get woozy. When he wasn't looking, something slashed across his belly, and he looked back in time to see his intestines spill out. He fell backwards, and hit the ground heavily.

A large knife made of bone materialized where he couldn't see, and was pushed into his chest by some unseen force. It split him open, and he felt his ribs being spread. The figures made of black smoke fell upon him, and he felt himself being ripped apart, piece by piece; he tried to scream, but no sound came out...
"Dave! Dave, snap out of it!" Chris slapped him rather hard, bringing him out of the dream.

He sat up, hyperventilating, and started feeling at his body, making sure that everything was still there.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him look at her. "What happened? You were screaming and flopping around and..." She watched him as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "Was it a nightmare or something?"

"I... I th-think so... felt... felt really... f-fucking real..."

She pulled him into a hug, and patted his back. "They all do... they all do..."

"N-no... this one... this one w-was different... I-"

The noise traps outside started to rattle. And Chris's phone started to beep softly. Something had set off the motion detectors.

In an instant, they were grabbing weapons, putting on vests, grabbing magazines. They rushed out together, guns at the ready, flashlights on.

"Remember," she told him, "We need to stay by each other's sides at all times, we can't get separated."
"Dave! Dave, snap out of it!" Chris slapped him rather hard, bringing him out of the dream.

He sat up, hyperventilating, and started feeling at his body, making sure that everything was still there.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him look at her. "What happened? You were screaming and flopping around and..." She watched him as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "Was it a nightmare or something?"

"I... I th-think so... felt... felt really... f-fucking real..."

She pulled him into a hug, and patted his back. "They all do... they all do..."

"N-no... this one... this one w-was different... I-"

The noise traps outside started to rattle. And Chris's phone started to beep softly. Something had set off the motion detectors.

In an instant, they were grabbing weapons, putting on vests, grabbing magazines. They rushed out together, guns at the ready, flashlights on.

"Remember," she told him, "We need to stay by each other's sides at all times, we can't get separated."
Dave didn't seem to hear her, and just kept scanning the forest with his flashlight. Something crashed through some underbrush a short distance away, and he took off running at it.

"Hey! Fucking wait for me!" Chris sprinted after him.

He heard another sound of rustling leaves, and changed direction, veering off to his right. Chris struggled to keep up with him.

Something skirted the edge of his flashlight's beam and dashed off back into the darkness, and he once again corrected his course.

He kept running, determined not to lose sight of the skinwalker. He ran further and further, deeper in the woods, away from the campsite, away from Chris, and the whole time he was still hyperventilating, still feeling the effects of the nightmare...

He felt like he was being pulled forward. There was nothing he could do to resist.

Chris stopped to catch her breath, doubling over and feeling a stitch in her side. "Dave! You fucking asshole!" She still saw his flashlight beam in the distance dancing between the trees, before finally losing sight of him. "I'm gonna fucking beat the shit out of you when I catch up!"

She started jogging in his general direction, in a somewhat vain attempt to get to him.
Dave kept running on, deeper into the forest, like a man possessed. Indeed, he almost felt like that was the case. He didn't seem to be in control of his body... he just felt like a passenger. And he didn't know the destination.

On and on... on and on... until his foot caught a root in the undergrowth.

He stumbled and was sent sprawling, ending up on his face.

He reached for his FAL and sprang back up. His eyes were frozen wide, and his pupils were dilated.

He snatched up his flashlight from the forest floor, but even though the beam was a strong as ever, it seemed useless. The darkness was too oppressive. It was closing in from all sides, like a noose around his neck.

He started to panic fire. The air was filled with the sounds of cracks of the rifle, and .308 rounds impacting dirt and wood. He did a complete 360 degree turn, firing all the way, dropping out the empty magazine and slamming a new one home.

Fire, fire, fire, click, empty, new mag, slam, fire, fire, fire, click, empty, new mag, slam, fire, fire, fire, click, empty, new mag, slam, fire, fire, fire, click, empty, new mag, slam... last mag...

"Where are you!" he screamed, his head on a swivel, eyes still wide, pupils still dilated. "COME THE FUCK OUT!"

His heartrate was spiking, and he couldn't calm down. He couldn't control the panic he was feeling. His heart was beating so hard that it felt like it was going to burst through his chest.

Something moved in the corner of his vision. He turned to face it, leveled out the rifle...

"Dave, don't shoot, it's just me!"

"Chris?! Oh thank fucking god, I thought I was alone with this fucking thing out here..."

Chris just smiled and slowly approached him, sashaying her hips slightly. Dave lowered his weapon and turned his attention elsewhere, trying to locate the skinwalker.

In the blink of an eye, Chris was standing beside him, smiling. He turned back to face her.

"Dave, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong- the fucking skinwalker is out here! I saw it! I've been chasing it! I1-"

"You look like you haven't gotten enough sleep. You seem too paranoid."

"I'm not fucking paranoid... I saw the fucking thing... it was taunting me... I can feel it out here..."

Chris just sighed and wrapped her arms around Dave from behind. "There's nothing out here, Dave... don't worry about it..."

"Nothing out here? The fuck are you..." He suddenly felt himself go cold all over.

"Don't worry about it, Dave... I wouldn't worry about it..." Her voice sounded distorted. 'Her' voice. It wasn't her voice.

He wanted to scream at the sudden realization, but he couldn't move. He couldn't will himself to move or to breathe or to scream.

"Here, you don't need that anymore," said 'Chris', the voice distorting even more every time it spoke. With a long, spindly arm, it tossed his weapon aside.
He was cold all over but he could feel hot breath on his neck. He could see the arms holding him in place, long and spindly, black and emaciated. Bony, with a layer of skin stretched over them. It had no claws. Whatever it was, it was once human. Once.

"Why don't you turn around and look me in the eyes?"

He didn't want to. He didn't want to see it. But it wanted him to see it.

Slowly, ever so slowly, it gripped his shoulders, dug its long fingers into them. The long fingernails bit into the fabric of his jacket. Bit into the skin underneath. It turned him around.

It was a dark night. But he was close enough to make out the details. Over the shoulders, it wore the pelt of some sort of large animal, and on its head, it wore the skull of a deer or caribou, he couldn't tell exactly. He could just see the horns outlined in the pale moonlight. The face underneath was sunken, gaunt, with blackened skin stretched over the skull, eye sockets like pits, teeth yellowed and rotting. The breath was rancid, coppery, stinking of blood and feces.

This thing was definitely once human. But it hadn't been human for a long, long time.

"Such a brave bilagáana... coming into the forests that do not belong to him or his ancestors... intending to claim them for himself..."

Dave could do little to hide his expression of abject horror.

"But this is not your land, bilagáana... you are a trespasser here..." It tossed him away like a ragdoll.
As soon as he hit the ground, Dave scrambled for his FAL. The skinwalker kicked it away before he could reach it. He scrambled for it again, and again, and each time it was kicked away from him. And each time the skinwalker let out a throaty, guttural laugh.

Finally he grabbed hold of it, but when he got back to his feet, it was gone. He felt woozy again, and swayed on his feet, just barely staying upright. The darkness closed in on his vision again. He could hear it, all around him. Rustling the leaves, in the trees, on the ground...

He had to kill it. It was toying with him, and he had to kill it before it grew weary of him.

CRACK
CRACK

Two rounds flew into the darkness, hitting nothing. He pointed the rifle elsewhere.

CRACK CRACK

Two more rounds. No impacts.

Something brushed against his thigh. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

CRACK CRACK CRACK

Three rounds went into the dirt by his feet. Something breathed into his ear. He swung the rifle around in its direction.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

The horrible guttural laugh sounded off from behind him. He spun on the spot.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

A bony finger brushed the back of his neck.

CRACK CRACK

He heard footsteps pounding off to his left. Once more, he turned to face them. They were far off, getting closer... the skinwalker was coming in fast, straight for him. Maybe it thought he was out of ammunition. But he knew by the weight, he still had one round left.

"Dave, don't shoot! It's me!"

It wasn't her. It wasn't her. It wasn't her. It wasn't her. He shouldered the rifle. He took aim at the sound.
CRACK

A dull thud. The sounds of stumbling. And the telltale sound of a body hitting the ground.

He dropped the FAL to the side, empty and useless.

He dropped to his knees, still breathing hard. He'd done it. He'd killed the skinwalker.

No sooner had that thought passed through his mind, bony fingers wrapped around his shoulder.

"That was a nice shot, bilagáana. Such a shame that it hit the wrong mark."

Dave's heart leapt up into his throat at the realization of what he'd just done.

The skinwalker bellowed with laughter. It grabbed hold of Dave's chin, holding his head in place, staring forward at the fallen form a few meters away. From somewhere unseen, the creature drew a long blade, and held it in front of Dave's face. The blade was constructed from bone, sun-bleached white, but with the serrated edge covered in dried blood.

It put the knife to Dave's throat and coiled its arm as if to slit him open.

"And now it is time to pay tribute for your trespassing, bilagáana."

Slowly, it started to drag the edge across his throat. He felt it dig into his skin, he felt himself start to bleed...

A piercing shriek rang out through the forest, and all the other sounds of the night fell silent. Even the skinwalker stopped what it was doing to listen.

The shriek rang out again, followed by another, in a slightly different pitch. The skinwalker bristled and grumbled to itself. It pushed Dave forward onto his face, and put away its knife.

"It seems that you are not the only trespassers in my forest tonight... you are lucky, bilagáana. You have amused me. So I shall allow you to live. For now."

It leaped up into a tree, but looked down at him one more time.

"Leave this place. Never return."

And with that, it seemed to melt into the branches, disappearing.

Dave started to crawl over to where Chris had fallen.
He scrambled over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, rolling her over on her back.

"Oh god... oh god... oh god... I didn't mean it... I swear I didn't mean to-"

Her fist shot out and caught him square in the nose, sending him reeling back.

"You... fucking... asshole... you shot me! You shot... me! Of all people!"

Dave laid on his back, holding both of his hands to his bleeding nose. "Son of a bitch!"

"Yeah, you think that hurts? Try getting shot in the chest, asshole!" She sat up and checked herself over, and felt at her chest underneath her carrier rig. "You're fucking lucky the plate caught it! I'll have to start calling you Dick fucking Cheney for this!"

She crawled over to him on her knees and slapped him on the side of the head. Hard. And then again, harder. "Stop lying on the ground crying like a bitch, I didn't break your fucking nose. I should have, but I didn't. Get up and pick up your fucking magazines and let's get back to fucking base camp..."

He stemmed the bleeding with his sleeve and obeyed, while she stood off to the side, grumbling angrily to herself.

"Fuckin... piece of shit... asshole... lucky I don't... should beat his ass..."

She was about to go over to him and drag him back to camp by his ear when he returned to her. So she opted to roughly drag him by his arm instead, still occasionally hurling verbal abuse at him.
Back at their camp, she took off her carrier and slide the plate out, examining it. "This thing cost me 200 fucking dollars... you're buying me a new one..." She then rubbed at the spot on her chest corresponding with the deformed spot on the plate. It was sore enough to cause her to wince. "Fuck... that's gonna be a bruise..."

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't... I thought..."

"What the fuck happened back there, anyway? You had a fucking nightmare, then you flipped the fuck out and ran off by yourself. Almost fucking killed me."

"I-I-I... I don't... know... I c-couldn't..."

"Stop fucking stuttering and spit it out already!" She sat up and stormed over to him, punching him in the side of his head, knocking him over. She got on top of him and hooked him in the side of the head again, and again on his cheek, and again.

He meekly raised his arms to defend against her, but she punched him in the ribs until he lowered them, then went back to his face and head.

"Give me your FUCKING reasoning as to why you'd FUCKING shoot me!"

She raised her fist for another blow, then noticed he was weeping, not even defending against her anymore. She suddenly grew conscious of what she was doing, and got up off of him.

"Quiet. No more of that. This part's over. You shot at me, I beat the shit out of you. Let's call it even."

He was silent, so she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Okay," she said, "We've... thoroughly established... that plan A of just running out into the woods and shooting it to death won't work. We need a plan B."

He continued to be silent.

She looked around their campsite for any ideas. "Do you think fire might work?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you wanna try it?"

"The... the forest around here... it's pretty dry... we could accidentally... burn the whole thing down..."

"Maybe that's what's necessary? Remember all those stories of skinwalkers, all those greentexts of dubious origin?"

"Yeah?"

"Did any of them think to burn down the forest around the sonuvabitch?"

"Just... just that one with Bill... and the cabin..."

"Well, we've got homemade vodka, gasoline, and road flares. I think we can whip something up with those." She leapt to her feet and trotted down to the Hummer, digging around in the trunk
Chris and Dave spent the next couple of hours making preparations. And those preparations included the production of homemade napalm and molotov cocktails.

After that was all done, Chris got out her trauma kit and wiped the blood from Dave's face, and wrapped her own knuckles up with some gauze. She saw that his right eye was swollen up, completely closed. He'd have a shiner by the time the sun rose. She felt another twinge of guilt in her gut. She bandaged up his cuts as best she could.

"Hey, since your eye is... like it is," she said, rubbing a bit of anti-inflammatory cream onto it with her thumb, "I don't think you'll be very good with your gun. Leave the shooting to me and you can handle the molotovs, alright?"

"Yeah... sure..."

"Still feeling out of it?"

"A bit..."

"Try to just put it all away for now. We'll work through all of this later. We have to get this fucking skinwalker first. We know it's still nearby. We can't let it get away."

He nodded, taking a few deep breaths. "How's... how's your chest?"

"Like I said, we'll deal with it later." She took his hand and helped him to his feet. "Now, it is time to remove kebab."

Still holding his hand, she led him back into the forest.

With light on the horizon, they could tell that a new dawn was about to break. With the added visibility, they navigated the undergrowth quickly.

Soon, they were as far in as they'd been before, and the proceeded with more caution.

"How do you think we're going to draw it back out?" asked Dave, in a hushed tone.

"Well, I figured I'd just shoot at trees and shit and make a whole lot of noise. And if that failed, then we burn down the forest."

"I'd be lying if I said I thought it was a good plan..."

"Well, it's the plan we've got. Let's just pull through with it."

Dave leaned against a tree and started pulling the molotovs out of his pack, while Chris went into a nearby clearing with her AK, and held her arms out to her sides.

"Hey! Skinwalker McFuckface! Get out here! Show your pussy ass and fight me like you've got a fucking pair of balls or you can kiss your precious forest goodbye, motherfucker! We'll show you some REAL trespassing!"

She waited in silence for any response, but none came but her slight echo.

"Just what I thought, you fucking pussy!"

She shouldered her weapon and started firing into the branches of the trees above, sending any wildlife stupid enough to have stuck around fleeing.

She dumped two entire magazines rapidly, and once again waited in silence.

"Fuck this... Dave! Start lobbing!"

He popped a road flare and lit the cloth wrapped around a molotov, and threw it as hard as he could. It shattered against a tree a short distance away, the napalm inside sticking to the bark, and setting the whole thing alight within a matter of seconds.

Chris grinned at the display. "Nice toss!" she shouted, before noticing the rapid footsteps of something massive and heavy behind her. Before she could turn, she felt an impact at her back, launching her into the air. She flipped once, head over heels, and landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her.
Whatever it was that had knocked her over was massive, and it reared up on its hind legs, bellowing out a roar. She could see it clearly in the breaking daylight. A grizzly bear.

She rolled away just in time to avoid a swipe by the bear's massive paws, and struggled upright, gasping. She leveled out her AK with one hand and dumped several rounds into the bear, center of mass. This only seemed to anger it, and it swiped at her again. She jumped back to avoid it. And just in time, too.

A glass bottle shattered against the beast's flank, and it was engulfed in flame. It roared and dropped to all fours, writhing around. Chris took the opportunity to sprint back to Dave's side.

When she looked back, she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. The bear had stood back up, but was now rapidly desiccating, withering away, its fur falling off in large clumps. It grew taller, and antlers sprung from its skull. Soon it completely transformed into the horrifyingly familiar form of the skinwalker. It tossed aside a burning bearskin cloak.

"I have warned you, bilagáana," it bellowed, as it stepped over the flames and advanced towards them. "I allowed you to leave my forest alive, and you come back to desecrate it!"

Dave threw another molotov at it as hard as he could, but it smacked the bottle away in the air, and it shattered harmlessly off to the side.

Chris dumped the rest of her magazine at it, but the bullets seemed to have no effect. "Plan B is shit, we need a fucking Plan C and fast!"
Just as she said that, there was a shriek from behind them. The skinwalker stopped and let out a roar. Dave and Chris spun around to see that they were caught in between a very angry skinwalker, and what appeared to be several skinless humanoids, twitching unnaturally and baring mouths full of sharp teeth.

"What the fuck are those?"

"I have no fucking idea!"

Like a twisted Mexican standoff, the three parties squared off, with the monsters roaring and snarling at each other across the distance, and the /k/ommandos in the middle, trying to determine which were the bigger threats.

The skinless humanoids broke the equilibrium when they dropped to all fours and made a dead sprint towards the skinwalker, who drew its large bone knife from somewhere unseen. Dave and Chris dove out of the way, and the monsters clashed.

The skinless creatures leapt onto the skinwalker and grappled with it, trying to bite chunks out of its limbs. The skinwalker grabbed one by its throat and snapped its neck, tossing it aside. It cleaved another in half with its knife.

"Should we let this play out?" asked Dave, his voice shaky.

"Fuck no, we can't take any chances!" Chris pulled a molotov at the ground behind where the battle was going on. "See if you can encircle them with fire!"

Bottle by bottle, they used up everything in Dave's backpack, and soon the forest around them was going up in flame. They could no longer see what was going on with all the smoke in the air.

"Shit, we can't stay here!"

"But we have to confirm the kill!" Chris shouted back.

"No time for that! Let's fucking move!" Dave hooked his arm under hers and pulled her along, away from the flames.

They ran back to their campsite to recover their equipment.

The fire was practically nipping at their heels, as they scrambled to stuff everything back into their duffel bags.

"Leave the tent, leave it! No time!"

The fire was ripping through the forest as fast they could sprint away from it. They could feel the heat on the backs of their necks.

"Keep running! Don't stop until we're at the car!"

They broke through into the clearing with the half built subdivision, out of breath. Chris took Dave's bag and tossed it into the back of the Hummer along with her own, as the fire continued to consume. The foreman of the project and his assistant ran out of their trailer to meet them, seeing all the smoke, and the flames licking up into the air.

"What the fuck happened?" he shouted, hands on his head, as he watched the destruction. "I asked you to get rid of the creature, not burn the whole place down!"

"That wasn't us," lied Chris, as Dave started up the Hummer. "Didn't you know? Skinwalkers have the ability to start forest fires."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Completely serious. But don't worry. After this is over, you can call your men back to work. It's gone, and won't be coming back."

"Fucking Christ..."

"You and your assistant might want to clear out, by the way. And uh, we were never here, right? Since I don't think the authorities would believe we were hunting monsters?"

"Sure, sure... for fuck's sake... this is going to be a lot of paperwork..."

Dave switched over to the passenger's seat, and Chris hopped up into the driver's side. "Are we cleared?" he asked.

"Yeah, he fucking bought it. Let's get the fuck outta here." She hit the gas and didn't let up until they were back on the highway, headed back to Michigan.