The sky grew dim; the golden shafts of light unable to pierce the dense canopy. Cold seeped into my bones, but I knew its source was not the slight temperature change. Gigantic trees with swollen bases and fluted trunks stood tall, bursting forth from algae-covered waters. Long moss draped over their branches, obscuring many limbs from view. Fog penetrated every curve of the lake as far as I could see. I spotted movement in the dreary, dark waters close to the shore. A massive alligator stealthily drifted by with only its eyes and nostrils above the shallow water. Its snake-like tail propelled it along. I imagined its sharp teeth ready to tear its next victim to shreds before swallowing it to satiate its thirst for death. 

I recoiled when I pictured it in my head. I’d killed creatures a lot worse, so I didn’t understand my reaction. I wouldn’t give Xander the pleasure of showing how unnerved I was, so I attempted to play it cool. “What kind of trees are these again?” It was a stupid question, but I had to say something.

“Bald Cypress. They grow all over the area because they thrive in water. They are called giants because they can grow up to 120 feet tall. See the roots growing up from the ground?” 

I spotted one right away. It reminded me of a small tree trunk.

“They’re called knees. Some think they’re like anchors that keep the trees upright. Others believe they provide oxygen to the roots.”

“It’s prehistoric.” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but there it was.

“Prehistoric? What’s that supposed to mean? I’ll have you know this is a natural ancient lake.” Xander’s indignancy made his words sharp.

“I can believe that. I feel like I’m trapped in the movie Jurassic Park. All that’s missing are the dinosaurs, and I’m expecting a Velociraptor to attack any moment.” Maybe that was an exaggeration, but I was so freaked out it seemed natural.

“It’s more likely a Caddaja would kill us.”

“What’s a Cad-Cadda, whatever you said?”

“It is a man-eating monster of Caddo folklore. The Caddaja is usually described as a gigantic, hideous, horned, man-eating ogre said to hate humans. But if we did have dinosaurs, they’d be brontosaurus.  We have enough shit growing in the lake to keep a herd happy. Of course, there are bigfoots and the Caddo Critter to keep folks on their toes.”

“Bigfoot? Caddo Critter? Now you’re just making fun of me.”

“I kid you not. There have been numerous sightings of Big Foot over the years. There’s even an annual conference in Jefferson. Some folks go on regular trips around the lake, beating the bush, lookin’ for proof. The lake is secluded enough, for sure. But I was joshing about the Caddo Critter. No one’s seen it seen it since the 70’s.”

A moment later, he stated, “This is the place.” I couldn’t tell if what I detected in his voice was pride or satisfaction in scaring the shit out of me. Maybe it was both.

Recalling what the swampy waters held, I asked, “Are alligators ready to attack me if I go farther.”

“No guarantees.”  Xander took his gun out and put it in his waistband. “We’re walking to the cabin.”

“In this shit?”

“Quit bitchin’.” We traipsed across the muddy ground in silence. I kept a close eye on my surroundings, and it paid off when I skirted a five-foot-long water moccasin in my path. I would have shot the damn thing if it weren’t for the noise. I jumped when I caught sight of a giant rat. The creature must have weighed 15 lbs.

“What the hell is that?” I asked louder than I intended. Shaken, my voice had risen several octaves.

Xander glanced at it. “It’s only a nutria. Look at it. Its face, teeth, and long whiskers resemble a beaver, but its long, thick tail is rat-like.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

“Yeah, black widow spiders are crawling up your jeans.”

I jumped when I spotted around ten, as high as my knees. I swatted at them like a mad woman until I knocked them all off. When I glanced around to find their source, I discovered they were everywhere. “How the hell do I avoid them?” 

Xander let out an exasperated sigh. “I thought you were a badass hunter, yet you’re scared of your shadow.”

“Bullshit! I like to know what I’m up against, and this shit is freaky. Just so you know, I have a 100% kill rate.”

“Good for you,” he replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

“Asshole,” I uttered under my breath.

 Xander stopped and pointed at a ramshackle building. Long and narrow, it perched on stilts in the brackish water. Years of constant moisture had caused the wood exterior to rot. The tin roof had turned brown due to heavy rust. I wondered if a strong gust of wind would knock it down. An elevated splintered wood walkway led up to it. I wouldn’t have entered even if someone had a gun against my head. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

I stood by and listened to Xander’s alligator-skin cowboy boots thumping on the creaking ramp. If we ever escaped this freak show, I decided to ask him if he’d killed the beast himself. The humid hotter than hades air made me wonder if people paid good money to spas to satisfy their masochistic tendencies. Indeed, the mud baths didn’t smell like swamp monsters gone wild. Or maybe not. Once I had Liam safely by my side, we could always become business partners with Xander and open a make me feel good one stop shop and charge exorbitant rates to big city folks. We could train the nutria to give full body massages and throw in the poodle-size mosquitos at no extra cost. When I reached the point where I was counting our riches, Xander interrupted. 

“Are you going to stand there all day or get your cute ass in here?”

Go in that monster-infested ramshackle shed and wait until it disintegrates, dropping us into that primordial soup? Hell no! “I’m good.”

“Come on Rayne, don’t be—”

“What?” I asked, waiting for him to finish his sure-fire insult. I hoped he gave me a reason to shoot him and feed his body to the alligators. Little did I know.

I was jumpy enough as it was, so when I heard the loud sounds of splashing water, I immediately sought its source. At first, I didn’t see it because of the tall grass and undergrowth. When I heard the hissing, it got my attention. The gator rushed me fast enough that I knew running wasn’t an option. I removed my Glock faster than I ever had and aimed between its eyes. My bullet didn’t harm it and only pissed it off even more. Time was running out—fast.

“Xander, how do I kill an alligator?” I screamed as loud as I could. It seemed like it took hours for him to respond, and I faced an excruciatingly painful death.

“Listen carefully. To kill an alligator, you shoot it just behind the rectangular hard plate on top of the head. Got it?”

“Not really, since I’ve never seen one up close before.”

“You better be a fast learner.”

I repeated Xander’s words over and over in my head. I didn’t have time to get in the proper shooting stance, but I aimed and fired. I hit the sweet spot and was satisfied that the danger was over. I breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Now turn around slowly and pray.” I really hated his tone. With my hand and arms in the proper shooting position, I turned and faced what had to be the giant devil in the swamp. My next shot was carefully placed. Relieved I’d survived, I spun around to face Xander. Who wasn’t there?

“How many rounds do you have left?” He sounded too calm for my comfort. I didn’t need to check the Glock’s chambers to know I was down to one bullet. I didn’t have my extra mag, which happily rested in the Suburban’s glove box.

The distinctive blast of Xander’s Smith & Wesson got my attention quickly. He’s killed another brute that thought I was dinner. Every curse word I knew came to mind, but what escaped my lips was, “Thank you, God,” It’s funny how fast people become believers when they think they’re going to die. Of course, once the threat has passed, they become heathens again. What the hell was happening? I trembled as my eyes scanned the nearby area. It was clear from what I could see. Of course, as big as the cypress trees were, twenty brutes could hide behind one trunk. If I’d had a chainsaw, I would have attacked the giants, slaughtering as many as possible before the chain broke. But the damn things appeared as innocent as anything could, with moss hanging down from its limbs, enormous above-ground roots, and knees waiting to suck me down into hell.

Then I heard a deep-throated hissing sound, the snap of its jaws, and down I went. The pain of its teeth chomping at my foot was excruciating. Lying on my stomach left me defenseless. At that moment, the fear of losing my foot was greater than the horror of dying. I kicked it in its head in a futile attempt to free myself. Xander blasted it with fury, killing it instantly, then struggled to open its clenched jaw. Even in death, it was intent on killing me. Once Xander freed me, I painfully yanked my foot loose.

I was still trembling when Xander took me in his arms. “You’re fine. It’s over for now, but let’s get the hell out of here.” To my surprise, Xander picked me up and carried me through the thick mire. Under different circumstances, I would have protested, but I knew I couldn’t put any weight on my injured foot.

Time crawled on the way back to the cabin. Once we reached it, he stepped on the porch and stopped at the front door. “Do you think you can open it?”

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I simply nodded. Once inside, he took me to his couch and lay me on it, mud, scum, and all.

“But your sofa—”

“Will be just fine. Now let’s get that boot off.” My foot had swollen by then, so it wasn’t easy. I winced several times before my foot was free. “I’ll be right back.” I’d never felt so helpless before and didn’t want him to leave. Then I heard running water. Was he going to…