Case 425 – Campfire and toast

My story begins when I decided to go sport hunting alone with my guide when the group I was with had an emergency and had to return to the hotel. Two of the hunters had gotten themselves bitten by a viper so needed to be rushed back before the poison took hold. I remained with my guide as I paid for a trophy and that is what I will get. We had a car of our own so there was no mobility issues for me. I did not care if the 2 buffoons had their legs cut off or died, they should be more careful when walking in the wild.

As we reached the hunting area I signalled to stop and I got out of the jeep to have a look around at the area we were in. The rains were still a few months away so the land was dry and few places had any colour on them. The trees were barren and that suited me, nothing would come hunting for me without me seeing them first. I climbed on top of the jeep to have a wider view of the area and used my binoculars to see further. I did not see the trophy I was looking for, it was the melanistic cheetah. I will find the creature and  will use as a carpet in my office, those green peace fuckers can try but I paid top dollar for this hunt and I will get what I want.

Getting back into the jeep I signalled the guide to keep driving, we drove for another few hours until we reached a hill side where we were to camp out for the night. I got out and stretched my limbs and picked up my rifle to stalk up the hill to see what I could find. Maybe I would get lucky and find a hare or something like that supplement dinner instead of the dried stuff they had us pack for the hunt. The air was hot and as it darkened it cooled enough to be bearable, my guide had set up a closed fireplace and set up some chairs for us to sit on top of the jeep. I reached the top of the hill and stood there looking around, the sunset was magnificent and so was the land around it. No animals in sight, this was odd as the migration was supposed to pass this place. Nothing made sense right then, there was a river no more than a kilometre from where I was and there were no animals in sight. I saw birds flying about but that was it, no running antelopes or herds of other animals. I was confused and decided to ask my guide about it once I had gotten down.

Once back to the campsite, I asked my guide about this and he was just as confused. We were not in the protected park but this place was enroute for the migration and there should at least be a few lions around waiting for them. I checked my calendar and other info that I used to follow the migration and we were where we are supposed to be. Settling down on a chair on the roof of the jeep I drank my beer and reflected on the situation, tomorrow we hunt.

It was at about 8 pm when I heard odd sounds coming from the hill, it was like someone was trying talk to me from a great distance. I turned to see with a flashlight in hand, nothing it was clear. The night was also clear and the full moon helped make the scene of the open savannah other worldly. I continued my vigil, nothing happened for a while until the sound came again but this time closer. The words still sounded far away but closer at the same time which made my skin crawl, I got goosebumps and my hair stood on ends. I was getting agitated by this so I stood up and began shining my light up and down the hill, there was nothing.

My guide who was sitting next to me had dozed off but was woken by my abrupt actions and asked what happened, I told him and he laughed it off saying the beer may be too strong for me. I did not smile but looked up at the top of the hill, there was something there I could not put my finger on. I sat back down and tried to brush it off, now I was drinking water because I wanted to listen to the night more intently to know if it was the beer or just me. Again after 30 mins the voice returned and this time my guide heard it too, he stood up also and began shinning his light in the hill, we were both looking for the source. He suggested we get back into the jeep as if it were a rogue lion we were better protected within the armoured body.

I relented and joined him in the jeep, this was beginning to get on my nerves and decided to lie inside the jeep looking at the hill, my guide had taken the driver’s seat to get some rest. The voice inside the jeep was louder and I sat up and tried to see where it was coming from, that is when I saw the shadow slinking around the hill. It was like running from right to left at the middle of the hill, I tried to get my torch and it was gone by the time my hand found it. I turned to see if my guide was awake also and he was, he was staring up at the last place the shadow stopped at.

Picking up his rifle he motioned I should do the same, I did and waited with him till we heard the voice, whatever it was we were now ready. After another 40 minutes it came back and this time my guide jumped out the jeep and ran to the edge of the hill and aimed up the hill at the shadow, before I could stop him, he fired. A loud bang resulted from the firing rifle, in the quiet of the savannah it was deafening. He reloaded the rifle and lit up his torch and began stalking up the hill, I got out the jeep and stood nest to it following his ascent. I could see him climb the hill and the light showing his path, as he reached the middle of the climb he changed direction to go over the side where I could not see him.

That is when I heard his cry and the light going out, there was another firing of the rifle and then silence. I called out for him and tried shine my light in the area but nothing, just the silence of the night permeated. I was about to climb up and see if I could help him in case something happened, but a sound stopped me, a sound of something tumbling down the hill, looking up I saw something rolling down the hill. Shinning my light I was frozen where I stood, it was his left hand or part of it. A bloody stump of a hand, my blood froze as I watching it roll to a stop at near the jeep. Then I hear the voice again and looked up, there was the shadow crawling out from behind the side of the hill.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I brought it up to see what it was, I could not bring myself to raise my hand. Slowly I beam made its way to the shadow and now I beheld a nightmare of a creature, a black lion that looked to be double the size of largest one I had seen. In its mouth was the upper part of the guide’s torse, blood dripped from the mouth as it chewed the body. The head of the guide lolled with the motion of the chew and I felt sick to my stomach.

I was mesmerized by this but knew I needed to get away and fast before this thing finished the current meal and decided on seconds. My feet felt like jelly as I tried to make my way to the drivers side, all the while the voice grew louder in my head and I was having the worse panic attack. One in the driver’s seat and started the jeep and lit up the front lights only to find myself staring at the beast. It was 8 feet away from the car now, how did it move so fast, the mouth was still dripping with blood and the eyes shone like fiery orbs in the light. The mane was pitch black as was the fur, it did not roar but its body vibrated like it was about to, not wanting to see the spectable I shifted the gear to reverse and gunned the jeep. I drove out from there and did not even look in the rear-view mirror.