Read Online Bigfoot War by Eric S Brown - Free Book Online

room to find Becca and Powell asleep in her office. Powell sat in a chair in front of her desk, his head leaning against his shoulder, snoring. Becca’s head was on her crossed arms atop the desk.
    Lauren cleared her throat as loudly as she could. Powell sprang from his chair, drawing his gun from his holster.
    “ Whoa there, slick,” Lauren said, waving his gun down as Becca stirred.
    “ So what is it?” Becca asked, her voice thick with sleep.
    Lauren laughed. “You mean aside from being the greatest discovery of our lives? It’s the real deal. That thing is a sasquatch. I would stake my career on it. We’re sitting on a goldmine of fame and fortune.”
    “ No, we’re not,” Becca said. “That thing is going to be cremated and we’re never going to speak of it again.”
    “ Becca . . .” Lauren started, but the look in Becca’s eyes told her it was pointless. “Then why did you have me look at it?”
    “ I didn’t. There was nowhere else to hide the blasted thing until it could be disposed of.”
    “ And you knew I’d never forgive you if you didn’t,” Lauren said with a smile, and meant it.
    “ Did you find out anything else about it?” Powell asked as he holstered his gun and reached for the steaming coffee Lauren kept fresh on the counter across from her desk. She recently got a new pot and the best thing about the purchase was that she made a constant effort to keep it filled.
    “ Lots, but nothing that would help you, really.”
    “ Help us?” Becca asked.
    “ Yeah,” Lauren said, confused. She thought about it for a second. “Oh no, surely you didn’t think it was the only one out there. Sasquatch 101: they travel and live in small family groups. Of course, there have been reports of tribe-like packs as well.”
    Powell dropped his freshly-poured coffee. The mug shattered and coffee went everywhere. They both stared at her, eyes wide, mouths partly slack.
    She blushed and shrugged. “Didn’t you know that?”
    “ Jeff Taylor is a self-taught expert on the things. He didn’t mention anything about packs,” Powell said, “but then again, he’s also a nut.”
    “ Taylor was obsessed with this guy in particular. He might not have thought beyond the corpse in there on that table we made.”
    “ How many?” Becca asked. Her voice cut into Lauren like a knife. “How many more could we be dealing with?”
    Lauren raised her hands, gesturing ignorance. “Depends on if it’s a family or a real tribe. I’d say anywhere from three up, given how rural this area is. We’re pretty secluded here and there’s so much untamed forest out there. There’s got to be at least a family, if not a lot more Taking into consideration the ritualistic scarring on our boy in the other room, though, I’d wager we’re facing a whole tribe.”
    “ Whoa, hold up, ladies,” Powell said. “What makes you think we need to deal with the others even if they are out there? I mean, this guy was a freak, right? Most of them are peaceful from what I have heard.”
    Becca gave him a look that told him to shut up. “We just killed one of them. If they’re anything like humans at all, that’s going to tick them off a bit.”
    “ Yes,” Lauren said. “Even the most peaceful stereotypes of the creatures suggest they do attack if they feel they’re threatened. Beyond that, I would say the markings on the one we killed made him special somehow, maybe their leader.”
    “ Markings?” Becca growled.
    Lauren nodded. “Dense scar tissue like another of the creatures marked this one for some reason. You know, like Native Americans used to do with the folks they exiled. Some shamans wore similar disfigurations as a sign of their status in the tribe.”
    “ So you think our guy was either an outcast or a holy man? I thought the things were animals.” Powell bent over with a handful of paper towels, mopping at the hot coffee on the floor, trying to clean it up.
    “ They’ve been growing and adapting just like