Werner was from Westphalia, Germany-the Northwest Region. He had been in America for a few months now as an exchange student. The US was a fascinating mixture of fashion, American self-indulgence, and politics. The Americans didn’t realize just how fortunate they really were, he thought. The abundance they enjoyed was also blinding them to the general condition of the rest of the world, but be that as it may, he had met Jenna, a 2^nd year co-ed. They had been dating and had planned on a three-day weekend holiday. Jenna loved the outdoors so they would end up in nature to do some hiking. Since he didn’t know much about American geography so he left the choices up to his little princess.

“I was going to make a reservation for a hike in the national parks system, but I was reading about these disappearances that kind of concerns me,” she said with cute little worry lines on her brunette features. At 5 ft. 4in. she was very fit and trim. She was confident most of the time.

Being that Werner was amazed at the naivety of Americans, their pre-occupation with trivial subjects, and simply different than Germans, Werner brushed off Jenna’s concerns, “Come on! What are the chances anything could happen in your pristine forests? You have park rangers and your big deputy sheriffs, stop being a superstitious child!” He laughed.

“The nearest national park is 30 miles from campus then,” She replied. “That will give us more time to explore!” She added enthusiastically.

“Well, let’s get this vacation going!” Werner urged sounding a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was what initially attracted Jenna to him, his solid physique and sense of invulnerability!

One Week Later

Ben Diamond was a seasoned park ranger and with hands folded behind his back as he greeted the new arriving hikers as he also instructed them on safety. Sometimes he could be aggravated by some of the self-assured city dwellers who had no idea what they were getting into! Often they were the ones found stumbling incoherently through the woods, dehydrated and disoriented if they were lucky! Sometimes they were found dead? What bothered Ben was that even when some of them had survival gear, their tents and supplies were found intact, but they had vanished, but this was privileged information that was filed away or confiscated by the federal special agents on duty in the national parks. He kept silent on that subject!

“I’m going to say this one time so listen up! Ask questions if you don’t understand!” He bellowed! “Do not leave the hiking trials under any circumstance! Is that understood? This keeps you from being the next victim disappearing in dense forests, lost, hypothermic, and prone to die if not rescued in a very short period of time! Is that understood?” Ben asked as he scanned the hikers and campers who were about to enter the interior of the park.

Werner smirked thinking that Ben was being melodramatic, “So, does this mean your Bigfoot is on the loose?” He chuckled.

“No!” Ben Diamond shot back. “It means that some cougar might just make lunch out of your sarcastic butt, or that some mother black bear might maul you if you get near her cubs! Is that clear?”

Werner nodded silently as Jenna jabbed an elbow in his ribs. He had a feeling that the park ranger knew more than he was letting on. These Americans could be very cunning and sly, he thought.

Jenna looked up at Werner, “He’s just doing his job!”

Ben went on for some time emphasizing how hikers should behave and respect nature as he passed out brochures that illustrated all things he had discussed. Ben was the senior park ranger on site and took his job seriously though some people thought he was dramatizing occasionally. Of course, they had not seen the aftermath of a bear mauling or the body of a careless hiker who had been stalked by a puma and not lived to tell about it! People always thought it could never happen to them!

Ben glanced over at Dolly, his dispatcher, “I think we got a green bunch in here this week! We’re going to have to be especially on the alert.”

Dolly just raised her eyebrows, “You’re such an alarmist!” she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

As Jenna and Werner prepared to go to their assigned campsite and begin their vacation, Ben walked over. “Did you guys have any other questions?” He asked.

Ben was about the same size as Werner, broad shouldered, a bit overweight compared to the younger German student but imposing no less. Werner regarded the park ranger calmly as if he were not intimidated, “I think you made us quite aware of all the idiots who fall victim here!” He spoke laughingly.

Ben, glared at Werner, “You need to be aware of what you’re dealing with here, okay? I don’t want to have to lead a rescue searching for you two.”

Werner nodded his head as if amused, “Point taken,” he replied.

“Have a nice day then,” Ben responded almost contemptuously.

It was early afternoon as the group of hikers anxious to get started flocked in different directions reading the trail markers and signs as they went. The two headed for their campsite first to get situated! Jenna was the expert at this as Werner hadn’t done any overnight camping though he had hiked in the Northern Region of Germany but not camped. He allowed Jenna to structure their approach! She was a take charge type of lady, Werner thought, so he let her have her way. By the time they has set up camp with a couple of other sites visible but some distance away it was late in the day. They had gathered firewood, set up their bedding and tent, while clearing the area for rocks or anything that could have caused them to fall or stumble.

Suddenly, as Jenna strolled across the sandy forest soil, a ruffling noise like a rush of disrupted air came from overhead as it did a shadow was cast from above! It caught her by surprise but whatever made the shadow was big like some kind of aircraft! Maybe it had hit a tree top, she thought as she squinted up into the sky not knowing whether to duck or dive for the ground, but just as suddenly as the strange sound had been made, it was gone, and whatever it was seemed so far in the distance she couldn’t get a fix on it! “Werner!” She screamed. “Did you see that?”

“Whatever are you talking about Fraulein?” He asked doubtfully.

“Something just flew overhead! Didn’t you hear it?” Jenna explained.

“No, I think you have a frayed imagination!” He replied back impervious to her confusion.

She slammed a fist impotently against his huge chest, “You are such a pain!”

“I think you could use a shot or two of the schnapps that I brought along to calm your nerves!” Werner offered.

She blew her hair out of her face frustratedly, “Maybe you’re right!”

Werner grabbed her like a mama bear would grab a cub in her arms and carried her to their tent, then administrated the peppermint liquor that surprisingly did help. She was surprised and then fell into a nap in Werner’s arms. The next thing she knew she was waking up, seeing the campfire flickering and Werner standing near looking up into the night sky. He seemed calm and reassured until she saw a worried look in his eye as he bent over and crawled into the tent as he smiled unsurely. “I’m so glad you got some rest. Apparently you needed it. Now we can enjoy the stars for a while!”

“Are you okay?” Jenna asked.

“Oh fine,” Werner sighed. “I have some boiling water for tea and some heated up rations for us. Now I think I’ll have some of that schnapps.”

“Oh, I feel like I wasted some of our precious time off!” Jenna added ruefully.

“What did we come here for? To relax” We’re relaxing no?” Werner replied as he took a mouthful of the schnapps and allowed the blast of strong mint to drain down his throat!

A shooting star flashed through the inky blackness illuminated by a cluster of gem-like points of light that glinted against the night sky. Werner kissed her tenderly and rounded up a couple of sandwiches he had at the foot of the fire along with the tea pot. Jenna knew he had something on his mind anyway. She knew him that well. They filled their tip cups with hot green tea and unwrapped their melted cheese and ham sandwiches. Jenna made a satisfied sound as she munched into the toasted treat. Things seemed serene and peaceful as she sipped the tea. “I know there’s something on your mind, Werner. Spit it out!”

Werner was sitting upright finishing his sandwich as he gazed at the sky propped up by one arm, and gazed at her momentarily. “I was just thinking about strange articles I used to read about science and mysteries in Der Spiegel, when I was younger that really intrigued me,” He replied thoughtfully. In Oberstufe, high school, as you call it here, I would sit and read about scientific mysteries like flying disks, your Bigfoot, and other strange species not acknowledged by the academic world and some stories originated right here in your state of Maine!”

“Oh really?” Jenna clutched his muscle bound arm. “Tell me.”

“The Allagash Abduction (1976): Widely considered Maine's most famous UFO case. On August 20, 1976, twin brothers Jack and Jim Weiner, along with friends Charlie Foltz and Chuck Rak, were night-fishing on Eagle Lake in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. They spotted a brightly colored, silent sphere in the sky, tried to signal it with an SOS flashlight beam, and then they were abducted!” Werner recited dutifully. “And then there was this article about this medical experimental facility here in Maine run by the US Army that makes many people living here believe that the Bigfoot sightings have something to do with that center.”

“Well, aren’t you the studious one,” Jenna playfully mocked.

Werner turned to stare at Jenna when he asked,” What did you think you saw earlier in the air? I’m sorry I did not take you seriously.”

“Why are you interested all the sudden?” Jenna asked probing his eyes.

“I think there’s something flying around up there that’s not an airplane or meteor. I saw something while you were asleep.”

“Oh!” Well now I’m not so full of shit, huh?” Jenna reacted. “I don’t know, but whatever it was it wasn’t natural! Are we going to tell boogey man stories now, Sweetie?” She said with a nervous laugh.

“Maybe these experimental labs can pull off genetic tests making man apes or even prehistoric giant birds,” Werner speculated with an ominous tone in his voice.

“What did you see, Werner?” Jenna demanded as she stared into his eyes.

“I-I don’t know what it was. I was thinking it through when you woke up. I saw something big and black up in the sunset sky with a huge wingspan! At first, I thought it was a small plane but then it flapped its wings and it made like a rushing sound like it was pushing air,” He frowned but she couldn’t see that in his face at the moment.

“Yes-yes,” She agreed. “A kind of whooshing sound!”

Werner nodded as if he got confirmation of something he didn’t want to believe. He was not easily startled but was curiously cautious over what he was seeing in his mind, “I’ve seen very old photos of hunters holding these huge birds that look nothing like what we consider predators like eagles or condors, or even owls! These were much bigger.”

“And you’re telling me that’s what you saw?” Jenna insisted.

“I have no other explanation,” Werner quietly admitted. “I think we should be careful.” He said slowly as though something had made an impression upon him.

“Whatever you say, Captain,” Jenna playfully replied as she grabbed the back of Werner’s neck and pulled him down on top of her as their lips met.

The night morphed into black infinity and into the mystery of dreamscapes. A veil of a Maine forest night fell like the ceiling of an unlit cave and the tent became still. Only their breathing disturbed the nocturne wilderness. From above there came a strange rattling noise that echoed from a huge pair of lungs belonging to an ancient raptor that only American Indian legends had hinted at. Against the background of stars and the pale light of the moon, it drifted to a tree top and perched as its heavy weight caused a rustling of branches and leaves. The couple did not stir as they succumbed to the need for rest there at the edge of the unknown and the waking world of denial.

Bruce Fletcher had rotated to early morning duty on this day and had left the park ranger office in the jeep, headed for the campsites on routine patrol. The morning was crisp in the lower 40’s and he could see his breath inside the cab. Light was barely making its way over the horizon as the clouds would not burn off for hours if at all today. The coffee had helped give him some stimulus but the chill still bit through his green, light, park ranger jacket as he made a left turn on the sandy gravel road headed for the outer campsites and a steep fall off to the right side of the road from an angled slope that bordered one side of the trail. He glanced over the horizon wishing he’d gotten more sleep when it happened!

A large airborne shape moving in a peculiar way, seemed to head straight for his jeep head on! He could not make out clearly through his frosted windshield just what the hell it could be! He squinted through his glasses then slammed on his brakes! Whatever it was had been flapping huge wings and smashed right into the auto-glass! Trying to dodge the weird mid-air collision, Bruce swerved to his right and inadvertently skittered into the edge of the shoulder and over the steep slope that only led to a deadly fall and an end over end tumbling ranger jeep! Park Ranger, Fletcher screamed in disbelief, still trying to hold onto the steering wheel as his world violently rolled in a cloud of dust down the hilly face of rocky out cropping! The huge shape that had crashed into the Jeep flew up into the air and glided over the unsettled dust of a fatal wreck. The Jeep laying on one side, crumpled, wheels still spinning, partially hiding the broken body of Bruce Fletcher. The windshield was collapsed, and a huge bloody claw mark seemed painted on the front edge of the roof!

“Did you hear something?” Jenna yawned as she stretched out her arms.

Werner listened intently, sensed something was wrong, but lay still without a world just looking at the tent ceiling trying to understand what might have happened. “What did it sound like to you?” He sleepily groaned.

“Was like something metallic crashing. Maybe a wreck,” Jenna yawned as she crawled out of the tent to look around. Then she saw it up in the air above the tree tops, a huge flying form that cast that same shadow she remembered from yesterday!

“Werner quick!” She yelled.

Werner hadn’t had time to straighten up and was on his hands and knees, “What?” He stubbornly muttered still trying to wake up. Glanced into the sky where Jenna was pointing and saw something that reminded him of a dragon or flying dinosaur of some kind. ”Oh my God!”

Jenna also spotted a cloud of rising smoke not too far from their location rising up from the opposite roadside further down from their campsite. “What in the hell is going on?” Jenna wondered aloud. Is this some kind of nightmare?”

Werner grabbed her and pulled her down into the tent, “Don’t give this damn thing a target! We don’t need to attract its attention!” he hissed. The two of them clutching each other backed away from the open end of the tent now keeping very quiet and still. Werner closed the flap to the tent and held Jenna hoping the creature would not see them. Every once in a while they heard the rush of air over the top of the tent, telling them that something big and powerful had just passed over them! It was unnerving! They waited in silence, listening for any possible inkling of danger. Finally, Werner hearing the sounds of vehicles, lifted the flap of the tent opening a watched as a line of park ranger jeeps stood at the should of the road where Jenna had seen the telltale signs of a cloud of smoke not knowing about ranger Fletcher’s jeep crashing over the slope.

Checking up into the sky, Werner got up and began walking toward the small convoy of vehicles followed by Jenna. Park Ranger, Ben Diamond was standing over what was left of Bruce after having been rolled over by his capsized Jeep. The paramedics were clearing the body and loading it on a stretcher. “Please stay back!” Diamond warned Werner and Jenna, this is an accident scene!” Ben moved toward the two startled campers with his arms outstretched.

“I think we may have seen what might be responsible for this earlier, “Jenna stammered.

“What did you see?” Ben asked, “Or may I say, what did you think you saw?”

Just then, what appeared to be US Army personnel drove up in two Humvees, camouflaged, and appearing armed with 50 caliber mounted machine guns. One of the soldiers, face covered in a green mask, walked over, “Have you secured the site?”

“Just now arrived. We have one body being removed,” Ranger, Diamond replied.

“Then what are these two civilians doing here?” The soldier asked.

“We haven’t gotten the areas fully cordoned off yet!” the park ranger replied defiantly.

“No matter! My men and I will take over from here!” The soldier replied forcefully.

“And who are you with?” Ben asked.

“US Army experimental lab division! We have federal jurisdiction please disburse!”

“Does anybody give a damn about what we saw and how it could have been responsible for the death of this park ranger?” Jenna huffed back at the ranger and the soldier.

“Care to tell us?” The soldier coldly replied.

Werner silently stood aside not knowing what these Americans might do to a foreigner, not trusting them. He listened carefully and eyed the soldiers who were clearly taking charge.

“My boyfriend and I were just getting up this morning when we first saw a cloud of smoke coming from this location,” she said pointing to the camp. “We were sleeping over there but when we got up we saw this flying creature of some kind and it threatened the two of us. We stayed down on the ground trying to keep from being snatched up by that thing!”

“When was this? What time?” The soldier replied.

“I don’t know! I was too freaked out to check my cell phone! We were trying to keep from getting attacked!”

“What did this thing look like?” The soldier asked as two of his men brandishing weapons approached.

That was when Werner broke in, “I thought it was a dragon at first, huge like a lizard or maybe like one of those Pterodactyls! It was a giant flying predator!”

The soldier nodded to his men, “How long ago would you estimate?”

“A good guess would be 2 hours ago I’d say,” Werner speculated.

“From what direction did this thing come?”

Jenna pointed, “That’s where I saw it first before it began flying overhead!”

“You sure this wasn’t a drone of some kind or other airborne vehicle?”

Jenna glared at the soldier, “I know what I saw!”

“There!” One of the soldiers pointed. “There it is!”

“Mount your weapons men! Prepare to fire!”

“Yes Sir, Sergeant!”

“What the hell does this have to do with the US Army labs?” Jenna shouted.

“Corporal get these civilians the hell out of here! Ranger, withdraw your people! We’ll handle this!” The sergeant barked more orders to his men.

“What are you going to do?” Werner shouted as a soldier grabbed him.

The flying monstrosity came swooping down on the sergeant as the others moved away. “Fire!” he yelled just before being snatched off the ground.

“We can’t fire with the sergeant in the claws of that thing!” One of the gunners cried out!

“We have our orders! Now fire!” Another gunner mounted atop his Humvee called out as a loud burst of automatic ordnance flared from the muzzle of his weapon!

The flying beast dropped the body of the sergeant and dodged the streams of bullets fired at it with incredible agility! Everyone but the two gunners ran from the scene. The paramedics drove off. Werner grabbed Jenna and they crouched behind one of the ranger’s jeeps, but the park ranger who jumped in, drove off leaving them stranded! Werner took Jenna by the hand and led her to her car. Jenna fumbled for her keys and the loud rattle of machine gun fire continued! Like watching flak trying to knock a fighter plane out of the sky, orange tracers of bullets followed the flying beast as it rolled and dived toward the ground. Werner and Jenna watched in horror as the aerial monster sheered the top of the gun mount and its gunner right off the Army Humvee, but the other gunner revolved into position and fired a burst that struck the animal directed and sent it to the ground as a horrid and shrill screech pierced the air. The huge body thumped onto the ground, torn by the bullets that had raked into it. Jenna watched the huge body spasmodically breathing its last breaths, blood spurting from its beak.

“Let’s get the hell out’ve here!” Werner screamed as Jenna finally steadied herself long enough to insert her keys into the ignition to start up her car.

As Jenna sped away, Ranger Ben Diamond tried to wave them down, but Werner lowered his window and extended his arm with a middle finger clearly visible like the sale on a boat into the air! Jenna watched as the sky seemed to erupt with more dark flying figures from the unknown as they descended upon the soldiers and park rangers unable who were unable to escape! Werner had his head cranked around watching the rear, “Keep going they are all goners!”

“Do you think we should go to the authorities to tell them what we saw?” Jenna’s voice quivered.

“And get interrogated by your American police and military? No way! Just keep driving! They’ll figure out a way of covering all this shit up!” Werner sighed resolutely.

Tears streamed for Jenna’s eyes, “That was horrible! I can’t believe what we saw!” She stammered.

“Get a hold of yourself!” Werner tried to reason with her. “Be thankful we got out alive.”

Little did Jenna or Werner realize that a large shadow was hovering above them pacing the speed of their runaway vehicle and slowly descending upon it. Jenna was too freaked out to realize it and Werner was much too distracted trying to console her! Just seconds later the eerie telltale sound of a claw scraping against the sheet metal atop the car began! As she pressed her foot further against the gas pedal.

Ten O’clock EST

“This is Roland Pearce with the late night news reporting from our Portland affiliate! A bizarre chain of events has led to the deaths of several US Army, park rangers, and civilians. Details are scare at this hour, but local sheriffs are reportedly asking residents to remain calm and realize that all efforts are being made to normalize the situation! One local resident claims that a wild animal incident was responsible but further proof has not been released at this time. Now, we are returning you back to regularly scheduled programming. I’m Roland Peace and that’s the news for this late evening.”

The End