Her Mountain

**Warning - Graphic Content

Stammering and slurring their words, Liam and his buddies practically fell through the front door of Black Rock Bar, their regular Friday night hangout. Medical school was stressful, to say the least, and the guys liked to let off some steam on the weekends. Of course, that translated to their friend group getting absolutely shit-faced some weekends. But, isn't that what college was for?

The Uber they'd called was sitting out front, about to abandon this fare when they came stumbling out and waved at him enthusiastically. At least they were happy drunks. And what's the best part about driving happy drunks late at night? Messing with them. That's what. And Todd had every intention of doing that just as soon as he laid eyes on these future doctors, barely able to walk over to his car. Med students were a constant sight in Todd's college town. He could spot them in the grocery store. He could definitely spot them fumbling down the side walk at 2am. So long as they didn't puke, he'd consider this a great opportunity to fuck with some entitled college bros.

“Hey, man! Are you our ride to State Street?” Liam asked, barely understandable.

“Yes, sir. I believe I am. How are you fellas tonight?” Todd answered while his drunk passengers piled into his SUV.

“We're great, man! But how are you? Are you having a good night......Todd?” Noah replied, pausing to squint and read the driver's name.

“I'm doing good but it looks like you guys are doing much better. Everybody buckled in?” Todd answered.

“You heard the man, assholes. Buckle up! It's the law.” Ben demanded.

“I hate to be that guy but I just want to point out the puke bags in the pouches on the backs of the seats. Just in case the party ends abruptly, am I right?” Todd said, hoping they weren't too drunk to understand what he was getting at.

“Oh man. Todd is the man with the plan. He's got his shit together, guys.” Noah answered. “Don't worry, Bro. We won't mess up your ride.”

“Hey, man. I got you.” Ben interrupted. “Alright, assholes. No puking in the vehicle. Everyone prepare a puke bag in your drunk ass lap.” Ben ordered. Unsurprisingly, no one did as requested. They just howled with laughter while one of them asked why Ben called everyone assholes every time he was drunk. Naturally, he had no answer for this. Except to call them assholes again. Todd pulled away from the curb and began their ten minute drive together.

“How long have you lived here, Todd?” Noah asked, trying to sound sober but failing.

“All my life.” Todd answered. All three guys loudly responded with their approval.

“Tell us something cool about your town. Something only a local would know.” Liam asked. Todd couldn't believe his luck. Fate couldn't have set him up more perfectly to mess with these guys. And he thought he was gonna have to work for it.

“Well, I guess I could tell you about the Ciguapa that lives on the mountain.” Todd said, knowingly peaking their interests.

“The what now?” Ben asked between drunk laughter.

“A Ciguapa is a land mermaid. They live on mountains around here. There's supposed to be one on our mountain.” Todd answered, unable to hide the smile on his face. This was too easy.

“A fucking land mermaid? Like with a tail and boobs covered with shells and shit?” Ben asked.

“No, dip shit. It's on land. It probably has legs for days!” Liam answered, accidentally letting his drunkenness show.

“They have dark brown skin, striking blue eyes, and long black hair down to their shins.” Todd said. The guys must've loved that description because the car filled with the sounds of oooh and awe yeah. “Oh, and they're naked with only their long hair to cover their bodies.” Todd added. The guys howled and laughed while they nudged each other, suggesting they go find this mountain woman.

“Why do they live on a mountain?” Noah asked. A logical question for such a drunk guy.

“They're mythical wild animals. Creatures, really.” Todd answered. “They're called land mermaids because they behave like mermaids. They lure men into their caves with sex and the men are never seen again.” Todd watched his passengers' intoxicated faces light up at the prospect of a sex crazed woman on the mountain.

“Damn right, they're never seen again!” Ben yelled from the back seat. “Who would want to leave?!” Ben asked, to which his two friends responded that they surely wouldn't.

“I've heard of some guys going up there to find her. The rumor is that a guy can go spend the night with her and then leave the next day because Ciguapas are nocturnal and sleep during the day.” Todd lied. Yes, the mythical creature was said to be nocturnal but he'd never heard of anyone going up to find her and coming back with amazing stories of night long sex in a cave. He did know that the locals in town never went on the mountain because of the mythical creature's supposed presence there.

“Well, shit, Todd. We might need a ride into the mountains soon!” Ben yelled.

For the last few minutes of the ride, the guys joked and sort of planned their evening mountain hike. They planned it as well as any early 20 somethings who are drunk off their asses can plan something. Todd sat amused at his handy work while the inebriated future doctors crawled out of his car and stumbled into their house. They were either crashing at the house tonight or roommates, Todd figured. He doubted he would hear from them again. There was a decent chance they wouldn't even remember the car ride home. Still, it was a little entertainment in an otherwise dull night of tipsy college girls falling asleep on their ride home.

Liam woke first the next morning so he was the one to dig the aspirin out of the medicine cabinet that each of them would likely search for as they dragged themselves out of bed. He was still nursing an orange sports drink as Noah shuffled into the kitchen and went straight for the bottle of pills already on the counter. Ben surprised them both by popping his head up from the living room couch and softly saying “Good morning, sunshine.” He, of course, quickly lowered his head back onto the couch with a groan.

“Do you guys remember who won at pool last night?” Noah asked. It was their custom to each put ten bucks on a game. Winner takes all. It wasn't much but they were med students, after all. Mommy and Daddy only paid for so much partying.

“Nah, man. Just give us our tens back and we'll try again next time. Why did we get so drunk this time?” Liam asked.

“You don't remember the cute girls we were trying to get in our beds?” Ben answered from the couch.

“Maybe you were trying to do that but I just wanted to have a good time.” Liam responded. He was never amused with Ben's constant pursuit of college chicks. It was exhausting to keep track of.

“Anybody remember the ride home?” Noah added. After a few moments of contemplation, the guys began shaking their heads.

“Yeah, something about a mermaid?” Liam answered.

“Shit, yeah!” Ben chimed in. “A mountain woman who likes to get freaky!”

“At least try to hide your excitement a little, Ben.” Liam answered.

“What was that thing called again?” Ben asked as he whipped out his smart phone. “I'll just search mountain woman.” he said as he typed.

“That guy was probably just messing with us.” Noah said.

“No, man! It's here! It's a Ci...gua...pa.” Ben slowly said.

“That's right. A Ciguapa. A land mermaid, right?” Liam added.

“A naked land mermaid.” Ben answered. “Who loves sex and sleeps during the day.”

Noah sat stunned for a moment. “I can't believe that guy was telling us the truth. What a weird legend.”

“You know what this means, right?” Ben asked. They definitely knew what he was going to suggest next and neither of them looked very excited about it.

“I think we are long overdue for a little hiking trip, my brothers.” Ben proudly declared. Liam rolled his eyes.

“I'm not saying I think a sex crazed naked woman is hiding on the mountain but I do love hiking. I'm in.” Noah answered.

“You idiots can do what you want. I'm getting a shower and finishing my paper that's due Monday. I'm sure you guys have papers, too.” Liam flatly stated.

“Okay, mom. I'll be sure to get my homework done, first. Then can I go?” Ben said while Noah snickered.

“Whatever.” Liam mumbled as he rounded the corner to the bathroom. While he was showering, Ben and Noah decided they would take the same Uber, whom Noah said was named Todd, and go to the highest point they could go by car. They'd tell Todd to pick them up the next morning at that same point. Pretty basic stuff. They'd hike around, keeping a lookout for horny women, and camp when they got tired. Just a fun night of goofing off in the woods. With the possibility of getting laid, Ben pointed out.

All three guys nursed their hangovers until at least mid afternoon before they were finally feeling like themselves again, which was a relief because Noah didn't want to hike with a hangover. That evening, they requested their same driver and was relieved that he was working. Although the name was wrong in the app, the ID number matched so they booked the ride. Noah was an avid hiker and had the gear they would need to hike and camp comfortably for the night. Being a Saturday evening, it took a little while for Todd to make it to them but they still waited for him. When Todd arrived, he immediately recognized the address and was genuinely surprised that the guys remembered their conversation. He was even more surprised that they were actually going up the mountain in search of the land mermaid.

“Hey, man! Remember us, Todd?” Noah asked with a smile.

“Oh yeah, I remember you guys. Feeling okay today?” Todd answered with a wink.

“We're fine but we're hoping to feel even better later on.” Ben answered.

“What's with all the hiking gear, fellas?” Todd asked, even though he knew the answer and was quite amused.

“We just happen to be really into hiking and camping, Todd.” Ben replied as he nudged Noah's arm. They threw their packs into the back of the SUV while Todd openly chuckled.

Settling into the backseat of the vehicle, Noah said, “We'd like you to take us as high up on the mountain as you can. We'll hike around and camp overnight. Can you come pick us up at 10am tomorrow morning?”

“Listen, guys. There's a few details you're going to want to know. Firstly, she is a mythical creature. It's very likely that she doesn't even exist.” Todd said.

“Yeah, we know. What's a little adventure on the weekend, right?” Noah answered.

“Okay. Also, she is very difficult to track because her feet are backwards.” Todd continued.

“Say what now?” Ben blurted out.

“She is said to look exactly like a thin, tan woman with blue eyes...except her feet are completely backwards. If you find bare human footprints, follow them backwards. I'm not saying she's real. I'm just saying that's the legend.” Todd said, looking amused at their reactions.

“Well, as long as she functions like a woman otherwise, I guess I can overlook that.” Ben said. Even Noah was grossed out by him sometimes. Noah just wanted to go hiking on the mountain. It was his favorite stress reliever but the guys never usually wanted to go. He was definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity.

“You guys got any real experience hiking on mountains? You're not going to go up there and get lost, are ya? I would feel terribly guilty if you did.” Todd said.

“I'm experienced.” Noah answered. “Most of this hiking and camping gear is mine. I've been looking for an excuse to go hiking and you gave it to me.”

“Well, alright then. Off we go!” Todd said as he pulled away from their house.

It was about a thirty minute drive to the drop off point Todd deemed best for their little hunting expedition. He marked on their map where some caves were but warned them not to go too far in. They could be very confusing to get back out of, especially at night.

“Now listen. If you guys aren't here at 10am, I'm gonna leave and come back in four hours. If you still don't show, I'm calling the police. I only say four hours because that's how long they'll make me wait before they'll do something about it.” Todd warned.

“We actually appreciate that. I know things can go wrong that we might never have planned for. It's always good for someone to know where we are and when we're expected to return.” Noah said, trying to sound professional and calm Todd's nerves. It was also pretty nice of the guy to look out for them.

“No problem. Go have fun exploring and I'll see ya tomorrow.” Todd said.

Noah and Ben got about twenty feet up the path before they heard their Uber driver leave. He seemed like a good guy, Noah thought. Ben was already pulling out the map to head toward the nearest cave. Nightfall was coming fast and he wanted to be there in case a naked woman really did come stumbling out of a cave, looking for a good time. The odds weren't much in his favor but he didn't care. It was all in good fun. And maybe they'd meet some cute lady hikers. It could happen.

“How many times have you been hiking?” Noah asked as they trudged over roots and stones.

“Probably twice a year with my buddies from high school. There's a trail about an hour from my hometown we always went to.” Ben answered, sounding impressively like a normal human being for once.

“That's cool. What's the longest you've ever been out?” Noah asked the followup question because he was trying to determine if he was hiking with a hobbyist or somebody who actually might know what they're doing.

“About a week, I think. We used to go out for Spring Break. That was before I realized the girls are at the beach for Spring Break.” Ben said while glancing at Noah with a knowing look. There he is, Noah thought. Glad to have you back, creepy Ben.

“What about you?” Ben asked.

“My longest was hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with my dad after high school. We were out for almost two months. Got a good portion of it done.” Noah answered.

“Wow, that's definitely more than me.” Ben admitted.

“So, how seriously do we need to be looking for this lady?” Noah asked.

“Not very. But if we hear something weird, I figure we can check it out. Sometimes there's a little bit of truth those legends are based off of.” Ben answered. Noah hadn't really had an actual conversation with Ben beyond jovial nonsense that college guys do. It was kind of nice to hike and chat like this.

The conversation lulled and the two walked in silence for a little while. The quiet moment gave them both a chance to really enjoy their surroundings. It wasn't quite fall yet so the air was cool but not cold. Leaves were just starting to hint at a change of color. The ground wasn't muddy, thankfully, because they'd had a few dry days in a row. It truly was the perfect night to do something like this. Birds were giving way to crickets. The shift change from day to night had begun. An owl hooted in the distance and Noah felt right at home.

Among the symphony of nighttime forest sounds, they both heard something that didn't quite fit in. At first, it was faint. Like a faraway bird that hadn't realized it was her turn to sleep. A chirping type noise followed by what eerily sounded like a person whining. Both men exchanged a look and paused to listen more closely. Finally, Noah spoke.

“How close are we to the caves?” Noah asked.

“Pretty close. Maybe a hundred feet.” Ben answered. “What do you think lives in caves and sounds like that?”

“I don't know. Maybe it's an injured animal?” Noah replied.

“Maybe it's a horny land mermaid.” Ben answered with a smirk. Noah was starting to wonder if Ben really did believe such a thing existed.

“Nah. Maybe it's a fox. They make some weird noises sometimes.” Noah said, comforting himself more than Ben. He didn't seem concerned at all. Aroused, maybe. But not concerned. By this time, they could see a rocky hole that resembled a cave entrance but the sound was continuing and didn't sound like it was coming from inside the cave. The sun had set enough by this point that they each pulled out their headlamps and got them fitted and turned on. The beams of light seemed to pierce the darkness with a strange likeness to tunnel vision. Noah fought the urge to continuously turn his head side to side to get a better view of his surroundings. He hadn't expected to feel so uncomfortable in the darkness. He'd certainly been in the woods over night before. Why did this feel different?

“It's coming from over there.” Ben said as he pointed left of the cave entrance. Noah's instincts were screaming for him to go the opposite direction of that weird chirping and whining noise but he followed Ben anyway. He didn't want to leave Ben out here alone and there was no indication that he'd be able to slow Ben down, either.

“It sounds closer.” Ben whispered.

“What's that?” Noah said, with his head lamp pointed to the ground just in front of them.

“Rachel's footprints.” Ben said with enthusiasm in his voice.

“You named her?” Noah asked with disgust.

“Well, yeah. A sexy mountain woman needs a sexy name.” Ben answered.

“They're facing toward us.” Noah said. He knew what his brain was thinking but he was steadily attempting to push the thoughts away. There was no Ciguapa. Right? That's not a real thing, he thought to himself.

“Oh my fucking god, man. You know what this means?” Ben said in a half whisper, half shout. “Rachel might be real!”

Noah's light snapped back up when he heard a twig snap somewhere to their right, just out of sight. As both men scanned the darkened trees, Ben's light stopped moving but quivered a bit. That's when Noah's light also focused on the same figure as Ben. A female figure. She was hidden in shadow, half behind a tree, but when she made eye contact with them, her bright blue eyes sparkled in the light. They almost seemed to glow. Ben started to say something but then she stepped fully into the light and he lost his words.

For Ben, she was magnificent to behold. Her slightly parted, full lips glistened while her dark black hair shined in the light of his headlamp. Every curve was perfectly placed and delicately flowed from her slender neck, over her supple breasts, and down past her hips which beckoned him into them. He practically salivated at the sight of her.

For Noah, however, the sight of her caused him to recoil involuntarily. A movement that his mind didn't initiate but he was happy to follow through with. Her skin was tinted blue and her mouth hung open, jagged teeth protruding in many different directions. Bony fingers with sharp nails at their tips adorned both hands. Her feet, oh god, her feet. They were fitted to her ankles in the strangest way, sort of in the middle of the foot. This gave her the ability to step heel first since her heels were where her toes should've been. Because of this, her movement forward was awkward and glitchy, like any proper movie monster in theaters now days. The chirping noise she continued to create with her twitching neck and half opened mouth felt as if it pierced Noah's brain with each pulse of sound. Ben didn't seem to notice the sound anymore.

“Oh shit!” Noah blurted out as he turned to escape.

“I'm staying here, man.” Ben said quietly but sternly, never breaking eye contact with his Rachel.

“Don't do that.” Noah begged as he hesitated in order to talk some sense into his friend. “Don't you see her? She's going to rip you apart, limb from limb!”

“I don't know what you're looking at but I'm looking at a good-ass time.” he mumbled as he matched her slow approach. They were only fifteen feet apart now and Noah desperately grabbed at Ben's arm to pull him away. Maybe snap him out of it.

“Fuck off, man. If you want to run, run. I'm gonna see this thing through.” Ben firmly stated. They were only eight feet or so apart now and Noah couldn't rationalize staying any longer.

“She's gonna kill you, man. I'm going for help.” Noah softly said, hoping Ben heard him but knowing he likely didn't. Running in the other direction, Noah couldn't hear much above the sound of twigs breaking beneath his feet and branches brushing against his body. That was until he heard a scream. Ben's scream. He looked back only to see the light from Ben's headlamp pointing in all different directions, rapid fire, as if someone were struggling to get it off his head.

“Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.” Noah chanted as he continued to run toward the drop off point, not even knowing what he intended to do when he got there. He'd still be alone on the mountain with that thing. Realizing this, he dug for his phone while he ran, which slowed him down a bit but he had to call for help. Running wasn't going to be enough if that thing decided to come after him.

“Hello?” Liam's voice echoed in Noah's ear as he ran, thankful for the sound of it and not that damned chirping. Recognizing that he couldn't just blurt out that a mythical creature was real, Noah opted for another explanation for their urgent need of assistance.

“An animal is attacking Ben!” Noah shouted, totally out of breath but still running.

“Oh shit!” Liam replied. “Where are you?”

“Running back to the meet up point. Can you call the Uber guy back up here? Like...quick! Tell him we're in trouble. Tell him to bring the cops with him. Or a swat team. Tell him to bring the fucking Army!” Noah shouted between breaths.

“Jesus, man. What happened?” Liam asked.

“Just do it!” Noah yelled before hanging up the phone so he could focus on getting back to the meet up point. The last thing he wanted to do right now was get lost.

Liam sat stunned for a moment and then scrambled onto his Uber app and requested a ride. Unfortunately, he couldn't find Todd on the app. Liam clicked to talk to customer service. They were unable to find a Todd in the system but they did look up where his friends were dropped off. Liam's next call was to the police, to report an animal attack. They took the information and said they were sending some officers there to check it. Liam jumped in his jeep and sped toward the address. It was some kind of hiking parking lot where a trail started that they must've taken. He hoped they took it. Otherwise, they'd be harder to find.

Although the scream only lasted for a moment and the chirping had long since stopped, Noah kept as fast a pace as he could. He knew he was slowing down but he had to push forward. That thing looked like it could be fast if it wanted to. He hoped it didn't want to. Of course, that wouldn't bode well for Ben. Noah suddenly felt conflicted. He wanted to help his friend but he needed weapons. He couldn't help anyone if he was dead. If only Ben had listened to him. Surely he saw how grotesque and dangerous that thing was, didn't he?

As the thoughts shot through his brain like race cars on the final lap, Noah saw the faint lights of the hiking parking lot they were dropped off at. Thank god, he thought. It would still be some time, though, before someone got there to help them. Time to hide. Noah opted to crouch behind a big, wooden park bench on the other side of the lot. He wanted to be as far away from that thing as humanly possible. Besides, having the road at his back instead of more woods made him feel a tad bit safer. But not much.

For what felt like eternity but was probably more like fifteen minutes, Noah listened to the sounds of insects singing their nightly chorus. A new chorus arose from the quiet, though, and it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. Police sirens. Within another minute, two police cruisers and an ambulance whipped into the empty parking lot. Noah stood and ran toward the cop cars with his hands up, just in case. The first cop to get out of his car and approach Noah was obviously the one in charge, based on how the other cops deferred to him.

“What kind of an animal are we talking about?” was the cop's first question.

“Okay, so... I'm not sure what to say. It was a person but...also an animal, I think.” Noah began to stammer over his words. He knew he needed to tell them what to really look for but they weren't going to believe him. However, a strange thing happened. Instead of asking for an animal species, the cop asked if they were by the caves. Noah was confused by the question at first but answered that they were indeed by the caves. The cop looked instantly more concerned and Noah realized that this whole thing was way more real than he ever would've believed before.

“Were you guys looking for her?” the cop asked.

Stunned, Noah replied “Yes, I'm afraid we were. What is she?”

“She's a creature that looks human but isn't. Humans are her food of choice. She lures the weak ones in, mates with them, and then eats them.” the cop answered. “We need to move, boys.” he shouted to his fellow officers across the parking lot. “We might be able to save him if we get there quickly. How long has he been with her?” he asked.

Noah glanced at his watch but wasn't sure of the time when they first saw her. “It was just after the sun set. Maybe an hour ago?” Noah guessed.

“That's a long time but we might get lucky.” the cop said as he pulled an impressive riffle out of the trunk of his cruiser. The rest of the cops followed suit, then headed toward the trail without another word to Noah. He followed behind them, thinking he might be able to show them exactly where Ben was when he left him.

The men walked quietly for over a half hour before Noah noticed the crickets and other wildlife seemed to have gone quiet. He hadn't noticed that detail before. Leaning toward one of the officers near him, he began to ask why it was so quiet but was shushed before he could make a sound. The cop gave him a stern look that relayed his message well. There's a reason the wildlife is being quiet. We should, too.

After a few more steps, Noah noticed a noise coming from one of the caves. It was more like a commotion. A sound indicating continuous movement. That's when he saw it. Or rather, he saw Rachel, so named by Ben. The same Ben who was now laying naked just inside the cave with the creature on top of him. They were mating, as the cop had so eloquently put it. Ben was bleeding from his mouth and his right hand, both of which looked as if they'd been rubbed raw with sandpaper. His eyes looked blank, like he wasn't even there anymore.

With a quick motion, the creature flipped Ben over so he was on top of her and, to Noah's astonishment, Ben came to life just enough to hold himself up and begin thrusting into the thing, causing it to chirp wildly.

“Take aim at it's head and take your shot quickly.” the lead cop whispered to his men. No sooner had he finished his sentence than Ben convulsed a bit, obviously finishing their mating session and the creature reached for his face. Shots rang out and the land mermaid's head exploded in a hail of bullets. Ben snapped out of whatever trance he'd been in and wailed in pain. Collapsing on top of the thing, he didn't make any attempt to get up.

“Run, man! Come on!” Noah shouted to Ben.

“No, leave him.” the cop yelled. “He can't move. Get the medics up here as soon as possible.” he ordered two of the officers. To the other officer, he shouted, “Help me stop the bleeding.” That's when Noah noticed the real state that Ben was in. Blood was gushing from his crotch, which appeared to be stuck inside the creature he'd so longingly named Rachel just a short time ago.

“What the hell is going on?” Noah said in disbelief.

“There are prongs she inserts when she orgasms to keep her pray still. If we move him, it will rip his dick clean off of him.” the cop said, as if it should've been common knowledge. As if this should've been covered in their medical textbooks.

“What the actual fuck.” Noah muttered.

As he held pressure on Ben's crotch, he continued to explain. “These Ciguapas are only female around here. They reproduce using us. For whatever reason, some of us see them as beautiful and are put in a trance like state by their pheromones. You must not have seen her that way, I'm guessing.”

“She's a monster but Ben walked right up to her.” Noah stammered.

“Yep. Your friend will live if he doesn't bleed out but his days of being a lady's man are over.” the cop bluntly stated.

“Oh shit.” Noah said.

“It could've been much worse. She was about to decapitate him.” he said.

“Why the fuck don't you warn people?” Noah asked.

“Everyone knows not to go up here. They tell people a fake reason to stay away. But, someone has decided to send people up here as recreation, serial killer style but without having to do the killing themselves. We're trying to figure out who it is.” the cop explained.

“I can tell you exactly who it was!” Noah proclaimed.

“Let me guess. Todd from Uber. That's not his real name or his vehicle.” the cop answered. A chirping sounded in the distance. Both cops and Noah flinched when they heard it. “Stop talking.” the cop whispered. “Another one's coming.”