About the author and series.
This book is part of a series, written by IP Spall, consisting of 22 short stories in total. To find out more about this book series or any of IP Spall’s other publications, head to https://linktr.ee/ipspallbooks
Many of these short stories are free, and if you enjoy reading this book, you can even buy a total collection of all the short stories for a low price! Follow the link above to find out more.
This story can be found on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3eG0JlF
An uncomfortable foreword
It has been said that a series of short stories must emanate unexpectedness and a sense of chilling surprise. Such a collection of stories would require a character framework that is present throughout the whole book; from tale to tale, offering the reader a chance to relate to the individual characters — their pain, their horror, their paranoia. Such a collation would also contain an underlying subplot, so all of the stories connect and relate to one another, in a weblike manner, allowing each entry to follow on from the last with some continuity, while still retaining individuality.
I gave this some thought and decided to do the complete opposite. For me, each story should be read as an individual tale of terror, and certainly not as a collective.
Each of my short stories should evoke thought, emotion, and hopefully, leaves the reader wondering what the hell happens next. Let’s face it; not everyone looks for a happy ending in the stories they read. With this in mind, let your imaginations run wild, and enjoy the unpredictability; often an uncomfortable ride.
The African Linsang
Melanie stood in the middle of the living room, nervously clutching a few bits of paper in her hand. Smiling profusely at Jared, who just sat there slumped back on the couch, he watched with intrigue, eager to hear what she had to say. She took in a few deep breathes and composed herself, she then paused, and before she said anything, she looked up at him again.
“The Poiana Richardsonii, or as they’re more commonly known, the African Linsang, is the largest species of Linsang native to Central Africa [she took another deep breath]. It’s a strange little creature that has a resemblance to striped wildcats, but also looks like it’s mated with a Weasel. It is a creature with length, a slender body shape, which lives and hunts independently up in the tree canopy. Its DNA composition is closely related to cats, although you’d never be able to tell. If you see them out in the wilds, you’ll notice that they have more character traits associated with the behaviours of dogs, strangely. The African Linsang is largely arboreal, inhabiting dense forests and the jungles of Africa and Asia, mostly endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is where we hope to film them,” she said smiling. Jared gave a little clap, and mouthed the words ‘well done’. Melanie took a deep breath and carried on talking.
“Yeah… we’re actually going to Africa”! She said, all excited. She smiled at him seductively, before continuing.
“The African Linsang is part of the Viverridae family. They’re small to medium-sized mammals that have four toes on each foot, with half-retractile claws. They are generally nocturnal by nature, solitary carnivorous tree dwellers that really don’t like to socialise at all, except for when its time to mate. Their diet consists of eating squirrels and other small rodents, small birds, lizards and insects. Measuring just over 30cm long, it has a tail that’s more than double its body in length.” When Melanie had finished, Jared burst into a small cheer, clapping at her presentation, sharing her excitement, knowing that they would be leaving in just a few days. They both knew that it was going to be a once in a lifetime expedition. With a huge smile on her face, she slowly crept over towards him and straddled him while he sat on the couch, kissing him slowly and seductively, clearly enthusiastic about their epic scientific trip away.
The two of them had somehow found each other while studying the creatures, seeing each other within the small niche studies of the Viverridae mammals, somehow bringing their two souls together. As they ended up working alongside each other, they slowly became attracted to each other over time, as studies at the same university brought them together on precisely the same specialist projects. The expedition had been in the making for many years, and now that they finally gained some funding, their long-term studies finally got a chance to flourish, allowing them both the opportunity of a lifetime. In two days’ time, they would be leaving for a twelve-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they would get a first-hand opportunity to study the creatures close up, allowing them to document their findings and hopefully retrieve enough footage to make a documentary for one of the largest factual based television companies in the world. Neither of them could wait; the more they discussed the trip, the more excited they got.
Their affairs were now in order; the flights, vaccinations, visas were all done, and everything else had been arranged well in advance. When they arrived, they landed at the Congolese airport N’Djili, where they had to wait about an hour for their connecting flight to Mbandaka, their final destination. Flight-wise, everything was running to plan, and they met their guide, Samuel, who was waiting for them, as arranged. Considerable relief was felt by both of them when they finally got to their hotel room, as the length of the journey really was exhausting. Their room overlooked the mighty Congo River. A night to relax and prepared themselves for the following day was a good move, as their next journey would entail another four to five-hour trip up-river to an area of dense equatorial jungle. This secret location was the place where the most recent sighting of a new family of African Linsang’s; a chance offering of a scarce and invaluable opportunity to witness the solitary creatures in a family setting. If they were successful, it would be the first recorded instance in history of such footage, and it would certainly help them achieve great success as wildlife photographers. For now, they had the evening to relax and enjoy their Congolese welcome, knowing that they had to get up early, leaving at first light.
The journey ahead was long and tedious; exhausting for everyone involved. Hour after hour, the trip seemed to take forever, and so it was typical that when they finally arrived, the animals couldn’t be seen anywhere. Samuel then led them deeper into the jungle, rechecking the few other places that he’d previously seen signs of their existence, but from what they’d found so far, the outlook didn’t look good. It was almost as if they knew they were coming. With two heavy backpacks, filled primarily with camera equipment, plus camera stands and other stuff, it was all too much. The heat and humidity were unbearable, and the going was tough, so when they finally gave up looking, in the late afternoon, they were both ready to set up camp for the night. Melanie and Jared were exhausted from the day’s trekking.
The jungle was loud and noisy, and the humidity was relentless; as experienced travellers, they tried to stay positive amongst the natural beauty that surrounded them, even though they knew that they hadn’t had any luck whatsoever. The subject of the campfire talk was all about the Linsangs and the usual frustrations that generally followed wildlife photographers around. It was a real shame they hadn’t made the shots, but you never know what could happen, as everything in the jungle changed from hour to hour. They stayed positive and hopeful, as they had at least another couple of days of filming if everything continued to go as planned.
First thing in the morning, Jared woke to Mel leaning over him, informing him that they’d slept in, waking far later than they had planned. So after a few quiet discussions and a quick cuddle, they got up fully refreshed and ready to go. When they finally got out of the tent, a shock awaited them in the form of their guide, Samuel, who had vanished during the night. He’d left his tent, sleeping bag and all of his belongings, and just gone, without any signs of struggle or messages left for them. Samuel wasn’t like that at all; he was a long-term, trusted friend who they knew that they could rely on. He was a conscientious guy, and someone they had both known for many years through the university network. Jared thought that Samuel must have just rambled off to the toilet or somewhere and that he’d be back soon, well, that’s what they hoped. They both spent a few minutes shouting his name as loudly as possible, but the sounds just seemed to get consumed by the jungle. They had no choice but to wait, hoping that he’d reappear soon, so they reluctantly re-lit the fire and made them some coffee. Minutes passed, and there was still no sign of him. The minutes then turned to hours. They hung around camp for quite some time, as they realised that they were now alone and without a guide, alone and lost in the dense, virgin jungle. Jared took the initiative, thinking that he could probably back-track their way out of there if their tracks could still be seen, but they both knew that it probably wasn’t a very realistic expectation. By the time they finally had some breakfast and packed everything up, it must have been about three or four hours after they woke up before they finally left the campsite. Jared had an idea of which way they had initially come in, but as soon as they moved away from camp, all his ideas quickly dissolved, as he realised that they were now completely lost. Neither of them had a clue as to which way to go.
The feeling of panic was lurking inside both of them, as they slowly progressed forward; they felt it in their hearts, as fear slowly began to creep around their bodies. Jared tried to stay confident and led Melanie on the correct path, but instead, he unknowingly led them deeper into the jungle, actually trekking in the opposite way to which they came.
The jungle was noisy and full of life, which was unsettling in itself, but it wasn’t until a couple of exhausting hours later, when Mel begun to get a little paranoid, thinking that something or someone was following them, did things gradually start to turn for the worst. Every step they took seemed to be accompanied by the noise of movement in the undergrowth near to them, seemingly coming from all directions. Within his composure, Jared confidently took them in the way he thought was correct, continually searching the ground for signs of previous access, or tracks made by animals, or any sign of civilisation that might appear at any moment. Up to their necks in mud, with everything wet from the extreme humidity, their heavy packs strained their muscles, draining them both of essentials liquids and energy. They came upon a clearing; they stopped and had a brief rest, Mel insisted that they should set up camp, but Jared announced that they needed to keep going. This decision upset Mel, but she trusted him more than anyone else and reluctantly carried on. They walked another 30 minutes before they came upon another clearing, unknowingly walking directly into a large troop of Baboons. Mel and Jared came to an abrupt halt; the creatures stopped and starred from all directions. The big alpha male quickly ran over to confront them and protect his group.
“Just stand perfectly still,” Jared said, slowly raising his arm to stop Mel walking any further. The troop leader, who was as big as a Dalmatian, if not bigger, snarled, and growled, taking a very aggressive pose towards them. It stood there directly in front of them, about three or four meters away. It was far too close, so close that they could both see its massive canine teeth, which were probably more significant than a full-sized lion. They stood perfectly still, which made the whole situation a thousand times worse. Jared gestured Mel to take a step backwards slowly.
“Mel, go back into the jungle, back the way we came,” he said, quietly and calmly, moving as softly as he could, in the leaf litter in which they stood. The alpha male continued to growl, as the rest of his troop then started to gather behind him. This was serious; they both knew that their lives were now in grave danger. They continued slowly stepping backwards, moving back into the undergrowth until they were about ten meters or so away; Jared eventually turned and instructed Mel to walk away in the opposite direction, hoping and praying that the monkeys would leave them alone. He was wrong. As they walked, now at a significantly increased pace, it was evident that the creatures were following them. Their walk turned into a run, or as best they could, considering they were still carrying the heavy backpacks until it was apparent that they were effectively being hunted. Jared instructed Mel to dump their equipment if they had any hope of escaping.
Desperate to escape the Baboons, they ran for their lives. Melanie openly wept as they ran, while Jared felt the fear burn inside, as he led them through the jungle, without a clue as to where they were going. With the noise of rustling and movement, matching their speed and direction, they ran as quickly as their legs would carry them. Mel openly cried out, as they both sucked in air, frantically trying to escape. The predators were matching their every move, as they ran downhill, through rocks and trees, hoping that they would eventually get to a river. If they could just follow a subsidiary along its course, they’d have a much better chance of finding a village or at least something to float on downstream. They could hear the subtle roar of the Congo River somewhere, but running through the jungle as fast as they could go, meant that they couldn’t identify which was the sound travelled. Slipping and sliding down the banks, they continued going downhill. The occasional glance back just confirmed their worst fears; the animals matched their speed and direction, loudly talking to each other, as they were enjoying the hunt. Melanie kept on crying, screaming, with Jared just shouting out reassuring comments, as they slid down the banks, ever closer to the valley floor.
The baboons were still clearly very angry, matching their every move, barking and screaming as they chased the two scientists relentlessly for quite some distance. Jared had no idea what to do apart from the run, as he was sure that the animals would catch them, but strangely they never did. As time passed, he had an uneasy feeling that the creatures were holding back; inevitably, they would have caught them by now if they wanted. Either way, they couldn’t slow down, the thought of being ripped apart whilst they struggled to escape was horrendous and not an option. Breathing heavily now, slowly with exhaustion they continued as best they could.
The more Jared thought about it, the less sense it made, as the animals ran so close to them, they could see many of them close by, yet they just chose to chase, never quite catching up. The big alpha male was huge, making light work of the jungle, easily capable of ripping them both apart, so they had no choice in the matter; they had to run, and run for their lives, as the troop followed relentlessly.
They continued running until they came to a steep bank. They had no idea where it went, but it fell steeply down to somewhere. The two of them slid down on their butts, scraping up large piles of leaf litter until they fell onto flat land again. The chase continued, now moving onto an area of large boulders that ejected out of the jungle floor. As the monkeys sprung from tree to tree, barking like mad, the two of them, breathless and exhausted carried on. Jared knew that the monkeys would make light work of climbing over the boulders; they came to the first large boulder, running to the left of it following an established animal track that leads through the rocks at ground level. Instinctively he headed towards it, as it offered the quickest and easiest route through, running now with little hindrance. The Baboons caught up and bounced alongside them, moving from boulder to boulder, barking frantically, as they got ever closer. Mel screamed out in fear, as one of the animals closed in on her. Jared suddenly slowed down, at the worst possible time; he squeezed through a narrow passage before carrying on. A sizeable aggressive Baboon stopped just above Melanie’s head, she crouched down and screamed out loud. Jared reached back and grabbed her hand, yanking her through the gap. They again ran, completely freaked out, sweating, crying, and breathless; running for their lives. As they took off, in the following few steps, their legs moved with velocity as the ground beneath them fell away. Jared fell first, hitting the edge of the hole directly in the middle of his body; he reached out, but there was nothing to grab. As Melanie fell, she landed with force against Jared’s back; they both then plunged deep into a giant black hole, trapped between two huge boulders. For a few seconds, they both fell unhindered down and down until they suddenly hit the ground hard and fast. They both landed with a hard and uncomfortable crash, followed by severe pain for the minutes that followed. Both of the scientists independently cried out, as they lay crumpled at the bottom of the pit. A noise broke their painful screams; they looked up to see a hundred Baboons peering at them, encircled the gaping hole directly above. All the animals barked unanimously, upset by the conclusion of the chase. Their attention then fell back to pain, as they both openly wept at their injuries.
Mel held her thigh, in the few shafts of light that shone through the hole, while Jared cried out, holding his ankle and the blood which now seeped out of the top of his boot.
After they both cried openly, Jared shuffled over to Mel and cuddled her as best he could. The animals one by one moved away, leaving them in a dark and empty cold hole. There was some relief, knowing that they hadn’t torn apart, but the darkness that surrounded them loomed uncomfortably. The sun was lowering in the sky; Jared suddenly realised that they only had a short time before the darkness consumed them. It wasn’t long before a strange orange glow penetrated the blackness, which in turn, slowly faded. Mel sat in Jared’s arms, cold and shaking. He looked around the hole, with the few glimmers of light that remained; a few tree roots and stones were the only things present. The hole was too deep to escape, it must have been at least 4–5 meters high, so there was no chance of escape. What the hell do they do now?
In the darkness, sometime later, Jared struggled to get himself up onto his feet, accompanied by screams of pain. He stood there, staring at nothing. Jared stumbled forward, arms outstretched, feeling the cold hard rocks in the mud walls. He then followed the mud, dragging his hands along the walls, as he hobbled in pain, limping badly. There just wasn’t anything, nothing at all; it was just cold damp rock seemingly on all sides. The further he went, the more the fear and panic began to flood his body, and as Mel continued to cry openly, she watched his presence in the dark, while he searched aimlessly for anything that could help. Desperate to keep his fears inside, trying to stay strong for Mel, he stumbled back to her, feeling his way, slumping down next to her. He was also cold and shaking; they held each other tight, dreading what the night would bring.
“Help… Help… Can anyone hear us?”
“HEEEELP” Mel joined in. They both shouted as loudly as they could, but there wasn’t much hope, knowing that they were in the middle of nowhere. They both knew that no one would hear them, but they had to try. After a while, their shouting silenced; the sound of shivering and pain took control as they slipped into a living nightmare.
Years after that fateful day, a face appeared at the lip of the hole. He sat there motionless, just staring down into the hole. Below, the two bodies had been mummified, embraced in each other’s arms. Their bodies were all dried out, tanned brown, dried out, with the skin slinging to every bone that protruded. Melanie and Jared died in each other’s arms, in a loving, everlasting, eternal embrace.
About the author and series.
This book is part of a series, written by IP Spall, consisting of 22 short stories in total. To find out more about this book series or any of IP Spall’s other publications, head to https://linktr.ee/ipspallbooks
Many of these short stories are free, and if you enjoy reading this book, you can even buy a total collection of all the short stories for a low price! Follow the link above to find out more.
This story can be found on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3eG0JlF
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