Kidnapped by Bigfoot Read online

  Kidnapped by

  Bigfoot

  Blurb:

  Brexly Vos just has to finish one more semester and she’ll have her degree. Then she can start her own business and finally help out her parents. All that stands between her and her future is a film class.

  At a loss for a subject, she finally remembers the local lore that Bigfoot lives in the woods bordering campus. She’s never really believed the legend but she figures it will be an interesting subject and easy to film. She’ll just go out into the woods and get some shots of the scenery and maybe some animal tracks, edit it together and hopefully get at least a C.

  She heads out over spring break with her camera and supplies, ready to get this class over with. She’s just not prepared for what she’ll find.

  *Warning! This book alpha is over-the-top, head over heels in love with his girl. If you're looking for a steamy insta-love story then this book is for you!

  Chapter One

  Brexly

  I finish stuffing the last of my camping gear in the back of my Volkswagen Bug. The tent barely fits in the back of the cramped car and I have to push on the door a couple of times to get it to close all the way. Some freshmen laugh as they pass by me, chasing each other and tossing a football back and forth before they run across the parking lot and over to the field. I gather my red hair, braiding it over one shoulder before I double-check that I have everything I need.

  I’m a senior at Southeast Missouri State University with only one semester left. In two months, I’ll graduate with my Bachelor’s in business with a focus on web management and then hopefully, I can open my own online store. Maybe then I can convince my parents to settle down and just let me sell their creations online.

  My parents are “free spirits” and I grew up traveling the country with them. We went around in our rundown camper, hitting the carnival circuit. My mom makes homemade jewelry and my dad works with leather and wood. We would set up tables at each of the county fairs, selling their goods before we had to pack up and move onto the next city. Year after year we took the same route, traveling in circles.

  Since we never stayed in one place for long, I was homeschooled and the only friends or kids my age were from other families who were on the same circuit. I had always been more of a loner, existing more in my head. My parents say that I’m a dreamer. I never really had many friends and I never really minded. I had applied to a couple of colleges, wanting to find a way to stop traveling so much. My parents were getting older and I knew that the travel and physical toll of setting up everything every day was starting to take a toll on them.

  I noticed how worn out they looked the last time that they were passing through town. My parents don’t like technology so they don’t have a cell phone or anything. Every now and then I’ll get a postcard from them but other than that, the only time I see them is in the summer when they’re in Missouri for the state fair.

  Even though we don’t keep in touch as much as I would like, I still love my parents very much. I get most of my looks from my mom. We have the same round face and bright blue eyes. She’s a redhead too and curvy like me. My mom is short though at only 5’1”. I got my height from my dad. He stands at 6’1” and I’m 5’9”.

  I got my personality and love of nature from both of my parents though. I’m pretty laid back with a good sense of humor and I love being outdoors. My parents raised me to be one with nature and to never waste anything that the Earth provides for us. They also taught me to trust my gut and that the world would always give me just what I needed. I used to go camping at least once a month but over the last couple of years, college and work got in the way. I’m excited to finally be heading back out into the woods, although I’ll also have to work on my class project.

  I lived on campus for my first year because it was required but after that, I moved into a tiny apartment by myself right off-campus. My place is filled with second-hand furniture that I found at local thrift shops for cheap. It’s a lot of odds and ends but I’m really only there to sleep and eat. The apartment is pretty small but it’s big enough for me and it’s close to school and my job. I work part-time at Walmart as a stocker. Most of my hours are at night, that way I can go to class and work on homework during the day. My busy schedule means that I don’t have much time for friends or extracurricular activities. Guess I’m still the same loner that I was growing up.

  It’s my last semester and I already finished all of the necessary classes for my degree so this term I only have to take a couple of electives. I signed up for a couple of classes that I thought would be easy. Introduction to Creative Writing, Introduction to Psychology, Marketing 101, and a Videography class.

  I’ve always had an interest in cameras and photography. The Introduction to Photography class was full so I had signed up for the film one instead. It’s the videography class that has me headed out to the woods today. I’ve been thinking all week about what I could do my final project film about. A lot of my classmates were having their friends act out scenes for them but since I don’t really have friends, I had to think of something else. Then it hit me; Bigfoot.

  I’ve been at Southeast Missouri for four years and all I’ve heard since the day that I arrived is the local Bigfoot legend. They say that if you go across the Mississippi River and into the woods that you might be able to find him. There have been accounts of some of the hikers coming across him or seeing him stomping around out there.

  I had heard the folklore of Bigfoot and Sasquatch growing up but most of the stories were in the Northwest part of the US. I always just assumed that they were just stories or hoaxes and I still do. I mean the idea of a hairy, ape-like creature or creatures wandering around in the wilderness and leaving only footprints behind just seems too far-fetched, and I believe a lot of things that people think are crazy.

  I don’t believe the stories but I thought a short film about chasing Bigfoot would be interesting enough to hopefully get a good enough grade to pass. Spring break starts tomorrow and I knew that with my busy schedule now would be the perfect time to go get the footage I would need for my film. I take one last look around before I throw my backpack in the passenger seat and slip behind the wheel, heading towards the forest.

  Chapter Two

  Ezra

  I throw out some feed for the chickens before I make sure that their pen is locked up tight. Usually, I let them roam but I’ve seen coyote tracks in the area and I would hate for them to get attacked. I walk over to the little lean-to that I built next to the chickens and make sure that the cows have enough water. I pat Bessie and Sue as I pass and they moo back to me.

  With my morning chores down, I head back up to my cabin, wiping my feet before I walk inside. I’ve been up since 4:30 this morning, feeding and caring for the animals and tending the land. I head inside to fill a glass of water, chugging it down before I go back for seconds. I drink that glass slower as I look out the window above the kitchen sink. My house looks out over a field where the animals and their shelters stand. Beyond that is just forest, trees, and rivers. There’s a little lake that is half on my property and half on the Shawnee National Forest. My land butts up to the National Forest but it’s divided by the river and lake.

  I bought the land right after high school with the money I got from graduating and from working on farms and construction sites growing up. I used that experience and the skills I picked up working each job to build my own cabin and furniture and to set up a couple of buildings for the animals.

  Missouri is a big farming state and I learned how to plant crops and tend to them over the years. I have my own garden set up on the side of my cabin and I have fresh eggs and milk from the chickens and cows. I hunt and fish for my meat. I barter with some loc
al townspeople for any of the other stuff that I need like medicine. For the most part though, I am self-sufficient and can live off of the land.

  Aside from setting up the farm, I also built my own home. I almost had to because most normal houses would be too small for me. At 7’4”, I’m a giant. A freak, as the kids at school, used to call me.

  I was always a tall kid, even when I was a baby, but when I hit my teens, I shot way up. When everyone else was still only 5 feet, I had already passed 6. When some of the kids reached 6 feet, I was closer to 7. I’ve always been head and shoulders above everyone else and that made me an easy target for the other kids to pick on. With all of the Bigfoot lore around here, you can imagine the nicknames that kids came up with. My last name is even Sascha and everyone always called me Sasquatch.

  I never had many friends. Most were too afraid, either of me or of becoming targets themselves by being seen with me. A lot of people assumed that I was mean or violent just because I was tall but that was ridiculous. I would never hurt anyone. I never really blamed the other kids for not wanting to get close to me. If I was them, I wouldn’t want to be a target either.

  I was so sick of the teasing and bullying that I moved into the woods as soon as I could. I had always liked nature and my dad used to take me camping all of the time. I loved being out in the woods, exploring and using the land to survive. I was more comfortable out there where there was no one around to judge or make fun of me because of my size.

  My mom and dad still live close by. They technically live in Illinois, in a small town called McClure. It’s right across the border, still close to Missouri and only 5 miles from the Mississippi River. They come out to see me once or twice a month. My dad had helped me build my cabin when I first got out here, helping me carry the lumber and holding beams to nail in.

  My cabin is tall, it needs to be to accommodate my size. It’s made completely out of wood. Wood floors and walls and wood on the ceiling as support beams. It’s a two-story cabin set in the middle of my property. The first floor has the living room, kitchen, and a den. A wood staircase leads up to the second floor which is where all of the bedrooms are. The living room and kitchen are spacious with room for ten of me in each room. I had installed stainless steel appliances and a large, rough, slab of mountain rock serves as the countertop. Dark stained wood makes up the cabinets and the dining table.

  There are four bedrooms upstairs, plenty of room for family and guests. Just wishful thinking on my part, I guess. Each has a large wooden bed, although in different styles. There are also wooden dressers or chests in each of the rooms. The master bedroom has an attached bathroom and there’s another bathroom at the other end of the hall between two of the guest bedrooms.

  I designed a pipe to funnel water in from the river and filter it so that I could have running water out here. Solar panels provide electricity to the place. The water also goes out to the small barn, allowing me to pump water out to the animals.

  I’ve been out here for a couple of years now by myself and I’ve grown used to the solitude over time. A small part of me though still hasn’t given up hope that one day I’ll find a girl, someone to share my life with and to start my own family with. I set my glass in the sink, sighing as I turn and head back outside.

  Chapter Three

  Brexly

  I park my car at the dirt parking lot, looking into the trees before I grab my backpack and tent, slinging the bags over my shoulder before I take off down the dirt trail. I stop at the opening of the trail, taking a deep breath and filling my lungs with the clean woodsy air. It smells like dirt and the trees. We’re only fifteen minutes from campus but I swear the air smells better, cleaner out here.

  I’ve never been hiking or camping out here but I looked at a couple of maps to find the best route and places to stay. If I head up the west trail it should lead up through the woods and around to a little lake. The hike is about four miles and will take me a couple of hours but it’s not like I have anywhere to be.

  I take my time hiking through the woods, stopping to rest and to take my university rented camera out to take some shots of my surroundings. It’s really beautiful out here with all of the trees and flowers. I stop on the top of a hill, taking in my surroundings. I can see the Mississippi River and I can just make out the top of the Dean’s office building from here. I turn in the other direction and smile as I take in the forest spread out before me. Birds chirp overhead but I haven’t seen many other animals yet.

  I take out my camera, getting more shots of the woods and the birds flying peacefully overhead. I unbraid my hair, tying it back up into a high ponytail and straightening my clothes out before I find a big rock and balance the camera on top of it. Jogging around, I crouch down so that I’m in the frame.

  “It’s day one, about 3:30 pm and I’m almost to where I’m going to set up camp. So far, I haven’t seen any signs or sightings of the elusive Bigfoot. Aside from a couple of birds, I haven’t seen any animals or even any tracks. I’ll keep my eyes open though. Stay tuned!”

  I run back over to the camera, stopping the video and powering the camera down to save the battery. I have extra batteries in my bag but I need them to last for a couple of days and nights. My plan is to set up the camera in a tree somewhere and have it filming all night long. That way if any animals come by, I’ll get it on film.

  The sun is starting to sink in the sky and I know that I need to get a move on so that I can set up camp before night falls. I grab the camera and pull my backpack back on before I grab the tent bag and start back up the trail. I keep my eyes peeled for any animals or tracks and the further into the woods that I get, the more I start to see. Mostly squirrels and rabbits, small animals. I hear some rustling in the brush and I pause, camera-ready. My body tenses as the rustling gets closer. Suddenly I realize that I brought food and shelter but I don’t have any kind of weapons or any way to defend myself. I’m a peaceful person and the thought of grabbing a knife or some kind of weapon never even crossed my mind.

  The bushes part and I hold my breath until a little fox darts across the trail. My breath whooshes out as I watch it run across the little trail before it disappears back into the woods. My heart is beating out of my chest and I laugh at myself before I adjust my backpack and keep hiking. I’m close to the lake now. I can faintly hear the sounds of the small falls that feed into the lake and I know it won’t be long before I can stop for the night.

  My calves are screaming and I smile as I realize that I haven’t gotten a workout like this in ages. I barely have time to do my daily twenty minutes of yoga every night, let alone hiking or running. I walk for a couple more minutes before I break through the trees and out into the clearing.

  The lake is spread out before me, glistening in the setting sun. The sounds from the falls are louder here and hearing it calms me. I’ve always loved the sound of water, whether it be the sound of rain, a gurgling stream, or the sound of waterfalls. I make my way closer to the water and set my stuff down under a small grouping of trees. The field is open aside from the three trees close to the lake and I decide to set up my camp here.

  I’ve been camping since I was a kid and I have my tent set up in no time. I make my way back to the forest and find some dry twigs and branches, carrying them back and dropping the pile next to my tent. I have to make several trips but soon I have enough wood to have a campfire going for most of the night. I find some rocks, creating a ring with them before I start my fire. I use my collapsible bucket to get lake water and set it a couple of feet away from the fire. I learned fire safety early and I make sure that I have everything set in case I need to put the fire out in a hurry. That was another reason why I chose to camp near the lake. I had enough to carry and there was no way that I could carry a bucket of water through the woods too.

  I unpack my pack, sorting my clothes from the food that I brought. I take a seat in the grass next to the fire as I snack on a granola bar and some trail mix. I haven’t been out in nature in
forever and I’m starting to remember just how much I like being out in the woods. I set up my camera before it gets too dark, climbing up into one of the trees a little bit and making sure the camera has a wide lens so that it gets most of the forest. I’ll watch the footage tomorrow and hopefully, I’ll be able to get a couple of animals on film.

  I drink some of my water and have a peanut butter sandwich before I pack everything back into my backpack and tamp down the fire a little bit before I crawl into the tent. It’s only like 8 pm but the hike wore me out and I know that I’ll need my strength tomorrow. I didn’t have a ton of room in my pack and it’s still warm here at night so I only brought a thin quilt with me. Between that and the fire, I should be warm enough.

  I slip my backpack under my head, using it as a pillow before I curl up and fall asleep.

  I wake well-rested the next morning and stretch in my tent before I throw my blanket off of me and head out of the tent. I haven’t slept that well in so long and my soul feels lighter than it has in years. I smile as I take in the scenery around me. I should come out here more often, I think and I promise myself that I will as soon as I graduate. I’ll take the time to go camping or hiking at least once a month.

  I climb up the tree then, snagging the camera from the branches before I hop back down. I dig my breakfast out of my backpack and practically inhale the protein bar as I rewind the footage. I start to fast forward through the footage from last night and I can see some animals walking by on the outskirts, back by the trees.

  Most of the shapes look small and my guess is some rabbits or some more foxes maybe. I get to the end of the footage and pause when I think I see something. This shape is big, like really big, and it sticks close to the trees so I can’t make out what it is. I hit play and watch as the figure makes its way through the trees closer to my tent. It’s still too far away for me to make out something but I could swear that it’s walking on two legs. I didn’t think that there were any bears out here but whatever it is, it’s freaking huge.