El Chupacabra
or how man maketh monsters
I wrote this one a while back for an anthology submission. I don’t think I ever actually submitted it. Let me know what you think!
Dr. Nunez looked at the clipboard and then into the enclosure that held Subject 3ZZ0-H. Or at least it should. He didn't worry too much. The space was fifteen feet on a side and was made to replicate a small piece of the Everglades, down to the selection of plants. Water lapped against the glass, and he could see a foot or two into it down to a depth of three feet. It extended three more feet below the surface level. The subject could be underwater and, for all purposes, invisible. Or it could be in one of the trees that stretched ten feet into the air. Instead of depending on visuals, he referred to the tracker on the screen to the enclosure's left. It was underwater. Good.
"Release the fish."
From above the enclosure, a meter-long gar dropped into the water. The predator swam in a circle, orienting itself. Even through the haze, its long, toothed snout was easy to see. It could take off a man's hand with little effort.
The indicator on the tracker moved as soon as the fish hit the surface. Even though he was expecting it, the three-clawed hand seemed to come from nowhere. Talons pierced the fish's sides, and blood spilled into the murk. The fish wriggled twice before the hand drew it out of sight.
Nunez smiled and checked off the boxes on his form. When he looked back up, he gasped. The subject floated just on the other side of the glass. Huge eyes peered at him. Its mouth, closed for now, but holding dozens of sharp fangs, grinned at him.
"Nonsense." He shook his head. "You don't have emotions."
Floppy feet, almost clownish in their proportions, kicked the monster to the surface of the water. Once it hit the air, it slammed its clawed hand against the glass and drew down. The screech raised gooseflesh on Nunez's arms. Seemingly satisfied, it swam to the shallow "beach" and crawled out of the water, moving more like a primate on land.
The door behind Nunez wooshed slightly as it opened. Colonel Speas walked into the room, an air of command as natural to him as breathing. “I trust everything is going according to plan?” The observation suite was cooler than the enclosures and the spit of land above them. Still, it was too warm for anything other than a summer-weight uniform to be comfortable. Speas wore his like it was a full dress. The ribbons on his chest were impressive, though Nunez couldn’t have told anyone what they were for.
“Of course, Colonel. I just fed one of the subjects.” He looked back at the enclosure he’d been focusing on, and the creature was no longer visible. “It should be in one of the trees.”
Speas snorted. “It’s right there.” He pointed.
Sure enough, Nunez saw something he’d missed. It was the barest sparkle of an eye. Though the soldier was gray-haired and an officer of many years, he had the eye of a predator. He laughed nervously. “So it is. As I said, it ate, and the tranquilizer should take effect in less than five minutes.”
“We’re ready for phase four, then?” The colonel took a step towards the area under observation.
Both men startled as something slammed against the glass to their left. One of the other experimental subjects beat on the surface between them. Unlike the creature in question, this one was malformed and clumsy. For all that, it was still powerful.
“What’s the status on that one? I thought we were moving forward with disposal.” A bushy white eyebrow crawled up Speas’ forehead.
Nunez consulted his clipboard, though he knew very well why the horror show scratching at the glass was still drawing breath. “We still have things to learn. We are trying a new course of serum that will allow us finer control over the primary.”
“Tell me again why we scrapped this one.” The colonel turned to take the secondary creature in. It was broader at the sloped shoulder and had a bullet-shaped head. Its arms were a good six to eight inches longer, but the claws were as sharp. It moved through the water more slowly, but with no less purpose.
“Response times were sub-optimal. It showed hesitation when delivering what would be a killing blow. Strength was well within our goals, but it doesn’t move as well on land.”
“We do need this project to be equally efficient in both environments. Are they really similar enough for your experiments to give us good data?” Speas turned dark green eyes on the doctor.
Nunez was surprised, not for the first time, about Speas' analytical mind. “The nervous systems and brain development are close enough for us to have reliable results. And if the serum doesn’t work or has unforeseen side effects, then we haven’t lost a resource.”
“I applaud your efficiency, doctor.” Speas gave him a rare smile. “Now, we were talking about moving to the next stage?”
Nunez looked at the clipboard again. “Yes, sir. We are ready to release it into the larger testing area. Will your men be ready?”
The smile evaporated. “You’re not questioning my own readiness, are you?”
“Of course not, colonel.”
“Good. Yes, the men are ready. There’s a cordon around the testing area. The helos are ready to take off and monitor it from the air. We need to see what it will do given a larger playground. What will you use to test its hunting ability?”
Nunez smiled. “We have a couple of wild boars. They’re nasty creatures. Tusks that could rip open your belly and lots of speed. If the subject can take them, and I have no doubt it can, it will eat well.”
The island was small and practically in the middle of nowhere. As those who watched the creature did so, they felt confident that it would be unable to cross the oceans to terrify those who lived on the mainland.
Offshore breezes brought the smell of freedom, but food was close. It would need energy to brave the waters between here and where it could find unlimited sustenance. It scanned the rocks and plants below its perch to find the warm blood it craved. The fish it had eaten earlier sat cold in its stomach. There was not nearly as much energy there.
The first animal burst into the clearing and snorted a warning to anything around. Its broad nostrils flared between sharp tusks.
The creature leapt from its place and twisted through the air. While the thing that made it sleep was still working its way out of its bloodstream, its makers had literally built it for speed. It landed softly behind the bristle-covered boar and spread webbed fingers. Claws extended an inch from each fingertip.
Sensitive nostrils picked up the vaguely rotting smell. The boar whirled to attack the perceived threat. Before it could complete the move, fire raced across its stomach.
The creature stepped back as a pool of blood and a spill of intestines covered the ground around its prey. Disembowelment didn't completely stop the pig. Powerful legs took the creature over its clumsy advance.
The boar stumbled over its own guts and felt renewed pain in its rear hips.
A wet ripping sound announced the legs tearing free from their joints. Blood misted in the air and covered constantly moistened skin. Pores sucked in the nutrition, delivering minerals and calories directly to its system. Serrated teeth tore through skin and muscle, and in seconds, a bare leg bone sailed through the air. Another followed moments later.
It prepared to continue its meal when a powerful blow caught it between the shoulders. The other boar seemed offended on some level that its brother had gone down so easily. Now its own tusks were wet with the blood of its enemy.
The creature didn't make a noise other than that caused by catching itself on its hands and vaulting to its feet. It felt the ripped skin and muscle as a distant indicator of damage. Damage that would be healed soon enough. The crouch gave its leap extra power as it launched itself directly at the boar's head.
A thud of flesh hitting flesh could be heard for a hundred yards. The creature lifted the front half of the boar off the ground as its unhinged jaw practically engulfed what little neck the boar had. Blood poured into the creature's gullet, and its arms kept the struggling animal’s feet off the ground.
Soon, the bag of flesh stopped squirming, and the creature began tearing off hunks of flesh and swallowing them. A tingling could be felt where the injuries were stitching themselves together.
It announced the end of its meal with a hiss and scanned the nearby foliage and rocks for any new enemies. Those who kept it captive were near. The smell of man was powerful, no matter what they did to hide it. They were far enough away not to interfere directly with what it intended to do next.
Before moving, its brain shuffled through memories instilled by its makers. There had been no off flavors in the boar's blood or meat. They had not poisoned it as they had with the fish. It had enough energy to try to escape the island prison. One of its memories, along with a natural sense of the planet's magnetic field, told it to head towards the setting sun.
On flashing legs, it ran towards the nearby cliff. Bullets whined past it, and a distant shouting could be heard. Dark green skin flashed in the bright sun as it arced through the air and into the blue sea below.
The air in its lungs would sustain it for a long time, even under the demanding movement of making speed through the water. Not the fastest creature under the waves, nor the most fierce, it kept all senses open for sharks and other ocean-going beasts. It also listened for motors.
Pressure increased as it dove as deep as it safely could. The salt water carried noises for miles. Clicking from its throat returned to sensitive ears, telling it more than eyes would at this depth. Fish swam past, trying to avoid it. It had no interest at the moment in any more food, especially the cold-blooded kind.
Once it was satisfied that nothing pursued it, the creature swam until the water lightened and it could scan the surface with eyes and sonar. No boats cut through the now still surface. No clumsy swimmers moved through the depths towards it. It was free. Once on the surface, it refilled its lungs and got its bearings. There was a larger island closer to the place of its birth. Beyond that, there was a greater land mass still. It would stop on the island first. There was something there for it, though its primitive mind couldn't say what.
