Gator Boy Read online

  “Not much, Coon Ass, what’s up?”

  “Look, Lonny, I don’t know if y’all heard yet, but dare’s been several deaths connected wit a killa gator heading down bayou. I was hoping if I could get word to y’all ahead a time y’all might be ready fo’ dat sucka an’ kill it or at least y’all could be on the look out so nobody else gets hurt. From all reports he’s a big one, an’ mean as they come, too.”

  “Well Leroy, I sho’ appreciate dis call. Hell, dis is big. I’mo call a meeting and get some people on dis. Talk at ya later.”

  The second Lonny hung up the phone he immediately started calling the towns up bayou on his CB radio and in no time he had a complete report on the rash of killings. He then called everyone he knew, setting up a meeting to talk about preparing for the killer coming their way.

  “OK, folks, y’all all know why we here. Dare’s a killer alligator out dare heading dis way we and gotta to try an’ stop him. Any a you who tink you might wanna give catching dis gator a try are welcome to do so but dis one is a killa and extremely dangerous. Utmost caution is advised.

  “Now y’all, dis is Delacroix Fontenaux,” continued Lonny, introducing a man to the town folks that none of them had ever met. “Delacroix here is new to dese parts, but he comes to us wit a background a gator hunting a mile long. Delacroix is from the swamps down bayou. Y’all listen to what he’s got to say.”

  “Well, I’ve only hunted a killa like dis once before and I doubled up wit an ole friend a mine Vinceaunt Jocko who, as some a y’all mighta heard, was killed in the process a killing dat demon gator. I reckon I was just a little luckier den Vinceaunt dat day. I ain’t hunted another gator since den. But when I got the Alderman’s call, I figured now is the time to get back at it. I want y’all to feel confident dat I’m gonna stop dis man-eater. I got the tools, an’ I got the know how. All we ax a y’all is to stay away from areas where a gator attack is likely to occur. By all means keep kids an’ animals away from the water and use common sense. Dat’ll keep y’all safer till we can catch and kill dis gator. Like Alderman Lecroy said, any a you who want to plan a hunt are welcome. But remember dis one is a killa. As fo’ me, I hunt alone.”

  As the meeting disbursed you could hear several conversations going around about how some of the boys just might go and try for that gator themselves; dreams of glory mostly. Any of the boys would have loved to become a celebrated gator hunter; a title that commanded respect in these parts. In reality, Delacroix would be the only one in the bunch going out after the monster.

  Now Delacroix was very lucky that day, or very unlucky, as the case may be. He had his airboat all loaded up and ready for the hunt. This boat was equipped with an airplane engine and propeller that pushed it across the water at high speeds no matter how shallow. On the front of the boat was a harpoon launcher that looked like a cannon with a spear shoved in it, barbaric but very effective.

  Delacroix set out up bayou hoping to head off the monster when he saw a huge ripple in the water caused by something big swimming very fast just below the surface.

  But the gator was pretty smart himself. Seeing the approaching airboat, the gator darted down a side channel leading off the bayou and into one of the many swamps. Delacroix followed in close pursuit. The chase covered miles of swamp, zigzagging all over the basin, until suddenly the ripple Delacroix was chasing disappeared. The gator had simply stopped in a depression under the surface ready to confront this challenge. Delacroix stopped the boat on a dime right where the ripple had stopped. Taking his binoculars he began to scan the immediate area looking for any sign. Slowly and quietly the gator’s head rose up out of the water on the side of the boat. Delacroix was looking the other way through the binoculars, not noticing the gator now standing some eight feet out of the water.

  The monster grabbed Delacroix by the top of the head, lifting him up off of his seat. Delacroix, frozen in fear, just hung there by his head staring into the eye of the beast, his feet not even touching the boat. The gator looked at the harpoon gun, cocked its head and then looked back at Delacroix. Taking hold of his body the gator twisted Delacroix’s head and tore it right off. Then looking over at the airplane engine, the gator threw the body directly into the propeller. The engine died as body parts were spit out of the back of the propeller and chunks of flesh were caught up and hanging in the prop. Still holding the head of Delacroix in one hand, the monster turned over the boat, sinking it in the swamp. Then making a beeline back to the channel where the chase had left the bayou, the beast, as if intentionally wanting it to be found, left the head floating in the bayou and continued on its course.

  “Right this way, Miss Gadon,” said the young nurse. “He still has not yet regained consciousness and we’re afraid that time may be running out. We’ve found that we have much better luck and response with patients who wake up not long after their injuries. As a general rule the longer the coma goes on the likelihood of a complete recovery becomes less and less hopeful. So please, talk to him, read to him, even hold his hand. Anything that you can do to stimulate him back to consciousness will help. He may hear you or feel you so just keep trying to reach him,” continued the nurse, referring of course to Ronny Tebeau.

  Holding back her tears, Judy began talking to Ronny and holding his hand.

  “Ronny, it’s Judy, wake up, baby. Hold on, Ronny. You’ve got to come back to me, do you hear me?” she said as the tears rolled down her face. “Hold on, Ronny, don’t let go. Ronny, you gotta wake up now, do you hear me? I realized something while I was away in New Orleans. I love you, Ronny. I need you wit me always and from now on. We have our whole future together. You just gotta come back to me now. Ronny, I’m so scared.” Her head fell to his hand as she said, “Oh God, please bring him back to me. Please bring him back to me, Lord, I love him.”

  At that very moment, as though the part had been rehearsed, Ronny woke up.

  “Judy? Where am I? I was dreaming that I was just floating. And then I heard your voice. Did you say that you loved me? I followed your voice and woke up.” Judy’s love had literally brought Tebeau back to the world of the living.

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 11

  After they had taken the young boy they had found in the tree to his home, the hunting party, now very tired, decided to find a place to tie off for the evening. They would get some rest and get a fresh start in the morning, continuing their hunt down bayou. The night was uneventful and the morning came quickly.

  Jed was awaken by the smell of fish cooking in the pan. Nonette had risen before daylight and caught them some breakfast. On a trip like this eating off the trail was the only way to survive.

  “Dat sho’ smells good, Miss Nonette,” said Jed, scratching his head.

  “Smells good an’ is good, Sher. Come sat yo’self down here an’ feast on Nonette’s catfish breakfast,” said Nonette.

  Mrs. Ford, hearing the conversation, woke up and the three ate their fill of catfish. After cleaning up the campsite soon the intrepid hunters were on their way. The morning was cool and the sound and smell of the bayou was exhilarating.

  Pulling Gator Boy around a bend in the bayou, they came upon something odd floating in the water when Nonette said, “What the hell is dat? Hold up here, Sher.”

  Jed pulled the boat alongside of the object floating in the water.

  “Here, Miss Nonette, take dis net and pull it in,” said Jed, handing Nonette the fishing net.

  Nonette leaned over the edge and scooped the object in with the net.

  “Holy shit!” said Jed as he turned his head away, sickened.

  It was Delacroix Fontenaux’s head. As Nonette set the head down on the deck of the boat it rolled over face up. The mouth and the eyes were opened. Mrs. Ford screamed as a small water snake crawled out of the mouth. Nonette said, “Son of a bitch,” as she crushed it with her boot heal. “I’ll be damned if dis ain’t ole Delacroix Fontenaux; or what’s left a his sorry ass, dat is.”

  “You know dis
po’ bastard?” asked Jed.

  “Him an’ my Daddy hooked up as hunting partners on the last hunt my Daddy made. I always thought my Daddy would still be alive if Delacroix here woulda been doin’ his part the day my Daddy was killed. Either dat or Delacroix woulda been dead, too. But I always kept dat to myself. Dat’s when I left the swamps. Now it looks like ole Delacroix finally collected his due. An’ you can bet yo’ ass dat the gator done dis, and the gator we afta is one an the same.”

  Nonette scooped the head up with the net and dropped it back in the bayou. As it hit the water she spit at it.

  “Good day to you, Delacroix Fontenaux. May the fish an’ snakes an’ all the bayou varmints pick yo’ bones clean.” Turning to Jed she said, “Let’s go.”

  Without a word, Jed hit the throttle.

  “Ronny, thank God. How do you feel?” asked a very excited Judy.

  “Well, pretty groggy, to tell ya the truth. What the hell happened? What am I doing here?”

  “You’re in the hospital. You got hit real bad on the head an’ you been unconscious for a few days.”

  “What the hell happened? Where’s Daddy? Who’s running the store?”

  “Oh, my God, dat’s right, you don’t know. Tink back to the night you was injured. Can you remember anything?”

  Ronny thought hard, racking his brain trying to remember until, “Oh yeah, I kinda vaguely remember. Dat stupid Tibideaux was gassing up his boat wit one a dose cigars a his hanging outa his mouth. I remember hollering at him about dat. Oh shit, dat’s when I saw something come up outa the water and grab Tibideaux right offa dat boat. I tink it mighta been dat gator but I ain’t never seen a gator like dat in my life. The damn ting looked more like some kinda sea serpent.” Then putting his hand to his head in pain he continued, “Dat’s when the lights went out. My damn head hurts now.”

  “You rest now, baby. I’ll go tell the nurse dat you woke up.”

  After an hour or so had passed Nonette began to speak to Jed and Melissa Ford.

  “I know what y’all seen me do back dare may seem bad, or by some account even sacrilegious, but I want y’all to know I have reason to believe dat it was because Delacroix Fontenaux was drunk dat my daddy died. The story was dat Fontenaux was standing his turn at watch when dat gator attacked. My Daddy had been sleeping for a while and Delacroix had been drinking whiskey heavy. In the middle of the night when dat gator attacked, Delacroix Fontenaux was passed out drunk and never sounded the alarm. Later dat morning when a friend happened up on the scene, dare lay my Daddy dead in the arms a dat gator he managed to run through an kill before it kilt him. And dare lay Delacroix stinking drunk just coming to.

  “Oh Delacroix tried to say he didn’t start hitting dat bottle till after the gator fight was over, but none a his weapons had even been used, an’ the gun in his hands had never fired a shot. It all happened too fast, say Delacroix back in town, but ole Nonette, she know better.

  “Dat’s when I left the swamp. It was either dat or I’da kilt dat son of a bitch Delacroix Fontenaux dead. So ain’t it funny how the world turned, dat ole Delacroix become gator bait hisself.”

  “Hey, dare ain’t no reason to explain yo’self, Miss Nonette,” said Jed. “Hell I’da killed dat sucka too under dose same circumstances. At least you know what happened to your Daddy. Nobody knows what happened to mine.”

  “Nurse, Ronny, he woke up! He’s awake an’ talking!” said Judy excitedly. The nurse jumped up and ran to the room, saying that it was a miracle.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m ok, except for dis headache I got. Where’s my Daddy, an’ my clothes? Give me some aspirin an’ I need to get back to the store,” said Ronny, trying to sit up in the bed.

  Judy and the nurse looked at each other and the nurse said, “I’ll get you something for your headache right away. And I’ll be back with someone you need to talk to.” As she pushed Ronny back down into bed, she continued, “But you just stay right here for the moment. You’re not quite ready to go running out of here yet.”

  Ronny and Judy hugged as the nurse walked out of the room. Minutes later the nurse returned with something for Ronny’s headache followed by a priest wearing a badge that said hospital chaplain. As she handed Ronny the pills and a cup of water she said, “Ronny, this is Father Gunyard. You need to listen to what he has to tell you.”

  “What? What is it, Father?” asked Ronny as he sat up and took the pills.

  “Ronny, sometimes in this world bad things just happen. We don’t really know why they happen, but they just do. Ronny, something real bad happened to your father.” Ronny sat up with a scared, lost look on his face.

  “What is it, Father? What happened?”

  “My boy, the night you were injured there was a much greater disaster that happened after you were knocked unconscious. There was an explosion and a bad fire. The entire pier went up in flames. Several people were killed. Your father was very badly injured and badly burned over his entire body. Ronny, he died on the way to the hospital. I’m sorry, my boy.”

  “My Daddy gone? Daddy, no not my Daddy. Not my Daddy,” said Ronny as he just fell back in the bed with his hands over his eyes.

  The nurse who had momentarily left the room came back in with a sedative and put it in Ronny’s I.V. Within less then a minute he was drifting off to sleep. “My Dad’s gone. Oh Daddy, he’s gone,” mumbled Ronny as he fell asleep. Judy stood there uncontrollably crying, holding Ronny’s hand, feeling his pain; partially crying for the loss of her own father only a year before. Deaths have a way of opening old wounds. As she went back reflecting on the disappearance of her own father, Marcus, it came back hard like it was only yesterday. Perry and Marcus were very close friends, and now they were both gone.

  “Here, dear,” said the nurse, handing Judy a warm washcloth for her face. “He’ll sleep for hours now. You’re no good to him or yourself staying here. Why don’t you let him sleep now and come back later?”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” answered Judy. “If he wakes up before I get back tell him I’ll see him this evening will you, an’ dat I love him.”

  “Of course I will sweetheart,” answered the nurse.

  Near one of the communities down bayou a baseball field used by the area schools had been built on a sharp bend in the bayou, called Bayou Bend Field. There happened to be a ball game going on that day. Two of the local rival high schools were playing and the bleachers were packed.

  Just like the priest told Ronny, sometimes bad things just happen. We don’t know why they do; they just do. Well, a bad thing was just about to happen. For at that very moment the killer was rounding that bend in the bayou. The smell of fresh meat in the air caught the gator’s attention and the lure was irresistible.

  There was a line of shrubs that ran down to the edge of the bayou butting right up to the edge of the bleachers. For the monster, this was perfect camouflage to get him from the bayou right under the bleachers without being seen. So within moments there sat the creature below the packed bleachers. The spectators had no idea that a killing machine was watching them, sizing them up for his next meal. The gator was somewhat baffled for a minute, not knowing exactly how to approach what appeared to him to be a buffet. Stepping back to the rear of the bleachers he made one swipe with his huge tail, smashing right through the poles supporting the bleachers. After the crash the bleachers shuddered for a few seconds and then collapsed. There were dozens of stunned high school kids amidst the pile of broken down bleachers. One unfortunate guy fell back first straight down on the sharp end of a broken off pole impaling him with the point of the post sticking out of his chest. The gator closed in for the kill.

  A boy stood up, dazed by the fall, still holding one of the bright green team pennants in his hand. The gator lunged at the boy, knocking him down on his back. With one bite the monster ripped out the boy’s ribcage. Savagely mutilating the boy’s body the gator ripped and tore it apart. The killer moved on to victim after victim, merely crushing some beneath
its tremendous weight and snapping others to pieces with its huge jaws. Suddenly the creature found itself out on the field in the middle of hysteria. There were spectators and ball players running everywhere trying to get to their cars or to any point of safety. The gator spun around several times, throwing people around with its tail, and snapping at others as they ran in all directions. Standing on its hind legs the creature let out a roar then ran across the field heading for the area where the cars were parked.

  Less than a quarter of a mile up bayou Jed heard the roar let out by the monster. That was the same roar that he and Momma had heard that night on the bayou.

  “I know dat roar. I heard it once before,” ha said, hitting full throttle.

  The back end of a pickup truck was literally crushed by the tremendous weight of the creature as it climbed up into the bed. Screams could be heard as the creature chewed up a young couple hiding in the back. The boy driving the truck tried to make a run for it. The monster’s tail swung around with such force, slamming the truck door so hard as the boy was climbing out, that the top of the door caught his neck, decapitating him. Gasoline was literally squeezed out of the trucks gas tank by the sheer weight of the creature smashing the vehicle. Jumping back to the ground, the gator’s tail knocked over a pole that was supporting some lights that had been strung for the game. One of the bursting bulbs caused sparks, igniting the gasoline. The monster, surprised by the flames, turned and ran back to the bayou disappearing under the green water as quickly as it appeared.

  As the boat rounded the bend the place looked like a war zone. There were injured and dead laying all over the ball field and the ground was red with blood. As the truck exploded, the fire burning in the parking lot glowed like a sun in the approaching dusk. Jed immediately pulled over to the bank and everybody jumped out to see what had just happened. Walking next to that same line of shrubs they followed the gator’s tracks to the collapsed bleachers. There was a horror, an irony surrounding the entire gruesome scene. They were stunned as they came across a gruesome sight. The hand of the gator’s first victim was laying there on the ground. The surrealism was almost too much to bear as the hand still clutched the pennant reading go gators.