Lakeside Escape

My week off started by renting a secluded cabin from Airbnb. Lakefront view from an enclosed deck, lots of trees, and a promise of wildlife sightings. I had booked it for a week, needing to get out of the city, disconnect, and clear my head. I hadn’t written anything in months. I had been so drowned in everything going on around me, that I felt I was suffocating. Writing was never going to make me rich but it got me out of my life and into my head, which is what I needed...desperately. There was no internet at the cabin, but there was power, so I still packed my laptop. I preferred to write out my ideas and then type out the actual stories. The ad on airbnb also said there would be a spotty cell reception, but there was a better signal five kilometers up the road if I needed anything.

The drive was peaceful; the further away I got from the city and deeper into the forests, the more my stress and anxiety melted off of me. I drove up the gravel road, the trees parted, and there was a small slice of paradise waiting for me. The sun was high in the autumn sky and was sparkling off of the clear blue lake. I found the keys, unlocked the cabin and walked inside. I was delighted to find a hammock swing hanging inside the enclosed porch. I brewed myself a pot of coffee, made a sandwich, and sat down to admire the view and consider what to write.

As afternoon crept into evening, and then into night, the warm sun disappeared and the glow of a full moon shone down. I put on a cardigan, grabbed a light blanket, brewed a pot of tea, and stared out in awe at my view from the deck. As air around the lake cooled, a mist developed over it, and a light breeze caused it to dance and twirl above the waters. I could hear the odd squirrel chitter, a bird chirp, and the lake lapping against the beach, but otherwise, I was surrounded by a sedating silence. This...this is the reason I ran away from my life for a week.

I started to feel too much of a chill to continue outdoors, so I returned inside and built a fire to warm the cabin for the night. With the fire made, I read for a time, and when I became too drowsy to continue, I retired to bed. Deep into my sleep, I suddenly awoke to a loud gurgled screeching and the sound of aggressive splashing in the lake. I grabbed a flashlight and hurried out onto the deck. I slowly swept the light across the lake. I could make out a large shape in the mist that I thought must be an animal thrashing about in the lake. Unsure what happened or why, and being unable to do anything, I went back inside and locked the doors. A minute later, the noises stopped and a moment after that, I heard a large animal walking around the cabin. There was a stench of something rotting that wafted into the cabin and lingered in the air. Shaken, sure that the silence of the splashing meant the animal’s death, I poured myself a glass of whiskey and tried going back to bed. I couldn’t sleep again and decided once it was daylight, I would see if I could discover what had happened.

In the morning, I made coffee to wake myself up from my sleep-deprived state and walked out to the water. I was very quickly disturbed to see the carcass of a deer floating in the water near the beach. I walked closer and could clearly see multiple lacerations at the base of the deer’s neck but did not want to probe the corpse any further. I walked back to the cabin, grabbed my car keys, and drove out to get a signal on my phone. As promised, approximately five kilometers from the cabin, I was able to get a clear signal. I called Rural Animal Management Services and let them know what I had heard the night prior and then found this morning. They recommended I stay indoors until they were able to come check the area out which should be later that day or the following morning. They suspected a cougar, or less likely a grizzly, that was very hungry and needed a kill. Either way, they urged me to stay inside for the time being.

I drove back to the cabin. As I pulled up I noticed the garbage can had been knocked over. I quickly righted it, resecured the lid, and went inside. I had another mug of coffee with some whiskey in it and tried, unsuccessfully, to get my mind off of the incident the night prior. Between the caffeine and alcohol my creative brain was running rampant on me. I began to think of the details from the experience and I remembered watching a show about Bigfoot. Although I didn’t believe in him and considered him a myth, the smell was something that was always mentioned in descriptions of his sightings. A cougar or a grizzly, I told myself. That is what Animal Control said it likely was. I decided to write down everything I could remember, hoping it would help me think through things more logically.

After writing down my thoughts and observations, and drinking a few more Irish coffees, I settled myself. At 4:32 p.m. there was a knock on the cabin door; it was the animal control officers. I re-explained everything to them from the notes I had made and they again assured me it was either a cougar or a grizzly, and had probably moved on by now, but they would look for traces to confirm this assumption. They would also remove the deer carcass from the lake so it would not attract more scavengers. They left with a rifle, assuring me that if they did find an animal that could pose a danger, they would tranquilize it and relocate it.

It was after dark before I saw either of the Animal Control officers again. I was told that there was evidence that there was a large male grizzly by the scat and tracks they found. Neither of them had actually seen the animal so they were hoping that meant the bear was moving on. They did comment that they, at times, smelled a rotting scent, but could not locate where it was coming from. They noted that perhaps there was another carcass that they were not finding and the breeze was carrying the smell around the area. I was reassured that it should be safe to be outside again, but if anything was amiss or I heard or saw signs of a grizzly, I should call them again. I thanked them and they went on their way.

I decided to enjoy the last bit of my night in my cardigan, with a blanket over me, sitting in the hammock on the deck with a warm pot of tea. The sun had warmed the lake water again and I watched the mist dance and swirl in the breeze. I was charmed by the ethereal beauty of it in the amber moonlight cast by the harvest moon.

I had sat for a couple hours enjoying the scene and resisting the cold, when I heard something splash like a ‘plop’ in the lake. I squinted my eyes as I peered out trying to see what it may have been. I saw an area of the mist whirl as a large shape crashed into the lake sending a spray of water into the air. I heard a gargled grunting noise, sounding almost exasperated, then a shape began emerging out of the mist in my direction. I stood, not sure what to expect; had a deer gone for a swim or was the grizzly after another animal? Suddenly, the breeze gave a gust of wind, it sent chills down my spine and it brought the putrid, rotting scent with it. I started moving towards the door but could not take my eyes off the shape both out of fear and curiosity. I heard a deep, growly, huff, followed by a wet, raspy, bellowing.

I froze momentarily as the shape charged towards the deck. The thing roared. I opened the door and as I glanced back, the moonlight revealed the beast. From what I saw, I could only think of describing it as a zombified bear and the stench did not alter that thought. Large chunks of fur were missing, revealing patches of raw flesh, and a dark fluid dripped from the mouth of the creature. I slammed and locked the door behind me. I heard a thunderous crash as the beast collided with the deck door and wall. It must’ve gotten tangled in the screen that had covered the deck because it flung itself against the wall of the cabin, which cracked, but thankfully did not give way. It let out a deafening roar that caused my whole body to cringe. The zombie bear then tipped backwards and rolled down the stairs causing the steps to crack under its weight. It lashed out as it fell causing more cracking and splintering of wood and siding.

The grizzly made one final attempt, climbing back onto the deck and then swiping at the wall of the cabin. Its claws punctured through to the interior of the cabin wall as it ripped and then it began chewing chunks out of the wall trying to get through. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and every time I saw a part of the beast, I slashed. Those short moments seemed like an eternity. I stabbed at it in desperation, knowing that if I couldn’t make it leave, I would be done for. The bear managed to get it’s right arm through the hole with a swipe. I quickly thrust the knife into the arm of the grizzly but that action allowed the bear to rip the skin on my left leg. He tore his arm back through the hole, stealing the knife with it, which was then knocked out of the bear's arm and onto the ground near the opening of the hole. It wailed and snarled, ramming the wall a final time causing the whole cabin to shake and the wall to heave. There was a metallic sound of grating and ripping followed by snarling for a time, and then silence.

The cabin smelt of blood and death. I cleaned and bound the wounds on my leg and then moved furniture to blockade the hole in the wall and the doors in case the undead creature returned. Blood and black fluid mixed with lake water that had dripped off the bear was nearly everywhere by now, being spread as I moved things about. I was terrified and exhausted, and unable to explain what I had just seen and experienced. I knew something could not really be undead but I had no other way to describe the look or stench of the beast. Just like the fact that the creature could not have been a Bigfoot, there must be a reasonable explanation for the condition of the grizzly, but I could not think of one. If I had not been exhausted from the struggle and blood loss, I doubt I would have slept, but wearily I did.

When I awoke the sun was just breaching the sky. My leg ached, my head ached, and my whole body still felt tense with stress. Drearily, I limped to the deck’s doorway and looked outside. Half the deck had been destroyed, the wall nearest the deck was curved inward, and I considered that, with any more effort, the bear would have brought half the cabin down on me. I checked out the front door, and found that the metallic sound from the night before had been the bear attacking my car. The hood was deeply compressed with chunks of metal missing, and my heart sank, realizing that due to the damage, it may not start. I would need to call animal control again, and I didn’t think I could walk the five kilometers to get my phone to work with my injury and no vehicle.

I got my keys, went outside, climbed into the car and said a quick prayer. The car reluctantly started and then, to my astonishment, made the entire drive to get a signal. I called and frantically told the officers the story. They did not initially believe me and laughed at me when I used the term “zombie bear”, but when I insisted and sent a picture of the damage, they agreed to come out and meet me as soon as possible. With some reluctance they also agreed to drive me to their station after their search for the bear, as it was not safe to continue staying in the cabin due to the damage, and my injury needed the attention of a doctor.

After the call, I tried starting the car again. With more difficulty than before, it finally started. However, three kilometers down the road, it overheated; a hose blew and it coasted to a stop. Scared and not being sure what else to do in my state, I stayed in the vehicle, waiting for Animal Control to come down the road.

After an hour, they showed up, picked me up and we all drove back to the cabin. They told me to collect my things, load them in the truck, and wait for them inside the truck until they returned. They each grabbed a rifle and a canteen and told me to call them on the radio if I saw anything back at the cabin. One of them chuckled about finding my “zombie bear” as they walked away. I chose to ignore the comment.

After about 20 minutes, I heard shouting, and a shot rang out. Another minute passed and one of the officers said on the radio, “I was wrong to mock you about that damned thing! It charged us. We are both hurt but on our way back to the truck. I hit it somewhere with the shot but it ran off and is still alive.” I waited 10 minutes and then started hearing some noise coming from the woods. I peered out the windows trying to see the officers but to no avail. I called them on the radio, “Hey I am hearing something out there. Is that you?”

“No, not yet. I think James’ leg broke when he got knocked against a tree, so we aren’t moving too quickly.”

“OK, I am hearing some noise in the woods nearby, so be careful,” I responded.

Another 10 minutes passed. I was about to check in on the radio when my nose was filled by the stench of rotting flesh. I quickly looked around as I saw the grizzly charging towards the truck. With the crumple of metal and a crash of glass I was tossed to the other side of the truck and onto the floor, glass falling on top of me. The bear stuck his head through the window and bellowed with rage, spraying me in black droplets and white foam. He could not reach me, and began rocking the truck, trying to tip it over. He was unsuccessful, and out of frustration, rammed into the truck again. I heard a man yell “Go to Hell you undead bastard!” Four shots from a rifle followed. Blood and black fluid sprayed inside of the truck through the window and the bear roared and grunted as it fell against the truck. “You got it. I think you killed it!” I heard the other officer yell. I crawled out of the truck, on the opposite side from where the bear had fallen, and limped over to the officers. I had bleeding scrapes and cuts covering me and was splattered with the bear’s fluids. I stood by the officers and we stared at the now dead “zombie bear”.

When the bear charged the officers, one of them was thrown into a tree and had indeed fractured his leg. The other had been swiped across the chest resulting in lacerations similar to that on my leg that had to be tended to before we could leave. With great effort, using equipment on the truck, we loaded the bear into the truck and headed to the station.

The bear was tested for various conditions and diseases, both to know what had caused it’s wretched state, and also so we could be treated if we had become infected. The results indicated that it had two diseases. The first was rabies which had caused aggressive and unusual behaviors. The cause for the flesh decay was a combination of the chronic wasting disease found in deer and flesh eating bacteria. Each virus and bacteria had evolved to infect and affect the bear and then interact with each other to create an external to internal decaying disease that, additionally, made the animal go mad.

Now the real questions are: Are there more infected, how does it spread, and how can the infections be treated?