Ralph Davis Reptiles - The Martrix

Zao_Tsing - By Perry - 11/12/03 he posted this on the RDR Forum

Perry is an RDR Forum member who knows how to write some really great stories .............I love all of his work.......because he writes them for ME and about Sasquatch!!......;)...............read on if you dare............

Zao Tsing

“Whoaaaaa…who farted…Fatass!!”
“It wasn’t me. Big Lou was the one that ate that spicy junk”
The four men laughed like adolescents as their Toyota truck banged its way up the steep slope towards Xulin’s village. The monsoon rain made the dirt road slippery, almost making the climb impossible.
“Hey Ralph…try to keep it on the road will ya?”
“Yepper!”
“Damn!”
The four wheel drive vehicle suddenly slid sideways then stopped abruptly as it veered into a small stream, already overflowing with the nonstop rain that was falling.
Ralph swiped his hand across the windshield, pushing aside condensation that constantly built up on the cool glass. Putting the truck into low, he slowly pushed onto the accelerator. The tires only spun sending a rooster tail of mud high into the air behind them.
“Ok…everybody out.”
Big Lou opened the passenger door. The wind rushed in, full of rain and dampness. Phil and Fatass piled out from the crew cab.
“You guys push from the front and I will try to creep her out of this mud hole”, Ralph said.
Fatass grumbled, “How come we are always the ones getting wet and dirty?”
“Cuz he’s the king!” Lou said, smirking.
Phil, Fatass and Big Lou steadied themselves against the front of the truck then pushed. The tires spun then slowly gained traction. All four men strained as the truck climbed reluctantly from the hole.
“Whoahooo…Yeah!!” Ralph yelled; the wipers and fog blurring his vision.
Big Lou and Fatass climbed into the truck and waited for Phil to relieve himself. Phil braved the wind and the horizontal rain as he ducked into the nearby vegetation.
“Apparently spicy Chinese food doesn’t agree with him” Ralph said. The others chuckled in agreement.
“Well come on Phillie boy…how long does it…”
“ARRRRGHHHH….”
The scream hung in the damp air like a bird on the wing.
“What was that!”
The three men looked at each other then sprang from the truck, back into the driving rain that seemed to be worsening as the minutes ticked by.
“Phil…Phil!”
“He went over this way…”
Ralph and Fatass followed Lou into the bushes only to stop abruptly. They stared down at Phil’s shredded football jersey. It was soaked in blood which began to melt into the muck with every thunderous raindrop.
Staring in disbelief, the men yelled again and again but to no avail. They searched for as long as they could until the graying daylight finally overtook them. Phil was gone, leaving little trace and even less clues as to where he had gone. They climbed back into the truck and drove the half mile to Xulin’s village.

*****

“He says the phones are out because the monsoon has knocked down the power lines.”
Xulin, Big Lou’s wife, translated for the local equivalent of a police officer. The village that Xulin’s family comes from is small and has had little need for professional police.
Xulin spoke again to the elderly Chinese man, his white goatee stretching far below his shirt collar. Again, he pulled hard on his imported Marlboro cigarette, then exhaled through his nose. He shook his head and spoke again, then stopped.
“Zao Tsing…Zao Tsing.”
He shook his finger at Ralph, then at Lou and Fatty.
“What is all that about” Ralph asked, obviously concerned but more confused than anything.
Xulin looked at the old man and then at her American friends. “He says he knows what happened to your friend.”
“Well…?”
“Zao Tsing is an ancient Chinese legend, a fable really, about a man-beast that lives with the Pandas in the bamboo forest.”
“A man-beast…what the fuck is a man-beast?” Fatty was not impressed with the old mans explanation and walked outside and under the tile covered porch roof for some air.
Xulin continued, “well…Zao Tsing would be the equivalent of your…Sasquatch I believe it’s called.”
“You gotta be kidding me. They have those in China?” Ralph asked. Normally he would be excited by the thought of it but this time he was worried that a Bigfoot had eaten his friend.
Ralph raised his hand to his face and covered his eyes. “How are we gonna explain this to Phil’s wife? What are we gonna do without Phil?” He appeared to be on the verge of crying when from behind him he heard…
“GOTCHA!”
Ralph spun around instantly. Phil was leaning against the doorway sipping a beer and grinning from ear to ear.
Laughter erupted as everyone yelled “Welcome to China”.
Ralph walked away shaking his head. He had been tricked by everyone. He joined into the laughter as he said, “I knew China didn’t have Bigfoot”.