Jules

  Her friends and co-workers had been calling Julie Esperanza, Jules, for years. She never met a stranger. She was the type of girl even the local supermarket clerks remembered and greeted by name.

  After serving 10 years with the USAF Reserves, she moved from Shreveport, Louisiana, to New Mexico to be closer to family and to finish school. She loved all things nature, and when she was a kid, her mom took her to White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and notably Valles Caldera National Volcanic Park.

  That singular visit led Jules to seek an education in geology with a focus on volcanology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She loved her studies so much she stayed to complete her master’s.

  Everyone always considered Jules short and cute, but she never really felt beautiful. This lack of self-confidence reflected in her relationships, causing her to remain single through her 30s. She had given up on marriage and kids and focused entirely on her career and lifelong friendships.

  When she accepted a position at her favorite park, she knew she would retire from Valles Caldera without a doubt. Who wouldn’t love an 89,000-acre office? She only complained about not getting to see her co-workers more…including her boss.

  Jules had it made…until she felt that tremor. It wasn’t an emergency, but she called it in.

  “Jason, you there?” she radioed.

  “This my fave homie? Of course I’m here.” Jason responded with excitement.

  “You know it! Can you do me a favor and check the In Views?” It was actually called the National Volcano Early Warning System, but everyone pronounced it by its abbreviation.

  “Ok. Weird. You seeing something?”

  “Not yet. Just precaution.”

  “Alright, amiga. Gimme a few minutes.”

  Jules put the radio back on her hip and watched, scanning the visible area for any abnormal activity. She saw nothing suspicious, but that didn’t ease her anxiety.

  Besides leading guided hikes and educational programs, she was required to check on animal activity and patrol for wildfires. Many visitors to the park often camped in primitive areas, so the park rangers would check on their safety and well-being from time to time.

  The night prior, she had checked several campsites on the south end of the park, so she planned to go back there to see if they had noticed any recent abnormalities.

  She hopped in the truck just as a huge male elk slammed into it, almost rolling the full-size pickup completely over. She screamed. Windows broke. Tines stuck through the door, and two came within inches of piercing her. The crazy beast made a terrifying bugle sound as it played tug of war trying to get its rack unstuck. Jules could smell the sweat and fury pouring off the insane elk as it pulled and pulled, shaking the vehicle.

  Snapping out of her initial shock, she adjusted, realizing she was almost already on the other side of the truck and tried to open the door. She struggled with it for a few moments before she realized she had forgotten to unlock it.

  “Pull yourself together, Jules,” she said to herself as she flipped the switch to the red position and pulled on the handle. The elk continued its struggle against the driver’s side door.

  Out of nowhere, a piercing scream made her jump. Jules turned to watch a gigantic mountain lion pounce on the trapped deer.

  It all happened so fast. The impact caused the truck to shift. Jules slammed her head into the glove box. Blood slowly rose to the surface of the small gash in her forehead.

  She cursed. “What the hell is wrong with you two! I mean, come on! That frikin’ hurt! Stupid bastards.”

  She could feel the skin stretching around the lump forming on her forehead. She reached into the glove box and pulled out the standard-issue 9mm she kept for emergencies.

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  Apprehensively, she pried open the passenger door. The noise of the battle sounded like two people wrestling in a vat of baby oil and slime along with the manic screams of the dying elk.

  She could almost taste the blood in the air; the scent was so strong. With her sidearm raised, she walked around the back of the truck, scanning the area for more carnivores. She knew without a doubt; the smell would draw them in like hyenas. Coyotes, wolves, and buzzards would circle the site of carnage in no time.

  What she saw blew her mind. The elk had passed, its eyes glossed over and rolled mostly toward the back of the skull. The mountain lion was not eating the meat. It was destroying the body like a dog does with a new chew toy. Meat was being flung in all directions like…like it was having fun with its kill.

  Her radio blasted, Jason cheerily interrupting the macabre scene. “Heyyyy, Jules! Come on back now, ya hear!” He always loved playing around like he was a trucker, and Jules usually laughed and carried on with him, acting like she was on the road as well. But his timing couldn’t have been any worse.

  The lion stopped its raging attack and turned to look at Jules.

  “No, no, no, no, no, no….you just keep on playing with your food there, buddy. I’m nothing interesting at all.”

  It glared at her, maw completely covered in blood and viscera, the ichor dripping from its extended fangs.

  After a slight hesitation, it charged her with a sickening yell. Jules pulled the trigger of her 9mm three times before the lion landed on her with all its weight. The bullets hit, but did minor damage and didn’t halt the attack in any way. The lion lifted its head while opening its mouth, eyes locked in on Jules’ face.

  So this is how I die…

  Mike

  Mike Williams had a crush on Jules for several years. He was about 10 years her senior, but after his divorce he got back into the gym and was looking better than he had before his first marriage.

  Because he had light brown hair with no visible white and shaved his beard, people often said he didn’t look 45.

  Despite working up the courage, he hadn’t had the opportunity to ask Jules out. Every day for the past two weeks, the boss scheduled them to work on opposite sides of the park.

  Finally, he would have his chance since that day he got scheduled to work the same area of the park as Jules. Well, at least he thought he would.

  From a distance, he watched the elk bulldoze into her truck in a frenzy. He had witnessed elk attacks before, but this one seemed to have lost its senses. Then, right before he was about to drive down to help her, he saw the mountain lion.

  Yup! That would do it. No wonder the elk was acting like an idiot.

  He opened the back door of the truck and pulled out the Remington 7mm Magnum sniper rifle. They weren’t authorized to hunt on the preserve, but if someone was in danger, they could use deadly force.

  Jules was in big trouble.

  Mike knew how to shoot. He’d scored ‘expert marksman’ on every qualification. This shot; however, would be one of the toughest he’d ever accomplished. He had almost zero margin for error. He estimated the distance at 200 yards, and the wind blew below five mph from the east.

  Mike aimed. He watched the mountain lion jump onto Jules. She shot it one, two, three times. It didn’t die. It was going to kill her if he didn’t take the shot.

  Jules

  The lion’s head exploded in a fine pink and bluish mist followed by the echo of a powerful gun blast. The full weight of the beast fell onto Jules as the body went limp. Blood spurted from the lion’s carotid artery, covering Jules’ chest, neck, and face. The smell of sweat mixed with the blood filling her senses.

  Jules couldn’t move easily, so she tried shimmying from under the lion.

  Who saved me? I bet it was Mike. He bragged about his ‘expert marksman’ all the time, but I had no clue he was this good. Damn! I owe him one.

  “Eh, Jules?” Jason keyed his radio. “You aight?”

  “This is Mike. I’m about 200 yards from her location. She had some animal problems. I’ll call it in when I get down there and help her out. Better send another truck this way.”

  “What’s your coords? Is she okay?”

  Mike relayed the coordinates. “I think she’s good, Jason. I’ll call back when I have more info. Over.”

  Jules heard the conversation from her position. She knew it would only take Mike a couple of minutes to drive down to where she was lying, so she relaxed. She felt the adrenaline shakes as her body let go of the pent-up tension. One thing she hated more than anything; crying, but her eyes and willpower could not hold back the flood welling up.

  The blood coagulated, turning into a sticky goo on her neck. Her neck itched. Hurry up, Mike!

  His truck pulled up beside hers. She listened as the car door opened and slammed and feet ran her way.

  “Dear God, Jules? Are you okay?” Mike shouted as he drew near.

  “Yeah,” she responded. “I can’t move, and it’s difficult to breathe, but I think I’m gonna live.”

  Mike nervously laughed. “I was gonna ask you out to dinner tonight, but this doesn’t seem like a good time now, does it?” He laughed some more. Jules liked his laugh.

  “Are you kiddin’ me? I couldn’t think of a better time. I mean, where can I go, huh?” She struggled to laugh with the little puffs of breath she could muster. “Can you get this thing off me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It’s kinda fashionable. I believe everyone will be wearing one in the future.” He laughed again, but started actually helping her pull the dead cougar off her.

  “Is there something blue in the blood?” he asked, looking at the carnage. “What the hell did this thing get into?”

  As Jules pulled her legs free, she said, “I thought I saw a hint of blue too. Weird. Thanks for saving me. I owe you—”

  “Stop with that crap. You don’t owe me…well, you could let me take you to dinner.” He gave her a look, with an eyebrow raised.

  Cute. Well played. “Okay,” she said. “But I’m buy—”

  A second mountain lion flew in from Mike’s right with a high-pitched roar. It ripped Mike’s head off with one bite.