Lair Of The Spider Apes: Part II
Daylight had broken and the crew had been packing up essential gear for what Jonathon had called a "special interview on location". Everyone operated in a strange silence, the accounts from the day before still lingering in the air around them. The only one seemingly unaffected was Jonathon, as he opened the door and beckoned for his crew.
"Come on, now. We have a very special person to meet today. After that we can plan out our investigation for the next few nights, and hopefully, by the end of this, we will have made headlines worldwide!" His child-like enthusiasm fell flat among his peers, getting in return acknowledging grunts and inattentive nods. Slightly deflated, Jonathon shook his head and headed to the jeep as the others slowly followed suit.
They drove a bit further into the village, just off of the main road. As they got closer and closer to the boundary of the jungle that loomed all around them, they found a structure that was quite out of place. A large blue and gray canopy stretched out in contrast to the many shades of green around it. Large military styled crates were set around the outside and the inside of the tent, and a heavily modified jeep was parked in front. Jonathon's eyes lit up as they approached, while Genevieve turned to him with concern
"What is this, Jonathon?" Genevieve asked with a stern tone. Jonathon smirked and sent a sideways glance her way.
"This, my dear, is what will make this film stand out from the rest. Ah, there is our golden goose right now." Jonathon's eyes locked onto something within the canopy. Genevieve peered in as well, to see a large but somewhat slender man standing near a table within the canopy, assembling rifles. Genevieve looked back at Jonathon once more, but no words followed.
The crew pulled up and the jeep skidded to a halt over the loose rocks and dirt of the trail. The man in the canopy now gave them his attention. He looked back at the halfway finished rifles in front of him and then shook his head. He walked out towards the jeep and stopped just a few feet from the canopy's threshold.
Each member of the crew climbed out of the jeep, Jonathon walking up to the man, waving and almost attempting a slight trot. Dylan made a face that made Julie giggle, and the three of them looked around at the encampment as they approached. Large maps of the surrounding area with red circles were seen just off to the side on a table. Several crates had decorative stickers on them that had words such as "Explosive" and "Flammable". The three looked at each other and huddled slightly closer as they reached Jonathon.
"Hello, Mr. Thibodeaux! We are the film crew for Wilcox Enterprises, the ones you contacted about a possible interview about your, uh, work here." Jonathon spoke with a smile, but the man did not return it. He looked Jonathon up and down and then chuckled to himself. He then found his eyes wandering over the crew. His demeanor changed, and he shifted in his stance as he walked right past Jonathon.
"Hello there. My name is Alabaster Thibodeaux. Welcome to my humble abode. You are a camera crew, I presume?" He spoke with a drawling Louisiana accent, but his cadence was that of a true southern gentleman. His eyes danced between Julie and Genevieve, and he smiled a near pristine smile through a thin brown mustache.
"We going to have a problem here, Mr. Thibodeaux?" Genevieve said as she took a step forward, invading Thibodeaux's space. A toothy grin was all he offered up, and then he took a step back himself. Jonathon scurried over in hopes to stop his camera operator from possible insulting his marquee interview. Thibodeaux put his hand up to stop Jonathon without taking his eyes off of Genevieve.
"An alpha. Perfect. Your name, sugar?" Thibodeaux said. He had put his hands down and was looking Genevieve directly in the eyes. She did not relent.
"My name is Genevieve. Not sugar. It would the best for everyone if you could remember that." Genevieve said. Jonathon winced, but Thibodeaux simply nodded.
"Forgiveness requested. I meant no offense Genevieve but time is a luxury we do not have, and I needed to know who was the right person to be talking to." Thibodeaux put out his hand, a peace offering of sorts. Genevieve looked around at her crew and then shook the strange man's hand.
"Now, I hate to have us adjourn this little gathering, but as I mentioned, we must be off. You do have camera equipment with you I assume? Thibodeaux look past Genevieve and his eyes scanned over their jeep as he spoke to her.
"Uh, yes, we have gear for the interview. How would you like to proceed, Mr. Thibodeaux?" Genevieve asked, reveling in the fact that Jonathon was dying inside as he had been usurped from power momentarily.
"First thing, call me Thibodeaux, I do enjoy the way it sounds and the mister in front of it makes it all sorts of nasty. Second, get your gear into my jeep. We have a destination awaiting us." Thibodeaux said as he began walking to his car. Genevieve looked to Jonathon who just shrugged and shook his head. She ran after Thibodeaux just a bit and called out to him.
"What destination?" Genevieve had come to a halt as Thibodeaux turned around.
"Have your camera ready. I'll explain on the way." Thibodeaux said as the continued on to his jeep. Genevieve hesitated for just a moment, then gave the order to load up Thibodeaux’s jeep. They had left within the hour.
The jeep bounced and shook as Thibodeaux sped through the tight jungle overgrowth. Thibodeaux had Genevieve sitting up front, much to the annoyance of Jonathon, who himself was now squished between Dylan and Julie, feeling every rough patch the jeep hit. Genevieve had taken this opportunity to see what she could pry from Alabaster Thibodeaux, see if she could catch him off guard.
"So you’re a big game hunter, right? In it for the thrill of the hunt, or just the power from killing another thing?" Genevieve said with the best flirtatious smile she could muster. Thibodeaux glanced at her quickly then threw his eyes forward once more. He chuckled to himself and leaned back in his seat as he drove.
"I can tell you are not a fan of the occupation I currently hold, my dear Genevieve. But know, I am no mere trophy hunter looking for a payday and prop for a room to bolster my status of masculinity. Let me, if I may, divulge to you the true origins of the man you see before you. I am from Baton Rouge, and yes, as you may have conceived I am from a family of hunters, specifically alligator hunters. We were no backwater savages, by any means, my dear Genevieve. My father also ran a lucrative gun and ammunition shop year round, so we were quite well off. But, and I know this may tread the line of the reality and fantasy for you, but I did not find a true love in hunting at all." Thibodeaux paused to wait for Genevieve's reaction. She had just been intently listening, and when Thibodeaux paused, she wondered why. Then she realized he was waiting for her shock at his statement, so she decided to relent.
"Oh wow. That is just amazing." She said with such forced flattery that Thibodeaux's face fell flat for a moment, before he recovered with a head shake and a loud cackle.
"My word you are some sort of witch I have never encountered before. But I do enjoy a challenge. In fact, that leads me to why I am here. You see, I never saw any thrill in hunting an animal that was just going about its business. Just felt empty, hollow, and downright pointless. But I was good at it. A family trait handed down, you could say. But I was miserable. Until one day a large one-eyed alligator, big sixteen foot monster, starts attacking kids and dogs around a small bayou community. They put out a reward, and I answered the call. For four days I hunted that beast, encountering it three times but coming away empty handed. Eventually, it surprised me, and capsized my boat. I swam to shore, and the beast was just breaths behind me. It burst from the water and I managed to get of a shot with a pistol I had in my jacket. It should have been waterlogged, but it fired anyway. That shot blew threw its only good eye, and as it thrashed on the shore in a fit of rage, I finished the job. It was a fight. Life and death, for all parties involved. It was that day that I knew what I was. No, sweet Genevieve, I am not just a big game hunter. I only hunt the maneaters. The beasts with a taste for human flesh." Thibodeaux had not looked away from the chaotic path he was taking in the jeep. Genevieve had begun to listen intently, as had all of the occupants. When Thibodeaux finished he cracked his neck and looked up to the sun.
"Damn, got a late start today. I hope we have time for the whole grand tour." His words shook Genevieve from her silence. She had been caught in a sudden rush of a thousand different thoughts, most drawing concern and unease from within her to the forefront of her mind.
"So are you here looking for what the villagers are saying exists out here? Are you hunting a...new species?" Genevieve asked.
"The spider ape? Oh Genevieve, it exists. And it has been evading me for a full week now. It makes me wonder though if I am only dealing with one, or perhaps there is a small group haunting this wilderness." Thibodeaux spoke in a somber tone. A rarity for him. Genevieve looked back to the three in the backseat, and then addressed Thibodeaux once more.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Genevieve said the words with a slow, deliberate pace.
"A place where monsters are made." Thibodeaux said no more. He drove on for another twenty minutes until the jeep entered an odd clearing and came to a stop. Genevieve stared with complete awe at what stood in front of the vehicle. A very large building, covered in plant growth and giant spider webs, stood like a lost monolith within the jungle surroundings. Windows were broken out, and the whole place look abandoned. Most disturbing to Genevieve were the scattered corpses. Bodies, in decaying suits and business attire, were strewn up in some of the webs and lying in grotesque positions all around the clearing. Thibodeaux turned the engine off and addressed everyone.
"Welcome to hell on Earth my lovelies." Thibodeaux spoke again with a cold awe as his eyes scanned the premises. He then opened his door and left the jeep. It took a few minutes for the others to follow.
Stay tuned for part three tomorrow….
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