Maria, in full bloodlust now, didn’t realize what the creature was doing until she felt a breeze on her back. Quickly glancing over her shoulder she saw nothing but the doorway to darkness and freedom. Smiling, she took another tentative swing at the creature, almost as if she were testing the waters. Instead of striking out at her, the creature retreated a step. It dipped its head towards the door as if trying to tell her to leave.
Seeing the pleading look on the Goatman’s face, Jim suddenly understood what it was doing.
The thing didn’t want to kill her. Even though everything she did was aimed at harming since it stepped foot in the house, the creature still didn’t want to harm her. Looking back over her shoulder then at the creature again she shook her head.
“Hell no I’m not going,” she yelled at it. “I still got work to do on Jimmy boy. I’m going to take your damn ugly head then I’m going to take his. Think I’ll hang them on the wall next to each other.”
Not giving the beast a chance to make a move, she quickly made an awkward swing at the things leg but missed. Overbalanced by her overconfidence, she was surprised when the beasts arm shot out and clenched an iron grip around her throat. It pulled her close, making sniffing noises and shaking its head like it didn’t like what it smelled.
Maria, not one to be defeated so easily, continued struggling. She reached up with her hands and tried prying the creatures hands from her throat, kicked her legs trying to hit some vital spot that might make it let go; she even tried spitting in its face but that’s hard to do when you’re having a hard time breathing.
It hissed in her face, spraying her with spit and mucus tossing her aside. Jim couldn’t believe it. The creature turned its back on her and slowly walked towards Jim and Jill. The creature hesitated when it reached them as if trying to decide which one to help first. Jim was about to tell it to tend to Jill when he saw something leaping through the air behind him. His words of direction turned to a feeble yell of warning. The Goatman spun just in time to have the axe Maria had been using planted in its chest. Jim saw his hopes of making it out of here alive fall to the floor. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible for someone as small as Maria to kill a beast like the Goatman but she seemed to have just done it.
“That takes care of one of you,” she rasped as she yanked the gore covered axe from the brutes’ body. “You’re next,” she said staggering in his direction.
“Lucky me,” he laughed. Why not? He had nothing to lose.
“I’ve waited a long time for this you little bitch,” she spit at him as she loomed over him. Well, not exactly looming, more like leaning. Leaning on the axe like it was a cane if he wanted to be exact about things. If only he had any energy he might be able to beat her. The Goatman had softened her up for him but too bad for him his limbs weren’t obeying him at the moment. First he’d gotten his ass beat by a girl. Now he was going to get killed by that same girl after she finished killing a creature that by all rights shouldn’t exist. If anyone had told him he was going to die like this he would’ve had them committed.
Maria slowly raised the axe and Jim closed his eyes. He didn’t think he wanted to see what came next. After a few seconds he realized he was still alive and thought he shouldn’t be. Cracking an eyelid he looked up and saw Maria standing there just like she had been a few seconds ago. But there was something different. The Goatman’s hand was around her throat again. That couldn’t be right, he thought. The Goatman was dead, wasn’t he? Maria’s face was turning a brilliant shade of purple and her eyes were starting to protrude a little farther than Jim thought might be healthy for her when he heard a snap. He was reminded of braking branches when he was a child. At the sound of the snap Maria’s body went slack. Then she was unceremoniously dropped on the floor where she landed with a thump. He couldn’t really turn his head to see her and was pretty sure he didn’t really want to. His attention was caught by something else.
The Goatman was swaying back and forth in front of Jim looking for all the world like he might follow Maria to her resting place. He really hoped that didn’t happen considering he was the only way they were going to get out of here. The gash in his chest seeped something but Jim was pretty sure it wasn’t blood. Focusing his eyes as best he could he swore he saw movement in the things chest. He was pretty woozy but he was sure the hole was closing. It took a few more second but after what could’ve only been a minute the wound was no longer there. The only thing left was another scar that matched all the others. The beast shook its head like a horse, flexed its chest muscles and stood straighter. It was completely healed. Jim just wished it was that easy for him.
Even after everything it had done for them, when the Goatman moved towards Jill he wanted to scream. All he could do was watch as the creature looked at first one of her hands then the other trying to figure out how to get her down. Jim strained himself into a sitting position to get a better look but it cost him. Stars danced in his vision for a few seconds before everything went black. Drifting off into unconsciousness he whispered an apology to Jill for not being able to save her and for ever getting her into this mess. It didn’t make him feel any better since he was sure she would never hear it.
He wasn’t sure how long he was out when he was suddenly shaken from his forced slumber. The creature was hovering over him sniffing him the way it had Maria a little while ago. If he could’ve he probably would’ve screamed. He knew he was indebted to it but the creature still wasn’t the prettiest thing he could think of. Especially after being forced to wake up.
Seeing he was awake the beast raised its head so that they were eye to eye. Dreading having to look at the creature much less stare it in the eye Jim squeezed his tightly shut. Jim could feel its breath blowing gently across his face. It didn’t smell as bad as he thought it would. Actually it smelled almost like flowers. He still kept his eyes shut. It might be some kind of trick. The brute didn’t seem to care. It seemed content to wait him out.
Finally after what seemed an eternity Jim gave in. Cracking his eyes he found exactly what he expected but then not what he expected. He was face to face with The Goatman. Instead of the animal savagery he thought he was going to see he saw something surprising. Kindness and caring seemed to reach out from the creature’s eyes and wrap him in a warm embrace. All his life Jim had heard horror stories about this creature and how it had killed and maimed too many people to count but looking into its eyes he couldn’t believe it. He knew it wasn’t true. This creature had never harmed anything that hadn’t harmed it first. All the stories were just that. Stories.
Not taking its eyes from him, he, as Jim was now thinking of it, gently picked him up and cradled him to its chest like a lost child. Turning swiftly from the room, it strode from the house barely looking away from Jim to see where it was going. Jim could only look up, smiling at it in wonderment. The creature gave him what must have passed for a smile and said in a rough voice unused to speaking, “You called and I came.” The sound was like two trees rubbing together in a strong wind. They seemed to echo in his head for a few seconds. After the words faded to nothing but a memory Jim was unsure if he even heard it right.
Wanting to ask it all the questions that were almost brimming over in his mind Jim found he was unable to. His body once again chose the most inopportune time to hit the shut off switch on him. As he slowly passed out he knew he was in no danger as long as he was in the creatures arms. What had scared him for life was now like coming home to a familiar friend he’d never known he had. All these years they thought the Goatman was out to hurt them but they had it all wrong. He was only there to help. If he actually chased them when they were kids it was probably only his way of playing. The poor creature life had to be one of the loneliest in existence. Now Tommy and Rob would never know the wonder of meeting this wonderful creature. With that unhappy thought floating through his head he was out.