S.R. Fischer is a stay at home mom that recently started dipping her toes into the world of writing. She is a lifelong reader, with her favorite genres being mystery, thriller, horror, and true crime. While currently writing short stories, she hopes to someday write and publish a full length horror novel. She wants to show her daughters that they can do hard things, even when it's scary.
MILL RACE MONSTER
by
S.R. Fischer
Mill Race Park, Columbus, IN: 1974
“Gee Stan, it’s a real bummer Brady and Lisa can’t join us tonight.”
Stan slowly grazed his hand down to cup Marcia’s plump backside. “Maybe on the lowdown, I asked Brady not to come. I didn’t want them killin’ our vibe babe. Catch my drift?” Marcia giggled as the two began to walk into one of the park’s ivy-covered tunnels, the perfect place for a private make-out sesh. They made it to the deepest part of the tunnel, where even if anyone looked in from the ends, they would not be able to see them.
“I’ve been stoked about this all week,” Stan said, pulling Marcia close to him. Their kiss was electric, and he thought he might just try to convince her to go all the way tonight. His parents weren’t home, they could kick it at his crib undisturbed if Marcia was down. He let loose a small groan as Marcia let him slide into third base. She began to moan and pant as he teased her. Oh, he thought, I’m definitely getting to home base tonight. A deafening roar split the night.
Marcia squealed in fear, clinging tight to Stan, who immediately removed his hands from her pants. “Stan! Did you hear that?”
“Shhh, little mama. Let me take a peek.” Motioning for Marcia to stay still and quiet, Stan began to creep towards the way they had entered the tunnel. A rustling sounded from the other end of the tunnel, sending Marcia scurrying after him. “Keep on steppin’ babe, let’s get outta here,” Stan whispered when Marcia caught up. Stan stepped out from the tunnel tentatively, his head swiveling in all directions as he checked for danger.
“Ok, Marcia, take a chill pill. Nuthin’s out here.”
He took two more steps before Marcia screamed, pointing at a figure in between the trees. Its huge, glowing eyes sparked a deep-seated fear in the teens, who began to run. Another roar shook the quiet night as the sound of something large smacking the earth reverberated through the park. “Don’t look back, babe. Just keep running!” Stan shouted at Marcia. But her platform shoes, while great for looking tall and sexy, were not conducive to running through the uneven grass. Her left foot caught on a rock, and she tripped, her ankle twisting hard as she went down. She howled with pain as she felt her bones break.
“Stan!” she cried in anguish. He stopped and turned, fear almost stopping him in his tracks as he took in the source of the noise. Chasing them was an impossibly large creature, its shaggy fur seemingly coated in a thick moss that glowed an otherworldly green. Clocking in at easily seven feet, the creature was quickly gaining on the couple. Stan grabbed Marcia and picked her up.
“This some freaky deaky shit!” he puffed as he ran, the creature hot on their trail.
“What IS that thing?”
Stan didn’t answer as the ground began to shudder with the force of the monster’s steps. They were almost to the parking lot, and the supposed safety of Stan’s car. “Stan, it’s gaining! STAN!”
Stan fell as he felt Marcia being torn from his grasp. The creature roared as it flung the girl to the ground, instead fixing his gaze on the young man with his face down on the pavement. With a mighty swipe of his meaty paw, the beast lifted Stan’s car, and without a second thought, smashed it onto the boy’s prone form. Marcia screamed as a pool of blood began to seep out from the vehicle. “No, no, STAN!!!!”
The monster turned, eyeing the helpless, shrieking girl. Tears from the pain of her broken ankle and Stan’s brutal death streaked down her face as she attempted to crawl away, to no avail. The ape-like being leaned down and scooped her up, carrying her towards the river. Marcia continued to scream as the creature dunked her in the river, holding her down until bubbles ceased to form on the river’s surface. Satisfied with the carnage it had caused, the creature lifted the dead girl’s body and tossed it aside.
It returned to the parking lot, hungering for more blood. Unable to find other signs of life, it instead swiped at the few remaining cars, leaving deep claw marks in its stead. Angry, the creature retreated back into the darkness from whence it came. Across the park, a sole survivor scuttled away to safety.
The next morning, Columbus’s newspaper, The Republic, reported the following: “Mill Race Monster? A statewide manhunt has erupted in Mill Race Park today as authorities discovered a grisly scene late last night. The body of eighteen-year-old Stan Whipker was found in the parking lot of the park, pinned under the inexplicably destroyed remnants of his 1960 Thunderbird. His girlfriend, Marcia Meier, was found drowned on the banks of the White River. Her legs were crushed, as if something large and powerful had squeezed them. The only clues are large claw marks raked across the remaining cars at the scene and massive paw marks pressed into the grass. A citizen who wishes to remain unnamed claims to have seen a large, hairy, green bi-pedal creature racing through the park last night, but such reports remain unsubstantiated at this time. Please reach out to the Columbus Police if you have any information into these grisly murders.”
The manhunt continued for months, and while several other people reported seeing the creature, no other deaths were attributed to it. More importantly, it was never caught. While Mill Race remains a strikingly beautiful location in Indiana, one can only wonder if the creature is still hiding, waiting for the perfect time to strike again.