Chapter 3 TWO RED EYES

was dark. The grounds of the arms factory were quiet, save for the cry of crickets from the woods and the hushed mutterings of a young paranormal investigator.

After his spat with Madeline, Martin made a beeline straight for the munitions factory on the edge of town. While it wasn't terribly far from their grandfather's house, the darkness of the night made the trip that much longer. When he finally reached the area, he had to crawl on his hands and knees through a hole in the fence, sealing off the factory from the outside. Now, he traipsed along the grounds, skirting the edge of the woods, guided only by his camera's night vision.

"Okay, guys," he whispered, "I'm here at the arms factory. This is where the Jacobsens allegedly saw the Mothman that night while driving home from gassing up their car. Now, it seems like all the notable sightings of this creature emanate from around this area. This must be where the Mothman makes his home, or perhaps he stops here while traveling..."

He panned out to the woods.

"Right now, we're just looking for any kind of sign, any trace that the creature might be here..."

"There you are, Marty!" called a familiar voice from behind him.

Martin jumped in fright from the sudden call and whirled around. His night vision revealed a young girl, exactly his age, with straight brown hair and chocolate eyes. She was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt, a black hoodie, and tight denim jeans.

"Christ, Maddie, are you fucking kidding me?!" he hissed.

"That should be my line. You're not supposed to be here."

"Yeah, so?"

"Are you an idiot? Grandpa Steve is going to be hella pissed if he finds out we're out here in the middle of the night."

Martin only scoffed and started to walk on. He would not be deterred in continuing his investigation. Madeline followed closely after him.

"He won't know unless you squeak about it! Now piss off."

"No," Madeline insisted. "You're coming back to the house with me."

"Since when were you in charge of my decisions?!"

"How about right now?!"

And with that, Maddie roughly tugged at Martin's sleeve, dragging him towards the entrance of the grounds. Martin would have none of it and tried to resist, but he was still holding his camera and greatly feared dropping it.

"Dammit, Madeline! Let go!"

"Martin, enough is enough!" she fought back. "It's about time you let go of this middle school crap. The Mothman is just a myth!"

"How's this for a myth!?" Martin spat.

The young investigator took his sister by surprise by shoving her away aggressively. Madeline stumbled backwards a few feet to the edge of the woods. Her foot tripped over a rock and her body fell over after it, scraping her pantleg on something sharp as she collapsed into the earth.

"Oww!"

Martin, on instinct, dropped everything to race to his sister's side. Even if he had qualms with his sister, she was still family. The investigation, the hunt for the Mothman, all of it no longer mattered.

"Sis! Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Setting his camera down next to him, he reached for his flashlight and shined it on Madeline's leg. The denim had been torn, almost to her knee. Underneath the tear a long, vertical cut extended up her calf, bleeding slowly and staining her jeans.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, I feel great...peachy even," Maddie grunted in pain, trying to sound sarcastic. "It's just a mere flesh wound is all."

"Please don't joke at a time like this. Let me clean it at least."

The young investigator searched his backpack and reached for a first aid kit. He always kept one on his investigations in the field in case of accidents, though its usage was rare. He never thought he would have to use it to aid his sister, who always rejected any invitation to join him. A single cloth wiped away the excess blood before an aerosol can of antiseptic disinfected it. Madeline tried but failed to hide a wince as the antiseptic stung the wound.

"Goddammit, what is that? Acid?"

"Don't complain. If it hurts, that means it's working..."

Martin was about to cover the cut in gauze when a low, near-undetectable noise left him frozen. It reminded him of an insect's chitter, but it was deeper, like a bear's growl.

"Maddie, tell me you heard that..."

"Heard what?" she groaned, fighting through the pain.

Martin reached for his camera and scanned the woods. The night vision was the only possible way he could detect anything. Madeline struggled to dress her wound herself as her brother cautiously, fearfully called out into the forest,

"Hey, is someone out there?"

A low chitter sent the hairs on his neck standing on end. He hesitated to venture further, as each step he took, the sound grew closer, louder.

Madeline propped herself against a tree while Martin slowly trudged forward, the grass sifting beneath his feet with every step. Once again, a low chitter emanated from the woods. Could it be the famous creature?

Just then, Martin thought he saw something in the corner of his viewfinder. A vague, dark shape, man-like in appearance, but impossible to tell for sure. He focused on it and again called out,

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Another growl. Then, at the same time, two red orbs blinked open, eyeing him with a strange, hypnotic stare. Martin instantly froze in place, as still as one of the trees. Slowly, a vague shape emerged. It stood at least 10 feet tall, with what appeared to be wings hidden behind its back. It looked vaguely human, but its legs and arms resembled more a bird's or an insect's. Finally, the two red eyes, as large as saucers, didn't resemble any Martin had ever seen. No pupil, no sclera, just two red masses. It didn't take Martin long to recognize the creature.

"Oh fuck, it's him...!"

"Him who?" Maddie asked somewhat fearfully, following her brother's gaze.

"The Mothman...!"

A loud, animalistic screech sent Martin fleeing back towards his sister. Whatever they did, they had clearly agitated the creature, and the time had come to go. Any desire to continue the investigation disappeared into the night, drowned by the Mothman's rabid scream.

The two twins fled the woods, heading towards the arms factory. Behind them, the Mothman pursued with a loud thump each time he set down one of his feet. In the darkness, Martin scrambled to find where he entered. The hole in the fence couldn't be that far away, could it?

"What the hell is that?" Madeline breathed.

"Whatever it is, we pissed it off!"

The beam of Martin's flashlight feverishly wobbled and oscillated, looking for an opening in the wire fence. Had they strayed so far from their entrance? Behind them, a tall, dark silhouette emerged from the woods, two ruby red eyes staring right at them. If they waited any longer, this thing would kill them both. She did the only thing she thought to do: stall for time.

Underneath her hooded jacket, Madeline kept her special weapon. Much to Martin's surprise, her hand drew out an old semiautomatic handgun with a large box magazine in front of the trigger guard. It reminded Martin of Han Solo's blaster from Star Wars, but Madeline proved it was no movie prop.

"STAY AWAY FROM US, YOU FREAK!"

BANG! BANG!

Twin shots rang out, murdering the otherwise still silence of the night. One shot grazed the creature's right wing while another connected with its arm. Wounded, the monster let out a terrifying screech of pain, stunned by the girl's retaliation. A small window opened up, and Madeline grabbed Martin by the wrist, leading him to the arms factory. If they couldn't run, they would hide.

"You brought your gun with you?!" Martin asked in shock as they entered the factory through a backdoor.

"You think I'm gonna be out in the middle of the night unarmed? I always carry my C96."

"Well, you coulda told me a little earlier...!"

There was no time for further bickering, as they needed to find a safe hiding spot to lose the Mothman. And the factory had no shortage of such places.

The arms factory was an old, decrepit structure, standing two stories tall. Dating back to the Second World War, it had been condemned and abandoned following the Allied victory. Remnants of that time were littered about the factory, from spare artillery shell casings, rotting wooden stocks for rifles, and conveyor belts with bullets still ready to be assembled. The place was dingy and dirty, and a strong scent of rust and spent gunpowder hung in the air as they searched for places to hide.

Madeline found an open door leading to the remains of an office. Overturned file cabinets and the corpse of an office desk made for the perfect places to wait their monstrous pursuer out. Madeline took cover underneath the office desk and pulled a rolling chair back, providing total concealment, Martin in the meantime curled up behind a filing cabinet laying on its side. He lay as close to the ground as possible, hoping.

They finally caught their breath, and the rate of their heartbeats slowed. Outside, they could still hear the cries of the Mothman as it tried to flap its wings. It reminded them of a helicopter revving up its rotor.

"Jesus Christ..." Madeline whispered. "And here I was, thinking we were going to have a nice vacation..."

"Do you believe me now?" Martin hissed, checking his camera and flashlight. "I told you this was the real deal!"

"Now's not the time, Marty. We can talk about it later..."

"No, I want to hear you say it!"

"Later, Marty!"

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Say it or I'll tell the Mothman you're here!"

"Okay, okay!"

Madeline heaved a deep sigh. She never imagined in a million years she would have to say the following words, but there was no sense in trying to deny it. She wished it weren't true, but, this time...

"Marty, you were right. You were right and I was wrong. So, so wrong." She blinked and stared at her brother, her eyes glistening with tears. "Happy?" The once indignant glare in Martin's face melted away, replaced with a warm smile.

"...Very."

Whatever reconciliation they had achieved was cut short when the monster screamed above them and came roaring through the ceiling windows outside the office. A loud crash followed as shells, bullet casings, and all sorts of machinery were knocked over, destroyed and trampled upon. A moment of uneasy quiet followed as it the Mothman chittered lowly and started to skulk, searching for its prey.

"You don't think...?" Madeline asked fearfully. Martin shook his head.

"No, not likely. It couldn't have seen us go inside this room. We should be fine as long as we don't move..."

The loud footsteps of the monster echoed closer and closer as it searched the perimeter of the main work area. It stopped whenever it passed a room. Martin, despite every ounce of logic telling him otherwise, reached for his camera and started recording. Madeline only looked on, trying hard not to shiver in fear.

"Guys," he whispered frantically, "I'm in the arms factory now, a-and M-Maddie's with me. I...I think...it's in the building. I think the creature is in the building."

Martin looked over the edge of the filing cabinet towards the door, slightly ajar. Even if he was taking his life in his hands, he needed the evidence. Besides which, if it passed them, they could escape in safety.

"I d-d-don't care what anyone says," he murmured, his eyes bouncing between the camera and the door. "I need to get it on camera. I...need to prove to everyone...that it's...real..."

He nudged the camera up so it was just peeking over the edge of the cabinet, aiming the viewfinder at the door. A loud metal clatter almost shook them out of their spots, but they remained in place. A low growl followed as the creature pushed the door open. There it was at last, for all to see.

With a clearer, unobstructed view, the Mothman seemed to resemble a bird more than a moth. Its talon-like feet reminded Martin of an owl's, while its strange hands resembled those of a moth's leg. Atop the head were two insect-like antennae. They fluttered every few seconds to shake off the dust in the air. Its red eyes, unblinking and hypnotic, were giant rubies flashing in the night.

Again, the creature warbled in a low tone. It seemed like hours as it just stood there in the doorway. Staring. Watching. Judging.

At last, seeing no movement, it moved on to better pastures, in a desperate hunt for its prey. The footsteps echoed on the concrete floors as it drifted further away until the twins breathed a heavy, relieved sigh.

"Thank God," Martin thought aloud with relief as he slid down.

He turned the camera to Madeline, still hiding beneath the office desk, who looked the very picture of fear. Every bead of sweat was captured in night vision as she gently pushed away the chair and crawled out from underneath the desk. Martin gave one last message to the camera.

"Well folks, I think we just made the biggest discovery of the decade. The Mothman is real. It's not just a legend. It's real."

"Yeah, congratulations," Madeline offered, sardonically. "Can we go now?"

"...right. Let's get the fuck outta here."

Martin hopped over the cabinet and, with camera still in hand, peeked out from behind the door. The Mothman, its back turned, was still checking each room, hoping to find its scared quarry. This creature, while clearly intelligent, was still just a dumb animal. It could be outwitted. Martin hurriedly hailed his sister to leave as he kept the camera fixed on the monster as it continued on, unaware.

"Alright, the coast is clear. Let's go!"

The young girl didn't need to be told twice, and soon made straight for the nearest door. Martin followed close behind, keeping an eye on the creature all the while. Once out of the factory, they made for the wire fence and started looking for the hole through which both entered.

"Man, that was way too close," Martin sighed as he shined his flashlight, searching for a break in the wire.

"Yeah, you're telling me. I never thought one of your kooky legends would actually be real."

"Hey, you learn something new every day, huh?" Madeline chuckled ruefully to herself.

"I just didn't think I'd learn this. And certainly not so...creepily."

"Look on the bright side: with this footage, we're gonna be famous all over the world."

His light beam shone on the hole in the fence. Beyond it lay a dirt trail connecting to the main highway leading back to town. Martin and Madeline smiled before high-fiving each other.

"Then let's go get famous, bro."

"Right behind ya..."

Madeline only took one step forward when another ear-piercing screech froze them in place. Martin looked back and managed to catch a black silhouette swoop down from the sky with lightning speed. It landed in front of the fence with a loud thump. Martin screamed in fright, backing away while Madeline, defiant to the end, produced her semiautomatic.

"Eat lead, you mother-!"

BEEP BEEEEEEEP!

A car engine roared from behind the monster, and a pair of bright lights revealed its true form. The Mothman was black from head to toe, its eyes reflected the light like a jewel, blinding the two youngsters. The wings, which resembled an owl's, spread out to blot the car's headlights.

The monster let out a terrible scream as one of doors opened. Out stepped an elderly man with wiry grey hair, rather sloppily dressed in just striped boxers and a sleeveless white shirt. On his feet were what looked like bedroom slippers. Clearly, the man had just gotten out of bed. His tortoise shell glasses reflected the beams from the headlights, glinting like two mirrors. In his hands he held a pump-action shotgun, the muzzle aimed directly at the creature's back.

"Don't you touch my grandkids, ya overgrown owl!"

"Gramps!" the twins shouted in unison.

The agitated monster tried to cut off the teenagers' route of escape, but was greeted with a shot to its wing. A cry of pain almost burst their eardrums, but their grandfather was unrelenting.

"SUCK IT!" Steve shouted, unloading on the creature.

Another shotgun shell connected with the giant monster's arm, spouting black blood as it knelt on one knee. With the mothman wounded and writhing in agony, the kids took that as their cue to retreat into their grandfather's car. Steve wasted no time in stepping on the gas and speeding away. As they were soaked in shock and exhaustion, Martin hugged his camera, thankful that it was unharmed.

"You two were mighty lucky! I thought for sure I'd be too late. What were ya'll thinking, goin' to that factory in the middle of the damn night?!"

"Sorry, gramps," Martin sighed, mildly guilty. "It was my fault. I was so hell-bent on wanting to know more about this Mothman...I nearly got Maddie and myself killed."

"Well...at least you're safe now. Getting angry forever ain't my style. Gives me too many wrinkles."

"How did you know we were out here, anyway?" Maddie asked. "Where have you been lately?"

"What, ya think I didn't notice Marty goin' gung-ho with his sleuthin'?" Steve chuckled. "Julia called me up the other day, told me what he was up to. Frankly, I was waitin' fer ya to ask me for some info."

"Wait a minute," Martin interjected, confused, "you mean you've seen this thing before?"

"Yeah. 'Bout a year ago, just 'fore the bridge collapse."

Despite their recent brush with danger, Martin still mustered the energy to turn on his recorder and listen to Steve's account.

"One night-musta been 'round 10 or 11 o'clock-I heard some growlin' in my yard. At first, I thought it was a raccoon or somethin', gettin' into my garden. But when I looked out my bedroom window..."

The old man shuddered. Whether it was from the coldness of the night or the terrible memory was not certain.

"...I saw it. Big, black, and two bright red eyes starin' at me. I thought for sure he would fly up to my window and snatch me right then and there."

"What did you do?"

"Well, I did what any man would: I grabbed my shotgun, rushed out to the backyard, and fired a couple shots to scare it away. It certainly did that much."

Just then, the trio heard a loud, pain-filled shriek echoing from the arms factory. Martin and Madeline looked out the rear window and saw the vague silhouette of the Mothman fly up into the sky. It soared over the forests, heading west towards the valley. The sight reminded Martin of a bat returning to its cave.

"Just what the hell does that freak want...?" Madeline asked the wind.

"Probably the blood a' kids. Or their souls," Steve bluntly answered.

"I didn't want an immediate response!"

"Or maybe it was trying to warn us of something," Martin thought aloud. "I mean, it didn't kill the Jacobsens, or anyone else that saw it. Could've killed you, Gramps, but it didn't." Steve rubbed his chin in thought.

"Y'know, I think it all has somethin' to do with that bridge. Marty, you saw it was seen climbin' it, right? And all the sightin's happened just before it collapsed. My guess? It was warnin' all of us of what was comin'. But we were too scared to listen." Madeline choked back a scoff.

"Well clearly it doesn't understand that screeching in your face isn't the best way to fucking warn people!"

"Maddie is right, Gramps. If that were the case, it has a twisted way of showing concern for humans. That's why I need to figure out why it's here and what it wants. I think that's the way to go."

"Even though you were close to losing yer life?" Steve challenged.

Martin fell silent for a moment. True, he was overwhelmed by the danger of the supernatural. True, he was just a teenager trying to unravel a mystery that was much bigger than him. Even so, he had seen how this creature has affected the people of Wakeford, including a young boy's life. They deserved to be free of the shackles of this monster.

"No matter how scary it is, I will keep digging for the truth. Now that I know this is real, I'm going to figure out just what it wants."

In the rear-view mirror, Martin saw a hint of a smile crawl across Steve's mouth. As he pulled into the driveway of his house, he glanced back at the two kids.

"In that case, you're gonna need some help. From now on, I'm comin' with ya on yer hunts."

"For real?" Martin beamed, hopeful.

"For real. Ain't no way I'm lettin' you hog all the fun! You might get too cocky for yer own good."

"Gee, thanks!"

As the grandfather and grandson shared a hearty laugh and shook hands in partnership, Maddie could only stare at the rear window, listlessly. In all her three years, she took Martin's hobby to be a joke and a lost cause. Now...she couldn't see it the same way. The Mothman was real. The supernatural did exist. She had witnessed it firsthand. Her world was shaken. She was sincerely hoping for a nice summer vacation, not having to do anything strenuous. But now? It was as remote as this town. Tonight proved her wrong, horribly so.

With the truth revealed to her, she couldn't deny it anymore. Perhaps it was better if she never came to Wakeford? Perhaps it was better that she stayed at home?

Did it even matter? Regardless, this was her new reality. Madeline Chalmers could not escape it.

"I can't do this," she whispered to herself.