Meet the Mothman [1 ed.] 9781680779783, 9781624021534

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

by Jan Fields Illustrated by Scott Brundage

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

by Jan Fields Illustrated by Scott Brundage

An Imprint of Magic Wagon abdopublishing.com

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

abdopublishing.com Published by Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2017 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Calico™ is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon. Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota. 052016 092016

Written by Jan Fields Illustrated by Scott Brundage Edited by Tamara L. Britton & Megan M. Gunderson Design Contributors: Candice Keimig & Laura Mitchell

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Fields, Jan, author. | Brundage, Scott, illustrator. Title: Meet the Mothman / by Jan Fields ; illustrated by Scott Brundage. Description: Minneapolis, MN : Magic Wagon, [2016] | Series: Monster hunters | Summary: Gabe and the other monster hunters arrive in a wildlife management area in West Virginia to investigate reports of a monster called the Mothman--but mostly what they see are owls, until something much larger attacks them in the night. Identifiers: LCCN 2016002310 (print) | LCCN 2016005459 (ebook) | ISBN 9781624021534 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781680779837 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Monsters--Juvenile fiction. | Curiosities and wonders--Juvenile fiction. | Owls--Juvenile fiction. | Action photography--Juvenile fiction. | Adventure stories. | West Virginia--Juvenile fiction. | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Adventure and adventurers--Fiction. | Monsters--Fiction. | Owls--Fiction. | Photography--Fiction. | West Virginia--Fiction. | GSAFD: Adventure fiction. | Mystery fiction. Classification: LCC PZ7.F479177 Md 2016 (print) | LCC PZ7.F479177 (ebook) | DDC 813.6--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002310

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

TABLE of CONTENTS BOGGY MONSTER CHASE ............4 chapter 2 HOME OF THE MOTHMAN ........ 10 chapter 3 MOTHMAN RETURNS MAYBE ... 18 chapter 4 MEETING THE OWL LADY ......26 chapter 5 CHECK OUT THE BOOM ............37 chapter 6 TRAPPED! ..................................44 chapter 7 ATTACK OF THE MOTHMAN ....57 chapter 8 MEETING DOOM .......................65 chapter 9 UNMASKING THE MOTHMAN....72

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chapter 1

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chapter 1

BOGGY MONSTER CHASE As usual, the Monster Hunters were slopping around in the h sshadows. A thin, cold rain soaked their clothes. Gabe Brown held the camera close to his chest under his rain poncho and hoped his brother would catch up to them soon. Nearby, Tyler hunched miserably on a moss-covered log in his raincoat and sneezed. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Why do we end up in so many swamps? Why can’t monsters hang out at the mall?” Sean stepped around Gabe to lecture Tyler. “Cryptids nearly always choose locations well away from people. People don’t like swamps.” “Because they’re disgusting,” Tyler said. “Cryptids like them. So do a great many other creatures. The swamp is an important migration 4

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stop for birds. And it’s home to fishers, minks, bobcats, and other mammals.” Tyler sneezed again. “They’d all probably like the mall better if they got the chance.” “If we run across a bog monster or a Pukwudgie or one of those pterodactyl things that are supposed to be out here,” Gabe said, “maybe Ben will let us take it to the mall.” “That’s another thing,” Tyler said. “Why does one swamp need so many monsters?” “An interesting fact about this area,” Sean said. “There was a horror movie about it.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Tyler jumped up. “That’s not an interesting fact! An interesting fact would be how big this swamp is or what kind of tree we’re sitting on.” “Almost 17,000 acres,” Sean said, “and red maple, which is sometimes called swamp maple. Though the important trees in this swamp are the white cedars. They’re uncommon in the Northeast. Though I would think you’d 5

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find horror movies much more interesting than either of those facts.” “I only like horror movies I’m not in.” As the sound of his friends squabbling washed over him, Gabe stared out into the swamp. He tried to will his brother to show up. Instead, what he saw through Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the trees was big and covered with slime and mud. Gabe pulled the camera out from under his poncho, determined to get a shot of the bog monster. Tyler caught one glimpse of the bog monster and screamed, “Monster! Run!”

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Sean didn’t need any convincing and dashed off through the trees with Tyler right behind him. At the sound of Tyler’s scream, the monster came crashing toward them, coughing and spitting. Gabe stood his ground, camera pointed at the bog monster. Tyler doubled back, grabbed Gabe by the arm, and practically dragged him deeper into the swamp with

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the bog monster in pursuit.

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The boys ducked through tight spots between the trees and splashed through boggy water. They crawled under a briar thicket and scrambled over another fallen tree. Pretty soon, they couldn’t see or hear the bog monster splashing and grunting behind them. Tyler grabbed for the trunk of a nearby tree, hugged it, and gasped. “Rest,” he wheezed. Sean was wheezing, too. He looked at Tyler, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t hug that tree. You don’t know what kind of insect life lives in it.” Gabe watched the woods behind them. “It’s Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

weird we got away from the monster so easily.” “You call that easy?” Tyler said. “It does seem odd,” Sean agreed. “Logically, the bog creature would know this swamp far better than we do. It should have caught us.” “I hope you aren’t disappointed,” Tyler said. “Because I’m not. Not at all.” “No,” Sean said. “Just suspicious.” 8

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Gabe peered into the woods the way they’d come. Then he heard a thick, hoarse voice calling, “Gabe!” “Did you hear that?” Gabe whispered. “It’s not good when the monster knows your name,” Tyler said. “That’s got to be an omen or something.” He looked at Gabe wide-eyed. “Maybe it means you’re going to die!” “Unlikely,” Sean said. He walked over to stand by Gabe. The swamp around them was noisy. Insects whined and buzzed. Splashes sounded in the water. Things skittered in the underbrush. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“The growth is so thick and shadowy,” Sean said. “It would be quite easy for something to sneak up on us.” “Gabe!” The voice came from behind them. Gabe nearly fell over as he spun to face a mud-covered hulk. It held Tyler’s arm in one muddy paw. “Help!” Tyler said weakly just before fainting. 9

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chapter 2

HOME OF THE MOTHMAN Wiping sweat from fr his forehead with the back of his hand, Gabe G b watched his brother’s face on the video camera’s view screen. Ben never looked nervous when filming Discover Cryptids. Gabe couldn’t imagine being that calm facing a camera. He’d stutter and forget everything he wanted to say. He’d probably throw up. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Many cryptid stories have been around for hundreds of years,” Ben said. “And we have no way of knowing exactly how they began. The Mothman is different. We know exactly when the tale began and where.” That was Gabe’s cue. He zoomed out slowly. The view screen now showed a monster looming over Ben with outstretched claws. 10

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“The first person to see the Mothman was from right here in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in November 1966. That scary sighting began a year’s worth of sightings,” Ben continued. Gabe slowly moved the camera upward on the tripod and focused on the monster’s sharp teeth and red eyes. He stopped the recording. “That looked good,” he told his brother. “Let’s see.” Ben strode over to watch the footage. Gabe’s friend Tyler walked closer to the tall, stainless steel Mothman statue. Tyler still held Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the microphone they used to get the best sound for voice-overs. “Scariest thing I’ve ever seen.” “Really?” Gabe said, grinning at his friend. “Scarier than Ben covered in mud?” Tyler pointed at him. “Don’t laugh. You thought Ben was the bog monster, too.” “True.” Sean looked up at Tyler from where he sat cross-legged in a patch of grass, flipping 11

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through Mothman data on his tablet. “But Gabe didn’t faint.” “I came close,” Gabe said, not wanting Tyler to feel too bad. “I’m not used to seeing my brother with quite so much mud on him.” Tyler shuddered. “It was totally creeptastic.” “Creeptastic? I’m not sure that’s a word.” Sean frowned. “I can look it up.” He turned to his tablet. As lead researcher for Discover Cryptids, Sean was rarely without some kind of computer. “It doesn’t have to be a real word,” Tyler said. “I’m trying out catchphrases.” He began Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

winding up the mic cord. Tyler was in charge of the tech equipment. He was scared of almost everything, but he did a good job of keeping track of everything they needed for the show. Gabe stared at his friend. “Why would you want a catchphrase?” Tyler shrugged. “Catchphrases are cool.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, that could be my catchphrase!” 12

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Sean looked up at him. “Wouldn’t that one be difficult to work into a conversation?” “Oh, right.” Ben strode by them and snatched up the clipboard that had the plan for the show. Sean looked at Ben and wrinkled his nose. “You know I can put that information on the computer.” “I like paper,” Ben said. “It doesn’t require batteries.” He looked over the pages for a moment. “This will make a great introduction. You guys finish packing up while I make a couple notes. Then we need to head out to the spot Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Mothman was seen last week.” Tyler hauled the wound-up mic cord to the van while Gabe unscrewed the camera from the tripod. Ben walked over to a bench to sit and flip through the schedule for the week’s shooting. Since Tyler, Gabe, and Sean were Ben’s crew, they called themselves the Monster Hunters. They only hunted the monsters. They didn’t 13

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have to talk on camera. The arrangement suited Gabe just fine. Even slopping through swamps was less scary than being on camera. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Mothman pops back up here after fifty years?” Tyler whispered. “Maybe it was hiding,” Gabe answered. “There are plenty of places to hide,” Sean chimed in. “Nearly seventy-five percent of West Virginia is covered with forests.” Tyler groaned. “That sounds like a lot of walking in dark, spooky woods to me. I seriously think we should check out that mall cryptid.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Are you guys done yet?” Ben called. Gabe and Tyler hurried to pack up the equipment. As usual, Sean managed to avoid all physical work, though he did finally scramble to his feet as the last item was loaded into the back of the van. “Hey!” The boys turned toward the shout to see a man about the same age as Ben, but a lot 14

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bigger. Ben scrambled off the bench to meet the man as he strode across the street toward them. “Hey,” Ben said with a smile. “I saw you had a camera and mic,” the man said. “Are you filming something for television?” Ben shook his head. “We produce a web show, Discover Cryptids.” The man glared at the Mothman statue, then turned back to Ben. “Did you get a permit to film here?” “No need,” Ben said. “I’m not impeding traffic or creating a disturbance.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“I find it disturbing. And when I’m disturbed enough, I tend to create a big disturbance.” Ben smiled. “In that case, I’ll just be moving along. How’s that?” The man narrowed his eyes. Then his glance turned toward the boys and his face softened a bit. “Fine. As long as you’re leaving. We don’t need more publicity for that ridiculous statue.” 15

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Ben looked at him in surprise. “I thought Pleasant Creek loved the Mothman. Don’t you have a Mothman festival every year?” The man snorted. “Some of us are tired of looking silly on TV. We don’t need monster hunters tramping all over our nice quiet town.” He poked his finger into Ben’s chest. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave us in peace.” Ben raised his hands and took a step back. The big man turned and stormed away, leaving Ben

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and the boys staring after him in bewilderment.

16

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chapter 3

MOTHMAN RETURNS MAYBE As they drove dro north out of town, Gabe watched the landscape grow more and h passing a more woody. “Where exactly are we headed?” “To the McClintic Wildlife Management Area,” Ben called out. He glanced at Gabe in the rearview mirror. “Locals call it the TNT area.” Tyler sat up straight in the seat beside Ben. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“TNT as in boom?” “Exactly,” Sean called from behind them. “The land was once used for wartime industry.” “Wartime industry?” Tyler echoed. “Making and storing things that go boom,” Ben said. Tyler twisted around in his seat to face Sean. “Is this place dangerous?” 18

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“It depends upon how you define dangerous,” Sean said. His voice dropped into info mode. “In 2010, one of the old storage igloos exploded, scattering its roof across the immediate area.” Tyler’s eyes widened and he turned quickly toward Ben. “We’re not going out there, right?” “I’m sure we’re not in any danger of an explosion,” Ben said. Tyler crossed his arms over his chest and slumped back against the seat. “Yeah, that’s probably what they thought in 2010, too.” Gabe agreed with Tyler, at least a little. He Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

loved watching TV shows where things blew up but he sure didn’t want to be one of those things. Ben said, “Don’t worry. We’re meeting an eyewitness well outside the TNT area. You won’t even see the storage bunkers from there.” Gabe and Tyler sighed in relief together. Then Ben grinned at them in the rearview. “We’ll come back later to check out the TNT area.” 19

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For the rest of the drive, Ben refused to respond to Tyler’s complaints about always rushing toward dangerous places. Finally, they pulled off the road. A young woman stood fidgeting with her long hair and sneaking glances into the woods. She rushed toward them as soon as Ben hopped out of the van. “Miss Breyer?” “Elizabeth. Please, call me Elizabeth. I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “I don’t like being here alone.” She laughed nervously. “I used to love it, but not anymore.” Ben asked if she’d mind if they recorded the Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

interview. She frowned, but finally nodded. Ben looked toward the Monster Hunters, and they rushed back to grab the camera and microphone gear out of the van. Once again, Sean got away with carrying only his tablet. The boys set up quickly. Ben introduced Elizabeth Breyer to the camera. Then he turned to her. “Can you tell us exactly what happened?” 20

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She laughed nervously. “I don’t know exactly what happened.” She laughed again. “I had come to pick up my brother Charlie. He was fishing in a pond just on the other side of these trees. He goes there almost every day lately.” Ben shook his head at Gabe so he wouldn’t take the camera off the young woman. “What happened when you got here?” “First, you have to know that Charlie likes to jump out and scare me,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Brothers,” she added, shrugging. “So when I first saw the red glowing eyes, I thought Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

it was Charlie playing a trick on me.” “But it wasn’t?” She shook her head. “No.” She pointed toward a rough wooden sign for the McClintic Wildlife Management Area. “I saw this thing behind the sign. I slowed down, because I thought it was Charlie. It was as tall as a person.” She pointed at Ben. “As tall as you, and it watched 21

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me with these glowing eyes. Then it lifted huge wings and stretched them. “I knew then that it wasn’t Charlie. It was the Mothman. I took off, and the thing followed me. I could hear talons scrape the top of the truck. I nearly ran over my brother when I screeched around the corner. I managed to tell him what I saw, and we came right back here. But by then

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the Mothman was gone.”

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As she talked, Sean walked over to examine the sign. Gabe had to adjust the camera slightly to keep Sean out of the shot as Ben asked, “Did you report your sighting to the police?” “I was going to,” she said. “But Charlie said the police wouldn’t believe me, so I only blogged about it. I guess that’s where you saw it.” She had barely finished speaking when an

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old pickup truck rumbled up to them. A man

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hopped out and stormed toward them. It was the man from Mount Pleasant. Elizabeth acted as if she didn’t even notice the man’s scowl. “This is my brother, Charlie.” “Stop filming my sister!” the man demanded. “She doesn’t realize this kind of thing will make our family look bad! Not to mention our town.” Tyler whispered to Gabe, “Because the way he’s acting doesn’t make them look bad at all.” “There are claw marks on the sign,” Sean announced, as he walked back toward them. “Are there similar marks on your truck’s roof?” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“You stay away from our truck!” Charlie snorted. “We have bears around here. Any marks on the sign are probably from them.” Sean held up his tablet. “Is this what you saw, Miss Breyer?” Elizabeth looked at the tablet and nodded. Gabe and Tyler crept around to look at the tablet. They saw something that looked dark and 24

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blobby with red eyes and wings. “That doesn’t look much like the statue in town,” Tyler said. “That statue is for tourists,” Elizabeth said, crossing her arms. “What I saw was real.” Charlie stepped up and glanced at the tablet. “Whatever you saw, it doesn’t need to be blasted all over the Internet on some show about monsters.” “Cryptids,” Ben said. “Whatever,” Charlie said. Then he pointed at Ben. “You just stay away from my family, or I’ll make you wish you did.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth swatted her brother in the arm and began stammering an apology, but Charlie just glared at them. Then he hustled his sister to the truck, squabbling the whole way. When they drove off, Gabe turned to his brother. “What now?” Ben grinned. “We do our job, of course.” Tyler groaned. “I knew he’d say that.” 25

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chapter 4

MEETING THE OWL LADY They gathered up the supplies and piled back into the van. n This time, Sean plopped into the seat beside Gabe. “You know, Tyler’s right.” “What?” Tyler yelped as he swung into the seat behind them. “Did you say I was right? Hey, Ben, can we record this moment?” “Yeah, in our minds,” Ben chuckled. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Sean turned to frown at Tyler and held up his tablet. “I was just agreeing that this doesn’t look much like a moth. It looks like an owl.” “Many of the reports match what’s in that drawing,” Ben said. Sean stared at his drawing. “Why call this creature the Mothman instead of the Owlman? It is not a logical choice based on those reports.” 26

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“That’s easy,” Tyler said. “Moths are creepier.” “You think so?” Sean asked. “Moths are tiny. They don’t have claws or beaks or stingers.” “But they fly right into your face when you try to get inside a door at night,” Tyler insisted. “That fluttery feeling on your face is really creepy.” “Creepier than talons?” Sean asked. “Creepier than a beak that can rip off skin?” Gabe didn’t want to think about talons or sharp beaks. He had enough nightmares. He called out to Ben, “Where are we headed now?” “I agree that the Mothman descriptions have Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

too many owl similarities to be ignored,” his brother answered. “That’s why we’re going to the Wildacre Raptor Rehabilitation Center. My contact there should know if any native owls could be mistaken for the Mothman.” Sean sat back, crossing his arms. “Owls still make more sense. Plus, people say the Mothman shows up just before a major catastrophe.” 27

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“Why does that matter?” Gabe asked. “Owls are legendary omens of death and disaster. Even worse than black cats,” Sean said. “To be fair,” he added, “if a moth flies into your house and visits all four corners, it is also supposed to be a bad omen.” “One flew in my face once,” Tyler said. “I fell off the front porch. I could have died. That was bad luck.” “You didn’t die,” Sean pointed out. “Wouldn’t that make it good luck?” When they finally pulled up in front of the Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

long, metal building that housed the rehab center, Tyler had come up with another four or five bad experiences with moths. Gabe was glad they could finally talk about something different. A stocky woman with her hair pulled into a tight ponytail came out to greet them. She was Mary Farmer, retired park ranger turned head of the program. When Ben introduced everyone, 28

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she shook hands with them all. She didn’t seem to think it strange that Ben’s assistants were kids. “So you want to meet some owls?” she asked. “Yeah!” they all answered. As they walked toward a collection of huge chicken wire structures, they spotted a young guy with a large hawk on one well-padded arm. Ms. Farmer gestured toward the young man. “This is Sam Turner, one of our volunteers. He does a great job with our raptors.” “We’re heading to the library,” Sam said. Tyler laughed. “Does your hawk like to read?” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Sam chuckled. “Only books about mice. Meet Abner. He comes with me to do talks on local raptors and how to keep them safe.” “Is there a problem with raptor safety?” Gabe asked. Ms. Farmer answered. “There’s a problem whenever people and wildlife clash. We string barbed wire along their natural flight paths. We 29

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hit them with cars. And sometimes people just plain shoot at them, no matter how illegal it is. Thankfully, that’s pretty rare now.” “That’s what happened to Abner,” Sam said. “We suspect a farmer shot him, thinking Abner was after his chickens.” “Was he?” Sean asked. The young man shrugged. “Abner was probably more interested in the local rodents, but it’s hard to convince people that every link in the food chain is important.” “Now we have to do Abner’s hunting for Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

him,” Ms. Farmer said. “He’ll never fly again.” “But he is a great ambassador for raptors,” Sam said. “Aren’t you buddy?” Abner flapped his wings. “We’re

really

interested

in

possible

misidentification,” Ben said. “You mean confusing two different birds?” Ms. Farmer asked. 30

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Ben shook his head. “No, I mean confusing a bird with a monster.” Sam groaned. “The Mothman!” “So this isn’t a new idea,” Ben said. Ms. Farmer shook her head. “No. I’ve seen the descriptions. I understand the confusion, but nature doesn’t make any eight-foot-tall owls.” Sean interrupted. “Psychological studies have shown that humans regularly judge the scale of something that scares them as bigger than it really is.” Ms. Farmer shook her head. “That would be Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a very big mistake.” Sean shrugged. “Hey,” Sam said. “If you guys are going to Point Pleasant, maybe you’ll see Charlie Breyer.” “We’ve already met,” Ben told him. “You know Mr. Breyer?” “He used to work here,” Sam said. “He was really passionate about the raptors.” 31

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“Too passionate,” Ms. Farmer said. The young man shrugged, but Gabe got the feeling he didn’t agree. “I’m going to have to head off to the library with Abner. Good luck finding your monster, guys.” They said good-bye to Sam and Abner, then continued on toward the big flight cages. “How was Mr. Breyer too passionate?” Ben asked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t talk about someone who isn’t here to defend himself.” Then she grinned. “Besides, I have someone more interesting for you to meet. We have examples of the two Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

largest owls in West Virginia in residence.” “And those are?” Ben asked. The woman stopped at the nearest flight cage and pointed. “This is a great horned owl. These owls can be up to twenty-five inches long.” Then she walked a bit further on to the next cage and gestured at a pair of owls. “These are barred owls. They can reach the same length.” 32

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Gabe walked close to the cage holding the barred owls, stepping into the shadows of the case. The closest owl blinked sleepily at him. It was a big bird, but it wasn’t particularly scary. “What about snowy owls?” Sean asked. “They can reach twenty-eight inches and have sometimes been seen in this area.” “True,” Ms. Farmer said. “But they’re rare, especially during the time of year when most of these reports occurred. And even twenty-eight inches is a little short for a monster.” “Is the snowy owl the largest owl in the Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

United States?” Gabe asked. The woman shook her head. “Great gray owls are bigger, at thirty-three inches, but they don’t come this far south. So none of these are very good suspects in your search for Mothman.” “Still, owl eyes shine bright red when car lights hit them,” Ben said. “And with his wings spread, he would look a lot like Sean’s drawing.” 33

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He pointed at the large owl on the perch in the flight cage, and the owl obliged by spreading and flapping his wings. “The Mothman chased people,” Tyler said. “Yes, do owls ever do that?” asked Sean. Ms. Farmer shrugged. “No, although most

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raptors will defend a nest pretty aggressively.

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Especially the great grays.” She held up a hand. “But remember, we don’t get great gray owls this far south.” “What could make an owl go somewhere it’s never been?” Ben asked. “Habitat destruction will send owls out of their native areas in search of forest land.” 35

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“Nearly 75 percent of West Virginia is covered with forest,” Gabe said, remembering Sean’s fun fact. “That’s a lot of trees.” “That’s true, of course,” Ms. Farmer said. “But you have to remember this is highly unlikely.” “More unlikely than a monster that is half moth and half man?” Ben asked. Ms. Farmer sighed. “No, not more unlikely than that.” Ben grinned. “In that case, I think it’s time that we did a little bird-watching.” Tyler groaned and turned to Ms. Farmer. “A Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

giant owl wouldn’t hurt us, would it?” She shrugged. “If there was a great gray owl, and if it was protecting a nest, yes. It would try to drive you off by swooping down and striking.” “And what would that feel like?” Tyler asked, his voice squeaky. “From what I’ve read?” she said. “Like being hit by a baseball bat full of nails.” 36

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chapter 5

CHECK OUT THE BOOM Before long, they were in the van, sailing past the wooden sign where Miss Breyer had seen the creature. They turned onto a rough road. “Do you know where you’re going?” Gabe asked. “I downloaded a map with spots marked for previous Mothman sightings,” Ben said, looking back at his little brother in the mirror. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Did any of those Mothman sightings happen during daylight?” Tyler asked. “No,” Ben said. “And they were a long time ago. I just want to shoot some general footage of the old TNT area. Some of that land is private, but there are a few places we can access.” “The TNT area?” Tyler repeated. “Where there was an explosion?” 37

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“Years ago,” Ben said. “I’m sure it’s safe now.” Tyler slumped back in the seat. “Sure it is.” Finally, the van bumped to a stop and everyone piled out. Nearby they saw a large mound of dirt and weeds with a metal door cut into the hillside. Saplings had grown up in front of the partially open door and brush hung thickly over it, blocking light from getting inside. “Looks like something out of a fantasy novel,” Gabe said. Tyler chipped some rust from the heavy door. “You must read some creepy books, dude.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

The boys peered inside. The inside was domed, like someone had shoved a giant concrete bowl into the side of the hill. The concrete floor was streaked with mud. “This is one of the bunkers used for storage by the ammunitions manufacturing facility. Locals call them igloos because of their interior shape,” Sean said cheerfully, his eyes still on his tablet. 38

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Tyler took a step back from the door. “They kept bombs in there?” “According to the site I found,” Sean said. “The real problem isn’t bombs. The stored chemicals have leaked into the soil. It’s contaminated.” Tyler looked at the soles of his shoes. “Should we even be walking here?” “Walking is probably fine,” Sean said calmly. “But I wouldn’t eat the dirt, if I were you.” “Gabe, I want you to start filming from beside the van,” Ben said. “Then walk the camera into the igloo. Tyler, you can carry the light.” Then Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

he stopped and looked at Tyler. “Or Sean could.” “I don’t carry,” Sean said. “Just this time,” Ben said. “It’s in my contract,” Sean said. “You guys aren’t working with contracts.” “It’s a mental contract, but it is binding.” Tyler groaned. “I’ll carry the light into the scary bomb pit. It’s what we do, right?” 39

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Tyler stomped back toward the van. Gabe followed after shooting a look at his brother who just shrugged apologetically. As Gabe passed Sean he growled, “You could have carried.” Sean shook his head. “Not in my contract.” “Bring the mic, too,” Ben called after them. “I’ll start doing some of the voice work in there.” “Sure, then we can stay in the spooky boom shelter longer,” Tyler grumbled. He flung open the rear doors of the van and began rooting around for the light. Gabe reached into the van and dragged out the case that held the best of Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the cameras. “You okay?” “I’m great,” Tyler grumbled. Then he stopped and sighed and offered Gabe a smile. “Peacharific.” Tyler walked back toward the bunker and Ben to hand him the mic. Gabe wove through the trees with the camera in front of his face. Just outside the bunker, Ben looked solemnly at the camera. Then Ben 40

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turned, and Gabe followed his brother into the bunker. As Gabe expected, the interior of the bunker was like being under an overturned bowl that smelled like old mud. The walls were streaked with yellow, brown, and black, especially down near the floor. The top of the ceiling had a round hole, though Gabe couldn’t guess if that was to let in air or let out something else. Several metal barrels lay overturned on the floor. It wasn’t a very big room, but it was creepy. “Sean, come and hold the mic,” Ben said. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“I want to make use of the spooky acoustics in here to talk about the TNT area. Gabe, you go outside. Do a continuous shot as you walk in, and I’ll start talking. Try not to catch Sean or Tyler in the shot.” As Gabe passed Sean, his friend tucked his tablet under his arm and walked over to Ben to grab the mic. Gabe took several steps away from 41

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

the bunker and panned the area as best he could. He even scanned the brush and small trees growing on top of the bunker. Then he froze. On top of the bunker, in the shadows cast by the brush, a hunched figure flexed its wings. Gabe ran into the bunker screaming, “Outside! It’s the Mothman!” Before anyone could react, they all heard the groan of metal on metal. Gabe spun toward the sound. The camera recorded the door swinging toward them. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Don’t let that shut!” Ben yelled. Gabe and Tyler made a dash for the door, but it slammed shut before they could reach it. They heard the sound of a bolt being thrown on the other side. Someone had locked them in!

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chapter 6

TRAPPED! Gabe pounded pounde the side of his fist into the door, shouting, “Let us out!” The light he held i “ cast moving shadows on the wall as he pounded, and his panicky yells boomed around them. Gabe jumped when a hand came down on his shoulder. He spun and saw Ben throw a hand in front of his eyes as the light flashed at him. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Calm down,” Ben said. “Panic won’t get us out of here.” Tyler walked over and stood in front of Ben. “And what will get us out of here? I heard the latch out there.” “You could call Elizabeth Breyer,” Gabe said to his brother. “She could come and let us out. She seemed nice.” 44

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“I wouldn’t tell her about the Mothman, though,” Tyler said. “Good idea,” Ben said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Except that there’s no signal,” Sean’s voice came from deeper in the bunker, where the light Tyler held didn’t reach well. “Great, back to dying a slow, horrible death in the boom bunker,” Tyler said. Gabe took the light from Tyler and began shining it around the bunker again. When the light hit the ceiling, he yelped. “The hole!” he Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

said. “Maybe the phone would work if we held it up closer to the hole.” “Good idea,” Tyler said. “If we could fly. None of us is anywhere near that tall.” “None of us needs to be.” Gabe shone the light on the metal barrels. “If Ben stood on a barrel and held the phone up toward the hole, it might be high enough.” 45

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They quickly rolled two heavy metal barrels to the center of the bunker and turned them upside down. Tyler laid the light on one of the barrels so it cast a glow upwards. Then the boys held the barrels steady while Ben climbed on top of them. He held his phone as high as he could, then shook his head. “Still nothing,” Ben said. “But I’m a long way from the roof. I wish I could get a little higher.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“How about I climb up on your shoulders? That’ll be higher,” Gabe asked. “Let me get better balanced, and we’ll try it.” Ben put one foot on the second barrel and

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

47

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kept one on the first. That let him take a wider .

stance, which gave him better balance. Tyler gave Gabe a boost up on the barrel. Then Sean and Tyler held the barrels steady while Gabe climbed onto Ben’s shoulders. Gabe paused for a moment, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in his stomach. He held up Ben’s cell phone. No signal. He stretched as high as he could. Nothing. He gave a little hop on Ben’s shoulders. The sudden shift of Gabe’s weight sent Ben wobbling, which made Gabe swing backward. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

They began to fall! Tyler and Sean managed to catch Gabe as he fell, though Ben still knocked over the barrels and landed hard on the ground. Gabe hurried to his brother. “Are you all right?” Ben didn’t answer for a moment and Gabe nearly panicked. Finally he spoke in a wheezy voice. “Just winded.” 48

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“We should try again,” Gabe said. “This time I’ll stand on your shoulders.” “That cannot be a good idea,” Tyler insisted. “No, it’s not,” Ben said. “But it’s the only one we have. Just be careful.” Soon they were back on the barrels, only this time, Gabe didn’t stop at Ben’s shoulders. He slowly stood up. Ben steadied him as best he could with his hands. Gabe stretched up, his hand shaking. He gave a soft whoop. “I have a signal!” “Make the call quick,” Ben said. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Gabe made the call. He held his breath as he waited for an answer. When Elizabeth answered the phone, he explained what had happened and asked her to come and let them out. “It’s getting dark,” she protested. “Not as dark as it is in here,” Gabe said. Her voice was still shaky when she said, “Of course. I’m sorry. I’ll be right there.” 49

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As soon as the call was finished, Ben carefully lifted Gabe down from his shoulders and set him on the ground, then jumped off the barrels himself. “Now we just wait.” “And hope she doesn’t chicken out,” Tyler said. He hopped up on one of the barrels and sat drumming his feet against the side. “Has anyone noticed how creepy the shadows are in here?” “They would probably look a lot less creepy if you stopped moving the flashlight,” Sean said. “You’re starting to make me motion sick.” “Things can always be worse,” Ben answered. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Be grateful your flashlight has new batteries.” “It does?” Tyler said. Ben shrugged. “I bought some before we got to Point Pleasant.” “Well, yeah,” Tyler said, drumming his heels faster. The bunker rang with thumps as if it had a heartbeat. “But Gabe and I sort of used the flashlight last night to make shadow puppets.” 50

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“You did what?” Ben asked. Gabe shrugged. “There wasn’t anything interesting on the television in the hotel.” “I don’t want to be in here in the dark,” Tyler wailed, which echoed around the bunker like a ghost howling. “It’s too soon to panic,” Gabe said. Tyler turned sharply to look at him, flashing the light in his eyes. “It’s never too soon to panic.” He looked down at Sean, who sat on the floor looking at his tablet. “I thought we couldn’t get a signal in here.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“I don’t need a signal,” Sean said. “I downloaded a bunch of information about owls as we were driving away from the rehab center.” Gabe sat down beside Sean. He found the glow of the tablet comforting somehow in the spooky bunker. “Learn anything interesting?” Sean sat up straight and smiled. He loved being asked what he’d learned. “There are 51

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about 200 species of owls. Their eyes point straight forward to give them greater depth perception. And they have silent feathers.” “Silent feathers?” Ben echoed. “Their feathers dampen the sound of their flapping,” Sean said. “So I guess they can sneak up on prey better.” “That’s terrific,” Tyler moaned, wrapping his arms around himself and looking around at the shadows. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“I’m pretty sure no owls snuck in here with us,” Sean told him. “Another interesting thing about owls is that their talons are far larger than the size of the bird would imply. So marks left from an owl’s talons would seem to have come from a much larger animal.”

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“You’re thinking about the marks on the sign,” Gabe said. Sean nodded. “I’ve been thinking. If a large

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

owl was perched on a sign, someone driving at

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night might visualize the owl as the upper part of a human figure. And when the owl stretched his wings, it would look much larger still.” “But barred owls are only two feet tall,” Gabe said. “That’s a huge stretch to go from two feet to eight feet, even with the height of the sign worked in.” Sean shrugged. “I haven’t completely worked it out, but I still think I’m on to something.” “Since it’ll be dark when Elizabeth lets us out,” Ben said, “I think we should head back to the sign and check out the area in the dark.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Gabe swallowed hard and glanced up at Tyler’s unhappy face. Gabe didn’t like the idea of traipsing around in the dark near the sign. He knew Tyler must hate it a million times more. Sean continued to share fascinating tips about owls, including their habit of coughing up packed pellets of bones and fur from their meals. This led to some lengthy fake gagging from Tyler. 54

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Gabe had just finished groaning over Tyler’s performance when Ben shushed them. They heard scratching sounds on the big metal door. “The Mothman!” Tyler shrieked, hopping down from the barrel and getting behind it. “It’s probably Miss Breyer,” Sean said as he scrambled to his feet. “I’ll just wait here until probably turns into definitely,” Tyler whispered. Gabe knew it must be Miss Breyer at the door, but he still held his breath as the heavy door was dragged open to the complete darkness outside. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Then the young woman poked her head through the doorway. “You guys okay?” “We are now,” Ben said. “Gather up the gear, guys. We’re out of here.” Even Sean helped and they were back at the van in minutes. “How did you guys get yourselves locked in a bunker?” Elizabeth asked as the boys threw the gear in the back of the van. 55

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“I believe we had some help,” Ben answered. “Do you happen to know what your brother was doing this afternoon?” “You think it was Charlie who locked you in?” she asked. “He wouldn’t do something like that.” “He seemed really angry today,” Ben said. She shook her head hard. “But locking you in? That’s dangerous. Charlie isn’t like that.” “I hope not,” Ben said. Then he smiled. “Thanks for your help. We’re going to go scout around the sign where you saw the Mothman. I don’t suppose you want to come?” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

She shook her head again, even more firmly. “No thanks. I’ll leave it to you guys.” She trotted over to her car and hopped in, driving off along the muddy, rutted road. “Okay,” Ben yelled. “Everyone in the van. Let’s find the Mothman.” “That’s just who I want to see,” Tyler said.

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chapter 7

ATTACK OF THE MOTHMAN They drove back through the darkness, the headlights barely cutting through it ahead of them. Gabe saw flashes of red eyes along the road, but they were all too low to be the Mothman. “There are a lot of red eyes out there.” “This is all wooded,” Ben answered. “I imagine you’re seeing raccoons and deer mostly.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Why are their eyes red?” Gabe asked. Never one to miss out on a chance to look smart, Sean called out, “Cells in the back of nocturnal animal eyes reflect extra light to help the animals see. Those same reflections make the eyes glow in headlights or flashlight beams.” “So the Mothman’s glowing eyes were probably reflections,” Gabe said. 57

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They finally reached the sign. No Mothman waited to scare them. Ben pulled over, saying, “Gabe, grab the night vision camera. Everyone else, grab flashlights.” They tromped single file through the underbrush. Suddenly they heard a deep racket,

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Woom! Woom! Woom!

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“What was that?” Tyler yelped. He swung his flashlight wildly, catching the outline of something huge flying toward them. Bright red eyes glowed from the creature’s head. “The Mothman!” Tyler yelled before ducking as the

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

huge animal swooped over them.

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Gabe tried to catch a clear shot of the creature, but the wild flashlight waving kept overwhelming his night vision camera. Ben pulled him down into a crouch just as the creature flew past without touching any of them. “Was that an owl?” Gabe asked. “An owl?” Tyler said. “It was huge! It could have grabbed one of us and flown off!” “I’m not sure it was that big,” Gabe said as he carefully stood back up, tracking the sky with the camera in case the creature returned. “Did you get a shot of it?” Ben asked. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“I’m not sure, with all the lights,” Gabe said. “We should get back to the van and download the footage,” Sean said. “Good idea.” Gabe turned in a slow circle. “Which way back to the van?” Sean pointed confidently. “This way.” “No, I think it’s this way,” Ben said, but his voice wasn’t nearly as sure as Gabe would like. 60

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“No,” Tyler said. “That’s not it. Look at that briar.” He shone his light toward a long, thin branch covered with thorns. “I would have noticed if I had hit that thing.” Gabe turned the camera toward his brother and saw a look of doubt on Ben’s face. “Yeah, you’re probably right. So we go Sean’s way.” Even in the strange green tint of the night vision camera, he spotted Sean’s smug smile. They tromped off in the direction Sean pointed. “Couldn’t you just use the GPS on your phone?” Gabe asked his brother. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Probably,” Ben said. “Except that I left it in the van to charge. I wasn’t really planning on us getting lost.” Gabe looked at his brother in surprise. He assumed Ben always planned ahead. He was so responsible. That’s why Gabe’s mom let him go on these monster hunting adventures. “Mom would flip out,” he whispered. 61

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Ben threw an arm around his brother. “When we get out of here, let’s not tell her.” They reached a deadfall, and Tyler groaned. “We definitely didn’t climb over anything like this. We’re lost in the dark with the Mothman.” “Or we’re temporarily misplaced,” Sean said, “with a big owl.” Gabe turned the camera up, looking for the upper edge of the pile of dead brush and froze. There, clearly centered on the view screen, was a tall figure with glowing red eyes and wings. But it definitely wasn’t a moth. “Guys, what’s that?” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Flashlight beams hit the creature, blinding the night vision camera, so Gabe pulled his gaze away from it to look at the monster. It glared down at them with those glowing eyes. “Remain,” the Mothman growled in a deep, hollow voice, “and meet your doom!” Then it stretched its wings and hopped off the pile backward. 62

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“After it!” Ben yelled as he began scrambling over the woodpile. “Really?” Tyler yelped, but he followed the group as they climbed up and over. On the other side, they flashed their light beams around but saw no sign of the creature. “You caught it on camera, right?” Ben asked. “Yeah,” Gabe said. “I find it interesting that the creature talked,” Sean said. “It has never talked in any previous encounters.” “I feel so honored,” Tyler said. “Can we go Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

now? I’ve had enough monsters for one day.” “I may be able to help with that,” Sean said. “The monsters?” Tyler asked. “The leaving. I believe I have discovered where I made my miscalculation before.” “Miscalculation?” Ben echoed. “On the direction we should walk to return to the car. The cloud cover has thinned, so we can 63

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now see the moon and stars. That will make it much easier to determine the correct direction. It’s this way.” He set off into the woods without looking back. Ben shrugged and followed with Gabe and Tyler trailing behind. “You okay?” Gabe asked. Tyler nodded. “Haven’t been eaten yet.” He looked around into the darkness. “Of course, the night is young.” “You’re always such a cheerful guy,” Gabe said, bumping shoulders with Tyler. They soon found themselves at the road, not Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

far from the van. Everyone hustled in, but when Ben turned the key, nothing happened. He tried twice more with the same result. “We’re stuck out here with the Mothman,” Tyler wailed. “We’re so doomed.” “I believe that’s what it said,” Sean agreed. The Monster Hunters peered around in the dark, wondering what would attack next. 64

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chapter 8

MEETING DOOM “Gabe, grab a flashlight.” Gabe followed Ben out of the van. “Shine the light on the motor when I lift the hood.” The greasy motor parts were as mysterious to Gabe as any cryptid. “What’s wrong with it?” Ben groaned. “We need a tow truck.” While everyone waited glumly in the van, Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Sean downloaded the footage and started going over the parts where Mothman appeared. “I think I’ve discovered something,” he said. Ben turned around in his seat. “What’s that?” “These are not the same creature,” Sean said. “I’m sure of it. In fact, the second one isn’t a creature at all. I think it’s a guy in a suit.” “What makes you say that?” Ben asked. 65

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Sean pulled up the clearest still of the creature on top of the deadfall. Tyler pointed at the screen. “That looks monsterific to me.” Sean raised an eyebrow at Tyler’s catchphrase attempt. “I thought the same thing at first look. But look here at this color. See that light stripe?” He pointed to one of the wings. “Yeah,” Gabe said. “Maybe the Mothman has some kind of light band there on its wing.” “Until you zoom in.” Sean smugly punched a key to jump to a close-up of the light streak. That’s when Tyler saw it. “That’s a zip tie! Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

That wing is strapped to something.” “I believe it’s strapped to the arm of a guy wearing a Mothman costume. And it’s not the only thing.” He zoomed in on several other places, another zip tie, and a band of skin clearly showing between the creature’s head and chest. “It’s wearing some kind of mask,” Gabe said. “And now for the clincher,” Sean said. 66

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Sean zoomed in on one foot. “I don’t think the Mothman wears sneakers.” Ben took the laptop from Sean and carefully studied the image. “A fake. But who made it?” “I bet it was Charlie Breyer,” Tyler said. “He definitely wanted to scare us away.” “If he wanted us to leave, why show us Mothman?” Gabe asked. “Wouldn’t that just make us want to stay?” “It didn’t make me want to stay,” Tyler said. Sean sat back and shrugged. “Maybe he thought we’d leave once we had evidence.” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“If he wanted to give us evidence, why give us such bad evidence?” Gabe asked. “He probably thought it was dark, and we wouldn’t see all that stuff,” Tyler insisted. “I know I wasn’t looking at it that hard at the time.” With no more real answers, the group fell silent. When the tow truck driver showed up, he gave them a lift to a nearby motel. Ben quickly 67

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booked two rooms before leaving again with the tow truck driver and their broken van. “The auto garage is just down the road so I’ll walk back,” Ben said, pocketing one key card and handing the other to Gabe. “You guys get all this stuff settled in your room and lock the door. I’ll check in with you before I go to bed.” Gabe and the guys found the room number scrawled on the key card envelope and carried all the gear from the van into the room. Even Sean had to haul computers and cables. “How come we always end up carrying Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

everything?” Sean asked. Both Gabe and Tyler froze and stared back at him in amazement. “You never carry anything.” “And that’s how I prefer it,” Sean said. “You guys are the muscle. I’m the brains.” Tyler snorted. “That must be true. If we had more brains, we wouldn’t let you get away with not carrying stuff.” 68

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In the room, they poked around in all the drawers and turned on the TV, but they were really too tired to stay up. Tyler and Sean crawled under the covers of the two double beds while Gabe sat by the window and waited for Ben. When the pounding came at the door, Gabe nearly fell off the chair, where he’d fallen asleep. He wiped drool from his chin and half staggered to the door. His hand was on the knob when Tyler yelled, “Don’t open that!” “Why not?” Gabe asked. “It’s Ben.” “Did you look through the peephole?” Sean Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

asked. “Then you’d know for sure.” Gabe groaned and dragged the chair over, climbed on the seat, and peeked through the hole. “I don’t see anyone.” “I knew it,” Tyler said. “If it was Ben, he’d still be there.” “Then who was it?” Gabe scrambled down and turned the doorknob before Tyler could 69

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scream for him to leave it locked. He stepped out on the balcony that ran along all the secondfloor rooms. He didn’t see anyone at all. A hand landed on his shoulder, and Gabe shrieked and spun around, only to see Tyler. “Sorry,” his friend said. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Gabe marched over to Ben’s room with Tyler pressed against his back. He banged on the door. Ben opened the door and blinked at them. His hair stuck up in wild directions. “What?” “You were supposed to check in with us,” Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Gabe said. “It was late. I didn’t want to wake you.” “I was waiting up. Sort of,” Gabe said. “Guys!” Sean called. “You need to see this.” They walked back toward Sean, who was pointing at the outside of their motel door. Across the door someone had scrawled, “Leave or be doomed!” 70

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Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

chapter 9

UNMASKING THE MOTHMAN The next morning, mor after a big restaurant breakfast of pancakes with tons of syrup, Ben c went to fetch the van while the boys packed up. “Do you think the guy in the Mothman costume also wrote on the door?” Tyler asked as he shoved his pajamas into his backpack. “Probably,” Gabe answered. “But it doesn’t Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

make sense. If it’s Charlie, he wants us to leave. So why would he put on a Mothman costume?” As usual, Sean was sitting down with his computer. “A really poor Mothman costume.” “It still scared me,” Tyler said. Sean rolled his eyes. “Hummingbirds scare you. But if you want to trick professionals with a costume, wouldn’t you make a better costume?” 72

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“So why didn’t he?” Gabe asked. Tyler shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t have time. Or it was too expensive.” Sean shook his head. “You can’t wear sneakers and think you’ll trick anyone. He didn’t even paint them to look like talons or anything.” Talons. If the Mothman was some guy in a costume, what made the claw marks on the sign? And what clawed the top of Elizabeth’s truck? “I think he wants us to know it’s fake,” Gabe said. “If we think it’s a trick, we’ll go away.” Sean’s eyes widened. “Now that makes Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sense.” “It does.” The boys turned to see Ben standing in the doorway with a grin on his face. “Let’s go tell Charlie Breyer about our new theory.” They called Elizabeth to find out where Charlie was. She told them he was back at the fishing pond. “I don’t know why he keeps going,” she said. “He hardly ever catches any fish.” 73

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Ben hung up, saying, “We have to go find out what Charlie Breyer is really up to.” “Because every trip we’ve made out there has gone so well,” Tyler muttered as he grabbed a couple of the equipment cases. In no time, they pulled up near the McClintic sign. “Maybe someone should wait here to guard the van this time,” Tyler suggested. Gabe looked at him in surprise. “You want to wait here all alone?” Tyler slumped. “Not if you put it like that.” They grabbed film gear and marched off into Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the woods. Ben wanted to check out the deadfall where they’d spotted the Mothman first. “I just wish I’d had my GPS so we would know right where it is.” “Follow me,” Sean said. “I know where it is.” Surprisingly, he did. And they were soon poking around the deadfall. Tyler found a few feathers caught in the fallen trees. Sean peered 74

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at them. “Commercial turkey feathers,” he said. “You can buy them at craft stores.” “Perfect for creepy costumes,” Gabe added. Suddenly they heard, Woom! Woom! “It’s the Mothman!” Tyler yelped, ducking. Woom! Woom! “Hey, get away from there!” The guys turned in shock. The voice was Sam Turner’s! He stood half crouched, waving at them with one arm. “Quiet. You’ll upset them.” “They’re upsetting me!” Tyler insisted as the guys crouched down and headed over to Sam. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“We weren’t expecting to find you here,” Ben whispered. “Where’s Charlie?” “He had to run an errand,” said Sam. “Like painting threats on motel doors?” Gabe asked. Sam shrugged and half smiled, looking guilty. “We just wanted you guys out of here, for the sake of the owls.” 75

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“They’re great grays. Aren’t they?” Sean asked. Gabe and Tyler looked at him. “I listened to some owl calls online this morning.” Sam bobbed his head. “They’re nesting. They’re only attacking to defend their young.” “I’m pretty young,” Tyler grumbled. “We just want to give them a chance,” said Sam. “If you put out a show about Mothman coming back, people will come stomping in here, making noise. It could ruin everything.” Ben nodded. “But we still need to talk.” The group headed back to the sign. “We were Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

just trying to keep the owls safe,” Sam insisted. “By locking us in a bunker?” Tyler demanded. Sam shrugged. “I wasn’t there for that. Sorry.” A pickup pulled up, kicking up gravel, and Charlie jumped out. “Don’t tell them anything!” “The only chance the owls have is if we come clean,” Sam said. “These guys are nice. They don’t want to hurt the owls.” 76

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Charlie crossed his arms. “Sure, maybe.” Woom! Woom! They all turned in shock as a huge owl settled on the sign, glaring at them. “We should have this conversation in your van,” Sam said softly. “Now!” They piled in as the owl made a few thumping attacks against the roof. “The eggs must have hatched,” Sam said. “That’s the mother owl. She’s bigger than the father.” “And even less friendly,” Tyler said. Charlie glared at all of them. “How friendly would you be if you’d been driven out of one Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

home by people only to have people threatening the new home you’d found for your family?” “We’re not threatening anyone,” Ben said. “You’re the one issuing threats. And I have a tow truck bill you can pay for, too.” Charlie looked tough and angry for another few moments, but eventually he crumbled. “I just wanted to keep the birds safe.” 77

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

The two men admitted to cobbling together a really terrible costume so that Ben would assume the Mothman was just a guy in a suit and go away. Charlie also admitted to buying some time to finish the suit by locking the guys in the bunker. “But if you hadn’t called my sister,” he said, “I would have sent Sam to accidentally find you guys so you could see me in the costume.” Ben agreed to do whatever he could to keep the owls safe. “We’ll do a show on the history of the Mothman and on the value of the land as a Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

refuge for wildlife. No mention of new sightings.” Sam and Charlie grinned with relief. With the most recent Mothman sightings settled, Ben and the guys were soon packed up and ready to move on to the next cryptid. As usual, Sean had his eyes on his tablet as they drove. “Hey, guys,” he said. “What?” Gabe asked. 78

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

“I’ve been looking over the other Mothman footage,” Sean said. “The stuff we shot before the cheap suit on the deadfall.” “I got some footage of the Mothman on top of the bunker,” Gabe said. Then he frowned. “But that was before Charlie had his suit ready.” “I know,” Sean said. “That’s one reason I looked back at it. Look here.” He pointed to a still shot of a large owl swooping down on them, its red eyes glowing. “That’s the great gray,” Gabe said. “That thing was scary!” Tyler added. Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

“Scary, but natural,” Sean agreed. “Now look at this one.” He clicked to a still shot of a creature glaring down at the camera from the bunker. Much of it was lost in the shadows, but its huge red eyes and wide wingspan were clear. “So they did have the costume,” Ben said. “Except for one thing. Charlie wore sneakers.” Sean clicked to zoom in on one foot. A close 79

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

look revealed huge hooked talons clinging to a rock at the edge of the bunker. “There must be some explanation,” Ben said. Gabe stared at the talons, curved and sharp. He exchanged a look with Tyler. They knew the

Copyright © 2016. ABDO Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

explanation and whispered, “The Mothman.”

Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

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Meet the Mothman, ABDO Publishing Company, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,

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