The Monster of Mtubu: V

***Deeper into the jungle we go...***

There followed another two days of hiking after this traumatising event.

None of us felt much like talking after what we had seen, for it seemed the only discussion that could leave our lips would be regarding the demise of our companions. Taylor had a down-turned face and I felt that I had wronged him by making him come further with us, but it would be a waste of those lives already lost if we gave up too soon. Between Red and Taylor, we were well-equipped to track Sir Montcliff, and his trail never grew cold, allaying all our fears that he might have suffered a swift demise. I can only assume he had food with him, for he never seemed to weaken in his chase.

In the evening of the second day, we caught sight of the giant woman, before finding Montcliff, and at once went into hiding at the base of another tree. She was walking past without a care for our presence, and accompanying her was a muffled cry of desperation. We watched with some amazement as she went by, seeing her hand swinging by her side with a pair of bodies jostling out from her fist. Two dark-skinned torsos stuck out with arms waving and legs kicking. From the other swinging arm, we caught a glimpse of a third person being carried. She was gone in a few moments, and Red immediately dragged me out from our hiding place announcing that we had to give chase now. If she was carrying these people away, it could only be to some sort of lair, and if we found that then not only might we find Montcliff, but it might give us opportunity to catch her at rest, where we might act against her.

After such a lengthy pursuit, I decided it was best we act fast, and the three of us ran to follow the giant woman, shedding our bags to move faster. Red was correct in his estimates, for only a short run brought us to a large rock formation. The monster had disappeared from view long ago, but her footprints clearly led here, and the fallen rocks showed she had climbed the obstacle before us. We made haste in following, for the sun was quickly setting, and we traversed the cliff in about an hour. When we reached the top, another great spectacle was set before us.

Though dusk had set in, there was still enough light to see that the rocks dropped away into a basin below, resembling a fantastically large and naturally formed pit, which was sheltered on the other side by enormous trees that grew on its lip. Down below, amidst a bedded area of collected leaves that spanned more distance than our greatest playing fields, the giant woman was at rest. She was seated on the floor, with one leg outstretched, and the people she had captured were standing in a confused huddle in front of her. We three crouched and observed her actions, and it was a strange but terrifying scene. Her prisoners consisted of two women and one man, similar to those we had seen in Lybl, and they were dancing for her in the most surreal manner. They moved with a frantic grace, jiggling on the spot and giving the occasional chant. The giant woman regarded them with bright, eager eyes, and seemed to be enjoying their entertainment.

I could not have counted the time we spent watching this display, for it had a hypnotic draw. Eventually, however, as the shades of night flowed over us and the poor dancing souls moved without any energy left, the giant woman grew bored and without warning she flicked the man to the floor. The women took to screaming, as a giant hand dropped between them and fingers began to shove all three of them one way or another. She was prodding and playing with them for a few terrifying moments, before her hand clamped on one woman and lifted her to the giant’s waiting mouth. The woman cried out in a feral manner like nothing I have heard before, but was quickly devoured alive, once again swallowed whole. The other two tried, feebly, to run, but the giantess picked them up, one in each hand. As they struggled and shouted, she turned around. Here we made out what had not been clear before; behind the giant woman, where she had been leaning, there was a large structure the size of a small building, made up of tree trunks tied together. It was, without doubt, a cage, and though the gaps in the bars were too slight to see much through, it was clear by the noise that rose from it, when the giant woman opened the lid, that there were even more people in there. These last two were dropped in without ceremony, and the lid closed again. Here, thankfully, the giant woman slid down to the ground and appeared to sleep.

We were hailed quietly from the side by the voice of Montcliff, who came rushing over, gun in hand, and explained that he had been awaiting our arrival. We followed him down the rocks a short distance to a cave and there we discovered a series of small tree trunks that had been whittled to jagged pointed ends. Montcliff said he intended to head down there with Red and blind the giant woman as she slept, quite following the tactics of Odysseus. From there he then hoped to be able to bring her down with rifle blasts. He told us that he had observed her the past day and a half in this lair: she would leave for much of the day and return to add more people to her collection, of which he estimated there to now be at least a dozen in that cage. She played with them regularly, often just toying with the poor prisoners with her hands, before quite callously eating one here and there. Most importantly, however, Montcliff had discovered that amongst the caged people was one slight girl in grubby but indistinguishably civilised dress. He had no doubt that she was Betty, the daughter of Spillerson, and was determined to rescue the young lady.

Taylor would not go into that basin, saying it was madness to confront this giantess. He was not intended to, anyway, for Montcliff wished to go alone with Red, so that if anything went wrong myself and Taylor might follow the next night to rescue them. Our hunter expressed no fear that the lady might kill them if she caught them. With much of the night left to their plan, Montcliff and Red thus lifted their poles and descended into the pit. They made quick time getting down there, and I strained to see them approaching the giant woman in the moonlight. She was lying on her side, stretched out, and the two men appeared like hunched rodents running alongside her that full length. Even at rest, she loomed above them like a wall. I was holding my breath when I saw they had made it past her arms and up to her face. There, Montcliff gave Red some instructions and cautiously crept closer.

I gasped, though, as the giant stirred with a short grumble, worst luck, rolling onto her back, her face pointed to the sky. Her head was slightly taller than a man, putting her eyes somewhat out of reach for an easy strike.

Montcliff barely hesitated, though, and continued towards her. Red was poised beneath him with stick at the ready, aimed to plunge into her ear, whilst Montcliff fed handfuls of the lady’s hanging hair together. He gave them a tug, making me wince in anticipation – he meant to climb up her! – but she did not respond. Satisfied, Montcliff bravely handed his pole to Red, his rifle slung over a shoulder, and hauled himself up the hair. He climbed the side of her giant temple, onto her forehead, and steadied there, in a ready crouch. He shuffled his gun into his hand and prepped it against his waist, aiming down the closest eye. He turned down to Red and indicated he get ready, for the latter man moved back slightly, bracing himself.

This movement, perhaps, was the noise that woke her.

In a terrifying moment, the giant woman’s eyes shot open and her head swung upward before either man could attack. Montcliff was thrown backwards, but had the wherewithal to roll and grab out at her flowing hair. As she rose up, he sprawled there, some twenty feet high from her seated position. I saw that he had kept hold of his gun, and somehow she appeared not to have noticed him as her focus was on the ground. It was not so fortunate for Red, however, who she had noticed at once, and before he could move a giant hand plucked up the pole he was holding. In his desperation, he clung onto the weapon and before he had the sense to let go he was hoisted a great distance into the air. She held the pole high, like a lady would a cocktail stick, inspecting the man who now held on for dear life, lest he fall thirty feet or more. Then she opened wide and went to swing poor Red into her jaws. He regained his senses, however, and just before being bitten he let go of the stick and dropped down to her chest. He rolled into that great bosom, which must have had a most softening effect, and scrambled away, leaping over the makeshift bra.

The giant woman was startled by his daring escape, but for all the time he had to jump and run, it took her only a second, following her surprise, to whip a hand down. Red landed on her stomach and was poised to jump to the ground when the giant fist closed over him and lifted him up once more. This time she gave him a squeeze, making him cry sharply enough to be heard well out of the basin. She opened her mouth again, and again Red found himself a moment from being devoured. The sound of Montcliff’s rifle boomed through the jungle, however, with a terrific roar that I hoped meant the end of the monster. Indeed, she threw Red down, startled by this noise, but then turned her eyes up towards her hair, where our hunter was unsteadily standing, gun aimed down at her scalp. She did not appear hurt by the blast from our strongest weapon at the closest range, a fact which plainly stunned Montcliff. Before he could shoot again, she closed a hand around his chest and grabbed him effortlessly from his position. The other hand rose quickly, taking his gun and throwing it aside. Montcliff cried out in anger as her fist closed tighter over him, but she did nothing more to him, while touching the point of her head curiously where he had shot her. Sure enough, a slow trickle of blood did emerge from her brow, and I prayed for a second it might be merely a delayed response. But her skull must’ve been made of far sterner things than ours, for she simply gave it a wipe and turned to her cage. The giant woman opened it and tossed Montcliff inside, then twisted around with a determined look, searching for Red.

She set eyes on our other companion at once.

Red was not making great time in his escape, for he was clearly injured as he limped away. He was almost at the rocks, however, and I wanted to cheer him on, to see him make the final push. It was no use, though, for the giant woman sprung forward and brought a palm down on him before he could see it coming. I let out a slight involuntary cry to see him flattened under that hand, but was so petrified that little noise came out. She lifted her hand with a satisfied expression, seeing that Red lay motionless now, broken by the terrible blow. Her giant fingers then pinched onto his shirt and lifted him, whereupon I heard his groans. Red was not dead, but had no fight left to give. Finally, the giant woman carried his limp body into her mouth and slowly sucked him in, savouring another of my friends as a mere snack.