THE BRILBAX OF MATHAN

​It’s late when Ellen calls, but of course I’m still up surrounded by open textbooks and scribbly notepads. “Another body.” Her words crawl out of her on broken limbs - lethargic, despondent. 
She’s tired. Ellen was the responding officer on the very first scene after we moved here, and now a little over a year and a half later she’s writing up a report for the sixth.
“The Coolidge Bridge.”  She hangs up quickly. We don’t need the back and forth of questions anymore; it’s always the same, and I know all the details. I’ve been following the cases and researching on my own ever since that first night.
I push loose print-outs and small reference books off the enlarged map that’s buried beneath it all. Scanning the names between dotted boundary lines, my finger hovers over red smudges until I find it - the Coolidge Partition. The bridge lies near the north-east corner of the forty-acre plot of land, about three miles from the forest's northern edge. I smear crimson over the paper as I imagine the blood that’s been spilled on the grounds.
Leaning back I take in my map of Mathan Forest; it’s splattered with now six spots of red marking bodies that have been found in the area in just the last eighteen months, the most recent cases the Mathan County Sheriff’s Office has been working. 
Dark orange dots mark the places where I’ve found records of similar instances throughout the town’s history since its establishment in 1798. There are a few hundred of those, so many that I’ve lost count. 
Ellen and the rest of the Sheriff’s department think they’re looking for a serial killer, a true monster of a human. I agree that they’re looking for a monster, but I’m beginning to think it’s no human. The people of Mathan think of The Brilbax as a legend, a tale whispered around campfires, but I don’t believe in myths.
Turning off my lamp and drowning the room in shadow, I prop my elbows on my desk and drop my face into my hands. My eyes burn like I’ve been staring into a bonfire for the last few hours, every orifice being infiltrated with gritty gray smoke. I rub the heel of my palms into them, trying to squeeze out whatever tiny bit of moisture I can as I turn to look out the window.
After sunset, the Mathan Forest is three hundred and seventy-two square miles of prickly pitch black. It’s infuriatingly dark; the type of darkness where the longer you look the more the edges bleed in and everything becomes murky; you end up blinded by the nothingness of it. Treetops reach toward the skyline and claw into the starry night. It’s haunting. 
I call my sister back. 
“Be careful, El.” Somehow she hears me through sirens, her deputy Alex yelling, cameras clicking, a mother crying.
“Always am, Bri.” 
My eyes close and I nod to the ether as I hang up and make my way to bed. Unfortunately the trees and the dead girl and The Brilbax will all still be there tomorrow.
I leave for the forest just before daybreak. Ellen only called a handful of hours ago, but I know they’ve removed the body and cleared the area by now; it takes them far less time to process a crime scene when the details are always the same. 
The sun is slowly creeping over the horizon, but the dense canopy and undergrowth in the forest means it’s still dark among the trees. The forest is adept at holding onto darkness regardless of the warmth that tries to penetrate in. 
Easing through walls of heavy fog, musty damp smells seep into me from all around. Things that die in the forest become part of it; lush greenery sprouts from the forest floor, but it’s all grown from death and decay. 
Using a flashlight to illuminate the map and my path, I scan the area looking for markers. The Coolidge Partition is surrounded by a low rock wall, which I trip over as I stumble onto it sooner than I expected. 
Thankfully the ground is soft and my fall is somewhat cushioned. Standing up to right myself, I begin to brush off dirt and dew but soon I freeze. There’s a sound behind me that breaks through the chirping and chittering in the trees; a cracking branch, rustling leaves, footsteps. 
“Hey, are you okay, Bri?” The voice wants to be loud but is hushed and cautious; being in the forest sparks some instinctive understanding of the need to be quiet. My breath explodes from my chest as I recognize the voice as a familiar one and I swing around to see a figure lumbering toward me.
“Alex?” I call out as I squint toward the sound. Alex is Ellen’s deputy and right hand man. He catches up to me slowly, taking careful steps as he maneuvers over soggy ground and decaying logs. If I didn’t know him, I could easily mistake him for a bear in these shadows, save for the gold glinting off his name badge from the sporadic sunlight peeking through the treetops. 
“Hey, didn’t mean to scare ya - you okay?” He reaches out a burly arm and wraps his hand under my elbow as I’m still wobbly on my feet trying to clear the debris off my skirt. He stands a whole foot taller than me, his cracked leather hat adding unnecessary inches on top of that. 
“Sure, yeah, maybe scraped up a little, but I’m fine.” He immediately drops to his knees to inspect mine. One hand lifts the hem of my skirt while he runs the rough fingers of his other hand over my kneecap. His thick dark hair moves with the breeze that snakes around us and I wince as his thumb grazes over a delicate spot.
“Shit yeah, got you pretty good there.” He announces as I look down and see a small trickle of blood running toward my shin. “Come back with me to the truck and I’ll…” 
I swat his hands away and smooth my skirt down as I shake my head no. “It’s fine, I’ll get to it at home.” 
He tilts his head up and narrows his eyes at me from under the brim of his hat before sighing deeply. “You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?” He pushes himself up off his knees and groans into the early morning air. “So what’d ya call me out here at the crack of dawn for anyway?” 
We begin walking through the area, stepping high over fallen limbs and tall brush. His hands reach out periodically, ready to catch me in case I stumble again.  
“Well, you know how pragmatic Ellen is,” I begin after we stop under an oak with some low-hanging branches. Alex reaches an arm up and braces himself on one as he listens. “I couldn’t ask her about this, but I know your family dates back to the founders and you know the forest and Mathan and all the lore better than anyone so maybe you’d hear me out.” 
“‘Bout what?” His head tilts and curiosity sparks in his eyes. 
I inhale deeply, unsure of how he’ll react, but I say it anyway. “I think it’s the Brilbax.” He laughs. 
“Bri, come on now.” He runs a hand over his mustache and down his beard as he thinks. “You know that’s just an old legend. A cursed man-bear thing that lures people into the woods to rip them apart? Nah.” He shakes his head and looks up to the sky, searching through leaves for the sun that’s finally beginning to break through. 
“No, listen. I’m not saying it’s some mythical human-animal hybrid, but what if the Brilbax legend was born from a genetically superior species of bear, something that evolved to survive as the forest was settled? What if it is an animal, but an advanced one? I mean the medical examiner said that the pieces torn from the victim’s torso left divots like teeth marks on the bones.” I use my hands way too much when I talk, but Alex’s eyes don’t leave me and I know he’s taking what I’m saying seriously. 
“Right, but what about the fingers that are ripped from their joints?” He holds out his hands and touches his fingers. “Or the skin that’s scraped from the bottom of their feet? An animal doesn’t have the dexterity to do that.” 
I nod and wait for him to finish. “Okay, but I’ve been looking into that and I think the skin on the feet could be explained by humidity and dermestids. And don’t tell me a bear couldn’t rip someone’s finger off. Sure, it’s a stretch that they’d have the cognitive discipline to carefully do it one-by-one, but if we’re talking about an advanced species here, then maybe it’s not so far-fetched.” I lose my breath stating my case. Inhaling deeply, I cross my arms as I let my words sink in with Alex. 
He huffs out a laugh and takes a step closer to me. “When’d you get so smart?” I smile back at him, heat flaming in my cheeks. 
“You know I’ve been following this since it started. I just like trying to understand why and how things happen.” He steps closer still, forcing me to back into the tree. Its trunk is lumpy and hard and my skin melds over the knots as I sink into it. 
Alex takes his hat off and runs a hand through his hair before bracing himself on the tree I’m leaning against and bringing his face that much closer to mine. “You’ve got it all figured out, huh, Bri?”
“Alex…” I nearly moan as he presses himself into me, the bark of the tree digging further into my back. 
“Shh…,'' he breathes out as he wraps a hand around my waist. “The Brilbax can hear you.” He smirks and I teasingly hit his chest as we both chuckle before letting the gravity of the situation slowly pull us back into each other. 
“Alex, we shouldn’t,” I whisper, searching his face.
He runs his hand around the back of my neck and up into my hair, looking down at me intensely. “I’m just kidding.” He leans in and brushes his lips over mine before whispering, “No one can hear you out here.”
With that he presses his mouth to mine and I part my lips for him, breathing deep as I let him taste me. I revel in the smell of cedar and moss and I can’t distinguish if it emanates from Alex or everything around us. 
My skin is damp with anxious sweat and the cool air of the forest bites into me as he lifts my skirt higher, exposing me more and more to the woods. His fingers dance around the back of my thigh as we both groan deeply before we stop at the sound of distant rumbling. A car engine. He pants hot breaths against my cheek as I turn my head and strain to listen. It’s getting closer. 
“Fuck.” He drops his head onto mine and huffs out. “That’s the cruiser.” He steps back and shakes his head while pressing his palm against the front of his pants and adjusting himself. I throw my head back onto the tree and sigh defeat as I pull my skirt down. 
Beams of sunlight peak through the trees more easily now that the sun is higher in the sky. They spotlight tiny things that float through the air and cast Alex in an ethereal glittery glow. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair as he looks up from adjusting his belt and smiles at me. 
“I’m not done with you yet.” He wraps an arm around my waist and drags me in for a hard kiss. Pulling back, he nuzzles my nose and rests his forehead against mine. “I need you. Meet me back here tonight. Midnight.” I nod against his head before we break apart at the sound of footsteps getting closer. 
“What the hell are you two doing out here?” Ellen’s deep voice startles birds from the trees as she yells out to us. 
“I asked Alex to meet me here so I could pick his brain.” I roll my eyes knowing she’ll laugh at what comes next. “About the Brilbax.”
“Pssh,” she sneers, stomping over logs and branches as she gets closer to where we’re standing, “There’s no man-bear cryptid that’s killing people in my woods. Damn, y’all are foolish.” She removes her hat and hooks a hand onto her utility belt as she stops and breathes in the forest. “And a little demented for making out right on top of where a dead girl was laying just yesterday.” 
“Dammit, El.” I scoff and bury my face in my hands as Alex drops his head on my shoulder and laughs with me. 
“Listen, I’m glad you two are finally figuring out your teenage hormones ten years too late, but you,” she points her hat at me, “get the hell out of my crime scene, and you,” her hat moves to Alex, “get the hell back to work.” 
“You cleared the scene last night, El. There’s no tape. I’m not anywhere I’m not supposed to be.” I argue.
“Yeah, except on my nerves. Now get.” She swings her arm to point her hat behind her before slamming it back on her head. I look back at Alex as I make my way past Ellen. He nods at me and we both smile. 
I spend the rest of the day buzzing with anticipation. Partially because Alex didn’t totally discount my theory that the Brilbax legend may have some truth to it; partially because my plan for getting him alone in the woods worked. Ellen ruined it, but at least I’ll have him back there again tonight. 
At 11:45, I head back into the woods and am careful to keep my eyes down and mind my step. If it’s dark out here at daybreak, then when the sun goes down the forest becomes whatever darkness has nightmares about. 
I hang the lantern I brought onto a tree branch, lean against the trunk and wait. There are creaks and groans and chittering sounds coming from all around. The lantern dimly lights a two foot circle around me, but outside of that it’s a hazy midnight with faint beams of moonlight that fight their way to the forest floor but mostly die out before they get there. 
I take out my knife and twirl it around in my hand, opening and closing the blade as the lantern light glints off the razor’s edge. I’m not narcissistic enough to think I’m the strongest thing in these woods. I know even the weakest things can kill given enough time or the right circumstances.
I hear rustling. I snap my blade closed and tuck it back into my boot. My eyes strain against the wall of darkness at the edge of the light. I look out into the shadows but the longer and harder I stare the murkier the darkness gets. 
“Alex?” I whisper into the night. Pushing myself off the tree, I lean closer to the edge of the light. I begin to make out a figure forming in the shadows and Alex’s rugged features seem harsher and more pronounced as he slowly comes into focus. 
“Hey.” Alex’s voice is low and hoarse as he crosses the boundary between the lantern light and the shadows of the forest. In one swift movement, he rushes me, slamming my back against the tree and reaching up to kill the light from the lantern. He’s towering over me as he glares down and I hear a growl escape from deep in his throat. My hands that I raised on instinct grasp at his chest and are met with thick coarse hair and hard pounding muscles. 
His eyes seem to glow as they dance over my face before he leans down and finally takes my mouth into his. He tastes like dead leaves and he’s rough as our lips crash together. Sharp teeth nip at my tongue and my breath catches in my throat as he drops his hands to my body. His big palms roam over my waist and hips until he buries a hand between my thighs. 
“Fuck, I’ve needed you for so long, Bri.” His voice is coarse as he moans deeply against my neck. I gasp when his fingers dig into my skin, desperately urging my legs apart. I feel his mouth curl into a smile as his fingertips trail over my panties before he slips under the hem and sinks into me without warning, pumping hard. 
“Take me then, Alex.” I plead with him as I push my hips forward. I hear metal clinking and feel his hand working to undo his pants as I wait impatiently, heaving back against the tree while his thick fingers still work me over. He hooks a hand around the back of my thigh and thrusts my knee up, pinning it against him before stopping and holding me still. 
He raises his hand to his lips, eyes flaming as he stares into me. Wet slick sounds come from his mouth as he runs the fingers he just had inside me over his tongue and groans. “You taste too fucking good.” My body shudders.
“Alex, please.” I’m begging now. He laces his arm through my bent leg and braces himself against the tree as he leans in for another kiss and finally shoves himself inside me. I want to scream, but my breath escapes me in that first thrust. Together we grunt into the night, the moon shining off the sweat speckling our skin. I hear his fingers digging into the bark of the tree, desperately grasping onto something to get more leverage to bury himself deeper into me. 
“Come here.” He leans back slightly as he wraps his arm around my other leg and lifts me up. Alex has always been stocky and strong, but right now he’s bigger, stronger. It’s carnal the way he grips my ass and hoists me away from the trunk, laying us down onto the forest floor without ever slipping out of me. I claw at his shoulders and whimper to the trees as he begins driving into me harder, ripping into me from the inside out. 
“Bri.” His breaths are short and heavy. He leans back enough to look at me and the moon is haloing his head from a million miles away. “I need to cum inside you.” His words twinge my stomach and I clench around him. He growls. “Now.” I nod my head and wrap my arms around him and he dives back in for another kiss as he begins pumping inside me. 
His hips dig into mine and my back is ravaged by whatever detritus he’s laid me on, but I hardly feel any of that pain. All I feel is him inside me, warm and thick. With one last thrust, he drops onto his elbows on either side of me and rests his head on my chest working hard to slow his breathing. I look up to the sky and watch the moon pass over treetops as he holds us there for a long while, keeping me flat, making sure none of him spills out. 
Many minutes pass before he leans up and props himself on his side next to me, branches and stems poking into his bare skin. He places a hand on my stomach and smiles. “Finally.”
I place my hand on top of his and squeeze. He brushes hair off my forehead, working to free it from the sweat it’s entangled in. I arch my back and stretch under the moon, naked and glistening.
“You’re right about the Brilbax, you know.” Alex’s voice, less gravelly and more himself now, breaks through the crickets and the mention of the Brilbax stands my hair on end. 
“I thought you didn’t believe in legends and myths.” I lean my head over to meet his gaze. He’s tracing circles on my stomach with a stick, leaving behind remnants of the forest on my skin.
“Oh, the Brilbax is definitely a legend, but he’s no myth.” Alex’s eyes darken as he stands up and towers over me. Suddenly my stomach cramps intensely and I double over myself in agony as I cry out. 
“See, The Brilbax was once a man, one of the original settlers of Mathan. He came from another land to defile the forest to make his people a home. They killed animals, burned fields, poisoned streams. So the forest fought back and cursed the man; it turned him into the Brilbax and trapped him in Mathan. The Brilbax cannot be killed. Human meat is the only thing that satiates its hunger. It is lonely and angry and ready to die.”
My eyes water from the pain, and I push myself onto my hands and knees. Rocks and insects dig into my skin as I crawl toward Alex, grasping at the dirt beneath his feet before falling to the side and vomiting on the grass. “What’s happening Alex?” My words come out in chunks as I force them between deep inhales. “A curse?”
Alex leans down, eyes glowing as he tilts his head and examines my contorted, rigid body. “You don’t believe in curses, Bri?” He juts out his bottom lip, feigning sympathy. “Then you must not believe that they can be broken?”
I scream again. My skin stretches and nearly rips as my stomach distends and bulges before my eyes. Something inside me is trying to tear its way out. 
“The Brilbax can pass off the curse if there is ever someone who willingly takes its seed.” He stops pacing and looks down at me with disgust. “In passing the curse, the original Brilbax will turn back into a mere man as the new Brilbax forms. Seems easy enough, but in 170 years, I still have yet to find the right person. Until you.” Alex stops circling me like a vulture and squats down, leaning close. He grabs my chin, forcing my head up to look at him, and his voice bites into me like the tiny blood thirsty things that live off the trees. “You were just so desperate for my cum, weren’t you, Bri?” I spit in his face. 
As he slaps a hand over his eyes to wipe it away, I dig into my boot for my knife. I fling open the blade and swing my arm around, jamming it into his neck and dragging it across his throat before tearing it back out. Alex stumbles back, clapping his hands under his jaw as crimson spills onto the dirt and shines brilliantly in what little moonlight seeps in from above.
Blood trickles over his lips and fills in every crack of his teeth as a laugh gurgles out from inside of him. “If I die that means…that thing inside you…has taken the curse.” He coughs and chokes out his words as he spews blood and saliva onto the dirt. “It’ll split you apart from the inside out…the Brilbax will eat you alive.” I force myself to stand up, legs trembling and tears streaming as I look down on him. 
I squeeze a hand over my engorged stomach and clench my eyes closed as waves of pain crash over me. “I found your aunt’s diary in my research. She was the one who discovered your mother’s body after your father did this same thing to her.”  I speak loudly now, ignoring the instinct to be quiet. “Based on what she wrote about the mess she walked into, I learned that The Brilbax is closest to human form in the womb, and it can in fact be killed there. Your mother figured that out too. Sadly though she only killed one of the babies.” I lower my gaze on Alex, the glow in his eyes nearly completely diminished now. “Did you know you had a brother? Your aunt described it as a mound of flesh and hair regurgitated from Satan himself. The knife to the head seemed to do the trick.” 
With his blood still dripping down the handle, I jam the knife into my side and pull it across my stomach, ripping myself open. I drop to my knees as something thick and putrid gushes from my abdomen. The river that flows from me carries masses of flesh and tissue that aren’t all mine. Splattering onto the ground, they writhe in the sticks and the dirt as I pass out and collapse on top of them. 
Alex and I lay lifeless in the scattered moonlight as the last blood that The Brilbax will ever spill among these trees soaks into the soil of The Mathan Forest.