FICTION
Editor’s Note: This story is a work of fiction published in the fun spirit of Halloween. This story is on the opinion page and is a work of fiction, not a factual account of events in Cibola County.
Once there was a piercing stillness across Cibola County, New Mexico, a barren expanse of rugged beauty, painted with muted hues of sepia and ochre. But this tranquil harmony was shattered by a vicious presence, a dark legend brought to life—the Chupacabra, a nefarious creature of nightmare and death.
The first blood was spilled on a full-moon night near the Village of San Rafael. A cattle farmer discovered the remnants of his herd strewn across the dew-kissed meadow. The corpses, drained of blood, bore puncture wounds, the beat’s grim signature. The silent streets of San Rafael trembled under a chilling, ominous whisper, 'El Chupacabra.'
No corner of the county was spared. The insidious beast navigated the terrain with a predator's grace, leaving a trail of lifeless, drained cattle, leaving the Zuni Mountains painted in blood and dread.
From the Village of San Rafael, the haunting darkness unfurled. The Chupacabra’s thirst guided it to the desolate outskirts of Fence Lake. Once more, carcasses lay in its wake, the macabre scene lit by the celestial dome, a stark contrast to the earth soaked with crimson. Ranchers across the county began preparing their herds for beast.
As days morphed into nights, whispers evolved into a dreadful silence, a breath held in anticipation. The insatiable Chupacabra, emboldened by the shrouded moon, struck again, this time on the slopes of Mount Taylor, outside the City of Grants. The cloud-veiled peak towered over the land, a silent sentinel to the unfolding carnage. Its reach spread through the undulating landscape, an invisible, haunting breath that sent shivers down the spines of all who dared to utter its name. That night did not see carnage like the county expected, giving a stillness to the night and a sigh of relief to citizens.
The eerie calm was shattered by a shepherd's discovery. His flock, a mosaic of innocence, lay lifeless at the mountain’s base. The grim spectacle bore the mark of the dreaded Chupacabra, its grisly signature indelibly etched on the innocent lambs.
Despair gripped the hearts of the Cibola’s Citizens, as terror ruled the sprawling expanse. The beast’s movements were cloaked in enigma, an apparition haunting dreams and fueling nightmares.
In a daring attempt to reclaim peace from the claws of the nocturnal predator, the residents of Cibola County, armed with courage and desperation, mounted a search, their lanterns casting an ethereal glow against the obsidian canvas of the night. They ventured into the realm of the Chupacabra, deep into the Zuni Mountains. The night, shrouded in whispers and shadows, throbbed with an ominous pulse.
As they traversed the craggy, lava-formed slopes, a chilling breeze whispered tales of dread. The obsidian abyss above, pierced by the bright glow of the celestial sentinel, bore witness to their difficult journey. Eight miles by foot, climbing jagged lava rock, was only made worse by the smell of decomposition and hollowed animal corpses.
As they continued their climb to a clearing in the mountains, another grim revelation unfolded. The Chupacabra, basked in the glow of moon, its menacing form a dreadful silhouette against the dark night. Its eyes, orbs of infernal fire, seared through the abyss, etching shadows of terror on the trembling faces of the search party.
In the face of incomprehensible terror and gruesome sights, the residents of Cibola County showcased a community spirit that pierced from their very souls. Their eyes, reflecting the moon’s luminescence, were windows to a collective determination forged by grief and desperation – a determination to liberate Cibola from the beast.
Their pursuit of the Chupacabra, the creature of nightmares and lore, led them through the sinister embrace of the darkness, where whispers of the departed hung heavily in the air. Fueled by the desire to emancipate their lands from this monstrous reign, the people stood united, an impenetrable fortress against the abyss.
Their bullets, cloaked in hopes and prayers, pierced the nocturnal silence of the Zuni Mountains. But the Chupacabra was an entity of shadows, weaving through the darkness with sinister grace, evading their desperate attempts to bring an end to its reign.
The people followed the beast into a cavern concealed within the mountain’s embrace, they discovered the harrowing truth - a myriad of corpses, not just of cattle, but of humans too – poor lost hikers, all drained of life, their faces etched with eternal horror.
Here, with the beast corned and a hunger for vengeance, the people were able to bring an end to the beast’s rein. With just enough ammunition to see the job done, the residents of Cibola were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing they were now free.