The Beast of Roca de Vaca: Three Boys Hunt a Chupacabra on a School Trip

Story transcript, edited from an automatic transcription. Minor transcription errors may remain; not checked word for word against the audio. Separate host segments and advertising omitted.

The Beast of Roca de Vaca by Morgan Moore All right, kids, everybody going to Ranch Roca de Vaca! Be on the bus in five minutes! The teacher shouted through a megaphone to a parking lot full of kids and their parents. This year, the decision for a class trip included a weekend at a ranch to learn more about agriculture and the kind of self-operated business that were most common in the surrounding area.

While there were a number of ranches within the same area, Ranch Roca de Vaca stood out for being run by immigrants from Puerto Rico. To both the parents and the teachers, this meant the kids could learn not only about agriculture, but also about another culture as well. In the hustle and bustle of all the kids and adults getting everything ready, Patrick Adams stood with a group of his friends. Patrick was excited to go on the trip, especially since it gave him a weekend away from his parents.

He loved his parents, but he was also 12 years old and was at that age when he needed time away from his folks to be on his own every so often. Man, I can't wait to get out of this parking lot! No parents for a whole weekend! Sean, one of Patrick's friends, said with excitement. Yeah, but we'll have Mr. Osborne and Mr. Riley as chaperones, plus all the people at the ranch, Tommy, another friend mentioned.

Hey, I'll take it. At least they'll let us explore and have fun. Unlike our parents, Sean replied. Guys, guys, Patrick started to say, a smile on his face. It doesn't matter who is or isn't with us. All that matters is no classes and no parents for the next four days. His friends shrugged and nodded their heads in agreement. The three of them knew they'd do some schoolwork over the course of the trip, but the knowledge that it wouldn't completely be like school was something they were happy about.

It was a kid's dream. Last call! Everybody on the bus if you want to go to the ranch! Another announcement came from the teacher getting the attention of everybody in the lot. Parents gave their children final farewells as well as telling them to have fun and be safe. Patrick and his friends said their goodbyes to their parents and started to head towards the bus. The ride to the ranch took a couple of hours, and once there, the children were directed over to an area by a barn.

In front of the barn stood an older man dressed in traditional ranching garb, with a dog sitting beside him. Hello, everybody. My name is Michael, and this here is Picasso. Welcome to Ranch Rocco de Vaca! We're excited to have you all here, and we hope that you will all have a fun time. The kids cheered loudly with excitement as the teachers clapped and cheered with them, though not as energetic. Michael smiled and bowed his head in thanks.

Thank you very much. Now, before we get all you kids settled into your rooms, we just want to set a few ground rules. First of all, you can see this is a big area with a lot of open land. We ask that while you stay with us, you not explore outside of the fenced areas at all. And that if you must venture out that way for any reason, make sure you have an adult with you.

Being outside at night goes with that as well. Other than that, I hope that you all have a good time, and we'll see you later tonight for a campfire. Once night had fallen, everybody met back up at the location Michael told them to for the campfire. It was a fun time with hot dogs. S'mores, roasted corn, perfect for kids that had been cooped up all day with just snack food. Picasso went up to everybody and sniffed at them, trying to get some food before Michael called him back to his side.

After everybody had eaten, Michael stood up from his seat and whistled, calling all the children to attention. You guys enjoy dinner? He asked, getting a thunderous applause in return. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Would you all like a story? Assuming, uh, y'all can handle it. The kids screamed at the man in front of them, demanding the story and promising that they wouldn't be scared. After a minute or two, the kids quieted down, ready for the story they were promised.

Many years ago, back in Puerto Rico, on a ranch not too different from this one, my grandpa started to lose some of his livestock. Goats, cows, pigs, just about everything he had started to disappear. And when the animals would be found, they were dead. And drained. Of blood. A couple weeks later, my grandpa went out with some buddies one night who also happened to be ranchers. As the night went on, my grandfather asked if any of them had experienced anything similar to what was going on at his ranch.

To his surprise, they all had been dealing with the same things. Well, at least, one of his friends had an idea. He claimed that it was a monster. Now, as one might expect, everybody in the room laughed at that point. But he stuck to it, saying that this sort of thing happened years ago, but suddenly stopped. Because of its affinity for goats, he named the beast El Chupacabra, the goat sucker. Sure enough, the animals suddenly stopped disappearing.

Now, for me, I'm not too sure about it all. But you never know. After all, why do you think we don't want you guys going out alone at night? Michael grinned as he finished his story, and an animal howled in the distance. The kids looked shaken a bit. The teachers, too. A moment later came another howl cutting through the night air, which caused the group to jump. Their host and storyteller laughed a little at the reaction the kids had from the multiple howls.

No need to worry about those howls, boys and girls. That's the dogs we keep on the ranch to keep the animals in line. No El Chupacabra's here. Taking his words to heart, everybody got up and headed off to bed after taking care of the fire. The next day brought hours of learning how the farm was run, a huge lunch spread, and hours of horseback riding, after which everyone was excited for another campfire.

But once they got close enough to the ranch, everyone could see that something wasn't quite right. A ranch hand ran over to Michael, distraught. Boss, it's terrible! Just terrible! The ranch hand blurted out, feverishly. What is it? Michael replied, his voice remaining calm. There's a hole in the fence where the goats and the pigs sleep and... And... The worker spurted out in a slight mumble. Well, come on! What is it? Michael said in a tone that was both commanding and now starting to be tinged with concern.

They're dead. All dead! He spat out. Michael found himself dumbstruck, and the kids were speechless, their faces twisting into horrific expressions. Without hesitating, Michael rode off towards the area the ranch hand had described, while the hand motioned the children towards the stable and instructed them to return to their rooms. Patrick was very concerned. After all, animals just dropping dead wasn't something that happened every day. He shared his concerns with Sean and Tommy, and while they did find it strange, it didn't seem to bother them or make them feel as weird as Patrick.

Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day. Unfortunately for Patrick and the rest of the class, it was not a better day. All activities were cancelled and the children were confined to the large dining area. Patrick managed to sneak away at one point and eavesdrop on his teachers, Michael, and some of the ranch staff standing just outside an open window. What are we going to do? Mr. Osborne asked. Is there any way you and the children could leave early?

A female ranch hand asked. No, Mr. Riley started. Unfortunately, the bus won't be back until tomorrow morning. Unless you have something to transport all the kids and make the 100 mile round trip, we have to stay until 7 in the morning. Well, that settles it then, doesn't it? Keep the children in their rooms for the remainder of the day. Only let them out for dinner. I'll have some of the workers stand guard by the doors.

That way, if a child needs to go to the bathroom, they can have a chaperone. Tonight, me and some of the other workers will stay up to keep watch over the ranch. Michael spoke calmly, but seriously. The teachers nodded and Michael and his staff turned and left. I cannot believe this is happening. I thought the school said everything about this place checked out perfectly fine, Mr. Osborne asked his colleague. It did from what I saw.

Besides, you can't control what goes on in nature, Mr. Riley replied with a sigh. You're right. But still, you would think they'd have this more under control. Almost all the animals are dead. Drained of their blood. It's just... Weird, Mr. Osborne mused. You've got that right, Mr. Riley said. The two then walked off, continuing to talk as they went. No way, Tommy said after Patrick finished telling him and Sean what he'd overheard.

Yeah, Patrick. There's no way a monster is responsible for everything going on, Sean chimed in. Come on, guys. It would be one thing if they dropped dead, but I heard them say there was no blood at all, Patrick retorted. It could just be some wild animal that broke in, Sean offered as a potential explanation. Okay, so it is a wild animal, but the fences are made up of barbed wire. If any animal broke in to kill the livestock, it would have been cut from the wire.

No blood, remember? Patrick shot back. All right, so it is that chupacabra monster. Why does it matter to us? If we're just going to be stuck here all day, then we'll be safe, Tommy said. Because wouldn't it be cool to say you saw a monster? Patrick asked. I mean, yeah, but nobody would believe us. You would have to have photographic proof. Wait, no way, Patrick, Tommy said, figuring out his friend's plan.

Come on, Tommy. It's simple. We just hide after dinner so we don't get locked in here. We bring your camera with us and we go on a little monster hunt. Once we get our proof, we run off and sneak back into our room. There's nothing to worry about, Patrick explained to the two of them. Pat, that sounds really dangerous. I mean, if there is a monster, what could it do to us?

Plus, we'd get in loads of trouble if any of the ranchers caught us, Sean mused. We're going back tomorrow. What possible trouble could we get in? I think you guys are just scared. You guys want to join me and have some fun before we go home? Or do you want to just stay in here, bored out of your minds? Patrick asked. His friends looked at him and then at each other. After a few minutes of silence, the two spoke up together.

Okay, we're in. That night, the boys put their plan into action. The tricky part was figuring out how to stay under the radar so that they didn't get sent back to their room after dinner. Patrick, Tommy, and Sean decided to leave dinner early and head back to their rooms ahead of everybody else. Once they were outside, the three boys carefully made their way into one of the barns and hid by a pile of hay and began to wait.

Through the cracks in the walls of the barn, they could see the light shining in from outside. And once the light faded completely into darkness, they emerged from their hiding spot. When they exited the barn, the calmness of the night sent a shiver down their collective spines. None of them were afraid of the dark. But being on the ranch at night while a monstrous creature might be on the prowl was something that put all three of them on edge.

Patrick took the lead, brandishing a flashlight he swiped earlier from a storage closet in the building where the rooms were. He turned it on and looked at Tommy and Sean, who returned his gaze. The three boys nodded and then started to make their way around the ranch. They moved slowly and carefully, making sure they weren't spotted by any workers, but also making sure they didn't miss anything. This is boring, Sean whispered.

Be quiet, Tommy whispered back. Back at you, Sean responded. Both of you, shut up, Patrick shot at the two of them. The trio continued to make their way around the ranch, not wanting to potentially have missed anything. After the second walkthrough, they agreed that there was clearly nothing going on and decided it was time to head back. When they reached the front of their building, they stopped for a bit. Well, that was a whole lot of nothing, Sean stated, yawning afterwards.

I got to admit, Pat, that was pretty pointless. Look, I know the way those animals died is weird, but we searched the whole ranch, twice. It isn't a monster, Tommy said. Patrick sighed and shrugged a little bit. I guess you guys were right. Sorry I kept you both up. But hey, at least we didn't get into trouble. Let's go to bed. The three boys started to open the door, but they stopped when a horrible shriek filled the night.

They looked at each other in shock. Without hesitating, they raced to where they thought the noise originated from. As they got closer, Patrick went to raise the flashlight, stopping in sudden terror when he saw what was in front of him. The suddenness of his stopping caused Sean and Tommy to crash into him. The trio tumbled to the ground, sending the flashlight rolling away. When they looked up towards where the light shone, all three of them started in terror.

In front of them was a creature squatting over a dog, licking its lips. The beast looked like a mutated mixture of a wolf and a bat, a sharp spike-like spine poking out from its back, its eyes glowing deep crimson. This creature, this thing, matched Michael's description of El Chupacabra. Patrick, Sean, and Tommy stood up slowly, fear taking over their bodies. The monster roared and started towards the boys. They ran, taking off as fast as they could, El Chupacabra roaring again and gaining on them quicker than they expected.

So quick, in fact, it passed them and stopped in front of them, standing up in its full height, drooling and growling like a dog interrupted from eating. All three boys stopped suddenly again, sweating bullets with every nerve in their body on full alert. The monster started to walk towards them slowly, eyeing up its new prey. They wanted to run. They needed to run, but the fear paralyzed them in place. Tommy, Sean, and Patrick could think of nothing, do nothing.

They were simply stuck with the towering, unholy creature in front of them. Suddenly, Picasso came rushing from behind them and jumped on the beast. The dog bit into the neck of its enemy and shook its head, digging in as much as it could. It seemed to work as El Chupacabra cried out in pain. However, it didn't work for long as it ripped the dog away from its neck before taking a bite out of it.

El Chupacabra threw the dog away like a piece of garbage. Picasso hit the wall of the building and fell to the ground, staying there, motionless. The beast turned its eyes back towards the boys. This time, though, they had enough of their wits about them to start running again. The monster chased after them. Everywhere they went, the monster followed, cutting them off time after time. Patrick, Sean, and Tommy somehow managed to always pivot at the last minute, the beast shrieking in anger each time.

Barks soon began to fill the night as the sound of the beast stirred the security dogs, soon joined by voices echoing behind them in Spanish. We need to get inside! Anywhere! Tommy screamed feverishly at his friends. The boys darted into the first building they saw, a small barn filled with farming equipment. El Chupacabra stormed in after them, ripping the doors off their hinges. It roared at them and once more began to move towards them.

Patrick and his friends backed away from it slowly, grabbing anything they could to throw at what was in front of them, though none of it had any effect on the monster. Soon they found themselves backed against a table, each boy feeling around for something to use as a weapon, though their efforts proved fruitless. With the creature almost right in their faces, they came to the conclusion that this was it. This was where everything was to end.

A bang shot through the barn and El Chupacabra swung its body around. Michael stood there, holding a shotgun aimed at the monster. It rushed at Michael and slammed him down to the ground. Then, kicked him away, Michael crashed into the metal wall of the building, leaving behind a dent. As the creature was about to go in for the final blow, Picasso slammed into the leg of the beast and started tearing at its leg.

The dog let go and backed up as its opponent shrieked. Picasso rushed at the thing and the two went tumbling to the ground, biting at each other ferociously. Sean and Tommy sprinted over towards Michael, screaming out for help. Patrick, however, ran after the two fighting animals. He found where they were, but was unable to see the combat clearly thanks to the frenzy. Growls, barks, shrieks, and cries filled the air in equal measure as dirt flew everywhere.

Finally, they backed away from each other, wheezing and breathing heavily, staring each other down, before exploding into violence once more. Patrick cried out and ran back to where Michael and his friends were. Once there, he found Michael was on his feet, Sean and Tommy by his side. The workers are calling the police and arming themselves. Come on, let's get to safety, Michael told the boys. But what about Picasso? He's still fighting that thing, Patrick stammered out in a worried tone.

Michael looked at him, gulping a bit. He had forgotten that his dog had saved him from certain doom. The man knew he had to get to safety, to get the boys to safety, but he couldn't just abandon his friend. Without any more thought, Michael picked up the shotgun and ran off towards where Patrick had come from. Patrick and the boys followed after him. They stopped once they got to where Michael was standing, clearly in shock.

When the boys looked where he was, they too became shocked. In front of them stood Picasso. Covered in dirt, wounded, and weak. On the ground was the monster, the beast, El Chupacabra. Defeated. The next morning, the kids lined up to get on the bus to take them back home. Patrick and his friends stood beside Michael, who was all smiles and warm spirits as he said goodbye and waved at the various children.

Picasso stood next to them as well, bandaged from his fight. When it came time for Sean, Tommy, and Patrick to board the bus, Michael looked at them. His smile still there, but he now appeared weary. Thank you, boys, for all your help, Michael told them. Hey, it's thanks to you and Picasso that we were even able to be any help, Patrick responded, patting Picasso's head. Yeah, but what happened? You sent us back to our room before the police or your workers came to help.

Did they see the monster? Tommy asked curiously as Sean nodded in agreement. Michael's smile faded, and he took a deep breath. They didn't. I told Picasso here to drag the body away. When they were out of sight, I fired my gun and told everybody that it was a wolf. I said I shot at it and that it ran off afterwards. But what about the damage to the barn and the wall? Sean questioned.

I told them that the wolf and Picasso caused the damage with how violently they were fighting. As for the wall, well, a wolf charging at you at full speed and slamming you into a wall is going to leave some kind of an impact, especially considering how big I am. Besides, that was an older building, so its walls weren't as strong as the others. Anyways, after the police came and everything died down, I had Picasso show me where he took the thing and buried it myself.

Michael explained. Last call! All students on the bus! Pronto! Mr. Osborne announced through a megaphone. Michael patted the boys on their respective shoulders. Go on now. You don't want to be late! He smiled at them as he spoke. They smiled back and picked up their bags and started to walk towards the bus. When they got there, Sean entered first and then Tommy. Patrick started to enter the bus but stopped. He turned around and waved at Michael again.

Patrick's eyes then moved downwards to Picasso and he smiled at the dog. The dog wagged its tail and barked happily at the boy. But as Patrick started to turn back around, he stopped. Something caught his eye. He turned back around and looked once more at Picasso and his eyes widened in surprise and growing horror. Picasso's eyes glowed a deep crimson.