Until the Cows Come Home | A Cattle Mutilation Horror Story

0:00 Two dead cows. No blood, no organs, and no tracks to tell you what took them. A government investigator arrives, expecting another rancher's wild story. Then the storm returns, the lights appear, and a low hum rolls across the pasture. Whatever came for the cattle is back. What's that? You want to be scared? Come with me. You will experience tales of horror, ghosts, and death.

0:46 It is not recommended for the weak at heart. Listen in the dark. It's more fun that way. This is Weekly Spooky. Hello, my spookies. It's Wednesday, and you know what that means. It's time for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm your host and narrator, Enrique Couto, and I hope you all had a banner October season. I know I did. We put out so many wild and wonderful horror stories, content about scary movies, true crime, folklore, you name it.

1:35 We published it, and we're so happy to have so many of you sticking around as spooky season, I'm doing air quotes, has wrapped up, but in reality, it's not going anywhere, at least not here at Weekly Spooky, where we give you something scary to listen to every single day of the week. And tonight we have a very special story for you from a brand new author to Weekly Spooky. But before we get to that, I want to say thank you all so much for joining us here tonight and for making October such a awesome, awesome month. If you love what we're doing here, there are two major ways you can help support us. One is go to your favorite podcast app like Apple Podcasts or Spotify and and give us a five-star rating. It doesn't cost you anything, and it makes a big difference in helping other spookies like us know they're in the right place.

2:30 And if you want to support us in a very direct way, head to weeklyspooky.com slash join, and for as little as $ 1 a month, you get two bonus shows every single month, and it means a whole lot to me. Join over 70 other spookies today in supporting the show as we keep going and going into our seventh year over the scare. But now, as for tonight, most of us have seen something strange in the sky, a moving light, a flash behind the clouds, something we explain away before we even get home. Ben Akers has spent six years doing that for the government, sorting livestock mutilations into neat reports about predators and scavengers. But a Colorado rancher has just lost two cows, and the usual answers are missing, along with their blood. Storms keep rolling in over the pasture, strange lights keep appearing, and tonight, Ben is staying long enough to see what happens when those clouds come down.

3:51 Until the Cows Come Home by George Larson The G-Ride, my government car, glided down State Highway 76 with the cruise control set at a steady 65. I was in no great hurry. I was damn sure it was more of the same nonsense. Livestock mutilations. I'd spent the last six years chasing down similar reports for Uncle Sam. and there was no dearth of them. Most turned out to be coyotes or the occasional mountain lion, although ranchers often claimed something more sinister was going on. Tonight my destination was Durango, Colorado, where a rancher said two of his heifers had been torn open with the precision of a butcher. Sure, we would see. The large electrical power stanchions beside the road looked like a troop of giants walking afar. The highway was deserted, but I could see storm clouds gathering in the distance. My country music station, KRON, interrupted its regular program with an emergency weather alert. A high-intensity thunderstorm

5:27 is present in Durango, Clayton, and Bascom counties. Residents are advised to take shelter until the storm passes. Drivers are advised to stay on major roads to avoid flash flooding across secondary roads and low spots until 11 tonight. Flooding of the Arroyos is expected and should be avoided. The announcement ended as lightning struck in the distance. followed by loud claps of thunder. This one was going down as a gully washer. Then I saw something unusual. Balls of lightning dancing among the power lines, mostly pale blue and varying in size. I had heard about them, but had never seen them. With the lightning, thunder rolls and those drifting balls of light, it was quite a sound and light show to behold. The rain began pounding, and I flipped on the wipers, struggling to see the road. I hoped I would be more clear-sighted regarding the investigation. The sheriff of Durango County was a large man in his mid-fifties, about my age. He introduced himself as Jim Morgan, although the name plaque on his desk said Big Jim. I

6:58 didn't doubt the appellation. So you're the guy at the AG department I notified about the butchering of cattle. You look a little long in the tooth to be chasing down little green men, he snickered. I'd heard similar comments from similar law enforcement personnel over the years. Even my co-workers back in Denver chided me about my age. They referred to me as a silverback or a fossil, usually behind my back. I might be a little long in the tooth, as the sheriff mentioned, but I still had some bite left. I strongly suspected my manager assigned me this role to keep me out of his hair and away from the office. I had 18 more months to go before... Mandatory retirement. I plan to use them wisely.

7:53 Ben Akers, Special Agent, U.S. Department of Agriculture. I'll skip the extraordinaire and plenipotentiary accolades that go with the title because there are none, Big Jim. I held out my credentials to show who I was in authority and in charge. The sheriff was, of course. That got a laugh from the big man. The ice broke quickly. Okay, Ben, I was only funnin' with ya, but seriously, why are you here to investigate a local matter? It's a damn shame how our taxpayer dollars are spent. Sheriff, I've been doing these investigations for six years. Most turn out to be predation or scavenging. Sheep and cattle are the usual victims, occasionally horses or goats. And yes, much of my work is a goat rope. The owner is upset and it's difficult to sort fact from fiction. Eyeballs, genitalia, rectums are missing.

8:56 All soft tissue. The animals graze in remote areas and aren't checked on daily. Usually the necropsies show nothing inconsistent with scavenging. I've also seen cattle butchered in the field by organized thieves. But you aren't going to get my goat with your remarks. Sorry about that, Ben. I didn't realize you were so thin-skinned. I was getting a bit hot under the collar. Old-fashioned sayings are sometimes the best descriptions. So why investigate? Because in about 15% of the cases we're stumped. We can't determine the cause of death, much less explain the mutilation. Those are the ones that worry us. Well, Ben...

9:45 You can't believe in the conspiracy theories we've all heard, can you? I keep an open mind. I've seen strange things where nothing seems to fit, and whatever people believe, we still have to check for communicable diseases and... other causes of death so be it then your victim is seth anderson a small-time rancher who lives on old post road outside of town come over to the map and i'll show you the way a word of advice be wary of seth He can be one cantankerous bastard. And so he was. The first thing I noticed after pulling up to his house was the bumper sticker on his truck.

10:31 I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. A Charlton Heston quip. That wasn't exactly a warm and fuzzy greeting. As I exited my car, I heard the distinctive racking. of a pump shotgun. Anyone hearing that sound knows it means deadly business. I froze and put my hands over my head. Mister, you're on private property. State your business. My trigger finger is a bit itchy and my tremors are hard to control, so be damn careful and walk over to me. Slowly. I did as I was told. careful not to make any sudden moves. I knew what a 12-gauge could do to a human body at close range, especially mine. My name's Ben Akers. Sheriff Big Jim Morgan told me about your cattle mutilations. I'm here to investigate, so put the gun down. Sorry, Mr. Akers, but I'm a tad nervous about my cows and the other strange, eerie things happening this Past week or so, me and the missus aren't sleeping too well. With that, he pointed the gun at the ground and stuck out his free hand to shake mine. With the cordialities over, he introduced himself. I'm Seth Anderson, operator and indebted owner

12:04 of this gnarly spread. I'm barely able to make a go of the 40 acres of dirt me and the bank own. It's been nigh on 17 years now They've been tough, hard scrabble years, but I would not trade them for anything else. Ranching with a bit of farming to boot gets in your blood and stays there, if you know what I mean. I did. I'd met several small ranchers like Seth who felt the same way about their land. Seth, you mentioned other strange things occurring along with the cattle. What sort of things? Well, first off were the odd lights at night. I could see them at a hazy distance from the house. Never seen anything like them before. Usually accompanied by the spate of thunderstorms we've been having lately. But that's not all I seen or heard. There was a low humming sound as well coming from the direction where my cows died. Tell me first about the lights. When did you first notice them?

13:13 What did they resemble? Color, size, anything else you can remember. They were the darndest things I ever seen. The night sky looked like a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Even the storm clouds didn't stop them from appearing. And they were different from the lightning strikes happening at the same time. Bizarre is the only way I can describe them. And the humming? That was also weird. It sounded like someone playing just one note of a bass harmonica, a low buzzing sound that would stop, then start again. Went on for good 30 minutes each time. Started giving me a headache until it stopped, along with the lights and thunderstorm.

14:02 If I didn't know better, I'd have thought my tinnitus was acting up again. It was downright frightening, and I'm not someone who's easily scared by God. but the whole shebang was something I never experienced before and prayed I never would again. Can you show me the cows? I'd like to see them for myself, I said. Sure thing. Let me tell the missus what we're up to first. As we went to his house, I changed my clothes and grabbed my examining kit. I slipped on the disposable protective coveralls and kept the nitrile gloves and respirator mask ready. With Seth already shaken by the experiences, I hoped my spacesuit from Mars wouldn't add to his worries. I should have told him about my getup beforehand. Seth raised his shotgun when he came back, then relaxed, laughing for the first time. Whoa, partner. Beam me up, Scotty. We're not going trick-or-treating, are we? I assured him that we were not, and that my outfit was de rigueur. Truthfully, I said, standard, for the job at hand. I tried to avoid haughty, highfalutin terms when a more practical word would suffice. We took off in his two-seat gator utility vehicle, following the muddy tracks that preceded us. I saw why Seth loved this part of Colorado, with its beautiful verdant valleys climbing

15:35 to the top of the mountain range. It was truly magnificent country. Seth explained that he grazed his cattle some miles away on open-range federal land, where the grass was better. His neighbors did the same. Their small plots were soon overgrazed. That was how things got done in the West, he said, sharing the land for the benefit of all. I didn't mention the old cattlemen and sheepherder wars. I'd dealt with both sides of grazing and water rights disputes during my time with the USDA. Sharing was a fine idea, until there wasn't enough to go around. But I was here about his cattle, not his history. As we approached the two carcasses, I told Seth to stop short. I didn't want to disturb the scene any more than his First visit already had. Despite my skepticism, I always felt sorry for people who lost cattle or sheep this way. For someone barely holding on to 40 acres, two heifers weren't a small loss. After all, I was from the government and here to help. I started my search of the grounds about 100 yards away from the two dead cows.

17:02 checking closely for any disturbances to the soil or anything else of interest. Cow pies were evident, but not the scat from other animals. Seth's herd, minus two members, had meandered off about half a mile looking for greener pastures. I didn't notice anything untoward or remarkable in my search. Back at the gator, I told Seth we would approach the carcasses single-file, with me in the lead. His old footprints clearly matched his cowboy boots. As far as I could determine, no one else had come into contact with the animals, just as he'd told me. I'd investigated hoaxes before, but so far Seth's story was ringing true with Notre Dame-sized bells. As we got closer, I could see and hear the swarm of blowflies. The large blue bottles were going about their work, laying eggs in the decaying flesh Soon there would be maggots, then more flies But the stench was much milder than I expected With the rain over the past few nights, the carcasses should have stunk to high heaven I didn't even bother putting on my respirator The first cow I examined reminded me of two similar cases I'd seen a couple of years ago in southern Montana. A precise cut in the shape of a

18:34 T crossed the animal's upper chest, with the bottom running straight down to its anus. Pulling on my gloves, I searched for signs of internal organs. There were none. The animal was missing all of its organs and viscera, a shell of its former self. Moreover, there wasn't a single spot of blood. By its desiccated appearance, it had been drained of all fluids. Oh my God, I thought. What could have caused this? The heifer had been eviscerated and exsanguinated at the same time. Impossible, I believed. The cuts to its flesh were precise like a surgeon using a laser knife on a patient. I checked for signs of predation, but found only pecks at the eyeballs, most likely by birds.

19:31 Yet there was no vulture activity which was also very strange. A dead animal was a prime target for hungry turkey vultures, plentiful in this part of the state. They could smell rotting flesh from miles away. This should have drawn them. I enlisted Seth to help me fully open the cow's underbelly so I could get a better look at the empty cavity every bit of its innards had been cleanly removed and the cavity appeared cauterized then I saw something that chilled me streaks of what looked like bright green fluorescent paint inside. That was new. Even the Montana cases hadn't had anything like it. I photographed the animal and the surrounding ground, then retrieved my handheld Geiger counter and scanned the empty cavity. To my shock, the counter registered 1.83 rems, three times the amount an average person receives annually from natural background sources such as cosmic rays and radon in the air. I remembered reading about the Dugway sheep incident in 1968. An Army nerve agent test in Utah had killed 6,000 sheep on nearby ranches. Could the federal government

21:04 be involved here in a more focused, discreet way? Possible, but That didn't explain the missing organs, not by a long shot. It was dusk and we could both see storm clouds gathering above. Another night of heavy rain, a repeat of previous weather, with a downpour imminent. We decided to ride it out rather than return. I was waterproof in my Tyvek spacesuit, but Seth was less protected, wearing only a hoodie sweatshirt. and his ball cap with the letters NRA emblazoned on it. At his suggestion, we took the gator to a nearby copse of tall evergreens. From the hillock, we had a clear view of the valley and his herd. I told Seth I'd arrange for the dead cattle to be necropsied locally, in Durango. That was a crucial element of the investigation. It needed to happen quickly to preserve evidence and give us a clearer picture of how the animals had died. I kept my other concerns to myself. I didn't want to panic the locals or feed the conspiracy theories. Seth brought them up anyway, as we settled in for another deluge. Mr. Ben, who or what killed my animals? It was the darndest thing

22:35 to see them hollowed out like that, I have to say. There's no way a coyote did that to them, so what did? No, a coyote or other large predator, such as a bear or cougar, certainly didn't kill your cows. Of that much, I am certain. There weren't any claw or tooth marks on the carcasses I examined. This is highly unusual, Seth. I don't have a quick answer for you, and I won't pretend to. We need more investigation before I can tell you what exactly killed them. What about those conspiracy theories I've seen on the tube? Any truth to them? Seth asked next. Most cases have a straightforward explanation.

23:27 People say the cuts can't be scavenging because there's no tearing. Often under a microscope, the tearing is there. You just can't see it with the naked eye. The sky darkened and heavy rain began to fall. I kept talking about the theories that had followed mutilation reports since the early 60s. It was easier than looking down at those two hollowed out cows. Men in black and blacked out helicopters were all the rage in the past to explain the phenomena. Have you seen such things recently? No, I didn't think so.

24:08 How about cryptids or flying saucers hanging around your property? Any sightings, my friend? What's a cryptid? Seth asked. A cryptid is a legendary animal whose existence is disputed. Think Sasquatch in this instance. It has been purportedly sighted in the region. Of course, there's no scientific evidence that it exists. Just then... A large clap of thunder rolled across the valley, and streaks of lightning lit the early nighttime sky. A small, dark cloud was hovering much lower than the others. It caught both our attention. We watched as the small cloud came lower to the ground. Its edges grew more distinct, forming a circle. Then came the low humming sound. Seth had described, it was louder than he'd said. Perhaps we were closer to the source. One low note, just as he'd told me. My head began to pound, the start of a migraine. Lights, multicolored lights pierced the cloud's edges, all the colors of the rainbow, but with more blended hues between them, slowly rotating. in a counterclockwise fashion. What

25:47 the hell? Seth said. I couldn't answer. The sights and sounds had left me dumbfounded. Below us, the cattle began circling each other. Mooing loudly, their heads turned toward the dark cloud. They sensed the danger before either of us knew what to do. Then, we saw it. An intense green light shot out of the cloud. It had directed focus, a narrow beam with laser-like precision. It struck one of the cows with such force that the beast immediately toppled, hitting the ground and lying still. Seth grabbed his Remington Wingmaster.

26:32 and started out of the gator to protect his herd. I caught his arm stopping him before he could run toward the animals. You can't help them, Seth. Not with that. Something extraordinary and extraterrestrial was happening before our eyes. I had nothing in my kit that could stop it either. I grabbed the night vision goggles from my kit and focused on the bizarre activity unfolding. Despite my shaking hands, I could see the beam cutting into flesh like an arc welder, separating the hide from the carcass. The whole cow was neatly skinned in a matter of seconds. Then the light cut out the innards as a single piece.

27:20 The lump of organs and viscera rose through the beam toward the cloud and disappeared into it. Lightning kept illuminating the ground. I suspected Seth had seen everything I had, and without the goggles, he had watched it take his cow apart. He bolted from the gator and ran toward his herd, shouting and cursing at the thing that had killed another cow. As the green beam withdrew, he fired a round of buckshot directly into it. The beam blinked once, then it came back down and caught him. Seth rose slowly toward the cloud. Seconds after it swallowed him, his body dropped to the ground. Even from the hillock, I could see what had been done. Eviscerated, exsanguinated, just like the cows. Oh my God. Seth Anderson was no more.

28:28 The dark cloud receded into the night. The lights went with it, and the humming stopped. I sat in the gator, with an empty seat beside me, unable to believe what I had witnessed. What would I, what could I, tell Mrs. Anderson? I'd never believed in flying saucers before. Now I was a true believer. Aliens or time travelers, whatever they were, it made no difference. I had no idea why they were doing this. What purpose could it serve? I had joined the ranks of the conspiracy theorists. I could tell the truth, but who would believe me? Just another crackpot talking about flying saucers. I could already hear Big Jim laughing.

29:30 Eighteen months until retirement. I had thought I still had some bite left, that I could use the time why Now it seemed much too long. It was time to retire. I'd spent six years explaining what had happened to other people's animals. I couldn't begin to explain what had happened to Seth. I could no longer wait for the cows to come home. And back at the ranch, Mrs. Anderson was still waiting for her husband. After that, my spookies, I'm checking the weather report a little more closely. Rain I can handle. A cloud that hums and snatches up livestock.

30:22 Not so much. That's a good night to stay home. But Ben's retirement plans are looking better by the minute. A big thank you to our author of tonight's story, George Larson, who sent his story in to weeklyspookyatgmail.com and wowed us, so we had to play it. Thanks, George. And if you want to send one in, do so at weeklyspookyatgmail.com. We'd love to hear from you. And I want to say thank you all so much for joining us as the Halloween season officially wraps up, but we have so many scares for you, especially come Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I want to say thank you all so much for heading to weeklyspooky.com slash join and supporting us for as little as $ 1 a month. It really does make a huge difference for the show. There are over 90 Spookys supporting us, and now's a great time for you to join up as well. And speaking of, I want to say an extra special thank you to our Patreon podcast boosters. Those are folks who pay just a little bit more to hear their names at the end of the show. And they are Johnny Nix, Kate and Lulu, Jessica Fuller, Mike Eschewy, Jenny Green, Karen Weemet, Jack Kerr, and Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much, and if you want to hear your name at the end of every episode of Weekly Spooky, just head to weeklyspooky.com slash join and sign up at the $ 15 a month or higher tier. It really makes a difference and means a whole hell of a lot to me. And remember, Spookies, we have a lot planned for you this holiday season.

31:47 some very unappetizing Thanksgiving specials, as well as quite the spread for the Christmas season. So make sure you're subscribed on that podcast app you like so much, or head to Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and download the weekly Spooky app so you can keep up with all the comings and goings. See you tomorrow. For myself, for my executive producers, Rob Fields and bobbletopia.com, my producer, Dan Wilder, and my creepy composer, Ray Mattis, talk at you tomorrow. Thank you for listening. Make sure to find your way back next week. But for now, you are safe. Trust me.