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by John Vandeventer (Author)
Talihina is a small town nestled in the mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, in the heart of the Choctaw Nation. Like most small towns, life in Talihina moves at a slower pace than in big cities. The citizens peacefully go about their daily lives at a steady pace. With few strangers in Talihina, there are not many secrets. Most people carry on relationships with the same friends and neighbors they've known their whole lives. Talihina has very little excitement, except for the autumn and spring months when the vacationers from out-of-state flock in, especially from the nearby Texas and Arkansas borders, to enjoy the seasonal changes.
The Talimena Scenic Drive is one of the favorite attractions for tourist groups. Stretching from eight miles north of Talihina and running 52 miles east to Mena, Arkansas offers majestic autumn colors, spring flowers, and mountain vistas. Something abruptly broke the pleasant routine in autumn of 2014 when a group of outlaw bikers was brutally murdered at the very doorstep of the Talimena Scenic Highway. The small Talihina Police Department is the first to respond to the horrific crime scene at Choctaw Vista. The violence of the crime that occurred just outside of his community appalled the local Chief of Police, Samuel Redstone, a veteran of the war in Iraq. With the crime occurring just out of his jurisdiction, Sam can only watch and hope the violence doesn't spread to Talihina. His hopes are dashed, however, when two members of the motorcycle gang decide to avenge their dead brothers at a popular eating establishment in the heart of the small town. The quick and measured response of two of these off-duty officers quickly becomes a topic of the national news media looking for a follow-up story concerning the violent deaths at Choctaw Vista. The small community suddenly finds itself the center of attention on the evening news.
Adding to this, strange occurrences were suddenly happening around the community; missing pets, student protestors being assaulted by a strange creature at night while camping at a local lake. Tales spread about mythical creatures roaming the mountains just outside of town. Sam Redstone suddenly finds himself with dilemmas, both professional and personal. Just as Sam embarks on dating a beautiful Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer, suddenly, his old flame moves back into the community with her new husband, who was a lawyer of questionable ethics and enough money to force his will on many people in the small town.
Now overwhelmed with mysterious events and his own romantic confusion, Sam is slow to see the unnatural nature of the threats to his community. His father, a full-blood Choctaw elder, is aware of his people's old ways and old enemies. He tries to warn his son of the existence of a race of beings known as "Okla Chito." Sam remains convinced his battle is against nothing more than average everyday human criminal activity.
Because Sam was oblivious to the real threat, he wasn't ready to comprehend what he was really dealing with. Not until he witnesses an unimaginable creature taking one of his officers. Next, the federal government and the military have suddenly invaded the local area, causing more complications. Sam realizes the only way to bring peace back to his community and his own life is to join his father in a life and death battle with the mysterious creatures preying on the citizens of Talihina.
The creatures are known by many names, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Skunk Ape, Skookum, and others. Sam comes to know them by the terms used by an antagonist government agent named Paul Eastman. If he is to restore tranquility and safety to the citizens of Talihina, he must defeat Eastman and his minions, as well as the monstrous beasts he comes to know as "Relics."
