Wayne Burton:
CLASS OF 1984
Colfax High SchoolClass of 1984
Colfax, CA
Wayne's Story
I am a monster.
It happened shortly after I graduated from the University of California with my degree in Anthropology. I was offered a position as a field archaeologist in the Guatemalan rainforest excavating the site of Puputeclan. It was an educational dig, so I knew there was not much money in it, but, who can resist an unexcavated Mayan site. As we were deep in the rainforest, all hands, excluding the local Mayan population hired on the dig, had to camp outdoors. I set up my campsite a few hundred yards from the rest of the crew and had arranged it to fit my needs nicely.
One night, I heard a rustling outside my tent. I picked up my e-tool and went out. I had been having trouble with the howler monkeys raiding my food and tearing through my encampment, so I was ready to battle. When I exited the tent, I saw nothing. I looked up into the canopy, expecting to see the little howlers planning their decent. Again, nothing. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a howler hunched on two legs and glaring at me behind a tree. I moved to put the tree in between his vision and myself, and stealthily made my way upon the howler. When I reached the tree, he was gone.
Then, I felt the weight of the howler on my sho...Expand for more
ulders and reached to throw him off. He was heavy and I began to wonder if I was being attacked by a sloth. As I grabbed the arm of the beast, he bit. I took the flashlight in my other hand and beat at the beast until he released his bite and fled from my shoulders. I shined the beam of light on the beast and it was unlike anything I have seen before, but have seen since.
I fell into a fever. Dr. Bonaventure had me sent immediately to the hospital in the capital. As I was feverish and quite deluded, I have no recollection of my hospital stay nor the events leading to it. I was, however, flown out of Guatemala on a med-evac flight and stayed in the ICU at UC med center for two weeks, then released.
After returning home to recover from what was certainly a near fatal animal bite, though I still am uncertain as to the species, I began to sleep more and more during the day and found myself preferring the nocturnal. The sunlight began to hurt my eyes and give me a headache. As my nocturnal life increased, I began to become less concerned with my hygiene. I shaved less often, bathed infrequently and left my nails to themselves. In the end, I became the picture you witness.
Now, I spend my days in darkness, my nights...stalking goats.
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