IN MY NIGHTMARES, I SEE IT IN THE CORNFIELD.
AND HE SPOTS ME, AND HE STARTS RUNNING,
AND I'M THINKING IT'S GONNA TAKE ME.
AND I JUST WANTED IT TO STOP.
A SKINWALKER WILL STUN YOU AND MAKE YOU IMMOVABLE,
LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A NIGHTMARE.
EVERYTHING JUST SHUTS DOWN ON YOU.
THE ALIENS TRY TO CONVINCE YOU
THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA HURT YOU.
THAT'S NOT THE TRUTH.
THEY DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO YOU
THAT'S VERY PAINFUL.
YOU FEEL VERY VIOLATED.
IT'S A LANDSCAPE SO EXTREME,
SO HARSH AND INHOSPITABLE,
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED HERE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THE DESERT IS RUGGED COUNTRY...
...AND MAKING MATTERS WORSE,
LEGENDS OF EVIL RESIDING ESPECIALLY CLOSE.
WE'VE GOT MANY WIDE-OPEN SPACES.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF CANYONS WITH CAVES.
ALL KINDS OF PLACES FOR STRANGE AND UNUSUAL THINGS TO HIDE.
THE LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT AREA
RANGE FROM THE BENIGN TO THE TRULY MALEVOLENT AND EVIL,
WHICH BESTOWS CURSES UPON PEOPLE,
CAUSING THEM GREAT PAIN AND EVEN DEATH.
MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME AT NIGHT,
"DON'T WANDER FAR OFF.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE THAT MIGHT GRAB YOU."
THINGS LIKE THAT... JUST TO SCARE US.
AT FIRST, THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING.
BUT THEN, AS I GOT OLDER,
I KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
IT WAS TRUTH.
IN NEW MEXICO'S REMOTE NORTHWEST CORNER,
CATTLE AND SHEEP RANCHERS FIGHT A CONSTANT BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL
AGAINST THE DESERT'S UNRELENTING HEAT.
LIFE GOES ON...
THAT IS, UNTIL SOMETHING WICKED COMES TO CALL.
OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, RANCHERS HAVE SUFFERED
A SERIES OF UNEXPLAINABLE ACTS OF TERROR...
FARM ANIMALS MUTILATED AND LEFT FOR DEAD.
"MUTILATED" IS A MISNOMER BECAUSE, REALLY,
THE WOUNDS WERE SURGICALLY PRECISE.
THERE ARE DEAD CATTLE, DEAD SHEEP,
AND, IN MOST INSTANCES, NO BLOOD.
SO, WHERE DID THE BLOOD GO?
I'VE WORKED AS
A PROFESSIONAL MEAT CUTTER AND BUTCHER FOR 30 YEARS.
I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OPEN UP AN ANIMAL.
THEY BLEED.
AND WHEN THESE ANIMALS ARE RIPPED UP
IN THE FASHION THAT THEY ARE,
THERE SHOULD BE POOLS OF BLOOD EVERYWHERE,
AND THEY'RE BLOODLESS... THERE'S NO BLOOD.
SINCE THE 1960s, SCORES OF MUTILATION ATTACKS
HAVE TAKEN PLACE ACROSS NEW MEXICO.
TO DATE, MORE THAN 10,000 CATTLE DEATHS.
THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ARREST.
FOR THE MOST PART, POLICE THAT INVESTIGATE IT
ARE SIMPLY BAFFLED AT WHAT HAPPENED
WITH RESPECT TO THESE CATTLE MUTILATIONS,
AND SO, THEY'VE CHALKED UP MOST OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS
AS "UNEXPLAINABLE."
THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED.
WHEN POLICE CAN'T FIND
EXPLANATIONS FOR THESE MASSACRES,
TALK TURNS TO RUMORS ABOUT SUPERNATURAL CREATURES.
AT THE TOP OF THE LIST ARE TWO SUSPECTS
BOTH BELIEVED TO HAVE THE MEANS AND MOTIVE
FOR CARRYING OUT SUCH MAYHEM.
ONE IS CONSIDERED PURE EVIL,
A DEMONIC ASSASSIN KNOWN AS A SKINWALKER.
THE OTHER IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PREDATORY BEAST.
WE'LL TRAVEL DEEP INTO TRIBAL LAND
WHERE NAVAJO SPEAK OF THUNDERBIRDS.
SINCE THE WESTERN TIMES,
THERE HAVE BEEN SIGHTINGS OF THUNDERBIRDS.
HOWEVER, RECENT SIGHTINGS,
AS EARLY AS THE 1800s,
HAVE ATTRIBUTED THEM TO BEING MORE LOOKING LIKE PTERODACTYLS,
LIKE PREHISTORIC ANIMALS,
AND THESE SIGHTINGS HAVE BECOME MORE AND MORE PREVALENT.
MASSIVE AIRBORNE HUNTERS
THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF MODERN EAGLES.
SCIENTISTS SAY THESE FLYING DINOSAURS
DIED OUT LONG AGO.
IN THE DESERT, SOME CLAIM OTHERWISE.
FUNNY THING ABOUT THE THUNDERBIRD
AND FUNNY THING ABOUT THE PTERODACTYLS...
NOBODY EVER TOLD THEM THEY WERE EXTINCT.
THESE STORIES AND LEGENDS
ABOUT THUNDERBIRDS OUT THERE ON THE RESERVATION,
THEY GO FAR BACK TO
THE GRANDFATHERS, THE GRANDPARENTS,
THE GREAT-GRANDMOTHERS, GREAT-GRANDPAS.
THE ANCIENT STORIES TELL OF
A SUPERNATURAL BIRD SO POWERFUL,
THE SKY THUNDERS WHEN IT FLIES.
IF YOU'VE EVER LOOKED AT A TOTEM POLE,
YOU CAN SEE THE THUNDERBIRD, AND IT'S USUALLY AT THE TOP.
THEY BELIEVE THAT A PERSON COULD TRANSFORM INTO A THUNDERBIRD,
AND THEN, DEPENDING ON THAT PERSON'S PERSONALITY,
COULD BE BENIGN OR COULD BE MALEVOLENT.
A THUNDERBIRD CAN BE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.
WE'VE GOT SIGHTINGS OF A VERY LARGE RAVEN-LIKE CREATURE
WITH A 30-FOOT WINGSPAN.
WE'VE GOT SIGHTINGS OF A PTERODACTYL-LIKE CREATURE
WITH A LEATHERY SKIN.
IT WAS HUGE.
IT WAS VERY HUGE.
THIS CREATURE IS THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN
THAT WOULD BE CAPABLE OF KILLING SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT OF ANIMALS.
AUDREY TORTEZ DOESN'T NORMALLY
SHARE STORIES ABOUT FANTASTIC CREATURES.
SHE'S A SECURITY OFFICER ON THE NAVAJO RESERVATION,
WHICH OFTEN REQUIRES DEAD-SERIOUS ATTENTION TO
PATROLLING ENDLESS MILES OF DESERT.
MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS USED TO TELL ME TO BE CAREFUL
AND COME BACK BEFORE IT GOT DARK.
AUDREY DIDN'T LISTEN TO HER GRANDMOTHER.
I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON A DIRT ROAD,
HEADING BACK TO THE MAIN HIGHWAY.
THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR.
I HAD MY WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN.
I HEAR THIS WHOOSHING NOISE.
THE NEXT THING I KNOW,
IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE,
I SAW THIS HUGE BIRD.
I CAN DESCRIBE IT ONLY AS
THE COLOR OF MAYBE AN ELEPHANT,
THE SKIN ALMOST SIMILAR.
IT HAD NO FEATHERS,
AND IT WAS FLYING A FEW FEET IN FRONT OF ME.
THE WINGSPAN WAS PRETTY BIG
BECAUSE IT COVERED THE FULL LENGTH OF THE ROAD.
I STOPPED MY VEHICLE.
I WAS SHOCKED AT WHAT I HAD SEEN.
AUDREY'S SIGHTING IS ONE OF MANY.
SHE AND BRENDA HARRIS HAVE NEVER MET
BUT LIVE JUST 10 MILES APART.
BRENDA GREW UP WITH STORIES OF THE THUNDERBIRD.
SHE NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE A FLYING MONSTER.
THAT DAY, I WAS JUST DOING MY NORMAL ERRANDS,
AND I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD,
AND I JUST HAPPENED TO LOOK DOWN THE CLIFF THERE,
AND I JUST SAW THIS THING FLYING ACROSS
RIGHT ABOVE THE RIVER.
IT LOOKED LIKE WHAT THEY CALL A PTERODACTYL.
THE RIVER'S REALLY WIDE,
BUT WHEN IT KIND OF NARROWS IN SOME AREAS,
THAT WINGSPAN WAS JUST AS WIDE AS THAT RIVER.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING.
AND LIKE ANY PREHISTORIC PREDATOR IN SEARCH OF FOOD,
AUDREY AND BRENDA BOTH BELIEVE THEY WERE LUCKY TO LIVE.
I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THESE CREATURES
WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR
SOME OF THESE LARGE AMOUNTS OF SLAUGHTER
ON THE NAVAJO NATION.
I BELIEVE SO.
IF I PROBABLY WENT OUT OF MY VEHICLE,
IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE ATTACKED ME,
AND NOBODY WOULD'VE SEEN ME AGAIN.
I'M SURE OF IT.
I TELL PEOPLE BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE CREATURES ARE CAPABLE OF DOING.
LET IT DO WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO.
IF IT WANTS THE FOOD, LET IT TAKE IT
'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW POWERFUL THESE THINGS ARE,
AND YOU MAY GET HURT.
WHILE SOME BELIEVE THESE GREAT WINGED BEASTS
ARE BEHIND THE LIVESTOCK SLAUGHTER,
THERE'S ANOTHER SUSPECT WORTH CONSIDERING...
A CONJURED KILLER, SUMMONED AS A TOOL FOR REVENGE.
SKINWALKERS...
ALL FRIGHTENING, ALL EVIL.
THE SHEEP WERE ALL PILED UP IN ONE CORNER.
SOMETHING VERY EVIL HAPPENED HERE LAST NIGHT.
IN A RURAL CORNER OF NEW MEXICO,
RESIDENTS CLAIM TO SEE THE LEGENDARY THUNDERBIRD.
SOME THINK THIS RELIC FROM THE DINOSAUR AGE
IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A SERIES OF UNEXPLAINED LIVESTOCK MASSACRES.
OTHERS SAY THE REAL CULPRIT IS A MONSTER MADE FROM MAGIC.
THEY SPEAK IN WHISPERS ABOUT SKINWALKERS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT
'CAUSE THEY'LL KNOW THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THEM.
THEY'RE LISTENING.
NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES
ARE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT THEM
BECAUSE ANYBODY COULD BE A SKINWALKER.
THEY CAN HARM YOU OR EVEN KILL YOU
OR INJURE A LOVED ONE.
75-YEAR-OLD NATIVE AMERICAN LEONARD DAN
IS A RETIRED GEOLOGIST,
A LIVING EMBODIMENT OF THE NAVAJO WAYS.
HE KNOWS THE STORIES OF THE WICKED ONES
FROM WARNINGS HANDED DOWN SINCE THE EARLIEST TIMES.
THESE STORIES WERE PASSED DOWN TO US
SO THAT WE CAN KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT
IN CASE WE SEE SOMETHING.
IF WE SEE ANY OF THESE CREATURES,
THEN WE WOULD ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT IS.
IN 1969,
THE CREATURES THE FAMILY CARED ABOUT MOST WERE SHEEP.
IN THE FALL, LEONARD, HIS YOUNG SON, AND HIS FATHER
WERE SPENDING A PLEASANT DAY TENDING TO THE FLOCK.
THEY HAD BEEN SHEEPHERDERS FOR GENERATIONS,
AND TIMES WERE GOOD.
IT LOOKED LIKE THERE'D BE LAMBS AND WOOL TO SELL THAT WINTER.
THERE WAS ABOUT 150 HEAD OF SHEEP,
YOU KNOW, SMALL ONES AND BIG ONES AND LAMBS.
MY FATHER HAD PENNED UP ALL THE SHEEP.
WE LOCKED THE GATE UP AND MADE SURE THAT
NOTHING COULD GET IN THERE TO THEM.
THAT NIGHT, SOMETHING DANGEROUS WAS LURKING.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, REAL EARLY, ABOUT 5:00,
MY FATHER GOT UP AND SAID,
"I'M GONNA GO CHECK ON THE SHEEP AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE OKAY."
WE ALL JUMPED IN OUR VEHICLES, AND WE WENT UP THERE.
LEONARD'S SON WENT ALONG, TOO.
AND I LOOKED INSIDE THE CORRAL,
AND ALL THE SHEEP THAT WERE DEAD
WERE ALL PILED UP IN ONE CORNER,
LIKE THEY WERE THROWN OVER THERE.
MY SON WAS REALLY TERRIFIED.
THIS WAS HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE
IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THEY'RE ALL DEAD. THEY'RE ALL DEAD.
YOU KIND OF QUESTION YOURSELF.
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO DID IT OR WHAT HAPPENED.
THEY'RE... THEY'RE ALL DEAD.
AT THE TIME, I DIDN'T THINK OF A SKINWALKER
UNTIL MY FATHER BROUGHT A SHAMAN,
OR A MEDICINE MAN.
WHILE THE TRIBAL POLICE
INVESTIGATING THE SHEEP KILLINGS WERE PUZZLED,
A MEDICINE MAN FOUND CLUES.
THE TRACKS WEREN'T NORMAL.
THEY SHOWED NO SIGN OF A STRUGGLE,
NONE OF THE CLAW MARKS THAT A NATURAL PREDATOR WOULD MAKE.
THAT CONVINCED THE MEDICINE MAN.
HE TOLD US, "SEE THE TRACKS THERE?
THAT'S A SKINWALKER TRACKS."
WHAT A SKINWALKER IS IS BASICALLY A WITCH.
NOW, A WITCH IN NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN A WITCH IN EUROPEAN CULTURE.
A WITCH IN NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE IS A MALE.
THEY CAN CHANGE FORM AT WILL.
TYPICALLY, THEIR FORMS ARE OF COYOTES, WOLVES, OWLS, BIRDS.
BUT IF YOU TALK TO TRIBAL ELDERS,
THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT
SKINWALKERS CAN ASSUME ANY FORM, EVEN AN INSECT FORM.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT A SKINWALKER IS
KILLING ANY KIND OF LIVESTOCK FOR CALORIES.
THEY WOULD BE DOING IT OUT OF A VENGEFUL SITUATION,
OR IT MIGHT'VE BEEN SOMETHING WHERE THEY WERE INSTRUCTED
TO TAKE OUT THESE PEOPLE'S LIVESTOCK FOR REVENGE.
SKINWALKERS ARE OUT TO GO HARM PEOPLE,
TOLD TO GO HARASS.
SKINWALKERS DO CURSES
AT THE BEHEST OF SOMEBODY ELSE.
AFTER WE SAW THE SLAUGHTER SITE,
I WAS TELLING MY SON, YOU KNOW,
"SEE THESE TRACKS? THESE ARE A WOLF...
A BIG WOLFMAN TRACKS."
YOU KNOW, HE WAS AFRAID.
HE WAS ONLY SIX YEARS OLD AT THE TIME,
AND I TOLD HIM TO STAY BY ME.
DON'T WANDER OFF ANYWHERE.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE SAW
A BIG WOLF RUNNING ACROSS THE RAVINE.
HERE WE WERE, TRACKING THIS WOLF PACK.
IT WAS ACTUALLY A SKINWALKER TRACKING US.
A SKINWALKER WILL STUN YOU AND MAKE YOU IMMOVABLE,
WHERE YOU CAN'T MOVE, LIKE YOU'RE HAVING A NIGHTMARE...
...OR YOU CAN'T SCREAM BECAUSE
EVERYTHING JUST SHUTS DOWN ON YOU.
IT STARTS TO GET ALL BLACK,
AND YOU CAN'T SCREAM OR YOU CAN'T MOVE OR RUN.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THESE EVIL THINGS, THEY...
THINGS THAT THEY DO.
THAT WOULDN'T BE THE LAST TIME
LEONARD WOULD CONFRONT A SKINWALKER.
SEVERAL YEARS LATER, WHILE HE WAS WORKING,
HE CAME UPON A WOMAN NEAR A WATER WELL.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THERE WAS
A YOUNG GIRL IN HER EARLY 20s
PUMPING THAT WATER.
AND IT TURNED AROUND TO FACE ME...
...AND HER FACE WAS SOMETHING LIKE A WOLF.
IT WAS ALL DARKENED WITH WHITE STREAKS...
VERTICAL STREAKS.
AND IT LOOKED AT ME,
AND I KIND OF GOT...
FEAR BUILT UP INSIDE OF ME.
I KIND OF SPED UP THE TRUCK, AND I WENT.
AND I LOOKED BACK IN MY MIRROR.
IT WAS GONE.
ONE OF THE SCARIEST CHARACTERISTICS OF A SKINWALKER,
AND YOU'LL HEAR THAT IN NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES,
IS THAT IT CAN BE ANYBODY.
IT COULD BE THE PERSON STANDING NEXT TO YOU,
AND THAT MAKES THEM EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
WITH A SKINWALKER, THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING DEMONIC...
SOME DEMONIC TIES INTO IT.
THEY'VE GOT POWERS THAT WE CAN'T EXPLAIN.
THE ACTUAL TRANSITION
TO EMULATE AN ANIMAL AND BECOME THAT ANIMAL,
WE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW THAT HAPPENS,
BUT IT IS A PRACTICE OF EVIL.
AND SKINWALKERS AREN'T THE ONLY MONSTERS
PEOPLE HERE HAVE COME TO FEAR.
THEY SHARE THE DESERT WITH ANOTHER DEMONIC BEAST,
ONLY THIS ONE HIDES BY DAY
AND SPREADS TERROR AT NIGHT.
"WHY IS IT BOTHERING ME?"
AND I JUST WANTED IT TO STOP.
JUST A FEW MILES DOWN A LONELY DESERT ROAD
FROM WHERE SOME SAY GIANT CREATURES FLY,
ANOTHER LEGEND GROWS.
THIS ONE CREEPS IN THE NIGHT,
TERRORIZING A FAMILY THAT'S FIGHTING BACK
DESPITE THEIR FEAR.
25-YEAR-OLD RHONDA PRICE LOVES THE OUTDOORS.
THE FORMER HIGH SCHOOL TRACK STAR IS STILL RUNNING.
ONLY NOW, SOMETHING DANGEROUS IS TRAILING HER STEPS.
LATE ONE SUMMER NIGHT IN 2012,
RHONDA'S DESERT SOLITUDE WAS SHATTERED.
HER DATE HAD GONE LATER THAN EXPECTED.
THAT MEANT SNEAKING INTO THE HOUSE
AS QUIETLY AS SHE COULD.
GETTING OUT OF MY CAR, IT KIND OF FELT LIKE
THERE WAS SOMETHING OUTSIDE.
YOU GET THAT FEELING THERE'S SOMEBODY WATCHING YOU.
I KIND OF GOT THAT FEELING.
RHONDA COULDN'T SHAKE THE FEELING.
DESPITE THE LATE HOUR, SHE KEPT WAKING UP.
I TRIED TO GO BACK TO SLEEP, AND I WAS LAYING THERE,
AND I GUESS I DOZED OFF FOR
MAYBE ANOTHER 15 MINUTES, 20 MINUTES,
AND THAT'S WHEN I HEARD THE SCRATCHING.
I GO TO MY SISTER'S ROOM, AND I WAKE HER UP,
AND I ASK HER, "CAN YOU COME WITH ME TO MY ROOM?"
I SAID, "I HEARD...
SOMETHING TRIED COMING THROUGH MY WINDOW."
I SAID, "GO BACK INTO THE ROOM WITH ME
'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GO IN THERE BY MYSELF."
AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO TURN THE LIGHT ON.
SO, THERE'S A FLASHLIGHT ON MY PHONE.
SO, WE WALKED TOWARDS THE WINDOW,
AND THE LITTLE DOOR ON THE A/C...
THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS PUSHED OVER.
AND I SHINED MY FLASHLIGHT OUT THE WINDOW,
BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING.
SO, WE... MY AND MY SISTER...
YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIKE, OKAY,
WHY DID IT TRY COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW?
WHAT DID IT WANT?
STILL UNEASY,
RHONDA DECIDED TO WAKE UP THE REST OF THE FAMILY.
TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED.
EVERYBODY WAS SCARED, YOU KNOW, FRIGHTENED.
SHE STARTED TELLING US THAT SHE STARTED
HEARING TAPPINGS ON THE WINDOW AND STUFF.
AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
JUST PEOPLE COMING AROUND THAT WERE JUST TRYING TO SCARE HER,
KNOCKING ON THE WINDOW OR SCRATCHING ON THE WINDOW
AND TAKING OFF, DOING STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW.
IT'S TOO DARK. I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING.
IT'S TOO DARK... I CAN'T TELL
IF THERE'S ANYTHING OUTSIDE OR NOT.
DO YOU SEE IT ANYWHERE?
IT'S TOO DARK OUTSIDE.
WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S WRONG?
ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT IS IT?
WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT DID YOU SEE?
RHONDA WAS NO LONGER SURE WHAT WAS THERE OR NOT,
ALTHOUGH HER INTUITION MIGHT BE CORRECT.
ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND,
IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BEAST CALLED THE NIGHTSTALKER.
IT'S USUALLY A BIPEDAL CREATURE OF SORTS
THAT'S VERY HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT,
AND THEY USUALLY OUTLINE
A BEING THAT LOOKS HUMAN-LIKE.
WE'RE NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS BECAUSE
THEY COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES, DIFFERENT FORMS.
THESE NIGHTSTALKER BEINGS WILL GO INTO CORNFIELDS.
THEY WILL GO INTO ALFALFA FIELDS,
EVEN ON PAVEMENT OR ON A DIRT ROAD,
SO OUR EVIDENCE BECOMES VERY LIMITED
WHEN THEY START TRAVELING.
MOST OF YOUR TRADITIONAL PEOPLE ARE VERY FRIGHTENED.
THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT IT.
IT'S TABOO.
THE YOUNGER GENERATION COMING UP...
THEY'RE TRYING TO GET ANSWERS TO WHAT THEY'RE SEEING,
TO WHAT'S GOING ON.
AFTER THAT NIGHT, I HAD THOUGHT TO MYSELF,
WELL, THIS IS JUST A ONE-TIME THING.
IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN.
YOU KNOW, I SHOULD BE OKAY,
BUT IT'S JUST CONSTANT THINKING OF
"WHAT IF IT COMES BACK,
AND WHAT IF IT GETS THROUGH MY WINDOW THIS TIME?"
THE NEXT MORNING WAS WARM AND BRIGHT.
PERHAPS THEY COULD FORGET ABOUT THE NIGHT BEFORE.
THEN THEY DISCOVER THE SCRATCH MARKS
OUTSIDE RHONDA'S WINDOW.
AND DAYS LATER, THE NIGHTSTALKER STRUCK AGAIN.
ME AND THE FAMILY WERE OUT OF TOWN.
MY DAD WAS HERE WITH MY SISTER,
AND THEY HEARD GROWLING AND, LIKE,
REAL LOUD SCRATCHING METAL OR SOMETHING OUT THERE.
WHEN I CAME HOME A FEW DAYS LATER,
I NOTICED THAT HIS TRUCK WAS ALL...
ON THE FRONT FENDER, WAS ALL CLAWED UP,
LIKE SOMETHING WAS TRYING TO GET INTO THE...
UNDER THE HOOD.
AND THAT WASN'T THE ONLY SURPRISE
WAITING FOR RHONDA.
NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP BECAUSE I'M THINKING,
"IT'S GONNA COME THROUGH MY WINDOW
AND IT'S GONNA TAKE ME."
IN THE DESERTS OF THE SOUTHWEST,
THERE'S A NIGHTSTALKER,
SOME SORT OF DEMON THAT SHIFTS ITS FORM AT WILL,
SPREADING PANIC AND FEAR.
ONE YOUNG WOMAN WILL COME TO FEEL ITS HIDEOUS TOUCH,
AND HER FAMILY WILL BE DRIVEN TO THE VERY EDGE OF SANITY.
I GO TO MY ROOM,
AND I REMEMBER WHEN I LEFT, I CLOSED MY DOOR COMPLETELY,
AND I APPROACHED MY DOOR,
AND MY DOOR WAS OPEN A LITTLE BIT.
SO, I WALK IN. I WALK INTO MY ROOM.
AND I MOVE MY CURTAINS,
AND THE AIR CONDITIONER DOOR WAS PUSHED DOWN AGAIN.
IT CAME BACK.
WHY DID IT COME BACK?
I'M THINKING...
"WHY IS IT BOTHERING ME?"
AND I JUST WANTED IT TO STOP.
BECAUSE
NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP BECAUSE I'M THINKING,
"IT'S GONNA COME THROUGH MY WINDOW
AND IT'S GONNA TAKE ME."
EVEN ON NIGHTS WHEN
THE CREATURE DIDN'T COME SCRATCHING,
HE VISITED RHONDA'S DREAMS.
IN MY NIGHTMARES, I SEE IT IN THE CORNFIELD,
AND HE'S STANDING THERE, AND HE SPOTS ME.
AND HE STARTS RUNNING.
AND I WOKE UP, AND I WAS LIKE,
"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SLEEP."
AND I'M THINKING IT'S GONNA COME BACK FOR ME.
I'M SCARED THAT ONE NIGHT IT'S JUST GONNA COME IN AND,
YOU KNOW, JUST BUST A WINDOW AND COME IN AND TAKE RHONDA.
ALL MY KIDS ARE SCARED. I'M SCARED.
I GUESS I'M JUST SCARED THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA HURT HER.
I HAD TO STOP IT.
I WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH IT, YOU KNOW,
'CAUSE MY KIDS WERE SCARED,
MY WIFE'S SCARED.
AND I STARTED SETTING MY ALARM CLOCK FOR THE MORNING,
AND I WOULD GO OUT THERE, AND I HAD MY FIREARM,
AND I'D WALK AROUND THE HOUSE.
THE NEXT TIME HE HEARD HIS DAUGHTER SCREAM,
GERARD WAS READY,
DETERMINED TO HAVE A SHOWDOWN WITH THE MONSTER.
IN OUR NEIGHBORS' CORNFIELD,
AND THERE, MIDWAY THROUGH THEIR FIELD,
I SEEN SOME RED-ORANGE EYES FACING ME.
BUT THERE WAS REALLY NO SHAPE OR FORM.
ALL I SEEN WAS THE EYES.
AND I FIRED AT IT,
AND WHEN I FIRED AT IT, IT DIDN'T...
IT DIDN'T TAKE OFF LIKE AN ANIMAL.
IT JUST SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT.
I WAS YELLING AT IT.
"WHY ARE YOU COMING AROUND HERE BOTHERING MY DAUGHTER?
WHY CAN'T YOU COME FACE ME?"
I WAS REALLY MAD, AND I WAS CUSSING, CURSING IT,
AND CALLING IT EVERY NAME IN THE BOOK.
IT TICKS ME OFF.
IT GETS UNDER MY SKIN,
AND I WANT TO GET DOWN TO IT AND STOP IT.
DESPITE HER FATHER'S EFFORTS,
THE NIGHTSTALKER FOUND A WAY TO LEAVE ITS MARK ON RHONDA.
ONE MORNING SHE CAME INTO MY ROOM,
AND SHE SAID, "MOM, LOOK AT THESE SCRATCHES."
AND SHE SAID, "I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT THEM."
BUT YOU KNOW, WITH THE TRUCK AND SCRATCHES ON THE WINDOW,
IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, JUST MATCH THE SCRATCHES ON HER BODY.
THAT MAKES ME SCARED THAT IT COULD ACTUALLY,
YOU KNOW, TAKE HER OR HARM HER.
RHONDA HAS SINCE MOVED
A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES FROM HER PARENTS' HOME
TO GET A FRESH START.
NOT EVERYONE CAN ESCAPE A LIVING NIGHTMARE
BY MOVING AWAY.
UNWELCOME VISITORS HAVE BEEN HAUNTING ONE MAN
SINCE HE WAS A YOUNG BOY.
AND WITH THEIR EXTRATERRESTRIAL ABILITIES,
THEY CAN FOLLOW HIM WHEREVER HE GOES.
THE ALIENS TRY TO CONVINCE YOU THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA HURT YOU.
THAT'S NOT THE TRUTH.
THEY DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO YOU
THAT'S VERY PAINFUL.
THEY PLAY MIND GAMES.
THERE IS ONE CORNER OF THE DESERT
THAT CARRIES A UNIQUE REPUTATION FOR MONSTERS AND MYSTERIES,
A PLACE WHERE ALIENS VISIT FROM SPACE.
75 MILES NORTH OF LAS VEGAS
IS A 5,000-SQUARE-MILE PATCH OF DESERT WASTELAND.
IT ENCLOSES AMERICA'S MOST SECRET MILITARY FACILITY...
...AREA 51,
THE HOLY GRAIL FOR MILLIONS CONCERNED ABOUT ALIENS.
IT WAS BUILT AT THE DAWN OF THE NUCLEAR AGE.
NEARLY 1,000 ATOMIC WEAPONS WERE TESTED HERE...
...ALONG WITH TOP-SECRET
ESPIONAGE AND AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY.
OVER THE YEARS, THE VERY SECRECY
NEEDED TO PROTECT U.S. MILITARY ADVANCES
HAS CONNECTED THIS REMOTE STRETCH OF DESERT
WITH THE MOTHER OF ALL MONSTER BELIEFS...
ALIENS FROM SPACE.
SOME SUGGEST THAT WHEN ATOMIC WEAPONS
BEGAN EXPLODING IN THE DESERT SKY,
IT SPURRED EXTRATERRESTRIALS TO PAY EARTH A VISIT.
THEN, IN THE LATE 1960s,
A NEW ALIEN EXPERIENCE EMERGED.
THEY WEREN'T JUST FLYING BY FOR A LOOK.
NOW THEY WERE TAKING US.
UFO RESEARCHERS SAY THAT ALIEN-ABDUCTION CASES WORLDWIDE
RUN INTO THE MILLIONS.
BRET OLDHAM IS ONE OF THOSE CASES.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE TELL ME THAT,
"I WISH ALIENS WOULD TAKE ME."
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING I WOULD WISH ON MY WORST ENEMY.
AND IT DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN TO BRET BY HIMSELF.
HE AND HIS GIRLFRIEND SHARED THE ENTIRE DREADFUL ENCOUNTER,
LOSING THE MOST PRECIOUS THING OF ALL
TO THE ALIENS.
WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO LAS VEGAS,
I WAS PRETTY EXCITED TO BE OUT IN THIS KIND OF TERRAIN.
I CAME FROM NORTHEAST OHIO
WITH THE BAD WEATHER AND EVERYTHING,
AND I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE OUT HERE
WITH THE PALM TREES AND THE NICE WEATHER.
A GIFTED MUSICIAN
WHO PLAYED PROFESSIONALLY IN LAS VEGAS,
BRET OLDHAM'S LIFE BEGAN TO TURN UPSIDE DOWN
IN HIS EARLY 20s.
I STARTED GETTING PANIC ATTACKS,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I DIDN'T WANT TO GO OUTSIDE.
IF I WAS IN A LARGE CROWD, IT WOULD TRIGGER A PANIC ATTACK.
IT WAS REALLY, REALLY UNUSUAL FOR ME
TO EXPERIENCE THESE KIND OF FEELINGS,
AND I COULDN'T EXPLAIN ANY OF IT.
THERE WAS TIMES THAT BRET WAS DEPRESSED,
SO SOMETHING WAS BOTHERING HIM.
BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
I'D BEEN HAVING THIS REOCCURRING NIGHTMARE
THAT I WAS A LITTLE CHILD,
AND A BRIGHT LIGHT WAS COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW,
AND I WALKED OVER TO THE WINDOW AND PULLED THE CURTAINS BACK,
AND AS I DID, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME
WAS WHAT IS CONSIDERED NOW THE TYPICAL GRAY ALIEN
A FOOT FROM MY FACE.
AND I DIDN'T EVER KNOW
WHY I WOULD HAVE THIS REOCCURRING NIGHTMARE,
BUT IT CONTINUED MY ENTIRE LIFE.
AT SOME POINT,
BRET REALIZED THESE WEREN'T JUST NIGHTMARES.
HE'S CONVINCED THEY WERE REAL MEMORIES
OF REAL ALIEN ABDUCTIONS.
THEY ALWAYS WANT TO CALM YOU.
THEY'LL COME UP SOMETIMES AND THEY'LL
PUT THEIR HAND ON YOUR FOREHEAD.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A METHOD
THAT THEY TRY TO USE MENTALLY,
BUT THEY ALWAYS HAVE THESE REASSURING STATEMENTS
THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA HURT YOU AND YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY
AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S NOT THE TRUTH.
THEY DO ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO YOU
THAT'S VERY PAINFUL.
YOU FEEL VERY VIOLATED.
I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF.
AAH!
FOR YEARS, BRET KEPT THESE ABDUCTIONS SECRET,
EVEN FROM THOSE WITH WHOM HE WAS CLOSEST.
BRET AND I MET IN 2006.
WE HIT IT OFF RIGHT AWAY.
WE HAD A LOT OF THINGS IN COMMON,
AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
SOON, GINA WOULD SUSPECT SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
BABE. BABE, WAKE UP.
BABE, WAKE UP.
YOU'RE HAVING A NIGHTMARE.
I WOULD BE... WOKEN UP
BY HIM SCREAMING, GROANING, MOANING.
HE'S VERY UPSET.
I'D NEVER HEARD HIM SOUND LIKE THIS BEFORE.
IT WOULD MAKE THE HAIR RISE ON THE BACK OF MY NECK.
I DIDN'T WANT TO SUBJECT ANYBODY ELSE,
ESPECIALLY SOMEBODY THAT I LOVED, TO THIS,
AND I DIDN'T WANT TO SCARE HER.
AFTER TWO LONG YEARS OF BAD DREAMS...
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU?
...BRET FINALLY TOLD GINA THE TRUTH.
WELL, I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL YOU
'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SCARE YOU.
IT WAS VERY UPSETTING TO KNOW THAT
SOMEONE I LOVED... MY HUSBAND...
HAD GONE THROUGH THIS.
NOW THAT I KNOW THE TRUTH
THAT HE IS AN ABDUCTEE,
IT FRIGHTENS ME BECAUSE
I KNOW THAT THEY CAN STILL COME AND TAKE HIM,
AND IT ALSO FRIGHTENS ME FOR MYSELF.
THEY COULD TAKE ME, TOO.
BUT THERE WAS ONE FINAL SECRET,
A MEMORY OF THE SINGLE-MOST HORRIFYING ABDUCTION
BRET HAD EVER BEEN VICTIM TO.
IT HAPPENED BEFORE HE MET GINA,
WHEN HE AND A FORMER GIRLFRIEND WERE EXPECTING A CHILD...
AND THEY WERE ABDUCTED TOGETHER.
I'M SCARED.
I'M FRIGHTENED.
I DON'T WANT THEM TO COME BACK.
I THINK THEY FORCED BRET TO WATCH WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO ME
TO GET HIS REACTION...
A HUMAN REACTION.
WHILE LIVING IN THE NEVADA DESERT,
BRET OLDHAM CLAIMS THAT ALIENS FROM SPACE ABDUCTED HIM.
BRET TOLD HIS WIFE ABOUT THE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE GRAYS,
EXCEPT FOR HIS WORST ABDUCTION...
WHEN HE WAS TAKEN WITH HIS FORMER GIRLFRIEND.
IN 1988, I HAD MET A GIRL.
WE BEGAN DATING, AND AFTER A FEW MONTHS,
SHE HAD MOVED IN WITH ME.
EVERYTHING WAS GOING REALLY GREAT.
AND THEN WE FOUND OUT SHE WAS PREGNANT.
I WAS SO HAPPY,
AND MY FRIENDS WERE ALL...
THEY WANTED TO BUY THINGS,
AND WE COULDN'T WAIT TO DO THE BEDROOM FOR THE BABY,
BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GONNA BE.
IT WAS TYPICAL MOM STUFF.
BRET WAS VERY EXCITED 'CAUSE
THAT WOULD'VE BEEN HIS FIRST BABY.
SO, WE WERE REALLY HAPPY.
WE WERE ALL HAPPY THAT WE WERE GONNA HAVE A BABY.
BRET HAD ALREADY CONFIDED IN DHYANNE
ABOUT THE ALIEN ABDUCTIONS.
BUT SHE HAD NO IDEA THE ALIENS WOULD SOON
COME HUNTING FOR THEM BOTH.
I'D BEEN TAKEN... ABDUCTED... BY THESE ALIENS BY MYSELF
MY ENTIRE LIFE UNTIL I WAS 29 YEARS OLD,
UNTIL THAT NIGHT THAT
MY GIRLFRIEND AND I WERE TAKEN TOGETHER.
THERE WAS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THAT NIGHT.
WE'D WENT TO BED.
SHE HAD AN OLD TYPEWRITER
THAT SHE HAD PLACED BY THE SIDE OF BED.
AND DURING THE NIGHT, WE HEARD A...
WE WERE BOTH AWAKENED BY A LOUD BANG.
I JUMPED UP, AND I SAW THESE THREE THINGS.
IT WAS DARK IN OUR ROOM,
BUT YOU COULD TELL THEY WERE GRAY,
AND THEY HAD THESE EYES THAT LOOKED LIKE ALMONDS.
THEY WERE HUGE.
AND THEN I CLOSED MY EYES AND SHOOK MY HEAD TO WAKE UP
'CAUSE I THOUGHT, "WELL, MAYBE I'M DREAMING."
YOU OPEN YOUR EYES, AND YOU'RE IN SHOCK
THAT YOU'RE SEEING THESE CREATURES IN YOUR ROOM WITH YOU.
I WAS SO SCARED I COULDN'T MOVE.
I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WAS REAL.
AND THEN THE NEXT THING I KNOW, I WAS OUT...
I MEAN, COMPLETELY OUT.
I WAS SURROUNDED BY THE ALIENS.
THE GRAYS WERE SURROUNDING ME.
I'D NEVER SEEN SO MANY OF THEM
AT THE SAME TIME IN A ROOM TOGETHER,
AND WE WERE BOTH NUDE.
I REMEMBER WAKING UP,
AND I WAS FREEZING COLD,
AND I WAS ON THIS SLAB,
LIKE A GRAY, METAL BED,
KIND OF LIKE A GURNEY,
AND I COULDN'T MOVE AT ALL.
AND THEN I KIND OF TURNED MY HEAD A LITTLE BIT,
AND I COULD SEE BRET, AND I WAS LOOKING AT BRET,
AND BRET... HIS EYES, I'LL NEVER FORGET HIS EYES
'CAUSE THEY WERE SO BIG, AND THEY LOOKED SO SCARED.
THEY HAD HER IN A POSITION MUCH LIKE YOU WOULD AT A...
OB-GYN WOULD DO IN AN EXAM.
HAD HER LEGS UP AND IN THAT POSITION.
AND SHE WAS SCREAMING.
JUST DON'T TAKE MY BABY! STOP!
"DON'T TAKE MY BABY. PLEASE STOP."
BEGGING THEM.
I WAS SCARED,
AND I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE MY BABY
BECAUSE I LOVED MY BABY, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE IT.
AFTER THE ALIENS TOOK THE FETUS FROM HER
AND FORCED ME TO WATCH IT,
I BASICALLY JUST WENT BERSERK.
I WAS SO ANGRY. I WAS SO WANTING TO HURT THEM.
IF I COULD'VE KILLED ONE OF THEM, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE.
STOP!
AND THEN THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER,
WE WERE WAKING UP THE NEXT MORNING.
YOU KNOW, THE SUN WAS COMING THROUGH THE WINDOW.
AND SHE NOTICED BLOOD.
BRET RUSHED DHYANNE TO THE HOSPITAL.
WELL, AFTER THE DOCTOR EXAMINED HER,
AND HE SEEMED KIND OF PERPLEXED,
AND HE SAID, "I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS."
AND THAT'S WHEN HE TOLD US THAT
THERE WAS NO FETUS IN THERE... IT'S LIKE I WAS NEVER PREGNANT.
AND I WAS LIKE, "WHAT?" I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.
HE GOES, "WELL, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT EVEN PREGNANT."
AND HE SAID, "I JUST EXAMINED HER A FEW DAYS AGO,
"AND SHE WAS TOTALLY PREGNANT...
HEARTBEAT, EVERYTHING WAS GREAT."
AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S NO SIGN THAT SHE'S EVER BEEN PREGNANT."
AND BRET LOOKED OVER AT ME, AND HE SAID, "THEY TOOK IT."
AND I KNEW WHAT HE MEANT.
AND I JUST WENT INTO SHOCK AND GOT HYSTERICAL
AND COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED.
IT WAS GONE, LIKE IT WAS NEVER THERE.
AT THE TIME, NEITHER ONE OF US KNEW
ANYTHING THAT WE COULD SAY TO THE OTHER
THAT WOULD MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE
OR MAKE THE OTHER FEEL ANY BETTER ABOUT IT.
I THINK OUR RELATIONSHIP BROKE UP
BECAUSE I BLAMED HIM SO MUCH FOR THAT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT.
BRET HAD BEEN ABDUCTED,
SO I THINK I BLAMED HIM A LOT.
THE GRAYS HAD PLAGUED BRET MOST OF HIS LIFE.
NOW THEY HAD STOLEN A CHANCE FOR HIM TO BE A FATHER.
YEARS LATER, WHEN BRET WAS ABDUCTED AGAIN...
THE ALIENS HAD SOMEONE... OR SOMETHING...
THEY WANTED HIM TO MEET.
I WAS LED INTO A LARGE AREA
THAT I'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE,
AND THEN, FROM THE LIGHT DOWN THE HALLWAY,
I SEE A FIGURE COME OUT OF THE LIGHT.
AS IT GOT CLOSER TO ME,
I REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T A NORMAL ALIEN.
IT APPEARED TO ME TO BE, LIKE, A HYBRID,
AND IT SEEMED FEMALE.
AS IT GOT CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME,
I COULD SEE THAT IT WAS CARRYING A CHILD
THAT LOOKED VERY MUCH LIKE IT.
AND THE CHILD JUST LOOKED UP AT ME,
AND THE FEMALE TELEPATHICALLY SAID,
"THIS IS YOUR CHILD."
AND SHE JUST HAD THE SWEETEST LOOK ON HER FACE,
AND EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS NOT HUMAN,
I STILL FELT SOME KIND OF CONNECTION TO HER,
AND A PART OF ME KIND OF BELIEVED THAT
MAYBE THAT WAS INDEED
SOMETHING THAT I HAD CREATED... A CHILD.
A PART OF ME WAS IN THE DNA OF THAT ALIEN BEING.
BRET HASN'T SEEN THE CHILD SINCE.
BUT MORE THAN 20 YEARS LATER,
HE CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHERE IT IS TODAY.
I FEEL VERY SAD THAT I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BE WITH THAT CHILD,
CAN NEVER HAVE ANY KIND OF A PART OF THEIR LIFE,
AND THAT THEY'RE NOT ALL HUMAN.
BRET AND HIS WIFE, GINA,
HAVE MOVED FAR AWAY FROM THE DESERT.
AND SINCE HE LEFT...
...THE ALIENS DON'T COME TO CALL AS OFTEN.
NEVERTHELESS, FOR THOSE THAT HAVE FELT
THE PROBING HANDS OF THE EXTRATERRESTRIALS,
LIFE WILL NEVER BE NORMAL AGAIN.
I KEPT THIS A SECRET FOR 25 YEARS.
I LOCKED IT AWAY.
I'M JUST A NORMAL PERSON.
I DIDN'T GO LOOKING FOR THIS.
IT JUST HAPPENED.
I WAS AFRAID TO COME FORWARD.
I BURIED THIS SECRET FOR FOUR DECADES.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT
THIS IS A VERY REAL PHENOMENON THAT'S HAPPENED.
I'VE SEEN IT. I'VE LIVED IT.
THEY'RE REAL.