The Place Where Monsters Are Fought

The Place Where Monsters Are Fought

The town of New Madrid in Missouri, which was first settled in the 1780s, appears charming but is otherwise unexceptional. It is a relatively small town with about 2,800 people living there, a few shops, a small school, and a boardwalk on top of a bend in the great Mississippi River that looks like an Omega.

This region of the United States, which is in the "bootheel" of the Show Me State, receives all four seasons. Although there is nothing to entice investors or businesses, the locals are sincere, friendly, and helpful. They are the ideal combination of southern hospitality and practicality from the Midwest.

However, there is one thing about this town that stands out: The largest ever seismic event in the United States occurred in 1811 in New Madrid. The region is still experiencing seismic activity, and a recurrence of this kind would result in the largest financial catastrophe the United States has ever experienced.

A secret order of two dozen locals has volunteered their lives to fight a horror that few even know exists below for more than two centuries because it would also cause something much worse.

### Hundreds of earthquakes struck this region of the Missouri Territory in the dead of winter in 1811 and 1812. The most devastating event was a magnitude 7.0+ earthquake that devastated New Madrid and its surrounding areas for hundreds of miles. The same quake also caused minor damage in two-thirds of the United States and months-long aftershocks. The Mississippi River was forced from its bed because of its strength: The unholy damnation unleashed caused the entire river to roil backwards for several days and actually formed a new lake before the chaotic waters receded, according to descriptions of the event.

At the time of that winter cataclysm, McInnery* was just a young boy. He lived a mile upriver on the homestead of his family, which was one of dozens of homes that were destroyed in the disaster. Despite the fact that he and his sister claimed to have witnessed terrifying creatures of immense size thrashing within those waves at the same time, McInnery's parents immediately put an end to such fantastic talk because this event occurred only a century after the Salem Witch Trials.

As instructed, he and his sister remained silent, but McInnery assumed the role of chronicler as he got older and looked into other accounts of the same event for proof of the truth—and he did. McInnery found that great upheavals in the New Madrid region occurred with alarming frequency, always between October and February, by researching local legends, trapper lore, and personal correspondence from the 1500s. One thing was certain: Monsters were emerging from the earth. These were winter monsters, and their sightings were army.

In fact, at least one extreme giant was ingrained in the national consciousness: Lake Pepin, Minnesota's Mississippi River monster known as Pepie. Several months after the 1811 event, miles upstream from New Madrid, Pepie made his first appearance to the north. Despite the fact that few people made the connection, McInnery was well aware of it and what it could mean for another event. McInnery remained persuaded of its New Madrid origin for decades, despite the fact that Pepie was not officially recognized and reported until 1871 at Lake Pepin.**

Pepie would not be the only enormous creature that would be released: There are ancient indigenous tales of massive river monsters, as well as more recent accounts, which are always linked to similar earth-shaking events in New Madrid.

At first, McInnery only had a few trusted friends working with him, but as the community grew, more people began to understand and accept their responsibility: an obligation to battle this dread and guarantee the proceeded with wellbeing of humanity. As a result, the original society known as "The Exhort" emerged.

As is typical, there was early disagreement: While some members concentrated on McInnery's cryptid research and sought information about existing creatures, the core members and those who came after them concentrated on protecting themselves from future events. Several epic creatures are described in ancient texts, and this branch of the order currently uses those details in simulation programs to examine what strategies might work against oceanic and terrestrial titans.

One of the Exhort advisors who spoke with me about their strategies and history for this story cites a USGS statistic that says there is a 40% chance of a New Madrid earthquake of 6.0 or greater occurring within the next 50 years. The Exhort believe, based on decades of research, that a 5.0 or higher event is all that is needed to produce a Pepie-sized creature: If an event of 6.0 or higher occurs, it could produce a creature 10 times more terrifying.

Then, how does one combat these creatures? And if another Big One struck, would it be just one, or would we be beset by numerous monsters? To this day, smaller quakes of up to 3.0 magnitude are frequently striking the site. Are those spawning smaller beasts? Members of The Exhort maintain a level of secrecy when it comes to these and other details of defense.

The Exhort have a tendency to reject outsiders who are often merely thrill-seekers, despite the fact that many have sought them out over time to join their ranks: " In response to my inquiry regarding whether they might be interested in adding additional members, one member stated, "We just prefer to choose our own company." "We study more than we hunt.

However, a different person cautioned, "Don't let fear stop you from going to their beautiful town or from worrying while you're there:" If you think you hear something unsettling on the water, it's probably just the wind, not the animals. If you ever heard one of these, you would be aware of it, and as long as we remain vigilant, you will never be aware of that sound."

You can be sure that The Exhort is working, and I think I'm saying, "Thank you for that!" on behalf of everyone.

To maintain anonymity, The Exhort requested that the founder's name be changed.

** Pepie still carries a bounty of $50,000 on his head today.