old.”
But Lacey had heard enough and started walking back to her car. Dylan shot Luca a nasty look and hissed, “That’s what you get for being dishonest,” then followed her toward the road.
“For the record,” Luca stated, “I never lied.”
“For the record,” Colin sighed, “I don’t give a shit.”
Max stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched Lacey and Dylan as they walked away. “I’m starting to wonder why I left Baton Rouge.”
Colin snickered and was about to offer a few good reasons to go back when he felt the unnerving sensation of something not belonging in this open field. Something had followed them here.
Anna had already grabbed her dagger and Dylan had stopped walking, having sensed the demon’s presence, too. He called to Lacey to grab her weapon but it was too late. She had separated herself from the other hunters and the demon singled her out, throwing its massive slate gray body at her and knocking her onto the hard rocky ground. Its bulbous form had transformed into a bear and it swiped at her with its long curved claws as she lay under it on the ground. They could hear her screaming as they ran toward the beast attacking her.
Dylan had been closer to her and reached the demon first, thrusting his knife into its back as it reached down to bite Lacey’s face. It let out a piercing scream and turned its chartreuse eyes on Dylan. It wouldn’t get off of Lacey though. It had her pinned to the ground and its claws were digging into her shoulders and legs. Anna and Colin could see the blood dripping from her University of Colorado t-shirt as they reached her.
“ He hurt it with his knife ,” Colin observed, reaching into the sheath on his belt for his knife, and stabbed it into the demon’s bear-like face. It was trying to bite Lacey again. A hot gush of fetid air rushed out of the wound he created. Dylan, Anna and Luca stabbed at the beast’s legs trying to force it to remove its claws from Lacey’s body.
Colin thrust his knife under the demon’s neck and opened a long gash and a whistling leak of its rotten essence escaped. Lacey turned her face and closed her eyes. Max had finally caught up to them and helped them now, but the demon was losing its shape, its edges blurring from bear to a slate gray mist. “Max, get her out of here!” Colin shouted. Max reached underneath the misty form and grabbed Lacey’s bloody body, cradling her in his arms. The hunters sliced through the shrieking mist until it settled to the ground, nothing more than a powdery dust amidst the rocks and dirt around them.
But no one had time to appreciate the death of this demon. From the side of the road, they heard Max yelling, “Hurry! She’s not breathing!”
Chapter 7
Anna had just stepped out of the shower in their hotel room that evening when she heard Colin’s phone ringing. Luca had called to update them again on how Lacey was doing. The doctor that had just come by thought she would be able to go home in a few days. Luca had told the hospital staff they had been hiking when she stumbled across a mother bear and her cubs, and now warnings about black bears and what to do if you crossed paths with one were all over the news. At least the demon had chosen an animal indigenous to the region. They would have had a hell of a time trying to explain an attack by a lion or something.
Colin thanked Luca for the update then set his phone on the nightstand, yawning and mumbling about how he was sure this was all part of Hell’s plan to delay Luca’s trip to Caracas in order to find Andrew. Anna had heard this already. Both in her mind – at least a dozen times – and out loud.
“He’ll be leaving for Caracas in a few days. It’s not like getting plane tickets into Venezuela is that easy, you know. It wouldn’t have happened instantaneously, anyway,” Anna reminded him, for what felt like the millionth time.
Colin yawned again. This day had taken an enormous toll on all of
But Lacey had heard enough and started walking back to her car. Dylan shot Luca a nasty look and hissed, “That’s what you get for being dishonest,” then followed her toward the road.
“For the record,” Luca stated, “I never lied.”
“For the record,” Colin sighed, “I don’t give a shit.”
Max stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched Lacey and Dylan as they walked away. “I’m starting to wonder why I left Baton Rouge.”
Colin snickered and was about to offer a few good reasons to go back when he felt the unnerving sensation of something not belonging in this open field. Something had followed them here.
Anna had already grabbed her dagger and Dylan had stopped walking, having sensed the demon’s presence, too. He called to Lacey to grab her weapon but it was too late. She had separated herself from the other hunters and the demon singled her out, throwing its massive slate gray body at her and knocking her onto the hard rocky ground. Its bulbous form had transformed into a bear and it swiped at her with its long curved claws as she lay under it on the ground. They could hear her screaming as they ran toward the beast attacking her.
Dylan had been closer to her and reached the demon first, thrusting his knife into its back as it reached down to bite Lacey’s face. It let out a piercing scream and turned its chartreuse eyes on Dylan. It wouldn’t get off of Lacey though. It had her pinned to the ground and its claws were digging into her shoulders and legs. Anna and Colin could see the blood dripping from her University of Colorado t-shirt as they reached her.
“ He hurt it with his knife ,” Colin observed, reaching into the sheath on his belt for his knife, and stabbed it into the demon’s bear-like face. It was trying to bite Lacey again. A hot gush of fetid air rushed out of the wound he created. Dylan, Anna and Luca stabbed at the beast’s legs trying to force it to remove its claws from Lacey’s body.
Colin thrust his knife under the demon’s neck and opened a long gash and a whistling leak of its rotten essence escaped. Lacey turned her face and closed her eyes. Max had finally caught up to them and helped them now, but the demon was losing its shape, its edges blurring from bear to a slate gray mist. “Max, get her out of here!” Colin shouted. Max reached underneath the misty form and grabbed Lacey’s bloody body, cradling her in his arms. The hunters sliced through the shrieking mist until it settled to the ground, nothing more than a powdery dust amidst the rocks and dirt around them.
But no one had time to appreciate the death of this demon. From the side of the road, they heard Max yelling, “Hurry! She’s not breathing!”
Chapter 7
Anna had just stepped out of the shower in their hotel room that evening when she heard Colin’s phone ringing. Luca had called to update them again on how Lacey was doing. The doctor that had just come by thought she would be able to go home in a few days. Luca had told the hospital staff they had been hiking when she stumbled across a mother bear and her cubs, and now warnings about black bears and what to do if you crossed paths with one were all over the news. At least the demon had chosen an animal indigenous to the region. They would have had a hell of a time trying to explain an attack by a lion or something.
Colin thanked Luca for the update then set his phone on the nightstand, yawning and mumbling about how he was sure this was all part of Hell’s plan to delay Luca’s trip to Caracas in order to find Andrew. Anna had heard this already. Both in her mind – at least a dozen times – and out loud.
“He’ll be leaving for Caracas in a few days. It’s not like getting plane tickets into Venezuela is that easy, you know. It wouldn’t have happened instantaneously, anyway,” Anna reminded him, for what felt like the millionth time.
Colin yawned again. This day had taken an enormous toll on all of
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