Fire at Dusk: Part 10

Shirley Sue and Buck sat frozen in terror for what seemed an eternity. The creature stared back at them and tilted its fanged head to one side. It snorted from a black nose which protruded from the middle of its wrinkled, flat face and a cloud of smoke danced upward from it through beast's natural illumination. The mesmerizing glow which surrounded the creature oscillated between various shades of green and blue. It had a long tail with alternating light and dark stripes which twitched back and forth in rhythm with its pointed ears. The duo snapped out of their trance, cautiously collected their flashlights and rose to their feet. They then began edging backwards, away from the creature. After a few more moments of observing the pair, a large grin formed on the monster's face revealing, a maw of razor sharp teeth.

“Maybe it'll leave us alone,” whispered Buck.

The color of the beast shifted to crimson and bathed the mill and the clearing surrounding it in a menacing red glow. The abomination then began to stalk toward the duo.

“I reckon that ain't its intention,” whispered Shirley Sue.

With that, the pair took off into the woods. They could hear the creature behind them, crashing through the undergrowth. The duo darted through the trees. Shirley Sue's movements were smooth and fluid compared to those of Buck, who stumbled over the fallen branches and hanging limbs. The massive beast tilted trees as it squeezed a path through the densely packed forest, its agility and speed more then making up for this disadvantage. The light from the fiend began to intensify and the pair's lead shrank. The sound of its huffing and movements grew louder as it gained on the duo. Exhausted, Buck slipped on a loose branch which he had tried jumping over. He fell and rolled across the ground, slamming into a tree. Shirley Sue stopped and turned around to help him.

“Save yourself! Warn the others about this thing!” Buck shouted as he grabbed a hold of a large club-shaped branch. As he scrambled to his feet, the beast closed in on him.