Fire at Dusk: Part 11

Buck swung the makeshift club into the beast's face and dove out of its path, narrowly avoiding its razor sharp fangs. The monster smashed into the same tree which Buck had fallen into only moments before. The boughs shook and a small torrent of leaves rained down on Buck's head. The fiend turned to face him, seemingly unphased by either the bash to the face or the collision with the tree. It extended its claws from a hand-like appendage which had three long thick digits. It's foot and a half long claws shimmered like mother-of-pearl, bathed in the creature's red glow. It raised one of its massive hairy arms over its head with its claws spread in a 'W' shape. Buck prepared to dodge and strike again. Suddenly, the beast's glow shifted to yellow and it let forth a shriek as piercing as choir of banshees. Shirley Sue raced from behind the creature and grabbed Buck by the hand.

“This way!” she shouted.

The creature pawed furiously at the hilt of the hunting knife which protruded from its hip as the pair raced off toward a rocky hill. The duo quickly made their way to the top of the rise, an area devoid of the trees which covered the rest of the forest.

“Careful...” Shirley Sue whispered, the sound of her voice nearly muted by the noise of the beast crashing through the forest behind them. She illuminated a small drop-off with her flashlight and jumped into the small, rocky clearing which lay several feet below them. Buck followed closely behind her and made his way down the slope.

“In here!” she whispered as she grabbed a hold of him and and led him down into a cave which sat at the bottom of the rock face they had jumped from. She pushed aside ancient moss which obscured the entrance and crawled through the opening. The ground trembled and the air was filled with the sound of snapping foliage as the pair moved into the back of the cave. They turned to face the entrance. The cool damp rocks were a pleasant relief to Buck's aching bones. Shirley Sue turned off the flashlight and huddled closely to Buck. The heavy sounds of their breath echoed through the small cavern. Flashes of red light scattered around the cave as the beast tumbled, crashing loudly into the area near the entrance of the cave.