Fire at Dusk: Part 26

The sheriff slowed his vehicle to a stop. His breaths started to quicken as his eyes focused on the creature. It had taken an interest in the crushed four-wheeler ahead and was blocking the way to the forest path. Its head swiveled toward him. The sheriff clutched the gun at his side as ice began to form in his veins. His eyes moved from the creature to his abandoned vehicle. From this distance he could make out Jimmy's dismembered arm dangling in the turquoise light. He glanced over at the creature and their gazes locked with one another. The beast's color began transitioning from the turquoise to violet before changing to a deep crimson. The sheriff quickly looked away.

The idling vehicle chugged in the darkness while the sheriff considered his options. He could try to circumvent the monster and continue to the forest path or he could turn around and find another route. He decided that he would have to take one of the longer trails back to town. They weren't quite as well-traveled as this one, but he had little choice unless he wanted to risk a confrontation with the beast.

The sheriff, keeping his eyes on the creature, turned his vehicle around and headed toward a different part of the tree-line. He felt uneasy as he watched the creature disappeared behind horizon. It seemed to blaze with pure hatred. Why had it just stood there, watching him? Why had it let him go?

After a few minutes he arrived at one of the other forest trails. This was an older trail, but he could make his way back to town using it.

“Three lefts and a right,” mumbled the sheriff. “That'll get you back safe and sound.”

A blood curdling, inhuman wail rattled through the sheriff's bones, causing the hairs on his neck to stand straight up as a shiver traveled down his spine. He looked behind him but saw no sign of the beast. Yet still, he could not shake the unsettling feeling which permeated his body and filled his lungs, suffocating him.

“Just try and follow me back to town ya bastard,” the sheriff taunted. “Then we'll see who makes it to dawn.”

The sheriff turned onto the dirt trail. The path was bumpier then he had remembered, which slowed him down considerably, but he felt like he was making good time. After several minutes of travel he came to the first fork in the road. His stomach turned as he realized that he was not as familiar with the trail as he had originally thought. He needed to take a left here didn't he? He stopped the vehicle and studied the two paths. His pulse raced and he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. He swiveled his head at the sound of crackling underbrush. He squinted into the darkness but saw nothing aside from trees.

“Take it easy there Clark, that thing ain't following you now,” he spoke aloud. “Even if it is, you can outrun it.”

His words provided a fleeting sense of comfort which was shattered by the sound of the forest cracking in the distance.

The sheriff accelerated the vehicle down the left path, pushing aside his fears. He continued down the path for some time, but after a few minutes worry began to erode away his confidence. Maybe he should have taken the right path. Shouldn't he have come to the next fork by now? He slowed the vehicle, trying to decide if he should turn it around or not. No, he was going the right way. After another minute of traveling down the trail, panic began to creep into his heart, causing it to flutter out of rhythm. The darkness blotted out the landmarks. All the trees looked the same. He felt like he was moving in circles. He had to turn around; he needed to take the path to the right.

The sheriff reluctantly turned his vehicle around and began to head back toward the fork. He was positive that left was his salvation, but nothing seemed right now. After a few minutes he saw the fork ahead in the lights of the four-wheeler. He cautiously approached the fork, looking around for familiar landmarks that would guide him home.

He was scanning the area when he saw a distant part of the forest glowing crimson. His heart skipped a beat. He needed to make up his mind now if he wanted to make home at all. The sheriff started down the right path. The wheels of the four-wheeler bumped under him as he traveled down the the trail. Over the sound of the engine he heard the beast wail again. He looked in his side mirror to see the vibrant red glow following along behind him.

The sheriff accelerated the vehicle. The bumps came more rapidly and knocked him around like a rodeo horse. The monster was in pursuit, but the distance between them grew as the sheriff continued at his current speed. The vehicle let out a several gasps and slowed to a halt. The sheriff cranked on the key, but the vehicle refused to budge. He looked down at the gas gauge. The needed floated like a ghost below the orange “E”.

The sheriff pounded on the steering mechanism, but he could not will the four-wheeler into motion. He looked behind himself along the trail and saw the beast galloping toward him. The sheriff felt weak as he stood up and turned to face the creature. His hand shook furiously as he drew his gun. As the monster moved closer, he took careful aim at it. The crimson glow surrounded him and filled him with terror. The sound of several gunshots echoed through the forest followed by a human cry of agony, and then there was silence.