Fire at Dusk: Part 37

Deputy Smith ran after Mike and the monster. As she passed through the opening leading to the outside, bits of debris rained down on her. She clutched her gun tightly and peered around the corner. The monster was bounding toward Mike. He had managed to establish a sizable lead and was nearly at the four-wheeler. He turned to face the beast and aimed the shotgun. The muzzle of the gun flashed and a thunderous bang cut through the stillness of the night. The beast wailed and rolled into the side of the building. The building creaked and shuddered from the blow. Mike reloaded the weapon and let out a deep, guttural howl at the creature. As the beast began to pick itself up, a second shot went off and hit the beast once again.

“That oughta quiet ya down a bit!” he yelled at the beast, reloading once again. A wild look entered his eyes and he fired off the shotgun again. “Not so tough now, are ya?”

The beast lay still on the ground. Mike laughed at the creature and slowly walked toward it. He pulled the trigger once more, this time at point blank range.

“It's over Mike, drop your weapon,” Deputy Smith yelled.

Mike fired off the shotgun again, this time taking aim at the deputy. Her heart raced a mile a minute as she ducked behind the corner. She heard the sound of pellets clattering against the side of the building. She glanced around the corner and saw the barrel of the shotgun pointed toward her. She returned fire and ducked back around the corner. The shotgun thundered once more, followed by the shower of pellets.

“It'll be over when I say it's over, and it ain't-” Mike's yelling morphed into a scream.

Deputy Smith looked around the corner and saw the monster on top of Mike, tearing into him with its teeth and claws. She fired at the creature until her pistol was empty, yet it was unrelenting in its torture of Mike. She looked at him. His mouth moved, but no words came out. His eyes latched onto hers for an instant and then dropped away, turning glassy and unmoving like the eyes of a toy. He was gone.

The beast stopped and looked at her. It let forth a roar which seemed to drag on for minutes. She covered her ears and watched in terror as the beast's color pulsated wildly. The colors grew brighter and soon the area was illuminated as though it was daylight. She ducked behind the corner to shield her eyes from the glow.

An explosion rocked the mill as hot wind blew past her. The mill shuddered. Above her she heard the sound of splintering wood. She looked up in time to see the building tilting toward her. She sprinted away. A trail of debris crashed down behind her. When all had grown silent, she turned around and saw a pile of rubble where the mill had been.