5 Tales of Tantalizing Terror by Patrick C. Harrison III

Author:Patrick C. Harrison III [Harrison, Patrick C. III]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror, Short Fiction
Published: 2021-08-10T05:00:00+00:00

!

“Goddammit,” Mike Walsh muttered when he heard the report of gunfire to the east. Without a doubt, it was the confident crack of Hatfeld’s .308. The sound echoed through the trees for a moment, then choked to silence beneath the sleet.

I knew I should have gone east, he thought.

The heft of the 45/70 was wearing on his forearms, so he slung it over his shoulder. It wasn’t as if he was in the military anymore and needed his weapon at the ready. Besides, Hatfeld would probably be firing three rounds into the air pretty soon to indicate he needed help dragging his deer back to camp.

That’ll be a long ass haul, he thought, remembering the miles they put in to get here. Unless there is some back entrance I’m not aware of.

He’d travelled far enough northwest now that the fence they crossed was no longer in view. Ahead of him, he saw a ridge with several trees that would provide a good backrest were he to sit at their base. A couple of them might even provide shelter from the sleet. He made his way there, accidently snapping a couple of twigs that probably frightened off any nearby wildlife, his thighs beginning to burn as he reached the top, then he settled into a sitting position with his rifle across his lap and pulled out his water and trail mix; his body had burned through Wes’s single hot dog wiener before they’d even reached the fence.

He was about to deposit a handful of nuts and dried fruit into his maw when he thought he heard something. It was rattle of wood, followed by a brief cry of pain. And it sounded…human.

Dropping the trail mix back into its baggy and stuffing it into his pocket, Mike quickly got to his feet, once more holding his rifle at the ready. He wasn’t sure where the sounds had come from, but it was more to the west. He scanned the woods, everything turning white with the miserable sleet. There were trees all over the place on this side of the ridge, and even without their leaves, they made it difficult to see far. There was a ravine about a hundred yards ahead of him, at the base of the ridge, and then the terrain inclined again, though at a more manageable angle than what Mike had just climbed. He was about to sit back down, dismissing the sound as his imagination, when he heard something else—a sniffle, perhaps, or a whimper. And he triangulated the location this time—the ravine, straight ahead of him.

Mike bounded down the hill as quickly as he could safely, being mindful of the sleet-covered earth. Despite his best efforts, his boots slid as he neared the bottom, threatening to come out from under him. His right hand shot out to the side, making mad circles in the air in an attempt to steady himself, while his left arm uselessly held the rifle, only perpetuating his fall. His hand grasped at the branches of a bois d’arc, but they slipped through his gloved fingers like icicles.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.