Those Who Went Remain There Still by Priest Cherie

Author:Priest, Cherie [Priest, Cherie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction.Horror, Fiction.Historical, Regional.US
ISBN: 9781596063723
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Published: 2008-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

X

Into the Fray: Reflections from the Road, Daniel Boone, 1775

It must’ve been her feathers that cushioned her against the ground, and against the rustling loud sound of the forest floor crackling and splintering beneath her. But it was so soft, the noises she made—even though she was big, real big. I’d been saying she was the size of a bear, but when I got up close I saw I’d underestimated her by a hundred pounds, anyway. She was the size of a cow, and covered with those long feathers.

I wanted to believe it was a death roll. While I watched her spin, tumbling in a lopsided circle like an egg, it was easy to say she was dying.

With Little Heaster behind me, I came closer. I tiptoed up, trying to sort out the situation. I held the torch over my head, trying to squeeze out every drop of light.

I didn’t come too close, not right away.

Underneath her, the ground was wet. Not soaking, but wet. She was bleeding. I couldn’t tell what part of her was injured.

She was flexing her wings, over and over, using them to rock herself back and forth, around and around. They weren’t bent or shattered so far as I could tell. I’d be pleased if we’d landed a blow to her body. I’d have settled for a broken wing, because at least that’d mean she couldn’t sneak up on us from above; but a wound to her torso might keep her from coming back altogether.

She let out a sigh and a groan. The groan croaked wetly, and I prayed with all my heart that she had a throat full of blood.

Her path in the clearing was being worn slower and slower. The spots where she’d flattened small trees and trampled down plants with her bulk were growing darker with red-black stains, and then she let out one more awful groan—or I thought it was a groan, anyhow—and then there was a cloud of gas and a rushing wet flush of nastiness.

And I knew it wasn’t a groan. Her bowels had released, and the smell of her runny gray shit and piss mingled with the faint metal stink of blood.

She toppled right through it, smearing the mixture across herself and picking up dirt and pine needles too. Everything she touched stuck to her, even as she was moving, and moving slower. And she rolled…almost to the tipping point of pushing herself for another loop…but then she sagged, and merely rocked back and forth until all the energy was gone out of her.

***

I couldn’t tell if she was dead or not. She’d lolled away from me, her feet sticking up in the air like a bundle of twigs.

The stench of her body stuck in my throat and choked me hard.

I gagged, but I clenched my chest up and tried not to show it. Behind me, Heaster was making soft panting noises, as if he were trying to keep himself from vomiting. I didn’t blame him. She smelled even worse up close.

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.