A Different Kind of Monster by Nicki Huntsman Smith

Author:Nicki Huntsman Smith [Hunstman Smith, Nicki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 4093112991
Published: 2024-01-10T16:00:00+00:00

When Jillian finally arrived at the shack, it was shockingly evident someone had been there since her last visit: arterial spray coated the far wall and an inky crimson lake puddled near the doorway. The sleeping bag had vanished.

The state police might arrive at any moment, so she needed to act fast. As a ‘person of interest,’ avoiding law enforcement officers was paramount to her continued freedom, no matter their level of incompetence. Balancing on the threshold, she reached for her phone. Specimen tubes for blood analysis would have been helpful, but pics were better than nothing. She snapped a dozen photos of the interior, then turned to analyze the game trail, looking for additional blood or other clues.

As she bent over to study some crushed foliage, something whizzed above her head, catching a few strands of her ponytail as it passed, then collided with a fir tree. The pointy end embedded itself in the trunk, but the pink feathery tail was visible from where she crouched. Any zookeeper, wildlife tour guide, or FBI field agent would instantly recognize it as a flight stabilizer for a tranquilizer dart.

Still crouching, she scrambled off the game trail and into a tangle of heavy brush twenty yards from her original position. Adrenaline had kicked in, but her hands were steady as she checked the Glock’s clip and counted seventeen rounds. With her back against an ancient red oak and surrounded by layers of old-forest undergrowth, prickly shrubs, and clusters of saplings, Jillian felt well-hidden for the moment. The hiking clothes she’d thrown on blended perfectly with her surroundings, and her camouflaged position offered a clear line of sight to the pink dart.

Come on, fucker. Show yourself.

With every breath, the adrenaline metabolized, allowing her heart rate to slow and draining away the initial burst of energy. She shifted her butt on the cold ground and settled in for an endurance test of mulish resolve. Her adversary seemed to be biding his time, expecting her to make a noise that would reveal her hiding place. I’ve got nothing but time, asshole. She imagined her ears swiveling like a wolf’s, straining to hear any sounds that didn’t belong in a forest.

An interminable hour later, bulbous and bruised-looking clouds scudded into the only visible patch of sky. Soon they eclipsed the sun, forcing an early twilight along with a critical decision about immediate options. Did she really want to spend the night out here? What if whoever fired that dart had already fled?

But what if he hadn’t?

Another half-hour passed. Jillian was contemplating peeing in her freshly laundered pants when movement registered on the game trail.

Among the saplings and vines, a luxurious head of crimson hair appeared. The nymph’s sinewy, milk-white arm reached between the tree branches and snatched the pink dart from its perch. She held it to her nose and gave it a sniff; the full lips turned down in a grimace. Whatever the evil-forest-nymph version of the Little Mermaid had smelled, she didn’t like it.

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