A Creature Roaming the Woods

An excerpt from the 4th Kelly Dane story in A Walk on the Strange Side

available from Amazon (ebook and paperback) and from Solstice Publishing.

Hunting Season

A Kelly Dane Weird Mystery

By

David M. Mannes

1

Al Johnston zipped up his vest. He held his Remington 798 in a relaxed grip, barrel pointing down. It was sunup and he headed towards Bald Eagle Mountain. He kept his eyes peeled for deer droppings. Frost twinkled in the dawn sunlight. The leaves lay across the trail, damp and heavy. Dense trees and dried undergrowth surrounded him. He loved this time alone. Quiet, no one demanding anything of him. No phone calls. He was alone with only the twitter of birds and the scrambling of squirrels on this late November morning.

A cloud rolled across the rising sun making it seem dusk instead of dawn. Johnston exhaled a fine cloud of mist that sailed up in front of him. He headed toward the creek. Animals need a morning drink, and if things went right, he’d bag himself a nice deer.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck shivered. The natural warning system that had helped man survive in the ancient past was ignored. Al was out of touch with that part of his genetic makeup. He didn’t realize that he was being watched and stalked.