SHOTGUN HORROR CLIPS
Pop-pop-pop! Three gunshots rang out. Steve was aimed at the tree with the .22. The giant black blob in the tree didn’t even flinch. Instead, it let out a furious roar, arching its bulbous head high. It hopped off the branch it was hanging on to and hit the ground with a tremendous thud. It was standing upright on two legs, eyeing us. Two glowing red coals locked us in as its next targets. Next prey. The creature was fast. Wickedly, nastily fast. In the blink of an eye, it crouched down on all fours like a prowling leopard. Its deep black fur was sleek and shiny as it dashed toward us. It was a little smaller than a human, but heavier and more muscular. It looked like a mix between a bear and a wild dog, almost like a Tasmanian devil. A long tail flapped out behind it like a cape as it charged. “Shoot it! Shoot it!” Steve frantically aimed and squeezed off several shots. The first one was a wild miss but the next two hit the beast square in the head. It shook its head, but kept charging. And everything next happened terribly fast. The creature hit Steve with what must have been earth-shattering force. He rocked backward and slid along the ground with the creature on top of him. He screamed in pure terror, and turned his head to keep the razor-sharp sheath of claw from ripping his eyes out. Instead, the scream cut off as his throat was shredded. The creature buried its feral, insane head into my brother and started tearing him apart. It started eating him. Blood flowed in thick rivulets as the— “Kid, get your ass movin!” Sandy thrust his hand into my chest. He spun me around and forced me to move. I snapped out of my shock-induced state, and forced my feet to carry me out of the forest. The thorns that I once complained about were probably slapping my face and slicing me, but I didn’t even notice. I heard a growl very close behind us and forced myself to move even faster. I almost tripped over a tree root that was poking up through the surface, but Sandy snatched the back of my coat and jerked me upright just in time. I could hear Bill’s heavy breathing not far behind us, heard all the wind escape him in a Whoosh! as he sprawled to the ground. The sound of ripping flesh was sickening. It sounded like pulling apart thick, wet seaweed. Bill didn’t even get a chance to scream. The creature got to him first. Sandy and I burst through the last of the trees and booked it across the field, not looking back. “You saved my life back there, man. Tha—” “Shut up and run.” So I did. The beating of my feet on the ground almost matched that of my heart. 29 Quinn Cunningham