Death Stalks the Night

Four days into our search and we had uncovered nothing more than pieces parts. The creature was out there and it was watching us. The trail that it left was more than obvious. It was as if the thing knew that we were on it's trail and was deliberately luring us deeper into the thicket. Time was closing in on us and night was up and coming.

"Sarge, we gonna head back to base in the mornin'?" Jenks asked with hope in her voice. Before I could respond Patterson came running through the brush, covered with blood and yelling. Prince grabbed her as she came into camp and began to try and calm her down and assess her injuries.

"It's right behind me. I was patroling the area...and it came out of nowhere." She panted.

"It's okay, Patterson," Prince said. Patterson's wounds were deep and she was losing a lot of blood. We realized then, the night was on us and we were in the open without a plan or any barrier.

"Put her someplace where she'll be safe and out of the way." I told Prince. "Jenks, Palmer, be alert. We're in deep shit here." I explained. Without warning, Prince was jerked from where she stood and thrown through the air. The strength of this thing was incredible. The creature pounced on Prince after she hit the ground and began to rip her apart. We fired our weapons in the general direction of the creature and as we did, the creature roared. We heard a rushing sound and the thing was right in the camp and it was invisible. Palmer took her weapon and open fired in a full circle of the camp. The speed of the creature was remarkable. It was dashing in and out of the brush and in one pass made a swipe at Jenks, ripping her arm.

"Oh, God, Brody, help me."

"Stay right here with me Jenks." I yelled. "Pasternak, Peters, get the incinerators." I yelled across the camp. "Fire those sons of bitches up." I commanded. "Burn it Pasternak, burn it, burn the whole fucking thicket if you have to," I screamed. Pasternak laid down a suppressing layer of fire from the incinerator. We heard the roar and then the thing raced across camp, grabbed Peters and ran toward the swamp. In her desperation to escape the grip of the creature, Peters pulled the trigger on the incinerator, setting herself and the creature a blaze. Pasternak followed the creature into the swamp. I started for the swamp when Jenks grabbed my arm.

"Don't you leave me here," she pleaded.

"You'll be safer here, Jenks."

"No, I'm going with you." She said as she grabbed my shirt and pulled herself up.

"Okay, let's go." We followed the flaming creature into the swamp where it dived into the murky waters with a screaming Peters. The flames from the creatures burning body engulfed not only the creature but Peters as well. On the bank of the swamp, I sat Jenks down.

"You stay here." I cried.

"But," she whimpered as she was reaching for me again.

"No buts, Jenks." I turned and gave my full attention to the swamp. Pasternak was already in the dirty, muddy waters. We were about twenty feet off the bank up to our hips in the muck when from down under it came and jerked Pasternak below the surface. I fired my weapon into the direction where the creature and Pasternak went down. I waited for a long while. Jenks was on the bank screaming for me to get out of the swamp.

"Get out now," she was yelling at the top of her lungs.