I practically collapsed onto the couch. It had been a exhausting week, but now it was friday night and I had the rest of the week to do what I wanted. I had the house to myself, because my dad was away for some company getaway and my mom was invited. As I sat there, I heard a strange noise which made me sit upright. “Was that a coyote?” I wondered aloud. Looking over at my dogs, I could tell they heared it too.

They were both standing at the back door with their hackles raised. There was Q, the yellow lab who was gentle and could be happy with any amount of attention, she was getting old and had problems with her hip, but she could still scare people with her deep bark. Standing beside her was Tess our border terrier, she was a playful little dog who was also surprisingly tough for her size, she has killed three possums, each of which were larger than her! Tess had once been attacked by a coyote and according to the vet, the bite she recieved should have killed her, but she survived and made a full recovery. If the coyotes were back, I wasn’t going to let them attack my dogs again.

I quickly grabbed our rifle and some ammunition. The gun was an old .22 caliber Mossberg, bolt action, single shot rifle, with a wooden stock. Although it was old, it was accurate and reliable.

I went to the door and the dogs tried to follow me. “Stay” I told them, as I went outside. I walked slowly towards our old wooden barn, listening for any coyotes. From the direction of our field I heard a sound which no coyote would make, it sounded like a something was dragging through the grass. I quickly loaded the rifle. My instincts told me to go inside, but something else made me want to investigate. I crept towards the overgrown field with the rifle held tight against my shoulder. As I reached the edge of the field, the dragging abrubtly stopped. All sound including the insects seemed to cease, all I could hear was my breathing and the beat of my heart. A slight breeze was the only thing which disturbed the night air. I could feel the hair on my neck standing on end, my instincts were screaming at me to leave, but something else told me to keep going. Something was definitely out there in the field. After a moments hesitation, I entered the field. With every step adrenaline flowed through me and my heart beat faster. As I reached the center of the field, that dragging sound started again.

It seemed like it was all around me, blocking all other sound except the staccato beat of my heart. I was frantically looking around, trying to locate the source of the noise, but I could hardly see anything! The sound was getting louder, closer. I shut my eyes, trying to listen for the direction the noise came from. After a few agonizing seconds I had my answer. My eyes shot open. It was behind me! I quickly spun around and brought the rifle to my shoulder. I held my breath and squeezed the trigger. The rifle crack sounded deafening in the night air and then... silence.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Did I get it?” I wondered aloud. There was a low growl and suddenly I was struck by something which had to be as thick as a small tree! The force of the blow threw me back several feet and knocked the wind out of me. I felt the rifle leave my hands as I fell to the ground. A large clawed foot began to press down on my torso, cutting of my air.

I couldn't breathe, the pressure was to much. My vision was fading, I was going to blackout. I could see my rifle just a few feet away. I tried desperately to reach it, but a second foot pinned my arm to the ground. I tried to look up at the creature which had done this, but I passed out from lack of oxygen and my mind was enveloped in darkness...