An Occurrence in Crazy Bear Valley Read Online Free PDF Page B

It darted forward, then stopped and sniffed the air, turning its bullet-shaped head from side to side. It glanced back at the horses once more, as if trying to decide which prey to go after. Then it ran forward again, heading toward the dead lumberjacks.
    Gunderson took a deep breath, sighted, drew a bead, exhaled, and then squeezed the trigger. The rifle kicked against his shoulder. He saw the creature drop, and then its form was obscured for a moment by the gun smoke swirling around his head. Gunderson didn’t mind. It helped cut down on the animal’s stench. The explosion boomed through the cabin, shattering the stillness. The others were instantly awake. Gunderson didn’t have to turn around to know that Morgan would already be on his feet, pistol in hand, surveying the situation. The rest would be a split second behind him, reflexes sharp, reaching for their various weapons. The only one whose behavior he wasn’t familiar with was Crystal’s, but he assumed she’d be awake, too.
    “God damn,” Parker groaned.
    The ringing in Gunderson’s ears still hadn’t subsided but the gun smoke had cleared. Gunderson stared out into the moonlight. The crumpled form was still there, lying motionless at the feet of the pines. He spat a stream of brown tobacco juice and nodded in satisfaction.
    “One shot,” he said. “I might be getting older, but damned if I ain’t still got the touch.”
    “What’d you get?” Johnson came up behind him, tugging up his pants. “What’s for breakfast?”
    “Not sure,” Gunderson said, turning around to face them. “Wasn’t like any animal that I’ve ever seen. One of them crazy bears, I suspect. Or at least, the source for the stories about them.”
    “ Was it a bear?” Morgan asked, crossing to the window and peering out.
    “If it was,” Gunderson replied, “then it was a mighty strange one. Mighty strange. I couldn’t get a good look at it in the dark, but to tell you the truth, boss, it reminded me more of those gorillas you hear talk about at the zoos than any—”
    A loud, anguished cry interrupted him. It echoed from some-where deep in the forest. A moment later, a second mournful howl joined the chorus. Then another and another, until there were dozens of cries.
    “What the hell is that?” Parker gasped.
    Morgan strode across the floor and flung the door wide open. He stepped out onto the porch and stared into the darkness. Gunderson, Parker, and Johnson joined him. Their breath clouded the air. The boards were wet with frost beneath their feet. Clara, Stephens and Crystal hovered in the doorway. Both women clung to Stephens’ side.
    “That’s them,” Crystal said. “That’s the crazy bears! That’s what they sound like. But I’ve never heard so many of them at once. And not like this.”
    Morgan turned around and glanced at her as more shrieks echoed all around them.
    “What do you mean ‘not like this’?”
    “They sound angry. They’ve never sounded like that before.”
    Parker stepped forward. “You want us to go get the carcass and clean it, boss?”
    “Not with all that damned noise going on, I don’t.” Morgan gestured towards the trees. “No telling how many are out there—or what they even are. Sounds like a cross between a bobcat and a bear, if you ask me. I’ve never heard anything like it in my life.”
    “Me neither,” Gunderson said. “And I’ve heard lots of strange things in my time.”
    “We could drag the carcass back here,” Johnson suggested. “If we’re quick about it, shouldn’t be no harm. We’ve got our guns.”
    “Good luck dragging it back here on your own,” Gunderson said. “You boys didn’t see that thing when it was standing up. It weighs a good three-hundred pounds, I’d imagine. Maybe more.”
    Johnson whistled. “Too heavy to move without the horses, then.”
    Gunderson nodded. “I reckon it—”
    A third volley of cries drowned him out.
    “The hell with this,” Morgan said. “Everybody get