Bigfoot Hunters (Tales of the Crypto-Hunter Book 1)

by Rick Gualtieri

  The Last Coven (The Tome of Bill - 8)

  The Tome of Bill Series: Volume One

  The Tome of Bill Series: Volume Two

  Bigfoot Hunters

  Lycan Moon

  Midnite’s Daughter

  Bonus Chapter

  DEVIL HUNTERS

  A Tale of the Crypto-Hunter

  The golden eagle soared effortlessly above the frozen landscape, its wings barely moving, held aloft by the updraft that preceded the storm front. A clap of thunder sounded in the distance, but the mighty bird paid it no mind. It was far too preoccupied searching for prey.

  Something on the snow-covered ground caught its sharp eyes and it banked its impressive six-foot wingspan to investigate. It moved with the easy grace of a super predator, certain in the mastery of its domain. Soon, it spotted the fresh kill. It was likely that wolves or maybe a bear had brought down the great antlered beast below, but none of that mattered to the eagle. It had few qualms about facing down either opponent over meat. It knew it had little to fear from even the largest of land predators.

  In the fading sunlight, as the storm’s approach quickened, it began to circle, slowly descending toward the appetizing prize.

  All at once, movement registered in its vision from down below – a flash of yellow hair, followed by something stepping from the brush near the kill. Like many predators, the eagle did not outright fear a lone human. However, its instincts commanded it to be wary. It continued circling, waiting to see if the intruder would move off. That was when something else caught its eye.

  The eagle had no fear of any creature that walked the land, but what came from the sky was a different matter entirely. Though it realized the newcomer was still far above it, the shadow it cast on the ground dwarfed its own.

  Banking its wings, the eagle made a sharp turn. The prize on the ground wasn’t worth it. The creature that had entered its airspace was an enemy against which it could not win. With one last shriek, the eagle headed west, hoping to try its luck elsewhere.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “What are you doing?” the voice from the Bluetooth headset demanded.

  “My job,” Daniella Kent – Danni to her friends – replied, stepping out of the hunting blind and approaching the dead moose.

  “That’s why we set the bait.”

  “This thing’s already taken two kids from that village and it’s started going after the adults, too. It’s a man-eater and you know it, Derek. The bait isn’t going to attract anything more than the usual scavengers.” Danni rolled her eyes. It had been nearly a year since she’d joined the team and he still acted like she was a kid.

  “We just need to be patient...” Derek began when another voice over the radio drowned him out.

  “I see it!”

  Danni was tempted to reply, “Told ya so!” but knew it would be childish. Besides, if the creature really was approaching, it would be unwise to engage in unnecessary banter.

  “Can you get a shot, Frank?” Derek asked.

  “No good,” came the answer. “Still too far away, and the goddamned wind is picking up.”

  “They don’t call them Thunderbirds for nothing,” Danni said under her breath. She pushed an errant strand of blonde hair from her face, then lifted her rifle and scanned the sky through the scope.

  “Danni...” Derek’s voice warned.

  “Where is it?” She lowered the rifle just as the oncoming clouds blotted out the sun. The dazzling brightness was immediately replaced by a shape much darker than the clouds above it.

  The creature had been using the glare of the sun to mask its approach. With its cover gone, Danni could see the monstrous bird in all its glory. It was huge, with an eighteen-foot wingspan and a curved beak that looked like it could shatter bone. Worse, it was coming at her fast ... too fast.

  Shit!

  There wasn’t time to line up a shot. Her training taking over, Danni threw herself into a hard dive, losing her grip on the gun in the process. Fortunately, big as the creature was, it was incapable of making a quick turn to compensate for her movement.

  She had just enough time to think, Where the hell are the others? when the reports from multiple rifle shots reached her ears.

  Danni hit the ground and rolled onto her back, hoping for the best. A splay of feathers fell from one of the creature’s massive wings, but the monstrous bird remained airborne. Damn it!

  It had been Derek’s idea to split the team up at multiple bait sites so as to cover more ground, but still remain close enough to provide cover for each other. Not a bad plan, really. Unfortunately, the storm was moving in faster than expected and the erratic wind gusts were playing havoc with their ability to hit a moving target. Even one as big as a Cessna, Danni mused, getting back to her feet in time to see the creature bank for another pass at her.

  Not afraid of people. That’s gonna cost you, you ugly son of a bitch. Despite the danger, a small smile played out across her lips. She must have been hanging out with Francis too much. His attitude was obviously starting to rub off on her. It probably wasn’t the healthiest mindset for living a long life, but it was better than running scared.

  Speaking of running... “Danni, lead it toward me so I can get a head-on shot.”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. Despite its size, the bird was more maneuverable than she would have given it credit for. It was already positioned and building up speed for another run. Danni spotted her discarded rifle, determined there wasn’t time to retrieve it, then turned and dashed toward Derek’s position.

  Thunder crashed overhead and suddenly the storm was upon them. The wind picked up and pinpricks of frozen rain began to pelt her.

  “Just a little more,” Derek said from over the headset.

  A shriek from behind told her she didn’t have a little more.

  Screw this! She reached into her jacket and drew the semi-automatic pistol from the holster inside. Throwing herself into a dive, she spun, landed hard on her back, and took aim. There was almost no chance of missing at this range. The bird took up nearly her entire field of vision.

  She squeezed the trigger over and over, unleashing a small volley of hellfire upon the beast. But then Danni realized she had a new problem. Regardless of whether she killed it, the small caliber bullets weren’t going to stop the monster bird’s momentum. Alive or dead, it was going to slam into her. Between its massive beak and outstretched talons, she was about to be impaled... The golden eagle soared effortlessly above the frozen landscape, its wings barely moving, held aloft by the updraft that preceded the storm front. A clap of thunder sounded in the distance, but the mighty bird paid it no mind. It was far too preoccupied searching for prey.

  Something on the snow-covered ground caught its sharp eyes and it banked its impressive six-foot wingspan to investigate. It moved with the easy grace of a super predator, certain in the mastery of its domain. Soon, it spotted the fresh kill. It was likely that wolves or maybe a bear had brought down the great antlered beast below, but none of that mattered to the eagle. It had few qualms about facing down either opponent over meat. It knew it had little to fear from even the largest of land predators.

  In the fading sunlight, as the storm’s approach quickened, it began to circle, slowly descending toward the appetizing prize.

  All at once, movement registered in its vision from down below – a flash of yellow hair, followed by something stepping from the brush near the kill. Like many predators, the eagle did not outright fear a lone human. However, its instincts commanded it to be wary. It continued circling, waiting to see if the intruder would move off. That was when something else caught its eye.

  The eagle had no fear of any creature that walked the land, but what came from the sky was a different matter entirely. Though it realized the newcomer was still far above it, the shadow it cast on the ground dwarfed its own.

  Banking its wings, the eagle made a sharp turn. The prize on the ground wasn’t worth it. The creature that had entered its
airspace was an enemy against which it could not win. With one last shriek, the eagle headed west, hoping to try its luck elsewhere.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “What are you doing?” the voice from the Bluetooth headset demanded.

  “My job,” Daniella Kent – Danni to her friends – replied, stepping out of the hunting blind and approaching the dead moose.

  “That’s why we set the bait.”

  “This thing’s already taken two kids from that village and it’s started going after the adults, too. It’s a man-eater and you know it, Derek. The bait isn’t going to attract anything more than the usual scavengers.” Danni rolled her eyes. It had been nearly a year since she’d joined the team and he still acted like she was a kid.

  “We just need to be patient...” Derek began when another voice over the radio drowned him out.

  “I see it!”

  Danni was tempted to reply, “Told ya so!” but knew it would be childish. Besides, if the creature really was approaching, it would be unwise to engage in unnecessary banter.

  “Can you get a shot, Frank?” Derek asked.

  “No good,” came the answer. “Still too far away, and the goddamned wind is picking up.”

  “They don’t call them Thunderbirds for nothing,” Danni said under her breath. She pushed an errant strand of blonde hair from her face, then lifted her rifle and scanned the sky through the scope.

  “Danni...” Derek’s voice warned.

  “Where is it?” She lowered the rifle just as the oncoming clouds blotted out the sun. The dazzling brightness was immediately replaced by a shape much darker than the clouds above it.

  The creature had been using the glare of the sun to mask its approach. With its cover gone, Danni could see the monstrous bird in all its glory. It was huge, with an eighteen-foot wingspan and a curved beak that looked like it could shatter bone. Worse, it was coming at her fast ... too fast.

  Shit!

  There wasn’t time to line up a shot. Her training taking over, Danni threw herself into a hard dive, losing her grip on the gun in the process. Fortunately, big as the creature was, it was incapable of making a quick turn to compensate for her movement.

  She had just enough time to think, Where the hell are the others? when the reports from multiple rifle shots reached her ears.

  Danni hit the ground and rolled onto her back, hoping for the best. A splay of feathers fell from one of the creature’s massive wings, but the monstrous bird remained airborne. Damn it!

  It had been Derek’s idea to split the team up at multiple bait sites so as to cover more ground, but still remain close enough to provide cover for each other. Not a bad plan, really. Unfortunately, the storm was moving in faster than expected and the erratic wind gusts were playing havoc with their ability to hit a moving target. Even one as big as a Cessna, Danni mused, getting back to her feet in time to see the creature bank for another pass at her.

  Not afraid of people. That’s gonna cost you, you ugly son of a bitch. Despite the danger, a small smile played out across her lips. She must have been hanging out with Francis too much. His attitude was obviously starting to rub off on her. It probably wasn’t the healthiest mindset for living a long life, but it was better than running scared.

  Speaking of running... “Danni, lead it toward me so I can get a head-on shot.”

  She didn’t need to be told twice. Despite its size, the bird was more maneuverable than she would have given it credit for. It was already positioned and building up speed for another run. Danni spotted her discarded rifle, determined there wasn’t time to retrieve it, then turned and dashed toward Derek’s position.

  Thunder crashed overhead and suddenly the storm was upon them. The wind picked up and pinpricks of frozen rain began to pelt her.

  “Just a little more,” Derek said from over the headset.

  A shriek from behind told her she didn’t have a little more.

  Screw this! She reached into her jacket and drew the semi-automatic pistol from the holster inside. Throwing herself into a dive, she spun, landed hard on her back, and took aim. There was almost no chance of missing at this range. The bird took up nearly her entire field of vision.

  She squeezed the trigger over and over, unleashing a small volley of hellfire upon the beast. But then Danni realized she had a new problem. Regardless of whether she killed it, the small caliber bullets weren’t going to stop the monster bird’s momentum. Alive or dead, it was going to slam into her. Between its massive beak and outstretched talons, she was about to be impaled...

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  DEVIL HUNTERS

  Available Now!