In writing this book, I decided to merge my interest in Cryptozoology with a few of the staples I crave in my entertainment: monsters and the people who fight them. After all, vampires and demons are lots of fun all by themselves, but, for me at least, it is so much cooler knowing that Blade and Buffy are busy kicking their asses.
Hence this book. Bigfoot Hunters is a horror adventure that merges all of the above. There’s the thrill of discovery, the mayhem of monsters running amok, and a few brave souls who aren’t going to surrender without a fight.
I had a lot of fun getting to know the characters in this story. I had even more with their furry antagonists. I hope you did too.
In closing, I will just say: if, having finished this book, you find yourself walking in the woods and hear a branch snap behind you, relax. It’s probably just a deer ... probably.
Rick G.
About the Author
Rick Gualtieri lives alone in central New Jersey with only his wife, three kids, and countless pets to both keep him company and constantly plot against him. When he’s not busy monkey-clicking words, he can typically be found jealously guarding his collection of vintage Transformers from all who would seek to defile them.
Defilers beware!
Rick Gualtieri is the author of:
Bill the Vampire (The Tome of Bill - 1)
Scary Dead Things (The Tome of Bill - 2)
The Mourning Woods (The Tome of Bill - 3)
Holier Than Thou (The Tome of Bill - 4)
Sunset Strip: A Tome Of Bill Series Companion
Goddamned Freaky Monsters (The Tome of Bill - 5)
Half A Prayer (The Tome of Bill - 6)
The Wicked Dead (The Tome of Bill - 7)
Shining Fury: A Tome Of Bill Series Companion
The Tome of Bill Series: Volume One
Bigfoot Hunters
The Poptart Manifesto
To contact Rick (with either undying praise or rude comments) please visit:
Rick’s Website:
www.rickgualtieri.com
Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/RickGualtieriAuthor
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/RickGualtieri
Bonus Chapter
DEVIL HUNTERS
A Tale of The Crypto Hunter
The golden eagle soared effortlessly above the frozen landscape, its wings barely moving, being 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 preoccupied, as was its norm, with the search for prey.
Something on the 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, sure in the mastery of its domain. Soon, it spotted what had caught its attention, a fresh kill. Perhaps wolves or even a bear had brought down the great antlered beast below. It did not matter 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 towards the appetizing prize below.
All at once, movement registered in its vision from down below. A flash of yellow and then it saw something step from the brush surrounding 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, the shadow it cast on the ground below dwarfed its own.
Bringing its wings to bear, the eagle made a sharp turn. The prize on the ground wasn’t worth it. The creature that had entered the eagle’s 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 the hell are you doing, Danni?” the voice from the Bluetooth headset demanded.
“My job,” Danni Kent replied, stepping out from the hunting blind and approaching the dead moose that lay on the ground.
“That’s why we set the bait.”
“Give me a break, Derek,” she replied. “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. 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 he needed to be over-protective of.
“We just need to be patient...” Derek began when another voice drowned his 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 wise to free up the radio from unnecessary banter.
“Can you get a shot, Frank?” Derek’s voice blared out again.
“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 squinted through the scope, scanning the sky. She didn’t see anything.
“Danni...” Derek’s voice warned.
“Where is it?” she asked, lowering 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 sun to mask its approach. With its cover gone, Danni could see it in its fullness. It was huge, with a nearly eighteen-foot wingspan and a curved beak that looked like it could shatter bone. Worse, it was coming at her fast ... too fast.
There wasn’t time to line up a shot. Her training taking over, Danni threw herself into a hard dive to the left, losing her grip on the gun in the process. It was necessary, though. 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... when she heard the whine of bullets as they passed a few feet above her. A moment later, the reports from the rifle shots reached her ears.
Danni hit the ground and rolled on her back, hoping for the best. She saw a splay of feathers fall from one of the creature’s massive wings, but the monstrous bird remained airborne. Fuck!
It had been Derek’s idea to split the team up at multiple bait sites, so as to cover more ground. Normally, it would have been a good idea. The team was spread out, but still close enough to provide cover for each other, a decent plan considering their airborne target. 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, mused Danni, getting back to her feet in time to see the creature banking for another pass at her.
Not afraid of people, she thought. That’s gonna cost you, you ugly son of a bitch. Despite the danger, she let a small smile play out across her lips. She must have been hanging out with Francis a little 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 still, it was better than running scared.
Speaking of running, though... “Danni, lead it towards 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 ran in the direction of Derek’s position.
* * *
Thunder crashed overhead and suddenly the storm was upon them. The wind picked up and pi
npricks of frozen rain begin 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 thought with a snarl. Still running, she reached into her jacket and drew the twin semi-automatic pistols from the holsters inside. Throwing herself into a dive, she spun and landed hard on her back, the guns facing upward. There was no chance of missing at this range. The bird took up almost her entire field of vision.
She squeezed both triggers and unleashed a small volley of hellfire upon the beast. The bullets hit home, but Danni immediately saw 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 realized she was about to be impaled.
* * *
DEVIL HUNTERS
Coming Soon!
Bigfoot Hunters Page 29
